Valentine’s Day is on Sunday! Not too much time left. Here are some great deals on Valentine’s Day Flowers (remember to always read the store policies before placing your order):

Give More Love This Christmas. photo courtesy of mysza831

As you tackle your Christmas gift list, try to think about how your dollar can do good. Not only will you be getting great gifts for your loved ones, but you’ll be supporting worthy causes at the same time. Here are some ideas that will make your dollar do more this Christmas season.

Flowers

Check out OrganicBouquet.com’s Flowers for Good section. Not only do these flowers smell good, but they do good, too. There are fifteen gorgeous bouquets to choose from, each one supporting a great cause like the American Lung Association, Nature Conservancy and Humane Society. Five percent of every purchase will support these charities.

T-Shirt

Everyone needs a funny t-shirt. Even though you can find these wardrobe staples in about three-fourths of the stores at the mall, why not pick one up at BringtheHope.com where 25% of profits go to charitable causes? That will make an ordinary t-shirt seem way more special.

Art

The beautiful photography found at AllieArt4Children’s Etsy shop supports Reach Out Children’s Fund, an organization committed to improving the lives of those living in the remote Andes mountains of Peru. Not only will you be purchasing an original work of art, but you’ll be supporting a great non-profit. And most of the art in the shop is under $20.

Soap

Magic Senses, the designer soap company, created a “Believe in You” Butterfly soap to support “Count Me In” in their efforts to promote economic independence and the growth of women owned businesses. 25% of the proceeds will be donated to this cause.

Purse

At Clutch for Cures, $10 from every purchase goes to a charity. When you make your purchase you’ll be asked to choose from a selection of non-profits and that’s the charity that will receive your $10. The unique clutches are designed by a mother of six in St. Louis. Choose from dozens of colors and designs to find one that someone on your gift list will love.

Food

Who doesn’t love good food? It’s a great gift idea for just about anyone on your list. And when you buy the food from AmericanFeast.com you can feel good about supporting family-owned sustainable farms in your area. Search for meat, cheese, and sweets that are made by farmers– not huge corporations.

Flowers have always been one of the most loved and offered gifts. Sending flowers is a breeze these days. You can find hundreds of stores online that will deliver the same day. However, it’s not always a good idea to leave everything for the last moment.

Here are our top 10 favorites for this Mother’s Day (tomorrow!!)

Give a Gift That Keeps Growing. photo courtesy of timtom.ch

Spring is such a wonderful season. The flowers are blooming, gardens are growing and the weather is warming. There’s no better time to give gifts that will keep on growing. They become gifts that keep giving long after the special day of celebration. Here are a few gifts to consider if you’re looking for a unique, living gift that grows.

Garden in a Bag

Say thank you to that special someone with a garden in a bag from EarthlyGoods.com. Once planted, the garden in a bag will produce cheerful violas. The kit comes with everything you need– soil, seeds and a waterproof bag to grow it in.

A Children’s Garden

Gardening is a great family activity and it teaches kids about plant life, nutrition and following directions. With the Children’s Garden Collection from ReneesGarden.com they’ll receive five easy-to-grow, big-seeded flower and vegetable varieties that are perfect for kid-friendly planting. They’ll be able to participate from the beginning to harvest.

Terrace Container Garden

Know someone with limited planting space? Just because they’re yard-less doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a great garden. Get them Terrace Container Garden from KitchenGardenSeeds.com. It will work on roof gardens, fire escapes, and even window boxes and because it comes with a wide variety of plants known to grow well in tiny spaces. Varieties include carrots, peppers, cherry tomatoes and more.

Historical Garden

It’s the perfect gift for the green-thumbed history buff. Victory Seed Company offers hundreds of heirloom seed varieties. Help your loved one create a garden Thomas Jefferson would be proud of.

Goodbye winter and hello spring! Today is the first official day of spring. Finally we can bid farewell to the dark and chilly winter months, and look forward to the flower-filled, warm spring days. Why not celebrate the freshness of this wonderful season with some perfect springtime gifts? Here are a few ideas for you:

Celebrate Spring With the Perfect Gift. photo courtesy of christyscherrer

How about this lovely flower headband from Etsy seller Liaison? Choose from all of spring’s best colors: bright purple, hot pink, warm yellow. For $25 you’ll be heading boldly into spring fashion.

Your friends and family members will adore a “bouquet” of flower cupcakes. We found this easy-to-follow tutorial for Frilly Flower Petal Cupcakes at Bake, Decorate, Celebrate. You’ll just need to pick up a few supplies and soon you’ll have a colorful arrangement anyone will love. No green thumb required!

