Blog Posts by The Succulent Wife

Gift Guide for her badge 2010 Are women hard to buy for? We certainly don't think so.

Gentlemen, listen up! Know that we always love a little - relative term - bling (check out our compelling Jewelry Gift Guide! ), and should you need further inspiration, here are some other great gift ideas that any woman would love to receive. We could almost offer a guarantee.

Vintage starlet Robe	Vintage Starlet Robe - This gorgeous robe is reminiscent of a glamorous era and is certain to make her feel like a princess. A royal feeling for $128.95! Buy at SoftSurroundings.com .
Unii cosmetics organizer	UNII Makeup Organizer - UNII palette stores multiple brands of makeup pans and keeps them safe and all in one place. Great for teenage girls also. And add a few eye shadows and blushes for a complete gift. Buy at Unii for $24.00 on sale.
smythson ipad sleeve	iPad Cover - If she is fortunate enough to be getting an iPad or already has one, she will love a beautiful case to keep her new gadget safe. Go high end with a beautiful classic sleeve such as this pink one by Smythson for $280.00, made with printed Magenta calfskin leather with pink satin lining. Or, we also love this ultra chic, affordably priced iPad cover by Stephanie Johnson , made of sueded fabric for $48.00.
Zagg Mate	The ZAGGmate - an iPad case brought to new heights! This one combines the functionality of a stand and keyboard with the protection of a case in a fully portable, compact and stylish design. Buy at Zagg for $99.99 (without keyboard $69.00).

Twitten coupleWhat an adorably romantic story! The Twitten® has been 40 years in the making. Connie Kaiserman knit her first Twitten for Steve Robinson so they could hold hands during college football games. It seems to have worked as the couple is still together.

What's a Twitten? It's, as you guessed, a "couple's" mitten that allows for hand holding. How adorable is that? The Twitten is available as the Twitten alone or as a three- piece set which includes the Twitten and the matching mitten for each.

Besides the supercute story and the great colorways, it's even more Twitten Three Piece endearing when we find out that the Twitten, mittens and hats are all Fair Trade and handmade in Peru in by artisans whose work supports and sustains traditional communities.

A great gift idea for newlyweds & newly-engaged, attached-at-the-hip type couples and the like.

Here are some definitely original and playful finds to fill the stockings of pretty much everyone in the family.

We have attempted to classify the gift ideas by the logical recipient type (for lil' kids, for t(w)eens, for her and for him), but please feel free to cross boundaries!

Have fun!

FOR THE LITTLE ONES
Smens	Smens - My girls love these "smelly"pens! Fun scents like Creamsicle and Pink Lemonade. Buy a set of 10 here for $24.95. Enough to distribute through a few stockings.
Eco stars recycled crayons	Eco Crayons - Crayons made from recycled leftover crayons. But much more fun and perfect for little fingers to hold. Buy here for $9.95.
Clementine Art modeling dough	Natural Molding Dough - We featured Clementine Art's fun kids products before. The molding play dough, made with only natural ingredients and NO chemicals dyes or additives, can be bought here for $9.99.
Tattoo Hands	Tattoo Hands - Brings hand puppets to a whole new level with these temporary tattoos. Buy them at the Container Store for $5.99.

There are moments when it's most appropriate (and simple) to give a single but thoughtful gift to the family rather than to each individual member. Perhaps the gift is from one family to another, or it's to say thank you for watching your home/pets/lawn/shoveling/getting the mail while you were away during the year or simply because you are being hosted.

Whatever the reason, we hope that the following will get you started on thinking up some great family-centric gift ideas.

DNA Ancestry Portrait	DNA Ancestry Portraits - Get your genetic lineage is encoded to create a one-of-a-kind canvas art piece. The "portrait" is in fact a personal scannable code that allows you to trace your maternal lineage by scanning it with a smartphone. See how DNA 11 goes about it in this short video clip . Visit the DNA gallery and order here .
twelve days gift boxes	Twelve Days of Christmas - These heirloom gift boxes are a fantastic way to introduce a new (but by "new", we actually really

What better way to get in the holiday spirit than witnessing the extravagant window displays put up by the fancy schmancy retailers. I love this type of assault on my visual sense. Oh, where to look next…

The very best windows, though only ephemeral stages for the visual extravaganza, always offer some mystery and intrigue, a fantastical take on already fantastical fables. As Simon Doonan , Creative Director at Barney's says it "surprise is a very important element of a good window", which explains his wacky take on the foodie culture of the moment.

