Central Florida Local Gifts

Melinda shared her favorite D.C. stores for edible gifts this morning, and I totally back up her claim that Artisan Confections is delicious. She bought quite a few for my mom, sister, and me to say thanks for all the wedding prep. Probably one of the best gifts I have ever received - yum!

I live in rural Florida, so we don't have access to fancy chocolatiers and olive oil experts. However, we do have our own charming foods that are perfect for holiday gift giving. First of all, it is currently citrus and strawberry season where I live. Also, I have been wearing shorts most days this past week or so. It's ok to be jealous.

Every few days I pick up freshly picked strawberries at my local farm for $2.50 a pound. And since these strawberries are not traveling very far, they are picked when they are fully ripe. This means full flavor and they are red all the way to the center. However, you also have to eat them within a few days of purchasing. The best way to turn these delicious strawberries into a gift is to dip them in chocolate and take them as a hostess gift to your next party. Make sure they were picked that morning so your hostess has a day or so to enjoy them!

Dundee Groves Florida basket

If you are looking for something that will travel better, I suggest citrus. Indian River grapefruit are by far the best, but any ruby reds are an amazing treat. I just bought some for 25 cents each! And you can throw them in the back of your car for any out of state road trips. You don't need to worry about them going bad any time soon as long as you keep them dry.

If you are looking for something sweeter, you should try Dundee Groves. They have really yummy citrus candies. The Florida basket is quite charming! You can also order the Citrus Delicacy if you only want the candies made from citrus juice. Dundee Groves will ship for those who are not as lucky to live near by.


Another great gift no matter where you live is local honey. The flavor of honey varies greatly depending on what plants the bees frequent. My favorite honey is Saw Palmetto. I buy mine in two pound bottles for $8 from my local farm. It has a deeper, not so sweet flavor. It is so different from the generic kind you get at the grocery store that it makes a wonderful gift that travels well. J and I brought a bottle up for his parents when we went to Ohio. As you can see in the picture below, we really enjoy our honey.

What kind of gifts do you find where you live? Are they fancy like Melinda's D.C. chocolate and olive oil? Or perhaps more agriculturally based like what my rural Florida provides?

D.C. Local Gift Sources

Two of my favorite places to buy gifts are right here in the D.C. area  - Artisan Confections and Under the Olive Tree.  Both shops are locally owned, small businesses with attention to detail and are the best in their fields.  I have given these presents as hostess gifts and thank you gifts and there has never been any disappointment!  I also like to give these as gifts to people who, er, have "way more means" than myself because I find it so hard to find presents for people who can buy anything they want for themselves.  This is a way for me to give the best quality gift I can afford that these people will enjoy.

Artisan Confections is located in the Clarendon neighborhood in Arlington and at the Mosiac shopping center in Fairfax.  They sell the-MOST-delicious-melt-in-your-mouth-decadent bon bons.  Their flavors range from traditional (vanilla bean) to exotic (apricot-cardamom).  My personal favorite is the mint, which tastes like fresh mint rather than York patty.  If chocolate bon bons ain't your thang (who are you? how do you live?), they also have crispy peanut butter bars, caramel marshmallow bar, soft caramels, and hot cocoa mix.

15 Piece Box
$27
Image Source: Artisan Confections

If you live nearby, Artisan Confections also has premium chocolate you can buy by the pound for baking; and occasionally, the shop will have made from scratch brownies using their premium chocolate.  Everything is made at the Clarendon location in small batches and there are no preservatives or fillers in these chocolates....you actually have to eat them within two weeks of their make date.  Artisan Confections will ship, but orders must be placed by 12/18 to arrive before 12/25 (703-524-0007).

My other favorite place to purchase food gifts is the Under the Olive Tree store in Tyson's Corner shopping mall.  This store is run by a wonderful family who are super friendly and really passionate about their products - mainly high end premium extra virgin olive oil and vinegars.  One of the daughters has become the second certified olive oil taster in the U.S. (similar to how a sommelier is for wine) and another is working on becoming a chef.

Image Source: Under the Olive Tree

I use their products all the time when I cook.  My favorite vinegars are the apricot and the blackberry balsamic and you can't go wrong with the blood orange olive oil.  These are so delicious!  If you need a bit more excitement with your cooking try out the coffee or chocolate vinegar.  My other go-to item at Under the Olive Tree is the black truffle sea salt.  I put it on popcorn and mashed potatoes aaaaaaaaall the time.  The product quality is higher than all the other olive oil stores and certainly better than what you will find in the supermarket.  The family takes great pride in their store and their olive oil is regularly lab-tested for freshness so you know you are getting a great product.  If you need recipe ideas, check out their Facebook page...I've been lucky enough to try several of their recipes at a tasting event at the store and they did not disappoint!  Under the Olive Tree will also ship, give them a call at 703-356-8880.

