So today because I am in the giving mood (must have something to do with the last of the hampers I am making!!) I decided I would like to do a "gift-away".

This is the first ever giveaway on the Gift Assistant, but hopefully in the near future we can do some more... everyone loves free stuff, right?

Ok, calling all coffee lovers. Today as the first ever gift-away I have a 250g packet of Sexie Coffie, which, even as a non-coffee drinker, I reckon smells DIVINE!!

So how to enter:

• First of all you need to be following the Gift Assistant and located within Australia (sorry to everyone outside of Oz)
• Next I would like to hear from you so... post me a comment telling me why you would like to win this beautiful coffee from sunny Qld.

Entries close on 30th of December 2009 so that I can post it out early in the New Year - just trying to make Christmas go just that little further!

The winner will be selected by Random.org and will have the choice of either plunger style or full bean coffee. Make sure you check back to see who wins.....

So there are two days before Christmas. Are you ready? Or do you have some last minute gift shopping you are putting off because it is seriously hard work?

Well, let's take a look at some last minute gift ideas that you may not have thought of... all under $40!

A music CD - Perfect for all music lovers, WOW Sight and Sound offer some great CDs at pretty good prices. What's hot? Think Susan Boyle, Pink (even her Funhouse Tour DVD would be awesome!), The Script, Robbie Williams or Michael Buble. WOW's selection means that everyone who likes music is covered.

Books - If you haven't looked before, check out Kmart and Big W where more often than not the best sellers are cheaper than your average book shop. What's hot? The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson, Twilight Series by Stephanie Meyer, The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown, Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom and U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton.

If you are in or near Mackay, consider a Chocolate Bouquet from Hamperific. Prices for a delivered bouquet start at $40 and include a handmade card. But get in quick, last orders are being taken now for Christmas Eve deliveries.

A Ukulele - This cute little instrument reminds me of old Elvis movies filmed in Hawaii. These are a great stocking filler at around $25 and can be found at most music stores, such as The Guitar Shop. Throw in a chord book and some music and your little darling could well be on their way to being the next big thing!

Movie tickets - Parents will love you and kids will think you are awesome when you include a couple of movie tickets for the holiday season. Check out the gift cards or get a voucher where they can get a movie and snacks from the Candy Bar. Need to get the vouchers somewhere else and haven't got time to send them? Now Birch Carroll and Coyle offer e-vouchers!

Handbags, purses and wallets are ideal last minute gift ideas for friends and family, as well as aftershave and perfume. Make sure you check out shops like Perfume King where you can buy genuine perfumes for significantly less than full price.

Australia Post workers are on strike again, so sending your gift now may not get to its destination on time this year. Still want to gift someone interstate but have left it to the last minute? Check out my post on Out of Town Recipients. Besides saving money on postage, they will get their gift just in time for Christmas.

Still stuck for ideas? Drop me a line and I will give you one on one advice for your hard to buy recipient!

Have a great Christmas and see you in the new year!

Hi there! Yes I am back… and I apologise for my delay in the anniversary posts, but thanks to a malicious little hacker I have been offline trying to sort out my computer. Anyway, several hundred $ later and I am back doing what I love to do – gifts!

Ok, so putting aside anniversary gifts for a moment (these will resume after Christmas now) let’s put a little attention on Christmas. Yep, only 17 days to go, in case you were in denial.

I have just read an article about Christmas and I personally struggle each year trying not to get caught up in the materialistic side of it all. Besides being downright expensive it can be stressful trying to find the right gift for the right person.

Well today is part 1 of 2 parts on gifts under $40 just in time for Christmas. And lots of them can be done online, so you can stay well away from the shops and the madness that normally represents Christmas (unless you really love crowds and lack of parking!!).

Wheelie Designs – This fabulous company creates wheelie bin stickers for EVERYONE. Go on, check out their site and I dare you to find one sticker you don’t like! They make them in Queensland and ship Australia wide and until Christmas they have FREE postage. At just $34.95 for a 240L size sticker, they are a unique and original idea that will be a hit with your recipient (providing they have a bin!).

Perfect for: the person who has everything, eg Dads, Uncles, Cousins, Families.

Soaps – And not just any soaps either. Aroma Beauty soaps are the BEST that I have used. Organic, handmade and divine, these soaps are beautiful for using in the shower, not putting in the drawer. Jan has created an extensive selection of flavours that really do smell good enough to eat. My personal favourites are the Choc Mint, Bubble and Squeak, Juice bar – ok, all of them! Jan offers two flat rates for shipping: under $23 and it is only $7.50 express, or over $23 and it is $10 express. My tip: buy up quite a few to save your postage… you can then have several gifts sorted in one hit as everyone has to have a bath or shower, right?

Perfect for: Mum, Grandma, Dad (yes, men are catered for too!), your pet Dog (Jan has dog soap and a rinse that pooch will love), Sisters, Sister in laws, Aunts.


Diary or Calendar – The Australian Conservation Foundation have created two gorgeous products for 2010, a calendar and diary featuring stunning photographs. They are both made from 100% recycled paper too, so they are an eco-friendly gift idea at just $21.95 (plus P & H) for the diary and $24.95 (plus P & H) for the calendar. The ACF have gone the extra step and put in all the public holidays, school term dates and in the diary, tips for having a greener home and lifestyle.

Perfect for: Anyone that likes to be organised. Grandparents and Parents love to have calendars when they can keep track of birthdays and special occasions. Brothers, Sisters, Bosses, Employees, Families.

