Mother’s Day is in less than a week, but you still have time to find the perfect Mother’s Day gift.

You could go the traditional route of a big bouquet of flowers. Most flower shops and supermarkets have delightful arrangements of blooms that tell Mom that you love her. Pick big bright springtime colors. Red, whites, and pinks are very symbolic of love. Perhaps consider a dozen roses, or even better, a potted plant in a cute, decorative container that will continue to grow for years to come.

Also, consider delectable comestibles. Treat your mother out to a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant. Take her to her favorite restaurant, or, because restaurants are usually very busy and loud during the big holiday, give her a gift certificate for a dinner on another day that might be more convenient. Many popular restaurants offer gift certificates for their dining rooms.

Perhaps you could give your mother a nice box of chocolates or candies. Many chocolatiers and confectioners are offering special Mother’s Day-themed gift sets filled with deliciously sweet collections of their products. Great chocolatiers include Vosges Chocolates, Burdick’s chocolates, and Recchiutti Confections.

If it comes down to the wire and you still don’t have something, perhaps consider a gift card to your mother’s favorite retailer. Although slightly less personal, at least your mother can choose her favorite item, so you know you can’t go wrong.

Sometimes, the best gifts are free. The best gift could be spending time with your mother. Or, create a heartfelt homemade card that shows how much you love her and recounting your favorite moments with her. Perhaps write a poem or story about your mother and frame it. Poets.org has a database of poems, and you can find an already-written poem that fits perfectly as a tribute to your mother. Print it out on nice paper and a unique font, or use your arts and crafts and calligraphy skills for a unique gift that Mom’s sure to put on your wall.

Flowers, chocolates, poetry, time spent with Mom… no matter what you select for your Mother’s Day gift, she’s bound to love you and your present. Don’t forget Mother’s Day this Sunday, and help make it a special day for that special woman in your life.

What are you giving for Mother’s Day?

Here’s a unique gift idea for a member in your household or a friend to help them decorate their bedroom or living room. Alphabet Photography allows you to select various photos of everyday objects that look like a letter in the alphabet. The letters are placed together to spell out a word or name!

For example, in the above image, a photo of a part of a ladder suggests the letter “H,” while in the following photograph the wheel suggests the letter “O.” So while each individual photograph is a close-up of an outdoor element, the aggregate effect suggests the word “HOPE.” Alphabet Photography sells these individual photographs that can later be displayed in a scrapbook or framed for display.

Photographer Jennifer Blakeley has expertly photographed and captured on film dozens of these naturally-occurring letters, and using the convenient online ordering form, you can select the letters and word to spell out for your Alphabet Photography gift. If you don’t like a particular version of a certain letter, you can actually select another depiction of the same letter. This helps make each Alphabet Photography order unique. (View the alphabet letters here.) The 4x6 sepia-toned photographs sell for
for $4.00 each, framing not included. Custom frames and the associated shipping can be expensive, so Alphabet Photography leaves the display options up to you so you’re not forced to buy a frame or even display the photographs in a frame. This method allows people of all budgets and incomes to enjoy a timeless piece of art they can truly call their own without breaking the bank. You can also combine the alphabet letters with other personal photographs, perfect for a scrapbook project!

A nice Alphabet Photography word or name makes a perfect decoration in a home, bedroom, or office. With an inspirational word such as “hope,” “joy,” “love,” or “dream,” it makes a wonderful reminder in our daily lives to do great things and to feel happy and well. You can also pick a name (first name or a family’s last name) to display in the format… a great tribute to the individual, family, or organization that receives the gift. It would also make a perfect Mother’s Day gift, as you could create the word “Mom,” or use your mother’s name, in the artistry. Your mother will be proud to display this beautiful and symbolic work of art.

Visit Alphabet Photography today to make your own artistic display that is certain to visually impress anyone who sees this magnificent, custom-made gift.

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!

OK, with less than two weeks left, it’s time to get started on your Valentine’s Day gift ideas! Luckily, this is an obviously popular holiday for retailers, so it should be easy to find Valentine’s Day gifts for everyone, from friends to family members to your significant other.

Have you gotten that delightful heart-shaped box of chocolates yet? Almost every chocolatier or confectioner has a special package for Valentine’s Day, usually heart-shaped or romance-themed chocolates or other candies just for the special day.

