The Gift Exchange

A few years ago, when I first started working here at GiftTree, I was so excited to see what great wines we carried. I had just gotten in to wine a year or two before I started here, and the subject was relatively new, but very interesting to me. Over the years since, it’s become a subject in which I am somewhat knowledgeable, but to be honest, I’m no sommelier (nor do I understand the palate of what it takes to be a sommelier…). Although I do try to detect certain flavors and notes in wines, mainly I’m more of the ‘I like it’ or ‘Ehh not so much’ type of wine drinker. Luckily, I live in the great Pacific Northwest, where the wine making is plentiful and the plethora of wineries to chose to visit is almost endless. My husband and I love going on a drive up to the Dundee Hills in Oregon to visit several wineries, taste some amazing wines in the tasting rooms, and visit with the wine makers and owners who work tirelessly year-round to provide us with the amazing end product. Luckily for my husband, Oregon and Washington make some of the best Pinot Noir (his favorite!) in the world, and it’s always great when we find a new local wine to love. Unfortunately for us, when we go wine tasting for a day, or go to a wine festival such as the recent Wine and Seafood event in Portland, we always bring home more wine then I know what to do with. While it’s true I’m a believer of you can never have too much wine – it’s also true that my ‘hobby’ might just be taking over my dining room. So, either I can start drinking it faster (probably not going to happen), or we can take an idea a local winemaker suggested and do a makeshift wine cellar under the stairs (once my daughter outgrows her barbies, which the small room under the stairs is currently for. Although wine and barbies might be able to coexist together peacefully, don’t you think?). Such a brilliant and practical idea – I’m really not sure why I didn’t think of it myself.

If you don’t have the luxury of visiting the wonderful wineries in the Pacific NW, I’d highly suggest at least ordering a Fine Wine Tote for yourself, with the Pacific NW Wine Duo. You’ll get a fabulous bottle of Erath’s Pinot Noir and an amazingly light Chateau Ste. Michelle Indian Wells Chardonnay. Both great wines, from wonderful wineries that I can attest to! This tote is re-usable and great for traveling, and also comes with wine accessories such as a bottle opener and a wine stopper (which you probably won’t need, because you’ll want to finish the bottle…). Cheers!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our Valentine’s SweetHero contest! You all had such amazing stories, it made it very difficult for our staff to choose only a few! Congratulations to our Grand prize winner of two dozen red roses, Dustyn B! Our two runners up who will each receive a delicious cookie bouquet are Sara C. and Scott P. Winners have been notified by email. Thanks again everyone, Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!

As a girl I had wild dreams of one day experiencing a Valentines day like they they do in the movies. Rose petals everywhere, champagne for the masses and prince charming on one knee with a diamond that would put the Heart of the Ocean to shame.  In grade school my dad brought me and my sisters flowers to school every year, potted ones that we could then bring home and plant in the yard. It was something I looked forward to every year. Now that I’m out of school, all of my valentines days have consisted of awful restaurants, last minute plans, and an occasional gift. Mind you I don’t have the best track record when it comes to dating. I guess I just haven’t found “The One”. As I have gotten older, my ideal Valentines Day has changed with each passing year. The thought of having to clean up all the mashed petals in my carpet is not appealing, I have discovered champagne is not my drink of choice, and while the Heart of the Ocean is a spectacular piece of jewelry, it now lies at the bottom of the Atlantic – Ugh, thanks Rose.

Don’t get me wrong, I am still a hopeless romantic;  I fantasize about marring Johnny Castle and dancing the night away, the song lyrics of 16 year old Taylor Swift resonate in my soul more then they should and I can’t help but smile when I know that someone has found their lobster.

I don’t need anything fancy these days, although I wouldn’t pass up a love letter like the ones Mr. Darcy and Noah Calhoun write, a home made telescope to look at the stars and knock one more thing off my bucket list, or having a guy stand out side my window blasting Phil Collins from his boom box (that’s right a boom box, not an ipod – I might even give him a pen). Oh who am I kidding, I would kill for that kind of stuff…. send me to a John Hughes movie or any fairy tale, where the prince and princess end up happily ever after.  So until that special someone comes to take me on a boat ride under a blanket of willow trees surrounded by fireflies while crabs, frogs and flamingos sing to us, I’ll just have to settle for what my friends and I throw together at the last moment.  I guess in reality my 10 year old self isn’t much different from the me today. I still want to be swept off my feet.

This Valentines Day take the time to plan something special for the one you love. Guys, trust me on this… Every grown woman is still the princess she once dreamed to be, waiting for prince charming to rescue her from household chores, fat cats & mean step moms and Dads, don’t forget your daughters on valentines day – you are their first true love, let them know how special they are to you too.

Are you on Pinterest? So are we! Come follow our boards to get an insider’s scoop on new gifts, popular and limited wine gifts, holiday gifts and more. For those of you do not know what Pinterest is, it’s a virtual pinboard, where you can pin all different things you find from all over the web! It’s the perfect place to let your friends and family know about the stuff you love.

