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Six Edible Gift Ideas

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Do you have people on your gift-giving list that are hard to buy for? Or people that seem to already have everything? If these scenarios sound familiar, then you may want to consider giving these people something everyone enjoys – an edible gift! Edible gifts are a pleasure path for your recipients – especially when you give a delicious gift! These are our six favorite edible gift ideas, so feel free to follow suit or get creative and come up with an edible gift of your own – bon appetit!

 

1. Seasonal Mug with Chocolate-Dipped Spoon
With the cooler weather upon us, hot chocolate is the perfect compliment and practically everyone loves this childhood favorite hot drink. As a gift you can create a fun way for them to enjoy this all-time favorite. Pick out a mug that suits the style of the gift recipient, and with a plastic bag layer hot cocoa mix with marshmallows (just enough for one drink per bag). You can also add a special chocolate-dipped spoon to the gift as well. It is as simple as getting a plastic spoon and dipping it in some melted chocolate chips. For a more specialty boutique look, consider adding colored sprinkles (Christmas, Hanukah or even Halloween colors).  Wrap the spoon in cellophane and tie with ribbon and you are done!This is not only a delicious gift, it is also a great gift for anyone watching their wallet.
2. Jar of Cookies Mix
Along the same line as the hot chocolate mix kit, you can also do a cookie mix. In a large mason jar, layer the dry ingredients needed to make your favorite cookies, chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin or even white chocolate macadamia nut. Then create a decorative card that shares your recipe and baking instructions, as well as what is needed to complete the cookie mix in the jar. These look really cute – especially when they are dolled up with ribbons and gorgeous cards. The cards can be hand-crafted or printed. This is a great gift for the sweet tooth in your life or even as a great housewarming gift.

3. Cake Pops
If do-it-yourself gifts are not your cup of tea, there are plenty of other edible gift ideas that you can buy (or make yourself if you are feeling gutsy). Cake pops are a huge trend right now – and give the right amount of sweet. Most bakeries, even Starbucks, carry these popular treats – so order up half a dozen or more and give away!

4. Cookie Bouquet
Another fun edible gift is the cookie bouquet. The neat thing about these are cookies can be so customizable – nearly any occasion can be celebrated with a cookie bouquet, especially when you have a good baker.  The bakers can make the cookies into shapes of surfers, golfers, your favorite sport and even cartoon. Then they are decorated with delicious frosting and you have a powerful and tasty treat to give away! These are great for kids, adults and even baby showers!
5. Wine of the Month
If your gift recipient does not have a sweet tooth, you will want to go another direction. One that may be a great option is signing your friend up for a wine of the month club. This will allow your friend the opportunity to experience many different types of wine. This is a pricier edible gift, but will surely be enjoyed!
6. Steak & Lobster
There are also a number companies that will deliver edible gifts to your friends’ and families. You can shower your friends and family with delicious delicacies like steak and lobster – all of which are sure to bring a smile to their faces and fill their bellies.
Apart from being a licensed veterinarian, Susan Wright is also a freelance writer. Susan enjoys sharing gift giving ideas for friends, family and pets.






The 5 Most Memorable As Seen on TV Products in the Last Decade

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As seen on TV products. We’ve all seen innumerable commercials for these products. Many of us have even purchased one or two of them now and then. Some of them are actually quite useful. Some of them… not so much.

Either way, there is one thing that can’t be argued: these As Seen on TV Products definitely make quite an impression. There are certain products that we’ve all heard of, and seen the commercials for. If any of these products come up in a conversation, everyone is sure to know exactly what you’re talking about. There are several As Seen on TV Products that we all remember, and that even have affected the way we do things.

Below are 5 of the most memorable As Seen on TV Products we’ve seen:

1. Snuggie

For this one, we don’t even need to mention that the majority of households now own at least one of these blankets with arms… even if they won’t admit it openly.

To discuss how memorable this product is, let’s just take a minute to talk about their commercials. None of us can forget the lady who throws her blanket off of her in annoyance when she can’t figure out how to answer the phone with her blanket on her. And need I mention their more recent commercials, where they have everyone dancing around in their snuggies? I’ll just say this: that is definitely unforgettable.

