Hits and Misses /can we share?
I know when I am looking for a gift, unless something jumps out at me I often have a hard time. Obviously I want it to be really liked, and if I'm going to get something I want to also feel good about giving it. Remember the great baby quilt? I wish I could stumble on gifts like that. Like you have no question about giving it.
I don't get too many big deal gifts for my grandkids (as they have everything and beyond) but I like to give some little treats and it's funny how some are afterthoughts and they are really hits. Others I've given I thought would be adored, and they are big disappointments.
So can we share?
(It doesn't need to be for kids but this example just came to me).
A few months ago I somehow came across DoodleJamz. and thought they would be fantastic. Well, they weren't at all. Maybe your experience was different?
As an aside, I got them at a specialty toy store, $10 each as is the price on the A site. I ust went to look for them to show a picture and they are selling for much less. Ha. This is one version but there were a few others. Looked good to me but obviously what do I know.
Then a few weeks ago I saw these small etch a sketch ( remember those) and hesitated thinking they might be frustrating and too heavy...well the seond they got them they were consumed with them. ( grands are 6, 4, and 2 ). They thought it was the greatest thing EVER.
So - any hits and or misses to share?
Again it doesn't have to be kid related.
Comments (17)
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Comments (24)This is a great posting..I'm sorry that I tried the PW raspberry blast petunias this year. I didn't think they performed that great. Last year the PW vista bubblegum pink was fabulous! It will be back in my beds in 2011. One of my favorites was Dwarf fairy candytuft in mixed colors(mostly two shades of purple/white/rose)carpet of snow allyssum. Had two patches that I wintersowed and they are still flourishing. Of course, snapdragons that the birds dropped back in 2009 that were yellow. This year they look like peppermint candy. First time planting liatris sent to me by a DG poster. Black eye susans(rudbeckia "Goldstrum" I think. Portulaca grew in a cracked bird bath. Will plant more of those in bird bath again and in other spots. Malva Zebrina..wintensowed that and it really did great. Never had luck with pentas in previous years. I will not plant calendulas again. The type I have is yucky color with ugly foliage. I didn't get my Yvonne's salvia planted until too late. It's only about 18-24 in. tall now.. Coneflowers did well, as did white scabiosa. vinca..bought starter plants from HD..doing well and very showy. Columbines became invasive..cut them back after they bloomed and gathered the seeds, now the plants are back and one plant is blooming again. I'm sure I've missed listing some....See MorePlease share your Ikea hits and misses.
Comments (60)I have quite a bit of Ikea furniture/items. Some has held up, some hasn't. I usually first go to the "as is" area by the registers. This is out of the way for a lot of people, but if I'm really looking for something I don't want to waste time going throughout the store if it's there cheaper. I was able to save over 50% on my Hemnes dresser in as is just because it had a scratch on the top. It was already completely put together. I've had this dresser for over 3 years now and it is my favorite piece of furniture. The top is somewhat soft, so I would suggest if this bothers you that the top doesn't look as great after a few years. I also bought a Tarva nightstand for $40. They're a lot cheaper and unfinished pine. I put this together and then painted it the color I wanted. I then spray it with shellac and it has held up really well. My eivor cirkel rug is beautiful, soft, and has held up for the past year. It's easy to clean and doesn't lose fibers ever. I have 2 Asele table lamps. These come with an adjustable dial to turn them on. They're great when you want it lighted but dim in the room. My cats have knocked them over a few times and the shades have held up to this. I have 5 NOT floor lamps, both with and without the side light for reading. These get wobbly over time and need to be retightened. I love them and they're cheap. I have several LACK side tables that I've painted and recovered. They hold up well, but tend to chip if you run into them, hence the paint. I also have a LACK coffee table that my bearded dragon's tank is on. It holds the weight and is very sturdy, but it does scratch easily. I also have a VEJMON side table. That one didn't hold up to my puppy's wood chewing stage.. woops. The BISSA shoe cabinet is great, but it has no cut out for the baseboards which makes mounting it a pain. I plan to replace this soon. My various IKEA cookware and utensils have held up well but dishwashing tends to kill them after a few times. I have IKEA artwork too that is pretty decent quality. My ottoman is so heavy duty that it chipped my wood floors when it fell. The one thing I would not buy from there again is pillows. I have bought maybe a handful of pillows for my living room. After only a few months they started stabbing me with feathers. Oh, and of course my bathmats, shower curtains, wastebaskets, etc. are all great....See MoreYour Kitchen Vision - Hit or Miss?
