Valentine's Day!

Wow, Valentine's Day is going to come up quickly and we just finished Christmas!  It's hard not to get excited about Valentine's Day though and it's an excuse to do something fun.  I just got our new cupcake kits and boxes from Meri Meri and they are quite pretty and charming.  It's the perfect packaging for those who love to bake cupcakes.  For those who prefer to buy cupcakes rather than bake, the boxes still make a great presentation.  I love the kids boxed Valentine's Day cards to give out to their school friends.   I know what I'm doing for Valentine's Day!

 

 

Tops for Toddlers! Little Packrats Backpacks!

These adorable backpacks by Little Packrats are perfect for a toddler and preschooler.  They are small enough for them to handle yet big enough to usually put a favorite toy, crayons, stickers, a favorite book, you name it.  They are great for travel.  My two-year old first used hers when we went on a vacation.  It was great to take on the plane and long car rides.  The backpacks are made in the U.S.A. and thoroughly tested for child safety.  They are easy to clean both inside and out--just wipe off soil with a damp cloth.  The Little Packrats dolphin and Super Bear are the most recent additions to the collection.  At Emily's Collection, we have these three that are pictured along with Jack the Dog, Milo the Dog, a Beagle, and an adorable pig, Which one do you like the best?

Girls Fresh and Vibrant Necklaces by Everbloom

I came across these necklaces for young girls from Everbloom and just had to get them for Emily's Collection.  They are so unique and the colors vivid and vibrant.  Perfect and fun for a young girl!  They are handmade from Everbloom Studio.  They make a wonderful and unique gift for a little girl and the price isn't too bad either. Although I love all of them, I think my favorites are the red mushroom and the pink crocheted butterfly.  I honestly could wear this myself and just may...happy browsing!

Add Some Sweetness to Back-to-School or the First Day of School

Going back to school is like starting the New Year.  You get to begin fresh.  New teachers, new books, new clothes and even new friends!  Why not surprise them with back-to-school cupcakes?  The School Days cupcake kit by Meri Meri is adorable with school bus and chalkboard toppers.  Surprise your little student when he or she or they come home, put them in their lunch box or make them for their class--with teacher permission of course! 

School Days Cupcake Kit

New Store, Fresh Opportunities

What's my site about? Gifts. Pretty simple. It's my idea of what makes a great gift. It should be beautiful, fabulously designed (and there are so many great designers), wonderfully packaged, useful and well-priced. And it would nice if the gift had a story, right? I love a good story. We can all buy stuff- there is plenty of it. I think it's better to buy something that was made by an interesting person, with an interesting background who has an interesting story.

I also think everyone should be proud of what they are giving and I think people should give often. Why not? Doesn't it make us feel good to give and to receive? And don't we need to feel good these days?

I do have a passion for gift giving. I don't always get it right, but who does? But I do spend a lot of time thinking about. Even planning my daughter's party favor bags can take over my mind for weeks prior to the party.

So, that's what I'll write about gifts. Tangible ones and intangible ones. I love hearing about great gifts - ones that someone really thought about. A good giver has been a good listener and has stockpiled tidbits of information about their friend, husband, sister, whomever and pulls out one of those tidbits when choosing a gift, such as a need to relax, a desire to travel to Paris, a passion for planting bulbs, a love for candlelight, or a desire to organize. All of these tidbits help when choosing a gift.

So, that's why I decided to open an online retail store focused on gift-giving.  It's a new beginning and opportunity for me and I look forward to sharing my new discoveries with you.