The holidays are right around the corner and you can find the perfect gift for everyone on your list at Handmade Arcade this Saturday! Now in its 11th year, Handmade Arcade remains the reigning champion of Pittsburgh craft fairs by providing the largest variety of unique handmade gifts by over 100 makers from the tri-state area. Here’s a roundup of items that I’ll be scouting out on Saturday!

Take a look and start making your list and checking it twice:

1. Illustrated Map of Pittsburgh, $30, Mario Zucca Illustration

An illustrated map of Pittsburgh that features every important building and landmark in the city.

2. Bryce Hand Painted Porcelain Espresso Mug with 14K Gold Luster, $38, Redraven Studios

A lovely hand painted espresso mug that was inspired by Bryce Canyon.

3. Beer Bottle Tote Bag, $16, Girls Can Tell

Perfect for carrying your favorite bottle of beer or wine.

4. Cutting Board – Walnut w/Curly Maple Inlay, $85, Perry And Co.

This cutting board is made from locally sourced walnut and has a sleek modern pattern.

5. Tall Snowy Owl in Red Scarf, $65, WorkerBird

A snowy owl piece made from vintage tins on reclaimed wood and a vintage yardstick.

6. Crystal Screen Printed Circle Infinity Scarf, $30, garbella

This infinity scarf screenprinted with geometric crystals is perfect for winter!

So there you have it, a sneak peak of some of the awesome gifts you can expect to find tomorrow at Handmade Arcade. Handmade Arcade is Saturday December 6 from 11am-7pm at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

To have Lily&Strum help you with your gifting organization and provide you with your very own customized recommendations sign up for your free account here. To discover more great sites and products, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Happy gifting!

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“Ground down, fuel up” is Hayley’s motto. She lives and breaths yoga so we were thrilled to have Haley share her top 11 yoga gift picks that are perfect for any occasion.

Yoga Gifts Under $20.00

1. 27oz Classic ($19.95) Klean Kanteen

Whether drinking H2O before, during or after class, it’s a definite necessity to keep our bodies clean and functional. Klean Kanteen’s are durable, stainless steel and leak-proof. #winwinwin

2. MC Yogi Elephant Power ($15.00) MC Yogi

MC Yogi can turn the hardest of days upside down. By combining his love of hip hop, reggae, electronic, dancehall and dub, his beats are the perfect accompaniment to a session on the mat. C’mon, throw on some tunes and sweat out the day MC Yogi!

3. Dashboard Buddha Monk ($7.95) Big Happy Buddha

We must bend so we don’t break! When buddha travels with us, he reminds of that. Your yogi can stick this on their dashboard to always be reminded to stay in the moment. Take this buddha monk along with you on all of your road trips!

4. Buddha on Lotus Figurine ($19.95) Big Happy Buddha

Sensing a theme on Buddhas here? Meditation is a deep part of the yoga practice. Keep the yoga lover in your life’s mind clear with this mini lotus buddha.

Yoga Gifts Under $50.00

5. Ganesh Elephant Vinyl Wall Decal Sticker ($21.99) Etsy Vinyl Wall Art

Ganesh is the Hindu god of obstacles and he has the power to create and remove hurdles in people’s lives. Transform your yoga lover’s bedroom, yoga space or kitchen with this Ganesh vinyl wall decal and watch success and prosperity prevail.

6. Yoga Tank Top ($29.95) Inner Fire

Who are we kidding, savasana is the most blissful state ever and what we work towards for the entire 90 minutes of practice.

7. The Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga ($21.09) Amazon

This book is the bible of asana (postures). It covers everything your yogi needs to begin or amp up their home practice, including numerous 15 minute sequences to target different parts of the body, specific health-focuses and emotional health.

8. Knee High Leg Warmers ($$27.99) ToeSox.com

Not only does every yogi need a pair of leg warmers (they’re pretty snazzy), but from all of our floating in and out of classes to traveling to the co-op to pick up ghee and kale, our legs get super chilly in those little spandex tights!

Yoga Gifts Over $50.00

9. SCOSHA Give Bracelets ($60.00) Givescent

I love my GIVESCENT bracelet. I never take it off and it always reminds me to be unselfish and big-hearted. Plus 20% of the proceeds go to either Women for Women International or Every Mother Counts. Killing two birds with one stone. Boom.

10. The Mat ($68.00) Lululemon

This mat is a total godsend. It is made of moisture-absorbing natural rubber that soaks up the generous amount of sweat your yogi generates so they don’t slip and slide and can pay attention to more important things during their practice, like breathing and going upside down.

11. Full Moon Mala ($216.00) Love Tiny Devotions

New beginnings is what we’re all about in yoga. This Full Moon Mala is a Limited Edition piece created by Tiny Devotions and denotes trust in the new cycle of your yogi’s life.

To learn more about Hayley Beth Worthman and her passion for yoga, visit her website.

To have Lily&Strum help you with your gifting organization and provide you with your very own customized recommendations sign up for your free account here. To discover more great sites and products, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Happy gifting!

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Congratulations! You Survived the Summer.
by Valentine J. Brkich

According to the calendar, we still have a few weeks to go. But let’s face it: once school starts, summer is pretty much kaput. And for a lot of fathers out there –especially all you other stay-at-home-dads out there –the end couldn’t have come soon enough.

