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Posts Tagged ‘gifts’

In search of a signature gift

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: gifting, gifts, yuzen

21 December 2020

Once upon a time, I used to have a really great signature gift that I could give people for a variety of occasions: birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, thank yous, baby showers… and then they went out of business.

They were Yuzen box, a subscription box that curated high-quality, eco-friendly products. Everything they did was so gorgeous and well-thought out. Each box included a good mix of skincare, beauty, and bath products, along with the occasional snacks. They also had a men’s version ever so briefly, so I could truly gift to anyone on my list.

new yuzen interior box in rectangular shape with white flowers on aqua background — The interior box is a nice cardboard perfect for reusing!

Now that they’re gone, I struggle to think of a gift that I can so easily pull out of my back pocket to send to people. The closest go-to I have might be Bucky Balls, but I’m still looking for something more classy.

The woman I bought my house from shared with me a very unique tea flavor that I’d never seen before. I don’t know if they’re uncommon in stores, but they’re special enough for her to use as her signature gift when she travels. It also helps they’re so light, so it’s any gift to pack. Perhaps I should also select a favorite tea that I can send to people.

Or perhaps I should finally learn some pottery so I can make silly little things to give to people. Maybe a tiny dipping bowl or a jewelry tray or a mini jug for pour sauce or oil? That would be cool, though I’d have to actually find a place to learn and start making that stuff! It would be cooler than random store-bought stuff, right?

Alternatively, I was talking to a coworker about this and she suggested food. I do make a pretty mean vegan chocolate chip cookie, but man am I lazy. If I had to do that all the time I wouldn’t be motivated. I can only bring myself to do that like twice a year.

Alas, for now I will continue to ponder this issue and keep my eye out for something interesting that catches my eye. I might peruse the online fair trade markets I’ve gotten some fun items from, like GlobeIn or The Little Market. But I certainly won’t compromise until I find something that really hits the mark for me.

Central/Eastern European souvenirs

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: artwork, backpacks, candle holders, coasters, cups, europe, gifts, jewelry, lavender, mugs, neckalces, paintings, pictures, souvenirs, travel, vacation

28 May 2016

This most recent trip to Europe allowed me to revisit some places I hadn’t been to in 9 years and also check out new places that have been on my wishlist. It was a lot of fun and I got some gifts along the way to remember each place by!

Our first official stop was Praha (Prague). There were so many artists, musicians, and crafters to be found everywhere. In one of of the shops, I got my first souvenir – a little metal cup. One of the few that wasn’t a glossy finish, which appealed to me.

I liked the matte look and the funky owls!

Then as we were walking across Charles Bridge, perusing the various vendors, I saw a guy selling these adorable paintings! I just had to have one since he had such a fun style and had cats in each piece. This one is perfect because it has the cat couple, plus two extra cats – just like me, Panda, and our cats.

original artwork of prague with cats and hot air balloons at night

I loved that this incorporated cats and had cute little hot air balloons.

Next up was Warszawa (Warsaw), where we explored a massive park and the Neon Muzeum, all the while eating peirogis. I managed to add to my growing collection of TOUS jewelry (this is the 4th piece) and find some local folk art. I’m very happy with the usefulness of the giant coaster, which will be good for putting pots on.

When we saw a TOUS store at one of the shopping centers, we couldn’t resist. I finally got something from the onyx collection I’d been eyeing!

brightly-colored coaster with roosters and flowers

I originally saw a tote bag with a similar design, but I have so many bags that I was determined to find this look and feel on a different product.

Then we were off to Wien (Vienna) to fulfill my long-awaited dream of seeing the Spanish Riding School. We also went to tour one of Mozart’s homes and the Haus der Musik. When we came across the stalls by St. Stephen’s Cathedral, I found the opportunity to get something with the word “Vienna” on it. I liked the handmade nature of these glass cups that are perfect for holding a tea light.

glass cup for candles with colorful stained-glass scene handpainted on

We had just a few Euros left, but I really liked this one because the name was easily visible (unlike the others where Vienna was along the bottom). We had to pay in a combo of Euros and dollars!

