Unique Gift for Grandparents

Rory Siefer is a family historian, whose goal is to help others pass on some of their best life stories, so that they will always be remembered. She was inspired by her grandfather, a WWII veteran, who always loved to tell stories.

These gifts are especially great for the grandparent who has everything.

CatchMyMemory.com features two different Family History kits -- MemoryCatchers, the first of their kind! The MemoryCatchers make saving and sharing a lifetime of stories easy and fun.



The StoryCatcher

The StoryCatcher was created so that you never lose your loved one's voice, and most importantly, their life story.

This kit was made so that the entire project could be completed in one weekend. Using the included Interview Guide, you will be able to prompt your parent/grandparent to tell stories about the special events (from childhood through their adult life).

Using a simple digital recorder you may complete up to 8 hours of voice recorded interviews. The best part is that the whole family can be involved.



The PhotoCatcher

This kit was created to save the history behind a loved one's photographs.

The PhotoCatcher helps a parent review, sort, organize, and select 60 of their best photographs. Once the photos are chosen a memory page is created for each image with short written narratives.

By the end of the process, an amazing 60-page storybook is ready to read and share with the whole family! The PhotoCatcher can make a great bedtime story for future generations, or an instant heirloom to keep on the coffee table for everyone to read.

Ms. Siefer truly believes in the importance of taking the time to save the stories while you still can. It is almost like creating a mini time capsule of your loved one's life so it can always be remembered. Both kits retail for $125/each, which includes all the tools needed to complete the process.

Unique Japanese Gift

A nice way to discover the exotic world of Japanese cuisine (sake in this particular case), is with this seven-piece sake set. The bottle measures about 7 inches (17.7cm) tall, and the cups are 2.25 inches (5.7cm) tall. The set is handcrafted in Japan.

AsianArtMall.com deals exclusively in Asian Arts and Crafts. Most of the products are directly acquired from the artists or production houses. This allows AsianArtMall to offer their items at affordable prices, without compromising on quality control. Some of the products are even custom made for the company, and only available on their website.

They have a special "For Her" section too, which features jewellery imported from Thailand, Bali, Japan, and China. Each piece is hand selected for its uniqueness.

AsianArtMall has full-time buyers which are located throughout Asia. If there's a product somewhere out there, they'll be able to find it.

PS: Sake Bar Hakkaisan is a place where you can read more about the art of drinking/appreciating SAKE.

Violin Table Lamp

Here's something a music lover would find gorgeous!

This is one of AbsoluteHome's current Featured Products -- a violin table lamp priced at $46.40.

The authorized dealer is Trend Lighting. Trend Lighting specialises in creating attractive, unique products. They cover many styles too, from urban contemporary to classic traditional. High quality workmanship and innovation is always a superlative combination.

This is a warm light fixture that would illuminate any home, and make it that much more inviting and cozy.

* Height: 12 1/2" (31.75 cm)
* Width: 4" (10.16 cm)
* Lamping: 1 - 15 watt candle
* Finish: antique brass

AbsoluteHome is a huge website, that proudly states being the online source for everything in the home. They offer a large selection of luxury brands, totaling over 500,000 products in various categories such as Kitchen, Bath, Lighting, Appliances, etc.

Shakespeare's Den

Smart Gifts for Intelligent People

I absolutely love this huge website (their storefront header is spiffy too!).

Shakespeare's Den can easily boast about having the largest collection of Shakespeare related gifts and merchandise, available on the internet.

Classics and hot favourites include The Shakespeare’s Quips, Cusses, and Curses Quiz Deck, and in fact, there's an entire section of products devoted to Shakepeare's Insults.

Here are some of the insults featured on the Shakespeare's Insults T-shirt:

* You scullion! You rampallian! You fustilarian!
* False of heart, light of ear, bloody of hand
* Idol of idiot-worshippers
* I do desire we may be better strangers

The food products (like mints and teas) come in very attractive, charming packaging that any Shakespeare fan would appreciate.

You can even search for gifts based on the plays - Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, King Lear, and so on.

Gifts like the hilarious "To Pee, or Not To Pee" baby bodysuit is a simplified version of the epic quotation, suitably so for the much younger crowds.

