misosouper, a shopping blog

Now to blogroll the second half of my fellow shoppers’ gift guides, from M-Z.  They’ve found good stuff too.

@ Not Martha

@ NOTCOT, so far here, here, here, here, here, and here, here, here (Total overachievers!  How I admire them.)

@ NY Mag

@ Oh Joy! (for the Metro Paper in NY, Boston, and Philly)

@ Oh How Lovely Shops

@ PoppyTalk

@ Purple Pink and Orange

@ SheFinds

@ StyleBakery

@ The Daily Obsession

If you’ve already made it through my picks and aren’t quite ready to put back on your robe, here are more gift guides from the first half of my blogroll.  They’ve found good stuff too.

@ Apartment Therapy (who is going one better, and actually giving away 101 fabulous things)

@ Bobbie Pen

@ Better Living Through Design

@ Cool Mom Picks

@ Creature Comforts, and another here

@ Domino Mag

@ Greedy Girl

@ I Heart Luxe

@ Indie Shopping

@ Lucky Mag

@ Mighty Goods, so far here, here, here, and here

@ Mixed Plate

This cast iron bacon press will keep everything plump and flat, which is just how we’ll all feel the day after Thanksgiving.

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And speaking of the day after Thanksgiving:  don’t forget to enter our giveaway for a spa manicure & pedicure from Vivabox, and be sure to check out Misosouper’s Thursday and Friday gift guide roundup from around the interweb.

Dear Me,

For some reason, you’ve decided that this was the year to host Christmas Eve dinner for 16.  Forget buying gifts; you already worked on that all last week (as evidence, see your holiday gift guide).  What you really need to turn your attention toward is making sure that you a) have enough dishes; b)have enough chairs; and c)have enough Xanax to get through Christmas Eve.

So pull out your great grandmother’s gorgeous old thistle-pattern china (if not now, then when?), and stop freaking out about the fact that the dinner plates have long been broken.  Just mingle your antique stuff in with this delicate, modern pattern, and revel in the mix.  The evening will be beautiful, and most importantly, it will be fun.

You’ve been training for this moment for a long time; isn’t that why you read Domino?

Love,

Me

Every year since I was a wee teen, my grandmother has given me the best Christmas present:  a gift certificate for a mani/pedi at our local salon.  And right before the calendar flips over to the new year, I have hunkered down in my heated chair, cranked up the automassage, and let the ladies do their bidding.  Lincoln Park After Dark?  Yes, please.  The present has now expanded to include her babysitting for my daughter, but the the sentiment and the luxury remain the same.

So now I want to play grandma for you:  leave a comment below, describing in 10 words or less why you deserve a manicure and pedicure this holiday season.  Along with my sage guest judges, Carrie of Threadbeaur and Rob of Grapeinabottle, I will judge the entries based on creativity, brevity, and wit.  The winner will receive a fabulous spa manicure and pedicure Vivabox, filled with organic bath and body products by EO.  Also included in the box–wait for it; this is the best part–is a Vivabox gift card, redeemable for a mani and pedi at one of over 4000 day spas worldwide.  Vivaboxes (so genius!  why didn’t I think of them?) also come in yummy coffee, tea, and gourmet dinner versions, each with its own gift card redeemable for more treats.  A wine box (with Wine Spectator) and perfume box (with Sephora) just launched, and I’m planning on gifting the lovely velvety boxes to both my mother-in-law and my boss (oh wait…that’s me).

10 words or less; you deserve it.  Ready, set, go!

the fine print:

Comments will be closed and entries will not be accepted after 11:59 pm on Saturday, November 29, 2008.  The winner will be selected on Sunday, November 30, 2008, and notified by e-mail.  Results of the giveaway will be announced on Monday, December 1, 2008.  Multiple entries are accepted.  Misosouper, a shopping blog reserves the right to disqualify entries that are considered spam.