Looking around my apartment, I’m thinking to myself, you know, I really like (fill in the blank). So here is my list of random recommendations for this snowy tri-state day…

1. I’m all about a bargain as most of you know. Many also know that I am quite fond of tattoos and just got one the other day. Instead of buying expensive lotion to help heal the permanent ink that is now embedded in my skin, I recommend Harmon Face Values Daily Moisturizing Lotion. Cheap and does the trick. *Note: You don’t have to have a tattoo to use this lotion

2.How annoying is it to find the right slot for your knives in your knife block? Ok, for those of you that don’ t cook and don’t find this annoying at all, skip to #3.  Anyway, the Kapoosh knife holder is amazing and it fits any knife because there are no specific slots! It’s just a bunch of plastic rods that move around. Hard to explain, just check it out, trust me. Amazon

3. I don’t know what it is about random wood and metal sculptures, but they just make me smile. For instance, I have a heart decoration on my desk and when I glance over, it just makes me happy and feel adult.

4. I will never cut a straight line again. Why should I when I can use my scrapbooking scissors and cut with an edge. Want a rugged look? No problem. Or an elegant design? Consider it done. I use them to cut edges that are a pattern rather than a straight line. Basically it looks like it took you ages to cut a picture or piece of paper into a unique design – but realistically it took no time.

5. For those of you that live in NYC, we are used to cramped spaces. We laugh at the idea of having a dining room table! Well, if you have an open wall, I totally recommend this wall-mounted table. It folds flat to save space and flips out when you want to eat. Voila! You have a table. Grab two stools and you are set for a romantic dinner. I have only seen this at IKEA and I recommend staining it a color that matches the rest of your decor. Visit IKEA

For more information about anything I mentioned, please email info@GiftScrap.com or post a comment! Love to hear your recommendations as well!

Last weekend was one of the best weekends of my life.  Why you ask? Well, I found a Michael’s craft store in Manhattan.

When I found it, it was like the skies opened and the angels began to sing…I was in heaven.

It may not seem like a big deal to those who live outside of NYC, where the huge craft stores flood your streets and it’s only a car ride away, but for us Manhattanites without a car and few and far craft stores in the city, this discovery was epic.

I felt like Christopher Columbus on the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria.

There are small mom and pop stores here and there in NYC, which I am happy to support, but there is nothing I enjoy more than the craft store giant like Michael’s.  The hearty discounts, cornucopia of aisles, and abundance of knickknacks that I definitely don’t need, but desperately want.

Ah, it was a great day – and going to be a glorious year.

Michael’s is on…

808 Columbus Ave (on 100^th Ave)
New York, NY 10025-5139
(212) 865-0813

And I’ve even found one coupon for you to print…

Happy Crafting!

If anyone knows other great craft stores in NYC or in your hometown, please share!

Buttah giving a high five

Buttah playing poker

Seven years ago, my friend and I were walking to our local tanning place (how “Jersey Shore” of us) when we noticed a pet store.  It seemed like the dogs in the window were screaming for us… “Come here, come here two NYC girls, come here, roof!”

We felt the gravitation towards the store and couldn’t fight it so we walked in. Immediately, a little smooched up faced Maltese stared at us.  He didn’t bark or jump – he just looked at us with those “puppy dog eyes.” My friend and I looked at each other and thought, oh why not, let’s play with him for a bit.

Yep, as you may have guessed, our “play time” at the store led to a rather expensive purchase, but nevertheless, the best investment ever.

We named him “Buttah.” Similar to “Butter” but with a slight edge.  Say it with an attitude if you will.

Buttah has been in our lives for 7 years now and has brought joy to so many people.  Over the years, I have realized several things about Buttah…

1. I will be a great mom one of these days. Poop and pee will not phase me as I have cleaned up so much of his, nothing grosses me out anymore.

2. I will never get any exercise walking him.  He literally walks half a block and sniffs every 3 seconds.  He’s definitely not a runner.  He just loves to take his sweet time.

3. He is a great girl magnet. I often let my single guy friends walk him to pick up girls – they are always very appreciative.

4. I create awesome themed parties in honor of him.  For instance, for his fifth birthday, I made “Buttah” saying shirts for all guests.  Some of my favorites were “Buttah Believe it,” “Can’t Believe it’s not Buttah,” “Buttah Bing, Buttah Boom,” and “Buttah Fly.”

5. He is a great judge of character.  Whenever I start to date someone, he knows immediately if he’s a good guy or not.  Cuddles and kisses for those he likes; barks and snarls to those he doesn’t.  (There have been more barks than cuddles over the years).