Now that winter is a thing of the past, so should that pasty white skin your friends are sporting. Give them the gift of a gorgeous glow with the Mystic Tan Perfect Tan Kit. They’ll get natural looking results with three simple products.

Why not give yourself some tomato seeds like these from Burpee. That way you’ll have a crop of beautiful seedless tomatoes to pass out to friends and family members in a few months.

Spring is all about getting a new start– why not help your friends achieve that by giving them the gift of organization? Know someone struggling with clutter? Wrap up the Doorganizer from the Container Store so they never walk out without important things like MP3 players, keys or documents again.

Gift Shopping at the Grocery Store? photo courtesy of ralphbijker

In our super busy lives full of family and work obligations, sometimes the inevitable happens– we forget a special event. Whether it be a birthday, baby shower, house warming or anniversary celebration there is no need to panic. Thoughtful, special, and affordable gifts are as close as your neighborhood grocery store. Here are a few options for finding last-minute gifts at the grocery store.
Flowers

Grocery store flowers can be just as pretty as the ones at the fancy florist. Pick up a few bunches of flowers. You can even ask if they’ll combine them and wrap them in coordinating tissue paper. Use the complimentary flower cards to write a sweet message about how you hope the flowers will brighten their special day or their new home– whatever the occasion may be.

Beauty Products

Put together a little gift bag full of bath time favorites. Try to steer clear of the more utilitarian products (like, say, Irish Spring or Dial) and find slightly higher end grocery store products. Grab some nail files, polish and a bath puff to complete the package.

Go Ethnic

Put together an ethnic-themed gift. Grab a strainer and throw in some pasta, sauce and a loaf of fresh bread for an Italian-themed present. Or do something similar with Mexican food essentials like tortillas, cheese, and salsa.

Sweets

Everybody loves sweets! Fill a baking pan with treat-making essentials like sprinkles, frosting, and cookie cutters.

Think Organic

The organic craze is everywhere these days. Just about every grocery store sells reusable grocery store bags. Fill one of these with organic and earth-friendly food. Your store likely has a special aisle stocked especially with these items.

Coffee

And who doesn’t love coffee? You don’t have to go to a pricey coffee shop to get some good beans. Peruse the coffee aisle for a nice roast, throw in a coffee mug and maybe even some coffee flavoring and you’ve got a great little present thanks to your neighborhood grocery store!

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If you have any other ideas, please let us know. Leave a message!

S P O N S O R E D   R E V I E W

Today I’d like to introduce a new and absolutely brilliant service available online: Tigerbow.com

Send gifts via e-mail. Photo courtesy of Tigerbow.com

Description of Service
Tigerbow.com is all about sending gifts via e-mail! They make it very convenient for you. You can even send the gifts to someone whose physical address you don’t know and let them decide where the gift should arrive!  Just give Tigerbow the e-mail address or the Facebook profile of the recipient and they’ll do the rest.

The recipient has the option of accepting or refusing the gift. What if your gift is not accepted? Well, in this case, you are not being charged. You are only charged if your gift is accepted and sent out. How cool is that?

The service is similar to PayPal in the sense that your address (your bank account in PayPal’s case) is not revealed. Another good thing to know is that the receiver’s address is not revealed either… so let’s say you met someone on Facebook and he or she is sending you a gift via e-mail using Tigerbow. When you accept the gift, your address is only given to Tigerbow who is not sharing it with anyone but the shipping company. 

At the moment, Tigerbow gifts are available within the USA.

Tigerbow on Facebook. photo courtesy of Tigerbow.com

Gifts available at Tigerbow.com

Some of the most popular gifts you can purchase at Tigerbow.com are gorgeous bouquets, funny greeting cards, delicious Godiva chocolate assortments, books and movies of all kinds.

For current gift selections and more info, please visit Tigerbow.com.

I haven’t had the chance to test this service yet but I am willing to. So if you really enjoyed this post and are in a “gift giving” mood, here is my Facebook profile:
 

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Disclaimer: The info above is for your convenience. If you visit these links, it is your responsibility to review their terms, conditions and policies. Read our Terms of Use.

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If you have tried Tigerbow, please leave a message and share the love!

 We mentioned The Sweetest Love Bouquet
in our 2009 Valentine’s Gift Guide.

Nothing says “Romance” better than an elegant, gorgeous bouquet of Roses! My favorite this year is The Sweetest Love Bouquet.

