Category Archives: gift giving ideas

swell stocking stuffer ideas from our very own elves

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swell stocking stuffer ideas from our very own elves
Send your own ElfYourself eCards Need a little help finding the hottest holiday goodies to surprise your friends & family? Our groovy Berkley elves have some feverishly good ideas that’ll make you the hippest cat in town. Holiday Smencils $6.50 They smell so good I could stick them up my nose. Not recommended for people who actually stick things up their nose. ADD Chicken Magnet $5.00 Life is full of distractions – especially if .
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oh-so-glam & green gift wrapping

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oh-so-glam & green gift wrapping
Last month, our Rochester manager Dena mentioned one of our regular firefly fans has been stock piling our sustainable shopping bags with plans on using them to wrap her Christmas presents this season. I thought that was such a great idea and then last week I got this awesome email from the company that makes them… Don’t these gifts look fantastic? I love the bright punchy colors. They even made a how-to video: And .
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a smencil story

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a smencil story
My friend Amy Peters purchased these very popular scented pencils for her kiddos and raved about their magical inspiration qualities on her blog. "My kids have been going crazy drawing with them!  If they look tired in these pictures it’s because they have been waking up early to finish their pictures…I’m not joking.  To truly understand the gravity of this accomplishment you have to realize that Kyra is usually PULLED out of bed each .
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oh-so-charming!

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oh-so-charming!
Looking for a lovely little girl gift?  How ’bout starting a sweet charm bracelet for her? I love the idea of starting with just a bracelet and one charm, then adding other ones for special occasions like dance recitals, great grades, a winning game, birthday, special holidays or just because. We have loads of different styles for little artists, tiny dancers, soccer gals, girly girls, animal lovers and more. We also have the entire .
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10 ways to brighten someone’s day with a card

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10 ways to brighten someone’s day with a card
We’ve been getting loads of fantastic cards in recently… in fact you can virtually browse some of the selections on the very side bar of this blog —> Like Avanti …they have mastered the hilarious animal card (and did you know they are based in Detroit?) This one says, "Did you know how fast you were going over that hill?" (this one is going to my dad in September) And Dolly Mama always puts .
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european soaps – an every day luxury

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european soaps – an every day luxury
Now that we’re entering in the dog days of August, nothing feels better than a cool shower to recharge for the next day. And adding a luxurious soap to the mix makes that experience even more invigorating.  We’ve carried these high quality European soaps at our stores for some time and just got a big batch of scrumptious scents in like lavender with a relaxing aroma. Peony has a flirty fragrance. And the ever .
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abundant blessings

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abundant blessings
Meet Susan & Connie.  These two women are friends, colleagues, moms, volunteers, optimistically active members of our global community and the creators of the Blessing Bowl. Their business began with a simple holiday gift eight years ago. Susan, mom of four children, created the original Blessings Bowl for friends and teachers who had touched her life during the past year.  Starting with beautiful, unique bowls, special paper and ribbon tailored to the bowl and .
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where will you be five years from today?

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where will you be five years from today?
Boy-oh-boy I wish I had this book 12 years ago.  I truly will never regret my rollercoaster ride of art fairs, marrying Steve, wholesale shows, working like maniacs, opening a shop, opening another shop, lauching a website, closing a shop & reopening it in another location, starting a blog… but this book helps put all my craziness in perspective. "This is your life, your one-and-only-life, and you don't want to miss any part of .
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have plentiful purses? you need pouchee!

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have plentiful purses? you need pouchee!
Meet Anita Crook of Simpsonville, South Carolina.  Four years ago she received a trendy handbag from her oldest son and even though she loved it, she knew she would never use it because it had no pockets inside.  She thought, "If only I had a way to stay organized and change purses"  She looked in stores and websites but found nothing that satisfied her and that’s when the pouchee idea was born. Before long, .
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fashion forward grocery bags

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fashion forward grocery bags
Is it just me, or do the baggers at your grocery store only put 2-3 items in each plastic bag?  I always feel like I’m loading twenty-some flimsy bags in my trunk and I’m only buying for me & Steve! I knew there had to be a better…greener solution and after looking high and low – I believe these are the best reusable bags available. They are made from super strong rip-stop nylon (holds .
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