Lisa Rossignol

I really enjoy giving thoughtful gifts but I have a limited budget and a large family. I want to make sure that I get people things they couldn't or wouldn't get themselves and I also try to be fair and to make sure everyone gets a comparable gift. I also tend to include at least one craft that I make myself. What follows are my 8 favorite gift ideas. I have hyperlinked almost all of the ideas so you can go straight to their site. 1. Hello Kitty coffee cozy : available on Etsy for $12 +shipping. She will give you a price break if you buy in multiples. I included the cozy in a fabric satchel with a Starbuck's gift card. If you can knit-you can buy the pattern one time for $5. She also has My Melody, Keroppi, and a cute pig. 2.   Mustache Necklace:  available on Etsy for $11 + shipping. Don't be fooled, these are still huge this season. She supplies quick service and you can buy multiples and she will likely give you a price break. Her ship also offers Zombie Hello Ki...

Paul and I circa 2000 When I met my husband he was a 23 year old college student working on his Bachelor of Philosophy and was a manager at a local book store. On our first date he wore a graphic grey t-shirt, a pair of khaki slacks and a pair of black and white Pumas. He had a Julius Cesar haircut and slightly bushy sideburns (mini-chops). He was tall and thin; He was perfection and looked like the man I always imagined I would marry. Flash forward 12 years and Paul is now the father of 2, Doctor of Oriental Medicine, a graduate professor a the local acupuncture college and their clinic director. Graphic tees and khakis aren't going to cut it anymore. Circa 2009 when Paul had all but given up on fashion. My husband has always been open to assistance in style and I am so grateful for that. I know men who are defiantly bad dressers and I know women who dress their men up with little to no regard for what the men like. I think this speaks to a mutual trust that Paul and I...