Going back to my (college) roots

I saw this WeWOOD watch advertised in a yoga magazine and was struck by how simply beautiful it was. It has the look of a metal watch, but it's made of wood! WeWOOD follows a similar philosophy to TOMS, in that it plants a tree for every timepiece sold. It's a nice concept, but I'm not completely sure I buy into the product description: "As alive as nature, your timepiece records your sensations and shares your experiences and may awaken memories from another time and place." It's a watch. It tells time. Let's just leave it at that. But, I do think it's perfect for the friend who lives in San Francisco who often sports North Face and only eats organic food. Or maybe just someone who appreciates design, like your architect friend.  

Mark it with a moon

I've always been a fan of dainty jewelry, and I'm a yogi. So when I stumbled upon gemagenta's moon necklace, I fell in love. I'll explain, because I know that my train of thought is not logical. I've been practicing yoga for several years, and one of my teachers likes to relate the phases of the moon to the intentions we set at the beginning of yoga practice. According to Ashtanga yoga, yogis should avoid practicing on moon days (full or new) since the moon affects our "prana," or balance. If you're interested in why, click here to learn more. Not sure if it's in my head, but I do feel the effects of the moon's pull during these particular days, and I've become more interested in the link between nature and feelings. 

The moon necklace captures all of this, and in a cute, dainty and personalized way. Lorena, the jewelry maker, custom makes each piece to commemorate special dates, engraving the lunar phase that corresponds to that memorable date, whether it's a birth, the-day-you-fell-in-love, engagement, new job or wedding date. The necklace is personalized on so many levels that it's hard to find a more unique piece (and at $33, it's a steal!).  

Maybe I should buy one to mark my first yoga session. What date would you choose? 

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!

Cute on cute = too cute!

I'm getting to that point in my life where I'm receiving invitations--but not the birthday kind. It's increasingly to events centered around weddings and babies. I haven't perfected wedding gift giving yet, mostly because I feel compelled to be "normal" and follow gift registry guidance. But, when it comes to babies, I think there's a bit more freedom to be creative and thoughtful. Although, I'm sure some of us feel like we're confined to only purchasing blue and pink gifts. I'm here to say that baby gifts that are gender-neutral are often the best. I'm a big fan of humor because what's better than a cute, funny baby who doesn't know he or she is funny? Case in point, the mustachifier and the iPood onesie. I'm also a huge fan of turning babies into animals. How can you go wrong with a baby owl?