Graduation season is here!

Monogrammed Bath Wrap and set of 8 Sticker Picture Frames

Oh, it’s been so long since I have posted here.  Sorry!  With high school and college graduations happening each week, I thought I would post a few pictures of gifts customers have ordered this month.  Bath wraps are a great gift and useful throughout college and beyond.  Shower caddies are practical and so necessary to keep all your toiletries organized.  Then all those cleaning products when apartment living comes down the road.  Sticker pictures frames are SO great for no nails, no holes and easy removal.  Umbrellas, photo albums, college personalized paperweights and photo frames are fantastic.  Add laundry bags for guys and gals and you have rounded up some thoughtful, quality gifts that will be used for years to come!  For information and ordering, click PHINE & Whimsey Graduation Gifts.

Personalized bath wrap, caddy and umbrella for a stylish girl.

Incredible Christmas Concert by The North Point iBand – Music Videos – GodTube

I admit it, I love electronics.  I get that from my mother.  For my birthday this year, my mom and dad gave me an Ipad.  It is amazing and I love it!!!!  Well, if you’ve seen me since then, you know I don’t go anywhere without it.  My mom says I am just like a toddler with a blankie…..My friend Nan shared this great Christmas concert from her church and I just have to smile everytime I see these fabulous musicians and their use of technology.  Hope this brings you cheer this week.  Merry Christmas!!!

 

Incredible Christmas Concert by The North Point iBand – Music Videos – GodTube.

Where does a year go?

Exactly a year ago today, we closed PHINE & Whimsey, the storefront.  It was quite a day, full of emotion and hard work.  Phil and I couldn’t have done it without Kenny, his helper, Lisa, Lynda  and Pam. They are awesome! Between setting up my new “studio” and getting all of our “stuff” out of the beloved storefront, it was a complete day.  It was after nine pm when we dropped off that great sofa from the Vera Bradley section to its new owners, Rene and Robert.

Looking back, it has been an interesting year, full of new knowledge (new skills(?)), a different schedule and dare I say it, a more balanced life?  Well, a little more balanced.  I still work everyday, it’s just in a different format.  I totally miss the day to day interaction with my customers, who often became friends.  I have to say it is what I miss most…. catching up on people and their lives.  Sometimes the store felt like my little version of the series called “Cheers”, you know where everyone knows your name?  Often shoppers would see someone they knew in the store, or would come together for a day with friends.  I loved that.  I met SO many great people through other great people who shopped with me.  And I am so thankful for all the vendors and companies who continue to walk this journey with me who still believe in this world of gift giving with a purpose.

A huge thanks to all the great friends who have continued to shop with me, both online and in person!  My newly revamped web store has been a labor of love.  It has been great fun to continue to do what I love, finding ways to honor and celebrate the people you adore. So, as I reflect on the year gone by, I am still SO thankful for my life, my family and friends, and my work.  One of my biggest joys over Thanksgiving with my children was their comments of how they miss the store too!  At times, it took me away from them, but also brought us closer together.  I throughly enjoyed having my girls work with me at P & W.  I hope that their memories are as fond as mine.

Happy Holidays to you!  Merry Christmas! Enjoy your family and friends and find peace with where you are today.

Lori

A few new gifts that I love…..

It’s been awhile since my last post….. so busy doing what I do.   Since my last post, I have added a storefront to my Facebook Fan Page and totally redesigned my website, adding loads of new features. My tech knowledge is growing each day and I am really enjoying the web world.  There is SO much to learn.   Both stores are works in progress, with lots more to come!  I love being able to add new ideas and products so quickly now!

Along the way, I have enjoyed some new “tech-y” toys… yes, I confess I am the lucky owner of an ipad and I love it!  Like a toddler toting her favorite blankie, I carry my Ipad wherever I go.  The speaker is great for Pandora radio or my own music collection, which as funny as it seems to my music driven daughter is leaning country.  If it’s new in country, I can tell you about it……  I LOVE reading and I have enjoyed so many books on the Kindle app and from the IBook store too. So, I would definitely recommend an Ipad!  For some applications, it is so much faster than booting up your computer and that includes your daily dose of Facebook.

