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House warming gifts

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One of my friends bought a new home and she’ll be moving into her new house in two weeks. This is their first new home so it’s a very exciting time for them.

Chris and I will be helping them with the move, and with any luck we’ll have a barbecue and relax once all the work is done that evening.

I already got them a couple of really nice house warming gifts, but while I was shopping I saw some really cute kids bedding. They have two small kids and I was thinking that getting a nice bedroom sheet set for one of the kids rooms might make a nice gift. I still have time to order it and receive the package before they move if I buy the set today.

I remember how expensive our move was, especially since we were moving into a larger space and had to buy furniture and other items.

What do you think? Is kids bedding a weird house warming gift or a nice idea?






Designer Gifts has quality gifts for every budget and occasion

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I’ve taken some time to have a really good look at this website and my overall opinion of the site is that it’s a great place to get some quality gifts in a wide range of prices from under $15 and up.Speaking of prices and selection, you can browse through the site in several different ways – by price, by occasion, by category, by recipient, and even by upcoming holiday. I’ll give them an A+ for that feature because I love visiting sites that you can do a number of things in a number of different ways, preferably all easy and straightforward.

giftbasket.jpgOne section that I really like is the Cheap gifts section. You can find items in that category that are listed as being under $10, $10 to $20 and so on right up to items listed at $100 and up.

Since Fathers Day is the next major special occasion that’s coming up in the near future, those of you who are looking for gifts might want to have a look at the Gift ideas for men category. Once you visit this category page you’ll find male oriented gift baskets, personalized gifts such as a stainless steel Army knife that can be engraved, a Pilsner glass, or a flask among many other items that can be personalized. There are also MP4 players, Picture frames, BBQ and grilling type gifts and a whole lot more gift ideas that would be perfect for a man.

I like that the menu, on the left side of the page has pop out sub categories. You can get to the area that you want to visit very easily in that manner, or you can just simply see what’s in each section by hovering over it with your mouse.

There is nothing in particular that I don’t like about this site. The prices are more than reasonable and the quality of the gift items is outstanding. When looking through the site I found that if you take a look at the gifts by recipient section you can even find gifts for pets and military personnel. I don’t believe that there are many designer gift sites out there that also cater to pets and the military.

One of the sections that I got caught browsing in for some time was the Picture Frames section. Yes, picture frames tend to be a standard gift for all occasions aren’t they? The are of the picture frame category that most interested me was the Digital picture frames area. I don’t have one of these yet, but after checking out a few different brands and styles I really really want one.

With some online stores my complaints tend to fall into the area of purchasing and shipping. I can’t find a fault in this area either. Designer Gifts accepts all major credit cards and even mail order purchases. They also ship to Canada, they do not however ship outside of the USA, US Territories and Canada. I’m personally pleased that they ship to Canada because I often find items online that I’d like to buy but can’t because the stores don’t ship to Canada. This can be really disappointing once you’ve taken the time to find an item and perhaps even started the purchasing process. So Kudo’s to Designer gifts for shipping throughout most of North America. Now if they’ll start doing international deliveries I’m sure many of you reading this would be quite happy.

If you do decide to purchase anything from Designer Gifts you might be happy to know that shipping is free if your purchase total is over $75. Since shipping can really add to the cost of purchasing an item online I think it’s great that they offer free shipping on some purchases.

Do check out this online store. I think you’ll be pleased with both the selection and prices.

What’s on your wish list?

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It’s cold outside, sometimes rainy, sometimes snowing, but if you are like me- a true gardener at heart, you are starting to dream about the next growing season. You are aren’t you?

If so, what would be on your dream gift list? We might be the easiest people to please this season. A packet of seeds from a plant that we’ve been longing to try, or perhaps a pair of Felco pruners? I’m a lefty so I have Felco #9 pruners, and old pair of my parents Felco #2.

What other items would you list if you could? Gloves, garden clogs, garden journals or plaques? Fancy plant markers? Garden statues, water falls, or gnomes? Or would you choose bird baths, bird feeders, wind chimes, weather vanes, or outdoor thermometers?

Maybe your loved ones could get you some bulbs that have already been prepared so they’ll bloom indoors for you in the new year? Or maybe you’d like to try an orchid or bonsai? Gift certificates for garden centers or stores that carry outdoor furniture- patio tables, BBQ’s, sheds?

Gardeners like myself who love to photograph the plants in their own gardens and others might be interested in photography equiptment, photography software for the computer, or photographic printing supplies. Some gardeners might be interested in software that will help them create an online garden journal, or perhaps landscaping software.

Then there are the garden books. That would keep you busy throughout the long cold winter wouldn’t it? Perhaps William Alexander’s the $64 Tomato, or Tracey DiSabato-Aust’s revised The Well-Tended Perennial Garden.

The list goes on and on. Tell me how I did- did I hit on any of the items that you would like to get for the holidays? What other items would you add to the list?

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