Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Holiday Shopping on a Budget...Gifts for Every Recipient!

The holidays are my favorite time of year. I love all of the time spent with family, I love the smell of turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce cooking, I love sitting around in pajamas with a mug of hot chocolate or hot tea in front of a warm fire. But, most of all, I love presents. No...I'm not greedy. While I do enjoy getting presents (and, be honest, who doesn't?), I truly, truly enjoy giving presents. I even enjoy wrapping them--in fact, I enjoy it so much, that I often set aside a whole evening with nothing else to do so I can just enjoy wrapping my gifts for family and friends. (And, I look forward to this night for weeks and weeks...)

I start my holiday shopping in September (seriously). I find things that I think people will like, I snag them, and I put them aside in a spare bedroom until I'm ready to wrap. I keep an organized list of who I need to buy for, what I've already bought and what I'm thinking about getting for them.

My gift giving usually goes something like this...I get a gift. I put it on the list. Then I find something else I think the recipient will like, so I buy that too. I put it on the list. Repeat. My gifts are usually a compilation of lots of fun little items with a big item or two thrown in there. I usually find that my gifts are a hit with the recipients (or, at least, they say the gifts are a hit), which is fabulous as there are few things I love more than seeing the looks on people's faces as they open gifts from me.

As a result, I consider myself somewhat of a "gift expert"--or if not an expert, at least "gift knowledgeable." As a good blogger, I feel it is my duty to share some of that knowledge with you. So, here are the best gifts to give to any type of adult for a girl on a budget.

Hope this helps streamline your holiday shopping!

The Artist:
Even artists take a break from their creative process to send mail sometimes.


Pantone: 100 Postcards from Dick Blick--$19.95


The Animal Lover:
Because who wouldn't love looking at a cute animal while drinking their morning coffee or tea?
Mugtail Cat from Korin--$16.00 each, also available in squirrel, bunny or fawn


The Beauty Queen:
Any good beauty queen knows that a great makeup stash is the key to constantly looking her best!

Glitz & Glam Makeup Set from Sephora--$40, contains 10 varied products


The Bookworm:
Any good book lover worth her salt has tons of books that need to be organized!

Metal Owl Bookends from Barnes and Noble -- $12.95, also available in pink hearts, pink peace sign or blue hands


The Chef:
Chances are your chef already has a cookbook stand, but this one has a great plexiglass cover that keeps your cookbook safe from spills and splatters!


Cookbook Stand from Crate and Barrel--$24.95


The Comic Lover:
This might actually get the grown-up comic book lover to help out in the kitchen!

Marvel Flexible Spatulas from Williams Sonoma--$14.00 each or a set of four for $46.95, comes in four styles: The Hulk, Spider Man, Iron Man or Captain America


The Fashionista:
Every fashionista knows that nothing is as all-purpose as your little black dress; however, this little black dress not only helps you to look good, it helps you to stay organized!

Little Black Dress Hanging Jewelry Organizer from Container Store--$24.99, has 39 clear pockets and 24 hook and loop closures.



The Foodie:
Any good foodie worth his sauce will love this gift. Yes, pun intended.

Regional BBQ Sauces from Williams Sonoma--$42 for a set of 5 or $9.95 each


The Gamer:
Even if your gamer won't get off the couch to get Hot Pockets out of the oven, they will love this oven mitt...even if they just use it as a puppet.

Pac Man Oven Mitt from Fred Flare--$18



The Hippie:
This pillow is 100% cotton and is part of a collaboration with a fair trade organization that teaches impoverished Kenyans to sew to increase their income.

Watu Kwa Amani Pillow from CB2--$39.95, back features Swahili saying for "People for Peace" 


The Hostess:
These fun, funky plates will keep her guests coming back for seconds, thirds, fourths and more! Each season, there are new plates in this collection, so at a price like this, you can keep adding to her collection. It's the gift that keeps giving!

Oliver Appetizer Plates from CB2--$2.95 each, currently available in 5 different designs



The Imaginative One:
Anyone with a good imagination will find a million ways to express themselves during their breakfast with this fun mug! If nothing else, they can leave a ransom note for some piping hot, strong coffee.

Mixed Messages Mug from Francesca's Collections--$16.95




The Movie Lover:
Because every good movie lover knows that watching a movie is no good without popcorn!

Vintage Popcorn Maker from Bed Bath and Beyond--$19.99


The Nature Lover:
What nature lover wouldn't enjoy a picnic? This will keep the bugs out of the food and the nature lover out of the house!

Softpack Picnic Cooler from L.L. Bean--$39.50, comes in 6 different colors




The Photographer:
Wait...did that guy just spill hot coffee all over his telephoto lens? Nope...he's just using his fantastic new thermal mug!

Thermo Lens Cup with Stainless Steel Insulated Tumbler from Amazon--$11.96


The Quirky One:
These umbrellas will not only make you smile on a rainy day, they are also fashionable, fun, and just the right amount of quirky!

Rain Parade Mini Umbrella from Fred Flare--$36, comes in 5 different colors and styles


The Sci-Fi Lover:
What sci-fi lover doesn't love Star Wars? That being said, what sci-fi lover wouldn't want to use R2D2 or C3P0 to store their information?

Star Wars Flash Drive from Fred Flare--$36, 2GB of storage, comes preloaded with exclusive content


The Sports Nut:
What sports lover doesn't love sports related games?

Tabletop Soccer from Amazon--$25.95



The Traveler:
I personally have this travel organizer and it's fabulous. It holds all of your toiletries and has its own hanger so everything is easily accessible in your hotel bathroom!


Large Personal Organizer from L.L. Bean--$34.95, comes in seven different colors and three other sizes (prices vary by size)


The Vintage Lover:
If she loves vintage, she'll flip over this cosmetic bag made out of vintage car interior fabric!

Cosmetic Bag by Kim White--$26, choose from any fabric featured on the site




We'd love to hear about your great gift ideas or if you use any of ours! Drop us a line at theaccessorizedlife@gmail.com.

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