I also love my new Iphone case/battery backup from SafPwer.  It gives me days of usage without having to charge my phone every day!  It protects the screen too.  I won’t be able to sell them online (I did ask!) but you can find them in many colors at my mother’s store (http://mrscandlewickshoppe.com/ or call at 1-941-488-6266).  Neiman Marcus has them in their catalog too.   Check them out at SafPWR.  They have cases/batteries for all kinds of phones, Ipads, etc.

And another new gift from Mariposa just arrived.  For any business person, whether it’s your boss, best friend, co-worker, hairdresser, or other business card carrying person, this new desk accessory is a classic gift for either a man or woman.  At $24.00, it’s an affordable luxury for many people on your gift list this season!  Add a matching letter opener or a note paper holder for a truly elegant ensemble.  To see these or order, see our newly redesigned store or Fan Page store.   Next week, I will post some great gift ideas for the girls of all ages on your gift list.

Pearled classic desk accessory from Mariposa

Why I love living in the South!!!

Peach tree!

Okay, I love growing things.  Mostly tomatoes and herbs in the summer, but this year has brought us a great surprise.  My mother in law gave me a fruit tree for my birthday many years ago.  We thought we found the perfect place in the yard to plant it.   Yes, it grows every year, but in the six (or more?) years that it has been with us, we have had only two peaches.  Theories like we needed another peach tree for cross pollination have been discussed.  After being gone most of May, we came home to discover a tree laden with gorgeous, albeit small peaches.  I can’t wait to see how big they will grow and how they will taste.  Besides raspberries, they are my absolute favorite fruit.

We propped up some very heavy branches yesterday with some 2 x 4s.   Phil added some of his “black gold”, his ever expanding compost matter to the ground around it.   Now, we hope for rain and sunshine and NO bugs to get our all natural crop.  Do you have any great peach recipes you’d like to share?

Shifting into graduation gift ideas

As the graduation announcements continue to arrive, I thought I would share some of my favorite gifts for graduates, mostly high school, but there are some special ones to commemorate a college graduate too.  Of course, money is always an option.  My children love it and spend it.  But I prefer to give memorable gifts, if I know the graduate well and can get a few clues to where they are going and why.

In my opinion, gifts for girls are easier.  I guess it is because I have girls, am a girl and most of the girls I know love stuff, and lots of it!  Boys are quite streamlined in their needs and wants.  I will start with guys because the list is more limited.  Again, cash is king, but I try to find something that will be useful with the gift, or gift card that I send.

One of my favorite gifts of all time, for any occasion, is a small speaker dock for an Ipod, that is shaped like the great children’s toy, Legos.  They work great for all nanos, Ipod minis, and Itouch, except the 2nd generation.  The speaker has volume control buttons, works off your Ipod battery and can be used anywhere.  It’s great as a desktop speaker at work (or study), at the pool, the beach, or even in your car.  I used mine recently on a long car trip as I became bored with the radio and CD selections.  I also love Tervis Tumblers. They have been around forever and are made in Venice, Florida where my parents live.  These life time guaranteed acrylic glasses are great for hot or cold beverages.  Recently, Tervis has introduced travel lids in lots of fun colors so you can travel with your Tervis.  One of the reasons why they make such a great gift is that they offer many colleges logos and they can be personalized too.  I try to coordinate school colors and personalize the 24 ounce tumblers and include a lid.  I don’t sell them on my web store, because they do such a great job online themselves. But I still order them, so if you are interested in personalizing some tumblers for gifts or yourself, let me know.

