2013 Holiday Gift Guide

2013 HOLIDAY

GIFT GUIDE More than 120 gift ideas for everyone on your list

CONTENTS

Thomas Kinkade’s Newest Release Sunset on Snowflake Lake

by Thomas Kinkade

This is Kinkade’s Christmas release.

Image sizes: 18x27 / 24x36

Smoky Mountain Christmas

by Mark Keathley Image sizes: 12x18 / 18x27 / 24x36 / 28x42

Christmas Open House Sat., Dec. 7th • 10am - 5pm

Refreshments - Door Prizes - Special Sale Offers & More!

Lakeland Plaza • Cumming

770.888.9924 Mon.-Fri. 10-7 Sat. 10-6

Closed Sundays www.parsonsthomaskinkadegallery.com PAGE 2 — GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013

SHOP LOCAL RESOURCES

The Gift-Giver’s Guide to Shopping Local

EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

Most new tech gadgets worth their salt play host to a built-in camera nowadays - tablets, smartphones, laptops and even gaming consoles.

HOT GIFTS FOR GOOD COOKS Duff Goldman By Gartner Studios Airbrush Machine

BURN, SMELL, LOVE

Candles truly are the gifts that keep on giving.

A GIFT-GIVER’S GUIDE TO BUYING JEWELRY

Know how to choose a trendy, high-quality or classic piece that your loved one can cherish for seasons to come.

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2013

THE GIFT-GIvEr’s GUIDE TO sHOppInG LOcAL

BUYInG FrOm LOcAL mErcHAnTs Isn’T jUsT THE FEEL-GOOD sTOrY OF YOUr sHOppInG YEAr. IT’s A GrEAT wAY TO mAkE GIFTs mOrE spEcIAL wHILE sUppOrTInG THE pEOpLE AnD BUsInEssEs THAT HELp mAkE YOUr TOwn GrEAT GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013 — PAGE 3

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2013

By Jessica RoyeR ocken cTW TW Fea FeaTuRes

T

he Internet is always there, lurking. It couldn’t be easier to click a few buttons and have life’s essentials arrive at your door.

These days, local businesses don’t just compete with big boxes and department stores, they compete with everything on the World Wide Web. But choosing gifts for people – selecting something perfectly matched to personality and preferences, that adequately conveys your love and appreciation for them – can be trickier than making sure another case of paper towels arrives before the last one runs out.

“What are your goals for this purchase?” Heidi Butzine, founder of ShopLocal.us and author of “Shop Local: A Practical, Pain-Free Guide to Shopping With a Purpose” (Simplex Publishing, 2012), suggests you ask yourself. “Do you just want something as cheap as you can get it?”

If we’re not careful, holiday shopping becomes merely one more task to be completed at our desks – another workload piled on top of everything else we have to do at this busy time of year.

So why not try something different?

Step away from the screen and make shopping an experience this year, and a pleasant experience at that. “It feels good to get out of your office, away from the computer,” Butzine says.“Take a break and engage with people at a local store.”

The benefits of this approach are not just for you. You’ll also be supporting your community, as well as delighting those on your gift list.

When it comes to shopping local, there’s plenty of reward to go around.

FOr YOUr cOmmUnITY …

Shopping at local stores is “the gift that keeps on giving,” says Bill Brunelle, executive director of Independent We Stand, an organization launched in 2011 to educate consumers and businesses about the economic benefits of buying local. When you purchase something at PAGE 4 — GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013

a locally owned business, more of your money stays in the community, he explains. It’s not going out of town to a big-box corporate office. Store owners based in the community are also more likely to hire local accountants and marketing firms, as well as source more of the products they sell locally. “It’s really a multiplier effect,” he says. “The money keeps recirculating.”

Why is that important? Think about how local stores contribute to the fabric of your community, suggests Kathleen McHugh, president of The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA). The toy store in town might be where parents bring their kids for a craft class, or where they know they can pick up a last-minute gift that will be wrapped for them, or where they go when the baseball team needs a sponsor.

Independent stores’ distinctive presence gives your city character and make it a special place to live.“The guy across the counter may be a secondgeneration employee, and he’s been on the school board,” Brunelle says. “He’s got a true vested interest in the community.”

