Daily

Holiday Gift Guide| Gifts they’ll actually use!

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One of my favourite round-up posts to do at the end of each year is a Holiday Gift Guide. I’ve been doing these sort of posts for countless years on my blog and I love showing you my top picks I’ve found over the last year, and oldies but goodies that I’ve been using for years on end. Let’s get cookin’ and dive right into the Spiffykerms Christmas & Holiday Gift Guide!

– The Tech Lover –

Lenovo Flex | This is a new yoga book One of my favourite features definitely has to be the  360° hinge that effortlessly switches you to tablet to laptop mode and back. We will be bringing this with us back to Canada for entertainment both on the airplane ride back.

Canon G7X Mark II| My husband bought me the infamous Canon G7X for Christmas last year and it was the biggest (and best!) surprise. I’ve been wanting one for a few years, and finally got my hands on it. I use it mainly for taking videos and photos of my baby. But one day I’ll start up my YouTube channel again once I make time for it again!

– Gifts for foodies –

Red Duck| This is the “So Unique” package of Red Duck sauces which consists of Red Duck Curry Ketchup, Sweet Mustard Peppercorn BBQ and Uniquely Korean Taco Sauces. It’s a small, women-opened condiment company that makes organic ketchups, BBQ sauces and cocktail sauce. So tasty. I threw half a jar of the Red Duck Ketchup in the slow cooker (with other ingredients) with some chicken, to make a “sticky chicken” recipe, and it was fantastic. It’s all gone now, but I used the entire jar (because we have  salmon aka”fish friday” every friday) of Red Duck Sweet Mustard Peppercorn BBQ sauce on both sides of the salmon. Roast it in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 and you’re golden. 

Pure Organic| These bars only 4-8 ingredients. The tiny layered bars you see on top there (yellow packaging) was my favourite. Definitely a sweet treat, made with fruit and vegetable puree. You can get them basically everywhere nowadays: Amazon, Target, Thrive Market, Costco, etc. The snacks are USDA-certified organic and non-GMO project verified. They use no soy or dairy ingredients in the recipes, and our Pure Organic products are also certified gluten-free and kosher.

KitchenAid Mixer| Now this is only new-to-me in the last month or so. But I finally bought myself a KitchenAid mixer and I’m loving it. I ended up getting a 5qt Artisan one. Although I’m not much of a baker, I’m still pretty happy I ended up getting it (on sale, too and I used a gift card!). Anyone have some great recipes to share with me to put this thing to good use?

– Gifts for Babies –

Birdrock Baby| Long time lover of Birdrock Baby booties over here. Each pair purchased feeds a chid in need. I love supporting small businesses, but also one’s that give back. My beb’s has been wearing them since day 1. I looked back on the day we brought him back home from the hospital and he was wearing them! I’ve received a few pieces via PR samples, but I’ve bought a ton of them too, both for beb’s and for gifts for his baby-friends. Use the code SPIFFY10 for a discount upon checkout.

California Baby| Like Birdrock Baby, California Baby is a brand I love, and support, and have been using as soon as I started bathing my baby, and putting lotions on him. Recently, the lotion shown here on my Instagram is certified by the USDA to be 100% Plant-based.

Guava Travel Lotus| Labeled as a portable lightweight travel crib, we keep the Lotus set up in our living room as a safe play area for bebs when I have to leave him alone for a minute or two, say when I fetch the laundry, or feed Alfie. But when we do travel, we’ll definitely be packing this up and loading it into the car. It folds up really easily, and he’s already comfortable with being in there, I know he’ll have no trouble adjusting to it when we need to set it up in a hotel room or something similar, in the future.

Sound machine| I shared this back in May, but any sound machine will work (or even an app on your phone). It gives my baby consistency of knowing when its nap time (when I turn it on, then put him into a sleep sack, he automatically knows it’s sleepy-time).

– Gifts for her –

Burt’s Bees| Long time fan/user of Burt’s Bees products, especially their lip balms. Their Holiday Gift Collection is in stores now and everything is under $25. I’m picking a few of these sets up for my family/friends (I hope I didn’t ruin that by posting it here…). I love the little gift/makeup bags that some of the products come in too. Here are a few of my faves: Burt’s Bees Essentials Travel Kit, Mistletoe Kiss, and Naturally Soft Hands.

PJs| Who doesn’t love a new pair of PJs? I love to shop Target, H&M, or Forever 21 for them. I wish I snagged up these striped ones from Target when I had the chance. Darn. I ended up buying these red and white striped one’s from Amazon the other day. Can’t wait!

Leggings| I’m all about comfort this year. I live in leggings. I picked up a handful right after Black Friday from Forever21 when I took bebs to the mall for his Santa pictures (p.s. which was ADORABLE). I’m all about the the velvet this year.

