Valentines Gift Guide *With Giveaway*

I've added a few new features to Musings of a Housewife that I hope will be helpful. Over the weekend I created a Whole Foods Resources page that is a great place to start if you are interested in learning more about the whole foods lifestyle. I also compiled my design tutorials into one convenient location. Both are linked in my nav bar. And there is now a Print Friendly button at the bottom of each post, should you feel like printing recipes or information for future reference. Before printing, you will have the option to delete any photos or content you don't need.

The winning numbers are 9 and 86.  Congratulations, turtle and Darcie – Such The Spot!!!  I hope you love your Free AgentGo portable hard drives.

It seems like Valentines has become the next biggest gift-giving holiday after Christmas.  I know it’s a contrived Hallmark holiday, but I can’t bring myself to ignore it.  Perhaps it’s because it falls in the dead of winter when everything seems so dull and dreary.  There’s nothing like a bit of pink and red Valentine cheer to infiltrate the gloom and doom of winter!  And how about a GIVEAWAY!?  That should get this house a’rockin’!  Scroll down to the bottom and see how to win one of TWO SeaGate Go portable hard drives.

Here are some super fun ideas for the loved ones on your Valentines gift list!  I’m sorry this is so late.  I meant to wrap it up MUCH earlier than this!

For Valentines Greetings
Personalized fruit roll-ups are a unique way to wish someone a Happy Valentines Day — perfect for classrooms and parties.  (And if it’s too late to get these in time for Valentine’s, Easter is RIGHT around the corner.  I know, I know.  Don’t shoot the messenger.) $29.99

Paper Shouts has a whole assortment of valentines for kids to hand out in their classrooms or send to family and friends. Check out the Valentine Collection to see what they have to offer.  These are SO much nicer than the drugstore variety.  For 15% off your order, use the code musings at checkout.  This offer expires February 4, 2009.  (That’s tomorrow!  RUN!  QUICK!)

For Kids

At $3.99 Paknak charms make a fun and thrifty gift, and what kid doesn’t like to decorate his/her backpacks and lunchboxes?  For 15% off your order, enter LUV15 at checkout.  This offer expires February 15, 2009.

This Conversation Heart Coin Purse is available in 3 different designs — perfect for little girls.  The purses are 3″ x 3″ and read “Cutie,” “Sweet Thing” and “Princess Power” and are available exclusively at Hallmark Gold Crown stores for $4.95.

You can’t go wrong with festive pajamas.  The Children’s Place has cute ones.  I picked up some cute nighties for my girls just yesterday.  They are already 25% off!  Also check out Gap and Gymboree.

Skullcandy® INK’d® Earbud Headphones in red are the perfect Valentines Day gift for that fiesty teenager.  Available at Radio Shack, they are currently on sale for $17.99.

For Teachers

I cannot recommend highly enough the book 32 Third Graders and One Class Bunny by Phillip Done.  You can read my review here. $14.57

Another cool teacher gift would be the handpainted kitchen tools Sarah reviewed a while back.

Or what about a box of the Barefoot Contessa Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix?  Read my review here.  These are FAB-U-LOUS!  $9.95

For Grandparents

Wouldn’t Grammie just love a Photo Book of her favorite grandkids?  PhotoWorks is offering 25% off custom Photo Books with the code 25offbook at checkout.  Offer ends February 14, 2009.

For Her

There’s always  jewelry.  I just love this Donna Bracelet $90 by Nicole Vazquez Jewelry.  She has many more gorgeous pieces to choose from.

Gibson Pewter has a lovely selection of pewter gifts, perfect for your Valentine sweetheart, whether it be your wife, girlfriend, or daughter.  These earrings $15 and these $15 are precious, as is this key chain $12.

How lovely is this Melt my Heart necklace from Hi-Strung Designs?  I love the fresh, modern styling with a black rubber cord suspending Sterling Silver stardust beads and a richly colored Swarovski crystal faceted heart. $35

How cute and innovative is this Chilly Jilly?  It’s a wrap in a small drawstring bag designed to be kept in your purse at all times. Made of the same micro fiber as popular athletic wear, it is light weight, crease free, soft and provides the perfect amount of warmth without compromising style. $30

These wooden handle purses by Jennifer Ladd are so sweet, and affordable too at $36 – $48.