After that, it was down to Split in Croatia. We enjoyed exploring the city of Split, where I found the amazing backpack that is perfect for my needs. We spent a whole day going up to Krka National Park for the waterfalls (freezing cold water, but totally worth it!). And of course, we just had to go out to Hvar Island to check it out. My favorite was going over to Palmizana, a smaller island off of Hvar.

drawstring backpack with elephant design from split, croatia

All pockets open and close with a magnet, which I love. There are side pockets inside as well as zippered areas inside and on the back. All sorts of storage options!

box of lavender buds and essential oil drops, plus bonus pouch of lavender buds from hvar in croatia

Apparently there are lots of lavender fields in the area, so at Hvar I got this adorable box filled with lavender buds. There’s a bottle of essential oil inside as well, to help enhance the scent with a few drops every now and then. The lady kindly gave me a pouch as a bonus.

Finally, rounding out the trip was Budapest, with fantastic views from the Buda side. I loved getting goulash nearly every meal and we got to relax at the Szechenyi thermal baths. Up at Citadella, I saw a tower of mugs (think Christmas tree shape, except everything hanging is mugs) and knew I had to get one. I wasn’t crazy about any of the color combos, so I waited to find them again elsewhere until I decided on this funky one.

My ladybug mug, as it will be known. It’s really a bowl with a handle and I can just about stick my entire face in it.

So these are all the items I have to remind me of this super fun trip to Central/Eastern Europe! I tried to get things I would use and not just stuff to put on a shelf. There’s so much more that I would have liked to have gotten, but that will have to wait for next time. 🙂

European goodies

laelene Posted in photo blog，Tags: chocolates, drinks, europe, food, france, germany, gifts, italy, jewelry, mugs, pasta, pictures, snacks, spain, travel

21 October 2015

Panda and I had a fun time on our tour of Europe and came home with some great items! Most of our focus was on eating local food, seeing the historical sites, and exploring the cities – but I still managed to bring back some things.

In Italy, I insisted on finding some fun pasta. I had an amazing Milka bar that then prompted the purchase of this giant one. And that bottle of olive oil came from our dinner meal, where the restaurant explained that oil olive is best enjoyed fresh, so when you purchase bread and oil, you get your own bottle to use. Anything unused can be taken home.

In France I had to get something from the Eiffel Tower, as I’m wont to do when I go. Lately I’ve been into unique mugs, so this one with legs caught my interest. At Versailles we had lunch at Angelina and I saw a loaf of gingerbread with honey that sounded good. At Orly airport there was an amazing shop of treats (mostly candy, just the way I like it). I found flavors of Toblerones that I never heard of before! The Oreo Milka looked too good to pass up and the guy kindly offered a discount on the hot chocolate tins, which are gifts for the folks who helped watch the cats while we were gone. Finally, we ate at Exki in the airport and I was a total sucker for their bamboo utensils and grabbed at set to use at work.

At the hotel in Paris, they had adorable yogurts in glass containers that we rinsed out and kept, along with fun tea boxes.

In Spain our big purchase was the Tous earrings, which is a brand Panda loves because of the cute bear designs. They’re Spanish, so we were hoping for a good selection and were rewarded with not only that, but excellent prices as well. It happened to be located in an El Corte Ingles shopping center that offered a loyalty card for 10% of your purchase value towards the next one. The amount earned from the earrings was exactly enough to get the three sauce bowls – perfect since I’ve wanted that sort of thing for a long time. Then the points earned from that plus 0.45€ was enough to get that shot glass for my collection! Love the bonus items we got. 🙂 The two drinks were from the hotel.

On our way home we had a few more Euros left and one of the only things that we could get for 4,20€ or less was this bar of chocolate (from Sweden, nonetheless)!

