Thursday, May 22, 2014

Father's Day Gift Ideas For All Dads!

Do you know what's harder than trying to shop for a Father's Day gift? That's a trick question because the answer is: nothing! Am I right? As ladies, we tend to chat about our likes and dislikes and just hope that our loved ones hear us loud & clear. Men don't really do that as much so there is a lot of guess-work involved. Jewelry stores even have wish lists that we can fill to help out our husbands. No such thing exists for men, that I am aware of.  Sometime you just have to throw something out there & see if it sticks. With that in mind, here are some cool ideas that your dad or husband may enjoy for their special day.


FOR THE DAD THAT HAS EVERYTHING
Black Iron Vintage Rustic Marquee Channel Lighted Letters Custom Handmade - this listing is for 3 marquee letter 12" tall
Metal and Lights: Custom metal letters, signs, logos, and lights

These metal & lights signs are so popular right now & are popping up everywhere from wedding to events, even on Andy Cohen's show "Watch What Happens Live" on Bravo. My husband & I recently purchased ones of these signs for a friend that was retiring & plans to spend his retirement working on old cars. The sign we had made said "Ed's Garage". Needless to say he LOVED it!

FOR THE DAD THAT LOVES TOOLS

Shop-Vac: Wet/Dry Vacuum

If your dad doesn't have one of these, you can stop right here. This is your father's day gift. My husband uses ours to clean all sorts of things from the inside of the car to the dogs house (inside & out). It will suck up anything & is so easy to use.  It even came in handy in our former house when we got water in the basement. This one is a slam dunk!

FOR THE DAD THAT MAKES A MESS

Tilman Leather Bib Apron for Men (aka: Mapron)

My sister-in-law recently purchased this for her husband & I just fell in love with it. I cannot tell you the number of times that I have had to throw away a shirt that my husband was wearing because he spontaneously decided to do some sort of work in the garage. This is manly, sturdy and just awesome. 


         FOR THE DAD THAT IS A SUPERHERO
                        Act Tactical: Firearms, Fighting and Tactical Driving 
                                                           Contact Act Tactical

Let's face it, women watch romantic comedies because they want to be the leading lady, swept off her feet & whisked away to some fabulous life. Men are no different except that they lean more towards James Bond or John Wayne for their role models. They want "The Last of the Mohicans", "Top Gun" and "Legends of the Fall" type hero status. You know I'm right :) So, what better way to make them feel like a bad-a** than by treating them to a tactical training class? The one I have listed above is in Georgia but I am certain you can find one in your area. I have also been told that many Sheriff departments hold similar classes that focus on safety and regulations. Let dad play hero for the day or, at the very least, let him say, "I can do that," and mean it, the next time "Mission Impossible" comes on.

                                MY DAD 
Goodness, what can I tell you about my dad? Well, he is the dad to two daughters that didn't hesitate to talk about boys or clothes or nail polish growing up. He attended more beauty pageants, cheerleading tryouts and at-home fashion shows than he can probably count. He absolutely did not understand why I wanted to head out to California as soon as I graduated from college but, when I returned at the end of the summer, admitted he thought it was pretty cool and brave. Today, he is the person I can call anytime day or night. If we are talking on the phone while I am driving and I suddenly need to hang up, I can simply say, "gotta run" & hang up & he is totally cool with that. He loves surprising people, fine wine and Alabama football.  He is never, EVER late, so I can say that I get that gene honestly. Not all women can say that they have a great relationship with their dad so I feel very lucky to call mine one of my best friends. Happy (early) Father's Day!













Saturday, May 3, 2014

Your Trash is My Treasure: A Unique Hostess Gift

Some sweet friends of ours host an annual Kentucky Derby viewing party complete with great food, auction-style bidding and, of course, mint julips. They do such a nice job hosting all of us in their home that I wanted to give them a thoughtful hostess gift. I recently saw a set of adorable antique, hard-backed placemats on *Buckhead Exchange. I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with them but, I was sure I could figure something out. Once I picked them up,  it became apparent that I should just use one & make it a welcome sign, of sorts. I then reached out to a lovely & talented young lady in my office to do the lettering, (my handwriting will put most doctors to shame). We came up with the best wording & sampled various paints on one of the mats that I wasn't going to use. Paint pens were the clear winner so I ordered a pack of 5 colors from Amazon.



The set of placemats

Testing various paint options

Testing various font styles

Before:

After: Take a look at the finished product. How cute is this? 


My tip for you is to always be on the lookout for a great find and, more importantly, designate a gift drawer somewhere in your house to store all of your great gifts that you aren't quite sure what to do with just yet.

P.S. My horse "I'll Have Another" won the Derby last year. Wish me luck this year!


*Buckhead Exchange: I am sure that many of your cities have a localized Craigslist, (I have seen several on Facebook). The one I belong to is called Buckhead Exchange. The beauty of these trading sites is that you know that when you purchase an item, you won't have to drive very far to pick it up. Also, someone buying from you is likely one of your neighbors since they only allow people in your neighborhood to join. For me, this mostly removes the safety concern of using something similar like Craigslist, which I never use.
 
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