2. ShamWow


Oh, the ShamWow. What is there even to say about this product? We all remember all of the one liners in their commercials: “You’ll be saying wow every time you use this towel.” (Oh, so that’s where they got the name from!). “Made in Germany, you know the Germans always make the best stuff.” “You following me, camera guy?” “All I can say is, Sham WOW!”

Even though we’ve all made fun of the commercials, this is another product that we’ve all secretly wanted to try out.

3. Perfect Brownie Pan

No one can forget the first time they saw a commercial for the “Perfect Brownie Pan.” We all thought, “Why didn’t I think of this?? Every brownie gets to be a corner piece? Genius!” This simple pan changed the way we think about brownies.

4. Pillow Pets

This is one of those products that became an instant sensation the minute it came on the market. First it was the beanie baby, then the giga pet, and now it’s the pillow pet. Every child HAS to have one. Every parent has had their own experience where they’ve had to search from store to store for this one item because that is the ONLY thing that their child wants for their birthday. And you have to find the exact right animal. And every store is sold out. Because, guess what? Every other child in the world has also sent their parents on a crazed hunt for this must have item.

5. Justin Bieber Toothbrush

Anyone who has a preteen definitely can’t forget this product. That is because the moment our daughter saw the commercial for a toothbrush that sings Justin Beiber songs to you, she turned into a lunatic. She can’t live her life one more moment without this toothbrush. She will be the best child you’ve ever imagined, she will walk the dog, do her homework, and happily finish all of her chores, if you just purchase her this one item. She will never ask for anything again. The Justin Bieber toothbrush: a preteen’s dream, an adult’s worse nightmare.

Nicole is an author for StarReviews.com, where they review websites, software and services. Check out Star Reviews 2012.

photo by: akeg

Care For The Environment Even When Out Shopping

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These days we are all looking for ways we can help the environment. At home we recycle our waste, we try and walk or cycle rather than use our vehicles and we try and reduce the amount of electricity we use by ensuring things are turned off when not in use.

More homes are being built these days with solar energy and wind power and hybrid and electric vehicles are more common on our roads than ever before. For many of us these new environmentally friendly inovations are not achieveable due to cost for example and so we need to find different ways to help the environment.

Recycling

The one big thing I have changed in our home is our recycling habits. Our waste is removed weekly and recycling every second week, I am sure it’s much the same everywhere in the UK. The scary thing is that many people don’t bother to recycle, sending their everyday trash to the overflowing landfills. If everyone was to make the change and start recycling we could dramatically reduce our carbon footprint.

Now I know I’m a tiny fish in a huge ocean when I recycle and the amount of recycling I do on a weekly basis probably isn’t going to make a different, but I only need a few more people like me and together we will make a difference.

All my recyclable materials get collected every second week and I try and save as much of the natural items such as my veg peelings for my compost heap at the edge of my garden, this means I am sending a limited amount to the landfills. Our landfills are overflowing with waste that could have been recycled, we are running out of space and unfortunately shooting our waste into outer space is not an option. What comes up must come down.

Shopping Bags

Every time I head to the shop I notice people grabbing at the plastic bags, filling them up and heading home. Chances are those bags are landing up on the landfills. Buying canvas bags are a great way to reduce the number of plastic bags you use and they are stronger and more stylish at the same time.

Canvas bags are so durable and can easily help you transport your groceries from the store to your home without damaging the environment. I am surprised that we don’t charge for bags here in the UK, you have a small handful of shops that do charge, but if everyone were to charge, more people would buy canvas bags and make a positive impact on our environment.

Canvas bags are available in a range of colours and designs and are ideal when going shopping. Make a difference to our environment in a positive way and don’t grab that plastic bag when out shopping.

Is “Style on a Budget” a Possibility in 2012 and Beyond?

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This article humorously questions whether style on a budget is possible or just a phrase thrown about the fashion industry aimlessly and is no more than words.

Budget Fashion

Immediately when you see the words “style on a budget” you think that it is very easy to attain such a condition. After all, there are enough stores that are selling discounted clothes that it is almost impossible not to achieve it. This is the sticking point, and where you need to start to listen, however. Buying random clothes from stores that sell cheaply is not necessarily buying great style, is it? At the same time, when you think of style on a budget it is almost inevitable to think of not spending much money.

