A shopping blog of cool gift ideas

It's one thing to send flowers and it's another to send Todd Oldham-designed mini roses. Just in time for Independence Day, the design guru has whipped up a pair of patriotic plants in coordinating stars and stripes.

Each plant comes in a lightweight take-out style box for easy delivery and decorating. It's a quick and thoughtful gift for any backyard hostess or summer housewarming.

Todd Oldham Stars & Stripes Mini Rose Set starting at $49.99

It's officially the first day of summer, and it seems like the season is stacked with all sorts of celebrations. Fourth of July is just a couple of weeks away, and there are always a zillion weddings, graduation bashes, barbecues, baby showers, pool parties and more. Luckily, Philosophy has just come out with a line of gift sets that will suit your every warm-weather need (as if we didn't love Philosophy enough already).

The sets' themes run the gamut from thank you to congratulations to beach party. Which means you can show up wherever with the perfect gift in hand. My favorites are the Summer Skincare Rescue Pack (take it to make up for crashing at your pal's beach house all summer) and the Lip Gelato Trio (so appropriate for friends embarking on a European vacay—or, um, pretending to go on one). Wow, I love how these take all the guesswork out of summer gifting!

Summer Skincare Rescue Pack starting at $35.00
Lip Gelato Trio starting at $25.00

My family always throws a big Memorial Day bash to kick-off the summer in style complete with barbecue and a competitive volleyball tournament.  We used to joke about setting up flood lights in the backyard to keep the party and the games going well into the evening.  But who needs lights when there are glow-in-the-dark lawn games like this fun LED Bowling Set?  The set of ten pins and two balls works on sand or grass, and because everything glows in the dark, you get the whole effect of midnight bowling in your own backyard.

This Memorial Day, I'm staying at the beach with friends and definitely plan on bringing a bunch of glow-in-dark games for my generous summer hosts.

LED Bowling Set starting at $129.95

Memorial Day is not only the first offical day of summer, it also kicks off barbecue season, pool parties and general lounging in the sun. Which is why you'll want to have this Remote Control Snack and Drink Pool Float on hand come May 26.

This caddy is like having a butler for your pool. Load it up with the works (up to five beverages, plus chips, pretzels and other snacks), then drive it out to the swimmers. You stay dry; they don't have to get out of the pool. Or be like me and just use it for your own personal enjoyment by having someone else stock it while you float around. Give it to your summer host/hostess (it's a gift you'll enjoy equally as much) or as a housewarming gift to new pool owners.

Remote Control Snack and Drink Pool Float starting at $49.95

With a smattering of brightly hued buds and flower-shaped handles, this Flower Field Espresso Cup & Saucer set is a little piece of spring that I can enjoy right now, even as the season continues to warm up.

It makes a lovely spring bridal shower gift (far more quaint and thoughtful than something right off the registry), as well as a token of kindness for hostesses and new homeowners. And if your Mom's an espresso fan, you might want to consider giving her a set of these as her Mother's Day gift.

Flower Field Espresso Cup & Saucer starting at $16.99

The NCAA tourney starts tomorrow and there are three glorious weekends of top notch buzzer-beater basketball ahead. First things first–fill out your bracket, make your Cinderella pick and decide whether you'll cheer for the Bruins to fail or the Hoyas to hail.

Next, you've gotta line up where you'll watch the madness. If your friend splurged for the DIRECTV tourney package, you better arrive with snacks in hand. And there's no better way to do it, than with this popcorn bowl. It's a hilarious gift for your hoops host. Come armed with popcorn and you can turn every TV time out into a living room popcorn shoot-out. Game on! 

Wabash Valley Wild Fling Popcorn Bowl starting at $21.99

Easter gifts for the little tykes are easy: a stuffed bunny, a few jelly beans, some Cadbury eggs, and you’re done. But what if you need a festive gift that’s completely adult? You go with this simple yet stunning Robins Egg Soaps Apothecary Jar. Like a grown-up Easter basket, the pretty glass container is filled with beautiful baby blue French-milled soaps that look just like robins’ eggs in their nest.

It should look delightful in the home of your Easter or Seder hostess, but it also makes a lovely spring housewarming gift.

Robins Egg Soaps Apothecary Jar starting at $24

Here in New York we're lucky enough to have flower stands on almost every corner. Whenever I pick up a bouquet, a few blooms from the bunch always last longer than the rest. I like to cut those one or two stems and place them in little vases like these beautiful handmade bud vases. They're a perfect way to showcase a single stem and ideal gift for the Domestic Diva. Pair them with sprigs of holly for yule-tide cheer!

Red Bud Vases starting at $40

Free gift alert! In honor of Valentine's Day, we're giving away our hearts, well, RedEnvelope's Red Heart Bottle Stoppers that is. This set of four resin hearts is a fun Valentine's Day gift to say, "I love you" to your favorite wine enthusiast. And it's an equally good gift to bring to that wine and cheesy movie party your single girl friends are throwing on February 14.

Want to win? Post a comment below by 11:59 p.m. EST Tuesday, February 12. One comment per person please, multiple comments will be discarded. Click here to read the official rules.

Red Heart Bottle Stoppers starting at $38 

It wasn't easy, but we all survived. The first Sunday in a long time without football may have caused cold sweats for some, but the cure is now less than a week away. That's right, this time next week, we will have a new NFL Champion. But until that time, both teams will be very hard at work devising game plans to be unleashed on Super Bowl Sunday. And I suggest you do the same. 

Your game plan is all about putting together an all-star Super Bowl party. First things first–get your Giants and Patriots team gear ready. Next think seriously about upgrading your TV. And don't forget to put together a menu of serious grub that they'll be talking about until next year's game. And lastly, serve it all up on this awesome platter.

As for the big game? Guru's Prediction: Patriots 28 Giants 17.