Comments (33)There have been requests for photos and so far, not too many, so I'll throw mine in. Vision points... What I was 'after': - Functional goals: Room for our whole family of 10 to hang out and work together without getting in each other's way...Work Zones and multiple work spaces. A separate room so kitchen mess, noise, etc. is confined and not experienced from other rooms. - A 'baker's kitchen'. One that looks like you should smell bread baking in the oven and see pies cooling on the counter. This is what I fell in love with in looking at white kitchens, while all the time knowing white kitchens weren't for me. I had to figure out what else it was that was drawing me. - One my kids would think was cool and my grandma's would've loved, too... A good mix of contemporary lines, well-performing appliances, all while feeling welcoming and homey. Barefoot appropriate. Where the kids and friends, and eventually grandkids, want to hang out and bake. - A little bit of the outside in. I wanted to be able to sit at my kitchen table and feel relaxed... Like the feeling of sitting on the sun-warmed and sun-bleached rocks along a river...with the feeling of a sunny day in the trees. (The stone behind the stove was supposed to represent the feel of those sun-bleached rocks, so that's why it was a disappointment for them to be more varied with some darker shades.) - I also needed to have a surprise of boldness and artistic flair. That's where the stronger color comes in along one side, and the variation in materials and, particularly, backsplash. Lascatx helped me be brave enough to show this side of myself in an otherwise fairly traditional, farmy type kitchen that was designed to suit our 2007 version of an American Foursquare home. You can see I asked a lot of it! LOL. And it delivers, pretty well for us. After 3 1/2 years it's still a bit of a work in progress. Island needs to be finished after I redesigned it to replace doored cabinets with drawers, need a new drawer front under the newest oven, and the upper trim needs to be done. Looking forward to seeing everyone else's 'hits.' :-D Here is a link that might be useful: More kitchen pics...See MoreHits and misses of 2014
Comments (51)Hits: -New jute LR rug, it pulled the room together far better than expected and bonus points for being super-soft. Have to watch out for lounging felines when we walk through because cats evidently think it is a 9x12 cat Tem(purrrr)pedic and are ALWAYS stretched out somewhere on it -New recliners; they not only are totally comfortable but look so elegant and NOT reclinerish. Love, love, love them. Bonus points that I can at long last have cream chenille upholstery on LR furniture, woohoo. Although I have had sheets of aluminum foil on the seats for several weeks since the cats seem to migrate from the rug to the chairs if I let 'em -(Stolen from someone else) My holiday decorating this year was gorgeous, at least in my eyes :). Found some beautiful holiday pillows on sale at Pier 1, some lovely wreaths, all in my color scheme and everything appeared so festive . My sister told me that my niece said 'mom, the tree looks like it came out of a magazine'. The cats had no interest in the tree,they were sacked out on the jute rug Misses: -Huge expensive miss on new dining room table and chairs. Ethan Allen stuff and expensive enough that I just cannot get rid of 'em immediatly but I misjudged horribly on size. The table is far too large for the space and now I don't even have room for a tiny table or buffet. The chairs are bulky and pretty darned uncomfortable to boot. I made the mistake of buying for max capacity (holiday gatherings, annual club dinner at my home) without really thinking through the reality that 99.999% of the time the only people dining at home are my husband and me. Really, it's like that scene from Citizen Kane every night, him at one end and me waaaaaaaaay at the other. Luckily whichever one of the cats that has roused herself from the jute rug usually sits on an empty chair with her cat head poking up, so at least we've got a bit of visual comic relief -Still have several rooms of shame, including my son's room, the florida room and our office. I have a long standing goal of decluttering which didn't happen once again in 2014. However 2015 is looking promising: son is living with girl friend, daughter is moving out and I hope to get rid of miscellaneous extra furniture plus REALLY get in and toss out lots of detritus. Hope springs eternal. Cats love jute. That is all...See More
Funkyart
last yearOh I think we've all experienced giving hits and misses. We just hope to have more hits than misses! I get the most delight out of the small things that are unexpected hits .. here are a few of mine ...
Vinpop Champagne Popcorn - I bought these to add to themed gift bags but everyone -- my sister especially-- loved it. I keep some around for when she takes me somewhere or needs a pick-me-up. I buy direct from vinpop but Big A has them too.
Lavender Luvies stress balls - another item I keep around for when needed. I first gave one as a gift for my grandmother (along with other things) --- she loved it so much that she took it with her for hospital stays. If she was stressed or lonely, she would just squeeze it and her whole room was filled with the lavender scent. I prefer to buy them direct from Lavender Luvies because i can get the sweet burlap bags.
Flying Wish Papers - I am not even going to tell you how many of these I have on hand! They are perfect for so many occasions! I have shared them before-- along with the videos. What better gift than to give a wish! It has become a family tradition to do them on new years day after pork and sauerkraut (because I add them to everyone's christmas gift)! There are MANY designs.. in a small size and a larger size. Both work great.
Thermoworks IR Thermometer Gun - I got this for my BIL when they got a pizza oven but it turned out he used it ALL the time! He used it when fiddling with his engine-- and when troubleshooting a HVAC duct issue .. and he even tried to use it when my sister was sick to take her temperature! LOL. I have since given one to each of my BILs, brother, nephews. (I don't buy anything from thermoworks that isn't on sale! They have them often!)
Golden Snitch Heliball from Worldtech Toys - i bought this as a throw away and it was the surprise hit of my great nephew's birthday! My nephew and all the kids loved it -- even my adult niece loved it! The only thing is, in her house, she requires supervision when playing with it so he/the toy doesn't bounce off the walls/tv, etc. Best gift under $20 ever (from Big A.. )salonva thanked Funkyart
Oakley
last year
Sueb20
last year
mtnrdredux_gw
last yearMy go-to gift for young children is either a kaleidoscope or a pinwheel, and a gift ctf to a local independent bookstore. I don't know any parent who doesn't complain they are overrun with toys, so I like these gifts because they are small tokens that usually interest kids. I buy inexpensive but nice quality versions (lol do you know there is an Hermes pinwheel?). I have pic of them somewhere but these are similar. I usually buy a few.
mtnrdredux_gw