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, 1-800-Flowers.com has joined forces with Grammy-Winning R&B singer Robin Thicke to create “The Sweetest Love Bouquet,” inspired by his hit song of the same name. Who better to create an ultra-romantic bouquet than the king of sexy and sultry himself! The bouquet combines classy and modern elements and is sure to be a hit for lovers everywhere this season. Check it out today!

Price: $89.99

It’s your sister-in-law’s birthday. Today. Even though she’s two time zones away, you can still give her a gift before the day is over. With the help of the Internet, she won’t even know it slipped your mind. So don’t panic– take a deep breath– and start clicking to find that perfect long distance last minute gift.

Photo courtesy of Tanakawho

Flowers

Flowers are a safe gift that fit varying levels of relationships and interests. Just about everyone likes flowers. Another great thing about giving roses or tulips is that you can do it last minute. Check out VirtualFlorist.com where you can easily browse through bouquets and pick a price and style you like. The best part is, if you place your order by 2pm they can deliver it that day.

 You can read some of our reviews and suggestions on the best online florists in a previous post: A Token of Love: Flowers! Online Resources

Gift Card

It may be too late to throw a gift card in the mailbox, but you can still get it delivered to their inbox. Try GiftCertificate.com. Buy gift cards from one of dozens of merchants, or give them a SuperCertificate that they can redeem for the gift card of their choice.

Movies

Give the gift of movies almost instantly through Blockbuster Online. Simply select a gift subscription plan and duration (they start at $11.99), customize an e-card and click send. Then your recipient will be able to redeem the subscription at any time.

Dinner

Even though you can’t be there to take your friend or family member out to dinner for this special occasion, you can still give them a meal out on the town. Hook them up with an e-gift certificate from Restaurant.com. Better yet, sign them up for the Dinner of the Month club. A three month subscription is just $30 and you’ll receive a $10 gift certificate just for being so thoughtful.

E-Card

Sometimes a few well-written words can mean the most. Select an e-card at Hallmark.com, include a personalized note and click send. Your birthday wish will arrive right on time. Other choice for e-cards would be: Zany in the City E-cards.

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If you have more ideas on how to give long distance last minute gifts, please leave us a comment! Also, if you have used any of the above websites and have any feedback (good or bad), we’d love to hear from you!

This post was submitted by one of our Guest Contributors: Cindy Magee. You can read her blog at http://mageebaby.blogspot.com  

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Mother’s Day is coming soon – May 11th in fact! It can be tough to figure out what token of affection to bestow upon my two mom’s each year to celebrate and show appreciation for all their love. So last month, when I got a small catalog in the mail from Spring Hill Nurseries I was delighted and relieved! Whew! Flowers to the rescue!

The mailing included several flyers highlighting different varieties of plants as part of the One Cent Sale. Sorry folks, they aren’t giving them away but almost. For example, purchase one Crazy Daisy plant for $6.99 and get one more for just one cent! This particular plant is shipped in a 3” pot so if playing in the dirt isn’t Mom’s thing, then just purchase a pretty container at a local gardening center, plant your flower of choice, and fancy it up with a big bow. Voila – a beautiful lasting gift for Mom at an affordable price!

Gardeners everywhere are starting to salivate. At least, I was when I started flipping through all the different choices available in the One Cent Sale. My top picks are the Crazy Daisy, Sensation Lilacs, Matsukaze Toad Lily, Tenor Tall Phlox or the Golden Marguerite Daisy. I’m daydreaming about planting all of these in my yard… who needs a lawn, or a house for that matter, bring on the flowers!!!

Now the only difficult part is picking out just the right flower for each of my Mom’s. They are both very unique women with distinct taste. For my husband’s Mom I’m thinking the Golden Marguerite Daisy. They are lemon yellow blossoms and look like sun impersonators on tall green sticks. For my Mom, maybe the fluffy looking Crazy Daisy which is sure to put a smile on anyone’s face! I can picture Mom working in her flowerbeds and plucking off one of the blossoms to put behind her ear for décor.

One thing generally all women share in common is a love of receiving flowers. It’s like we are reminded of spring when the buds start to appear, that winter is over and it’s time in life to enjoy the sunshine again. To give your Mom a little bit of sunshine, visit http://springhillnursery.com  and for the One Cent Sale click on http://springhillnursery.com/search.asp?ss=one+cent+sale .

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About our Guest Contributor: Cindy Magee is an artist and a soon to be stay at home mom. Her blog can be viewed at http://mageebaby.blogspot.com  and her artwork can be seen at http://clou.websiteanimal.com