Surrounded by an endless supply of books, you’re probably at a loss as to what to get the librarian in your life. Whether you’re buying for best friends, co-workers, siblings, and significant others, there are plenty of gift ideas for librarians when you’re looking to go beyond the latest best seller. To get a start on your gift shopping adventure, consider the following suggestions:

Decorative Book Ends

A librarian without a collection of books is like a chef with no pots and pans. Corralling all of their precious publications isn’t always an easy task. For some of the more special reads, your loved one may want to put them on display with a new pair of decorative book ends. For example, a lover of Greek mythology will appreciate these Porch Of The Maidens Acropolis Bookends (shown).

Bookshelf

For the librarian with an ever-growing assortment of books, choose a gift that keeps them organized and tidy. A new bookshelf will certainly come in handy. From smaller options that sit close to a bed to larger selections that decorate a home office, there are plenty of bookshelves to consider when shopping for a gift, including this sleek Winsome Wood 3-Tier Bookcase.

Book Jewelry

Jewelry comes in many shapes, sizes, styles and themes with no shortage of gift ideas for a librarian. From the classic ‘book’ charm for a bracelet to a 14-karat gold pendant, try thinking outside the box with gift ideas, such as considering this Whimsical Watches Book Lover Brown Leather selection, which displays books, glasses, pen, and a library card inside the glass casing.

Writing Desk

A writing desk can become a private nook for your loved ones to pen love letters, store their stationary, and curl up with a good book under easy-on-the-eyes lighting.

Swarovski Embellished Reading Glasses

A pair of reading glasses hanging from the neck is one of the most popular images of a librarian, and in many cases – it’s completely accurate. For the librarian in your life that needs a little boost with their eyesight, send them off to work in style. For example, a pair of “Silver Fox” Reading Glasses Hand Painted and Hand-Embellished with Swarovski Crystals or another fashionable selection makes a thoughtful gift.

Book Gift Ideas

If you simply cannot help getting a book-related gift for a librarian, seek published works with special meaning. For example, surprise a collector of classics with a signed copy or first edition.

 

With flu season right around the corner, you may want to refresh your repertoire of gift ideas for loved ones battling sniffles, sneezing, coughing, aches and pains. The peak of flu cases begins in October and continues until April. It knocks children out of school and keeps adults from attending classes or going to work. To help pass the time and feel a bit of cheer, consider the following get-well gift ideas for flu season.

Fruit Basket

Fruit baskets send a healing burst to the immune system of someone fighting a cold or the flu. Citrus selections, such as oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are packed with vitamin C. The colors of a fruit basket are also uplifting and help enhance the mood of a miserable loved one. Opt for a fruit basket with nuts to provide essential antioxidants, vitamins, and protein.

Candy Gift Basket

For the younger crowd, watching siblings and friends play outside while staying in bed to recuperate from the flu is torture. Put a smile on their face with a small gift basket filled with candy. Opt for fruity choices, such as jellybeans, lollipops, Skittles, Sweet Tarts, and licorice. Sometimes, chocolate will upset the stomach. If chocolate is a must, choose plain M&Ms, which are the less irritating. Choose a gift basket with a cuddly new friend as a centerpiece.

Adults may also enjoy a fun collection of candy, such as a bundle of nostalgia that takes a walk down memory lane to relive childhood sweets. For example, the 1980′s Retro Candy Gift Box is filled with Charm Blow Pops, Bottlecaps, Jawbreakers, Mamba, Jolly Ranchers, and Fruit Stripe Gum.

Chicken Noodle Soup Basket

You know that time-honored tradition to serve a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup to cold and flu sufferers? It’s a proven fact that this home remedy offers the body something that promotes healing. Chicken noodle soup comes in an array of options, including, low-fat, low-salt, organic, gourmet, and vegan. Choose a variety of chicken noodle soups to fill a gift basket. Add in a soup bowl and spoons. Oyster crackers and Saltines also make decent accompaniments.

Decorative Tissue Holder

Tissues come in pretty handy for sore noses, sneezing, coughing, and postnasal drip. Why not brighten up a loved one’s day with a decorative Kleenex Holder, like the Shabby Chic Pink Enamel with French Vintage 50′s Poodle Art. From bright colors to eye-catching textures, such as the Tommy Bahama, Retreat Collection, Wicker Tissue Holder, a decorative tissue holder can ease the unpleasant reminder of an illness.

 

Minute to Win It is a hot game show on NBC where contestants race the clock to complete seemingly simple challenges using household products. With a million bucks dangling before them, the excitement level is always high. Since the 60-second challenges involve items you probably have around your house, lots of people are throwing Minute to Win It parties. Here are some tips for making your Minute to Win It bash a party people remember for a long time.

