When my daughter was little, her Grandmother gave her a set of coat hangers with illustrations of Flower Fairies on, and she was enchanted by them. I then bought her the books and anything I could find with flower fairies. Now all grown up, she still has a thing about fairies.

These particular fairies are small, even by fairy standards, and stand between 4” and 6”. Flower Fairies are the invention of author and artist Cicely Mary Baker who lived in 1895-1973. When Cicely was a child, living close to London, she was unable to attend school because of her epilepsy and she was taught at home. Often alone,  she began to draw and used the children in the kindergarten her sister ran as her models.

There was a fascination for fairies in England at the beginning of the 20th century, largely because of the popularity of Peter Pan, and people would wander around their gardens trying to see and photograph them. Cicely was a very talented illustrator and combined her love of nature and her inspiration from the Pre-Raphaelites to draw the Flower Fairies. The drawings were done in marvelous detail and delicately colored. Each flower and plant was accurately captured, as if in a textbook for botanists.  Read more... (507 words, 1 image, estimated 2:02 mins reading time)

Some people like to stick to traditional presents when it comes to birthdays and some like a wacky surprise. As long as you put a little effort in, your birthday present ideas will be appreciated, and that means anything but a voucher. If you don’t have much time, it’s easier since the appearance of the World Wide Web. Just about every retailer has an online shopping facility now and you can still look around and compare prices. Plan your gift well ahead, in case it has to be returned for any reason.

If you’re not sure what to buy, you could ask the person you’re buying for to draw up a wish list of birthday present ideas. Ask them to put lots of things on it, and then it will still be a bit of a surprise. Of course, they may have been hinting at what they want for weeks and you missed it!

Clothes are always difficult to buy in case they don’t fit. They can also be good birthday present ideas for the fashion conscious. Sneak out a shirt or a top belonging to your loved one and use it for a guide in the shop. Alternatively, take a friend of similar size with you.  Read more... (432 words, 1 image, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)

Whether it is a wedding, bridal shower, birthday, or other special holiday, thank you notes are an important aspect of thanking those who have given gifts. This is somewhat of a lost art, but is still considered a must in polite society. Even before children can write, they can learn about the importance of thank you notes. They cannot write their name, but they can color or decorate a thank you note for someone who has given them something special. Older children can write their own thank you notes, and should be encouraged to do so at every opportunity. They don’t have to be wordy and long, a simple ‘thank you for the wonderful gift’ will suffice. The most important part of thank you notes is that they are done.

Thank you notes come in all shapes and sizes. Many invitation kits come with thank you notes included. They can also be made by buying specialty paper, or by getting ready-made thank you notes from a department or specialty store. What should be included on and in thank you notes is up to you. You can put a simple design on the front and include a short note inside. Make the note personal and have it written in your own handwriting. Thank you notes that are pre-printed tend to feel impersonal.  Read more... (489 words, 1 image, estimated 1:57 mins reading time)

Over the years, online greeting cards have become more popular than actually sending them through the mail system. You can find online greeting cards for practically any occasion imaginable and sent the card immediately. There is never a need to mail the card days in advance and wonder if the recipient will receive it in time. There is never a waiting period if you’re sending online greeting cards. Sometimes you can actually choose the date you want the card to be “delivered.” There are many, many websites that offer online greeting cards. Some of those sites will charge you a small fee while other sites are completely free. If you’re planning on sending cards via the internet frequently, it may not be a bad idea to actually pay for a membership to a site that you are fond of. Members often have access to more cards than non-members have.

Thousands of online greeting cards are sent to others each and every day. No longer will you have that panicky feeling of having waited until the last moment to send a card. If you send online greeting cards they can be received almost immediately. I love that. I also, however, feel back for the card stores. Suddenly, there are some beautiful and meaningful cards that are being replaced with online greeting cards.  Read more... (479 words, 1 image, estimated 1:55 mins reading time)

If there is anything about holidays I really like, it is holiday cards. With most people, holiday cards are a means of getting their loved ones back home share in the memory and experience of their holidays. But with me, holiday cards are an unnatural obsession. I find myself uncontrollable in the face of holiday cards. Not only do I buy enough to send to family, friends and even mere acquaintances back home, I also collect entire sets of holiday cards to carry back as memorabilia associated with my brief respite.
holiday cards bell

I don’t exactly remember how and why I got into this obsession. Maybe it all started with a holiday card from Hawaii that my family received from a distant cousin. The feeling I got then was so powerful, I can still recall it with a good degree of passion. I felt so good to hold that holiday card in my hand, it almost felt like I was in Hawaii having a great time with a faceless cousin. I guess that is when I realized that if holiday cards could produce such an effect on me, they would surely have a similar effect on others.  Read more... (475 words, 1 image, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)

Wedding anniversary gifts don’t have to be elaborate, expensive, or painstaking to find and buy.  Especially now that we have access to all of the products, services, ideas, and guidelines the internet affords, we can get the most traditional or most unusual of wedding anniversary presents.

For starters, we can consult the traditions list, searching for the wedding anniversary presents that meet the appropriate material criteria:

1st First year: paper
2nd Second year: cotton/straw/calico
3rd Third year: leather
4th Fourth year: fruit/flowers
5th Fifth year: wood
6th Sixth year: candy/iron
7th Seventh year: wool/copper
8th Eighth year: bronze/pottery
9th Ninth year: pottery
10th Tenth year: tin
11th Eleventh year: steel
12th Twelfth year: silk/linen
13th Thirteenth year: lace
14th Fourteenth year: ivory
15th Fifteenth year: crystal
20th Twentieth year: china
25th Twenty-fifth year: silver
30th Thirtieth year: pearl
35th Thirty-fifth year: coral
40th Fortieth year: ruby
50th Fiftieth year: gold
60th Sixtieth year: diamond

Next, we can consider all of the possibilities that fall within that range if we want to buy a gift already produced and packed—one that is generic, but still thoughtful, that is.

