I received a box of photo coasters from my mom for Christmas one year. Knowing that my mom bought them, they must be resonably priced. When I opened the coasters I noticed that they are frosted glass with a place to put a picture in the middle …

Valentine’s day is a day reserved not just for lovers, but for people who do love or receive love from family and friends. However, if you happen to be in love during the month of February, and Valentine’s day approaches without you knowing what it is you’re going to …

I recently purchased a hand-soap making kit at AC Moore made by Soap Place called Spa Indulgence. The kit included all materials to make two bottles of hand-soap and four bars of soap. I came with complete instructions and claimed even a beginner could make this soap. …

The ‘Lamaze Octivity Time’ is one of the best gifts my baby has ever received. It is a cute little colorful octopus with every one of its eight legs providing an opportunity to explore and learn.
My baby used to spend hours engrossed in the octopus. This plush colorful green …

I don’t have any other crystal bird figurines from Crystal World, so I am glad that I had the opportunity to purchase this one. And what’s more, it is a bluebird, so that really makes it something special. Every once in a while, I do see crystal and glass …

I am definitely one of those people who see a candle rack in the stores and have to stop to take in the scent of each one. There is just something so peaceful about lighting up a candle to fill the room with wonderful fragrances to add to my …

I purchased this Swarovski crystal tulip several years ago. It all began when Swarovski started to create lovely little, single flowers in faceted pots. First they made one that didn’t have a specific flower name. It simply had five rounded petals, and the flower was available in clear crystal …

The He knows your name Winnie the Pooh is a great gift for any kid. You can also find this toy by just doing an online search. When you squeeze his hand he sings a coupld of fun child songs. This is a really great gift for …

I bought this crystal apple about twenty years ago, and it is still available for purchase on the Crystal World website! Isn’t that amazing? And what is even more amazing is that the price has not gone up that much in twenty years. It costs $29 now, and I …

I must admit I was surprised at first when I heard the EGG bag gift item. I heard it last April, on my birthday when my special friend texted me that he will give me an egg bag as a birthday gift when he returned from an educational tour. …

Crystal World calls this piece “Whiskers,” but I think that is confusing, because it sounds like they are referring to a cat. Actually, they are referring to a rabbit that has long whiskers. I fell in love with this piece right away, because it is adorable. The cute pieces …

A friend bought this for my (then) weeks old son - she was on a shopping trip to New York and this was his ‘birth’ gift, along with other similarly themed decorative presents. It’s not the largest piece of wall art, measuring just 9″ high and 7″ wide but …

Looking for a gift to give the previous holiday season was made easy for me because I was able to find some goodies that I think most Filipinos would love to eat. It is not a plain goodie, but also something that even those meticulous kids would enjoy. I …

I often find that the quality of assorted boxed chocolates is all over the place, and doesn’t necessarily correlate to the price. In fact, if it’s up to me I prefer not to buy assortments at all. I’d rather pick out only what I like at a specialty shop. …

I remember buying quite a few of my Crystal World figurines in Cape May, NJ, because there are two or three gift shops in that little town that carry (or at least used to carry) Crystal World products. I believe this butterfly figurine is one of the pieces that …

I no longer have a problem with what to get for men in my life who are hard to buy gifts for. Some time back my husband needed some new slippers to wear around the house, that he could also walk outside to get the paper or take trash …

I bought a few glass pieces from Marilyn Kimble Holt at an expo several years ago. This piece was one of them, but she told me that her son Zeke made this particular piece. He even signed it underneath. I had never seen any of Marilyn’s work before that, …

I have a soft spot for all things mid-century, so when I spotted Kitschy Canapés: Finger Foods for the Swinger Set, I just had to have it! When you purchase the Kitschy Canapé’s gift set, you receive a 64 page recipe book, 6 retro inspired plastic fruit …

This paperweight is signed “RMJ” underneath, but unfortunately, I don’t know who that is. I don’t know whether those letters are someone’s initials or whether it’s the name of the glass company. I wish I knew, because this has always been one of my favorite paperweights. I bought it …

Recently my daughter received a party pack from her cousin. She did not go to the party though, since we were away on a holiday then. Anyway, when she saw the see-through plastic packaging, she wanted me to open it for her.
We took out the items in the Barney’s …

This is a precious set of four miniature crystal figurines that Swarovski put out several years ago, and I think it was a limited-edition set. I love to visit the seashore in New Jersey, so being able to purchase this was a treat for me. I guess you could …

I consider myself practical in the sense that I don’t really buy things if I won’t be able to use them for a long time. The stuff I have, I use until I either consume them or they break down from wear. Not when it comes to wallets, …

I’m classifying this review in gifts because it occurs to me a lot of us girls shop for gifts at the Dollar Tree or similar stores looking for inexpensive gift ideas. I put a lot of thought into my gifts personally and the presentation of the gift is important …

Body Essentials Light and massage Therapy Hair Brush was gifted to me by my maternal aunt. She highly praised this product and felt it would be of great use to me too. Light and massage Therapy Hair Brush uses LED light therapy and massage to help its users achieve …

My scent-sensitive self lately is taking the direction toward easy, uncomplicated, and cheerful scents. I cannot explain why, but I seem to have caught a happy bug or something. Maybe the scents and sensations of the things I’m using of late have something to do with it. …

One of the hot new items that stores are selling this holiday season are solar candles. Let me tell you, they’re not all they’re cracked up to be. I’ve purchased four sets now, manufactured by several different companies, and unless the light is or is not hitting …