Holiday Windows Rudy Pospisil

As we mentioned in an article on the same subject last year, Rudy Pospisil's blog, AnotherNormal.com , might be

BACtrack SingleShot Disposable Breath Alcohol TesterIf you are heading out to any soirées this season, chances are you will have a drink (or two) and feel fine to drive home. Although the best bet is to trade that glass of bubbly for sparkling water,BACtrack may be a sensible option. The company has a wide variety of breathalyzers, including theSingleShot disposable breath alcohol tester. It is easy to use by simply squeezing the center of the tube to activate the crystals and then blowing into the tube. The legal BAC (blood alcohol content) is 0.08 % in every state. This test will let you know if you are above or at 0.05% BAC when the crystals change color from yellow to a blue/green. The test is 99% accurate and provides quick results and hopefully, wise decisions about catching a ride instead of driving. The SingleShot is extremely compact and can be carried in a pocket or evening purse.

The SingleShot can be purchased on Amazon for $19.85 for a 5 pack. Enough to share with every driver in your household!

So please do not

We like to think that teens are so difficult and that they like nothing at all. Except their friends. And their music. And that t-shirt that is worn e.ve.ry.sin.gle.day. But really, they are not soooo impossible to please.

Please allow us to bring you some teen-pretested gift ideas that might just get you a smile and even acknowledgment and recognition.

Many of the following gift ideas are entirely affordable and hence make great sibling-to-sibling gifts, stocking stuffers and gifts for BFFs.

Enjoy and we hope this inspires…

Pook toque	Pook Toque - Because, like your teen, this hat goofs around, takes on multiple personalities and has attitude. And is a lot fun. Made in Canada and sold on Pook.ca . Here's the How-to-Style video . I could tell you that Justin Bieber wears the Pook Toque, but not sure if that would be a selling point…
Computer Decals	Laptop Decals - So many to choose from various artists on Etsy, here are some of our favorites: Maryannwise and GroovyLid s. Most are customizable. Even some keyboard decals for Macbooks.
Magnetic Putty	Magnetic Thinking Putty - Like Silly Putty but wayyyyyyy more interesting and "grown up". This is a great stocking stuffer or a great gift from one sibling/cousin/BFF to another. Here's the video on how the magnetic putty works . Fun for all ages, I'd say. Get it here .
Pick Punch	Pick Punch - Make your own guitar pick. My son will be getting this for my daughter who has just bought her first guitar. This punch makes guitar picks from just about anything including credit cards, photo id cards, gift cards. Get it here . Watch the video for cool ideas on customized guitar pick designs.

This is an exciting time of year for everyone. Halloween is not so far behind us, Thanksgiving is coming up, soon the Christmas/Holiday parties will start to roll in and before we know it, it'll be New Year's Eve!

Thansgiving MealIf you eat any sort of restrictive diet (vegan, vegetarian, raw, low-carb), or you're simply trying to keep some weight off, this can be a tricky time of year. Unless you live in an organic vegan haven or your hippie parents raised your entire family vegetarian, chances are you're the only one who thinks you should trade in the turkey and gravy for a delicious soup this year. Since that's likely not a realistic option, I've got a few tips for getting through the holidays without any guilt or extra pounds.

First, I'd like to remind you that everyone deserves to indulge every once in a while. If you don't, you're missing out on some of life's most succulent experiences. For some people, that means enjoying a nice piece of meat, for others it's bread, for many it's dessert, and for most it's wine! Let's not forget, life is all about balance. Indulge a little today, work a little harder tomorrow, and everything will be okay. Just don't make a habit of over indulging all the time. Pretty simple, right?

Here are a few different strategies for controlling your indulgences this year: