Happy Father's Day To All The Great Dads Out There

I've been selling a lot of Father's Day gifts over the past couple of weeks. Mostly they are shirts or mugs featuring different things that a Dad might love to do when he gets a little time off from work. It got me thinking about my own Dad who passed away a few years ago, and what some of the things were that he liked to do.
Dad was a career Army officer who retired and became a prison guard for awhile. His kids were really his main hobby; he loved to take us on summer camping trips, would play dominoes, Cribbage, board games, horsehoes and badminton with us. And he always took us fishing when we camped, usually getting us up while it was still dark so we could drive to a lake or stream and have our lines ready to go in the water as soon as dawn arrived. If we were lucky enough to catch any trout, my Mom would have cornmeal ready to roll them in and would fry them up for our breakfast along with pan fried potatoes. That always tasted so good on a cold mountain morning! My Dad's hobbies may have been different than some guys are, but I have great memories because of them.
Anyway, here are a few designs in honor of my Dad. Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Dad Fueled By Chocolate Father's Day Gift by MainstreetShirt
See other Dad T-Shirts

Trivets, Coasters and Aprons for Mom

A friend of mine designed this extra special kitchen set that includes a handy apron plus coasters and a cork trivet, all with matching Cookie Shoppe design. I absolutely love it, and just bought a set for myself to enjoy. If you are looking for the perfect Mother's Day gift this year, consider getting a personalized apron and gift set or just a set of cork coasters for your Mom, Aunt, Step-Mom, Grandma or friend.
Here is a picture of the set; I know you will love it as much as I did when I saw it.

Last Minute Gift Ideas

If you are looking for some last minute gift ideas, you can still get a good deal on shipping today in our Mainstreet Shirt store:
FREE 2-Day Shipping on ALL ORDERS - Use Code: JINGLESALE71 TODAY ONLY (December 17)

Cutie Pie Kawaii Jewelry Gift Necklace by MainstreetShirt
See other Kawaii Necklaces

Aunt Gift Worlds Best Butterfly Jewelry Gift by MainstreetShirt
Browse other silver necklace designs

It's holiday baking time! All across America you can smell the cinnamon and cloves and taste the sweet goodness of all those yummy cookies, tea rings and gingerbread men being baked and sent to friends and family members. Everyone has their own favorite recipes, some of which have been passed down for generations. In our family, we make some of the following:
Russian Tea Cakes
Molasses Crinkles
Sugar Cookies
Cinnamon Rolls
Danish Tea Rings
Gingerbread Boys and Girls
Candy Cane Cookies
I remember my mother making fruit cakes for the neighbors. She would start hers a month or so before Christmas and put them away to mellow and absorb all the flavor, then take them around the neighborhood with a red or green bow on top of each tin.
If you love to bake, here are some fun recipe binders for your holiday collection. Just add your own pages and dividers.

Holiday Recipe Binder - 2" Size by golden_oldies

Christmas Gingerbread Recipe Cards by golden_oldies
Browse more Christmas recipe Postcards

Avery Top Secret Recipe Binder Security Folder by janbalaya
Browse other 3 ring binders on zazzle.com

Free Shipping Sale In My Zazzle Stores

For those who love shopping in my Zazzle stores, I have a special holiday FREE SHIPPING offer for orders over $35 (not including tax).
*Use Code HOMEWISESHOP when you check out of any of my Zazzle stores, including the following:
MAD CONDUCTOR MUSIC
MAINSTREET SHIRT
SMALL POTATOES DESIGNS

*To qualify for this free shipping offer, one or more Zazzle products must be purchased with a net sale price equal to or greater than 35.00 dollars and economy shipping must be selected as the shipping option. The coupon code [ENTER CODE HERE] must be entered during checkout to receive the offer. The free shipping offer is for economy shipping to U.S. addresses only. Offer does not apply to premium ornaments, shoes, skateboards, binders, custom framed prints, or photo sculptures. Shipping charges will apply to oversized orders and orders being shipped on an expedited basis or outside the U.S. Offer is valid through December 10, 2010 at 11:59pm PT. Your order must be placed during that time to qualify for this special offer. This promotional offer may not be combined with any other Zazzle promotional or discount offers. Offer valid on Zazzle.com only.

Graduation Ornaments For Christmas

If your son or daughter (grandson or granddaughter) graduation in the Class Of 2010 or will graduate this next spring in the Class Of 2011, a keepsake ornament will make a wonderful gift for them this Christmas. These work as Christmas ornaments or car mirror hangers, gift tie-ons or window decorations. Some are two sided, some are printed on one side only, but all have colorful grad designs to say "job well done".

I Still Love Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings

My kids are avid Harry Potter fans, and so am I. I read an article the other day that said J.K. Rowling might consider writing more Harry books one of these days, but for the mean time our family still likes listening to the original series on audio in the car, on ipods or at night. There is something about Harry, Ron and Hermione that I find so endearing that it keeps me returning to read or listen repeatedly. I find The Lord of the Rings series to be the same, and was very happy to be introduced to The Tolkien Professor by my son. It is a wonderful website that includes podcasts of this professor's lectures on The Lord of the Rings and others of Tolkien's works. I'm looking forward to working my way through those as I work at my computer this month.

Here is a fun Gryffindor tee for all you Harry fans:

Gryffindor Quidditch Badge by harrypotter
Create a personalized shirt on zazzle