Gifting Yuzen boxes

laelene Posted in general blog，Tags: gifting, gifts, work, yuzen, yuzen box

14 December 2014

I’m lucky enough to get Yuzen boxes sent to me and I had some extra this year, so I decided to gift some to my friends at work. I was trying to decide between bringing in all the same box (the winter one) or three completely different ones. I was talking to Panda about this and he voted for equality across the board. He figured that way one person wouldn’t be less pleased because she wanted something that came in another box. I thought it could be fun to have them trade with each other if they wanted. What do you think?

three people's hands each on a different yuzen box lined up

Each gal claimed her mystery box!

I ultimately decided to ask the ladies and they all said it’d be more fun to have different things, so that’s exactly what I did. I brought in a winter box, summer box, and one of the gift boxes with a mix of items from previous boxes. With each packaged in the same outer box, I shuffled them up and as I pulled them out, they each lay claim to one. It was fun to watch them open them and see what they thought of what was in their box. It’s amusing how perfectly it turned out too – one person was super excited about the shower bombs and sleep essential oil in the winter box and another loved the lash serum from the summer box. Meanwhile, the third was drawn to the hand cream and foot cream in the gift box (I think the nail polish was rather fitting for her and her daughter too).

I found it interesting that we all thought variety would spice things up and make it more entertaining, whereas Panda would have gone the conservative route and offered the same thing to all. Is it a difference in personalities? Do I just tend to get along with people who like a little sprinkle of uniqueness? Who knows. All I know is that it couldn’t have worked out better. I’m happy, they’re happy, we’re all happy. 🙂 And so goes the season of giving!

Hawaii 2014 haul

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: clothes, clothing, earrings, family, food, gifts, hawaii, home goods, jewelry, panda, pets, pictures, snacks, travel

13 December 2014

Somehow I always manage to forget to take pictures after coming back from a trip and it’s week later when I actually have a haul post ready. This time around I got so eager to share some of the snacks we brought back that they were taken to work and devoured (or given to my parents) before I ever snapped a photo. But here’s a look at some of the cool things we got while in Oahu last month!

One of the many snack items I got. These fun little guys came in panda or seal shapes and are filled with custard or jam! I just wish they were more fresh when I got them.

hawaiian red shrimp and snails ecosphere self-sustaining ecosystem

These awesome self-sustaining ecospheres have Hawaiian red shrimp and (optionally) snails. I’ve wanted one for years and I’m so happy they made it through air travel just fine.

pineapple-scented candle in coconut shell, koa wood bookmark, and hawaii calendar for 2015

I got the pineapple-scented candle in a coconut shell and koa wood bookmark from an ABC Store. The calendar came free from a Hilo Hattie purchase!

purple halter top dress with white flowers, blue and beige hawaiian shirt, and hawaii t-shirt from hilo hattie

The clothing we got at Hilo Hattie included a dress for me, a Hawaiian shirt for my brother-in-law, and a t-shirt for my father-in-law. I actually have a dress in the exact same pattern as the Hawaiian shirt, from Panda’s previous visit to HI.

hawaiian host macadamia chocolates from costco and gold sea turtle earrings from hilo hattie

The other item I got at Hilo Hattie are those awesome earrings! I love sea turtles. At the local Costco, we got a giant tub of the Hawaiian Host macadamia chocolates – they were a hit at work. We also got tins of nuts for my parents, but I forgot to get a picture of that.

blue and white flip flop oven glove from dole plantation in hawaii

One day, we stopped by the Dole Plantation and I thought this was a super cute and creative oven glove design. I hope my mother-in-law likes it!

honolulu cookie company pineapple-shaped shortbread cookies

And of course, no visit to Hawaii is complete without some Honolulu Cookies. Panda and I both brought some to our offices. They disappeared pretty quickly!