FOr YOUr rEcIpIEnT …

America has become a bit of a “throwaway society,” Brunelle says.

“Once something doesn’t work, it goes in the landfill, and you get what you pay for sometimes.” But the holidays are the perfect time to break out of this mode.

“When you’re looking for a gift that will make someone feel good,buy something unique, something they don’t have in big boxes or national chains.”

When you take the time to find something special, you’re giving the person some of yourself, Butzine notes.

Perhaps the gift will represent where you live. Butzine lives on the ocean, so she sometimes chooses artwork or a photo of the beach for landlocked friends. “Your gift can remind them of you or provide an escape,” she says.“Gift giving is so individualized.You just need to stop and think.”

If you’re shopping locally, you don’t have to think alone. “You can go into a local toy store and talk to someone

“when you shop in person, you get it right the first time. There’s no being surprised and having to return things.”

— Kathleen McHugh, president of The American Specialty Toy Retailing Association who’s really well trained in child development,” McHugh says. Just give them the child’s age, and you can likely walk out with the perfect present.

“That’s priceless – there’s no guessing!”

Plus, you can select from more than just the latest mass-produced toys and games. You’ll get a range of creative, open-ended playthings. “It’s not about what the toy does, but what the child does with this toy,” McHugh says. “If a kid can find a million ways to play with the same toy, you’ve hit the jackpot.”

In the same way, the bookseller in town may suggest local or regional authors you haven’t heard of, the local boutique may have clothing or jewelry by designers you might otherwise miss, and the music store down the street may have cutting-edge tunes by independent artists, plus a great selection of vintage vinyl, these experts say.

FOr YOUrsELF …

“The holidays get so stressful, but try to look at your shopping as a fun, meaningful opportunity,” Butzine says. It can make you feel good to find something you know a person on your list will love.

Try to enjoy the process rather than making it a mad dash to buy stuff. Try the “Shop Local Loop,” she suggests.

Work your way through the neighborhood stores in a 1- to 5-mile radius of where you live.

You’ll likely be rewarded with unusual and offbeat gift options, as well as more knowledgeable employees and perhaps even the store owner in person. “I like to touch everything,” McHugh says.

“When you shop in person you get it right the first time. There’s no being

surprised and having to return things.”

This heightened level of customer service can help when buying for someone you don’t know so well: grandparents who aren’t as in touch with what kids are doing at a certain age, people who don’t have kids but want to wow their nieces and nephews, you with that one enigmatic sister-inlaw. “When you show up with the best gift, you win the day,” McHugh says.

Shopping local can even help you conquer the most difficult holiday gift list challenge of all: the co-worker.

Choose a gift card for an area restaurant, Butzine suggests. Then you’re giving something you know will be convenient, as well as supporting a local business, and you and the recipient could even go there together. And for the person who doesn’t need any more stuff, a donation to a local charity – in your area or theirs – may be just the thing.“That’s a nice way of getting around the idea that a gift must be something tangible,” Butzine says.

Finally, once you’ve found that perfect item – the chocolates made by a local confectioner, the sweater from a family that’s been knitting for generations, a toy that will entertain for hours – be sure you share your experience with the recipient too. Rather than just slapping a tag on the package, add a card that tells the gift’s story: who made it, why you chose it, how you found it.

“A personal note saying how much fun you had picking out their gift lets them know the thoughtfulness involved,” Butzine says. “It lets them know this is heartfelt.”

After all, that is the goal of holiday gift giving. © cTW TW Fea FeaTuRes

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GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013 — PAGE 5

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2013

EvErY PIcTUrE TELLs A sTOrY

By Rachel GRaf | cTW feaTuRes

M

ost new tech gadgets worth their salt play host to a built-in camera nowadays – tablets, smartphones, laptops and even gaming consoles. With so many digital photos housed in a variety of locations, it can be easy to forget about all those snapshots languishing on Facebook or Instagram. This holiday season, give a unique gift by moving photos from the digital world to something physical, like an iPad case or even in a snow globe.

For the crafty gifter, there are many do-it-yourself projects that incorporate photos to customize gifts. Find inspiration online at sites like Photojojo, which offers simple do-it-yourself photo projects and other photography tips.

Their mission is to help people of all ages discover or rediscover a love of photography, says Amit Gupta, founder of Photojojo and co-author of“Photojojo!: Insanely Great Photo Projects and DIY Ideas” (Potter Craft, 2009).

“I saw tons of my friends taking hundreds or thousands of photos a year with digital cameras, and all those photos were getting lost and forgotten about,” Gupta says in an email. “So Photojojo started as a way to help people do more with the photos they were already taking.”

Gupta’s favorite projects are ones

PAGE 6 — GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2013

PErsOnALIzED DAY PLAnnErs (AbOvE) Or IPAD cAsEs (bELOw), cAn bE OrDErED FrOM LOcAL PHOTO cEnTErs Or OnLInE. that include transforming an object you would typically throw out into something beautiful. For example, he says he really likes the photo snow globe made by placing a photo, glitter and a few other common ingredients in a water bottle. Photo projects from Gupta’s book include photo slider puzzles, Rubik’s cubes, temporary tattoos and a photo chandelier.

You can buy items from a local gift shop and use them in your personalization projects to make them even more unique.

Another option for photo gifts, if you’re not inclined toward crafts, is ordering a customized printed product.

Your local photo center or pharmacy is likely equipped with a customization kiosk or station that offers dozens of options for products to print on and designs to add.A variety of websites also offer the same services, often with sophisticated previews so you know exactly what you're getting.

Just remember to order the product in advance to allow for printing and shipping time.

“It’s really easy,” says Heidi Reichert, head of custom design at Tiny Prints,

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one such website. “The designs are stylish and beautiful and there is such a variety to choose from.”

With just a few minutes to upload images and choose products, customers can order a gift that is more heartfelt and completely different from what's available on the shelves. Whether it's a practical gift like day planners or iPhone cases, or something for display like acrylic trays and mounted prints, a customized photo gift can make the memories last.

“I think it’s a very, very wonderful way to show someone how much you care about them,” Reichert says. “I’m going to make an ornament for my daughter every year and send it to her grandparents. It’s something they can have to preserve their memories.” © cTW feaTuRes

GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013 — PAGE 7

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2013

HOT GIFTs FOr GOOD COOks

By Bev Bennett CtW Features

I

f your companion is glued to chef shows on television, a cooking implement, especially if it’s used in the program, may be the perfect holiday gift.

It’s easy to find presents that are chef-inspired thanks to the surging interest in all things chef.

“The chef influence is important,” says Debra Mednick, executive director and home industry analyst for the NPD Group in Port Washington, N.Y.

A culinary professional’s stamp of approval may be good for sales, according to Mednick, and it may be just what the recipient needs as a confidence builder.

The aspiring chef uses the same gizmo as the television chef and may become a better cook.

You benefit, too, when you’re invited for meals that are delicious and daring.

Here are several new kitchen products that are either supported by or used by chefs along with cookbooks to further the home chef’s skills.

CAkE BOss

Buddy Valastro, star of TLC’s television series “Cake Boss,” collaborated on a new line of bakeware with the Cake Boss name.

The line goes beyond bakeware to include Cake Boss 4-Piece sets of Fondant Presses in various shapes including Christmas, Dinosaur and Work Truck themes.

For the baker who wants a professional finish to cakes, there’s the Cake Boss 10-Piece Fondant/Gum Paste Modeling Kit with tools for adding veins to leaves and other intricate touches.

The Fondant Presses have a suggested retail price of $9.99 each, the modeling kit, $19.99. The fondant products are available at larger chain craft stores and mass-merchandise stores.

Those fondant garnishes would look lovely topping the mouth-watering cakes from the baking book “The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook” by Tom Douglas and Shelley Lance (William Morrow, 2012).

Tempting recipes from the famous Seattle bakery include cornmeal rosemary cake with lemon glaze, carrot cupcakes with brown sugar cream cheese frosting and Piedmontese hazelnut cake.

PAGE 8 — GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2013

IsI GOUrMET WHIP PLUs

Savoring foam, the light essence of flavor, once meant making a reservation at an expensive, experimental restaurant. Now the at-home chef can indulge in frothy adventures, turning purees, soups and sauces into foams with the iSi Gourmet Whip Plus handheld dispenser that operates on nitrousoxide chargers (sold separately).

