hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Feb 4, 2012, 11:54 pm
What did one berry say to the other? If you hadn’t been so fresh last night, we wouldn’t be in this jam!! Okay, I dusted off that old groaner of a joke to call attention to a wonderful, wonderful new site called Hope, Health, Joy with an incredible story. For years, Julia Butera enjoyed an en...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Feb 1, 2012, 11:14 pm
High-end fashion designer Alexandra Taylor has released an impressive collection of scarves and ties that help bring awareness and much-needed funding to an important cause: ending the scourge of malaria in Africa. Here in the United States, we often forgot how blessed we are. We have scientists wo...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Jan 29, 2012, 11:16 pm
Looking for rhinoceros head to mount in your trophy room, but don’t really feel like slaying a giant rhino today? UncommonGoods has the answer. This Rhino Head is handmade in Haiti from 100% recycled newspaper, cardboard and paper. Its green head and white horn will made a great conversation piec...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Jan 26, 2012, 11:52 pm
Macy’s Heart of Haiti Collection has a unique set of handcrafted vases from Haiti, including the Heart of Haiti Charlotte 1 Vase pictured here. If you bought your Bieber fever flowers (and if you didn’t, what are you waiting for?? ), this vase makes a great alternative to the glass vase that ...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Jan 23, 2012, 11:29 pm
Since the first music CD to help Haiti was released a few weeks after the earthquake, a whole bunch of other artists have come together to produce their own albums to help Haiti. There’s one to suit just about every musical taste, and the proceeds are still going to help. Here are some of the mor...
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hc l. posted an article on Indoor Gardening Blog - Jan 22, 2012, 12:51 am
Thought I'd share with you my Aerogarden peppers. It looks like only the red peppers are blooming; the other surviving pepper plant isn't bearing any fruit, possibly because the red peppers are getting so big and sucking up all the water and nutrients. I find that the plant is sucking up water so ...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Jan 20, 2012, 11:24 pm
This Birds in a Breadfruit Tree Jewelry Hanger from the Macy’s Heart of Haiti collection is a great way to support artisans of Haiti while displaying all your hanging jewelry in a beautiful and practical way. Made from recycled steel, this piece has a beautiful design of graceful birds in a bread...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Jan 17, 2012, 11:23 pm
Okay, who doesn’t have Bieber Fever these days? Wish the Justin Bieber fan in your life a Happy Valentine’s Day with this Bieber Fever Bouquet. It’s a bouquet of one dozen multicolored roses in a glass vase, along with a teddy bear wearing a Justin Bieber T-Shirt and a free 4-month membership ...
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hc l. posted an article on Indoor Gardening Blog - Dec 26, 2011, 9:46 pm
So, it's been a while since I had all three of my Aerogardens going. With the first day of winter happening four days ago, I figured, what better time to plant my gardens again? I actually took advantage of some Special Offers that AeroGrow was offering over Christmas. I ended up ordering a few thin...
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hc l. posted an article on Indoor Gardening Blog - Dec 21, 2011, 8:19 pm
For those of who who follow this blog, no, I haven't forgotten about you (or my indoor garden). It's just that my chili plants seemed to be taking forever to grow chilis. Of course, it didn't help that I constantly forgot to water them :P Happily, my Aerogarden Extra (formerly known as my VeggiePro)...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Dec 13, 2011, 11:10 pm
... I got my very own copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which ... , Moby Dick, 1984, and dozens of other classics. Something else noteworthy ... a veritable online treasure trove of gifts for book lovers, including ... Crayon. These are hardcover reproductions of the originals, not the cheap ...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Dec 12, 2011, 11:10 pm
Are you looking for a simple-yet-meaningful Christmas gift? Relief International has a beautiful Relief Bead bracelet for sale on their site handcrafted by women in Africa. These beautiful bracelets are handcrafted by African women. Costing only $10, they’ll go a long way towards Relief Internati...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Dec 12, 2011, 1:50 am
Well, it’s that time of year again. Macy’s is selling the Aflac Duck. In 2008, he was wearing a red parka. In 2009 he wore a Christmas tree outfit. This year he’s back, this time with a hunter’s cap (how ironic) and a stylish knitted scarf. He comes in both a 10 inch version and a 6 inch ve...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Dec 10, 2011, 11:07 pm
The good folks at Nonviolent Peaceforce reached out to me to tell me about something called “Peace Bonds”. These are beautifully designed gift cards with a difference. When you purchase one, the proceeds goes to help fund Nonviolent Peaceforce’s work around the world to prevent violence, promo...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Dec 9, 2011, 11:05 pm
... a toy to be given to a child in need. In addition, Hasbro will enable the foundation to purchase brand news toys at reduced prices to help as many children as possible, with a goal of delivering 10,000 toys. To participate in the Holiday Triple Play Toy Drive, log on to www.sandalsfoundation....
