K is for Kindle

Amazon's Kindle is a great gift idea for a number of people - commuters, people who like to travel regularly for holidays, moms, the list keeps going on.   I remember driving my daughter to school and telling her that by the time she has children all they'll take to school would be their lunch and their kindles.......of course now there are ipads so they'll probably more likely to take something like those, but I digress.

 When I was commuting into the city every day I would sit on the train for an hour in the morning and an hour at night, now I read quite quickly and I also used to read during my lunch hour a lot of the time as I was temping so often lunched alone.   What does this have to do with the kindle?   Well I used to have to take two books in my bag with me in case I finished one on the trip into the city or on my lunch hour and it would get quite heavy in my bag - the kindle is a great solution.

Lightweight the kindle's screen was the only thing I was worried about, but it's really great to read and the great thing is another book is only a touch away.   Here's some technical bits -

Lighter & Thinner - Only 8.7 Ounces
When reading for long periods of time, we know that weight matters. That’s why we worked hard to make our newest Kindle lighter than ever – only 8.7 ounces – so you can read comfortably for hours with just one hand. Kindle is lighter than a typical paperback, and thinner than a magazine. Just a third of an inch in profile, Kindle fits perfectly in your hands. 

Ergonomic Design
Kindle is easy to hold and read. We designed it with long-form reading in mind. When reading for long periods of time, people naturally shift positions and often like to read with one hand. Kindle's page-turning buttons are located on both sides, allowing you to read and turn pages from any position. The new soft-touch, textured back is comfortable to hold and never gets hot in your hands. 

Never Gets Hot
Unlike a laptop or tablet, Kindle never gets hot so you can read comfortably as long as you like. 

Simple to Use, No Computer Required
Unlike most electronic devices, we wanted to keep Kindle simple. Kindle is wireless and ready to use right out of the box – no setup, no software to install, no computer required. 

Back to me -

The Kindle sounds great doesn't it?   

My parents travelled around Europe a couple of years ago on a motorbike - it was a long time dream of theirs so we were happy that they did it, but unfortunately they couldn't fit many books in their luggage as it had to fit on the bike.   I wanted to buy mum a kindle as I thought it would suit their purposes really well, unfortunately we couldn't afford it at the time, but if you're thinking of biking or backpacking anywhere a Kindle is a great idea.

As a mom when your child is a baby you're carrying around a bag everytime you go out - spare nappies, change of clothes (just in case), wipes.........it's a constant list and it get's heavy.   Sometimes when you take them out they sleep really well and I would pop a book in my bag so that if we were waiting for an appointment - doctors, health nurse etc and she fell asleep I could snatch a few minutes to read a book.   Unfortunately it was another thing to weight the bag down with - a Kindle on the other hand....

As you can tell I'm a big fan, but there are far more good points about the Kindle so click on the picture above for further technical details and other people's reviews.   Before you know it you'll be hooked on the kindle too!

Justin Bieber Gift Ideas

My daughter didn't get Bieber Fever at first, when she saw all the girls swooning on television and kept hearing 'Baby, Baby Oh' she would make a sign as though she was going to be sick.   Fast forward a few months (and some new friends) and I now have a daughter who thinks Justin Bieber is the bees knees!

What do you get someone who loves Justin Bieber?   Well luckily there's lots of Justin merchandise available for you including - 

  Justin Bieber jewelry like these rubber band/bracelets which are always popular and pendants.   There are dog tag style pendants and the guitar pic necklaces (like the one pictured).

You can even get square glass tile pendants with Justin Bieber's images on which are pretty cool.  

From a 9 and a half year old's perspective (the half is very important) the rubber bracelets are the best piece of jewelry, however a 12 year old's perspective is that a pendant is best - the guitar pic one pictured being her favorite.   Isn't it great to have both a daughter and a niece to help you select the best of Justin Bieber gift ideas for my readers?

Another great idea for a Justin Bieber gift is a t-shirt, the selection of cool Justin Bieber shirts is always changing so I would check out Justin Bieber Tees to see what's available at the moment.

If the person you're buying for has their own bedroom then what about a Justin Bieber poster?   I must admit I always had my room covered in posters when I was younger and as much as things have changed some things still stay the same!


Buy This Justin Bieber Poster at Allposters.com

If your Justin Bieber fan has their own laptop then they are sure to love a Justin Bieber laptop skin and there are quite a selection available.   With far too many to add to this blog post I've actually compiled some and added them to this site for you - Justin Bieber Laptop Skins.

 My final idea is to buy Justin's official book.......I hesitate to call it an autobiography, who can write an autobiography at age 16?   Your Justin fan will love it though because it is packed full of lots and lots of photos of Justin Bieber.

One drawback is that the book includes some of Justin's tweets and tells young fans how they can connect with him on Twitter so if you don't want your child on Twitter (my daughter certainly isn't allowed) then you should think up reasons to use or ways to avoid having this issue arise before giving this gift.......unless you're just the favorite aunt/uncle etc and then you don't have to worry about these sorts of things!

I is for Ice Invaders

Now I never thought I'd give anyone an ice cube tray as a gift, but that was before I'd come across these ice invaders ice cube trays - they are a really great gift idea for someone who was a child or teen in the 80s.

 I have recently brought one of these trays as a 40th birthday gift and it was one of the most talked about gifts apparently.   I'm only sad that I didn't get an extra one for myself as I would love to have some space invaders ice cubes in my drinks.

These would be great as ice cubes for an 80s party and they can even be used in Space Invader's Baking to great effect - I definitely need some.

