Archive for the 'SEASONAL & GIFTS' Category

Barware makes the perfect gift

Published on June 9, 2011 in HAYNEEDLE and SEASONAL & GIFTS. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .

Tis the season for house warmings, engagements, and weddings.  One of the best gifts one can give for these occasions is a beautiful set of barware.  There are many styles of barware that a person can choose from. So if buying as a gift think of your friend’s decor and personality.

If the person you are buying for tends to be a bit more classical then consider something along these lines:

If the recipient  is a bit more contemporary they might enjoy one of these sets:

If you are looking for the perfect gift for the wine drinker then here are a few wine accessories that might suit their fancy:

Remember to keep in mind the person you are buying for and you are sure to give them a gift that they are sure to love. You can find all of the above items on Hayneedle.com.  Happy gifting!

12 Days of Giveaways – Day 3

Published on December 8, 2010 in BABY & KIDS, HAYNEEDLE, HOMEACCESSORIES and SEASONAL & GIFTS. 2 Comments

Congratulations to Addison Kat, yesterday’s giveaway winner. Addison found the Nodor Supawires Bristle Dart Board, posted it on our Facebook page, and hit the bullseye in our random drawing. Way to go, Addison!

Put the French Hens in the coop, it’s time to get to work on Day 3 of 12 Days of Giveaways! Today’s winner not only gets the giveaway item, but gets to call themselves “Head Elf” for the remainder of the holiday season. Families be warned. Go!

Today’s giveaway…

  • Provides a place for both Barbies and Bakugan to rest
  • Has storage, seating, and a safety lid
  • Is exclusive to Hayneedle, but useful to everyone
  • Sports a seasonally-appropriate pecan finish

*Hint*
Even if we didn’t already know the answer, we’d start looking in Gifts For Kids.

Remember, this is what you’re looking for:

You Found It

Submissions will be accepted via Facebook until 11:59 pm tonight. One entry per person. Winners will be announced tomorrow on this blog along with tomorrow’s giveaway. Good luck and happy hunting!

Holiday Decorating Done Right

Published on November 23, 2010 in FURNITURE, HAYNEEDLE, HOMEACCESSORIES and SEASONAL & GIFTS. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Thanksgiving is days away and that means December holidays are coming right up!  So by now I’m sure your dining area is completely set up, your guestroom is all made up and ready for your guests to arrive.  Did you get something new for the entryway??

Well now it’s time to get into the spirit of the holidays and put up some lights, tinsel and garlands!  While some people really have a good time of decorating for the holidays, other people can tend to get a little stressed out.  A little advice that can really help you get the most out of the experience would be to consider making decorating an event.  Invite some family and friends over and make a day out of it.  That’s what we do in my family.  Also, you may want to choose a theme or color scheme. Too many different decorations can overwhelm a room. Select a few key items and tie them together by color or style for the greatest impact.

Pre-Lit Christmas Tree

For many years, I’ve been a fan of having a “real live” Christmas tree, but this year I’m all about “going green” in a different way.  Be environmentally friendly and buy a Christmas tree that you can use over and over again!  You can even get a tree that already has the lights on it!  Remember what a chore it used to be to string the lights??

I’m hoping most of you took my previous advice and bought a new welcome mat for the front door.  Now don’t forget to complete the welcome with a wreath!   Perhaps you might consider getting two wreaths; one for fall (Thanksgiving) and another one for Christmas!  No matter what your choice is, a wreath hanging on your front door will immediately inspire your guests with wonder and holiday cheer!

Comfort Food

Published on November 17, 2010 in FURNITURE, HAYNEEDLE, HOMEACCESSORIES and SEASONAL & GIFTS. 0 Comments Tags: , .

The holiday season is the one time of the year that I say should really be about comfort food!  Take a break from the diets and the worries of how many calories your taking in and allow yourself to indulge and enjoy!

Let’s first make sure that your kitchen is prepared for the basics.  Think about what you plan on cooking this holiday season and be sure that you are set up to throw your guests a fantastic feast!  Perhaps your kitchen is large enough to consider adding an island.  I personally love islands that are on wheels and mobile.  You can easily increase the options of your working space, or serving space for that matter because an island can be multifunctional!

Espresso Machine

I’ve mentioned espresso makers before, but perhaps a coffee maker is best four your lifestyle.  No doubt that in the months that follow, as it starts getting colder,  more people will be inclined to indulge in a hot cup of joe!  Purchase a coffee maker that expresses your personality so that when your guests go to serve themselves, they won’t just be pouring themselves coffee, they’ll be introduced to a new element of design.  Yes, even appliances should be looked upon as elements of design.

A great example of an appliance as a design element is a hand mixer or blender.  On my last episode of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, I used a bright green hand mixer reminiscent of a few decades ago.  Green was a color I had chosen for one of the accent walls and many of the accessories so the mixer fit into the design really well!

Another seldom thought of, but very practical appliance is a rice cooker.  Whether your cooking white rice, brown rice, basmati, or a multi grain, a rice cooker cooks your rice for you perfectly every time. With your meal’s starch taken care of, you will have time to focus on other dishes you would like to prepare for your guests!

Remember when entertaining guests this holiday season, you can create delicious meals, but do so in style.

Holiday Cheer

Published on November 13, 2010 in FURNITURE, HAYNEEDLE and SEASONAL & GIFTS. 0 Comments

Last time I talked about creating a festive holiday spirit I focused mainly on how to throw a more casual party and how to use the different areas in the house as serving stations.  Let’s not forget that hanging around and relaxing with family and friends create much of Holiday cheer.  The family room is the perfect place to enjoy each other’s company.  If you plan on having guests, be sure to include comfortable seating like recliners to make your guests feel like they’re at home.  T.V. and other serving trays will make it easy for your guests to gather together and enjoy some of that holiday cheer while sitting on the couch or chairs.  As I mentioned previously when talking about dining, folding chairs are always a great idea to be sure that there is plenty of seating for everyone!

I don’t know about the rest of you, but my family has really grown over the years and my cousin, Mary Lou, was the first one smart enough to consider using her garage to entertain her guests.  She laid down some rugs, put in some comfortable seating, decorated the walls and purchased some fun games to create a separate activity and game area for the kids as well as many of the adults.  In fact, over the years she has created a kids area in her garage and an adult’s activity area in her den.

In her garage she had a foosball table and an air hockey table, but if you want to save space, you can get a game table that converts and turns into many games.  This past fall, in New York, one of the game tables we showcased was the three in one table that rotated.  That’s just one example of what’s available when you shop Hayneedle.

4 in 1 Game Table

In the den, for the “kids at heart”, she put a dart board and a billiards table.  Since this was a more adult area, she included a wine cooler there as well and used this room to store any gifts that were being exchanged.  She used wine and games as the theme of this room and had these really cool wine cooler bookends that held books about games.  It was a clever idea to create a theme!