A Party With Strings

One of the reasons I haven't had time – ahem – for much blogging lately is due to the fact that we threw an awesome rock ’n’ rolling 9th birthday party for Kate. We even convinced a band comprised of high school girls to come over and play a bit and hang out, giving the whole evening a fun rocker vibe. They even taught the girls how to play a Green Day song, which they all loved.

When it came time to pull together a party favor, a fortuitous product appeared in my "in" box: Wear Your Music fashion bracelets. These little gems are made from used guitar strings, twisted together in a fun fashion statement for music lovers of all ages. They come in a wide range of colors, and I picked up a 10-pack of "back-stage black" ones for $69.99.

The girls loved them, which was great, but I felt good about the fact that this company is a nonprofit that supports a wide range of charities.

In fact, music lovers can buy bracelets made from guitar strings strummed by big-name artists, too, including Slash, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana and Elvis Costello. Of course, those guitar-string bracelets are pricier – starting at about $100 – but are handcrafted with recycled silver and include a clasp stamped with the musician's initials. Each artist bracelet is packaged in a recycled CD case and shipped off with a certificate of authenticity. All of the profits from the artist bracelets are donated to the musician's charity of choice.

Now that's something to sing about.

Sock It To Dad

The dad in our house has everything, but loves everything, which makes him simultaneously super-easy and really, really hard to shop for. Finding Father's Day gifts for him often falls into a I'll-know-it-when-I-see-it groove, which can mean lots of thinking and legwork on my part. But he's totally worth it. And I'm not just saying that because he might be reading this.

And when I say he loves everything, I mean he loves everything. Darth Vader-shaped USB drive? He loved it. Nice designer shirt with French cuffs? Wears it often. Robot-shaped desk clock? Couldn't live without it. But one of his loves took me by surprise: This man loves socks. And when I surveyed a few wives in the office, I discovered that a lot of other men really like socks. Good socks ... the kind with arch supports and special patterns. The fluffy, absorbent ones and that classic otherwise known as "the perfect dress sock."

That's why I was intrigued by a new service called blacksocks.com. It just launched here in the U.S., after long serving the sock-loving men in Europe.

Here's how it works: For an annual fee of $89, "sockscribers," as they call them, receive three pairs of Italian-made socks every four months, for a total of nine pairs per year. Choose from calf, knee, athletic, ski or the cashmere silk variety – and watch the dad in your life bask in the glow of his happy feet.

Wishing for Good Gifting

Don't get me wrong: I love to buy gifts for people. To amble among the shops, checking out stuff my friends or family would like, brings me great pleasure.

But as you might already know, I don't have time for that.

So when I have to buy a gift, I freak a little bit. I put it off, then run around like a mad woman. Then I stress that my gift is going to look like something I just snatched off a shelf at Ralphs, which it often is.

That's why Valentine's Day is such a difficult holiday. I want to show my husband how thoughtful and giving I can be. But I usually end up looking like a heartless cad on Valentine's Day, while he delivers a beautiful bouquet and some tasty sweets from an upscale candy shop from some hard-to-get-to spot in L.A.

Just in case you run into this dilemma, too, I thought I'd tell you about WishWrap.com, a unique gift Web site that allows you to shop by what you might be wishing for a recipient, such as "wealth and happy circumstances" or "festive cheer." I fell for the Nuts About You package, which includes a stuffed monkey with an insert that can be heated for cuddling and cinnamon and dark-chocolate nuts. Enclosed is a message that says, "Playful, cuddly, spicy and sweet...just like you! Wishing you love and warmth today and forever. XOXO." Then the gift is beautifully wrapped up in "green" and reusable packaging.

It's a bit on the pricy side ($65 for the monkey and nuts) but will definitely keep the guilt and stress at bay. And Steve will just think I'm sweet.