Choose Fun Games

All of the games played on Minute to Win It are fun and the majority of them could work in your own home. But take into consideration the number of people you plan to have at your Minute to Win It party, as well as the space available for playing these games. Check out this library of games that have been featured on the show and select about a half dozen to feature at your party.

Serve Food that Fits the Theme

Any good party needs great food. Perhaps you could serve Mexican dishes including a taco bar with a sign that says “Taco Time!”. Give cupcakes a shot and arrange them in a circle. Number them like the face of a clock. There are lots of fun ideas that would be great for a Minute to Win It party.

Show the Video Blue Prints

Give your party a high-tech feel by showing the blue prints (aka. rules) for each game just like they do on the real Minute to Win It game show. You can find the videos on YouTube, commercial free. For instance, here’s the blue print for the game “Face the Cookie.” Showing these professionally produced videos will make your party feel more like the real thing.

Award Prizes

You’ll definitely want to reward winners for their hard work and competitive spirit. Try clock-themed prizes like funny watches or timers. This round wooden ready-to-decorate clock from Oriental Trading Company is just $6.99 and would make a fun prize. You don’t have to spend much, but it will create a more festive feel.

 
 

Vintage Clock Magnets Make Great Favors (Photo by Alison Storm)

Hand Out Favors

Everyone likes to go home from a party with something. A great (and affordable) party favor for your Minute to Win It game is this DIY mid century clock magnet from How About Orange. Spray paint some bottle caps and use Mod Podge to adhere the printable clock designs. Hot glue a magnet onto the back and your favor is complete. It’s a great gift that will remind your guests of the great time they had at your Minute to Win It party.

 

Not Sure Which Gift to Choose? (Photo Courtesy of epSos.de)

Maybe you can relate– I got invited to a birthday party of someone I had hung out with a few times, but didn’t know well. When there’s not a gift registry to fall back on, and you don’t know the person enough to pick out a great gift you know they’ll love– what do you do? Here are some tips for how to give a gift to someone you don’t know well.

Try to Chip in With Others

Do you know anyone else that you can go in on a group gift with? Perhaps you have a friend that’s closer to the person or knows them better. You may be passing the buck, but at least there’s a better chance they’ll end up with a gift they really like or can use.

Do a Registry Search

Even if the event is not for a baby shower or wedding event, there’s a chance this person has registered for something in the past few years. Most stores keep records of registries at least two years after the event. Search for a registry that might provide clues into the person’s taste. For instance WeddingChannel.com lets you search the registries of more than a dozen stores at once.

Find More Clues

Are you friends with the person on Facebook? Do you follow them on Twitter? Do a little digging into their social networks to find out what they like and don’t like. Plenty of people offer up lots of details about their lives online these days.

Go with a Standard

There’s a chance that shirt won’t fit or that vase won’t go with their decor. So why not go with a standard gift? Pick out a gift card to a local restaurant, book store or to the movie theater. Pretty much everybody likes going out to eat, reading a good book or taking in a movie now and then. And even if they don’t, they could always give it to someone else.

 

In the spirit of the current back-to-school season, ensure the teacher in your life is off to a good start when you choose appropriate gifts and keepsakes. Whether guiding kindergarteners towards their ABCs or grooming tomorrow’s lawyers, doctors and scientists – teachers need a little pick-me-up every now and then. The start of a new school year poses the perfect opportunity to show you care. A couple of gift ideas for teachers include:

Candy Apples

Young students have been decorating the desks of their teachers with apples for quite some time. However, the more current twist on this thoughtful gesture is to shower a loved one with the delicious sweetness of candy apples.

Neck and Back Pillow

Let your loved one steal away a relaxing moment in-between class or while waiting for students to finish up a test with a neck or back pillow for their chair. There are a lot of different kinds of pillows that come in a variety of shapes, sizes and materials. For example, the Lumbar Cushion is molded to curve around the sides of the back. A neck or back pillow also comes in handy at home when the school day has come to a close.

Gift Baskets for Teacher

When creating a gift basket for a teacher, consider the power of relaxing goodies, such as bath salts, aromatherapy candles, scented lotions, bubble bath, and moisturizing glycerin soaps. It’s easy to create your own gift basket with the above suggestions. Choose lavender scents (seen in the Renewal Spa Relaxing Lavender Bath and Body Set Gift Basket ) to promote relaxation, while grapefruit offers an uplifting burst of energy. If you’re on a budget, discount stores offer basket fillers for $1 in a variety of sizes, shapes and scents.

