Hot Gifts Under $100

‘Tis the season to help graduates start their new lives…in style!  We’ve picked a few of our Fab & Fru favorites – under $100 – perfect for both the high school and college grad…

Fab & Fru Tools

When you think Jonathan Adler you think FABULOUS – and not at all frugal, right?  Well, check out his tool box gift set – for under $25!  It’s perfect for the grad who will finally be living alone.  Even if you don’t know the first thing about home repairs, at least you can look chic doing it!

Hoop-La!

Jewelry designer Adina Reyter is one of our favorites – our latest obsession is her “Hoop Bar” – a totally fabulous array of different sizes and shapes (hello, Hexagon!) of hoop earrings – in both gold plated and silver.  Choose more funky for the grad going off to college, and more understated for that college grad going on real world interviews.  Either way, she offers a huge selection of chic – all for under a hundred bucks!

Make It Monogrammed

We like treating grads to gifts they aren’t likely to splurge on for themselves – like monogrammed cell phone and laptop cases!  These gifts are practical and pretty – a totally stylish way to protect your tech investments.  Check out The Pink Monogram for a great selection – we particularly like the Boatman Geller iPhone cases – personalized and posh for only $68.

Congrats to all the grads out there – Fab & Fru salutes you!  And whatever you do, resist the temptation to rack up credit card debt on this next phase of your journey.  That little reminder is our gift to you! 

Wedding Bells Without Huge Bills

Nothing makes a wedding more special than adding your personal touch.  Though wedding magazines may make you feel every detail has to be professionally executed, it’s the homespun additions that are most memorable – not to mention the most cost effective.  By adding even a few Do-It-Yourself details, you can save a ton of dough!

Centerpieces

I used to work for a high-end floral designer.  I know how amazing flowers can be – and how outrageously expensive!  For my own wedding, my sister and I put together green fruit baskets as centerpieces to complement my verdant outdoor setting, our sage green invitations and party favors.  At the end of the night, we donated the centerpieces in honor of our guests to a local food pantry.  The centerpieces cost under ten dollars per table – versus what could easily have been hundreds per table.  They were simple, beautiful and went to an excellent cause!

Do Yourself a Favor

Instead of wasting hundreds of dollars on party favors your guests may not even notice, let them take home a little something to remember YOU by.

Maybe you’re a known for your baking skills, or your hubby-to-be makes a mean Manhattan.  Give your guests that secret recipe for your pineapple upside-down cake, signature cocktail, or your family’s famous marinara recipe. Fabulous LA-based event planner Mikki Kane remembers one of her favorite brides gave out tins of her famous praline cookies along with the recipe as a gift to her guests – sweet!

Table Your Spending

Before you spend a zillion dollars on high end linens and crystal, we have an idea to jazz up your tabletop that is absolutely FREE! When I got married, it was important to me to tell each guest how much it meant to me that they were there, but I worried I wouldn’t get a chance to speak to everyone individually.  The solution turned out to be both meaningful AND money-saving…

On each place card I wrote one sentence personalized to that guest to make them feel special and appreciated – it was a welcome surprise for the guests as they sat down to find their messages written just for them!  No one cared about the basic white linens or lack of fancy silverware – the thoughtful, personalized words were the talk of the table instead!

We’d love to hear some of your D.I.Y. wedding success stories – and of course, failures too – if you’re brave enough to share them.  Here’s to a summer of love …and savings! 

Fab & Fru-nique Mother’s Day Presents

Don’t have a lot of money to spend on mom?  So what!  That’s no excuse for giving a boring Mother’s Day Gift.  If you think having “only” $20 bucks to spend means a another Target gift card tucked in with your Hallmark Card – THINK AGAIN.  In honor of May being Small Business Month, here are our favorite Fab & Fru gift ideas – all under $50 and all from small – but FAB – businesses!

For The Gourmet Mom:  Modern Bite

You’ve never seen cookies like these before!  For $30 you can give mom the most fabulous, modern designed “tile” cookies (see main photo) – and they taste as good as they look!  These tres chic sweets not only come individually wrapped – they are also packaged in a gorgeous gift box. Everyone we know who has tried Modern Bite is hooked …including us!