The Whip Plus can be used with either hot or cold ingredients and includes straight, tulip and star tips for creative foam shapes. It’s available as half-pints or pints at fine cookware stores.

As the companion book to the Whip Plus, add the “Explore New Taste” by iSi North America.

The company, which makes kitchen utensils for both the home and professional cook, produced a limited edition cookbook featuring ideas and recipes from chefs and mixologists around the world.

Your chef can read about the importance of density and texture and whip up uni toast with avocado and grapefruit foam.

The book will be available on January 1, 2014, and has a suggested retail price of $49.

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GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013 — PAGE 9

Duff GolDman

by Gartner StuDioS airbruSh machine Help your favorite baker become the Cezanne of cupcakes.

Unleash the kitchen artist to airbrush swaths of pearl, metallic, pastel or deep colors onto unbaked or finished cakes, cookies and similar desserts.

The lightweight air compressor, named for the star of the Food Network’s “Ace of Cakes,” features adjustable air pressure, airbrush and hose. Airbrush colors are sold separately. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price is $129.99. Find the airbrush machine at larger chain craft stores.

If you’d like to add a book to the gift package, try “Vintage Cakes: Timeless Recipes for Cupcakes, Flips, Rolls, Layer, Angel, Bundt, Chiffon, and Icebox Cakes for Today’s Sweet Tooth”

by Julie Richardson (Ten Speed Press, 2012)..

An airbrush glaze is just a lot of air without the cake as foundation. Simple, old-fashioned cakes provide an excellent surface. The chef artist can bake a Harvey Wallbanger cake and gild it with a gold sheen.

PAGE 10 — GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013

ace of cakeS cake DecoratinG air bruSh, $129.99

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2013 MArsHMALLOW COLLECTION FrOM CHICAGO METALLIC

Cooking isn’t just about meal preparation; it’s also about having fun.

Imagine the pleasure of turning out homemade marshmallows.

A new line for marshmallow fans from Chicago Metallic includes pans with collapsible walls in either 8-inch square or 9-by-13-inch sizes. There’s also a cutting wheel, which can double for sticky pizza toppings and a Crush & Coat set of bowls and a pestle for handgrinding marshmallow toppings.

The pans have a suggested retail price of $11.99 for the smaller and $14.99 for the larger. The cutting wheel has a suggested price of $9.99, and the bowl set $19.99, at cookware stores.

Homemade marshmallows are great for constructing elaborate cakes, such as those in “Extreme Cakeovers” by Rick and Sasha Reichart (Clarkson Potter, 2013).

It’s DIY cake decorating gone wild when your baker turns pound cake into fries, green fruit roll-ups into “lettuce” and ice cream cones and marshmallows into train smokestacks.

MICrOPLANE ADjUsTABLE sLICEr WITH jULIENNE BLADE Cutting thin, even slices of vegetables or fruits can be unnerving unless you have a highquality slicer.This new model from Microplane makes julienne cuts easy with adjustments for 1/32-inch, 1/16- and 1/8-inch thick slices.

The slicer is distinguished by an extremely sharp blade that slices through everything from potatoes for a gratin to limes for a cocktail.

The adjustable slicer is available at cookware stores and has a suggested retail price of $29.95.

If julienne sliced vegetables inspire your chef to more adventurous cooking, give them “New American Table” by Marcus Samuelsson (Wiley, 2009).

Inviting dishes in this accessible and attractive cookbook from the well-known restaurateur and television personality include cabbage-tomato relish, almond chicken with avocado salsa and radish salad or cabbage slaw (with sardines, yogurt and almonds).

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GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013 — PAGE 11

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2013

BUrN, SmELL, LOVE C

Matthew M. F. Miller Ctw Features

andles truly are the gifts that keep on giving. According to the National Candle Association, America’s love for waxing poetic burns bright: $2 billion is spent annually on candles and they are used in 7 out of 10 households.

Versatile and inexpensive – they are a wonderful gift option for moms, grandmas, teachers, hostesses and more. These new scents provide fragrant options for anyone on your list.

