It is my pleasure to host a special article today. It was written by one of our Lovely Contributors: Amy D.; she represents The Leakey Collection. Enjoy!
Zulugrass Jewelry by The Leakey Collection- A Gift that Gives Back
courtesy of The Leakey Collection
What better gift is there than one with a special story behind it? The Leakey Collection is a unique line of jewelry handmade from natural elements from the Maasai women in Kenya. The jewelry is made from natural grass beads and hand strung. Philip and Katy Leakey, who live among the Maasai in the Kenyan bush, wanted to help their neighbors by providing work opportunities after a terrible drought devastated their livelihood. They came up with an imaginative idea that would utilize the excellent beading abilities of the Maasai women using grass, an available sustainable resource, as the primary element.
courtesy of The Leakey Collection
Soon the women were harvesting grass, one blade at a time. The long grass was dried and cut into bead-size pieces and dyed lovely hues which were then strung into necklaces and bracelets. Hence, Zulugrass was born. Now over 1400 hundred Maasai women are making Zulugrass while continuing to live in their traditional life style, and they can use their income to better their lives as they wish.
Not only are these necklaces stunning; the Leakeys invest a percentage of the profits of sales to go back into the community. Outreach programs that benefit the Maasai such as the Womens Health Initiative have been made possible as a result of sales of this product. For information on these extraordinary pieces- visit their retail site, Leakey Life.
Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!
I have night lights throughout my house and I hate to throw one away when the light cover breaks, which happens often 
. I have had drawers full of broken night lights that I simply couldn’t bring myself to throw away. I started looking for ways to recycle the broken ones so that I could reuse them. I had a ton of shells laying all over the house and I remember seeing a shell night light before. So, DING! a light went off in my head, I bet I could make my own. I did just that and it was so cute. I found they make wonderful gifts, my mother in law still has one I made her over a year ago. It’s very easy to make and you will be surprised how beautiful they are. Here’s how I did it: Read more »
Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!
A popular gift around our house during summer and usually for Fourth of July is the Watermelon Fruit Basket. I give it everytime I am invited to a summer Barbecue. It is a great inventive gift. I like to make a different style depending on the size of the watermelon but for this one I will advise how to make the smaller one.
It looks a lot more complicated than it actually is, you’ll keep that bit of info to yourself 
. First thing you do is find yourself a small round watermelon with a thick skin. Once you get it home, clean it with plain water and dry it completely. You are going to need a stencil, unless you are an artist and can freehand, to draw onto the melon. The stencil will act as a guide in carving the design into the melon.
For the design you can be as creative as you like, stencils are available at any arts and crafts store. Back to the prep:
- Peel the skin off of the watermelon, this gives you a better hold of the melon. The skin is very slick and it looks better without the skin.
- Cut the watermelon in half and scoop out the inside of it. Cut a 1″ lip around the top half of the melon and one around the bottom half of the melon. This makes the decorative edge for the two adjoining pieces of the melons.
- Now you can draw your stencil on the top half of the melon. Use a carving knife to cut the stencil completely out of the watermelon. Do a rough cutting first then you can come back and neaten it all up.
- The topper is optional, I never use it but it is made out of a turnip. You just cut it into the shape you wish, using stencils or freehand.
Anyone who sees this will be so surprised and thankful. This is the perfect gift for any outdoor event. Creative and easy to make!!
Image belongs to Temple Of Thai.
Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!
When you’re cruising the net, you never know what kind of site you are going to stumble onto. The great thing about being a gift blogger is I get paid to blunder around the net looking for cool things. So when PerpetualKid.Com popped up, I was obliged to spend loads of time checking out some of the hilarious items available. It’s all in the name of research folks - no goofing around here. *fingers crossed behind my back*
PepertualKid.Com offers a great collection of items for people who have a great sense of humor or for the person who has everything.
One of the site’s most popular items is “The Ex Vodoo Knife Set.” It’s billed as a “cathartic knife holder” that come with 5 stainless steel knives. Art and functionality combine with this holder as it uses magnetic sleeves to keep the 8-inch chef, bread, carver knives, 5-inch utility knife and 3.5-inch paring knife in place.
Available in several colors including red, black, chrome and pink, this holder is a great gift for a friend going through relationship drama or for a daughter going away to college or getting her first apartment - which makes me think Dads are going to be lined up for this one! This fun gift has been featured in Time Magazine and USA Today.
photo credit: www.perpetualkid.com
Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!
Are you on that endless search for that distinctive and charming gift? We have the perfect suggestion for any gift giving time, which will light up any woman’s eyes and hair for that matter!
Since every woman has a hairbrush, we suggest these Great Diva Hairbrushes! For only $10 each, these high quality hairbrushes are adorned with a 3D and fantastic Diva of your choice. You can tailor the hairbrush to the eccentricities of your Diva! The Vixen Diva Hairbrush with her Über Cool black hair with silver streaks in it make that dull and average hairbrush fun to use again! Resembling the characteristics of the women you are buying the brush for is made easy with specific activities to choose from like Shopping, Cooking or Bathing Diva.
If you want more than just a hairbrush, you can select one of the Diva Gift Baskets with bath products to accompany the hairbrush. Coming Soon there will be more Diva Hairbrushes with more activities like Golf, Sunbathing and Harley Diva!
These unique hairbrushes can only be found online at www.giftsandfineart.com. They do make the perfect gift for the Diva in your life! Don’t forget to pick one up for yourself!
photo credit: www.giftsandfineart.com
Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!
Bypass the humdrum bridal shower gifts of blenders and nightgowns and give a getaway for two. Now wait, don’t roll your eyes and ask if I think your last name is Trump. I’m talking about a virtual getaway. There are times a married couple would love to go off for a weekend, but can’t because of various reasons. That’s where your gift comes in.
A beach themed gift basket would be a great gift for any new or established couple so file this away for anniversaries as well. And for people with kids - it can be nearly impossible to getaway when you have munchkins. This is an easy craft for everyone, even the most non-crafty gifter.
- Buy a beachy themed container to hold all of your items. This could be a great tin pail, brightly colored bucket or a cute lined picnic basket, etc.
- Line the container with a colorful piece of fabric or a beach towel.
- Throw in some crinkle shredded paper or tissue paper.
- Pile in tropical candles, a bottle of gourmet lemonade (or wine), cheese, crackers, massage oil, wine glasses, an “ocean sounds” CD or a beach scene DVD, a small souvenir bottle of sand, a couple of seashells and anything else that screams fun in the sun.
- Be sure to secure items in the basket so they don’t jostle around while you transport them. A little tape goes a long way. And if tape or glue will ruin an item, try securing items with pieces of twine to add to the rustic look or use small gauge wire for an invisible look. Whatever you do, don’t make the items hard to get out. Nothing ruins an evening like fighting with packaging!
The majority of these items you can find at your local discount stores or if you really want to get fancy go to your local home decor stores or online.
photo credit: The Best Caribbean Beaches/Waves: Virtual Vacations
Looking for gifts? Browse our GIFT STORE! Also, check out the COUPONS page for savings at the best online gift stores!
