Tag Archives: holiday gifts

Gourmet Gift Baskets You’ll Love To Give This Holiday

chocolate gift basket

From drizzled chocolate over fresh fruit to a delicious wine and cheese combination, food-centric themed gift baskets will please even the most discerning foodie’s palette. So get the food lover in your life tastes and flavors they’ll remember all season long with one of these fabulous gourmet gift baskets:

The Chocolate Lover’s Basket: We all have a chocolate lover in the family, maybe several. Chocolate dipped strawberries with rich Belgian chocolate will cure any sweet tooth. For a sweet, but savory flavor, enjoy berries dipped in Belgian chocolate and encrusted with peanuts. For a sweet and salty bite, there’s Heath toffee and chocolate.

For the New Yorker Who Moved Away: Nothing says NYC better than a basket from Zabar’s. Filled with bagels, lox, sweet cinnamon rugelach, cream cheese, and mustard, this basket is sure to please even the most homesick New Yorker. Ask them to add a bag of their signature coffee to bring back the smell of the city to your loved one.

The DIY Luxe Picnic Food Basket: If you have the time, gift baskets are super fun to make yourself and who doesn’t love a good picnic theme even if it’s below freezing outside. If you’re making a picnic gift basket for someone with kids, choose kid-friendly food favorites such as juice boxes, mozzarella cheese sticks, animal crackers, s’mores supplies, vegetable crisps, and kale chips. If it’s just the adults, fill the basket with sparkling water, trail mix, dark chocolate squares, aged cheeses, sesame seed crackers, sparkling wine singles, and caviar.

The Deluxe New York Experience: New York is recognized for the latest trends and local tastes. The New York Treasures Box brings signature New York culinary style to any doorstep across America. Pickles and salsa from Brooklyn will pair excellently with Yancey’s Fancy cheese from the Finger Lakes.

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The Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide for Guys Compliments of my Boyfriend

Christmas Gifts

I may always know what’s next in fashion or how to get the perfect smokey eye, but aside from picking out stylish menswear, I’m stumped when it comes to getting gifts for the guys. So I asked my sports-obsessed boyfriend to put together the ultimate gift guide for guys while I wrapped gifts and decorated our tree. Here’s what Ian suggests:

For the Foodie:

Pleasing someone passionate about cooking is tough. Don’t buy them a new knife set, they still love the one they have been using for 10 years and besides, sharpening knives is fun. Here are some out of the box ideas for the foodie:

The Stocking Stuffer:

Amarula Cream is a South African Cream that is perfect not only for cocktails, but for cooking as well. Amarula is a great addition to puddings, butters, and sauces. It’s unique because it uses the ancient marula fruit indigenous of Africa. It’s also great with coffee. So concluded, this stocking stuffer with some coffee beans from Rwanda, which can be found in the Foreign Ground Coffee Collection make a perfect combination.

Under the Tree:

The Proteak Cutting Board may seem boring, but it’s a game changer for someone who loves to cook! Teak is a wood that is resistant to moisture and bacteria and is easy to clean. The teak comes from a ranch in South America and each board is hand crafted. This will surely please your Top Chef!

For the Sports Guy:

You can’t get him what he really wants…for his team to win it all, but you can get him the next best thing, sports stuff!

The Stocking Stuffer:

Sports tickets to watch his favorite team in action – the best deals can be found on StubHub!

Under the Tree:

Unless your significant other is a 15-year-old, don’t get him a sports jersey. They’re tacky and can only be worn twice a year, they are also super expensive. Instead, get him some clothes from 47 Brand. 47 Brand is upscale, vintage style sports apparel that allows him to support his team while looking fashionable. They have apparel for all major professional sports teams and most colleges.

For the Gadget Guy:

It’s no secret that guys love their gadgets. Here are two fun gadgets that he may not already have.

The Stocking Stuffer:

A Leap Motion Controller is an $80 USB adaptor that allows you to control your PC or MAC by motion sensors. Not only is it a more seamless way to get work done on you computer, its also pretty damn cool! This is a smart gift that can make anyone feel like they are in a Sci-Fi movie!

Under the Tree:

A Crosley Patriarch 4-in-1 Turntable is a great entertainment center that is nice piece to add to any room. It plays CDs, vinyls, MP3s and AM/FM radio.