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Mason jar candle, $12.50; 14.5 oz. 3-wick candle, $20 CHAmPAGNE TOAST, BLACk TIE AND PArTY DrESS

PAGE 12 — GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013

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HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2013

By Rachel GRaf | cTW feaT ea uRes eaT

B

A GIFT-GIvEr’s GUIDE TO BUYInG

JEwELrY Know how to choose a trendy, high-quality or classic piece that your loved one can cherish for seasons to come

racelets, anklets, necklaces, rings, hoop earrings, post earrings, dangly earrings and the list goes on. With so many jewelry options, it’s useful to know what’s in style to ensure you pick the perfect gift for your loved one this holiday season.

Jewelry trend forecaster Rocks Paper Metal began as website in 2011. Because of its success, it has since launched its own jewelry line.

Rocks Paper Metal’s co-founder, Diana Rochford, says big jewelry pieces will remain in style this holiday season. This could mean either one big statement piece of jewelry or many smaller pieces of jewelry that have been layered on top of each other.

With regard to jewelry materials, crystal colored with deep purples, blues and greens is very big this upcoming season. Midnight blues, deep plum and especially emerald are all good colors to shop for during the fall and winter seasons.You can also add this crystal to a pendant for a more complete look.

Metals such as silver, titanium and rose gold are very in this season as well,

vIcEnTE TE AGO AGOr P PALAIs BULLEs ULLEs TrIPLE sTrIPE ULLE EArrInG EArr PAGE 14 — GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013

black & White DiamonD earrinGS by kc DeSiGnS says Ruth Batson, executive director and CEO of the American Gem Society.

“There’s a whole punk girl trend going on with mixing materials that you wouldn’t have seen before,” Rochford says. “You see a lot of pearls mixed with crystal and spikes.”

The geometric look is also trending: Triangles and spikes are both very hot. The geometric look can also be created with repetitions of patterns of circles, squares and triangles.

However, Rochford warns to stay away from Aztec and tribal pieces, as that trend is on its way out.

To determine jewelry trends, the forecasters at Rocks Paper Metal look at collections from big-name designers a year before they hit the market. Rocks Paper Metal is a global company, so they look at trends everywhere from Los Angeles to London.

Usually, they focus on big-name costume jewelry companies such as Topshop that have quick turnarounds for products. These quicker turnarounds allow costume jewelry companies to pick up on trends they think are coming into fashion, of which Rocks Paper Metal takes note.

“It’s not rocket science,” Rochford says.

“It’s not like the trend changes magically from season to season. There’s always a progression.”

Professional jewelry companies like Jewelers of America and the American Gem Society also have knowledge of industry trends because they work very closely with many jewelers.

For gift buyers who plan to make a big investment in jewelry, timeless pieces and looks should be considered as well. Mixing black and white metals, either as one piece or as two pieces stacked on each other, is a

Silver chan-chan cuff by kamari Silver timeless look, says Amanda Gizzi, spokesperson for Jewelers of America.

Earrings, particularly studs, and diamonds are other examples of timeless pieces, Batson says. Before purchasing a diamond, ask for a diamond grading report by a not-for-profit diamond grading laboratory, which will evaluate the diamond’s karat weight, color, clarity and cut.

“The cut of the diamond can be the biggest factor on its value because that’s what makes the diamond sparkle,” Batson says.

After determining the type of jewelry to buy, it’s important to be mindful of the quality of the jewelry, especially if making a significant investment.

Start with finding a reputable jeweler, Batson says. You can do this by researching online before visiting the jeweler in person. A good place to start is with jewelers who

belong to the American Gem Society or other reputable jewelry groups. Members of the American Gem Society go through rigorous education about their products and must be re-certified each year to maintain membership, Batson says. These are businesses who want to protect their good name and are more likely to do honest business with you.

Other tips for buying jewelry are to ask for the return policy up front and to know what price range is reasonable.

“Don’t be dazzled by discounts,” Gizzi says.

“Any time you see some place that always has incredible sales, be cautious about that, because if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.” © ctW featureS

GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013 — PAGE 15

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PAGE 16 — GIFT GUIDE I— DECEMBER 2013