It really is amazing how many different types of ice cube trays are available these days - forget the boring square cubes you can get ice cubes shaped like the titanic or hand guns or even themed ones like Halloween style ice cubes.

I think giving someone an ice cube tray may just be getting fashionable again - but only if you give a funky and/or unique ice cube tray!

H is for Hot Pink

Hot pink is a great color, but to wear it can be a little over-powering, unless you add it in accessories such as Hot Pink Scarves.   Depending on the material that your hot pink scarf is made of it can be worn in winter, summer, autumn or spring - hot pink really is a color for all seasons.   I love wearing a hot pink scarf over a black coat and jeans in the middle of winter as it can really brighten your spirits on a miserable, cold day.

It's also a lovely summer color however and reminds me of tropical flowers when it's draped around a summer dress or light pants and top.

Scarves aren't the only accessory that you can use to incorporate hot pink into your wardrobe, however.   You can also add hot pink hats such as the cuban style fedora hat pictured.   There are a number of different styles of hats that come in hot pink from summer straw hats to wooly hats and newsboy style hats.   All of these can be found on Amazon, so click on the fedora and then go on a hot pink hat search - it's fun, but can cost you money :D

Another way of adding hot pink into your wardrobe is with a belt or (even better) a bag.   The one featured shows how the whole bag doesn't have to be hot pink - just the trim - to add a cheeriness to an outfit.

There are some great hot pink bags that are just hot pink all other though so, again, have fun searching on Amazon for some great offers.

Another way of adding hot pink to your wardrobe is with shoes - I haven't looked to see what kind of selection of hot pink shoes are available at the moment as I tend to wear neutral tones on my shoes these days..................mind you there was a time when I even owned a pair of orange stilettos - I don't know what I was thinking, all I can say was that it was the 80s!

G is for Goth

If you're buying for a goth, what do you buy?   Well what about accessories?   After all if she's a woman she's going to need a bag isn't she?

A bag like the one pictured may be suitable or else you could look at purchasing a coffin shaped bag which look really awesome and are gothic inspired. You can check out a range of them at Coffin Shaped Bags including my favorite one.

If you don't fancy giving a bag then you could look at giving he or she some gothic jewelry - there are some great pieces available from pewter gothic jewelry such as the selection available at Pewter Gothic Vampire Pendants to the more unique take on gothic   jewelry that's offered at Unique Gothic Necklaces - the necklaces in this selection are all silver and are only available online.

If the goth that you're buying for has an iphone or an ipad then they might be interested in a case for it.   There are a great selection of Gothic iPhone Cases for both the iphone 3 and 4 available as well as some great gothic designs for the ipad available at Gothic iPad Cases.

Finally, I have to say go with a tee - it doesn't matter who you are there are always t-shirts that are suitable and these include some great gothic designs as well such as this one -

The Gang Little Gothics by Ricaso_Graphics
Browse more Ricaso graphics T-Shirts

There are lots more gothic tees available at Zazzle including long and short t-shirts, you're bound to find one that suits the person you're buying for.

F is for Fairy

I had a lot of problems trying to think what to write about today and then I as I was looking out of the window, telling myself to stop wasting time I saw my neighbor come out of her house with her young daughter.......dressed as a fairy.   How could I not have thought about fairies?   There are fairy gift ideas for the home and for the garden so let's have a look at a few of them.


This solar powered fairy would make a great accent for a garden and would look great in my friend's beautiful garden.   I however have fallen in love with another outside fairy as this one reminds me of a garden statue that is in the garden around my pool at the moment that I call Serenity.

The idea of a fairy sleeping appeals to me, whereas I'm sure my friend will love the kneeling fairy much more.

There are also some great ways of bringing fairies into your house
that also make great gift ideas, especially if you have friends who
love fairies.

There are fairy lamps and fairy ornaments.   I think these fairy ornaments are pretty funky....they're not really the fairies that used to adorn my childhood books and my daughters - for some reason my mother was always trying to get us all hooked on fairies!!

    These fairy ornaments are from Nene Thomas Fairies Couture who prides herself on fairy gifts that are unusual and unique.

Nene Thomas is a fantasy artist and each of these Fairy Divas are made from several castings of poly stone which is then hand painted.

According to the product description they will fly as an ornament from the gold cord loop with is attached.

They range in height and width from 4.5 - 5 inches and they all come in a windowed box ready to be given away as a gift.

 Artwork is another great idea for a 'fairy' gift and I have found some fantastic pieces available on Zazzle including this poster -

Fairy with mushrooms poster from 14.95 by funny_tshirt
See other Fairy Posters

There are all different types of fairy art to choose from and you can buy posters to frame or even get your designs put onto canvas, I think this particular fairy would look absolutely gorgeous as a canvas print.

E is for Emeralds

Carrying on with the A-Z Blogging Challenge we are up to E already.   E is for Emeralds, but I'm not talking about the gorgeous emeralds that are my birthstone, I'm talking about Emerald Resin Rings.   Emerald Resin Rings really are a funky and unique piece of jewelry.

Resin can be molded and so doesn't face the restrictions that gemstones do.   This means that you can end up with funky looking pieces such as the emerald resin ring pictured.   

These rings take all of the great things about working with resin to make great unique pieces of jewelry and combine it with the beautiful green that an emerald can bring to fine pieces of jewelry.   It really is the best of both worlds.

The cost of an emerald resin ring is a fraction of the price of an actual emerald which is always great especially when they look so great (no one will ever guess you didn't spend a veritable fortune on it).   These rings make an awesome gift idea for anyone who loves jewelry, especially jewelry that's a little big different with a personality all of it's own.