Chocolate – For every Chocoholic you know, this year is going to be special! Bianca from Coastal Chocolates makes wonderful chocolate bark which she can post straight to the recipient’s door! With flavours like Rocky Road (delish!!), Caramel Marble, Cookies and Cream, Peppermint and more, I think she has it covered! Prices start at $13.95 for the bark with a flat rate of $12 express postage.

Perfect for: Mum, Dad, Grandparents, Families, Bosses, Employees, anyone who loves chocolate!

Craft ideas – So on your list there is someone who loves craft. They might be real scrapaholics (that is they love scrapbooking) or love to knit, bake or sew. I recommend that you check out some books relating to their craft. Or you can always purchase a gift voucher to their favourite shop. If you go with the book idea, make sure you hold on to receipts, just in case they already have it and need to swap. Prices for books or vouchers vary from shop to shop, but if it is a book you are after may I recommend checking out Fishpond. I love this site and often buy my books from here especially when they also offer FREE shipping for orders over $49. Their book selection is huge and they have just about every genre covered (not just crafts).

Perfect for: Mum, Dad, Aunt, Uncle, Grandparents, Friends, Bosses, Employees, Sisters and Sister in Laws.


I hope this has given you a few ideas about gifts for your loved ones, but if not, stay tuned for the second installment on Christmas gifts.

Do you have someone really, really hard to buy for? Drop me a line and let’s see if I can give you some personalised ideas.

Happy giving!

Well a mighty big congratulations on your 10th year anniversary. That’s a decade of togetherness!


So how do you celebrate such a momentous occasion? According to tradition with tin or aluminum. For him I found the coolest aluminum shoes… Check out Zazzle where your man could be one hip dude in these!

Or if he is into cycling then a new aluminum frame bike could be just the gift for him. Team his new bike up with a helmet, shoes or a new pair of sunnies for a great anniversary gift.

Similarly tin really doesn’t hold a lot of appeal for me as far as an anniversary gift idea goes. I mean, 10 years and all you get is tin? Well, let’s think about this a little more…


Using the name tin and thinking a little more laterally I could suggest a trip to Tin Can Bay in Queensland. Especially if you love fishing. Even for the weekend a stay at one of the B&Bs would be lovely just to get away from it all.

Moving on to the modern approach is diamond jewelry. Now we are talking! I probably don’t need to suggest where you might be able to get some lovely ideas... any jewelry shop assistant will be more than happy to help. But gentlemen, if you really and I mean seriously want to impress – try Tiffany’s.

Remember, this is the lovely lass that has spent the last 10 years sharing your life with you. Make it really special!


Ladies, if you are looking for something special for hubby, take a look at this ring. Now it does say that it is a wedding ring, but he doesn’t have to know that!

If you are considering a trip to celebrate, might I suggest Kununurra in Western Australia where the stunning Argyle diamond mine is based. Then you can pick out your own diamond and have it set. This will prove to be one memorable experience!

Flower of choice for 10 years is the Sweet Pea. These are really pretty little flowers and your local florist may or may not have them in store. If you are organised and are well ahead of time, you could source some seeds and plant them to flower in time for your anniversary. Or you could skip the planting and whisk your beloved away to Sweet Pea Cottage in the Blue Mountains!

Yes, it is true that for this anniversary I have made not one or two, but three suggestions for getaways. And why not? It is a decade that you have spent together so go and make the most of it!

Good luck and enjoy!

Ok, so today I was going to post the 10th year anniversary gift ideas... well I am going to postpone that particular post to another day (so come back to visit). The reason for this postponement?

Today is Friday the 13th. Woohoo. But did you also know that it is World Kindness Day?

Now, this is a topic I feel very strongly about, because in all honesty I believe we need more kindness in our everyday lives. I am really lucky that within my business I get to share the kindness with other people in the form of delivering gifts. I love to see the genuine look of surprise and happiness when people get something they weren't expecting.

So here is my question to you: "Why do we have to wait for a special occasion to show kindness?"

My simple answer is that we don't! We can do kindness everyday and it doesn't have to be expensive gift giving either.

To celebrate today I baked 2 dozen muffins to take to my son's school. I also printed out 2 dozen suggestions of things the kids could do to show kindness.


The suggestions included:
*Walk your dog or someone else's
*Pay a compliment
*Talk to your neighbour
*Include someone into your conversation
*Lend a hand
*Do something nice for someone else

Now, I don't know if the kids took too much notice of the little notes that I handed out with each muffin, even with the teacher asking them to take the time to look at them and READ what they say.

I do know this - 18 out of 20 kids said thank you without being prompted and 3 came up to me after the bell had rung and told me that they were really good muffins. Funnily enough only 1 of the notes I wrote said "Pay a compliment".

At the end of the day if they remember for 1 moment that Stefan's Mum came to school and gave us a muffin for no reason, then I am happy. Hopefully they will share the kindness.

Do a random act of kindness, it will make you feel soooo good....

This gift quandary comes from Rebecca who asks: "How can I transform an old photo into a creative birthday gift?"

There are quite a few companies that are offering a printing service on to different mediums including Officeworks and Harvey Norman. Regular camera shops and even some chemists are also places to think about when wanting to transform a simple pic into something very special.

For around $50 you can have your very own personalised cushion cover! Check out Imaage Photo Giftworks' online shop who can print them for you and send them to you direct - very clever!

What about if you have an old photo that is not digital? This can be remedied by scanning the picture to your computer and saving it as a JPEG file. As long as the resolution of the image is high you should be able to get away with it.

If in doubt contact your local photo centre (as mentioned above) and seek their advice.

Good luck!