Got any local small business shops in your area?  Let us know if they have great gifts and are willing to ship!

Melinda's Fantasy Wish List

We're continuing on with our fantasy wish lists and I'm starting mine off with this super fun BMW convertible.  I'd probably be happy with any BMW, but this is their top of the line convertible in a great color.  Of course, I'd need a vat of luxurious sunscreen to go with it since I always, always burn (too bad I can't add magical, melanin producing skin to my fantasy list...I would if I could, but this doesn't seem to exist; and, therefore, I have no picture to post).

650i xDrive BMW Convertible
Image Source: BMW

I chaperoned Briana on a school trip to Europe once and we spent a couple of quick days touring Paris, but not actually staying inside Paris.  So I'd love a trip to the Four Seasons for New Year's!

Four Seasons Paris
Image Source: Four Seasons

Mostly, so I can take a bath in this tub....

Presidential Suite Bathroom
Image Source: Four Seasons

I'm taking note from Briana's Fantasy Wish List and consulting the Tiffany Blue Book for all things sparkly.  I have a bit of an obsession with Art Deco period and I'm in absolute L-O-V-E with this cuff:

Deco Fan Bracelet
Source: Tiffany

I'd love one to be one of those fabulous, ritzy ladies who can afford fresh flowers every week a la Victoria Grayson from Revenge (except without all the weird, twisty plots involving blown up planes and beau coup of backstabbing).

Weekly Flower Delivery
Source: H.Bloom

And finally, a little piece of land in Big Sur, CA so I could be close to San Francisco and the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, build my dream home, and look at this everyday!

Big Sur, CA
Image Source: Sotheby's

Did we miss and truly fabulous things to put on our lists? Let us know!

Enjoy this post? You can check out Briana's fantasy wish list, too!

Holiday Discounts

While I was doing some online Christmas shopping, I noticed there are a lot of great discounts to be had. I posted yesterday about 20% off Restoration Hardware, so here are a few more.

J. Crew has 30% off everything plus free shipping with code GIFTNOW, plus 6% cash back through Ebates. Coupon code is good until Christmas Eve.

Belk Friends and Family gives you 20% off most purchases through Saturday. However, you can get 20% off Belk & Co fine jewelry until December 28.

Bloomingdales is having a 20% off registry items with very few exclusions, so if you have a registry still open you should definitely look into using it to your savings advantage. Contact your store's registry consultant for more info.

J. Crew Factory marked everything down 50% until midnight tonight and Ebates gives you 3% cash back.

Walgreens is offering 34% off photo orders, both online and in store, through Retail Me Not. Use coupon code RMN34 and don't forget to use Ebates for 8% cash back! You don't have to rush, either. This deal is good for the whole month of December. However, order today if you know what you want; Walgreens is giving everyone 40% off their photo orders until midnight.

Blurb has a tiered discount system that is good through Sunday. Get 20% off an order with blurbgift-1. If you spend $150, you can use blurbgift-2 for 25% off your purchase. And if you really get crazy and spend at least $250, you get 30% off your whole order with blurbgift-3. I used Blurb to make wedding albums for my mom and mother-in-law, and they turned out beautiful!

And who said Black Friday was the only way to save on Christmas gifts? I am sure there are a ton more discounts and coupon codes, but these are just the ones that caught my eye. Share any good ones that you know about with us!

Briana's Fantasy Wish List

Melinda and I thought it would be fun to create our fantasy wish lists along with our other Christmas gift guides. Our only rules were the items needed to be at least as expensive as a car and no more than the price of a yacht.

1. I totally need a 1968 Stingray Corvette. I will also need a chauffeur to drive J and any guests in a separate car because I'm pretty sure fitting a second person inside the Stingray is a difficult task.

2. Tiffany prints their Blue Book every year before Christmas. It is full of gorgeous and over the top pieces, but I legitimately believe I could find a way to wear this Tiffany headpiece. Grocery store, vacuuming, blogging - all would be improved with the diamond and pearl headpiece.

3. Even though I don't have a house, I really want this art deco door. I have no info on the history of the door, so please let me know if you do!

4. I love this Alexander McQueen peplum gown. You really need to click on the link so you can zoom in on the peplum crystals.

5. My grandmother gave me her mother's every day silver plate flatware along with my veil for my wedding gift. She also gave me a gold set that coordinates with my fine china. I want to add to my collection with a sterling set, preferably Grand Baroque Wallace.

Enjoy this post? You can check out Melinda's fantasy wish list, too!