Rather than looking at reducing what you spend on your shopping in terms of having to buy cheap items, we challenge that style on a budget is in fact a combination of factors, an attitude to shopping almost, rather than just changing where to shop.

Based on our belief of what style on a budget really means, what should you do to find it?

Know What’s You

How many things have you purchased in the last 24 months, only worn the once and then discarded them into obscurity at the back of your wardrobe? If you have done this, it probably isn’t because you immediately decided after wearing it once that you disliked it, but rather that you didn’t look very good in it in the first place.

By discovering your style DNA and knowing what are the best clothes, fits, and looks for you, you will save yourself a great deal of money on buying numerous outfits for the sake of it, just to find the right one by default.

Doing this will have the added benefit of bringing great confidence and panache to your style, and give you a more distinct look. Suddenly, you will always look amazing, and people will be wondering why. Whether you tell them your secret is entirely up to you.

Forget Always Shopping

Exhibit B in the case of too many unworn garments is because as soon as you see a shirt, or pair of jeans or trainers, you buy them. Then, you justify yourself by saying that you like them and that you have them in case you need them.

If you want to achieve style on a budget then you need to shop for things only as and when you need them, rather than just spraying money around needlessly because you see something you like the look of.

Be business-like in your attitude towards your style. It may not be the most exciting approach in the world, but you will see the benefits in your bank balance!

Stylepilot is an online fashion navigation for men offering shopping and styling tips on mens t shirts and more.

5 Tips To Decorate And Furnish A New Apartment

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Moving to a new apartment comes with its own challenges especially if you are operating on a small budget. You want to create a home where you can feel comfortable and at the same time watching on how much you spend. It can also be challenging if you want to redecorate the walls. However, there are ways you can furnish your new apartment cheaply. Below are five ways to do so;

Look for sales offers:

Look for cheap furniture at discount stores as well as sales yards and garages. You can also check out auctioneers as their prices are bid. Don’t feel shy to settle for second hand items as you can find quality furnishings or art work from second hand products dealers. Used mattresses for instance only need a cover while some furniture only needs a new coat of varnish or paint to look appealing. Consider different fabrics for the place to look more charming. You can mix silk pillows with velvet drapes.

Multi-purpose furniture:

If your new apartment isn’t spacious enough, opt for furniture that serves several purposes. You can purchase a couch that convertible into a bed. Moreover, to save on space, you can purchase loft beds as they can leave a space beneath them that can accommodate a table or a desk. You can also buy a rolling glass table that can also be used to serve guests and serve the role of a table.

Wall painting and decorating:

Remember apartments are for renting and soon you might be on your way out of the apartment. If you are comfortable with the wall paint on the apartment, you don’t have to repaint the walls. However, should d you decide to paint them, choose shades that will have a compelling design. Contrast the colors on the walls so that the bright areas will draw attention away from the areas with problems. Freshly painted kitchen cabinets in which new colorful knobs have been installed will look appealing. The advice is to avoid expensive decorations using paint. As for the ceiling, paint it with bright color than the rest of the room. Remember to always consult the apartment manager/landlord before embarking on the paint job as some managers/landlords don’t allow paint jobs on their apartments.

As for wall hangings or paintings, place similarly colored picture frames together with shadow boxes on the walls. Decorative mirrors also add visual spark to the walls while making it look less empty. Cheap paintings and frames can be sourced from garage sales as well as flea markets.

Curtains:

It’s advisable, for your privacy sake as well as for decorative purposes, to have curtains on your windows. Café curtains are cheap and cover the most important part of your window, even though they don’t hang all the way down. On top of it all, they allow in most of the natural light from out, further helping you save on lighting expenses. Use different textured curtains to add charm to the room.

Rugs:

Wall to wall carpeting can be expensive. Rugs can be used to make the floor look more appealing. Rugs can be sourced from many places. You can shop for them online or check discount stores. However, ensure that they fit into the rest of the room as they come in various patterns and colors.

Opt for the most cost-effective methods to furnish and decorate your apartment while considering your taste also.

Denis is a contributor for outdoor fireplace pros where you can get some useful resources on outdoor fire tables.

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