A shopping blog of cool gift ideas

Finally, a series of books created for people who don’t know anything about cooking, have no money to buy fancy ingredients, and don’t want to take more than 10 minutes to make anything! 

These books should be a part of every college student’s library. I think I know a few adults who would benefit too! These easy and tasty recipes will get them through long study nights, lazy Sundays and maybe even a date or two. I had no idea that so much was possible with a packet of ramen! This makes an amazing off to college gift, care package addition and housewarming gift for their first apartment. Heading back to school never tasted so good!

101 Things to do with Ramen starting at $9.32.

Going Back to School can be very nerve-wracking and exciting for kids. Whether they're starting at a new school, or going for the first time help ease the transition with a cone filled with toys and school supplies. 

These custom cones come stuffed with candy, art supplies, and fun toys like an Ugly Doll and a slinky. Because slinkys are essential for heading back to school. There's a navy cone for boys and a playful pink one for girls. Personalize them with your child's name and keep them for next school year when you can fill them up with all new surprises. Check out our Back to School gift guide for more cool school essentials. 

Personalized First Day of School Cone starting at $68.00.

One of the crown jewels of Back to School shopping is a new backpack or book bag. It marks your signature style for the year (or semester) and will be used practically daily. There are loads of options out there for every personality type, but here’s a round up of our favorites.

Urban/Skate pack: Gravis Sureshot backpack comes in this awesome lime green color that is sure to get noticed.

Surf Chic: Roxy still rules as the go-to brand for surf wise girls. 

Classic Guy: You can’t go wrong with a canvas bag, whether it’s a messenger or backpack, these styles have been around forever for a reason!

Adventure Lover: For the outdoors lover, or just the lover of all things extreme, these North Face backpacks were made to withstand just about anything. Even high school. 

Japanese Pop Manga Fans: Tokidoki’s fun patterns and wacky characters make their bags a natural choice for any J-Pop obsessed teen girl. 

We’re right in the middle of the Back to School season. Getting ready to get back to class takes a lot of organization and preparation. Gifts.com has been busy highlighting the year’s “must-have” Back to School products. Today, we’re focusing on Back to School tech- specifically a student’s laptop needs. 

Depending on your favorite student’s personality and interests, they’re going to require a machine that will help get the most out of school. Here’s our Back to School laptop recommendation gift guide.

Toshiba Mobile Satellite M505D starting at $680.00.

40 years after the first Summer of Love, tie dye has made a massive come back amongst the trendiest of teens and young adult fashionistas. It can be spotted in everything from sundresses to denim to bracelets and footwear. We've packed our favorite tie dye looks into one idea to make finding the perfect summer look even easier. 

Psychedelia will be a strong trend into the fall so indulge in a few pieces that can make the transition and you'll be stylin for months to come. Add some fringe and you're a full on bo-ho maven. Spread the summer love with some tie dye!

Soprano Crochet Strap Tie Dye Dress starting at $42.00.

This is one of the most anticipated releases of the summer. Disney has teamed up with ASUS, to make a portable netbook for kids.

Like most netbooks, the Disney Netpal runs using Windows XP but also features 10 customizable Disney themes including widgets, featuring their favorite characters from Wall-E to the Jonas Brothers. It also comes packaged with kid friendly software, an basic browser, a spill-proof keyboard, and is shock resistant so you won't lose your data if the machine gets banged up. Which let's face it, adults are accident prone enough, can you imagine kids?

It also has 40 different easy-to-use parental controls so kids can browse safely. There's a blue version for boys and pink version for girly girls. It’s a great starting point for a child’s first computer that goes beyond simulated play. You can pre-order it now or wait for it's release next week.

Disney Netpal starting at $349.99.

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.

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.

Quiksilver has been providing cutting edge west coast style for years, and finally this season they designed a line that the ladies can enjoy. Full of key pieces for summer, one of my favorites is this Plaid Tank made of organic cotton. 

Not only is this tank spot-on trend with it's stand out plaid pattern, but it also features a cute accent bow that adds a feminine edge to an otherwise tomboy look. And all my inside sources tell me plaid is going to be big this fall too, so this piece can easily transition into a casual Back to School outfit just by adding a preppy cardigan. Don't forget to check out the rest of our eco-friendly fashion picks, because green never goes out of style. 

Quiksilver "Little Bird" Plaid Tank starting at $68.00.