Romantic, Tropical Decor Gifts

The World's Finest

Conch King has an extensive selection of romantic, tropical decor gifts that are fit for queens and kings. Their featured wedding items are fast becoming a tradition at beach weddings!

Some of the tropical South Seas Island wedding horns were used at the wedding of Nicholas Cage to Lisa Presley (and at the island weddings of many other celebrities as well). The oil lamps are refillable for life too.

Each shell is lovingly cleaned and polished, and so far this isn't done anywhere else in the business. It is also trimmed so that it will stand up as an open vase or display and not just roll over.

Seashells do not come from the sea in nice condition. Many things grow on them. They have chipped edges and scratches that need to be trimmed down and polished.

Like any trade, practice makes perfect and the staff at Conch King are well beyond practice. They have developed some very unique methods of cleaning and polishing and carefully go over every item that is sold.

Conch shells are a beautiful gift that evokes high seas, adventure, mystery, allure, and amor.

It's noted on Conch King that conch are not an endangered species. They are also fished legally.

Homemade Potpourri

Debbie J.'s, with candle holder on top

Inexpensive and Eco-Friendly Giving

There's nothing like walking into a home with the beautiful and inviting smell of potpourri. If you like to make things yourself, you will love making it. A personalized gift is always something to cherish (and the time and thought behind it too).

You basically need four main ingredients.

* Flowers & leaves
* Essential oils
* Spices and Herbs
* Fixative

To get the flowers and leaves ingredients, you can go to your florist shop and ask for any discarded flowers. You can also dry out your own flowers.

You should collect 4 times the amount you need for the final potpourri mix, as flowers and leaves shrink when dried.

After the petals are thoroughly dry, pack them in screw-top jars, in alternating layers of petals with sprinklings of orris root. Orris root helps to preserve the fragrance of the herbs and flowers, and has little scent of its own, so it is a good base to use in a potpourri mix. Use 1-2 tablespoons of the dried orris root per cup of dried mix.

Store the jars in a dark place to preserve the color.

Your mixture can be just rose petals with an assortment of other flowers available, along with two or three spices and herbs, and one or two oils. Use the strong scented ingredients in small amounts.

Lastly, put in two tablespoons of fixative.

The mixtures can be used in sachets, in padding on hangers, and in closed or open porcelain jars. In a closed jar, it will keep for years. The jar stands open when the fragrance is wanted.

For ideas, you can view a collection of potpourri recipes at The Homemaking Cottage and Pioneer Thinking.

Fish Amulet

Hanging Fish Amulet

Ooh, purdy.

This home decor accent is made of pewter, and is hand painted. Furthermore, it's decorated with Swarovski crystals, brass and copper beads. It is signed by the artist, Ester Shahaf.

Dimensions: 15.5 cm (6 in) length, 7 cm (3 in) width.

The fish symbolizes prosperity and abundance for many religions (from Christian, to Pagan, to New Age, etc - check out this page on the meaning of the fish symbol for some interesting information).

Handmade Blown Glass Baubles

Mix of Colours Glass Ball

This lovely glass ball from Gifted in Design, is based on the Medieval Witch Ball. Traditionally, this is hung at the window where any potential trespassing evil spirits would be mesmerized by the reflective beauty of the ball.

Legend suggests the evil spirit would either be absorbed by the ball & trapped forever, or be scared away by the sight of its own reflection.

The hand blown balls on the site were crafted from a lead glass crystal mix. A fragrance bubble was added within the ball. Try dropping some oil into this bubble & hanging it up in a sunny window. Enjoy the beautiful reflections and the lovely aroma as the oil heats up!

Gifted in Design showcases inspirational gifts from British artists.

Hummingbird Cottages Tapestry Throw

WOW. This is one of the beautiful selection of throws from TrudysTreasures.

The throw is 100% cotton, machine washable, and made in USA.
Dimensions: 46" x 67" (116.84 cm x 170.18 cm, for metric folks).

TrudysTreasures is a premiere online source for unique and unusual gifts, of fine quality.

Gifts include Home Accents (like cutting boards), pillows, and patriotic as well as seasonal flags. To date, I've not seen such pretty cutting boards.

