creative gift ideas | whimsical & uncommon gift ideas | catching fireflies blog

Rochester Patch.com Valentine Feature

Valentine's Gift Idea No. 5: Are You the Cheese to His Macaroni?

Let's face it, guy gifts for Valentine's Day can be tough. Catching Fireflies is here to help.

If I'm being honest with you, (and don't you miss hearing Simon say that on American Idol?) I'm a little stumped on what to get my better half for Valentine's Day. This is one holiday that guys have it easy: chocolate, jewelry, flowers. Any of these three and he's a winner. But what do we get them?

As you might know, when gift giving has me stuck, I turn to Catching Fireflies. It never lets me down. Here are three easy ideas that will make you the winner:

Option 1: Does your honey have a man cave? Does he love classic Beastie Boys? Did he write you love poems back in college? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, I suggest the "You Are" wall art for $23.95. It's black and rustic, perfectly macho for the man cave. It has a romantic sentiment that lets him know much you love him in manly terms (i.e. bacon) while faintly echoing a hit from the early 1990s.

Option 1.5: Replace the words Beastie Boys in above option with Beatles and I suggest the "All You Need is Love" wall art with its matching partner, "Love is All You Need." Each piece is $7.95.

Option 2: Is your honey stressed out? Would a long, hot bubble bath do him a world of good but you know that's never going to happen? Get him shower steamers. All you do is throw it down on the floor of your shower and the spray activates the aromatherapy experience. But don't use the word aromatherapy with him. Instead dwell on the brutish names like Hangover Buster, Stress Buster and Headache Buster. Individually, the steamers are $3.95 or you can get a four-pack for $15.95.

Option 3: Is your Valentine also one sweet daddy? Then I suggest the Made with Love for Dad book for $7.99. It includes a built-in picture frame, stickers, memory book and custom coupons. (FYI: There's a mom version, too).

conversation hearts can say a LOT

Want to make a custom valentine for your love? Just type in a special message, pick your color & save the image to send.

We had fun pairing up some fun V-day gifts with some classic convo heart sayings…

Surprise your sweetie with a few fireballs.

Fill your shower with sweet smelling steam.

Add a little salt & pepper to spice things up.

For the perfect pucker

Set the mood & fill the room with a romantic scent.

Stir things up with this bamboo heart spoon.

Perfect way to pin up some love notes.

Ahhh… the wonderful feeling of puppy love.

Celebrate your couplehood.

Clever Valentine candy that says a lot.

Do you like seeking out clever gifts that bring guaranteed grins? We’re happy to share some of our hip ideas. Simply sign up to receive these blog posts in your email and you’ll be the best gift giver around!

new york – old friends

One of the many fun parts of my job is getting to travel to trade shows twice a year. Not only do I get to scout out fabulous new goodies for catching fireflies & sell my ai paper goods to stores across the US, but I also get to catch up with my oh-so-talented artist friends.

Like the wonder-fully whimsical Miss Michelle Allen,

the always delightful Leigh Standley,

and the sweet-sweet Amy Peters.

I’m truly blessed to know such an amazing group of creative gals that always inspire me.

Like to see where I find some of my inspiration? Then sign up to receive these on-the-road blog posts in your email inbox HERE

all you need is love giveaway

Since V-day is right around the corner, we thought we’d start spreading the love with our love potion #11 shower bursts, delicious kiss-me-kit, 52 ways to stay in love card deck, all you need is love… and a dog sign & super cute magnetic salt & pepper shakers. ($66.75 value)

So how can you get these lovely goodies for free?

There are 3 ways to enter – you can do 1,2 or all 3 to better your chances.

1. Comment at the bottom of this post and tell us: All you need is love… and__________

2. Spread the word about our giveaway on your Facebook page by clicking the Share on Facebook link below then comment on this blog post saying that you did.*

3. Tweet this link: http://bit.ly/All-You-Need-is-LOVE-Giveaway -then comment on this blog post saying that you did.*

* just let your friends & followers know if they happen to win, you get some of the goodies too :-)

We’ll draw the lucky firefly fan name on Friday, Feb 4, 2011 and post it on the blog.

Have fun, good luck and thanks for playing!

Don’t want to miss out on future fantastic firefly giveaways? Be sure to stay in the loop by signing up here and we’ll email our fun-filled blog posts to your inbox!

give a card – get a smile :)

Since we’re collecting handmade Valentine cards from our firefly fans to distribute at Children’s Hospital of Michgan, we thought we’d share some clever ideas from Miss Martha and Disney’s Family Fun.

Don’t boxed Valentine cards look boring after perusing these pretties?

And if you’re crafty with the scissors & glue… we’ve even added some snazzy clip art you can use.

And for the kids that like to color, print this sweet sheet.

