The Gift Ideas Blog

Looking for a fun floor cover that will also please the youngest members of your family? Consider FLOR, which makes modular carpet tiles for homes

Because FLOR makes modular carpet tiles, you can mix-and-match design and color carpet tiles to fit your tastes and surface area. It’s also great because of the many themes available for purchase. FLOR has recently entered into an agreement with Disney to create themed carpet tiles that feature popular such as those from the Disney-Pixar film “Cars,” the Disney Princesses, and the classic Winnie the Pooh characters.

The Gift Ideas Blog recently had a chance to review a set of “Cars”-themed FLOR carpet tiles, and we were particularly impressed by the vintage design and its durable nature. An advantage to using FLOR tiles is that if one tile gets dirty, all you have to do is lift up the stained tile and wash it. No need for inconvenient carpet washers and wet carpet.

With FLOR tiles, you can do a checkerboard pattern as pictured above, or you can line up the tiles in a row along a window or bedside. The choice is up to you. There’s also a variety of textures and colors that you can select from.

Finally, the rug tiles are partly made from recycled materials, and old tiles can be recycled. Check out FLOR today, and have some fun with your carpet!

Do you have a friend who’s a businessperson or is always glued to his or her laptop for work or home? Then perhaps a good gift idea this holiday season is Lapworks’ Laptop Desk Futura. Lapworks sells various ergonomic desks and stands for laptops that can ensure comfort and safety for frequent uses of these electronics. But the Laptop Desk Futura is being featured especially for its style and convenience.

The Futura, which is retailing for $29.95, has five incline positions, so you can set it for proper ergonomic laptop use. The laptop stand also has vents, so the surface under the laptop doesn’t get too hot (this is especially good for men because high heat on the lap from laptops has been said to reduce fertility). It has special rubber holds that keep the laptop steady, and best of all, the stand folds down flat so you can just slip it next to your laptop in your carrying case when you’re not using it.

Thin, lightweight, and good for your posture and ergonomics, this gift is perfect for businesspeople and others who frequently work on laptops. Check it out!

I know recently we’ve been talking a lot about digital cameras, but it’s because I’ve had it on my mind. I just purchased a Panasonic Lumix FX55, and I’ve been fiddling around with it and using it.

It had been high time for me to replace my old digital camera, which I had been using for about six years. It was large and bulky, and one of my friends, when I pulled the old camera out to use, joked, “What is that, your fax machine?”

All jokes aside, I knew I wanted a new camera that was sleek, slim, and good at taking pictures. I’ve always been drawn to the Panasonic brand for its consistently high quality, and here was a new line of cameras from them that were quite sleek (especially in black!), pretty slim, and excellent for photography.

The display LCD is very large, and despite a month of use now, there are no scratches, so the material for the screen is quite strong. Also, the buttons are convenient to use, with an easy button for deleting pictures. The function wheel at the top allows you to switch easily among the various modes, from taking regular pictures, to recording videos, to viewing your pictures.

My only complaint is that when you take a vertical picture, the camera replays the photo horizontally, thus reducing the image size. Some other cameras I’ve seen automatically adjust the playback view depending on whether you hold the camera horizontally or vertically, where if you take a vertical picture, the image is played back vertically when you hold the digital camera that way.

In any case, the Panasonic Lumix FX55 is an excellent camera, and I highly recommend it as a digital camera gift for those looking to give one of these handy pieces of technology this Christmas and holiday season.

Considering perfume as a gift can be a difficult process, but it is can definitely be worth the effort. The folks at BB Perfume have provided some perfume gift giving tips for that special someone who can really appreciate a new and exciting fragrance to sprinkle herself with. According to BB Perfume, a great way to buy gift perfume, especially if you don’t know a woman’s preference, is to pick something that matches her personality. Here are their suggestions to help you choose the perfect gift fragrance for the following personalities:

Adventurous — Try Reaction by Kenneth Cole, Cool Water by Davidoff, Mambo Women by Liz Claiborne

Sexy — Try Attraction by Lancome, Burberry Touch, Contradiction by Calvin Klein.