If practical gifts are more her speed (or if you’re looking for a gift for a teenage or college-age daughter), this pink Car Safety Kit is adorable.  It includes jumpstart cables, steel hammer, mobile phone rechargers, ice scrapper, protective gloves, notepad, pencil, and 3-in-1 torch. $48

This Glam Personal Media Case is too cute.  I would LOVE one of these for traveling.  *HINT*  (Hope my husband’s reading!) This smartly designed case can hold and charge any of your three favorite electronic devices. $14.99

This red Tassimo Hot Beverage System by Bosch is a one-cup wonder. The Tassimo brews exceptional coffee and espresso drinks in a flash. With a convenient 2-liter water tank and carrying handle. An auto-cleaning system cleans the piercing unit after each cup. $169.99

For Him
All Natural Tough Guy Hand Salve is made of essential oils to make this a wonderfully emollient hand & body balm. Whether you’re a welder, a mountain biker or a golfer, a little of this goes a long way to healing dry, cracked, Tough Guy hands!  $15.99

These LovePak cards are a seriously cute way to remind your hubby why you married him.  They are sexy without being in poor taste.  Visit the link to see the entire collection.  $12 for set of 6.

The Remington PG-350, a 7-in-1 personal groomer, is a versatile, cordless groomer that makes it easy for busy guys to maintain their own facial hair – especially in-between visits to the salon or barber.  The rechargeable unit comes with self-sharpening titanium-coated blades for sharp, precise cuts. $19.99.

If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, I have several delicious ideas for you!  First, Sweet Muse offers a tin of a dozen fudge, heart-shaped brownies, individually wrapped with a quote about love inside, and tied with a beautiful red satin ribbon. $27.

My husband’s favorite candy is toffee, so I perked up when I heard that Rushburn Toffee (both English and Espresso) is available in stylish gift tins in half-pound or one-pound sizes, as well as in decorative gift boxes in three-ounce, half-pound and one-pound sizes starting at only $5.00.

And if healthy eating is more his style, how about a George Foreman 360 grill, in red of course!  With grills on both sides, it seals in juices, enhances flavor and retains nutrients.  A specially designed grease tray catches fats and oils, providing healthier meal solutions. The double-sided grill also allows for speedier cooking time – it cooking in about half the time.  This retails for $179.99 but it’s on sale right now at Amazon.com for $142.49 with free Super Saver Shipping!

For Pets

These sweaters from Red Dog House $35-$45 are just too cute for words.  And online shoppers can use the discount code sweater09 to receive the buy one get one half off discount from Feb 13-15 at Red Dog House. If your furry friend is your Valentine this year, then pamper your pooch with a Chilly Dogwool hand-knit sweater.  Only in America…

For Anyone (Well, okay, so not for your pet…)

What could be more appropriate for Valentine’s gift giving than a bottle of wine?  Seven Sister’s Bukettraube and M’Hudi Pinotage are two award-winning wines from Heritage Link Brands.  Both the Pinotage and Bukettraube are varietials typically used just in South Africa, with the latter having a sweet golden flavor and the former a rich, smoky taste — or so they told me.  I’m trying to finagle a product sample so I can bring you my first-hand opinion!

Finally, I included these in my holiday gift guide back in November, but the FreeAgent Go is now available in pink and red — perfect for Valentines gift giving.  My husband (the techie in the family) thinks these are awesome — it’s the thinnest hard drive, comes in a variety of colors, and includes a docking station to make it easy to update and organize your desktop while also being the perfect portable solution for taking your content wherever you go.  Not only can you give the gift of protecting content, but you can upload your special someone’s favorite pictures and music to the drive as part of the gift.

WIN IT: I get to give away a 320 GB FreeAgent Go in red* AND one in pink*!  Each is a $129.99 value.  This contest is available to U.S. residents.  I will randomly select 2 winners next Wednesday, February 11th.

Here are the rules for the contest:

1) REQUIRED: Leave a comment on this post telling me what products from this gift guide you are most excited about discovering.

2) OPTIONAL: Link to this contest on Twitter OR your blog OR email a few friends about it. Basically, spread the word in whatever way is most convenient for you.  Then come back here and leave a 2nd comment telling me which you did.

So basically you can get up to 2 entries, but only #1 is required.

*Red and pink are only availble for PC.  If you are a Mac user (like me!) and you win, you will receive silver.

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Tagged as: FreeAgent Go, fruit roll-ups, gibson pewter, gift guide, gifts, jewelry, paknak, paper shouts, photoworks, skullcandy, valentines