The Daily Ritual

This week's Christmas gift idea is for the men in your life. I found out about the product while working at Moors & Cabot.

Ritual is a really cool company that has an original, useful, and unique product line. For starters, their motto is "Goodbye Metrosexual, Hello Machosexual." So cool. They produce Men's Health and Grooming Products that come in manly packaging and have a manly scent. My favorite product is called Nature Calls. You can drop a couple of drops into the toilet, and the odor is eliminated. Very useful and helpful to others. My gift of choice would be The Kit. It is a gift set full of products that come in a branded box. It's only $79 and is full of good stuff.

My hubby used the products, and he LOVES them. He has The Kit, and he will be VERY sad when it runs out. Visit their site to order at http://www.myritual.com/. David Arquette liked it. You will too.

Word!

This week's Amazingly Wonderful Christmas Gift Idea has been a favorite of many, but I thought I would remind everyone of the infinite ways to use Uppercase Living products.

You can stick these bad boys on walls, votives, hurricanes (the big glass vases, not the natural disaster), wood, glass blocks, windows, cars, picture frames, picture frame glass, white boards, front doors, plates, sinks, refrigerators, trifle bowls, serving dishes, metal signs, pizza pans, pumpkins, Christmas ornaments, mirrors, wood blocks, shelves, breakfast trays, wooden chairs and other furniture... WOW! They have quotes, graphics, and all sorts of wonderful things.

On a wooden tree, beautifully created by my Grandpa...

On a glass block...
On a wooden board... beautifully painted by my hubby. I can't wait to hang it on the wall for Christmas. Pudge wanted to be in the photo...
"Our Wedding" on the wall above a frame from Red Envelope...
Graphics on a wall above the bed...

To order, contact me, and I will put you in touch with my wonderful Aunt Nancy Cummings, or you can e-mail her at ncummings@att.net.

Personalize It!

This year, it's easy for you to make Christmas gifts extra special by personalizing them! My favorite personalized gifts throughout the years include a pillowcase my mom gave me with my name embroidered on it (for college) and a throw pillow we created for my high school girl friends with our photo on it. The options are endless!

A cool idea... Paint a small canvas a fun, bright color, and have your child put his or her hand print right in the center. They are cheerful decorations and great gifts for a grandparent. Red Envelope even has a kit!

$39.95 from Red Envelope

Red Envelope is a fantastic place for personalized items. For the man in your life, consider this personalized watch case. For the girls, you can never go wrong with jewelry. I love the "B" that Betty wears in Ugly Betty. Either make your own or purchase a beautiful piece! My favorite initials are from Tiffany's Alphabet Collection. JCPenney has their version as well! See below.

$79.95 from Red Envelope

$165 from Tiffany's

$149.99 from JCPenney

This year, I created the Fat Stack, which is a tall, personalized, square notepad tied together with a ribbon. I don't have a very good camera, so I couldn't capture the fatness, but basically, it's a really tall stack of paper, and each piece has the person's name (or whatever you want) at the top. They work really well for grocery lists, reminder notes, etc. I also have them available in spiral bound. Stationery is a great gift! I always love having notecards around to use for thank-you's. Contact me to order!

Fat Stack-

5x5 = $13.50 7x7 = $18.50

Stay tuned, more gift ideas to come!

Tis' almost the Season to be Jolly

Christmas is upon us! It's starting to feel cooler at night, thank goodness.

This year, I promised myself that I would be organized and get a jump start on gift buying. I LOVE buying gifts. I also love wrapping gifts. I want to have extremely unique and pretty packages, so I come up with a theme and color scheme. I've done it since junior high, and it's a skill that I learned from my mother. We had pristine, coordinated trees that were way cooler than the ones in department stores. Her packages were BEAUTIFUL, and she would make her own bows. She is like a short little Martha Stewart, but with a way better personality and a better sense of style.

So, that's why I'm blogging about Christmas. I know that it's annoying that they already have Christmas stuff out at the stores, but it's time to think about family photos, Christmas cards, gifts, travel plans, wrapping paper, and decor.

I will be posting gift ideas... from handmade gifts to designer duds throughout the next three months.




GIFT POST NUMBER UNO-------------- Anything from Cross

A Cross pen... I know some people may not understand the value of a good pen, but I've loved school supplies since forever, so I love nice writing utensils. Cross has the cutest paisley pens for the girly girl in your life, and really nice chrome ones for a gentleman. They also have watches, computer bags, journals, etc. My picks are the Fulham Cross Town Computer Bag in Grape, the Women's Slim Envelope Wallet in Pink and Orange, and their New Paris watch for men. For pens, I like the aforementioned New Century II Paisley in Rose Blush. Be prepared to spend a little more for these gifts, but it's well worth it! You can have the pens engraved to add a personal touch.$195- Fulham Cross Town Computer Bag $60 - Rose Blush Paisley pen$90- Slim Envelope Wallet

$150- Paris Watch