Customized Mug

From their favorite pet to the smiling faces of their own kids, gift the coffee-drinking teacher with a mug customized with a thoughtful picture.
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Personalized Frame

A personalized picture frame allows loved ones to stay close to a teacher throughout the day. Choose an inspirational quote or customize with your own memorable words. Another photo gift for teachers is the wooden To Love You© Personalized Photo Cube, which allows you to customize with names and a verse of your own. This gift is especially special for teachers just starting out in the wonderful world of education – gives them something thoughtful that dresses up their first desk.

 

Etiquette Isn't Old Fashioned (Photo courtesy of Muffet)

Do you have to buy a gift when you can’t attend the shower? How long do you have to buy a wedding gift? How much should you spend on your second cousin’s Bar Mitzvah? Gift giving can be a confusing tradition. Thankfully, there are plenty of books to help you navigate the sometimes murky waters of gift etiquette. Here are some to check out so you can become an expert in proper gift-giving etiquette.

The Everything Etiquette Book

The Everything Etiquette Book by Leah Ingram pegs itself as the modern-day guide to good manners. You’ll learn lots about gift giving in chapter 19, Genteel Gift Giving. The chapter covers topics like appropriate gifts for various ages, giving gifts in a work setting and gracious gift receiving. And the book itself is a gift in that you can read it for free online.

The Art and Etiquette of Gift Giving

Author Dawn Bryan fills 368 pages on the topic of gifts in her book The Art and Etiquette of Gift Giving. Bryan, a corporate gift consultant, shares her expertise by giving advice for giving gifts in business situations, giving gifts to people from various ethnic groups and giving gifts in a variety of social occasions.

Emily Post’s Etiquette

This is pretty much the Bible on manners. And in the pages of Emily Post’s Etiquette you’ll find out when you can re-gift in good consciousness. Plus there are lots of other gift giving tips you’ll find useful in all aspects of life.

The Language of Gifts: The Essential Guide to Meaningful Gift Giving

The same gift can mean very different things to the people receiving it. Make sure your gift is sending the right message by reading the book The Language of Gifts: The Essential Guide to Meaningful Gift Giving. Author Deanna Washington’s goal is to make every gift count by sending the right message.

 

Fairytale Brownies, our favorite gift provider is back! We love them! And they love us, too! Today, Fairytale Brownies has generously donated a box of their Cookies and Sprite Combo (their latest product!!), pictured below, to one of our lucky readers.

Cookies and Sprite Combo. photo courtesy of Fairytale Brownies

For those of you who haven’t heard of Fairytale Brownies, here is their story in a nutshell.

The co-founders of Fairytale Brownies, Eileen Spitalny and David Kravetz, have been friends since kindergarten. They went to school together and in 1992 decided to start their own brownie business. At first, they were making brownies in a friend’s kitchen, now they have their own 26,000-square-foot facility and bake over 2.5 million brownies annually. Fairytale Brownies has received many awards and nominations  for their product and packaging. They love to give back to the community by supporting KABOOM – a non-profit organization that helps build playgrounds.

You can check their website at www.brownies.com

GIVEAWAY

This Giveaway is for US residents only.

The Prize: Fairytale Brownies Cookies & Sprite Combo (pictured above)

“This charming assortment features 1 each of all 12 snack-size Fairytale Sprite flavors and a half-pound bag of our custom-roasted Fairytale Coffee, made from 100% Arabica beans infused with just a hint of vanilla flavor. Brew a pot and serve with a sampling of Sprites for a simple and delicious treat. Our classic box is wrapped with our Fall band.”

How to enter (required): Visit brownies.com and then come back and leave a comment telling us the name of your favorite product.

For additional entries (leave a new comment for each additional entry):

- one additional entry if you follow us on Facebook;
- one additional entry if you grab one of our buttons and post it on your blog, please post the link;
- one additional entry if you follow us on Twitter;
- one additional entry if you send a tweet about this giveaway, please post the link (once a day only); make sure to include @1happyblogger. You may use the following to tweet: @1happyblogger Check out the Fairytale Brownies giveaway at http://www.1happycorner.com/cookies-and-sprite-combo-giveaway
- one additional entry if you fave us in Technorati;
- one additional entry if you StumbleUpon our Founder;
- one additional entry if you blog about this Giveaway with a link back to 1HappyCorner.com and brownies.com
- one additional entry if you follow 1HappyCorner.com via email.

The giveaway ends on September 23, 2010.

*Please make sure you leave a comment for each additional entry so you get credited.
*Also, please make sure you typed in the correct email address.
*The winner will be announced via e-mail and has 2 days to get back to us or other name will be chosen.

Thank you, Fairytale Brownies!!:) Good luck everybody!:) Now, let’s see what your favorite product is!

~~~~~

UPDATE: Check out to see if you are the winner!!

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