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Dec 8, 2011, 11:00 pm
Back around Christmas, Lauren from Grafik Media contacted me and asked if I would write a little something about Global Angels, a UK-based charity which helps children around the world. I’m a little late, but I did want to take some time to highlight it. One very notable thing about the charity i...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Dec 7, 2011, 11:37 pm
Chances are if you look in your garage you’ll find an old soccer ball that’s deflated. How nice would it be to have a soccer ball that never runs out of air and never gets waterlogged? One World Futbol is the answer. It’s a ball that’s the same size and weight as a traditional soccer ball, ...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Dec 6, 2011, 11:28 pm
Remember that scene in It’s a Wonderful Life after Clarence and George get booted out of Nick’s bar where Nick is giving out wings by opening and closing his cash register? Happily, you can do the same thing! If you visit http://www.legosantayoda.com, you can be one of 1,000,000 people who can...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Dec 5, 2011, 11:53 pm
It’s that time of year again to run out and get your 2012 Moleskine Planner or Journal. In the past few years, Moleskines have gotten extremely popular. For those who don’t know the history of the Moleskine, it was a popular type of notebook made by a small French bookbinder who supplied all of ...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Dec 4, 2011, 11:00 pm
On this blog we like to identify gifts where a percentage is donated to a great cause. But wouldn’t it be great if ANY gift you bought could go towards a great cause? There are a few sites out there like this, and the newest one is Buy4.com. Buy4 works on an affiliate model, meaning that when yo...
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hc l. posted an article on Indoor Gardening Blog - Nov 8, 2011, 1:05 pm
So, my pepper plants had been doing very, very well. The early pruning turned out great, as my four pepper plants grew stronger than ever, avoiding the "top heaviness" that doomed my last batch. When I checked the plants the other day, though, I was horrified to see that the leaves were wilting. I...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Nov 3, 2011, 12:27 am
Over the last two years we’ve seen a lot of citizens out on the streets demonstrating and voicing their opinions about this country and its government. It’s easy to take for granted that there are still hundreds of governments around the world where such dissent would be quickly, swiftly, and q...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 31, 2011, 12:13 am
Caribou Coffee is a popular brand of coffee which uses top quality beans and is sourced responsibly. Amy Erickson was a Roastmaster at Caribou. In 1995, at only 33 years of age, Amy passed away of breast cancer. The company launched a special blend of coffee and a related line of products to honor ...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 29, 2011, 12:45 am
Rounding out our selection of gifts for Breast Cancer Month 2011, we have a beautiful set of pink roses. Each year, 1-800-Flowers sells a different variation of The Pink Ribbon Bouquet where a portion of proceeds goes to The Carol Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Foundation. This year, the bouquet�...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 27, 2011, 12:02 am
Each year, Sephora launches its Beauty with a Cause collection, where participating brands donate a portion of proceeds to organizations that raise awareness about breast cancer. A lot of these products tend to sell out each year, so jump on them while you can! For a complete list of items for sal...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 25, 2011, 12:45 am
Mobile Edge makes some of the highest reviewed computer bags available. They created a series of bags called the Caring Case Collection, which consists of pink-themed laptop bags. All have the pink breast cancer ribbon, and 10% of the retail selling price of each casein this collection is donated ...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 23, 2011, 12:58 am
Chrome is a San Francisco company which was founded creating extremely durable and utilitarian messenger bags which have become popular for city living. They recently added shoes to their cadre of products. One of their most popular shoes is the Kursk shoe, which like its bags has received rave re...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 21, 2011, 12:21 am
This October, Limoges Jewelry will donate a percentage of ALL October sales to BreastCancer.com. And as usual, they have a great selection of beautiful jewelry that can serve as a reminder of the importance of the cause, and of getting regular checkups. This bracelet is only $9.99. It comes with a ...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 19, 2011, 12:31 am
Since October 1, eBay has had a pink ribbon by their logo which links to a page that details their initiatives for supporting breast cancer charities, including a huge number of auctions going on now that benefit over 130 breast cancer charities, from  Susan G. Komen For the Cure to the American C...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 17, 2011, 12:33 am
This October, for every Pink Sharpie that it sells, Sharpie will donate ten cents to City of Hope for Breast Cancer Research. In addition, City of Hope announced they’re collaborating with Grace Potter and the Noctournals in fighting women’s cancers. Grace is taking the lead on the Sharpie Ink ...