Florists around the country are also gearing up for this major romantic holiday. Pick up a beautiful and romantic bouquet filled with bright blooms for your sweetheart. Popular colors include red and pink, to symbolize love and romance. Many floral stores have a variety of Valentine’s Day bouquets and floral arrangements that make easy gifts because all you have to do is pay for them and present them. Many flower shops even deliver, so all you have to do is write a sincere note.

Speaking of notes, how about musical notes? Consider hiring a local choral group or a cappella singing group to deliver a song-gram! This creative gift will bring lots of attention to your significant other, as everyone will notice the gift of song you have purchased. The group will show up at your door and sing a few songs to bring a dose of musical delight.

Also, consider sending a greeting card. Although fairly simple and straightforward, there’s no better way to say “I love you” than through a direct statement of romance and love through a greeting card. No need for fancy

And, if you’re still coming short on ideas, there’s the perennial gift card or gift certificate from your gift recipient’s favorite retailer. Gift cards are popular because they allow the gift recipient to choose

There are endless gifts to give on Valentine’s Day. Remember to get a gift for the loved ones in your life and enjoy this romantic holiday!

Although we just finished the Christmas holiday season, Valentine’s Day is quickly coming up. It’s never too early to start thinking about your Valentine’s Day gifts because the holiday is coming up in less than a month! Already retailers are rushing out merchandise for the lovely holiday.

You needn’t be married or have a significant other in order to give a Valentine’s Day gift. Valentine’s Day could be a great time to show your friends how much you appreciate them. You could also give gifts to your family members to show them you care.

The most popular Valentine’s Day gift, of course, is chocolate and candy. Many chocolatiers and confectioners offer special heart-shaped boxes of chocolates to give to your sweetheart. These range from lower-end chocolates available at your drugstore or supermarket to gourmet heart-shaped truffles from high-end chocolatiers such as Richart. Keep your eyes open, as most chocolate and candy stores will have special Valentine’s Day collections in special red and heart-shaped boxes, both big and small.

Another romantic Valentine’s Day gift is a cute stuffed teddy bear or stuffed animal that might be clutching a little heart. I cute stuffed animal is the way to a significant other’s heart.

Perhaps you could consider a Valentine’s Day gift basket, which can include a variety of items such as candy, stuffed animals, and other holiday paraphernalia. If you don’t want to purchase one, you can always make your own.

Finally, you might consider giving items that are in Valentine’s Day colors, such as red, pink, and white. If you are not giving a traditional Valentine’s Day gift, you could give something that is in red or pink to give it that Valentine’s Day feeling or flavor.

What are your gift ideas for Valentine’s Day? Let us know by e-mailing us!

Now that Christmas Day and New Year’s Day have passed, many stores are offering great discounts on holiday merchandise. Now might be a great time to stock up on next year’s stocking stuffers!

Some retailers are putting on sale some Christmas-specific merchandise, so it might be a great time to find some Christmas gifts. However, make sure you choose non-food items… you wouldn’t want to give someone food that’s a year old! However, if you’re going to consume the food immediately as a gift to yourself, you might buy these holiday foods as a special treat! CostPlus World Market had a special sale on holiday candies, and I was able to try Lindt Chocolates’ Holiday Spice chocolate bar for 50% off the retail price!

You might also find some deals on some non-Christmas gifts. These might be evergreen presents that you can give for upcoming holidays or birthdays. For example, Bath and Body Works was having a big sale on lotions and shampoos. Those could make excellent presents later in the year.

Keep scouring those retail outlets for super deals that will help you in your gift-giving endeavors in this new year!

Well, you got that wonderful digital camera for Christmas, but now what? You’re taking lots of pictures, but sometimes there’s just not anybody around to help you take your picture. Or, you want to take a cool self-portrait for MySpace or another social networking site profile. What do you do?

You could get the Timetale FOZI Tripod, a handy-dandy tripod that fits right in your wallet! It comes in seven different colors, and it folds up flat into the palm of your hand. When you’re ready to use it, simply open it up, put the flap in the slot, and set your digital camera right on top. You can get it to accommodate a cell phone camera, iPhone camera, and most compact digital cameras. See it in action on YouTube here.

It’s a great gift for any cell phone camera or digital camera user, and it’s so small and compact for easy use.

