People Love to Dress Up Their Dogs

Pets are like children to most people and, like the kids, people love to dress up their pets any chance they get. Halloween is one of those times when people pull out all the stops and go nuts with some hilarious costumes. Here is a pic of one of the more clever dog costumes out there. Whether or not dogs like to be paraded around in often shameful garb such as the Princess Leia wig and dress is yet to be decided. Until then, continue dog costume hunting and Happy Halloween.

Great 4th of July Gift Ideas

The Fourth of July may not be the biggest gifting event of the year but it certainly is one of the central times to celebrate in the summer. I happen to have two friends with birthdays that fall right on the 4th so the annual barbeque, picnic, beach day, etc. becomes a combo event. Even if you aren't also celebrating someone's birthday, it's a good idea to show up at the pool party with a fun 4th-of-July-themed gift for the host. An interesting inflatable pool or beach raft can be fun for everyone in attendance. I prefer to bring edible gifts which can include anything from specialty ice cream, patriotically decorated cupcakes and tasty margarita mixers. For more great Fourth of July Gift Ideas, visit Gifts.com.

An Early Christmas Gift

Christmas may be way off in the distance but if you live in Australia or anywhere in the southern hemisphere where it's currently freezing, you may want to celebrate Christmas now. The desire to have a family gathering and home-cooked meal around a warm fire prompted many on the lower end of the Earth to celebrate Christmas in July.

It's mainly intended as a celebration of family and gifts aren't the primary focus. That doesn't mean you can't add Christmas decorations to your lawn or throw up a tree. Shopping for Christmas gifts in the middle of the summer is bound to save you money. Every major retailer is suffering from a bit of the mid-summer blues and sales abound. Work up your Christmas gift list early and save some money. You'll need it for gas.

A Gift Dad Needs This Father's Day

Gray hair can make dad look quite distinguished just as long as it's not coming out of his nose. It's also common for older dad's to overlook simple things like trimming nose hair until it's so long he swallows it. This Father's Day, give dad a gift he'll really use. This turbo charged nose hair trimmer by Panasonic will practically rip hair out by the roots. Dad will love you because he'll know you care.

Buy one now at Hammacher Schlemmer.

The Gift Cards for Men - A Wishlist for Father’s Day

Dad’s day is just around the corner so I thought I’d compile my list of favorite gift card ideas for dad. I call it a wishlist because some don’t offer a gift certificate option but should.

Men’s Warehouse Gift Card
What says ‘dad’ better than a gift card to a store just for men? Granted the word ‘warehouse’ brings up thoughts of shopping for pants at Costco (I’ve done it - $14.95 for wrinkle-free poly-blend is amazing!), but you can’t beat their prices and mass appeal. Dad’s the world over will now have something new to wear to this year’s company Christmas party. Buy one now!

Hair Club For Men Gift Certificate
I checked all over the Hair Club For Men website and couldn’t find a gift card or gift certificate anywhere. I realize this gift could be taken the wrong way but how great would this be! Let’s cut to the chase and give dad what he really needs to bring back that confidence you remember as a kid. Comb-overs are so yesterday, so Donald Trump and so overdone. Give dad the gift of a new life. Give him hair. At least check out their seasonal specials.

A One-Year Supply of Just For Men
If dad does have hair and he’s just feeling a little gray, how about a full year’s worth of youth-in-a-box. People may say that graying hair on the head, nose and ears makes one look distinguished but I haven’t met any women that said that. Knock ten years off your single dad’s face and send him to the cougars! If only they had a gift card.

Your Face on a Father’s Day Gift Card
Remember those days when you could give dad a picture of yourself and that was all the proud parent needed? Chances are you’re not five years old anymore and it’s time to chip in for something more. Now you can give that picture of yourself and a little more with a gift certificate that lets you upload a photo of yourself. My suggestion: upload a photo of yourself at five years old and email or print it for dad. He’ll love it. Father's Day Gift Certicates.

Pimp My Grill - The Ultimate BBQ For Dad

I love the show Pimp My Ride where a car is totally tricked out with the grooviest sound, paint, seats, you name it. Let’s take the principle behind this show and apply it to Dad’s new outdoor grill.

