Tag: gifts Page 1 of 3

The most wonderfully weird white elephant gifts you can’t help but love

I’ve always had a fun time finding the perfect gifts for people, but white elephant gifts were always my favorite. And, because my mind is always on the “perfect gift search,” I’ve amassed some amazing gift ideas.

These are my favorite white elephant gifts that are so weirdly wonderful you’ll both wonder why they exist at all, and also want to get one for yourself.

Just click on any of these products to learn more about them…

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Magical unicorn gifts to bring happiness, sunshine, and rainbows all year long…

"I don't believe in humans" unicorn shopping bag

“I don’t believe in humans” unicorn shopping bag

I’m going through a big unicorn phase. It’s a question of “Am I noticing unicorns more because I’m getting more into them? Or am I getting more into them because I’m noticing them more?” I think the obsession really started in Edinburgh — it’s Scotland’s national animal! — because I kept seeing them everywhere, and it made me happy. Which is basically the point of unicorns. Which is basically why unicorn gifts are so awesome. Unicorns = happy.

At a time when so many people are looking for white elephant gift ideas, I say, we can do better. Let’s look for white unicorn gift ideas. So here are my favorite unicorn gifts to give the gift of happiness, sunshine, and rainbows all year long…

giant-unicorn-lamp-unicorn-gifts
These adorable unicorn lamps come in size small (in lots of different colors) and freaking GIANT!

unicorn tears purse for white elephant gifts
Oh yes, that is a purse that says “unicorn tears” and here it is in three different colors! You’re welcome.

smoko-unicorn-light-up-slippers-unicorn-gifts
Not only are these unicorn slippers, these are light-up unicorn slippers.

unicorn-emoji-phone-charger-unicorn-gifts
Four words: Unicorn emoji phone charger. Yes, an emoji, that looks like a unicorn, that can charge a phone. (It also comes in other unicorn colors and emoji designs — gifts for ALL!)

unicorn-taxidermy-unicorn-gifts
Target has unicorn heads! I know that sounds a little dark, but they’re so freaking cute!!!

cardboard-unicorn-head
Or this cardboard unicorn head, that comes in three different sizes.

unicorn-faux-taxidermy-3d-wall-decor-by-zooguu-unicorn-gifts
But wait, there’s MORE unicorn taxidermy. This one from Wayfair a little more colorful.

jkuu_unicorn_poop_stuff_scarf_plush-unicorn-gifts
As Think Geek, the creator of this unicorn poop scarf said: Rainbow. Poop. Scarf. Magic.

iuou_magical_unicorn_cupcake_bath_bomb-unicorn-gifts
I love this gift idea! It’s a Magical Unicorn Cupcake Bath Bomb — the icing is an exfoliating sugar scrub, it’s cotton candy scented, and topped with a unicorn rubber duckie!

unicorn-gift-ideas Speaking of sprinkles… now you can literally sprinkle unicorn magic over your baking with this unicorn sprinkle shaker.

unicorn-key-covers-unicorn-gifts
These unicorn key covers are so awesome that they’re constantly out of stock. That’s okay, there’s also this version too!

unicorn-corkscrew-unicorn-gifts
Or use a unicorn to open more important things… like bottles of wine… with the Screwnicorn… or this less hilariously-named unicorn corkscrew.

unicorn-wine-holder-unicorn-gifts
Do you remember when I won the internet with this unicorn wine holder on Offbeat Home? You could get the same reaction from whomever you gift this drunken unicorn wine holder to.

raising-unicorns-book-unicorn-gifts
Welcome someone to the whimsical and very lucrative world of unicorn farming with the Raising Unicorns book.

unicorn-gold-bathroom-spray-unicorn-gifts
Did you know that Squatty Potty also makes a toilet spray air freshener called Unicorn Gold!? I didn’t until a friend alerted me to this fact, because, of course, I love all things unicorn.

unicorn-tears-lipstick
A friend also alerted me to the fact that there is a lipstick called Unicorn Tears, and I actually bought it and love it!

unicorn-tape-dispenser
Can a tape dispenser really make an awesome gift? It can be if it’s this unicorn tape dispenser with rainbow tape!

bag-of-unicorn-farts
This is the only fart-related gift that someone will actually really enjoy! 300+ Amazon reviewers can’t be wrong when they say they love this Bag of Unicorn Farts (aka. pink cotton candy)!

unicorn-cookie-cutter-unicorn-gifts
Or bake them all special unicorn cookies with this unicorn cookie cutter!

Best yankee gift swap ideas under $30: Gifts people will literally fight over

yankee swap gift ideas

Last time I got fun and funky for the White Elephant gift guide. But what if you’re trying to please a larger crowd? This year I had to buy gifts for my very first Yankee Gift Swap. Unlike White Elephant gift exchanges, these gifts should actually be good and useful, you know… things people really want, things people will fight over!