Although we are a blog about gift ideas and often talk about material things, we’d just like to mention that we should remember to always appreciate what we have, particularly those things we can’t hold, such as hope, love, friendship, and a sense of wonderment at all the great things in the world. Let’s have an attitude of gratitude for that which we are lucky enough to have, and let us hope for the betterment of those who suffer. Let us also help those who are less fortunate than us, whether it is by donating funds to a charity or providing services for a volunteer organization. Together, we can certainly make this world better and more beautiful.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at The Gift Ideas Blog!

OK, it’s Christmas Eve, and you’re still looking for that last-minute gift. Your options are limited, but lucky for you, many retailers are open extra hours today to accommodate the last-minute rush.

Your best bet is probably a gift card. Gift cards help make up millions of dollars in sales for retailers, and it’s no wonder. They are easy to buy, and popular with gift givers who aren’t sure what their gift recipient might like. It’s also popular with gift recipients because they get to choose exactly what they want to buy, albeit only in the store from which the gift card was purchased. It’s a win-win situation, though, so what’s not to like about gift cards?

If not, try making your own gifts. A homemade heartfelt card written with sincerity and filled with love and friendship just might speak volumes more than a hundred-dollar gift. Some construction paper and scrapbook decorations and stickers can go a long way in creating a personalized and much-loved Christmas card. Then, hand-deliver the card with some freshly-baked cookies or other baked goods. It’s easy to look up a recipe for holiday baked goods and then deliver them on a nice holiday paper plate and wrapped in Christmas-color cellophane and ribbon.

Other great Christmas gifts include floral arrangements, boxes of candy or chocolates (the Lindt Excellence “Holiday Spice” chocolate bar is particularly delicious and gourmet), and gourmet snack tins filled with such poppable foods as popcorn, pretzels, cheesy poofs, or gummy candies.

Well, good luck with your last-minute Christmas gift shopping! When all is done, you’ll be relieved and happy to settle down and celebrate that “most wonderful time of the year” with all your loved ones.

Christmas will be here before we know it, and it’s time to get all those last-minute gifts before the big gift-giving holiday. Many online retailers are still offering last-minute shipping deals, and it’s quite possible to find a gift online that will still be sent out by companies to your gift recipient by Christmas Day (rapid guaranteed one-day shipping, for a price, of course). But you’ll have to hurry. Many of these retailers are swamped during this time with similar last-minute gift shoppers, so you’ll want to order today to have them ship out the item by Monday to hopefully arrive on time on Christmas Day.

You might actually have better luck going to a store to find the perfect gift during this time. A recent jaunt over to Kmart and Target yielded delightful gift boxes, all wrapped up and ready to be given. They contain various gifts, from jam and preserves sets to shaving kits to hot cocoa mixes in holiday mugs. All packaged nicely in appropriate boxes, you don’t need much effort to get it ready for presentation. With these stores doing all the work, it shouldn’t be hard finding the perfect gift. They’ll also help you out because many stores offer gift-wrapping as well, so it’s all one-stop shopping, without any hassles once you get home.

Also, try a smaller boutique. They offer unique gift items that are personal and not as mass-marketed. Perhaps try an antique store for a vintage twist. My friend recently found at a vintage store a silver heirloom locket that she planned to give to her mother after putting in her own portrait. Such treasures seem to have more meaning when they are vintage and have an old story to them.

If you are unable to go out to shop for Christmas, perhaps consider a home-made gift. One delightful idea a friend used once was to make a huge batch of gingerbread dough. Then, divide the dough into smaller portions, wrap it up in plastic, and give the gingerbread dough away to friends and family members along with a card containing a recipe for making gingerbread and instructions on how to bake it (temperature, how much time, etc.). Perhaps also include a gingerbread man cookie cutter. That little set is cheap and easy to make yourself, yet it will be well-received by your gift recipient because it is unique and a fun gift to receive because you can have a mini-party baking and then later decorating that gingerbread.

Also, you could try creating your own gift basket. Put some coffee or teas, or jams or wines or fresh fruit into a basket, then affix a delightful and colorful bow to the top. It’s an instant gift basket! If it’s a Christmas gift for children, add some toys and candy, and that’s sure to be a hit with the youngsters. Perhaps you could also use Christmas colors of green, red, gold, and silver in coordinating your gift basket items. Or use a green, red, and gold ribbon to tie up the basket. There aren’t any rules; just pick what your gift recipient might like and wrap it up so it looks beautiful. Easy peasy!

Well, it’s just two shopping days ’til Christmas. Good luck, everyone, in finding that perfect Christmas gift!