Archive for the ‘Housewarming Gifts’ Category

Dan: There is a stigma that exists that posters only exist for decorating college dorms and trashy establishments.  However, I find that posters can really personalize any space whether it is the office or your house.  I am in love with music and really nerdy cartoons and books.  Therefore, in order to express the inner geek that I am, I decorate my apartment with streams of guitar posters and star wars models.  I like doing this because it really makes my part of the apartment my own domain.  I feel as if everyone should be true to themselves and do what I did!

This is why I think posters make absolutely excellent gifts.  If you have a friend or family member that you know really well, give them something that shows you know them for who they really are!

Grace: I could really use a poster or two because my dorm room is so empty.  I completley agree that posters make great gifts.  They really add a nice touch to any room, whether it’s a dorm room or just a room in your house.  There are so really nice print-outs of interesting designs and paintings that, when framed, add a very unique, decorative style.  This is a great gift idea!

Dan: This morning as I got into the shower to get ready for my day I managed to knock everything over onto the floor.  Our showers have a tiny ledge on the side and a bar to hold on to but besides that there is no where to put shampoo and soap.  This sparked a great gift idea for myself and for all of you too.  There is a wide array of shower caddies and other types of storage available in the market.  My favorite, due to its positioning in the shower and its availability, is a shower shelving unit that goes right under the shower head.  This way all the shampoos and soaps are right in front of you and out of the way of everything else.

A shower storage unit is a really creative and necessary gift.  Especially if you know someone who is a college student or has a small shower with no where to put their belongings.  If you know someone who is without all the amenidities of home and is trying to make due in a really small shower…then go ahead and invest in a shower storage unit.  It is a really smart gift idea with a purpose and will not be put to waste.

Grace: It’s rather ironic that you came up with this gift idea today, Dan, because on my way to the shower this morning, my shower caddie completely fell apart!  I completely agree that a shower storage unit would make for a great gift for anyone.  It’s a simple, useful thing that most people would never think to buy themselves but would love to have.  If you want to personalize the gift even more, I would recommend even giving a set of nice soaps or some other useful shower paraphernalia to fill out the gift.

Grace: For me, the most difficult part of having to live away from my family isn’t just that I miss them, but I also really miss home-cooked meals!  College food was exciting for about a week my freshman year, and it went downhill after that.  Even just being able to cook at school would be nice, but I don’t have any utensils!

A great multipurpose gift is this Crate and Barrel Kitchen Crock that has all kinds of useful utensils.  I can’t even begin to tell you how annoying it is to have to bake using plastic spoons and my rice cooker; it works, but life would be so much easier if I just had all the utensils to begin with.  This set is not only useful in the college world, but it’s also great for once the recepient leaves school because they won’t have to worry about buying kitchen supplies.  Not to mention, this gift is also great for new homeowners or newlyweds.  There is an endless number of people this gift would be perfect for!

Dan: This is a really great gift idea Grace!  I am somewhat in the same predicament since my roommates and I are missing a few crucial cooking/eating utensils.  Most of our forks, spoons, and knives are hand-downs from our grandparents and don’t even cut because they have not been sharpened in such a long time.  Save your college student despair and furnish them with this great gift.  This gift is really perfect for anyone who is in need of some kitchen utensils.

Dan: Now that I have my own room at school in my apartment, the way my room smells is because of the way I treat it!  I no longer have a roommate sleeping in the same room as me that I can blame for the “guy” smell.  Therefore, when I went out shopping for things that I needed for the upcoming school year and went out on a limb and bought a Febreze candle.  So far it looks great and smells refreshing as well.

I have always hated super scented candles and air fresheners that constantly release oils into the air.  So if you are not keen on the idea of letting smelly oils evaporate all over your belongings then getting the Febreze candle is a really great gift idea.  Some people think that scented candles are an unoriginal gift idea.  Not so fast!  A lot of people, like myself, need scented candles, and even if you don’t need one, they are very relaxing and can help someone unwind at the end of the day.  You can also have fun buying scented candles.  What is that person’s favorite thing and can that be associated with a candle?

Grace: I love getting scented candles as gifts!  Even if they’re never lit, they add a nice decorative touch to any room.  If you’re willing to spend a little more money on candles, they also have candles that are carved into interesting shapes (such as floating candles carved into flowers) or ones that have other decorative designs within the wax.  Also, if you really want to personalize your gift and have artistic talent, you can even make your own candle holder!  However, I would suggest exercising caution if you’re planning on giving a candle as a gift to a college student because some colleges don’t allow candles in dorms.  The last thing your friend needs is a fine.