Given a Wedding List, it is easy to find the gift that is best for the hallmark anniversary.  For instance, a silver frame, to include a photo of the anniversary couple, is classic for the 25-year anniversary. Or a money tree is still a great no-brainer for the first year—not only because money is made of paper, but the first year marrieds can likely use that extra money!….more on this article

So accordingly, here are a few of the many possibilities for wedding anniversary gift ideas:  Read more... (283 words, 1 image, estimated 1:08 mins reading time)

• 1st First year: paper – okay, besides money, how about tickets to something?
• 2nd Second year: cotton/straw/calico – how about “pretend” straw? One company makes a thatch bowl that is actually ceramic but looks like straw.
• 3rd Third year: leather – faux leather might be better these days, so what about a leather stuffed animal?
• 4th Fourth year: fruit/flowers – do you really want your in-laws to hate you for sending cases and cases of prickly pears, that arrive every month for a year?  How about a lemon tree for the back yard?

I’ve reached the age where a lot of my friends are finally getting married. I’d never attended any weddings when I was younger, but now I seem to be going to at least three or four every year. Being a part of so many ceremonies has given me a good idea of what’s popular these days and what’s not, which will help me plan my own nuptials in the near future. One thing that has really stood out for me has been the elegant wedding guest books that I’ve seen at each reception.

Wedding guest books are basically big scrapbook-style keepsakes that are usually signed by the newlyweds’ friends, relatives, and acquaintances that attend the ceremony. All the wedding guest books that I’ve seen are very different from each other in style, size, and design. Some wedding guest books have spiral bindings like notebooks would; others have a stitched binding. Some are huge, oversized albums; others are a smaller, more manageable size. Some have very fancy, ornate covers; others are plain and simple. In short, there are fabulous wedding guest books out there for just about every taste.  Read more... (482 words, 1 image, estimated 1:56 mins reading time)

Many people choose to buy flowers online and there are many flower shops to choose from when shopping for flower displays online. One of my favorite things about ordering flowers  online is that I’m still supporting my local economy because the orders for many of the online flower organizations work directly with my local florist.

I have a small child, and I really do not have time to make too many errands. Something as simple as ordering a thoughtful bouquet for my mother quickly turns into an ordeal when I have to navigate around a toddler. Ordering flowers online is an excellent alternative to visiting my local florist. I also like being able to look at a number of different options at the touch of a button.

One of my favorite sites to visit when ordering flowers online is 1-800-flowers. This site has a plethora of flower arrangements, gift baskets and stuffed animals in its database. You can choose from hundreds of flower gifts that will be delivered right to the recipient’s home in no time. And most of the time, it all works through your favorite local flower shop. What is really nice about 1-800-flowers is the prices. This site offers the flower arrangements and gift baskets at a very reasonable cost.  Read more... (472 words, 1 image, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)

So, you and your lovely wife have been married for almost two years, your anniversary is coming up, and you have no idea what to buy for her.  Well, let me congratulate you first for remembering that your anniversary is coming!  That’s something women really like.  Second, thinking about what to get her is a very good sign.  If you look it up, you’ll see that year 2 is the cotton anniversary.

Now, don’t get excited – this doesn’t mean that you can get away with buying her something that costs next to nothing.  In fact, if you go to the department store and buy her a cotton shirt for your anniversary there is a pretty good chance that you might be sleeping on the couch!  Get creative and see if you can come up with something innovative for that cotton anniversary.

If you’re struggling with that concept of a unique cotton gift you might want to go online and check out some of the sites that specialize in gift giving.  There are an abundance of them and there are many that specialize in finding gifts for anniversaries. Despite the fact that cotton is a fairly common fabric, you are quite likely to find a unique idea for the cotton anniversary that will make her think you are a prince among the commoners.  Read more... (474 words, 1 image, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)

If you’re in the process of planning a wedding, at some point or another you’ve probably considered having the wedding, or at least the reception, outdoors.  Imagine, a first dance surrounded by all of your friends underneath a beautiful sunset or the stars as they come out at night.  What could be more perfect?  Of course, the more you considered this wonderful option, the more you’ve thought of the ways things can go wrong outdoors.  What if it rains?  Images of soaked dresses, ruined food, and grumpy guests flicker through your mind.  What if it’s so windy it blows away the tables, or even the guests?  What if it gets cold and everyone wants to go home, or so hot that the groomsmen are peeling off their shirts and the bridesmaids want to get out of their dresses?  Do we need to have an alternative rain site?  If we don’t use the rain site do we need to pay for it?  Read more... (423 words, 1 image, estimated 1:42 mins reading time)

Whatever the occasion, sometimes there is just simply nothing that will work better than sending a gift basket. People use gift basket delivery for all sorts of occasions. They will have gift baskets delivered for weddings, graduations, anniversaries, birthdays, funerals, or maybe just to make someone’s day a little better. The last is perhaps the gift basket delivery that is the most gratifying to receive. My parents used to send me gift baskets from time to time when I was in college. It was a difficult time in my life, even though I was also having a lot of fun. I was on my own for the very first time I had ever been, and  was stressed out by all the pressures. So when I would receive a gift basket delivery, it would always make my day a little better. Sometimes the gift baskets would contain fruit, other times there would be nuts, meats and cheeses, or even candy. But always, when I got a gift basket delivery, I would get that nice warm feeling that you always get from knowing that somebody loves you.  Read more... (434 words, 1 image, estimated 1:44 mins reading time)