Carefree — Try Acqua Di Gio by Girogio Armani, Boss Woman by Hugo Boss, D&G Light Blue

Confident — Try Amarige by Givenchy, Lacoste pour Femme, Dalissime by Salvador Dali.

Chic — Try Burberry Brit, Chance by Chanel, Desire by Dunhill.

Outgoing — Try Sensi by Giorgio Armani, Bazar By Christian Lacroix, Red Door by Elizabeth Arden.

Youthful — Try Daliflor by Salvador Dali, Paris Hilton, Diorissimo by Christian Dior.

For more recommended fragrances by personality, visit this article: Perfume by Personality.

Fragrances and perfumes make great gifts for your friends and family members. And you benefit as well because you can smell the results of these gifts for months to come!

Labor Day weekend is coming up, and it’s time to celebrate the favorite workers in your life. Or yourself!

It’s a popular end-of-summer holiday, so it’s everyone’s last chance to get out, get some sun, and get some relaxation. Many people have barbecues on Labor Day weekend, so a great gift idea would be to give something that’s related to barbecuing. Perhaps a brand new grill for the backyard? Or a cookbook with recipes to have the perfect BBQ? Martha Stewart or Paula Deen have great home and backyard entertaining tips. Also, maybe a trio of gourmet barbecuing sauces? The possibilities are endless.

Also, because Labor Day is a celebration of America’s workers, you might consider giving a gift that will help your friend/relative/etc. with his or her job. For example, maybe a fun desk toy or stress-relieving bean bag. Or perhaps an ergonomically correct wrist pad or mousepad or chair. Little cubicle accessories are great, too, perhaps catering to your gift recipient’s favorite things, such as TV shows, movies, celebrities, sports, etc. Perhaps your teenage niece working as an office assistant would like a Zac Efron cubicle poster. Or your sports-loving friend would like a daily sports quotes calendar, etc.

Of course, you can always give the generic (or themed) gift basket that is apropos for Labor Day. Maybe one featuring coffee and snacks, for consumption at the work desk. Several Web sites sell gift baskets themed to Labor Day. Keep on the lookout for great deals.

However you choose to celebrate the day off for Labor Day, make it special and memorable with a fun themed gift!

Here’s a great personalized card or stationery idea to go with your gifts: PosePrints!

PosePrints invites you to design your own personalized stationery. You can pick from a variety of designs, and best of all, you can create your own fun caricature.

After you pick your favorite background, you design your image! Pick from the templates your hairstyle, eye color, mouth, and other features such as facial hair, glasses, or even a baby bump! There are options for men and women. Then, add personal details and messages, and you’re all set to check out!

PosePrints is a great alternative to generic, run-of-the-mill greeting cards. Say hi or I Love You with these fun and unique cards that have been personalized and can only be from you! If you’re looking for unique stationery to pair with your gifts, try out PosePrints.

And, Gift Ideas Blog visitors can get a special discount: Enter the code “GIFT20″ in the checkout area of the PosePrints site and receive 5 free cards for every order of 25 cards — a $10 value! Check out this great stationery idea at PosePrints!

Today we’re going to talk about good gift ideas.

No, not “good” as in the gift recipient will like it a lot. Good gifts as in it does good for the world. For example, consider giving a donation in somebody else’s name. Some charities will offer certificates of donation, and you can present that: “This certifies that John Smith has donated $500 to the American Cancer Society.” It’s a gift that helps a charity and is like sharing the good karma that comes from helping a good cause. There are even agencies that will help you take care of everything. For example, Charity Checks allows your gift recipient to donate to a charity of their choosing, while you get the tax deduction.

Also, consider gifts that are ethical or fair. For example, fair trade items help producers in other countries be paid a fair wage and price for their products. The most famous example are coffee and bananas. Other food products have recently been marketed as fair trade. Do your research and make sure you understand that it’s actually fair trade and the terms of the fair trade agreement before buying just because it says “Fair Trade.”

Give a pound of fair trade coffee as a gift to a coffee drinker. Or, consider fair trade arts and crafts. There are several sites, such as Cebra or Global Crafts, dedicated to selling arts and crafts and clothes from people who otherwise might not have an opportunity to make a living from their handiwork. Look for a company that is ethical and pays the craftmakers a fair wage.