Don’t get me wrong, after that long, brutal winter, I was looking forward to summer just as much as the next guy. But the sunny season has it’s challenges, too, particularly if you’re stuck at home with the little ones all day. It’s hard to get anything done when you’re constantly applying sunscreen, reapplying sunscreen, making snacks, making lunches, cleaning up lunches, taking them to the park, taking them to the pool, putting on bandaids, pulling out splinters, putting them in timeout, taking them out of timeout, and so on, and so on…

So when school finally starts again and someone else has to deal with the little monsters…I mean, little munchkins, all day long, it’s definitely a time to celebrate! And of course, no celebration would be complete without gifts.

That said, I’ve come up with a list of gift ideas, perfect for all those fathers out there who somehow managed to survive the summer. Way to go, dads! You deserve it!

A Hotel Room

His own bathroom. His own TV and remote. His own bed. And a locked door to keep out any kids. What more could a man ask for? A two- or three-day stay should be sufficient.

Nice Val! If it’s truly just the hotel room he needs, check out Hotels.com (it’s the obvious choice). If you’re looking for a little nicer of a get-away, we always find great finds at Jetsetter.

An Air Compressor

By the end of the summer, after blowing up all those rafts and water wings and beach balls, many dad’s are looking like Satchmo after a night on the trumpet. And after refilling the little tykes’bike tires, basketballs, soccer balls, footballs, etc., that old hand pump has seen better days. Besides, nothing says “Thanks, Dad!”better than an industrial-strength tool.

And…industrial strength air compressor we found. Check out this air compressor from Amazon. With 98 reviews (I bet most are dads) and 5 1/2 stars, you can’t go wrong.

A Still

Let’s face it, by the time August rolls around, most dad’s are too pooped to go anywhere. So when they’re looking to wind down a bit, why not bring the bar to them? After a hard day’s work in the O.R., did Hawkeye and Trapper go to the Officer’s Club? Nope. They came home for a nightcap in the comfort of their own tent. (And if the kids ask, just tell them it’s for making paint thinner; that way you’re not really lying to them.)

As it turns out, we actually like the idea “a still” (good job Valentine!), so we did some research and found this 1 Gallon Moonshine Kit for $149.

Noise-Canceling Headphones

Because the kids have to come home from school at some point.

Consumer reports are in. The best noise cancelling headphones are the Bose Quiet Comfort, but if you can’t afford the hefty $250 + price tag, check out the Monoprice 110010 at $110.

Of course, these are just a few ideas that came to mind. For even more, let my good friends at Lily&Strum hook you up. After all, they’re the gift experts. I’m just a dad who survived the summer.

But we agree with Val, if you would like us to find you tailored recommendations just sign up for our free service and see for yourself what we can do!

Valentine J. Brkich is a father and freelance writer from Beaver, Pa. His blog, smalltowndad.com, chronicles his many adventures raising two young kids in small-town America.

For more great gift ideas or to discover new sites and products, follow Lily&Strum on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. Happy gifting!

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Top 5 Lackluster Gifts for Father’s Day
by Valentine J. Brkich

This Sunday is Father’s Day—that annual holiday where we honor the man who taught us some of the most important things in life, like how to burp, the proper way to hold a remote control, and that “money doesn’t grow on trees.”I’m talking, of course, about Dad.

Most dads are tough to buy for, however, and, as a result, we usually end up getting them something that’s rather ho-hum.

As the father of two young kids myself, I want to help you avoid getting Dad (and me) something that will just end up in the annual yard sale next spring.

So without further ado, here we go…

#5 Tools–Everyone thinks that just because you’re a guy you must love tools. At least that’s how they make it seem on TV. Personally, I couldn’t care less about tools. Besides, when you get Dad a tool, all you’re really saying is, “I love you! Now please go fix the sink.”

#4 Gadgets–Let’s be honest: “gadget” is just a fancy way of saying “needs batteries”. And batteries ain’t cheap. So although it seems like you’re getting Dad a cool new big-boy toy to play with, all you’re really doing is slowly bleeding him dry. Gee, thanks.

#3 New Shirt–Seriously? A shirt?

#2 Home Improvement Store Gift Card –It sounds like a good idea at first: “Here you go, Dad—get whatever you want! A new flashlight, a bunch of 2x4s, a fancy new screen door…it’s up to you!” The thing is, first we have to fight traffic to get there, then we have to wander around that ginormous warehouse of a store searching for what we need. And when we finally get home the next day with our new “presents”, it just means we have more work to do. Thanks, but no thanks.

#1 Tie –I know it’s a cliché, but a tie is still the most lackluster gift you can give Dad on Father’s Day. You might as well give him a noose. A tie’s basically the same thing; it just takes a little more time to do its job.

Do you really want to know what dads want for Father’s Day? How about just giving us a few hours of peace and quiet? That would be a welcome change.

Better yet, why not let the good folks at Lily&Strum pick out something perfect. After all, when it comes to gifts, they’re the experts.

Either that or some booze. Both would be fine.~

As it turns out, our list of Father’s Day Gift Ideas is about half booze (specifically beer and whiskey). The other half is gifts of meat and fire.

Valentine J. Brkich, aka, Small-Town Dad, is a freelance writer and the author of the e-books “Achieving Mediocrity: Surefire Strategies for a Lackluster Life” and “Get Yourself an Inflatable Baby Sitter: And other survival tips for first-time dads”. You can read more of his writing at valentinebrkich.com.

For more great gift ideas, follow Lily&Strum on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.

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