Ruffled® » gifts

Groomstars

Bethany — Tue, 10 May 2011 12:42:40 +0000

While we love paying attention to all things bridal, we hate to see grooms and groomsmen fall by the wayside. Because of this, we have a very special spot in our hearts for our sponsor, Groomstars. No matter if you’re searching for a gift for your soon-to-be-husband or his father, shopping for the men in your bridal party couldn’t be any simpler!

Groomstars is the premier online luxury source for high end personalized wedding gifts. Whether it’s a gift for the groom, groomsmen, best man, or father of the bride or groom, Groomstars has a large selection of unique gifts that allow you to select the perfect item for each individual.

Our Calling all Grooms promotion for gifts for groomsmen is going on right now, and we are extending it through September! Every month, Groomstars will be giving away a $1,000 gift certificate to one lucky winner. All you have to do is sign up and complete the profile for a chance to win!

DIY Chocolate Hazelnut Spread

Bethany — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:43:55 +0000

We may have saved the tastiest project for last! Without a doubt, the most challenging aspect of this DIY wedding favor will be keeping yourself from licking spoonfuls straight out of the bowl. Just think about it: what doesn’t taste better with Nutella? And better yet, without hydrogenated oils? We’re sure your guests will feel the same way, and we can’t imagine a more scrumptious parting gift!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup whole almonds, raw
1 1/3 cup hazelnuts, raw
1 3/4 cup milk
7/8 cup powdered milk
3 tablespoons mild-flavored honey
pinch of salt
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
5 ounces milk chocolates chips

The original recipe was created by David Lebovitz and found via A Wooden Nest. The Chocolate-Hazelnut Paste will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week. However, we used fat free milk and fat free powdered milk, and the recipe turned out just as delish. The original recipe mentions it lasts a week. Our experiment was still good for two weeks, and chances are, you will eat it all before you know it.

Preparation:
1. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet, keeping the almond separate, and toast the nuts at 350ºF, stirring a few times, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the hazelnuts are browned.

2. While they are roasting, warm the whole milk and powdered milk in a small saucepan with the honey and salt just until it starts to boil. Remove from heat.

3. In a clean, dry bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, or in a microwave oven, melt the chocolates together until smooth.

4. Once the nuts are well-toasted, remove them from oven and use a spatula to place the warm hazelnuts in a clean tea towel, then fold them inside the towel and rub them vigorously to remove any loose skins. We didn’t worry too much about removing the skins completely. At the end, it won’t make any difference.

5. In a food processor, grind the hazelnuts and almonds until they’re as fine as possible. You may not be able to get them completely smooth, depending on your food processor. After 5 minutes in the food processor you will notice the creamy consistency – that’s what you want.

6. Using a double boiler, melt chocolate chips. Add milk mixture and chocolate with the nut paste. Mix well. Pour your warm Nutella in a Ziploc bag, seal and cut a small piece of one corner. Slowly squeeze onto your containers so it doesn’t spill on edges of the jars. This will help you speed up filling your containers faster than using a funnel) and it’s a lot less messy… This recipe makes 4 wedding favors using 8 ounce jars, and do I even need to say how much your guests will love you for these? Serve with fresh bread or crackers, and a mini milk bottle.

Zankyou

Bethany — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:03:03 +0000

When I was registering for gifts, I remember thinking that I wish I could register at 100 different stores so that my husband and I could get the variety of useful items we knew we wanted and not feel limited by the constraints of one or two stores. Well, the modern world has finally caught up to our needs, because one of our sponsors, Zankyou, provides an amazing registry service that’s much like registering at way more than 100 stores. With Zankyou, the world is your registry oyster because your guests’ cash donations can be contributed to nearly anything in the world. You can register for fancy meals, honeymoon excursions, espresso machines, travel, you name it! You can even use your Zankyou registry to make donations to your favorite charity.

From Kristen of Zankyou: Zankyou is the ultimate flexible, international, and eco-friendly cash wedding registry. Couples can create the registry of their dreams, adding absolutely anything to their wish list. Include your honeymoon, household items, a dream project, new home or charitable donation, and your guests can make contributions toward the things you really want. Zankyou was established in 2007 in Europe, and more than 2.5 million couples have used our site to plan their weddings. Our outstanding service arrived in the U.S. in 2010, and we’re now the fastest-growing wedding registry in the country.