New Year's Eve

How cute are we? Here’s Ian and I watching the ball drop in Times Square last New Year’s Eve! Thanks Ian for putting together this gift guide and helping girls everywhere find the perfect gift for that special guy. You’re a holiday hero!

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It’s All In The Jar: Delicious Custom Cookie Mix Makes Gift Giving Easy

Even socialites (along with aspiring ones) aren’t immune to the delicious allure of freshly baked holiday cookies.  As a child, putting out home made cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve after spending a December weekend baking them with friends and family were always one of my favorite parts of the holidays.  The Mason Jar Cookie Company provides everything you need to create your own customizable gifts for both yourself and others that put a twist on classic recipes for cookies.  They even come in Gluten-Free options.  The hardest part will be choosing your cookie mix ingredients from their four cookie bases and thirty-five add-ins.  The Mason Jar website is a fun interactive experience that allows you to fill your jar with all their delicious ingredients.  My personal favorite combination is the dark chocolate chips with the oatmeal mix.

After you place your custom order, they do the rest of the work.  When your cookie mix arrives, it’s creatively and beautifully packaged in a Mason Jar, for no-fuss homemade cookies this holiday season and beyond.  The average price is only $19 depending on which ingredients you choose.  Gift certificates are also available along with a special party favor size to put in gift bags at holiday parties, weddings, and birthdays.  When you’re ready to bake those chocolate cookies you’ve been drooling over.  Simply pour your jar of chocolate cookie mix into a bowl and add the dairy ingredients per the instructions right before baking.  In most cases this is butter and an egg, although some base mixes call for a little milk or water.  Each jar makes 24-36 cookies depending on which and how many add ins you have chosen.  Mason Jar Company cookies are just as simple to make as cookies made from the box only far more glamorous.

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post, but the opinions are all my own.

Socialite Stocking Stuffers

Dear Santa,

I’ve been a very good girl this year. I know because I’ve developed excellent karma. All I want for Christmas is the socialite life and the accessories to go with it. If you are stumped as to what to put in my stocking, look no further.

1. Cute couture key chains add a bit of socialite flare to the fancy items your carry around with you each day. They fit perfectly in your stocking or can be tied to a ribbon wrapping a larger gift to make the presentation even more festive. This adorable holiday penguin is from Coach.

2. No socialite’s stocking is complete without a small bottle of champagne to make mimosas on Christmas morning.

3. The winter months can make your skin very dry. I don’t know how I’d get through the winter without Vaseline.  Bravo’s Mad Fashion star Chris March, collaborated with Vaseline to create the Swarovski Crystal Encrusted Vaseline Jar. Not only is this the best cure for dry lips and hands, the jar is also a great decoration.

4. A socialite’s stocking should always have a little something from Tiffany’s, Harry Winston, and/or Cartier that sparkles likes the star on top of the tree.

5. Fun electronics covers always make great stocking stuffers. I’m particularly obsessed with this kate spade iPhone cover.

Thank you Santa! Wishing you a Couture Christmas and all the socialite greatness 2012 has to offer!!

All the Stuff You Want This Holiday That You Didn’t Know You Needed

Between finding the perfect holiday party outfit, buying cute Christmas ornaments, and styling my entire family in the hottest winter wear, I absolutely love holiday shopping.  Call my spending habits frivolous, but they make me and everyone on my gift list very happy. In light of the less than socialite economy, I’m selecting gifts this year that are cute and funny.

Here are my top 5 favorites that are bound to up the cuteness for the 2011 Holidays:

1. kate spade “Spike the Punch” Shirt: The perfect thing to wear to a casual holiday party that is bound to show your style and sense of humor all while keeping with the happy spirit of the holidays.

2. Starbucks Tree Ornament: My love for coffee/caffeine deserves a place of honor high upon my Christmas tree.

3. Angry Birds Hat: My mom will kill me if I don’t get her one of these this year.

4. Christopher Radko Michael Kors Ball: Every socialite needs a designer Christmas tree complete with couture ornaments.

5. Fairisle Ear Muff Headphones: The moment I saw these awesome warm headphones at Juicy Couture, I had to have them. When I walk around the city in the bitter cold zoning out to Glee songs on my iPod, I like to do so stylishly.

Socialite Hint: You can support the economy and your sanity by getting your Christmas shopping done early.