6. He always feels the need to sit on random items – the remote, my scrapbook stuff, my cell phone, poker chips, laptop, etc.

7. He is such a team player…Buttah LOVES to give high fives.

8. He loves to chill and watch TV.  We could watch The Bachelor, Big Brother, American Idol or whatever mindless reality TV show for hours.  I wonder where he gets his love of television from? hmmmm….

So as Buttah stares at me from the couch right now, I want to say thank you to you little guy.  You’ve brought me companionship and given me patience.  Not to mention some great reasons to throw a party.

Delivery.com

I think I am a little behind the times on this, but my friend and I discovered the greatest website in the world.

Let me introduce you to my new favorite lazy man’s site: www.delivery.com

Let’s face it, it’s cold outside.  DC just got hit with a historic snowstorm that paralyzed the region- who wants to go out in this kind of weather?

Well, now you never have to leave your house again to order food or groceries. Delivery.com is easy, quick and I will never pick up the phone again.  Plus, many of you know that I LOVE winning and I LOVE free things.  The more points you earn from your orders, the more points you acquire – thus giving you the chance to get some free stuff.

Anyway – I wanted to share my new finding with you.  Enjoy my fellow lazy friends!

Also, please share any other sites like this!

Famous older man with his younger ladies...

Scenario…
He had vinyl records and 8 tracks growing up and now thinks an iPod sounds like an odd vegetable.  And just forget about trying to explain what the new iPad is to him.  Despite his technology innocence, he’s extremely charming, attractive and knows what he wants in life.  Sounds pretty good, right?  Well, what happens when you both go out and the younger ladies start paying attention to him?  All of sudden his once light blue tapered jeans and turtleneck combo have become a nice dark-wash pant with an out-of-this world button-up specifically made for the 28 and younger crowd.

His favorite Johnny Walker Black drink has now shifted to the Jager bomb…time to worry?

Possible Outcomes…
#1 You go out.  Instead of the extravagant French bistro he took you to on your first date, he takes you to a hole in the wall pub because his new friend is working there who promised to give him a discount.  And by new friend, we mean the guy who just mastered Photoshop in order to make fake IDs for all of his frat brothers. (Desirability: LOW; Reality: MODERATE)

#2 You go out.  Dinner is extravagant and the drinks are flowing.  You are feeling good and your man is looking hot in his new outfit.  You notice the cute waitress that is serving you acting a little flirtier with each round she brings over. You get up to go to the restroom and when you return, the bill has been paid and your man gets a cute little wink from the waitress and a phone number. (Desirability: LOW; Reality: HIGH)

#3 You stay in. You are enjoying a lovely evening of dinner and drinks.  He surprises you with a dozen roses and an iTunes gift card.  He mentions he has already downloaded your favorite song, “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera.  He says you are the most gorgeous thing in the world to him and he’s so lucky to have you in his life.  (Desirability: HIGH; Reality: MODERATE)

#4 You two stay in.  It’s Sunday.  You know what that means…football.  You hate football.  You don’t know the players or what teams have the best chance of making it to the Superbowl.  Your idea of a “pool” is one that you can swim in, not bet in.  Your man realizes that the last thing you want to be doing is watching the games so he surprises you with a shopping trip.  He says, you are the best thing he’s ever gambled on and he has already won the jackpot.  (Desirability: HIGH; Reality: LOW)

#5 You go on a double date with another couple and you decide it’s “game night.”  Dave & Buster’s is the hot spot of the night – full of basketball, air hockey, wings and beer.  Your man is a hit with your friends and with the games and he wins you a stuffed bear.  His game tactics are perfect and doesn’t have a mean, competitive bone in his body.  He supports you even though you missed 20 out of 21 shots on the basketball game and gives you the last buffalo wing on the platter.  (Desirability: HIGH; Reality: MODERATE)

The Lesson:
“Sometimes an old dog can learn some new tricks”

"Dona & Rabbana"

A friend of mine forwarded a great article to me (thanks @DuxieClothing) about the side effects of fake perfumes.  Living in NYC, we see tons of street vendors selling cheap, knockoff perfume.  95% of the time I walk by them because simply put, I just don’t trust it.  However, there has been that rare time where I decided to take the plunge and buy a bottle.

