Gift pairing

I was inspired. So, I thought I’d spotlight this gift idea from my boyfriend’s mom, Karen. She bought a pair of sandals, but not just any pair. I have to say that I never thought shoe innovation would come in this form. No, it’s not new vegan shoe material; no, it’s not shock absorption technology from Nike; and, no, it’s not enhanced light technology from LA Gear (ps. I was obsessed with those shoes when I was little, and my Mom refused to buy me a pair—probably to protect her sanity). Instead, it’s innovation in a pretty basic form. Sandals are casual, and are often associated with nice weather and summer. So, why not add a bottle opener to the sole? It makes perfect sense…

Let’s be real, not really. But looking past this, I admire the novelty of the gift, and, more importantly, I’m inspired by the way Karen presented the pair of flip flops. With beer, naturally! I like when presents go hand-in-hand, when a gift giver shows the recipient how to enjoy a present. I think that shows thoughtfulness.  

I hope to feature more gift ideas from others who inspire me. So, share and send your ideas my way!

Cheaper than wine

A few months ago, I went on a tangent and started contemplating potential gifts for that friend who's celebrating the completion of his wine cellar. That probably won't happen (if it does, I'm jealous); but, what's more likely is that one of your friends is a wine aficionado. Instead of guessing his favorite wine or basing your purchase entirely on the correlation between price and quality (I think marketers have caught on), how about purchasing a wine journal that lets your friend record notes on various wines? It's a directory of wine thoughts, perhaps. Or maybe a wine accessory, like this wine tote. Super practical, "green" and cute, the tote comes in many designs and colors, plenty for the picking.

Black's in.

And I'm not talking about clothing. I'm talking about the kitchen. There are a couple of cooks in my life. The closest one is my Dad. He's always trying something new and succeeding. I know I'm overly spoiled. He often packs his gourmet meals in Tupperware containers, which have been coined "Daddy meals" by a couple of girlfriends. The point I'm trying to make is, it's hard to impress Dad when he's "in the know" with the culinary world. However, I have managed to surprise him with a few food trinkets. I picked up a bag of black garlic from Berkeley Bowl during my last trip up to Northern California. Looks good, taste great (almost sweet). You gotta trust me on this one. It adds kick to whatever dish you're making. And look at this great item (that I have yet to gift)--black sea salt. I thought sea salt was pretty wonderful already. I love it much more than regular salt since it's more substantial and really offers a salty bit of heaven. And now it's black! I think I have a fascination with both of these black foods because they are so basic and essential to the kitchen but there's a twist.

Help bring the cook in your life back to basics with black (say that quickly 5 times)!

Keep calm and...

The "keep calm and carry on" saying is really carrying on...to the point where the phrase is really overused. I can't walk into a gift shop without seeing the phrase plastered on posters and coffee mugs. I like it, don't get me wrong. I just like it modified, in some sort of creative way. I created a yoga bag for a girlfriend, screen printing "keep calm and carry om." I thought it was pretty clever. Anyway, I stumbled upon NuevoWoodcrafts and found the perfect gift for that musician in your life. My philosophy for gift giving is if you don't understand the hobby but want to get your recipient something hobby-related,  you have to be creative. That's your only saving grace. So, if you don't know the difference between an eighth and quarter note, purchase this little trinket. It will be thoughtful, creative, relatively cheap and oh-so-one-of-a-kind. Carry on, my gift givers!