For The Artsy Mom:  Xenia Taler Picture Frames and Tiles

Speaking of tiles…We’ve written about our love for Xenia Taler handmade tiles before – and just in time for Mother’s Day they announced they are having a 20% off sale on their handmade tile photo frames – which means their $62 frames are now down to just under $50!

For The Letter-Writing Lady: Monkey Business Stationary

We love the letterpress stationary offerings from Monkey Business Press.  For $40, AHAlife is currently offering an exclusive “Here’s To You Mom!” boxed set of their 60s chic “bottles and glasses” blank notes with a huge added bonus – this hilarious “fill in the blank” card for you to give mom – which is a gift in itself…  If mom still insists on hand writing thank you notes (as we all should, by the way) this is the gift for her!

For The One-Of-A-Kind Mom:  Hooray For LaLa on Etsy

Leslie Robinson’s ETSY store, “Hooray For LaLa” is truly a treasure trove of, well….treasures!  She has compiled a fantasy land of one-of-a kind vintage finds to fit any budget.  Our favorite for mom?  This delightful mosaic brooch – at only $16 mom will think you spent way more!

Fab & Fru salutes all the small businesses out there for providing us with BIG gift ideas! 

Fab & Fru Holiday Yum

With Easter coming up on Sunday, it’s time to get creative and make some delicious snacks that will make your table festive, and WOW your guests’ taste buds!  Here are our favorite picks for making this holiday fun & yum – on a frugal budget…

Lollipop Chick & Bunny Planters

You know we are obsessed with Yummy Earth Organic Candy – we keep their treats on hand all year round.  Their products are full of great taste – and NOT full of icky stuff like chemicals and corn syrup.  And our friends at Yummy Earth came up with this very Fab & Fru Centerpiece for your Easter gathering – we love it because not only is it a decoration – it is also part of dessert!  Check out this week’s Organic Coupon Corner for deals on Yummy Earth Organic Candy, and then decorate away!  Besides the lollies, all you really need is some construction paper, and an old cup or planter. This is also a great idea to keep kids busy if you have a little craft table set up.  Or -if you don’t want the chaos, just do it yourself in advance!

Dark Chocolate Bird Nests

Last year, Carol Ramos from the blog The Pastry Chef’s Baking, published this adorable sweet and salty recipe from “A Year in Chocolate” by Alice Medrich – and it instantly became a Fab & Fru favorite.  Making these 3 ingredient Easter delights does takes a little time, but believe us – they’re totally worth it!

• 3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (quality dark chocolate is totally worth the splurge here!)
• 3 cups or more thin pretzel sticks, salted or unsalted (break them up so they are different lengths)
• 1 bag of candy coated Cadbury Chocolate Eggs (you can also use Jordan Almonds too)
  
• Size bowl or box of your choosing, lined with plastic wrap for a large nest.  Use sheets of wax paper for smaller nests.
  

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Cool to lukewarm. In a medium bowl, pour most of the chocolate over the pretzels. Use a rubber spatula to turn the pretzels gently in the chocolate until they are lightly coated, adding as much as the rest of the chocolate as necessary. It’s okay if some of the pretzel shows through the chocolate.

For a large basket or nest, scrape the pretzels into the lined bowl or box. Arrange the sticky pretzels against the sides of the container to resemble a nest. Shape small nests or wreaths on sheets of wax paper.

Refrigerate to set the chocolate. To unmold the large basket, lift the plastic liner from the container and peel it away from the pretzels. Fill each nest with candy coated Cadbury Chocolate eggs .  Display, eat and enjoy!

by Alexandra Pauline – January 23, 2012

Your Big Day The Green Way

Planning a wedding is a costly, emotional and time consuming undertaking – often leaving little room for the idea of sustainability.  I mean, this is the one day where the entire focus is on you, right?  And with so much going on, it might not even cross your mind to think about the environment…  But if you’re planning a wedding, going Green doesn’t have to mean more work and more money.  In fact, by making your wedding a more sustainable event, not only will you make your big day even more memorable, you can save some serious cash!

Go Partially Paperless

While there’s still something special about sending printed invitations for your actual wedding, save money and paper by sending digital invites for your save-the-date, engagement party, rehearsal dinner and shower.  Websites like Paperlesspost.com, Evite.com and Punchbowl.com have some elegantly festive Fab & Fru options so you can get the job done without chopping down a single tree – all with pricing packages that range from free to budget friendly!