I also love Jon Hart Designs, a company out of Texas that makes all kinds of useful bags, totes, and personalized items.  Most of their line is made of high quality vinyl, with a hot stamped monogram or name on a sewn on leather patch.  I especially like their laundry bags.  They are made of a high quality broadcloth, and come in lots of great colors.  I love giving these to high school graduate guys, heading to college.  It’s a sophisticated, but practical gift that will hold up for many years.  For college graduates, I love giving a gift from Eglomise Designs. I love their personalized paperweights. Eglomise can personalized a pen and ink, or colorized paperweight from virtually any 4 year college or university. They also make items featuring most graduate programs too! Acknowledging the school and hard work put into a degree will make a lasting and appreciated gift.  Okay, that’s all for today and the guys…… until next time and wait ’til you see what I love for girls!

Thanks for reading!  Give me your thoughts and comments.

Lego mini docking station for any Ipod

Shifting into spring with new gift ideas…….

Do you feel the change yet?  Here in the south, spring breaks have come to an end.  It was certainly fun while it lasted.  I am thankful to have spent some quality time with each of my children during their breaks.  And if this year is like the last 10, now it’s panic time as we realize  all that must be done!  I’m a list maker, and I hope you are too.  It feels good to get a few things checked off each day.

We’ll be celebrating mothers and motherhood in 4 short weeks on May 9th.  School will be out in May, at least here.   That means there are teachers to celebrate and acknowledge.  Then, it is on to graduations and wedding season.  Overwhelmed yet?  Don’t be.  Make a plan and you can have it all done, with time to spare.  My spring shopping season starts in January.  I found some great gifts.  Then in March, I attended another market and found even more great gift ideas.   These are my hunting and gathering days and I really enjoy them.

Now, my challenge is to get these ideas out to the thoughtful gift givers I know are out there.  I have met some really “phine” ones over the years.  Sometimes, there is just too many great gifts to consider, even on my online store, PHINE & Whimsey.   There are so many other products that I LOVE and want to get on the site, but it takes time!

Let’s break the gift ideas/occasions into pieces… it’s easier to swallow, right?  How about we start with the next big event?  Here of some of my favorite gifts for Mother’s Day to honor your mother, wife, daughter, grandmother, your mother in law, and any other significant woman in your life.  I think it gets harder every year to find something new, exciting and different.   These are a couple of my favorite gift ideas, but other great gift ideas are available online at http://www.phineandwhimsey.com.

Heather Moore Jewelry

Heather Moore and her talented team create heirloom quality charms using vintage, turn of the century tools to hand stamp each name, date and symbol to your specifications.   All of their pieces are crafted in sterling silver and 14K yellow, white, rose and green gold.  These timeless pieces will commemorate you and everything important in your life.  I absolutely love helping people find just the perfect way to celebrate what is important in their lives.  I will be happy to help you do the same. For more sample pictures, click here.

the PERFECT sleepwear for all the seasons of life

I met Lesley Hatfield, the founder/CEO of Nitesweatz, ten years ago when she shopped in my store for gifts for her wonderful personal training clients.   She is a lovely person and I always enjoyed her visits to the store.  One of her clients complained of having sweats at night.  Lesley thought about it and told her to sleep in her running clothes that wicked the sweat away…. and an idea was born for her company, Nitesweatz.

Floating shift……

Do you write books in your dreams? I do. Novels and lots of them. Sometimes it’s a modern day setting and sometimes it is way before my time here. So, maybe now, in this new digital medium (for me), I will just practice a bit. My professional life/work has changed recently and I have had more time to think and ponder how to move forward. I came across a pendant in my jewelry drawer a few weeks ago. It’s an old typewriter key, encased in sterling to be worn as a necklace. It is an unusual key that says Floating Shift. Just what is a floating shift? I have no idea, and I don’t remember one on my typewriter in my youth. Yes, I am of a certain age where they still existed in stores and were used to write college papers. Coming across it makes me smile. My best buddy and roommate from college, the journalism major, has the same one. She joined my daughter, her godchild, and me in New York City to catch up and play for a few days during one of my buying trips. I really like it and it’s connection to her. This key reminds me that I am shifting to a digital age. No more handwritten notes, receipts, recipes, and numbers of other people to contact on a piece of paper. Here is where the paper trail ends.

Today I start my floating shift online. Join me and let’s see what happens…..