Ideas & Tips — Practical Gifts

Summer is on the horizon, and that means wedding season is also fast-approaching. According to online wedding-authority The Knot, June was one of the two most popular months for weddings last year. But if you haven't already begun brainstorming wedding gift ideas, don't panic! Check out these elegant, timeless items that will help the happy couple start their new life together in style: Champagne bucket: Give them a bottle of bubbly in a tasteful, stainless steel champagne bucket. After the wedding festivities, it will make a handsome addition to their dining area or bar cart.  Flower vase: Deliver a bouquet...

Is someone special in your life leaving home to start their new life as a college student? Whether it's your son or daughter, niece or nephew, neighbor or family friend, it's a nice gesture to give them a little gift to commemorate the start of their university career. The ideal present will both be useful to them in the months ahead and be special and memorable years and even decades down the road. That may sound like a tall order, but we have plenty of beautiful stainless steel items that fit the bill! Here are several ideas:  Cereal bowl: You...

Tired of all your old standby dinner recipes? Why not mix things up and try serving your family breakfast for dinner? Also known as "brinner," your kids are sure to love having foods normally reserved for the morning hours during the last meal of the day. You may even want to make it a fun weekly tradition! Here are some ideas to get you started: Breakfast burritos: Incorporate a Mexican food twist to your brinner when you set up a breakfast burrito bar. Wrap some warm tortillas loosely in a cotton dish towel and arrange in an attractive fruite bowl...

At no time is champagne more popular and widely consumed than around New Year's eve. The bubbly beverage, and its many less expensive counterparts like prosecco, are integral to many people's New Year's festivities. But how much do you really know about this iconic beverage? Here are some fun facts about champagne we bet you've never heard: Champagne bottles used to be ticking time bombs. Back in the early days of champagne production, the process of fermentation was not particularly standardized, meaning that occasionally the pressure from too many carbon dioxide bubbles forming would cause bottles to explode. This earned champagne...