Hong Kong haul

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: art, bags, boxers, cards, chopsticks, clothing, family, food, free, gifts, hong kong, jackets, jewelry, pastries, pictures, pouches, presents, purses, shopping, snacks, tea, tea sets, totes, travel

07 November 2014

Check out the awesome things I acquired in Hong Kong last month – some were gifts, some were free, and some I purchased. I’m very pleased with what I got! You’ll probably want to see some of these in more close-up, so feel free to click on the images to enlarge. 🙂

pandora bracelet and christian dior coin purse with pandora bag

Fancy gifts from the relatives!

3d holiday cards, tissue box cover, scarf, hong kong dollars, and red envelopes

More stuff from the relatives, including a tissue box cover, scarf, and red envelopes.

pizza express bag, ovolo hotels go bag, and drawstring bag with slippers inside

Free stuff from the hotel and Pizza Express. Two totes and a drawstring bag with slippers.

collage of black wristlet pouch with three compartments and clear purple pouch for toiletries

The very first items I bought were these pouches. I love the three compartments on the black one and the translucence of the purple one.

collage of chopstick set in box with two pairs of chopsticks and chopstick holders

At Ngong Ping, I got to choose chopsticks and chopstick holders. Panda and I both chose our own chopstick holders so they don’t exactly match! 😛

collage of glass teapot and mini cups set with pack of six blossoming teas

I’ve fancied a glass tea set for awhile and I’ve always wanted to get blossoming teas, so this package was too much to pass up.

collage of hong kong mtr map microfiber cloth

At first I saw generic ones and bought one, but then we found this one with the MTR map, so I immediately exchanged for it.

uniqlo purple down jacket and gray fuzzy hooded jacket

I have officially discovered Uniqlo and looove their jackets. These two are my favs for fall.

When I saw these while shopping for gifts, I just had to get them for Panda. Smokey will love them!

empty box of flaky almond pastry treats from macau

We got these for our coworkers from Macau, but I forgot to take a picture before they were all devoured.

collage of five 3d cards that pop open to ferris wheels, eiffel tower, ship with sails, and dragon designs

Last but not least are these awesome 3D cards that I got my friends who helped catsit Smokey (and of course I snagged some for myself too).

October anniversary

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses，Tags: anniversary, dating, dinner, eating, food, gifts, husband, meals, panda, pictures

03 October 2014

Today Panda and I celebrated our official 6th year together. It’s the first time our anniversary has occurred in October (because it’s the Friday of Zero Week at UCLA), which certainly felt weird. Usually it falls on the last or second to last Friday of September! I had a really busy day at work and tried to leave early, but barely made it out on time. We had our reservation for The Melting Pot at 6 and met there.

melting pot spinach artichoke cheese fondue with bread, chips, vegetables, and fruits for dipping

We started off with the spinach artichoke cheese fondue.

melting pot house salad with house dressing

I got a house salad.

He got a California salad.

melting pot entree in mojo cooking style with atlantic salmon, pacific white shrimp, and sauces

Then it was time for the entrees. I got Pacific white shrimp and he got Atlantic salmon.

When I returned from the restroom, I found a gift waiting for me! 🙂

I love the way Panda wraps gifts. He always finds some cute piece of paper from an ad or something at home and uses that. This time he carefully chose this design from a calendar! The sides were taped with fun cartoon stickers.

What a cute set of chopstick rests and pea pod tray! Hehe.

I wanted to get the current limited edition chocolate fondue with white chocolate, peaches, and almonds, but Panda was full and didn’t want to stay for another course. We compromised by getting a half-dozen box of the chocolate-covered strawberries to go. At home, we opened up the HeatDish he got a Costco a few weeks ago. It’s starting to get cool outside these days. I had to break out my space heater at work, start wearing scarves, and today I even used my heated seats and steering wheel for the first time this season. Fall has arrived and I’m hoping I don’t get sick or freeze.