While I love the retro look of the basic egg-shaped charcoal grill, it’s time to go nuts and explore some of the super-extravagant options available now. My imagination runs wild. I’m thinking of grills with built-in HDTV LCD TVs with a direct link to the Food Network and Spike TV. All grills should come equipped with an iPod dock and surround sound. Maybe I’m getting ahead of myself a bit so let’s just take a look at some favorites for Father’s Day 2008. Let’s start with the true daddy of all grills. The 53" Ultra-Premium T-Series Grill with TruSear & Side Burners - VGIQ from Viking is a solid-built, commercial-style powerhouse with 25,000 BTU stainless steel grill burners, a 15,000 BTU infrared rear burner. The grill uses heavy-duty ‘inconel’ stainless steel. I don’t know what that is, but I want to cook on it. Read more about this one on the Viking website.

The Viking is great but not all of us have thousands of dollars to spend on a grill for dad. Another fun and far more affordable option is to tie directly into dad’s brain on two very high levels by combining his love of drinking with his love of outdoor grilling. The Keg-A-Que Charcoal Portable Grill is the beer-drinkers favorite. Shaped like a keg, it will take dad right back to his days at the frat house. Subliminal thoughts of ice cold beer readily on tap will flow through his brain while he cooks. And best of all, it’s under $50! Enjoy.

Gifts to Save Your Skin This Summer

Ozone depletion and skin cancer are not things you want to dwell on this summer. One way to put it all out of your mind is to get an extreme sunscreen. I thought I'd seen the highest spfs available until I came across EV Princess' SPF 100 sunblock. This is the highest SPF I've seen on the market. I tried to find more information on the product and all I've seen is that it's made in France. If you don't need to go that crazy, you can settle for any one of the popular brand name SPF 70 sunscreens on the market. I really like Neutrogena's SPF 70 sunblock for the face and I've also used Hawaiian Tropic's 'OZONE' sunblock that comes in an apocolyptic-gray bottle. It just screems of lost atmosphere and impending doom. I like to apply this while watching Terminator 3.

Any of these are great gifts for the fair of skin. Slap this all over your body and get out to the beach. Enjoy!

Hot Coffee - Hot Earth: The Global Warming Gift

Here's a gift to give someone a daily demonstration of the effects of global warming. The Global Warming Mug reacts to the heat of your coffee to show the effects of global warming. Watch as the oceans rise up and flood the low-lying regions of the world. This is the perfect gift for anyone driving an SUV. Read more and buy online at The Nature Store.

Get Gift Advice With Gift Answers

Got questions about gifting? Now there's a cool new service that lets you get into the heads of gifting gurus all over. Gifts.com recently launched Gift Answers that lets you ask questions of the gifting community. Are you lost on Mother's Day and need a little help? This is the place to go to get answers fast. Gift guru Anita C. seems to be putting her ideas out there pretty fast so expect both an expert answer as well as a chime in from someone else in the gift-giving community.

Maybe you're an expert gifter? You can also answer any questions you wish. Feel free to put your two cents in for any of the questions asked by other community members. One of my favorites is the question someone asked about what to get a preschooler for their graduation ceremony. Hilarious!

Recession-Proof Gifts For Mother's Day

Mother's Day is somewhat of a recession-proof occasion. No matter how bad the economy is or how totally broke you are, you will still do something for Mother's Day. And in mom's eyes, an inexpensive gift is worth just as much as something expensive. It's the thought that counts. If you're totally broke, you can simply show up and spend the day being fed. At the very least, you could buy a Mother's Day card and write your heart out. For less than $25, you could pick one of these inexpensive Mother's Day gifts.

Still broke and can't get to mom's house? As a last resort, send a free Mother's Day eCard. Then pick up the phone and call her early on Mother's Day. You should call by 10am at the latest. Chances are she's up at 6am waiting. If you call after noon you're in the dog house.

Economic Stimulus Gifts

The U.S. Gov could have just sent the economic stimulus checks straight to the oil companies, because that's where they will eventually end up. In recent polls, most people indicate that high gas prices are putting the greatest strain on their budgets, causing them to cut back on non-essentials like morning coffee (Starbucks stock is in the toilet), which then results in billions in lost productivity at work because everyone is asleep by 10am. So here's a gift idea for your Economic Stimulus Check: buy a Shell gas card for someone so that they can fill up this month without worry.

It now costs me over $60 to fill up my tank and I drive a relatively small car. I can't imagine what it costs to fill up a big-ass SUV. Oil companies keep reporting unbelievable profits (something like 17 billion in the first quarter of 2008 - See article) and our government just wants to keep rewarding them with ideas like a summer gas tax break for consumers so they can do what? Buy more gas and send oil profits even higher. When is this twisted circle going to end? I don't know. I moved two blocks from work so that I could walk to work in Los Angeles.