Keep It Local – Even when Far from Home

Even if you’re not getting married in the town you live in, you can still make sustainable local choices that will help make your wedding one of a kind!  Wedding photographer Michelle Posey commented, “I saw a couple do a great job of putting on a sustainable wedding in 2010.  They had their wedding outdoors, made local food and wine choices, used flowers from friends’ gardens instead of having them shipped in, and used a family wedding dress instead of buying a new one.”

Eatwellguide.org makes finding caterers who specialize in using local ingredients as simple as just typing in your zip code.   Not only is going local better for the environment, and your taste buds – it may also save you on the cost of food.  The less your food has to travel, the fewer hands will be looking to cash in on its journey!

Take Out The Good China

Big weddings often lead to people cutting corners when it comes to using china and flatware.  Setting the tables with proper place settings not only helps to make your day feel more special, it will also allow you will avoid the extra waste that comes with using paper and plastic products …no matter how high quality.  The caterer or the venue may have to wash a ton of dishes that night, but it will be worth it in the end!

Champagne Alternatives that Won’t Disappoint

Looking for the ‘pop’ of Champagne without the price tag?  Jill Bernheimer of L.A. based DomaineLA and Brooklyn’s Smith & Vine have fantastic insider tips for frugal fizz that won’t sacrifice quality, taste or the experience of the classic expensive bubbly.  Shop online at both stores, or check your local wine shop and Whole Foods for these Fab & Fru suggestions!

Methode Champenoise

Whether Cava or Cremant, there are lots of wines from all over Europe that use the same rigorous method of production as Champagne, but can’t call themselves by the name since they fall outside the Champagne region. Cava is from Spain, and uses local Spanish grape varieties; Cremants come from France, and may or may not use the same grapes as in Champagne. You’re saving money just by virtue of the fact that “Champagne” is not allowed to be printed on the labels of these bottles.

Here are Smith & Vine’s Methode Champenoise Special Picks for 2012!

• Belle-Vue – Vin Mousseux Brut:  This sparkling Muscadet from the Loire Valley is light and minerally at about $18 a bottle.  Think oysters and crushed seashells, yum…

• Bruder Dr. Becker – Scheurebe Sekt Extra Trocker:  At around $22 a pop, this delightful German bubbly doesn’t just sparkle – it sizzles!

• La Taille aux Loups – Triple Zéro:  This 100% Chenin Blanc from the Vouray Loire Valley in France is delicious at $25 a bottle

• Crémant du Jura- – Domain de Montbourjeau:  100% Chardonnay from Jura and Savoie France, this “sparkle motion in a bottle” is $23 a bottl and the pick that tastes most like traditional Champagne.

by Brandi Savitt – December 19, 2011

Bake Like You Mean It

Have you been planning on getting your bake on this holiday season but can’t seem to find the time?  Well, it’s not too late!  We have three easy but deliciously sinful recipes so you can whip up a variety of homemade treats that Santa, the kids AND foodies from far and wide will equally enjoy.  Serve them to guests, or make up a box for the neighbors – no cookie cutters needed…  While they’re special enough to serve for the holidays, you’re going to want to make them all year long!

–The tradition of Christmas cookies may date back to Medieval Europe, but our favorite holiday cookie recipes are definitely for more modern taste buds.  Happy Baking!

Oatmeal Cherry Cookies

Put a little BING – cherry that is – into this oatmeal cookie classic.  The sweet and tangy twist from the cherry makes this special cookie – unforgettable!  Click here for the recipe.

Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies

Looking for a deliciously decadent cookie with a kick?  These super chocolatey coffee treats will keep a smile on Santa’s face all night long! Click here for the recipe.

Pecan Crescent Cookies

Some call them Russian wedding cookies, we just call them perfection. These super easy to make shortbread like delights are one of our favorite holiday cookies of all time!  Click here for the recipe.

We want to know…  What are your favorite holiday cookie recipes?

Get Fab & Fru Savings on Luxury Shopping

Sure, we all have a battle scar or two from braving the mall on the Friday after Thanksgiving.  But you can’t blame us for hoping to score some major deals, can you? If mentally (and physically) prepping for Black Friday weren’t enough, now we also need to be ready for Cyber Monday!

So…what’s the deal with Cyber Monday anyway?  Can shoppers get the same or better savings with just a click on a keypad as they can shopping in the store?  If Black Friday is all about the door busters at the big box stores like Best Buy and Walmart, what does Cyber Monday have that Black Friday doesn’t?

