3G2S "Top Picks" 2012 Holiday Gift Guide for Grandparents

1.  Partylite Light Illusions LED Pillar Candles Trio w/Remote ($72.00) - This is just about one of the coolest candle products I have ever seen from Partylite!  It is a set of three 3" ivory battery-operated LED pillars that look and feel like real unscented pillar candles.  The pillars measure 5", 6", and 7" tall.  Two AA batteries are required (not included) for each pillar candle.  What makes this gift even more unique is that it comes with a remote control (battery included) that can be used to turn the realistic flickering candles on and off, to make the candles flash like a strobe light, and to set a 5 or 10 hour timer.  No more worrying about pets or young children going near live flames, falling asleep with candles lit, or being forgetful and leaving the house without blowing out your candles.

Partylite ScentGlow Warmer Change-O-Style ($40.00) - This is an electric tart warmer that plugs into your wall.  It has a hidden LED light that glows through the frosted glass when you flip the switch to the "on" position on the back.  I love that this warmer comes with 3 changeable decorative silhouette plates . . . snowflakes (as shown), birds, and scrolls, which attach to the warmer magnetically.  To use this warmer, simply plug it in, place two pieces of scented 9-piece wax melts (sold separately for $5 each) into the ceramic dish that sits on top, and turn the warmer on.  Once the wax melts, it scents the entire room, and without having to light a single tealight.  This warmer can also take scented oils.

To learn more about these flameless candle products and to find out how to order yours, visit www.partylite.com.

2. Blurb Custom Photo Book ($19.95 and up) - Blurb photo books come in various sizes.  The one I made for my mother-in-law is a 10" x 8" image wrap hardcover book with 20 pages and costs $31.95 (not including shipping charges).  There are several ways to upgrade your book, from the type of paper to the type of cover.  I used my favorite high resolution digital photos of the family from 2012 to make this book in order to show her what our children have been up to this year.  The front cover, back cover, and spine of the book are all customizable.  The Blurb software is so easy to use and I just love how the book turned out . . . so much that I considered keeping this book for myself for a moment or two.  My favorite thing to do is to fill a page with a single photo so that the photo goes off the edges of the page.  Doing that adds such impact to the book.  To create your own photo book as a gift for a loved one (or for yourself), visit www.blurb.com.

3.  The Seven Year Pen ($7.50) - Some people go through pens like they grow on trees.  They chew on them, lose them, or lend them out without a second thought.  This pen is for the more responsible pen-user . . . the one who has a special spot for their pen in their bag or by the phone at home.  Such a person would appreciate the 7-year life span of these pens made by Seltzer Goods.  The Seven Year Pen holds enough ink to last up to 7 years!  This Swiss-made pen writes very smoothly and currently is available in 19 different designs.  If the person who receives this pen can manage to hold onto it for 7 years, replacement ink cartridges are available for only $1.99 each.  If more people used The Seven Year Pen and the replacement cartridges, there would not be 100 million pens discarded daily worldwide.  To see all the available designs, visit www.seltzergoods.com.

4.  Paperblanks Foiled Grande Dayplanner ($24.98) - The planners made by Paperblanks have a wonderful Old World charm.  Whether you are using these dayplanners to keep track of your personal or business schedule, they are a nice change from the boring generic planners usually found in the office supplies section.  This Grande Dayplanner has a Week-at-a-Time format, which includes everything from a list of national and international holidays to a World time zone chart, from the following year's holiday calendar to a removable address book.  This planner comes with not one, but two ribbon markers, and is the perfect thing for any adult to stay organized during the current week and the weeks ahead, to record doctor's appointments, and to make notes about important things to do that cannot be forgotten.  The Grande measures 8-1/4" x 11-3/4" and is the perfect size to sit on a desk at home or at the office.  To view all the styles, formats, and sizes of Paperblanks dayplanners available, visit www.paperblanks.com.