– Gifts for him –

Silicon Wedding Bands| I guess this isn’t just for him, since I bought a package for myself earlier this summer. It’s all I’ve been wearing since I scratched my baby once with my real wedding set and felt so guilty. These are great since the don’t bother my sensitive skin, and obviously don’t scratch little ones!

Clip-on lenses for your phone| These are so neat, and don’t distort your photos. You simply clip it on your phone and snap away. Great bang for your buck.

 

– For the coffee addict - 

Milk Frother| I bought this for the family last Christmas and I gotta be honest, I’m not the one who makes the coffee in the household on the weekends, Mr. Spiffykerms does. But he makes me a fancy frothy coffee bevvie on the weekends (add sugar free vanilla syrup and I’ll melt!), and they’re so delicious with this milk frother. We use skim milk, and it still froths well!

Fancy mugs and a gift card| Target’s dollar spot has cute gift card holders this year (santa’s with a zipper on the top, so it’s totally reusable!), so snag one up, go to the person’s fave coffee shop and pick up a gift card and/or a mug, and there you have the gift.

Well pals! That concludes another Holiday Gift Guide on Spiffykerms.

Previous gift guides:
2017 Mama-to-be & 2017 Babies | 2016 | 2015 | 2012 |

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Climbing, Daily, Fitness

12 Gift Ideas for Rock Climbers

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12-Gift-Ideas-for-Climbers

Has anyone thought about Christmas shopping yet? It’s coming! My favourite time of the year! Thought I’d put together a little wishlist for myself or those who have rock climbing friends and have no idea what to get them for Christmas.Climbers-Gift-Guide

1. Hand Grip Strength donut — Although it may not look like much, it comes in handy especially when it comes to healing finger injuries or wanting to improve your strength. With 3 resistances to choose from, your climber friend will thank you for this small, yet thoughtful gift. I have the 30lb resistance, then do reps of 10 squeezes until failure. Oh the burn!

2. Rock climbing mugs — Who doesn’t want to practice their crimp strength while chugging their morning cuppa joe? You know I had a nickname once: Crimper Queen.

3. Carabiner necklace — LOVE! A mini carabiner that is functional in the way that it locks and opens? Way too cool. Clearly not for climbing. But it’s sweet.

4. Crash Pad — Anyone who heads out to get a bouldering session in, most likely would require a crash pad to cushion a fall. And guess what? After 19 years of climbing and bouldering, I still don’t have one! Many companies make them now besides the bigger brands, and what is neat is that they can now be completely branded and customized to your own style.

5. Figure 8 bracelet — Back in High School this was all I wore on my wrists.

6. Chalk bags — What else are you going to put your chalk in?

7. Climbing tee’s — You know, to keep you warm before you start climbing.

8. Sculptures — Self explanatory, a little artwork on your walls?

9. Climbing Shoes — La Sportiva is a trusted brand of mine. The lace-up (now men’s) miura’s create a snug fit for a narrow foot, especially in the heel cup area. I’ve retired those and bought La Sportiva women’s velcro Katana’s. Not as aggressive, but still can do a mean heel hook and not slip off. Their rubber is impeccable too.

10. Harness — I’m due for a harness upgrade. Thinking keeping with my theme and going for the always reliable Arc’teryx.

11.Chalk — Check out Friction Labs, especially the Unicorn Dust. You don’t have to chalk up as often, take that from me. I’ve been using it since the summer.

12. Mini rope keychain — Adorable, another must have. I’m’ eventually going to buy this for myself.

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Daily

Holiday Gift Guide 2012

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This is my very first Holiday Gift Guide I’ve ever done on the blog! It was so fun (and a lot of work) to put together for you guys. In fact, I have a few goodies to give away to you all as well. The items that will be up for grabs are: Rubbermaid Bathroom Cleaning Tools, KQC mini hair straightener, EOS lip balms, and 10 free product coupons from Maple Leaf Canada. The giveaways will be all separate blog posts and will be up shortly, so watch out for them!

ONE: I have these and I have to say it’s so nice to have a nice heavy duty scrubber on the end of a stick! The Rubbermaid Bathroom Cleaning Tools make it easier to clean the shower walls, and even floors (with a different “head”) than a mop, or with your hands. I will be giving away this whole set, valued at $50.00 soon!

TWO: This $6.99 notepad is perfect for making organizational lists, to-do lists, or even a grocery list. Nothing brings me more joy than checking off what I’ve accomplished for the day.

THREE: Have one of those people that you have absolutely no idea what to buy for them, this year? This Maxpedition Neatfreak Organizer is just that. A fantastic organizing pack for the neat freak!

