Tag Archives: gifts for a college grad

2011 Gift Guide: Under $25


When you’re planning your gift giving this season, there are no little people, but there might be a need for little gifts.  Small tidings of joy that share your sentiment without breaking the bank.  These gifts are great for stocking stuffers, colleagues, friends, cousins’ cousins, and people who make the rest of your year easier…  They are also all under $25.

2011: Gifts Under $25

Shop: Bar Set, Knife and Scissors, Lip Scrub, OPI set, Card Holder, Cap, Candy, Phone Case, Frames, Spice Jars

There are gifts here that are great for guys, great for gals, great for foodies, great for funnies.  It is hard to go wrong when giving a gift that you’re thoughtful about!

It’s so great to give a gift that pampers like a new or favorite lip color, nail polish, or very luxe beauty cream.  Everyone loves a gift that feeds a passion, like cooking, entertaining, a sport, or a new career.  And of course, no one turns down a gift that feeds the soul and the stomach – homemade foodie gifts are lovely, and the Peppermint Bark (at World Market for a steal!) cannot be beat.

What is your favorite stocking stuffer?  Tell me in the comments!

2011 Gift Guide: His Edition


Listen, I know, sometimes it can be nearly impossible to shop for guys.  I get it.  They don’t make wish lists, or drop hints, and generally if they want something they get it.  Oh man, men!

So my rule for shopping for Mark, the man in my life, is to just have fun with it.  I listen carefully to the things he mentions, the articles/songs/books he gets excited about, and otherwise I am left with my own creativity.

For this “his edition” of the gift guide I was extra playful, a little old school and hopefully a lot of fun.

2011: Gifts for Him

Shop: Beer, Soda, RC Helicopter, Pac-Man, Coffee, Batman, Tie, Parking Ticket, Shirt, Breaking Bad, Atlas

When I found a lot of these gifts it was with Mark in mind.  What I really like about them is that they straddle the gap between grown up and kid – and if there is ever a time to act or feel like a kid, it is definitely at the holidays.

A lot of these gifts are food/drink related – and I think that’s great for a guy – they’re consumable and don’t require much thought.  Check out microbreweries, coffee roasters, beef jerky makers, etc, for cool monthly or weekly gifts.  I also really loved the old school favorites from yesteryear that are now updated like the modern movie posters, RC racers, and Pac-Man.  If your guy needs some grown up gear nothing beats a perfect fitting shirt, crisp tie, timely reading, and a kitschy tray to catch all.

What is your favorite gift to give guys?  Tell me in the comments!

2011 Gift Guide: Home Edition


With Thanksgiving officially behind us all that remains is some leftover pies, a renewed commitment to working out and a big holiday shopping list!

At some point when you’re a “real adult” the joys of the holiday season extend beyond gift receiving into gift giving.  I have found a collection of favorite gifts for hopefully everyone on your list, at a variety of prices, and this week I will be sharing them all with you.

First up: gifts for home.  If your home is your castle, than the holiday season is the perfect time to gift people with little treats and trinkets that they might not ordinarily splurge on for themselves.

2011: Gifts for the Home

Shop: Napkin, Bowls, Bottle Stop, Throw, Coaster, Candle, Snuffer, Poster, Ornaments

When I found a lot of these gifts it was with a new homeowner in mind.  They are special items that can’t be picked up at Bed & Beyond or IKEA, and can make even the smallest “starter” apartment feel like home.

Great gifts for the new homeowner include art to celebrate the home, ornaments for their first tree or a real menorah, a ultra soft throw blanket to upgrade from their college fleece, luxe kitchen and entertaining trinkets for when the parties graduate from kegger to cocktails.

What is your favorite gift to give for the home?  Tell me in the comments!