It's Earth Day - Stop Using Plastic Grocery Bags!!!

Plastic grocery bags don't decompose. They last forever and spoil the environment. They are hard to recycle and often end up cluttering your kitchen drawer. Grocery stores like to use them because they are cheaper than paper bags.

It's time for you to make a difference. We all go to the grocery at some time or another. Get a reusable hemp or cotton grocery tote from ReusableBags.com and keep them in your car for when you go to the grocery. Ask your checkout clerk to use your reusable bag and be sure to frown at anyone in line behind you that didn't bring one.

This has to be a collective effort if it's going to have any kind of impact. Start shopping!

Bacon Gifts

I thought I had seen everything until I came upon Coastal Vineyards Bacon Club. I do enjoy bacon every once in a while. I've even put it on the turkey at thanksgiving to add extra flavor. But describing it as 'meat candy' is taking the concept of pig fat to a whole new level. I love the 'in your face' concept of this website and even if you don't order their products, you can have hours of fun sending the link to all of your vegetarian and vegan friends. In addition to the bacon club, they offer bacon gift baskets, t-shirts and more. This is perfect for Father's Day or as a get-well gift for anyone having triple bypass surgery. With all those brand new arteries, it's time once again to pig out.

Gifts for the Compulsive Traveler

I remember when I bought my first red suitcase. I thought I'd made the smartest travel purchase of my life. No more baggage claim confusion, no more fighting with other travelers over which black rolling travel bag belongs to whom, peace of mind and love all around - not. Apparently everyone else went to TJ Maxx and bought the same red luggage. I was right back at it, picking up other people's bags and causing mass hysteria. Color alone is not enough to distinguish your bag anymore. Purple, red, green, it's all out there. Here's where today's gift idea comes in really handy. Colorful luggage tags from Practical Design offer a great way to make your luggage stand out. They velcro on in seconds and won't come off on the conveyor belt. At only $5.99 Canadian, they're perfect for any compulsive traveler on your list and make a great stocking stuffer.

Back to My Gift Wishlist - The Honda FCX Clarity

The new Honda FCX Clarity is by far the best eco-friendly 'beyond my budget' gift idea. I've added it to my ultimate Earth Day wish list along with the Smart Fortwo. The FCX Clarity will be available in certain southern California cities for lease at $600/month. I've included the photo of the fuel cell here because this is the groundbreaking part of this car.

The biggest barrier to widespread distribution of the vehicle is the lack of refueling stations. A smart move would be to start opening up hydrogen refueling stations everywhere because this is the where the future lies. Here's an even bigger idea to jump-start the switch to fuel cell vehicles: As a promotion for the next few years, the government should subsidize the cost of hydrogen refueling. Make it a fraction of the cost of buying gasoline and see how fast consumers switch over. Read more about the Honda FCX.

Mother's Day is Coming Up

It's never to early to start thinking about gifts for mom. Mother's Day is one of the most important gift occasions of the year. Missing a birthday is one thing. Missing Mother's Day is a totally disasterous blunder and simply unacceptable. It's not so much the gift that counts, it's the thought that goes into it. You could send your mom a dried up daisy as long as you put your heart and soul into it. One option is to get crafty and make something totally unique that she can hang on her wall or display proudly on her desk. But if you're older than five, you might want to consider something fun for her garden along with some beautiful Mother's Day flowers. Flowers are a staple item that I always send along with and in addition to something unique, fun or interesting. You should have some idea of your mother's interests. With that knowledge, there are certainly some great books out there that would peak her interest. My mom is into fashion so I recently gave her Dressed: A Century of Hollywood Costume Design, available from Amazon.com. It was a huge hit. Gifts.com offers a cool way to shop for mom by her interests. They've organized gift ideas by 'decorator mom', 'stylish mom', 'gardening mom' and more. In the next few days I'll look at some additional great gift ideas to get your creative gifting brain going for Mom's special day.

Let's Keep the Tree Hugging Going! Earth Day is Upon Us.

Are you still looking for the perfect gift idea for Earth Day? Here's one that really speaks to the occasion. Plant a tree in someone's honor on Earth Day. If you can't get out there and dig in the mud yourself, the next best thing is to donate to a foundation that will plant trees for anyone you choose. The Arbor Day Foundation will plant trees in honor of any event including birthdays and graduations. Each dollar donated plants a tree in one of America's national forests. They will also send a certificate to the gift recipient indicating that trees have been planted in their name.