Grace: My parents, like many people, enjoy a nice glass of wine during dinner, but it of course has to be properly chilled beforehand. Unfortunately, our fridge isn’t able to comfortably fit a bottle of wine without some clever maneuvering, and I always manage to knock something over trying to get to things around the wine.

However, I found this really practical gift that I think my parents would enjoy. This electronic wine cooler takes the hassle out of trying to get wine to the correct temperature. Instead of constantly leaving the table to go to the fridge, you can relax and actually enjoy a meal and good conversation. This gift is perfect for people, like my parents, who appreciate nice wine but aren’t experts on the subject.

Dan: The wine cooler is a wonderful gift recommendation for those who enjoy wine for the most simple reasons or for the really educated wine enthusiast.  At my own home my parents too have a difficult time fitting a bottle of wine into the normal old refigerator.  It usually ends up right next to the ketchup on the inside of the door.  Another wine recommendation is a wine rack.  My parents needed one desperately as the wine bottles started to make a pile on one of the kitchen counters.  What a great gift recommendation!

Dan: I’m back! I was just on vacation in Farmington, Maine staying at a camp on Clearwater Lake. It is amazing what a little fresh air can do. Having grown up in an urban area, getting the chance to escape somewhere that has clean air and a cool breeze is really refreshing. Since being away Grace has come up with some really great gift ideas. My favorite being the latest with the Lord of the Rings trilogy!

It must be no wonder having just come back from Maine to suggest pure Maine maple syrup as a gift idea. To be honest I have never tried it before my vacation and it is amazing. Most “syrups” that you can buy at the grocery store are just a culmination of artificial flavoring and corn syrup. When you really take the time to look at the back of the bottle, it’s haunting to realize what you are about to consume.

Pancakes before real syrup…ok, after…awesome

Waffles before real syrup…ok, after…delicious

Not only is Maine maple syrup organic and better tasting, you can really admire its value when looking at the process of turning the sap into a tasty topping. It takes roughly 40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of maple syrup. In order to make a reasonable amount of syrup that will last you and your family a long time, multiple trees need to be tapped. The process of making syrup is very involved, so hopefully this University of Maine guide should help if you want to try it yourself. However, it is much easier to buy a bottle for yourself or as a tasty gift! Trust me, I will never go back to Aunt Jemima or any other “fake” syrup.

Grace: Mmmm, there is no such thing as too much sugar, or at least I think so. I haven’t had maple syrup in a while, but I remember vacationing in Vermont and bringing back TONS of it because it was just so good! I’m not really sure what the difference between Vermont maple syrup and Maine maple syrup is, but I’m sure Maine’s version is just as delicious! Natural maple syrup is definitely a luxurious yet completely unique gift. I also really liked the gift basket with the natural maple syrup and the organic honey.  I think Dan came up with a great gift idea; maybe he should go on vacation more often?

Grace: My family is not very big on gifts.  Our policy is unless you ask for something, you won’t get anything at all.  However, every once in a while a big event, such as an important birthday or anniversary or graduation, comes along and we feel a nice gift is necessary.

While it’s fairly easy to shop for either me or my sister, finding gifts for my parents has become increasingly difficult.  My mom is way past the point of fancy jewelry, and there are only so many cuff links and coffee mugs we can buy my dad.  Luckily, my dad has started a recent obsession with sterling silver picture frames, and for him, there is no such thing as too many pictures.

My dad loves the silver frames is because they are not only clean and uniform (therefore making our unorganized house look clean and uniform), but they are also timeless.  They’re a nice gift that fit multiple occasions.

For example, sterling silver frames make perfect wedding gifts.  The wedding industry is growing quickly and can be very overwhelming, but a young couple can always use a nice picture frame or two.  My parents had a Shinto wedding ceremony, since my mother is Japanese, and even then sterling silver picture frames were the perfect gift.  The classic look of these frames transcends culture and age.

Also, if you are big of anniversary traditions, sterling silver is usually given on the 25th anniversary.  Even if you are not particular on following those traditions, silver picture frames always make for a good anniversary gift.  I can’t even begin to count how many times my parents have received sterling silver picture frames as anniversary gifts, and yet they are also so happy to receive them.

Grace: As a poor college student, I have a hard time finding gifts for my friends that I think they’d enjoy but won’t leave me broke. The easy way out would be to buy clothing or jewelry, but those gifts can get repetitive and boring.