5. Family Recipes Cookbook ($19.95 and up) - I have actually not made one of these, but the idea is so  cool that I wanted to put it out there.  These are also Blurb books, but they use photos and recipes to make cookbooks!  This would be the perfect gift for the cook of the family (as long as he or she does not mind sharing their personal recipes).  In fact, it may be a fun project for you to work on together with the recipient who will be in charge of preparing each recipe that he or she would like to have included in the book so that a digital photo can be taken of it.  Once the book has been completed and has been published, you can order additional copies to gift to other family members and loved ones.  To see more examples of custom printed cookbooks, visit www.blurb.com.


Although complimentary product samples were sent to facilitate this gift guide, all opinions expressed are my own.

Back to School 2010: Seltzer's Seven Year Pen

Each year, over 100 million pens are discarded every single day. Seltzer wants to decrease that number, so they created the Seven Year Pen. It’s a very nice, durable pen that is sleek, modern, and made of high-quality components. It features a jumbo ink supply that fills the entire pen barrel, can write two meters a day for 7 years, has super smooth black ink, a long-life tip, stylish, silk-screened graphics, and a portion of each sale will go to environmental causes.

I received the “swirl” style pen and I really, truly like it. I have it clipped to my planner and I’ve been using it several times daily since I received it about a month ago. So far, I have not had a break in writing with it, I’ve never had to do the trademark ink pen scribble to get it to work, it’s very durable, and I love the way it writes; so smooth and perfect.

The Switzerland-made Seven Year Pen retails for $7.50 and is currently available in 13 different designs in black ink only. What a great eco-friendly teacher's gift these would make! You can order these pens directly from SeltzerGoods.com or from a variety of art and stationary stores nationwide.

Thank you to Seltzer for providing us with a sample product free of charge to base this review upon.

Back To School 2010: New Zebra Pens & Mechanical Pencils

Summer is not even half over, but the time to think about back-to-school supplies is nearing quickly. Zebra Pen, a popular brand for ball point pens, gel pens, mechanical pencils, highlighters, and more, has introduced some great new writing tools for students of all ages. These new products are not just for students, but for teachers, professors, and busy moms and dads.

The new Zebra Regal Roller Pens are perfect for the serious high school student, college scholars, and teachers. They are available in 4-packs with either arrow tips or needle tips. I personally prefer arrow tip pens. I must press down too hard when I write, so I usually wear out needle tip pens after awhile. The 4-packs come in an assortment of black, blue, red, and green fade and water-resistant ink.

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For myself, I like retractable pens because I am always in a rush and jotting things down in my Day Runner throughout the day. These new Z-Grip Daisies Ball Pens add some flourish to the classic ball point pen and are right up my alley. These pens would be fun for grade school children, tweens, . . . all the way up to adults. I will be taking these to BlogHer 2010 with me. The 5-pack of Z-Grip Daisies come in pink, orange, blue, green, and purple. And, yes, the ink colors do match the grip colors. Since many teachers do not accept colored inks on school work, I would have loved to have seen at least one black or dark blue pen in the pack.

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The Cadoozles mechanical pencils are especially made for grade school and middle school students. The 10-pack comes in six different fun designs. More importantly, these mechanical pencils are topped with erasers and they are refillable. So many mechanical pencils out there are meant to be disposable and are not refillable. That seems like such a waste to me and is not so good for the environment. You can refill these pencils easily with 0.7mm lead by removing the erasers at the top.

My son is entering 1st grade this fall and his teacher will only allow yellow No. 2 pencils at school. I suppose it reduces the number of disputes between children that age when each child has similar supplies. At least Zebra pens and pencils will make homework more fun to do.

To view the full line of Zebra Pen products, visit ZebraPen.com . You can also find new products and promotions by visiting Zebra Pen on Facebook and by following ZebraPen on Twitter.

Thank you to Zebra Pen for sending us sample pens and pencils free of charge to base this review upon.