Last Christmas, I got a Nana’s Pantry candle with an Angel Food Cake scent as a gift. It’s in a 22.6 oz. jar, and it has a cream color to it. I am very surprised I didn’t smell the candle before I opened the gift package. …

For our eldest sons third birthday we bought him some moon sand and the accessories that went with it. We had seen this advertised loads on television in the previous months and thought that Kurt would love it and that it should be clean and tidy to keep …

I graduated high school in 2007, and upon receiving my diploma and turning the tassel of my graduation cap, I received an inspirational book called “School’s Out Life’s On”. This book is distributed from Gift Books from Hallmark and was a very valuable and inspiring gift for the completion …

If you are looking for a good gift for a toddler, or even an older child, Avon has Cuddle Pillows that my toddler just loves. My three year old daughter now has SpongeBob Square Pants, Patrick, Dora the Explorer, and Boots, the monkey from Dora the Explorer. There are …

Kohl’s department stores make this really adorable looking Ceramic Holiday Candle (for Christmas) in the shape of a cupcake that can be purchased now on their website or at their department store site for three dollars. The original price was close to ten dollars, but since it is after …

I purchased this glass paperweight in Bloomingdale’s at a time when they carried Caithness art glass. I don’t think they carry it anymore. Caithness is a company from Scotland that produces gorgeous handmade glass paperweights. I have a few of them, and I think they are all fascinating in …

If you plan on traveling to the Sedona area of Arizona, and are looking for some local artwork, and possibly some gifts, Sedona Green Gallary and Gifts is the place you want to go. This extravagant store carries many gift ideas, as well as pieces of artwork from …

I collect coins as a hobby and the 2013, fine silver, Arctic fox coin is definitely an exquisite piece in my collection. I purchased the Arctic fox coin from an authorized dealer of coins made by the Royal Canadian Mint.
The coin comes in a maroon box (reminiscent of a …

The ‘Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep’ coin is a decent coin for anyone’s collection. It comes in a standard maroon, Royal Canadian Mint box (similar to a jewelry box). The inside of the box is lined with black velvet and within the black velvet lies this coin. It’s a pure gold …

I know that all generations have certain toys and games that cause a huge craze. In my experience, these fad toys are usually ridiculously expensive and over-priced for the quality. Such is the case with the Zhu Zhu Pets. This toy gained popularity in 2009 and was a huge …

My mother in law brought me a gorgeous ceramic figurine with metal swirling wings. The figure is so beautiful that I would like to collect others like it. The angel is ivory colored with a pearlescent finish and has beautifully elegant lines, and is holding a gold olive branch …

Now as I wrote in an earlier review,my grandaughter had given me a Scooby Doo musical toy. Well seeing as though I liked Scooby so well, she thought I would like another one for Christmas. Shelly is 8 years old. She also lives with me, anyway I think she …

Sally Ray Cairn’s Asian Style Note Card set is a very beautiful set of sixteen note cards and sixteen envelopes. The cards come in two designs, one mostly red, the other mostly black, both with their own beautiful Asian inspired design on the front. I really love …

For my daughters thirteenth birthday her grandma in North Carolina sent her a Heavnly Beauty Gift set. It has three body glitters, five different shades of lip stick, fifteen colors in asssorted flavors of lip gloss, eight shades of eye shadow, four glitter powders, and six colors of nail …

One of my little cousins recieved this for christmas, and I thinkit is a super neat toy. the way it works is taht you play 20 questions against the computer. You think of an item, and then the computer willask 20 yes or no questions. After you answer all …

Made exclusively for QVC, Maria Goretti’s Bird Sanctuary is simply awesome. I’m a proud American, and this sculpture is one of the pieces that I love to keep on display to show my patriotism.
There were ten-thousand of these porcelain eagles made. The eagle, which is about ten-inches …

This is located at the upper ground floor of SM City Fairview. Papemelroti is actually a store of simple items made from different kinds of recyclable materials like newspapers, magazines and glass bottles. Their items here are mostly for souvenirs and simple gifts and are usually …

Whenever I have to give a gift to someone I don’t know very personally, I give them a Yankee Candle. They last for a long time, they are always coming out with new scents, and they are fairly inexpensive (especially if you buy them during their clearance sales at …

I have no idea why in the world Swarovski named this little figurine Y2B. It sounds like it could have been a name of a character in “Star Wars.” This is a figurine of a sheep, so I don’t know how Swarovski associated a sheep with the letter and …

My eight year old son received 15 Childcraft Encyclopedia Books for Christmas. I wasn’t familiar with ChildCraft but I did like the fact that they seemed sturdy and had really good illustrations that made him interested in reading the stories.
The books in the collection are:
Once …

I bought the Little Princess Slim Candles from the party section of the SM Megamall supermarket to surprise my friend on her birthday. She was turning 24 at that time and having 24 pcs., the pack was perfect. We bought a simple chocolate cake and put the …

I bought this crystal heart about ten years ago at Bloomingdale’s. They used to carry a vast and very impressive collection of giftware that included Limoges (porcelain boxes), Waterford, Halcyon Days Enamels, Swarovski, and Caithness Glass. I don’t believe they carry Limoges, Caithness, or Halcyon enamels anymore (at least …

I was looking for a gift to give my 3-year-old goddaughter at the toy store. One toy that caught my eye was Disney’s Baby Princess Doll Collection. The collection consisted of baby versions of Disney princesses. There were five in the set—Ariel, Belle, Aurora, Snow White …

I had the pleasure of meeting this glass artist, Marilyn Kimble Holt, at a local expo several years ago. She had many of her beautiful art glass figurines and paperweights on display and for sale. So I was lucky that I had the chance to purchase a few of …