A shopping blog of cool gift ideas

Even though I don't have kids of my own, I'm a total sucker for cute baby clothing. All of the knits, colors, patterns and all in a cute little miniature size. So naturally when I laid eyes on these Taxi Knit Baby Booties, I fell in love with their original style. 

These hand-knit booties are the perfect new baby gift for friends and family that live in the Big Apple. Or even a little souvenir you can bring to a baby shower if you live in the city. Either way, this unique gift is sure to impress any new or expecting moms.

Crochet Taxi Cab Booties starting at $22.00.

The ipod Nano has been my media player of choice for the past few years. I love its size and its versatility. So you know I’m very excited about Apple’s newly released update of the Nano. 

The biggest attention-grabbing addition to the new Nano is the player’s built-in video camera.  So now the ability to take quality video is as portable as you are. Another addition, which I love, is the Nano now has an FM radio! But it’s a little more than an FM tuner. With FM on the Nano, the songs and artists you’re listening to will show up on the Nano screen and you’ll also have the ability to pause the radio play and resume it if you have to take a break from the music action (kinda like pausing your TV w/ your DVD). And to top it off, you can tag a song you hear on the radio. So if you tag a song, once you re-connect your Nano, iTunes will remember the song you tagged so you can easily preview and/or purchase the track. Sprinkle in nine updated colors options in either 8GB or 16GB capacities, and I think you’ll agree, that many a music and media lover will find themselves the owner a new Nano come sometime in December.

Apple iPod Nano 8GB (5th Generation) starting at $139.99.

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and every year I get more excited about finding the greatest decorations, party supplies and Halloween costumes for everyone in your family.  So, I’m officially kicking off the Halloween season with one of my favorite find so far this year…the punk rock dog costume.  Maybe it’s the model, maybe it’s the wig, but this costume just makes me laugh.  If any of you know a dog who is tolerant enough to actually wear and enjoy this type of get-up, please buy it. 

Punk Dog Pet Costume starting at $30.00.

Can you believe it's only 3 months til Christmas? I know you haven't even started carving pumpkins or honing your perfect apple pie recipe yet, but believe or not, Santa is on his way. Even though December seems ages away, October is right around the corner and that means Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

What better way to get started on your Xmas shopping and show your support than this beautiful Pink Ribbon Crystal Ornament. For each ornament sold, Lenox will donate 10% of the sales towards the non-profit Breastcancer.org. This site is a great resource for those who struggle with the illness and family members who want reliable information about the medical and personal side effects. Help show your support this holiday season and Think Pink! 

Lenox Gift of Knowledge Breast Cancer Awareness Crystal Ornament starting at $19.95.

With the summer TV doldrums over, and the new fall line-up, I've found myself glued to the boob tube more than ever. And if your family has the same problem, you might enjoy celebrating National TV Turn-off Week. From September 20-26, families across the country are abandoning their TV sets for something I like to call "bonding" One of my favorite ways to have some family fun is good old fashioned board games.

We've championed Family Game Night before, and now that the holiday toy season is heating up, there are more games than ever to choose from. I've professed my love for Cranium before, and now they have a new Family Edition with bonus playing cards so you'll never have to act out the same thing twice! If you're unfamiliar with Cranium, it's a wonderfully wacky board game that involves drawing, molding clay, acting things out, humming and basically making a fool of yourself in the best possible way. It's perfect for all ages to enjoy, and don't be surprised if your TV starts gathering dust in the meantime. 

Cranium with Bonus 60-Card Family Pack starting at $24.97.

Fall is here and our gifting sights turn towards…Boss’s Day. Okay, it might be a stretch to figure most people have October 16th circled on their calendar, but observing Boss’s Day is probably a decent move. Here’s why. 

First, it’s not a bad thing to be in the good graces of the check signer. Second, any type of Boss’s Day “celebration” will most likely cut in to some work you’d rather not be doing. And lastly, if you (and a few co-workers) pick up the boss a little something, like these AMAZING cookies from Dancing Deer, you’ll all probably end up sharing the goodies. It’s a win-win-win. Here are some other gift ideas for Boss’s Day.

Dancing Deer Party Cookies starting at $79.95. 

Some of my favorite books growing up are finally seeing the big screen and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is one of the best.

Whether they've read the book before, or not, kids are going crazy over this animated tale of food falling from the sky. It's a great gift for little bookworms and for the video-gamers, there's a cool new game so they can reenact their favorite scenes in the film. Be sure to see it on the big screen this weekend and watch the trailer here. 

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs starting at $11.01.

The Emmy Awards were last night, and among the usual heavy-hitters like 30 Rock, Lost, and Mad Men, there were some surprise winners as well. Neil Patrick Harris (aka Doogie Howser) killed it as the host and I found myself wondering how many amazing shows I've been missing out on. 

Shows like Breaking Bad and Damages took home some of the top awards so naturally I've made some changes to my DVR list. DVD sets are the perfect gift for that hard to shop for person or a great care package for college students or a get well soon pick-me up. There's tons of great shows out there for the comedy nuts and drama lovers. Check out the full list of winners and see what you've been missing. 

Damages Season 1 DVD starting at $29.49.

It’s almost that time of year again and I just couldn’t resist! This adorable and personalized Halloween bib is an excellent gift for the youngest scare crows in your crowd. 

Order one of these early because they take up to a few weeks to deliver. Not only is this little gift a festive nod to my favorite holiday, but it’s also a practical gift that no baby can have too many of!  

Personalized Halloween 'Too Cute to Spook' Infant Bib starting at $11.00.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of Rosh Hashanah, otherwise known as the Jewish New Year. And for two days straight, families will come together and celebrate with Jewish traditions. If you're unsure what to bring as a guest, something sweet is always a good full-proof gift.

This Happy New Tray is the perfect addition to any party, filled with popcorn, pretzel, a chocolate "shofar", and a "Happy New Year" chocolate card. Check out the rest of our kosher selection for more great gift ideas. And Shana Tova "good year" to all those celebrating.

Happy New Year Tray starting at $24.95.