As summer winds down, those of us who spend much of our time out in a garden are faced with putting our gardens to bed for the long winter ahead. It’s a bittersweet time. On one hand we enjoy the fruits of our labor in our harvest, yet, on the other we face months without a garden to tend. Last year I received a gift which turned out to be a perfect solution to the want of a winter garden, The “AeroGarden“.

The “AeroGarden” is a hydroponic system. Hydroponic is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, without soil. The “AeroGarden” is a well designed self contained unit, with grow lights and a touch control panel that controls the water pump and lights, and gives an alert when water or nutrients need to be added.

The “AeroGarden” is perfect for those like me, who love to tend a seed to produce a harvest. It’s also great for the busy person who would like to garden but never have the time. Developed as a kitchen garden to grow fresh herbs for the cook, the “AeroGarden” has become a hit with seasoned gardeners and novices alike.  I have a great time enjoying my “AeroGarden”.

My first growing experience was with the herbs that came with the unit. I found the unit very easy to set up and get started. Finding a spot for it was a little difficult as my kitchen is small. The Classic style I own is 18″ Wide X 10″ Deep X 21″ high and grows 7 different plants. (Now a smaller 3 pod size is available.) I did finally find a spot for it. Thankfully it has its own grow light system so any area will do. It is such a joy to have fresh green plants in my kitchen.

My whole family was amazed at how fast the herbs grew. It was only a few days before we saw sprouts and within a few weeks we were harvesting herbs. My unit provided us with herbs for months! The next set of seeds I tried was the salad greens, and I was harvesting lettuce greens every few days within a few weeks. My salad garden lasted a full 6 months.

The “AeroGarden” is easy to care for; a light panel tells you when to water and when to add the nutrient tablets. Anyone can have success with this garden unit. The light cycle is adjustable to fit your schedule. It’s exciting to watch the garden grow. Seed pods are available for many different herbs, vegetables and now even flowers!

I am sold on this product! It sits right in my kitchen, it looks great and the panel keeps me on track. I did have one seed pod that didn’t grow but all seed pods are guaranteed. Customer service is great! I now have two “AeroGardens” and I plan on having flowers growing in one in my living room to add a bit of colorful cheer during the gray days of winter.

If you are looking to have an indoor herb garden, some fresh flowers, or a kitchen garden, this product is for you! You are going to love the “Aerogarden“!

Roberta

PS: The “AeroGarden” makes a great gift for any garden enthusiast and would be gardener, as well as all those who enjoy cooking with fresh herbs and vegetables.

I’m not a collector, I’m just someone who “grew up” with the Beatles. I was just 12 when their first #1 hit, “Please Please Me.” topped British charts in 1963. I remember sitting in front of our TV Sunday February 9, 1964, at 8 p.m, impatiently waiting for their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show for the first time. It took my sisters and I a bit of talking before our Dad would let us have control of the TV that week. (One of his favorite shows was on at the same time.) He did allow us to watch the show and then made fun of our excitement over seeing the Beatles for the first time. That night seemed to change everything! There isn’t an early Beatles song that doesn’t bring back a few fond memories of my teen years.

You probably know someone who, like me, would love this set. Now is the time to pre-order one. It’s sure to be a hot item this Christmas and availability may well be compromised.

This box set features stereo versions of all 13 Beatles’s albums and also includes the “Past Masters”, a compilation which includes every non-album track the Beatles have released. These two past master discs contain of all the Beatles songs, including some of their biggest hits, which were never released on their official stereo albums.

Also included in this box set is a separate DVD with mini documentaries on the making of each album.
Any Beatles fan is going to love this!!

This set includes:

All 13 Studio remasters plus Past Masters (digi packaging with digital mini documentaries)-Dimensions: 12″x6″x3″

Description:

• Hard black glossy lift top with magnet clasp
• CDs packaged in three panel digi-pak with digital mini documentaries
• Remastered by Guy Massey, Steve Rooke, Sam Okell with Paul Hicks and Sean Magee

The 13 Albums are:

1. Please Please Me              2.  With The Beatles

3. A Hard Day’s Night            4. Beatles For Sale

5. Help!                                6.  Rubber Soul

7. Revolver                           8. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band

9. Magical Mystery Tour       10. The Beatles

11. Yellow Submarine           12. Abbey Road

13. Let It Be

This box set also includes a 2 disc set of Past Masters, and one DVD with mini documentaries on the making of each album. 16 discs in all.

This is sure to be a hot gift this Holiday Season. If there is someone on your shopping list you’ll want to get this for, you can pre-order it now by clicking here. The Beatles Stereo Box Set

Birthdays, happily for children and sometimes not so much for adults, come every year like clockwork. The “Hallmark” Holidays”, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Fathers Day and so on, also are annual events, as well as the major end of year gift giving events of Christmas and Hanukkah. Weddings and births are known about months in advance. So why are we always buying gifts at the last minute? Why? Because we don’t plan, but with a little forethought, and bookmarked favorites, gift shopping online can be a breeze.