Even if you do give a tree as a gift, get out there on Earth Day and plant a few trees yourself. For more information on Earth Day events and getting involved, see this list for the United States.

Earth Day Gift: Power Your Parent's Home With Solar

I hate reading news stories every single summer about elderly people dying in their homes from the heat all because of a fear of high energy bills. They won't turn on the A/C with often tragic consequences. It's time to help out mom and dad and save the earth. It's time for solar power.

Here's a gift idea that, while expensive, could cut your parent's energy bills in half or out completely. Install a solar system to help cut energy costs. Yes, it can run anywhere from eight to fifteen thousand dollars but as more and more companies offer ready-made solar power systems for the home, we can expect the prices to drop dramatically. There's no reason why every home in California, Arizona, Florida, Mississippi and other sunny states couldn't be powered to some extent with solar energy. If elderly people knew that solar was powering their homes, they'd feel fine about running the air conditioning. Of course you would also be helping the environment and reducing our dependence on oil, coal and nuclear power.

One company offering systems is Wholesale Solar. Shop around as there are many companies jumping into this hot business. Or make it easier and call a solar solution provider such as Empire.

Gifts for Spring

What better way to enjoy the season than to get out and work in the garden. It's time to turn the vast frozen tundra of your backyard into a blanket of wildflowers. American Meadows has all the seeds you need to plant for late spring and summer. This is a great gift idea for the gardener. They also have a gift certificate so the recipient can choose the flowers of their choice and climate. So get out there and start digging!

An Apple for the Teacher - Gifts for Teacher's Day

Teacher's Day is Tuesday, May 6th this year. While the best gift we give teachers every year is a whole summer without the kids, it's nice to acknowledge their hard work throughout the school year with a nice gift basket or gift card for Teacher's Day. If you want to go the traditional route, you could send some delicious apples from Harry & David. They also have wonderful pears as well as the essential fruit of the month club. Here are some of the top Teacher's Day gift ideas courtesy of Gifts.com.

Maybe one year they will invent what the teacher really needs: eyes in the back of her head. Enjoy!

Carbon Credits for Earth Day

Continuing on my eco-friendly gift theme, today I wanted to look at the purchase of carbon credits as a gift. The idea of personal carbon credits and carbon trading is still in its infancy and designed to help countries meet their carbon reduction goals. Learn more about carbon credits for personal energy consumption at Wikipedia. As a gift idea, you could buy someone additional carbon credits when you know they are having a party and will need the extra energy. It seems like a stretch now, but carbon credits could eventually become great wedding gifts so that brides and grooms can feel better about flying around the world on a honeymoon vacation. All said and done, the concept of the carbon credit should get people to think about their energy usage and energy waste with the goal of reducing both for a cleaner environment.

The Wine Stopper - Perfect Wedding or Housewarming Gift

Winestoppershop.com has a great selection of wine stoppers in attractive designs. I especially like their stainless steel designs, perfect to go with todays high-tech kitchens. People can always use these and these inexpensive and attractive stoppers make a very nice gift. I know that I enjoy a nice glass of wine every day after work and before getting a stopper, I felt I needed to drink a whole bottle to avoid being wasteful. Now a bottle can last me up to a week. Find out more at Winestoppershop.com.

Spring is Here - Do Some Eco-Friendly Surfing

Know someone who could use a little outdoor time? Here's a fun, experiential gift idea for a college student or anyone heading to southern California. Surf eCo. in San Diego is offering eco-friendly private and semi-private surf lessons for all ages and experience levels. Learn surf ettiquete, safety and all the basics to get your wave on!

The Surf eCo site also has some tips on being green in addition to the wave height and weather concerns. For example, one should never surf after a big rain due to pollution runoff. See the Surf eCo site for more info.

Be Good To Mother Earth - Gifts for Earth Day

Green is the new red. What's hot is not just the gift but how much good the gift can do for the environment. I recently blogged about the Smart Car being one of the hottest new gift ideas. Well if the $12,000 price tag pushes it out of your gift-giving budget, another way to find eco-friendly gifts is the go-green gift advice from Gifts.com. They've got great ideas that go well beyond the dress made from recycled bottle tops. The gift idea from JustGive.org will let you help the environment in someone's name.

Grace Period for Sending a Wedding Gift Extended to 10 Years

It used to be that the friends of the happy couple had up to one year to send the wedding gift. Not any more according to the new rules adopted by the International Wedding Gift Research Council, a non-profit wedding gift think-tank based in Pleasantville, Florida.