Escape Monthly June: Las Vegas Box Review

laelene Posted in reviews, subscriptions，Tags: boxes, candy, gifts, mists, pictures, playing cards, products, reviews, scrubs, shot glasses, snacks, sprays, subscriptions, toffee

06 July 2014

Alright! I’ve been sitting on this box for two weeks (oops) but here’s my review. Panda and I are both teetotalers who aren’t into the party scene, so when we go to Vegas it’s about the sights, shows, and food. I think this box offered a nice balance between the party side of things and the getaway side of things. I’m glad to see they didn’t just focus on one aspect of Vegas.

Escape Monthly is just under $40 per box (with code for 20% off your subscription – see end of post) and comes with a variety of food, home, skincare items themed around a city. Each box comes with a Moon Handbooks guide for that region. Boxes are sent monthly with no option to skip. They offer a lovely recurring referral commission program.

(click to enlarge and read full messaging)

At first I thought I didn’t get the bonus item and I was super bummed, but then I found it hiding against the side of the box! Is it strange that a little thing like that made my day brighter?

Here’s what came in the box:

Moon Handbooks guide to Nevada – I’m keeping this one handy since Panda and I will be going to Las Vegas next month. I’m definitely planning on doing a helicopter ride over to the Grand Canyon this time around, since that’s the one thing I haven’t gotten a chance to do that’s been on my list for ages. Other than that, we’ll see what this guidebook has to offer.

Tahoe Toffee – Anyone who went to college in California or Nevada probably went to Lake Tahoe for some skiing/snowboarding at some point! I know I certainly did (my only time on the slopes so far, actually). It’s lovely to see a brand from that area and it’s a mighty fine toffee they make. When I first saw it, I thought there was a corner missing since from the back, it looked like it was supposed to be a big triangle. When I turned it around, I found out it’s the shape of Nevada, haha!

New York New York clipped casino playing cards – What a simple and unique gift item. I happened to get ones used at the New York New York casino, which I’ve been to many a time (though not to gamble). I’ve been thinking about reviving a game of Snerds with Panda – it was a card game we played all summer as Orientation Counselors at UCLA. Looks like I have my chance now!

Las Vegas shot glass – Even though I don’t drink, I have this thing with shot glasses and mini alcohol bottles. When I was traveling Europe, there were just so many cute ones to get that I have a small collection, so this is a perfect addition! I recently read someone mentioning it’s the perfect portion for drinking water with your daily pills… so if I ever need to take pills, I will certainly keep that in mind. 😉 Note that this is NOT dishwasher safe, so be careful with it and hand wash!

glass die wine stopper – Is it just me or does this remind you of a wedding gift? It might be the white and silver coloring of the packaging. Or it might be the hearts. I don’t have wine to stop, but I really like the look of this glass die so I’ll see if I can find a use for it. If not, my dad or Panda’s brother might have a use for these!

3Girls Holistic Calming Mist spray – This is a nice large bottle of calming mist that sprays perfectly finely, for a nice thin layer of mist. I love that it’s organic and vegan, with very simple ingredients like lavender, chamomile, ylang ylang, and vanilla essential oils. It smells sweet and tart, like a summer garden brimming with flowers.

Iadora Charcoal Body Scrub – Ooo, I can’t wait to use this when my body scrub supply goes down a bit. I’ve had charcoal soap, but never a scrub, so this is fantastic! They’ve got some large salt granules that will provide a super exfoliating scrubbing experience. The oils like to sit at the bottom of the tub, so I flipped it over to allow the drier bits on top to get soaked again.

Vegas nail file – This was the bonus item I thought I didn’t get. Yay for finding it somewhat hidden. 🙂 I don’t really file my nails, so I will keep this as a nice Vegas item until I decide to put it to use. Now that I say that, I kind of want to use it right away!

I’m a big fan of the items for relaxation and enjoyment in this box and whatever I won’t use will make a wonderful gift. What do you like best in this Las Vegas Escape Monthly box? If you want to sign up, try one of these codes (not sure which ones are still active): INDIAESCAPE or VEGASESCAPE for 20% off the lifetime of your subscription or GIFTESCAPE for 25% off.