How often while browsing internet market places have you found some really great ideas for gifts for people you know, only to forget the ideas or where you saw the item when a gift giving event rolled around? By using your favorite’s folder you can keep track of these ideas, and more. It’s easy to do! To start with all you need is a list of the people you buy or will buy gifts for throughout the year. Most people make a list like this only for Christmas shopping, but why not cover all the gift giving events for the year? Once your list is done simply make a bookmark folder for “Gift Shopping” in your “Favorites” and then add a sub folder for each person on your list.

Shopping for gifts has changed with online shopping. Unlike before, when you would simply walk into a store and match a product you find to whomever you were buying for, with the help of the internet you can now within minutes track down a product that you “know” a person will want. As you stumble upon gift ideas for the people on your list either by something they’ve said, reading or while browsing the internet, you can now research the product easily using a search engine and save your results for when you need them. If you already have some ideas for some gifts go ahead and research those items now. If you know the brand name and model number of the item you are searching for that is great, if not you only need to put the item’s name in. The search results will come back with many vendors offering that product. Using these results you can move on to comparing models and brands or jump ahead to comparing prices.

A great benefit of gift shopping via the internet is the fact that you can easily and swiftly compare brand names, models and different prices that are offered by various vendors on their websites. It is not unheard of to find many different models available for an item on the internet even when only the newest, most expensive model may be available in a local store.  Also price differences between various online vendors can be huge! A difference in price of fifty percent or more is not uncommon, so it is wise to not be rushed into buying the very first product you lay your eyes on in your online search results. You may find you could pay a far lower price elsewhere. The trick is keeping track of what you see and where you see it, so you can find it again.

Comparison shopping entails visiting far more sites than usual so simply adding the sites to a favorite’s folder as you go can save a lot of time later. To begin with label a folder in favorites with the name of the item you are researching. After you narrow down a model and price range for an item, move the links of a couple of the best vendor sites for that item to the folder that bears the name of who you think would enjoy receiving the product. By saving the links of more than one vendor you will ensure the item will still be available when you want it.

An advantage of using the folder with the intended recipient’s name to save the final links is that if you do this well before an event, or even throughout the year, you can line up a variety of different gift choices for that person. That way when an event comes up and you’re ready to buy a gift you will only need to go to that person’s folder to have several options to choose from. Now with one or two clicks your shopping is done! You will not believe how easy this can make your online gift shopping experience, especially around the major Holidays.

If you use your spare time shopping around for great gift ideas and deals throughout the year, no longer will you dread the gift hunting process or a gift giving event as it approaches. By using your “favorites” folder as your secret Gift shopping weapon your gift giving chores should be far easier than once they were and the presents you buy will be truly wanted and received with great joy.

Roberta
PS: Happy Shopping!

These mailbox covers are made of coated PVC that is weather resistant and fade resistant. The mailbox cover is backed with a full surface magnet that adheres solidly to any standard mailbox. They are as easy to use as putting a magnet on the refrigerator. For instant customization, each mailbox cover comes with three sheets of 3″ adhesive reflective vinyl house numbers (0-9), to peel and place right on the mailbox cover or on the front of the mailbox.

These mailbox covers are so easy to apply, within minutes of opening her gift, my friend and I stood admiring her beautiful mailbox. The size of the cover is adjustable to fit all standard size mailboxes, regular or large. Her mailbox is the regular standard size of 20 1/2″ X 9 1/2″. We found it easy to remove the perforated strip of material at the bottom edge of each side to shorten the cover for a perfect fit.

With so many designs to choose from, and the ease of changing them out, these covers are perfectly suitable for seasonal decor. I loved the effect of the mailbox cover I gave my friend so much I went back and purchased several for myself. I’m currently displaying an Americana theme, but can’t wait to put my Halloween cover in place. It glows in the dark. How fun is that?

Roberta

http://www.beesgiftsandgarden.com
http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/ladybee

PS: Matching garden flags are available for many Magnetic Mailbox Covers for a coordinated look! I’ve received so many compliments on my own mailbox cover, and inquiries of where to find them, I went ahead and added this product to my eBay store. The link above will take you there.

Let’s face it; gift giving is a year round activity between Birthdays, Weddings, Anniversaries, Showers, Births, and Graduations, not to mention the sprinkling of the “other” Holidays throughout the year. Many people could very well have a significant event every month of the year. Saving money in a case like that is essential; saving money in this economy is always welcome. So how do we buy the perfect gift and save money?

