Lakes of Wood

by Meredith

For the past five years or so I've gone to my local craft fairs and have seen the Lakes of Wood booth.  I've always wanted to buy one of our lake for my family, and this year I finally did.  I cannot wait to give this gift Christmas morning.

If you know someone else who has and loves a home or a cabin on a lake in the Midwest, this is a great idea.

Venetian Glass

by Meredith

Jesse gave me this set of Italian Venetian Glass jewelery last week. My favorite color and very unique. I love it.  Definitely a great idea if you're looking for someone fun, one-of-a-kind and not too expensive. :)

Edible Arrangements

by Meredith

A friend of ours just sent us a gift from Edible Arrangements. It was absolutely delightful and a wonderful surprise. I'll definitely go to them next time I'm looking for a gift to send a friend.

Bridal Showers Galore

by Meredith

We're on the cusp of wedding season and bridal showers are starting to pour in. Recently, I've been  having some fun wrapping the gifts. Of course there are many options for paper products and some can be expensive. Here's a quick tip, check out your local dollar store. They can have some awesome finds when it comes to this. Then get creative wrapping because you can afford ribbons and bows!  Sometimes you can even take some leftover paper and wrap it around a second time to give a layered look.  (See the second gift I wrapped.) I'll let you know when I come up with more ideas! Please share if you have suggestions too!

 

  

 

  

Here is another great post for inspiration too from blogger, Older and Wisor.

2010 Consumer Shopping Trends

The holidays are upon us and for weeks I've already heard 24-7 Christmas music playing on some radio stations. Today through Thursday I'm gearing up for my Black Friday shopping-spree by paging through ads and websites to see what I should run after. The National Retail Federation/BiGresearch, comScore, Consumer Electronics Association and Consumer Reports surveyed and found out what the hot items this season are.

Top Consumer Trends:

More discretionary gifts: Longtime favorites still rule -- gift cards, books, clothes, CDs and DVDs, but the number of people who want a gift of jewelry under the tress is up 13 percent from last year.

Gift cards: After growing in popularity by double digits, gift card sales grew only slightly last years as retailed continued to offer deep discounts. This year experts predict more practical gift cards for grocery stores, restaurants and home improvement centers will be under Christmas trees.

Value over price: Even though rock-bottom prices seem to be important, it appears that consumers are considering quality more lately.

Fewer gifts for self: Almost a third of people say they'll cut back on buying themselves gifts, putting more toward charitable giving and gifts for others.

Click and buy: Many people I've been talking to say they don't want to bother with the crowds during the holidays - they'll be doing most of their shopping online. Online spending is expected to grow by nine percent, twice last year's pace. and online shopping say they'll spend almost a quarter more.

Going mobile: Practically 27 percent of those who own a smart phone will use it in their research or buying.

Gadgets: Consumers plan to spend give percent more on consumer electronics this year; nearly a third will buy nothing but consumer electronics. At the top of the gift-giving list: video game consoles, MP3 players, notebook/laptops. TVs, which had been the most popular category in recent years, fell to No. 6.

Cash is king: Slightly more than a quarter of shoppers say they'll charge their gifts, the lowest since 2002. Four in 10 people say they'll cut back on credit and debit card spending.