When I was in elementary school I loved making crafts for each of the upcoming holidays. We created turkeys from handprints for Thanksgiving, made Santa faces with cotton beards for Christmas and for Groundhogs Day… um, I don’t ever remember doing anything for Groundhogs day. Is it even a real holiday? To be honest – there wasn’t much I could tell you about this day other then what I learned from Bill Murray (they say were young and we dont know….we wont find out until we grow….). I took to the trusty internet to do a little research and I tell you what, I was not impressed with what I found. With what some say is an accuracy around 37% the groundhog isn’t much of a weather man. I’ll stick to what Rob Marciano predicts (who in my opinion is the cutest weather person on TV and got his start right here in the NW! (Yea, I loved him first).

As legend has it, if the groundhog emerges from his cozy underground dwelling and sees his shadow we are in for 6 more weeks of winter but if he pokes his little head out and sees a cloud filled sky we can look forward to an early spring. Now this always confused me – See sun, longer winter, see clouds early spring? Does that make sense to anyone else? Maybe with 37% accuracy we have had it wrong all along after all that is a failing grade.  But tell me this whats worse?  1.) Living the same day over and over again or 2.) have a failing grade

Top 5 Things I wouldn’t trust with an average 37% Accuracy

1. Gas Gauge/ Speedometer
2. Bathroom Scale
3. Pregnancy Test
4. Thermometer
5.  Spell Check

My husband and I were recently talking about memorable moments we’ve had in the 15 years that we’ve been married. Valentine’s Day of 2002 is one of my favorites. I had just given birth to our daughter, and our son was 2 years old. My husband had to go out of town on a business trip for several days and as luck would have it, both kids became very sick. Juggling two sick kids by myself to numerous doctor visits was an overwhelming task. After a long day, I was about to have myself a good cry when I heard the doorbell ring. I looked outside and saw the biggest flower arrangement I’ve ever seen. Overjoyed, I opened the door and the delivery driver hands me the flowers and said “Your husband told us to let you know he’s sorry he can’t be here with you today.” I thanked the delivery man and was about to close the door, but he said “Hold on, that’s not it!” and proceeded to go out to his truck and get another HUGE flower arrangement. Oh. My. Goodness. Not 1…not 2… but FIVE arrangements later (and some balloons for our toddler) I was able to say goodbye to the delivery driver. It was amazing! My whole house smelled like a floral shop, there were flowers EVERYWHERE. My husband also called shortly after to let me know that he was able to change his flight so he could come home 12 hours earlier to us. He was my SweetHERO!!

Do you need help being a SweetHero this Valentine’s Day? Tell us why – Do you need to redeem yourself after a not so hot Valentine’s Day gift last year? Do you want to propose this year? Do you need a little romantic gifting guidance? Let us know why you need GiftTree’s help to be a SweetHero this year and you’ll be entered to win! First place will receive a gorgeous Two Dozen Red Rose Delight bouquet hand delivered to their Valentine. We’ll also choose two runner up’s who will each win a Valentine’s Day Cookie Bouquet.
More ways to win!
“Like” GiftTree on Facebook and leave a post on our wall, telling us why you need our help to be a SweetHero

Deadline to enter: midnight (PST),  Friday, Feb 10th 2012. The winner will be selected by GiftTree’s Blog Team and notified by email. Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited.

I think I have found the perfect gift for my sister in law who is recovering from a recent illness. The Lounging Leopard Aromatherapy Neck Wrap Animal Pillow!  Who doesn’t like a little extra warmth on their neck & shoulders?  And the animal is so cute & cuddly, everyone in the family will want to enjoy it. Even the kids in the family can use it for a pillow while watching movies. And because it’s washable, it’s the perfect gift for a home with people of all ages! I think I’ll get one for my house, too!

This Royal English Tea Tower has got to be my all-time favorite Wedding or house warming gift! This gift has it all!  And with so many things to keep and reuse, It’s completely perfect! With two beautiful fine porcelain tea mugs, this would be a great gift to send to Grandma, then show up at her house in time for tea! This wonderful keepsake gift can be loved for many years to come. Just add happy memories and you can enjoy this gift for generations!

It seems like everyone I know is either starting or adding to their families lately. I noticed that all the baby gifts are either predictable or just plain boring.  And of course, you want to give a gift to the parents, too, but what would that be?
The Proud Parents Deluxe Gift Set has it ALL! It has nice gifts for the baby, including an all organic layette set and a large plush teddy bear. For the parents, Silver Picture Frame, two beautiful ceramic tea mugs with tea and infusers!
And at the end of the day, everything you need for a mini home-spa treatment: Green Tea Shower Gel, Green Tea Bath Salts and Green Tea Body Butter! And it comes all wrapped up in a festive tote suitable for baby’s toys!

On Saturday I turn 27…

I have mixed feelings about growing older each year, while I usually welcome the future with open arms there is something to be said for the events that made up the last year of your life what it is today. Saying goodbye to a great year is hard, take this past year for instance: I moved into a new place, proudly stood by my best friend as she married her perfect match, gained a sort of confidence I didn’t know I was capable of and realized that I don’t always know whats best. Traveled across the world by myself, learned the importance of good shoes and dreamed big.  While this past year was wonderful, I anxiously await what the future has in store. I have good things coming to me, I can feel it in my bones. So today, with only 24 hours left of a wonderful 26th year, help me celebrate all the accomplishments, failures and good times as I prepare to open the door for many more adventures as a 27 year old.

If you feel like making my transition a great one don’t hesitate so send me some lovely flowers like these…. The Stylish Plant Assortment, Heavenly & Harmony or the How Sweet It Is arrangement.