"Now you can wait a few years and really think long and hard about what to send as a gift" says IWGRC president Doris McInerny. With the average wedding lasting only 3.4 years, many wedding guests and friends of the bride and groom can wait to send the wedding gift on the second or third wedding. "With our economy the way it is, we thought this would save people a lot of money" says Doris, who is married to her fourth husband Earl.

Be sure to set a reminder in your calendar for 2018 and happy gifting!

Great April Fools' Ecards to Send Online

If you don't have time to send an April Fools' Day gift, there's always the online prank. Short of freaking someone out and causing an office crisis by sending the fake computer virus alert (you know, the one that says 'sorry, but your hard drive has been erased!'), think about some of the fun but less damaging online greeting card ideas. This one from MyFunCards.com is hilarious and sure to set off a string of phone calls, especially when sent by the single college freshman.

Send this one home to mom and see her reaction. When she calls, just say you don't know who the father is! You think that maybe it's from that vacation to Jamaica but it's really all such a blur you don't know. Top it off by telling her you're staying drunk to ease the pain of pregnancy. When she shows up to pull you out of school and take your to rehab, say APRIL FOOLS! Learn more at MyFunCards.com.

April Fool's Gift - The Classic Fake Dirty Diaper!

Okay, here's another classic April Fool's gift idea - the fake dirty diaper. Have some great laughs by leaving this horribly soiled diaper lying around the office, school, supermarket aisle or anywhere else an unsuspecting person is likely to stumble. Other great places for it are on top of a trash can, in someone's locker, on the hood of someone's car or in the bathroom of a fancy restaurant.

Want to take it even further? Leave the diaper somewhere that you can stand unnoticed with your video camera and get their reaction! Now you have something to upload to Youtube! You can order the fake dirty diaper from the Prank Place.

April 1st is Next Week - Here's a Classic Gag Gift

Easy to place on your co-worker's chair, this colorful and fun whoopie cushion is the classic must-have gag gift idea for everyone. It's available at a great price from LaughStop.com where you'll also find other great classic gag gift ideas like the always-exciting hand buzzer. I don't know what it is about the simple sound of someone farting, but it's always embarrassing and hilarious. I probably have a low-brow sense of humor but know that it's shared by many. Fart jokes are only surpassed by 'guy getting hit in groin with football'. You guessed it, one of my favorite movies of all time is Dodgeball. Somebody throw something at me!

The Eco-Friendly Gift On My List

What is the ultimate eco-friendly gift? Solar panels for your roof would be nice but not nearly as sexy as the 41 mpg 2008 Smart ForTwo from Daimler Chrysler. I know it may be a big gift but think of how much good you would be doing both for the environment and for the millions of other commuters driving around your urban jungle. I live in Los Angeles, probably one of the worst driving cities in the country, and would love to see all of the huge SUVs replaced with Smart cars. This will never happen in my lifetime but I can dream. In the meantime, I've moved walking-distance to work so I have managed to escape the hour I used to spend every morning and evening in the car. The Smart ForTwo Pure starts at less than $12,000 and is a great gift idea. If someone gives me a Smart, I just might consider driving to work again.

The Perfect Gift for an Artist

If there is a creative or artistic person on your gift-giving horizon, a great gift ideas is a folding easel. Often, people will think that the traditional heavy wooden easel is the way to go. Stop! Stop right now. This folding aluminum easel from Bristol is soooooo much better. Light-weight, versatile and really adjustable. I've used it personally for years and I just ordered another one so I can have two paintings going at once. This easel can hold a tiny 4x4 canvas up to over 4 feet high! Exact measurements and details can be found on the Winsor Newton site but this definitely gets an A+.

By the way, this was given to me as a gift years ago on my birthday and it was great.

Welcome to My Gift Blog

Gifts, gifts and more gifts. I love giving gifts more than receiving them. My favorite gifts to give are, of course, of the gag variety. But I also enjoy searching out interesting and unique gift ideas for any occasion, holiday or recipient. And if I can't find something out there unique enough, I'll create my own gift. Once I made a unique piece of pottery for my sister only to find it two months later on a shelf at GoodWill. Even they couldn't sell it. (I bought it and plan to regift it to her for Christmas this year)

I hope you enjoy my many fun and unique gift ideas. Please feel free to email me with your comments to giftblogger@gmail.com.

Thanks,

Dave