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hc l. posted an article on Indoor Gardening Blog - Oct 16, 2011, 12:59 am
I'm happy to report the indoor chilis are doing pretty well. Having said that, a lesson I learned quite clearly from last time is to do it "by the book"...literally. Last time, I let the pepper plants grow and neglected to prune them, which resulted in a bunch of top-heavy plants that ended up col...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 15, 2011, 12:29 am
For this month only, Cheryl’s Cookies has a collection of pink cookies where 10% of proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation Columbus Affiliate (where Cheryl’s is based). Shop Cheryl’s Cookies for the Cure collection If you haven’t had one of Cheryl’s “cutout cookies”, you d...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 13, 2011, 12:36 am
Each year, Macy’s outdoes itself with a great selection of pink products for sale in its Pink Shop that benefits breast cancer charities. This year is no different. Here are some of the most popular items for sale this year: The ever-popular KitchenAid Stand Mixer, 5 Qt. Artisan Cook for the Cur...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 10, 2011, 12:12 am
For 2011, Puma has gone all out in supporting breast cancer causes. This is the second year that Puma has put out a great line of Project Pink soccer-related products. There are products with Puma’s usual quality, but all with a pink flair. Female athletes have been wearing pink Puma gear all ye...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 8, 2011, 12:13 am
... Saturday October 8 on your calendar. Vera Bradley has dubbed it Tickled ... of your purchase price for any Vera Bradley product online or at ... will be donated to the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer. ... a $25 donation directly to the Vera Bradley Foundation, you’ll get ... …,...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 6, 2011, 12:32 pm
Each year I like to talk about one of my favorite pink gifts, the KitchenAid Pink Stand Mixer. I got a KitchenAid about 10 years ago and it’s been my best friend through countless breads, pies, ice cream, ground meat, grated cheese, you name it. eBay has one of their daily deals going on now whic...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 6, 2011, 12:11 am
Everyone needs a USB card reader, whether you need to move files from one computer to another or view your digital photos on someone’s computer. Barnes and Noble is selling a high quality IOGEAR card reader that plugs into any USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 port. It reads virtually all kinds of SD memory card...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 4, 2011, 12:38 am
Novica, an online gift store in association with National Geographic, is a unique store that aggregates handcrafted goods from artists all over the world, many in developing areas or areas torn by war or poverty. They sell more than just unique gifts–these are as beautiful and authentic as you can...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Oct 1, 2011, 12:39 am
As most of you know by now, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast Cancer charities were among the first to really popularize “cause-related shopping”, as you’ll see from the sheer number of “pink” items you see around you this month. What started as a simple gesture of the Susa...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Sep 30, 2011, 12:49 am
Everyone knows that office products is a high margin business. After all, how much does it cost to make one of those toner cartridges that end up being sold for $200? Zuma is a new kind of office supply company where 50% of all their profits are donated to charity. Charities you can choose from inc...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Sep 27, 2011, 12:37 am
Who said whiteboards had to be boring? This Umbra Talk Magnetic Dry-Erase Whiteboard is a high quality and affordable whiteboard that’s in the shape of a speech bubble. It’s perfect to hang in a dorm room or outside the door, or in an office where you want to break up the monotony and spur a li...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Sep 24, 2011, 12:56 am
While the 2010 earthquake in Haiti isn’t in the news anymore, the poverty-striken country that was decimated is still working to rebuild today. Macy’s has a great collection of handcrafted jewelry, crafts, and home furnishings called the “Heart of Haiti Collection”. More than just a charity...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Sep 21, 2011, 12:49 am
The baby company Carter’s has a great deal going on now where you can buy some of the cutest stuffed animals around for baby, and all proceeds will benefit The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society under their Light the Night program. You can choose from the three cute critters shown above, a gorilla, a g...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Sep 18, 2011, 12:20 am
For those of you who read my post on September 11 this year, you’ll remember that I mentioned how after the towers went down, for months afterwards there seemed to be an awful “hole in the sky”. For months, I left the curtains in my window overlooking the World Trade Center closed. The hole wa...
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hc l. posted an article on Indoor Gardening Blog - Sep 15, 2011, 3:13 pm
Actually, two little chilis :) So we're off to a good start, although I see nothing yet from the two Red Fire chili pods, which is the one I'm most interested in (I do a lot of Asian cooking). Hope I won't have to get a replacement for the replacement :P
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Sep 15, 2011, 12:18 am
Williams-Sonoma always has some great mixes and kits. Here’s one that makes a great gift. Their Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Mix comes in a reusable glass jar and already has everything you need to make delicious chewy oatmeal cookies. All you need to do is add butter and eggs and you’ll end up with t...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Sep 9, 2011, 12:00 am
I used to work at Merrill Lynch in downtown Manhattan between 1999 and 2001 at 222 Broadway, a block from the World Trade Center. I’d have a little ritual every other day after work. I’d walk down Fulton Street, cross Vesey, walk into the World Trade Center and cross the walkway into the W...
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hc l. posted an article on Indoor Gardening Blog - Sep 7, 2011, 12:58 pm
I recently went to the fabulous Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Being an indoor garden nut, every time I go to a botanical garden, I always try to seek out the herb garden. Brooklyn's herb garden is phenomenal. One of the highlights is a huge patch of chili peppers. The variety of pepper seemed exactly t...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Sep 6, 2011, 12:49 am
As much flak as Google’s been getting lately for their various missteps as a behemoth corporation, here’s something really nice they’ll be doing at least through the end of 2011. For any troops overseas with a .mil email address, Google is letting them call back home to the United States for ...
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hc l. posted an article on Charitable Gift Giving Blog - Sep 3, 2011, 12:58 am
Okay, perhaps not the most appealing title to a post in the world, but it got your attention didn’t it? Sephora is selling a limited edition bottle of Justin Bieber Someday Eau de Parfum Spray. This is a perfume that’s been getting rave reviews on sites like Macys and Amazon, raving about its ...
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