One afternoon my colleague and I were walking back from lunch when all of a sudden three guys pop out of a van and start yelling, “Hurry, get your perfume, get your perfume. This sells at Macy’s for more than $80, here…it’s only $5.”  I am one that absolutely loves a bargain, so I was like what the heck, I’ll pick up a bottle.  Here’s how my transaction went down…

1. All the bottles that the guys were holding out had the correct name of the perfume and looked exactly like the real deal. I pointed to the Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue box and said I will take one of those.

2. Guy #1 turns around and grabs one from the box behind him and passes it to guy #2 to his left.

3. Guy #2 puts it in a black bag

4. Guy #3 takes my money

5. I get the black bag and Guys #1-3 all encourage me to hurry off

As we walk to the door of my building, all of a sudden we hear police sirens.  Obviously, something pretty sketchy was going on!

I get upstairs to my desk and open the bag.  Instead of seeing a beautiful “Dolce and Gabbana” box like I originally saw outside when the guy was holding it up, I was now holding a fake “Dona & Rabbana” light blue box. I couldn’t help but laugh.  They totally pulled a fast one on me and did a complete swap.  Very clever I have to say.

I never ended up using any of it because honestly I was nervous I would break out into hives or something.  And after reading the article below, I’m glad I did not try it out! Bad reactions from knockoffs range from a runny nose to redness and eczema. Eek.  Article from Harpers Bazaar

How about you…ever try a fake perfume? Did it smell like roses or make you break out into a red blob?

flounder dinner

I am sitting here on my couch and just thinking about what I did this weekend.  Parts of it were very girly, others a bit boyish, and then whole other parts of it could classify me as an 80 year old woman.

Here’s the rundown of my last two days…
1. Made flounder
2. Drank wine 
3. Broke a glass pitcher because apparantly pouring hot water into it was not smart
4. Booked a hotel in Yountvile, CA for my friend’s wedding
5. Started a scrapbook for my friend’s son’s first year
6. Went to the Gym
7. Watched the Jets lose
8. Walked my dog
9. Spent some time on Twitter and Facebook
10. Cleaned my apartment
11. Started to plan a poker night
12. Had brunch with my parents
13. Watched “The Pregnancy Pact” on Lifetime. I really do love a good Lifetime movie.
14. Became very perplexed by the new Walmart “screaming clown” commercial
15. Checked out my horoscope and is now very excited for January 30th.  That apparantly is MY day for good change.

All in all, a very diverse weekend.  It makes me realize that I am pretty unclassifiable. 

How about everyone else? How would you classify your weekends?
Tame with a splash of crazy?
Boyish with a touch of Girl?
Party so hard you don’t even remember?
So lame that you wish you could forget?
Unclassifiable? 

…let us here about it!

I just had coffee with one of my friends who like many of us, always has a story about a guy.  The latest is definitely blog worthy and I thought it might be true for a lot of people.

You had a great relationship with someone and then sadly, it ended.  No more late night talks, cute dinner dates, or even drunken debacles.

A few months go by, and then all of a sudden you see him at a friend’s St. Paddy’s Day party.  As the shamrocks on your cheeks both glisten, you begin to reconnect over a Guinness.  It’s the luck of the Irish you think, and you begin your romance once again.

April. May. June. July. Yep – then, it’s over yet again.  You still remain friends but romance is certainly not in the cards any longer.

Over the next year, you go on dates with new men, but don’t meet anyone special.  For some reason, your ex is always in the back of your mind and you only remember the good times (because let’s face it, we never remember the bad times).

Then, this past weekend you go snowboarding a few states away.  Midway through your drive to the mountain, you realize you forget to pack your snow gear! Ugh, how annoying.  Now you realize you can buy $400 worth of new stuff, or take the more economical route, and rent some.

You go to the ski shop that you’ve never been to before and rent your wardrobe for the weekend.  After a couple days of snowboarding and drinking, you’re trip is over and it’s now time to return your rented gear.

Standing in line, you hear a familiar laugh.  You turn around – and who is it? Yep, it’s your ex.  It has to be fate you think – bumping into him at a random mountain rental ski shop doesn’t just happen, right?

I usually give a few possible outcomes, but this time I decided to just give one.  Tough Love I’m going to call this one.

It’s not fate, you’re just bored. You haven’t had any luck recently with men and running into your ex may seem like fate, but there is a reason why he’s your “ex.”  If it didn’t work the first two times, I can pretty much guarantee it’s not going to work again.

Don’t fall into the “it’s fate” trap.  Stop thinking about “what might happen,” and instead get a hobby and meet someone new!

Thoughts?

