Check out this post about Wishpot from our fab Earth Friendly Wedding Expert!
Not too long ago I was asked to be a wedding expert on Wishpot.com and I have to admit, I wanted to try it out before I actually posted about it here. To fill you in, Wishpot is basically a site that allows you to create registries, wish, and gift lists with anything you find on the web. It completely gets my thumbs up! I have been having a blast on the site and so far I’ve created three different wish lists: the Green Kitchen Registry, Eco Gifts to Help Relax & Revitalize, and Misc. Stuff that is just plain cool! The one problem with this site is that I just keep finding more stuff I want! For you brides out there, it’s really a great way to create a registry without being limited to just a few stores.
Thanks Jennifer! 
Cooking books make really good gifts. They are useful, creative, personal and not too expensive. In other words..almost as good as it gets for a gift!
Now, having said that, what’re good cook books to give?
Of course you can give one from any of top chefs from the food network: Racheal Ray, Mario Batali, Barefoot Contessa , Emiril Lagasse, Bobby Flay, Giada DeLaurentiis, just to name a few. These are somewhat easy bets, especially if you know that the gift recipient likes their shows. My favorite in this mix is Mario’s "The Babbo Cookbook". It’s also important to highlight that as previously reported Racheal Ray’s "365 No Repeats" is the #1 book wished for on Wishpot!
Now, you could go more upscale and uber-gourmet and get either the one by Adrian Ferre "El Bulli 1998-2002" or the one from multi three-Michelin-stars Alain Ducasse. I personally have the El Bulli one in my personal wishlist. I mean, it’s impossible to get a reservation to Ferre’s restaurant and at least I want a chance to try a recipe (assuming I can find the ingredients!).
There are some good alternatives in the dessert area (or should I say "course"). I have read high praises for the "Sweet Life" by Kate Zuckerman. The pix look amazing and the Lemon Tart is supposed to be the best ever.
One last idea could be to give a book about the fundamentals of cooking and food. Two books that come highly recommended in this subcategory: Cookwise and "On Food and Cooking".
I included the recommendations above plus a few others on a new list "Cooking Books Wishlist" on the Wishpot’s GiftGuru page.
With the holidays just around the corner everyone is looking for that perfect gift. One of Wishpot’s coolest features is that it can aggregates what people on Wishpot are asking for and bring you today’s most wanted gift items. This year electronics are at the top of the list.
The most wanted electronics this season for men and women and pretty much anyone fifty years or under are the Nintendo Wii, followed closely by the Apple iPhone, and the latest Apple IPod. Fourth on the list is the laptop of choice, the Sony VAIO Series Notebook. These electronic gifts are sure to make the season a merry one.
If DVD’s are what your loved ones desire the most popular DVD collection for women is the complete collector’s series of the hit TV series Sex and The City. Men, on the hand are looking for the DVD season one of Heroes. Cinemaphiles, are fans of The Devil Wears Prada, Pan’s Labyrinth, and the collector’s edition of 300.
Holiday music lovers are asking for, Wintersong by Sarah McLachlan, and video gamers of all ages can’t wait to get their hands on Halo 3 for Xbox 360.
Got a book lover on your list? Another can’t miss item is the newest J.K Rowling novel, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Today’s most wanted cookbook is Rachel Ray’s 365-No Repeats: A Year of Deliciously Different Dinners.
And guys, if you are looking for that special someone and your budget is a little larger than most, women everywhere are asking for the 3.02 Carat Radiant Cut Diamond from Blue Nile, retailing for $42, 678,000!
No matter what your holiday shopping budget Wishpot lets you search for gifts by gender, age, category, and price. This holiday season check out Wishpot and take some of the guessing out of gifting.
OK, it’s couple of days late but we realized that the 16th was the "National Boss Day". We ran across a very cool post on this topic from the guys at askthecounselor.com.
There are couple of key take-aways:
- Make sure you don’t break office rules, so check your handbook
- Use your common sense (so…please no underwear!)
Here’s an extract from the common sense part:
"If you know your colleague or boss well, try to choose a simple, small gift based on their obvious likes and dislikes. In addition, give strong consideration to gifts that are useful and work-focused. You don’t have to know much about someone to get them something practical like stylish pen or business card holder. Many large companies even have online stores or physical storefronts where you can buy useful items with the company logo. Finally, if gift-giving is taboo or you still feel awkward about an actual gift item, it’s OK to go for a tasteful card. Most of the big-name greeting card makers have wonderful National Boss Day cards."
I have created a gift list idea on our Wishpot Gift Guru page. Our top 5:
Nice pen - A pen makes always for a good office gift!
Bonsai - A bonsai makes for a good office gift and it’s easy to take care of!
Candles - stick with tasteful candles
Of course there is always the option of just giving a card!
Our friends at zenhabits have compiled a list of 30 gift ideas to show your appreciation. What’s behind the list?
In their own words:
"Let’s first identify what’s essential: that we show the person who has done something nice for us how much we appreciate them. It’s not essential that the gift be big, or expensive, or anything like that. It’s a token of our appreciation … and let me tell you, no matter how small, the person will likely appreciate the gesture.
The gift should also be appropriate to the person — if it’s personal, it’s likely to mean more. So while wine is always a nice gift, if the person is into other types of drinks (such as coffee), that would make a better gift. So take a moment to consider the person, what they like, and the times you’ve spent together."
We wanted to make this even easier by searching where you can get these items. We’ve also created a gift ideas list in our giftguru account (it makes it easier to add to your list). If you have any comments or suggestion…feel free to contact our giftguru.
- Frame a picture of you with them
- Lotions or bath oils.
- Journal. A nice journal can be beautiful. It’s one of my favorite gifts.
- Gourmet coffee with a personalized mug.
- A nice pen.
- Photo album or scrapbook, with memories already included.
- Homemade cookies you bake yourself.
- Or brownies
- Spice gift basket. Get some small jars and fill them with exotic spices.
- Gift certificate for the person’s favorite hobby store.
- A burned CD with all the person’s favorite songs.
- A letter, hand-written on nice paper, from you. Make it heart-felt, with all the reasons you appreciate the person.
- A small plant.
- A movie pass and a small container of gourmet popcorn kernels.
- Soup mixes or cookie mixes in nice clear jars.
- Personalized T-shirt.
- Stationery and stamps.
- IOU booklets, with whatever services you are willing to perform. Obviously only good for someone you know really well.
- Knit or crochet something for someone (I can’t do this, but I know people who can).
- An “I appreciate you because” jar. Fill a nice jar with slips of different colored paper, each with a reason you appreciate (or love) someone.
- Jams and jellies.
- Good bread (home-made works great).
- Books (my favorite).
- A blank recipe book … write some of your favorite recipes on the first few pages.
- A keepsake DVD with a video of special moments, edited (and captioned) by you. A slideshow presentation with music burned on a DVD works too.
- Create your own art (and put it on nice stationery or in a frame). By “art”, I mean a sketch, painting, poem, short story, whatever.
- Scented candles.
- Make-up set
- Shaving kit.
- Box of good tea and a teacup.
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