A gift should always be thoughtful and paired with the recipient in mind. See “How to choose a perfect gift!” Once you’ve decided on what to look for, then you’re ready to shop. Finding a great gift at a super price can be challenging, but it is very rewarding. Here are 5 tips I use to find great deals on line and off.

1. Know what you’re looking for!

Never shop without knowing what you want to buy. Browsing stores on line or out on the town is a big time waster. It’s a great way to spend a rainy vacation day near the shore, but not for purposeful shopping. If you don’t know what you want, you won’t find what you want.  Boxed ties, scarfs and pre-wrapped executive gifts that sit near store checkouts are there for a reason. Undecided shoppers buy them as last minute gifts after wandering aimlessly for hours so they won’t go home empty handed. Gift purchases should be special! When you shop you should already know what you want and be deciding between brand names, quality, price and features. Knowing what you are looking for will save time, money, and your sanity.

2. Shop Clearance Areas in Gift shops and Department Stores.

Gone is the day when clearance items consist of merchandise stores can’t sell due to their bad inventory purchases. Shelf space is prime real estate and stores no longer use their prime space to get rid of their mistakes. Those items are shipped off in “lots” to bargain stores.

Today’s clearance shelves are chock full of brand name bargains, but not for long. Last season’s clearance use to happen at the beginning of the next season, not so anymore. Today clearance sales start in the middle of the current season. Summer clearance starts as early as July 1st, and come September 1st hardly a pail and shovel can be found. This is great as more and more current products are on sale when you might want them.

However, it’s not only seasonal items that fill those clearance shelves. New models of popular items replace old all the time. New releases of collectible items replace retired items. New styles replace old. Stores have to stay current to stay in business, a plus for the bargain gift shopper.

Shopping clearance will find you timely buys, but do shop with your list in hand. Don’t be swayed by great prices and buy something just because its on sale, stick to what you’ve already decided on. There are other venues to find great deals. Always remember you are looking for great gifts.

3. Shop - Online Department Stores for great Deals!

As stores covet their prime shelf space, many popular stores now have an online presence as well. Many of these store offer special on-line deals and free shipping. Most also offer the same sales found in the current sale fliers you receive in the paper. Planning ahead can save you gas and money. No need to dress, you can shop in your PJ’s! And, not only will you find the current deals on line, big box stores that have warehouses use their internet presence for clearance sales of items that are pulled or never make it to their store shelves. Check out the directory on their web site and you’re sure to find the pages labeled “Great Deals”, “Limited Offers” and yes, sometimes they even call it “Clearance”.

4. Shop on-line at Manufacturers Sites.

As stores have more limited space some manufacturers are finding they can’t move their older stock or over-production of products. Specialty Markets, the quality items you find in exclusive gift shops and name brand stores do not always allow their products to be sold on auctions sites. Which is why knock off and counterfeit items have become a problem in recent years on sites like eBay. So how do you get a specialty items and save money? Shop the manufacturer.

Outlet malls are cropping up everywhere and if there is one near you great! However you may be able to save time and money right on line. When you search for items in Google you may be tempted to shy away from the official manufacturer’s site thinking you’ll get a better deal elsewhere. This is not always so.
My search for Lenox brought me to the official site, www.lenox.com and there right of the top bar is a link for sale items. Clicking on the link I found some great buys including great deals on collectibles like Department 56. A search for the San Francisco Music Box Co. official site also linked me with a sale page, and I found some great Disney Collectibles for my grand-daughter at 50% off. Take 50-75% Off Retiring Collectibles at SFMusicbox.com

It’s a good idea to check out the manufacturer site of the product you are looking for first. This will give you a better idea of what price range would be considered a good bargain. A friend of mine bid on a collectible item on an auction site expecting to get a great deal, and she won the item. It took her a week to do so and she was thrilled at first. However, by the time she paid the shipping fee, she overpaid for the item by $10 over what she would have paid buying it on the manufacturer’s official site where it was listed on sale with free shipping.

5. Shop online auctions and e-commerce sites.

Barring the example above, I love on-line auctions like eBay and ecommerce sites like Amazon, Bonanzle as well as many of the Mom and Pop e-commerce stores flooding the net. Great deals can be found here, there is no denying that.

Shopping the well known and not so well known sites does take some preparation and caution. As always it’s good to know what you are looking for, how much the item would cost at retail and how much you are willing to spend. Armed with that information you can do a Google search or search your favorite shopping site, like eBay or Amazon.

When shopping the major sites it’s good to know a little bit about how the site works and most have shopping tips available. Take time to scan these even if you think you know how it works. Many people shop Amazon and find what they are looking for and buy without even seeing the small link below the item which offers “so many” new and used within a price range. Clicking on that link often finds several sellers offering brand new in the box items for less than on Amazon’s first result page and almost always you can find the item with free shipping.