ONE: I absolutely love a stylish but functional sneaker, and you can get the Nike Free’s or Zoot’s at Sport Chek. Zoots are primarily for triathlons, as they’re made to be worn sans socks and have no laces for the ease and quick ability of putting them on during a race. But I wear mine to CrossFit.

TWO: Gortex Gaiters are a great addition to anyone who likes walking/hiking in the snow, or rain. They’re basically rain fabric that secures onto your shoe and leg. I gave the Boyfriend a pair of these for his birthday last year. They range anywhere from $30-$60 and you can get them in various heights.

THREE: Refuel with Balance Bars! Unfortunately these protein bars still aren’t available to Canadians. But if you’re ever across the border, buy them (for me). My favorite flavor is S’mores and it tastes like it should be bad for you. But it’s perfect to refuel after a hard workout.

FOUR: La Sportiva Katana climbing shoes. I’m in need of a pair of these and I’ve been eyeing them for a few years. Mine had a 5 year break in between moving from Newfoundland to Ontario, but I’d estimate my shoes to be about 8 years old now. 5 years overdue I say. La Sportiva are my favorite, because of the amazing quality of their rubber soles.

ONE: I purchased a PlayStation Vita – WiFi for the Boyfriend’s birthday this year, and I think it’s a great gift if you have the money to shell out for it! It’s a small handheld device that recently came out, and even I play it sometimes. My boss even purchased one!

TWO: Memory cards are something everyone needs but everyone hates to spend the money on. At least I do always get too lazy to dump photos and videos onto my computer to back them up, so I end up with countless memory cards laying around, all filled up with memories.

THREE: It is so hard to find a unique, but cute looking iPad case. I’m still using the one I purchased from Best Buy when I bought my iPad last summer. It’s white, and faux leather. I want something with a bitta bling, or a nice distinct look to it. I thought these iPad cases were nice, but they are $100+. Ouch.


ONE: The Vintage Revival Flap Clutch is a very sophisticated and classic looking wallet that can you can also use as a clutch!

TWO: Fossil watches! Womens shown in the Stella which is a stainless steel, and affordable at $115. The Men’s shown is the Nate Stainless Steel in Smoke, and retails for $145. Such great pieces.

THREE: Cozy scarf from Etsy!

ONE: This is the tiniest hair straightener I’ve ever seen! It’s the KQC mini hair straightener — perfect for on the go travellers, or people who don’t straighten their hair often, and just require a little assistance in the morning taming those flyaways!

TWO: My new favorite shampoo/conditioner duo. It’s Kevin Murphy which I call — The new AVEDA. Angel wash is actually made for fine hair like mine. But there’s of course a variety of different shampoos that will fit your hair type.

THREE: Your hair is very elasticized when wet and more prone to damage and breakage if you’re not careful. Using a wide tooth comb helps minimize damage. It’s all I use on mine, and it’s just a couple of bucks at The Body Shop.

ONE: Subscription to Topbox, Glymm, GlossyBox, or Luxe. The Canadian boxes are endless! Samples are a great way to try out high end products, or products that you wouldn’t normally spend the money on. I wrote a review comparing all of the boxes a few months ago.

TWO: The Alice in Wonderland EOS limited edition lip balms. Perfect to fit in any stocking or on top of a wrapped gift as an added goodie. They’re so moisturizing and have all sorts of a variety of flavors to choose from. Plus, the packaging is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Very unique!

THREE: Purity by Philosophy skin cleanser is such an essential part of my skin care routine now. Perhaps it’s luxurious to some, but it’s my holy grail facial cleanser and so easy on the eyes which is very important to me. It doesn’t sting and doesn’t leave my skin feeling tight after using it. It also removes my waterproof mascara, without much trouble!

FOUR: West Elm makeup bags, everyone needs a makeup or toiletry bag.

ONE: Apron’s from Anthropologie (1 // 2) are always cute, and a great addition to a gift basket for a housewarming present, or a Christmas gift.

TWO: Storage Containers from Bodum are simple, yet have this look about them that you just love. I spotted them at The Container Store, and also Bed, Bath & Beyond.

THREE:I first discovered this amazing IKEA Cheese grater when I lived with a room mate a few years ago. It’s a brilliant idea. Rather than have the cheese go all over your counter. It goes in the supplied box, and comes with a lid! Everyone in my family got this a few Christmas’ ago.

FOUR: I have a total of 6 Baggu reusable grocery bags that I’ve bought over the last few years. They’re made of nylon, which means they’re very durable, can hold up to 25 pounds and you can wash them. Bonus. Plus it doesn’t hurt that they come in fun prints and colors. I reviewed these bags two years ago!

Remember to stay tuned next week and next, as I’ll be giving away some of the products shown in the blog post today. Sorry, there won’t be any fancy oboz boots to giveaway!

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