I used a couple of the ideas in this post, but here are things that are sure to become the most popular item at your Yankee Swap or family gift exchange. (Bonus: Most of these things are Amazon Prime, so that means they’re perfect for last-minute gifts!)

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Unique white elephant gifts that’ll win the holiday season

It’s that time again: Time to stress about gift-giving! As I was shopping for the people on my list, I kept seeing gifts that were SO AWESOME, but so not exactly right for my shopping needs. So maybe these unique gifts will help you win the holidays this year, or at least make a killing as white elephant gifts…

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How to make an easy-yet-super-impressive Rice Krispie treat cake



how to make an easy rice krispie treat birthday cake

I thought I’d let you in on the easy-but-impressive Rice Krispie treat cake secrets, and ALSO tell you how to make the most delicious browned butter, sea-salt Rice Krispie treat recipe…

Inspired by this post on Offbeat Bride, my buddy Jessica and I made a three-tiered Rice Krispie cake out of her famous browned butter Rice Krispie treats.

Here’s how you can follow suit and make one of your own…

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15 gift guides for just about ANYONE

My FAVORITE thing is to find the perfect gifts for people. It’s like a sport for me. So much so that I have amassed a ton of different gift guides for so many specific people and interests. I figured I should put a list together of all my gift guides in one handy-dandy spot on the internet.

Here we go:

gift guides for everyone

My second favorite thing is know that I’ve helped others find perfect gifts. So if I have done so successfully, please let me know! It warms my cold black heart.

The best damn grind and brew coffee maker (and coffee beans) on Earth

Years ago I was gifted an awesome coffee maker for Christmas. My family will never forget the moment I opened the wrapping, hugged the box, and exclaimed “It grinds AND it brews!” Well, seven years later that coffee maker died on me. It had been giving me warning signs of its impeding demise — stopping mid-brew, refusing to turn on, etc. — then one day I woke up, and my coffee maker didn’t.

Yup, it was sad day in the Finley household. That coffee maker had been with me for a long time. But it was time for a new one. And oh boy did I find a spectacular replacement!

See, it’s important to me to have a coffee maker that grinds and brews because I always buy my favorite coffee beans in a big ol’ bag, and I really don’t want to grind them all myself. So I asked my father, the patron saint of Consumer Reports, to do some research for me, and his results told him that the by far the best grind and brew was this guy: Cuisinart DGB-700BC Grind-and-Brew. Then he found it on sale on Amazon, from $305 to $135!

So I Amazon Primed that fucker, and had it in my shake-y caffeine-withdrawing hands in two days.

I was delighted to find that this coffee maker has a bin on top that stores half a pound (plus a little more) of coffee beans! That means I can store more beans in my air-tight container and in my coffee maker, and have fewer bags of coffee taking up space in my freezer!

Then you set the number of cups of coffee you’re making, and the machine knows how many beans to grind! Like a god-damned wizard.

This coffee maker also lets you set the strength of your coffee — mild, medium, and strong. And strong is STRONG. I love it!

I’ve been using it for a week and I’m still playing with the settings, but so far this grind and brew coffee maker is helping me forget all about the loss of my old one. (Update: It’s now been three years and I’m still just as in love with it as ever.)

If you’re looking for a grind and brew, get thee to Amazon. Now who wants to hear about my new toaster?

A Nerd Hope: Megan’s nerdy 30 birthday video

I can’t believe I forgot to post this a while ago!

So, I got the absolute bestest birthday present of my lifetime from that wonderful guy I married. He contacted a bunch of my closest friends, family, and co-workers and asked them to participate in a special Nerdy 30 birthday video:

Highlights:
* The Star Wars scrolling intro.
* Special art work by Bill Nye the Science Guy.
* Oliver’s video that made me cry.
* Daren sending in his video from an Airborne Toxic Event tour.
* Stephanie and her friend drinking at the airport and singing me happy birthday.
* Erik being… Erik.
* Ariel and Tavi’s catchy tune (also Ariel’s boobz!).
* Aaron’s laptop theme.
* All the scenes from Olvera Street where Aaron spent a day collecting awesome trinkets for my other special birthday present.

Thank you thank you THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this movie. I’ve watched it a countless number of times now and I’m always BLOWN AWAY by the amazing people that I am lucky enough to be friends with. Wow. I’m one freaking lucky 30-year-old. I LOVE YOU ALL!

13 music gifts for music nerds, musicians, and audiophiles

That guy I married is a sound engineer at work, and a huge music geek at home. Most of my closest friends are professional musicians. This means I have years and years of music gifts tricks and treats up my sleeves. My fellow music geek-lovers, you might want to get your credit cards ready, because I’m about to find all of your gifts for you…

converse

Every musician I know is always in need of a new pair of Converse. And they make them in styles to fit every personality.