Twitter

Have you fallen for the 140 characters or less phenomenon, Twitter, yet? Many people have embraced the short and sweet social network but others look at it as just another nonsense trend.

I, like many, have fallen for the Twitter trap.

Why you ask? I’ve realized that…

-I love writing in 140 characters or less.
-I love following some of my favorite celebrities and reality stars. (big shout out to @Sn00ki, @JENNIWOWW, @JessicaSimpson, and @TheEllenShow)
-I love reading the news in one sentence. Why should I read an entire article ever again?
-I love my TweetDeck. If you do Twitter, and don’t have the TweetDeck, download it today. http://www.tweetdeck.com/  Everything I need to know is right in front of my face in beautiful columns. Nice and neat.
-I love when random people comment on my tweets. Who knew I had followers in South Dakota?
-I love see what the latest trends are and what people are tweeting about. I’ve connected with a lot of people who were looking for the perfect gift (ah hem, a GiftScrap book for instance), suggestions for where to go on a Saturday night in NYC, the best sushi restaurant in Midtown, etc.
-I love using #hashtags now.

Today in fact, I have a tutorial with my friend who has started her own business and wants to experience the power of Twitter. She will download that TweetDeck, post exciting things, follow the right people, and stay away from weird adult entertainment spammers.

How about everyone? Have you fallen for Twitter or do you not understand the hype? If you are a Tweethead, make sure to follow @GiftScrap on Twitter! http:///www.twitter.com/GiftScrap

Cheers

Scenario…
Going out with your friends is a great way to socialize and meet new people.  Usually, you end up at a bar. Once you find a bar you like, you get comfortable and it becomes your stomping ground.  You come to know the staff on a first-name basis and their friendliness and sense of humor becomes attractive.

A pattern develops in this new found home away from home:
Step 1: Pay as you drink
Step 2: A free shot here and there
Step 3: Hugs & friendly kisses start to be exchanged more frequently with the bar staff, along with the steadier buy-back
Step 4: You and the bar back wink “hello”
Step 5: When you walk in, your favorite drink is passed over to you even before you open your mouth.
Step 6: You close out the bar and are invited to stay for after hours.
Step 7: The bouncer lets you skip the long line and bypass the cover charge.
Step 8: The new after-hours spot becomes the bartender/bouncer/DJ’s (insert appropriate staff member here) apartment.
Step 9: You start feeling something for him, and plan your drinking schedule around his work schedule so you can hang more.
Step 10: Love is in the air, at least on your end. You treasure his winks from behind the bar, from the DJ booth, or from the door where he is stationed.

Are these the steps to your next happy relationship? I mean, it sounds pretty great…free drinks, no waiting in the cold on line, good conversation, and a desirable, hot man that is all yours! Isn’t he?

Possible Outcomes…
#1 You continue your pattern of going out.  Despite your day job and his night job, things seem to be going really well with him.  Your work suffers from exhaustion, and your colleagues ask quite frequently about your late nights due to the fact you practically fall asleep at your desk every day. But you are happy and make a note to buy concealer to cover up those dark circles under your eyes. (Desirability: MODERATE; Reality: MODERATE)

#2 As you continue going to the bar, you can’t help but notice the amount of “extra friendly” girls that also are there regularly and seem to be floating on cloud nine around him. Your man assures you that you are his one and only, and runs outside on his break to buy you a single rose. (Desirability: MODERATE; Reality: MODERATE)

#3 You get butterflies when your man winks at you from his position in the bar. But when you turn around, some hot blonde is returning the exact same smile that you are.  You start to wonder, who was that affectionate gesture really for? (Desirability: LOW; Reality: HIGH)

#4 You surprise him during his lunch shift with his favorite iced coffee.  He is making out with that redhead that you noticed coming around the bar more regularly. You go up and dump him and the coffee over his head, and march out. (Desirability: LOW; Reality: HIGH)

#5 You go to the bar to hang out with your man.  As he is at the other end of the bar hitting on a group of bachelorettes, the guy next to you leans over and says you have the most stunning eyes he has ever seen. You stop staring at your man behind the bar to turn and be blown away by the most beautiful man you have ever seen.  Time flies as you immerse yourself in conversation with the new man with a stool in front of the bar.  You cast one last glance at your bartender and realize that he hasn’t even noticed that you have been preoccupied for the last three hours. You have been dating your new hottie ever since that blissful night.  (Desirability: HIGH; Reality: MODERATE)

The Lesson…
“It’s time to raise the bar”