And going back to the throws/tapestries, the Southwest Collection - Native Artifacts Throw or Shaman's blanket - definitely adds flair to any room.

Shabby Chic Home Decor

Established in 2005, Polka Pots is a small (but perfectly formed) creative cottage industry based in the Garden of Kent (UK).

All of the designs are created with tender, loving care, individually painted and signed to provide a unique addition to your home. Colours are selected for beauty, style and their ability to complement a range of contemporary and traditional homes.

The individual quality of their designs is an important part of Polka Pot's ethos. Colours vary and polka dots are not of a uniform size, in true shabby chic home decor style!

Polka Pots has also been featured in several publications, including Country Living and Ideal Homes magazine.

Chimes and Things

Someone gave us gorgeous windchimes last Christmas and now that I'm out of the house more I can listen to the wind blowing the chimes - really beautiful sounds. This one is a traditional wind chime which is hand tuned and made of weather proof materials.

They don't only have windchimes there, but lots of other cool stuff as well.

Burt's Bees personal care items are sold here (such as beeswax lipbalm and hand repair moisturizing kits). There's a handblown glass heart as well as stained glass suncatchers which rays of sunshine will bring out the best of.

Purses, accessories, and a "Zen" section contain items a little more exotic, with a mystic Oriental touch (such as the World Peace Bracelet by Sergio Lub). You could find something you like for yourself or for a special someone.

Fern's Garden is run by a brother and sister team in the USA. It was started 25 years ago and was set up as a rebuttal to "globalization", which caused many American artisans to fold up their businesses. Fern's Garden is dedicated to ethical trade and fair treatment of artisans the world over. Pay them a visit if you're in Southern California.

Ornithology - The Study of Birds

A bird in my garden

Apologies for not having been very helpful with the gift ideas for a while. I've been busy with studies and learning how to parallel park. Urgh. When I was a young kid, one of my favorite activities was birdwatching. There's nothing quite like observing the bright azure of a kingfisher as it swoops over the water's surface, retrieving a silver fish in its beak.

I've been enjoying the somewhat warm weather (as warm as it gets in Maine, so far) and I've been noticing the different birds in our yard. Finches, orioles, blue jays, and crows. Not to mention the laughing gulls - those are situated more so in town though. I guess it has something to do with the McDonald's being situated there.

Anyway, I thought to myself, what would be nice is a bird feeder and/or birdbath.

I found these on http://www.birdandyard.com/index.html and thought they'd make perfect gifts for house-warming, or just a neat summer gift for a special someone or family.

I love this gazebo style bird-feeder. The hi-tech bird-bath shown below has an automatic refill feature.

Of course, no seasoned birdwatcher would be content without a pair of sturdy, reliable binoculars. More on that in a later post, after some scouting around.

For the Birds

http://www.coolgiftsandtreasures.com/
For someone who loves birds, this bird feeder is just perfect. It's really beautiful with Victorian-styled hummingbirds and morning glories painted on it.

Mama and Papa Bear

Visit http://www.bearsinchairs.com/ and order personalised gifts for a loving family you know. Many designs to choose from like those below. You can even choose the kind of bears you want.

Smug Mugs

These mugs are just perfect for pet lovers. Available at http://www.lang.com/

Yo Ho Ho

Maybe you know someone you like to get together with for a few friendly drinks. Give them their own personal pub sign - lots of designs that can be personalised at http://www.simply-sublime.com/

Christmas Glass

For a truly spectacular Christmas tree get these beautiful hand-crafted glass ornaments.........and spread some light with this unique Christmas oil candle, also made of hand-crafted glass.
http://glassdimensions.com/site/site_welcome.html

Cheers!

http://www.steincenter.com/

These are traditional German beer steins. They are collectors' items and these two are musical ones. As they say in German (I think) Prost!

What's Brewing?

For coffee lovers.........unique coffee........house brewed for freshness.

Here are samples from the collection of http://www.ravensbrew.com/

Don't Forget to Remember

Know people who are forgetful? Here's a neat gift for them. A magnetic chalkboard to stick on their refrigerator. Now they'll never forget the important stuff. Stick of chalk is attached to the board, so they won't forget where they put the chalk!
http://www.brightfungifts.com/det/magnetic_chalkboards.html