The Growth of Cyber Monday

In 2005, Cyber Monday was created so online merchants could push their holiday deals without competing with in-store Black Friday promotions.  However, in 2009, 195 million shoppers visited both stores and websites over the Black Friday & Cyber Monday weekend, spending an estimated $41.2 billion dollars!  Propelled by aggressive retailer promotions in 2009, online shopping has skyrocketed and shoppers have embraced the benefits of shopping from the comfort of their home – spending $913 million last year on Cyber Monday alone! -*Statistics provided by savings.com.

What Does this All Mean?

It’s no secret: merchants want you to spend your money at their store, and they’ll do what ever they can to get you to shop!  Cyber Monday allows online stores to continue to benefit from YOUR shopping mindset, while extending savings opportunities for the entire long weekend.  And as online shopping becomes more and more the norm, the line between the two shopping holidays has become blurred….

Luxe Monday Online & Off

When you think of Black Friday you think of people in their sweats racing for the doors at big box stores.  But the higher end and luxury retailers often wait for Cyber Monday- or Luxe Monday- to focus on their promotions.  Here are some luxey online and offline deals to watch out for!

Vacation Time!

Today is the day to find some serious travel deals on flights, hotels and vacation packages.  USA Today has listed some killer NOT TO MISS DEALS that you NEED to check out right NOW!

Additionally, get $200 off your next trip of 5+ nights at Travelocity when you book a qualifying flight + hotel or just hotel.  *Travel for qualifying trip must be complete by 1/2/12. $200 promo must be used between February 1 and April 30, 2012. Offer expires 12/15/11.

Orbitz is also offering  BIG deals to Europe if you book your trip now- offer expires 12/31/11.

A Day at the Spa!

Looking to buy a gift certificate for someone to a local spa, or maybe you want to a break yourself from the holiday madness.  Check local deals  near you for major spa discounts.   Spafinder is also offering a 20% savings!  Buy one $50+ gift certificate  and get 20% off the second of equal value.  Just enter in the code SFGIVE at checkout. –Offer expires 11/30/11.

A Thanksgiving Reality Check…

As the holiday weekend begins, most of us are gearing up to overindulge on Thursday, hopefully not over spend on Friday, and get in as much QT with family and friends as possible the rest of the weekend.  Thanksgiving is the one nondenominational holiday that all of us Americans celebrate, and a time to show our gratitude for all that we have – at least that’s what we’re supposed to do…

Does Being Thankful Matter?

Of course, we all muster up a moment of reflection and give thanks once a year, but do we always really mean it?  I mean, heck, who hasn’t had a challenging year?  The economy certainly sucks, people are suffering, and there is still no peace in the Middle East – not to mention all our individual personal problems!  Is there really all that much to be thankful for?  And who’s gonna fix it all?

That Which Does Not Kill You…

Have you ever noticed that those who have suffered and been challenged the most are often the ones who are most sincerely grateful?  If you think about it, the good times are easy.  We get lazy in the good times, and we never learn much when we are not challenged…  It is when we are forced to work hard and look fear in the eye that we find out who we really are, and what is truly important to us.  It is in times of challenge where the biggest opportunities lie – in all areas of life.  And it is in times like this when we realize that being thankful is not just about being polite, it is a way of looking at the world and our place in it.

Carpe Diem Baby!

So this Thanksgiving, after you raise a glass and toast your loved ones,  I ask you to take pause and challenge yourself to look at all that you are and all that you have in a new light.  If you don’t like what you see, vow to change it.  If you have something to say – say it.  If you have a dream – work like hell to make it happen.  Seize the day- everyday – and be grateful for every moment.

Have a Happy Fab & Fru Thanksgiving!

Click here to find your Cyber Monday Deals Right Here, Right Now! 

Looking for the best online Black Friday & Cyber Monday deals from clothing to electronics?  Savings.com has you covered with their exclusive deals from the most popular stores.  Take advantage of the hottest sales as soon as they become live!  Just pick your category, search for the best deals, and start stacking your Cyber Monday savings TODAY – through the entire Holiday Season.  And to get the most bang for your Black Friday Buck – check out our Fab & Fru Black Friday tips.   Happy Shopping!