Pyle PPFMXLR15 15 Feet XLR Male to XLR Female Microphone Cable

Speaking of things musicians are always in need of: XLR Male to XLR Female Microphone Cables and quarter-inch guitar cables make great stocking stuffers, year after year after year…

3-Speed Turntable

If your music nerd loves to have record-listening get-togethers (like my music nerd does), the Crosley Portable Turntable, or any portable turntable, is a must-have.

pick punch

I’m a proud owner of the Pick Punch, which can turn expired gift cards and credit cards into guitar picks. This handy machine is also a good gift MAKER — create custom picks for your favorite musicians!

Korg-Kaossilator - gift for musicans

The Korg Kaossilator Dynamic Phrase Synthesizer is like a GameBoy for sound nerds! Seriously, that guy I married takes this with him everywhere. Which is why he now wants the new, high-end Korg KAOSSILATOR PRO.

High Fidelity Earplugs - gift for musicians and music-lovers

I know that these are some of the best earplugs for musicians and concert-goers, but these come with their own keychain, so they’re PERFECT for the music-lover that (ahem) keeps forgetting to bring earplugs and has to stuff their ears with ripped up bar napkins (or, you know, something like that).

perfect wallet for musicans

Speaking of keeping things that get lost on your persons… I’ve had a crush on this classy-ass Mojave Picker’s Wallet for a long time. It’s useful, it’s creative, it’s GORGEOUS, and this way you can always make sure you have a pick on you.

fashionable headphones - gifts for music lovers

Headphones are ALWAYS useful gifts for music nerds. I have a million pairs — one in my purse, one in my gym bag, and one hanging by the door for my walks. Because there’s nothing worse than wanting to listen to music on the go, and not having your headphones! I like these rose gold headphones, golden earbuds, and these Marshall headphones, all from Modcloth. PS. Modcloth has all kinds of fun gifts for music geeks — check ’em out.

portable wireless speaker - music gifts
The JBL Charge 2+ is a waterproof, wireless Bluetooth speaker, that sounds flat-out great AND can double as a backup battery for your phone!

AcousticSheep SleepPhones - music gifts for music geeks
The AcousticSheep SleepPhones are for the music nerds who can’t fall asleep without listening to their iPod. And it’s also a gift for their partner who doesn’t so much love that about them. 😉

Moog Theremini - music gifts for music nerds

Moog anything is an awesome gift for music nerds. But this Moog Theremini might be the nerdiest gift for the nerdiest music nerd.

Recording the Beatles book - music gifts for music nerds

If you can find it/afford it, Recording the Beatles (from $400 and price is increasing) makes an amazing gift for audio and music nerds. This is (no joke) my husband’s most prized possession.

musical astronaut cigarette flask - music gifts for music nerds

Still not seeing anything perfect for your specific music nerd? Allow me to end this with the piece de resistance: A music-themed cigarette case and flask. Because nothing makes a crappy tour go by smoother than whiskey, special cigs, and a smile every time they partake. Bundle all those things together for a super-custom gift like no other!

Noticing the little gifts I’ve been given

My gifted coffee from today. In fact all the things in this photo were gifted (yup, even the inhailors).


My gifted coffee from today. In fact all the things in this photo were gifted (yup, even the inhalers).

I really love giving. I love paying for lunches and dinners. I got the giggles when I borrowed a friend’s car and got to surprise him by filling it with gas. I like picking things up for my neighbors when I go grocery shopping. But my favorite is giving people the PERFECT gift.

Lately, I’ve been so consumed with finding the “perfect gifts” for people this Christmas that it’s actually been stressing me out. So it was really nice to spend a day thinking about what gifts that I’ve received instead. All the little surprises and niceties really helped to make this normal day super wonderful.

Things that I was gifted today…

  • A last minute appointment at my favorite hair salon. (thank you Siren)
  • Lot’s of hugs and kisses. (thank you Aaron)
  • An invitation to watch a movie with my best friend. (thank you Coco)
  • A very open, honest and wonderful blog comment. (thank you James)
  • A cute video save-the-date to feature on Offbeat Bride. (thank you Nicole)
  • A cafe au lait delivered to me. (thank you again Coco)
  • Having some business-y shit printed out for me. (Coco once again)
  • A helpful phone call from my mom. (thanks mom)
  • A packaged delivered right on time. (thank you post man)
  • A Christmas card from my grandparents. (thanks grandma)
  • A text message from two of my friends who are hanging out together letting me know that they were talking/thinking about me. (thanks Ken and Joe)
  • Having a boss that hits me up just to make me laugh or vent or bitch to or just to link me to awesome videos. (thanks Ariel)
  • My husband walking the dogs at night because he knows I get too cold and scared to walk them after dark. (thanks Aaron)

But now I’m back to finding gifts for others…

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