As for small Mom and Pop ecommerce sites, great deals can be had and many unusual items not found anywhere else can be found. So if you like giving the unique gift you might do well with these. A word of caution. Especially if you are spending a good sum of money. Know who you are buying from. Look for an “About Us” or “About Me” page and read it. Look for contact information and check it out. Know shipping costs before you buy, how fast the item will ship and if returns are acceptable if something goes wrong.

I find it best to always buy something inexpensive from a new ecommerce site I haven’t purchased from before to check them out. There are many great sites out there. I sell online myself and know many honest people who also sell online. Still there are many horror stories out there, mostly because some shoppers just don’t use caution shopping online.

Using these 5 tips will help you find the perfect gift for someone special any time of the year. Buying online takes planning ahead so you get your purchase in time for the special event, but it may be your best bet and its fun. Whether you shop online or off, planning ahead is always a benefit. Birthdays come once a year every year. Weddings are known about months in advance, and babies still take 9 months to show up. Most special events can be anticipated. Why wait until the last minute to shop? Planning ahead will save you a lot of time and money. Ok that’s an extra tip. Have fun shopping!

Roberta Barth
http://www.beesgiftsandgarden.com
http://www.bonanzle.com/booths/ladybee

It always seems to be the season for gifts and giving. Weddings, Birthdays, Graduations, Holidays from Valentine’s Day in February to Christmas in December all send shoppers everywhere to search stores and little shops to find the right gift, a great gift…the perfect gift!

But, what makes the right gift? What makes the right gift good, or great, or better yet, perfect?

Gifts are meant to please. Gifts show the recipient that they are liked, loved, or valued. There are many who believe the more expensive the gift, the more valued it will be to the receiver. Sadly this is not often the case. An item having high value and the same item being highly valued by the intended owner are two very different things. Gifting should take thought, but it doesn’t have to take a lot of money. Often times it is the thoughtful gift that will win the day.

A good gifts speaks to the recipient and will often produce a smile that lights up the eyes. A perfect gift may also produce and raspy whisper of, “Wow, how did you know I like…?
How do you know? You pay attention. If you know the person you are giving to, you know something about them. If they are a relative or close friend, you may know a lot about them. A great gifts fits a person’s personality, a perfect gift fits them. Too often buyers ignore what they know about a person when shopping for a gift.

I recently celebrated a birthday. Now at my age, birthdays could come and go and I’d be just as happy that no one noticed. But, I have a few close friends and family members that insist on celebrating the fact I’m still around yet another year. My husband treated me out to a nice dinner out, and I received various nice “Mom” type gifts from my children, but one unexpected gift arrived from an old friend who now lives in another state and made my day. Inside the small package was a leather bound journal and a beautiful pen, the kind of pen that writes smooth as silk and feels good in your hand. That was a gift that fit me well and it touched my heart.

It’s easy, especially in certain gift seasons, to get caught up in the advertisements of what makes great Holiday Gifts. Manufacturers spend a lot of money to convince you that everyone you know will want what they are selling, no matter what the season or Holiday. It’s their business to get you to buy their product after all and they spend a lot of money trying to convince you. So, How do you avoid getting caught in the spirit of the commercials and sale fliers?

Here are some easy tips:

1. Take time before you shop, find a quiet time, and make yourself a cup of tea of coffee. Turn off the radio and TV, sit with a pad of paper and pen in hand.
2. Make a list of who you are going to shop for leaving a few lines after each name.
3. Read a name on your list and pay attention to the person. Think about that person for a minute or two. What do you like about them; what makes them special? What do you know about their hobbies, their likes and dislikes, their passion?
4. Write a few suggestions to yourself based on what you know about this person. Do this without a sale flier or catalog at hand. If you can’t think of specific gift ideas jot down reminders…loves cats, loves to garden, wears perfume every day, doesn’t wear jewelry, or likes to read. Continue this exercise for each person on your list.
5. Consider your gift budget and determine how much you will be willing to spend on each person.

Once you finish writing your list of ideas, then it’s time to pull out your store flyers and catalogs or go on line to search for the gift. Match items for sale with what you have written.  Your idea list will now keep you on track and prevent impulsive spending.

A list of ideas will help you find gifts that will fit the person you are buying for much easier, especially when you shop on-line. With the list in front of you, you now have an idea of what to type into search. You’ll find what your looking for faster and avoid hours of scrolling through stores.

With a little planning it’s easy to find he right gift, a great gift…and quite often even the perfect gift that will make some one’s heart sing!

Roberta Barth

http://www.beesgiftsandgarden.com

http://www.ladybeesgifts.com