Zankyou has the lowest rates on the market. We charge just 2.85% per transaction, while other cash wedding registries charge 7-10%. The best part? You can defer this small handling fee to your guests, making our service absolutely free! Zankyou transfers your funds directly to your bank account at your request, and there’s no limit to the amount of transfers you can receive.

In addition to our registry service, couples can create a free wedding webpage with unlimited photos and video, a guest list, seating chart, RSVP option and more. Our privacy settings and online features are second to none. Over at our blog, we keep couples up-to-date on the latest wedding trends, and our online experts answer your questions in our online forum. Zankyou is the next generation of gift giving. After all, your future together doesn’t have limitations – why should your wedding registry?

Just perusing through Zankyou’s online magazine, I found a lot of good tips and articles. It’s a really impressive site with much more than just registry options, so head on over and check it out!

DIY Drink Boxes for Groomsmen

Amanda — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 14:00:11 +0000

I hope you enjoyed your holidays as much as I did! I will be prepping for 2010 this week, so posting will be slightly lighter than usual. I spotted these do-it-yourself gifts for guys over at the talented photographer Victor Sizemore’s blog and I instantly thought of how wonderful it would be to give these as groomsmen gifts. These drink boxes are unique for each friend, and each has instructions and ingredients carefully packaged as well as their names hand stamped on the box top, sealed with a sticker.

Bridesmaid Gift Ideas and Tote Stuffers: Necklaces

Amanda — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:50:38 +0000

I could make a whole week long series of gift ideas on jewelry, specially on necklaces. It was very hard to pick 6, but it was nevertheless fun to research.

Clockwise:

1. Vintage doily lace necklace by Tree & Kimball; 2. Compass necklace on a sterling silver chain Riyzedesignz; 3. Blue quartz glass briolette and bird necklace on a gold plated chain by Oceanne; 4. Skeleton key and lock necklace Tryst by Kerry; 5. Hot air balloon necklace, Oh Hello Friend; 6. Sterling silver initial id charm Chain0

Bridesmaid Gift Ideas and Tote Stuffers: Beauty

Amanda — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:05:43 +0000

Continuing with our bridesmaid gift ideas roundup, here is a few beauty picks:

1. Peach bath foam by Sabon NYC; 2. Solid perfume by Shanghaijava Ananas Imperial; 3. Breath of Fresh Air toner by Lush; 4. Lip Gloss from Victoria’s Secret; 5. Dry shampoo Sephora; 6. Hand cream C.O Bigelow

Next up is necklaces. You will fall in love with this one!

Bridesmaid Gift Ideas and Tote Stuffers: Earrings

Amanda — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:55:00 +0000

Continuing with our bridesmaid gift idea series, earrings were the most fun yet overwhelming category to choose from! It includes a sterling silver and freshwater pearl earrings, which is a steal for $10!

1. Crystal droplet earrings by GetNoticed; 2. Pear earrings, Polished Two; 3. Hoop coral carved flower and glass beads, Mykonos; 4. Amber and antique brass earrings by Voleur de Bijoux; 5. Glisten earrings by Wiyomu; 6. Freshwater pearls on sterling silver, kgarnerdesigns

Bridesmaid Gift Ideas and Tote Stuffers: Paper Goods

Amanda — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:10:15 +0000

Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and extended 4-day weekend for those here in the U.S! Today it will be all about the bridesmaids…I’ve compiled a series of gifts ideas and gift bag stuffers for your bridesmaids, and for anyone who is looking for ideas for holiday gifts as well. All picks are under $20, and you will be surprised at how many wonderful, mostly handmade items you will find!

Clockwise:

1. Set of 5 Bicycle folded notecards with lined envelopes, Paper Lovely Press; 2. Poppies Letterpress notepad, Delphine; 3. Enjoy and Thanks notecard set, Duet Letterpress; 4. Birdcage letterpress thank you cards, Lovely Pieces Design; 5. Thank you notecards set of 6, Linda & Harriett; 6. Sitcky notes box set, Julia Rothman for Anthropologie

Check back in a few to see part II of this series!

Free Printable Gift Wraps

Amanda — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:00:04 +0000

Gift-Wrap It offers free printable gift wraps, matching cards and gift tags. You can also use these cute patterns to line envelopes, make favor boxes, use as a background for stationery … the possibilities are endless :)

Happy downloading!