Finally, give a gift that can be helpful to the environment or the world. For example, plants are often a good gift because when planted in a garden, they can continue to offer visual and environmental benefits. Trees, in particular, will grow tall and be a gift that will be remembered every time it is seen. Also, some charities allow you to donate money to preserve an acre of rainforest, or donate money for the restoration of destroyed environmental habitats. Perhaps you could try donating money in the name of your gift recipient, and that would benefit part of the world.

Give a good gift today, bring joy to your gift recipient, and help the world!

As a lot of people go on vacation this summer, a great gift to give is a digital camera. Why let your acquaintances pay so much for disposable cameras and the cost of developing film and getting prints when the eventual cost will add up to surpass that of a budget digital camera?

Digital cameras are great for travelers and those fun summer get-togethers. They can capture fun times at the beach or park or a visit to Disneyland or other theme parks. You can look back on your photos on your computer, burn them onto a CD, or order prints of them online or at your local photo developer.

They also make great gifts for recent college graduates because they will have many memorable experiences on campus and will want to remember them. Be sure to warn them not to post incriminating photos online on Facebook or MySpace because they might regret it later!

Some things to consider before purchasing a digital camera:

- Brand name (may indicate quality)

- Warranty

- Price

- Zoom capacity

- Red-eye prevention

- Screen preview (LCD monitor)

- Resolution (how many megapixels?)

- Included photo-editing software and other accessories (cleaning brush, tripod, carrying case, etc.)

Try Digital Photography Blog, Digital Camera Reviews, or Digital Photography Review for more helpful information about purchasing a digital camera as a gift.

Digital cameras come in various prices, so don’t automatically write it off as too pricey to be a gift. You can find some quality digital cameras without paying too much, and your gift recipient will appreciate it tremendously, too! Help make those memories by giving one as a gift.

Many people have a lot more free time during the summer, and so they go out and travel.

This is an excellent opportunity to give a spontaneous, just-for-fun gift to show someone you love them or care.

To give a vacation gift, think about what a person needs on vacation.

Do they need luggage? Travelers going to faraway places usually need something in which to carry their clothes and to bring back their souvenirs, so a nice luggage set could be in order for your gift recipient.

Look for a sturdy set that has a variety of features. Is it made out of strong material? Is the suitcase firm? Does it have wheels to carry around easily when it’s full and heavy? Does it have an extended handle to make dragging easy? Does it have an expandable section? That could come in handy because many people frequently overpack, so that unexpected extra space comes in handy.

Also, for toiletries, you can get them a nice small toiletries bag. Made of leather or other materials, they are small enough to carry around conveniently, but large enough to store all the things you need, from toothbrushes to floss to hair gel.

For those doing the traditional “Backpacking through Europe” (or other fun destinations that require hiking or traveling by foot over long distances), a backpack might be a nice gift. There are many different kinds available, and some brands are sturdier and longer-lasting than others. Some even offer a lifetime guarantee, with the option of mailing in the old backpack for repairs or a replacement. Such a gift can make a traveler’s life much easier.

As you can see, there are many gifts that you can give to someone going on vacation or traveling far distances. Brainstorm some great ideas and come up with the perfect gift for that globetrotter in your life.

CreativeThoughts has a great personalized birthday gift idea: The Birthday Chronicle!

Simply provide the gift recipient’s birthday, and the company will send you a completed sheet that you can frame (or you can purchase it already framed).

Printed on parchment-style paper, the 8.5″ by 11″ sheet tells all the world events that occurred on your gift recipient’s birthday! For example, was the birthday the same as the day JFK was shot? The day Elizabeth Taylor made her screen debut? The day Paris Hilton was born? The Birthday Chronicle will feature celebrity birthdays, as well as financial news, world events, and the weather on the day you were born!

And, for those needing a quick gift, there’s even the option of downloading an electronic file of the personalized Birthday Chronicle, so you can print it out yourself if you’re in a hurry.

Check out the Birthday Chronicle for a unique and personalized gift fit for individuals of all ages.