July’s destination is India!! I’ve never been there, but I have some good friends who have been or are from there so I can’t wait to see what I’ll get and whether they approve. This time around they offered a deluxe box as well ($150 for $69.95), since there are so many items they wanted to share. I’m very tempted but I need to cut back on my spending so I hope I don’t regret not springing for it (or maybe they’ll have extras once I see what it comes with).

[This post contains affiliate links. Signing up through them helps support my subscription and I’d be ever so grateful. 🙂 All opinions are my own and I received no compensation for this review. I just purchased this box and wanted to share what I got!]

365great Day 281: gifts

laelene Posted in 365great，Tags: 365great, experiences, gifts, presents, products, white elephant, work

20 December 2013

While I’m generally not into gifts and presents, they’re still fun to get sometimes. The surprise element of getting something combined with the mystery of what it is can be a fun and exciting experience. I enjoyed the white elephant exchange at work today and it reminded me of some of the joy that comes along with gifting. I was careful with what I chose and I’m sure it will be appreciated by the recipient. Some people went with silly gifts for a laugh, others went with totally random stuff and it was interesting seeing what it all was. You can find some funky items out there! It’s also really nice to get gifts for those who usually do without, which is why Panda and I will be donating a toy to kids each year. Ultimately it comes down to the experience of sharing time or care (for me at least), and that’s why gift-giving can be so great.

UK Vacation Day 3 Recap

laelene Posted in lifestyle glimpses, photo blog，Tags: cardiff, castles, experiences, food, gifts, hotels, london, panda, pictures, trains, travel, uk, united kingdom, wales

26 September 2013

Check out my UK Day 1 recap and UK Day 2 recap, then read on for Day 3! We spent about half the day prepping for and traveling to Cardiff, then got a chance to explore the city in the afternoon and evening. It was a nice quiet, yet active time together in this beautiful place. 🙂

view of victoria station in london from nearby hotel

From our hotel, we could see Victoria Station, so it was very easy to get to the train!

interior of victoria station in london with skylights and british flags

The interior of Victoria Station is nice and airy, with plenty of natural sunlight.

bike parking area with dozens of bikes inside victoria station in london

There were a ton of bikes parked there.

delice de france baguette display at victoria station in london

Before boarding the train, I browsed the selection at Delice de France for my lunch.

chicken chorizo baguette sandwich from delice de france bakery

I ended up getting the chicken chorizo baguette to eat on the train and it was delicious!!

pink and blue striped circus tents beyond railroad tracks

Along the way, we saw the circus in a town.

Hello Cardiff! I’m finally in Wales!

dog standing with large piece of tree branch in mouth

What an ambitious dog, carrying around a giant tree branch.

The flowers make the street all pretty.

congratulations message written in chocolate on plate with vanilla buttercream cupcake

Yay, celebration!

heavy cloud coverage over buildings in cardiff

It’s sunny but it’s gloomy ’round these parts.

view of cardiff castle from nearby hotel

Got a view of the Cardiff Castle from the hotel lounge.

small garden with maze-like design in cardiff

A fun little garden area across the street.

collage of executive lounge snacks including fruits, desserts, condiments, cookies, and sugar

The executive lounge provided a variety of snacks!

pink gumdrop station in cardiff for recycling gum

Haha, can’t say this is what I imagine when I hear “gumdrop” but it’s a nice way to discourage gum where you don’t want it.

We walked through an industrial zone that was intimidating, but at least there were pretty flowers!

swan on picturesque river in cardiff wales

We tried walking to this Cardiff Bay we heard about, but couldn’t quite figure out what there was to see. It was pretty along the way at least!

So many swans around here! I love it.

As we were walking along the river, we heard a splash and saw some movement out of the corner of our eyes. We thought it was a bird diving into the water to get a fish, so we watched and waited for it to come up. A few minutes later, what did we see? A GINORMOUS FLYING FISH! I mean, it was like a foot and a half long and propelled itself out of water better than salmon swimming upstream. I tried to get a video of it but we never saw it again. Sad times.