A shopping blog of cool gift ideas

As an avid amateur “chef de cuisine” myself, I have to say I have high hopes for the movie Julie & Julia. If you haven't seen the trailers, the movie is based on a book on one amateur chef's story of cooking every recipe in Julia Child's famous "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". It also features Julia Child's own rise to domestic stardom.

But, since I haven’t read the book I’m not sure what to expect. Usually, the book is better than the movie (I’m just saying) and I’m a bookworm at heart anyway so I’ll probably read the book no matter what. So, if you know a girl who loves the joys and challenges of experimenting in the kitchen or is looking for new inspiration away from a rectangular screen, then this book could be THE gift you’re looking for.  Plus, give this as a gift and you could have some delicious meals coming your way very soon! Bon Appetit! This is a great gift for a host/hostess, dinner party, or as a thank you for a fabulous meal.  

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously starting at $11.99.

I know it’s only July and Santa is deep in hibernation. But lots of our merchants are coming out with their new Christmas products already which has put me in the Christmas-y spirit. I love the new crop of Personalized Ornaments this year, which has inspired my brain to play non-stop Christmas Carols in my head for the past few days. Which is kind of fun in 90 degree weather.

This is one of my favorite new Christmas Ornaments. It reminds me of the Griswalds, which of course – I have to admit, resembles my own family.

Personalized Woody Wagon Ornament starting at $14.95. 

Your little Picasso has been churning out masterpieces all summer, and with fridge display space becoming scarce, your little Miss or Mr.Imagination is gonna need something to showcase their art. Why not get them their own brag board so they can pin up their artwork wherever they please. 

These decorative boards are perfect for their room or the playroom. They have little ribbons and sturdy clips for easy hanging, and you can even get a personalized version with their name on it. It's perfect way to show off their latest camp creations or to start off the school year. Check out the rest of our gifts for your creative superstar!

Personalized Art Brag Board starting at $26.50.

The Original Buff is a must-have summer accessory. So what’s The Original Buff? The Buff is very functional headwear that complements tons of outdoor activities. The Buff is a tubular, seamless sleeve made out of moisture-wicking Coolmax (and has been treated with Polygiene for active odor control). 

Because of the Buff’s stretchy fabric, it can be configured and worn in a ton of different ways to suit your outdoor activity needs. Need sun protection on your neck? Wear it like a scarf and let it block 95% of the UV radiation. Wear it like a wristband, headband to keep sweat at bay. Or just wear it like a skullcap or pirate-style to look cool!

But what makes it the must-have summer time accessory is you can get a Buff that has Insect Shield. So aside from blocking the sun, keeping you cool and looking great, the Buff with Insect Shield has been proven to safely fend off all of summer’s uninvited guests such as mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers and annoying no-see-ums. I’ve been wearing my Buff mostly as a skullcap on twilight runs- a perfect time to be eaten alive. My Buff has kept me cool and bug bite free for a few weeks now. Almost needless to say, I’m a big fan. I love the Buff for outdoor lovers who crave functional accessories.

The Original Buff Insect Shield UV Headwear starting at $27.00. 

There are good things about college dorms (no curfew, hot suite mates), and there are bad (concrete walls, hallway bathrooms). But while you can't do much about the prison cell decor, you can at least make that awful trek to the basement laundry room a little more bearable by giving one of these cute Bubble Laundry Bags as a Back to School gift. 

The sturdy totes come in pretty pastel colors with bubble designs, so they're almost like decoration. But they're also sturdy and durable enough to keep her unmentionables safe on that trip downstairs. Now if only she can get that whole whites and darks thing down. Check out our dorm checklist for other college-bound essentials.

Bubble Laundry Bags starting at $25.00.

It may be summertime but any college bound freshman is already getting psyched about dorm life. Now is the perfect time to start gathering everything they'll need to make their first day on campus as stress free as possible. When I first moved into my dorm room I was shocked at how my roommate decided to decorate the whole room with black light posters of dancing bears without thinking of calling me. I wanted to hang up some of my own stuff too, so our first battle ensued. 

To help future freshman from having to put up their dukes on their first day in the dorms, I've put together this awesome Dorm Essentials Checklist. I marked the things that should be discussed with their future roommate before you go shopping to avoid doubling up too. Just print this puppy out and check their way to an awesome freshman year away from home.

The Gift Gurus went on a field trip yesterday to the new Yankee stadium.  What a great day to see a ball game- the sun was shining, the peanuts and Cracker Jacks we’re especially delicious and the Yankees won!  So to make the whole visit to the Bronx “work-related” I decided to make this post all about gifts for baseball fans. 

The best way to shop for gifts for sports fans is by team.  That’s we’ve made shopping by team easy to do with our “Fan Shops”.  So browse by team and check out our picks for great fan gear.  My pick for the Yankee fan?  I love the inaugural stadium season fitted cap.  It’s the same cap the Yankees are wearing on the field this season.  Not a Yankees fan?  Check out gifts for all the MLB teams. 

New York Yankees On-Field Cap with Inaugural Stadium Patch starting at $35.99.

Buying perfume as a gift can be tricky, you never know how it will smell on other people since everyone's skin reacts to perfume differently. But you also know, that most women love perfume but don't always end up buying it for themselves. Give her the gift of choice with the Sephora Favorites Fragrance Sampler. 

This go-to beauty center has done it again, with a sampler of 8 of their best-selling perfumes. She'll have fun testing out all the different ones, from feminine floral to a great citrus scent for summer. And an added bonus, they're small enough to stash in her purse or carry-on for travel, so she can smell sweet everywhere she goes. Also check out some of the other "Favorites" collections from Sephora featuring samplers of make-up and skincare. 

Sephora Favorites Eau Girl Fragrance Sampler starting at $40.00. 

For a few weeks now, I’ve been shooting with the Casio Exilim EX-FS10 camera (on loan from Casio). My overall impression, is this tiny feature-rich camera is a perfect fit for summer and capturing all of its action packed memories.

The camera is about this size and weight of a deck of cards, and it’s loaded with cool features. One feature I love are the high speed burst mode where you can grab 30 images in one second. This is a very cool feature when shooting fast-paced action like ball games or games at the beach. Another very cool feature is the high-speed movie capture mode where you can take movies at up to 1000 frames per second for very cool slow-mo video clips.

While maybe not an entry-level camera, the EX-FS10 still makes a very nice gift for the picture-taking novice as it does not take long to feel comfortable with and take advantage of these features. Capturing summertime memories with your camera is sometimes difficult due the fast paced nature of summer. Fear not, the tiny EX-FS10 is more than up to the task of keeping pace and capturing all summer has to offer.

Casio Exilim EX-FS10 camera starting at $284.95.

Friendship Day is right around the corner!  Show your friends how much you appreciate them putting up with your drama and lending a non-judgmental ear. Give them a little something to brighten their day from our Friendship Day Gift List. 

For something cute and budget friendly, I love the "You're the Greatest Friend" Shower Gel. You get two gifts in one: some sweet smelling suds and a greeting card-style message on the bottle. Why wait until her birthday when you can celebrate your friendship all year long. 

"You're the Greatest Friend" shower and bath gel starting at $12.00.