We’ll be collecting and displaying your handcrafted cards at our Berkley & Rochester locations until February 10. And if you don’t live near by and want to participate, please send your cards to: catching fireflies 3117 W 12 Mile Berkley, MI 48072.

When making your cards, please consider not signing the cards so family members and/or staff could personalize the cards themselves and give them to the patients. It means more to the patients to receive a card from someone familiar vs. a stranger. The patients also like to be able to give cards to their family members or the nurses and staff caring for them.

Also if you could avoid messages like “Get Well” or “Feel Better Soon,” as well as anything with a religious connotation. Some of the patients here, unfortunately, have life long illnesses like cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, etc. that they won’t necessarily be “getting well.” We service so many different cultures and religions that we try not to offend any of our patients/customers.

When you bring or send in 3 or more cards, we’ll give you this wood sign block with any purchase to thank you for helping us send smiles to kids who aren’t feeling too well. We may not be doctors or nurses, but we can still prescribe the best medicine around… LOVE

(for online orders, please mention your participation in this project so we can include the free sign in your shipment.) *1 free sign per family

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rare bird finds feature

A stylish yet pratical way to keep metal water bottles from being too cold to hold. These bottle freakers come in a variety of designs and can fit practically any bottle. $8.95 at Catching Fireflies

Thank you birdies for featuring our cozy bottle sweaters!

is the inside of your purse a black hole?

Check organizing your handbag off your resolution list after buying one of these oh-so-handy pouchees.

This little guy holds a TON & keeps things in place so you know right where to find them. It was also just featured in Good Housekeeping this month

And even cooler, they were designed by a woman in her sixties… which is just another reminder that you’re never too old to follow your dreams.

Here’s a bit of here story, “It was Christmas, 2004. At our usual Christmas Eve family celebration I opened the gift from my oldest son. It was a great, trendy shoulder bag which I loved but knew I would never use. There were no pockets, just one, big, empty bag. I had to have my pockets to organize my purse.

I would normally spend days looking for just the right organizer purse with all the right compartments. Of course once I organized it I would certainly never switch purses, no matter how bad it looked with my outfit. It was just way too much trouble. ‘If only I had a way to stay organized and change purses,’ I thought. The search was on. I looked in stores and websites but found nothing that satisfied me. The pouchee® idea was born.”

Do you like seeking out useful gifts designed by clever people? We’re happy to share some of our finds. Simply sign up to receive these blog posts in your email and you’ll be the best gift giver around!

a wish for the new year

Did December fly by so fast that you didn’t get a chance to send greetings to your friends & family? I got my cards out a few days before the 25th, but thought they could easily be sent as New Year’s cards.

I started with some coloful papers, ribbon, a scalloped scissors & our wish tokens.

And since I hand delivered our neighbor’s cards, I included some sweet sipping chocolate as well. Since we don’t see our neighbors as much in the winter months, it’s a nice way to let them know you’re thinking of them.

Like to get crafty every now & then? Simply subscribe to this blog and we’ll email you a few of our snazzy ideas.

crock pot candy

There are always loads of treats floating around our stores around the holidays & when team member, Kathy brought these tasty goodies in, they didn’t last long. After inquiring about the recipe, I found out they were really easy to make… and that’s all I needed to hear before I insisted on her sending it to me.

Ingredients

1 jar (16 ounces) salted dry roasted peanuts
1 jar (16 ounces) unsalted dry roasted peanuts
1 package (11-1/2 ounces) HERSHEY®’S Milk Chocolate Baking Chips
1 package (10 ounces) REESE’S® Peanut Butter Baking Chips
3 packages (10 to 12 ounces each) HERSHEY®’S Premier White Chips
2 packages (11-1/2 ounces each) 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate baking chips

Directions

In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine peanuts. Layer with the remaining ingredients in order given (do not stir). Cover and cook on low for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until chips are melted.
Stir to combine. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Yield: 4 pounds.

Seriously… could it be any easier? I plan on whipping these up & packaging them in fuchsia cellophane & red ribbon for Valentine’s Day. Yumm – yum!

Like to whip up sweet treats that are sure to impress? We love finding & sharing scrumptious recipes. Don’t miss out on our future finds… simply sign up to receive these blog posts in your email in box.

a bit of sunshine

The perfect remedy for the beginning of winter blues…

A review reads, “Philadelphia’s Sun Airway offers a case in point on Nocturne of Exploded Crystal Chandelier. The band, a quintet live but on record a duo comprised of songwriters Jon Barthmus and Patrick Marsceill, traffics in gently danceable programmed beats, layers of synths, and Barthmus’s firm and confident vocals. The results are, in a word, pretty. This is the type of record people release to the thirsty masses in the height of the summer, but Sun Airway has done us a favor by holding off until winter, when we could really use the warmth.” -By Corey Beasley

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