As a very hands-on person, I love the idea of giving a scrapbook as a gift. Scrapbooking is a fun and easy activity that anyone can partake in; all it takes is a little time and patience. It is a visual form of story telling that was first practiced in ancient Greece. As more people became literate and no longer had to hire scribes to record their thoughts and memories for them, scrapbooks became more popular. Sometime during 15th century England, scrapbooks started appearing as personal journals where recipes, letters, quotes, and other memorable items were placed. Today, scrapbooks are used mainly to preserve memories.

For my friend’s 20th birthday, a bunch of my friends and I decided to buy and start a scrapbook for her, and it was a complete success! We started out with a simple scrapbook, nice and affordable, and started 2 pages. In order to give her a little push, we bought her some stickers, glue, glitter, and other fun crafty things, and printed out a bunch of pictures we thought she would enjoy.

I wasn’t sure if my friend would actually continue scrapbooking, but come finals she’s always sitting in her room cutting paper and pasting pictures. She finds that it’s a great way to relieve stress (and procrastinate). A scrapbook is a great gift for someone who loves arts and crafts and also has the patience and time to actually work on one.

Dan: I have never personally made a scrapbook of my own, but I have received one as a gift. It was a memory capsule of many of the major moments during my four years in high school. I cherish that present more than any other gift I have ever been given. It is so important to me that it has to come to college with me throughout the year so that when I become over-stressed I can open it up and laugh about good times from the past. I am so happy that you gave this gift recommendation, Grace, because it is a very special one. You beat me to it!

Grace: In case you haven’t noticed, there’s nothing in this world that I enjoy more than food, but it’s unfortunately difficult to find food that is both delicious and healthy. One food item that is getting a lot of press for its health benefits is yogurt.

According to various studies, the heath benefits of yogurt are not only due to its calcium content and other properties it gains from being a milk product, but also because of the bacteria that is used to make it. This bacteria hinders the growth of harmful bacteria, therefore protecting the body against harmful bacterial infections and diseases. Also, the bacteria promotes a healthy digestive system, making yogurt a fan of dieters. For a more extensive and thorough explanation of yogurt’s health benefits, I would suggest downloading the Yogurt Encyclopedia (it sounds silly, I know, but it was actually quite informative and interesting!)

Although yogurt is something that can be bought at your regular grocery store, the health benefits of inorganic yogurt are debatable. This debate has made organic and natural yogurts more popular, but they are also incredibly expensive. I personally love organic yogurt, but it’s difficult to bring myself to shell out all the cash for something that’s going to disappear in two spoonfuls.

Luckily for me, I found this convenient, homemade yogurt maker. You get all the health benefits of yogurt right at home, and it’s easy and cheap compared to going out and buying organic yogurt all the time. It’s especially nice that this yogurt maker actually comes with cups, so you don’t have to search your house for Tupperware like I do. The end result is absolutely delicious, although you may want to sweeten it with some honey because plain yogurt doesn’t have much flavor.

This gift may seem a little odd, but it is perfect for someone who loves anything organic and homemade.

Dan: Yuck! I am quite a funny eater pertaining to my likes and dislikes but yogurt is a no-no for me. I love other dairy products such as milk and ice cream but there is something about the texture of yogurt that turns me off. However, I understand that yogurt is truly a healthy snack if made/bought correctly. Some of the inorganic yogurts found in the grocery store can really do more harm than good because of all the artificial flavoring; this is why I believe this gift idea is one for the yogurt lover in you (not me!). This gift idea is also one to cherish because you can use it forever, something that would be great as a housewarming gift!

Over the past several years, people have started to recognize the health benefits of tea, especially green tea. Tea has the potential to increase metabolic rate, boost mental awareness and the immune system, lower stress hormones, and may even have anti-cancer and anti-diabetes effects. In fact, recent studies have shown that green tea may help fight against HIV.

With all that being said, an obvious gift idea would be to buy someone tea, but that can get a little redundant. Maybe it’s just because we’re Asian and hey, we love tea, but my house is literally overrun by it. We even have a special closet for all our tea! Instead, I would recommend buying a tea set. What good is delicious tea if you have nothing to put it in? This is the perfect gift idea for someone like your mother (if she doesn’t already have one) or any other avid tea-drinker.

If you’re looking for a fancier, more flashy tea set, I would recommend this Wild Roses Bone China Tea Set. It has a beautiful rose motif with some touches of gold. It’s flashy but not overwhelmingly so (I actually think my mom owns this set). If you want a simpler, more everyday tea set, I found this Blue Line Tea Set. It’s white with just a touch of blue lining.

~ Grace