Candice’s Annual Gift Giving Guide 2009

It’s about that time! First things first, I will stand by buying gifts at Nordstrom and Costco. Both of these places have incredible return policies, and make it easy for a gift to be returned if you are unsure about what to purchase for someone, or if your gift recipient looses the gift receipt. While I have divided up my gift suggestions into nifty categories, most of them will be great for anyone! I hope these are helpful, and definitely share the list with friends.

Candice

cc@candiceclarke.com

Newly weds & new additions to the family

I am a huge fan of the Flip Cam! I have had a lot of fun with my Flip Cam because it is so easy to upload the videos and share with family and friends. This is an awesome gift for new families to document and share their new lives!

Estimated cost: $80 -189

I just gave my best friend a Photo Frame filled with pictures from when we were 14 years old up until recently. This gift is cool if you’re sitting on photos you took at your friend’s wedding, or your first meeting of your friend’s new baby. You can throw in some other fun photos too! I found a 10” one at Fry’s for $25 on Black Friday, but I know they have some other ones starting at $20 for a 5” screen (that size is good for someone’s office. Bigger more decorative ones are better for homes). Costco has name brand ones for around $75. It all depends on how much you want to spend, because you can get some of the smaller screens for pretty cheap.

Estimated cost: $20-200

You can’t go wrong with pillows! Costco has comfy pillows in-store for pretty good prices, but here’s what they’ve got online.

Estimated cost: $30-200

For Her

Last year my best friend got me the Sephora Best Perfumes gift package for Christmas. It turned out one of the best gifts ever! This gift pack has a bunch of perfume samplers for Sephora’s best selling fragrances. This is golden because it allows a lady to really figure out what perfume they like by using it for a period of time, testing its staying power and how it smells on them versus on a piece of paper. After your lady figures out which one she likes, she brings in the included certificate to get a full size bottle. Love it!

Cost: $50.00

Look, I’m not going to get into this one (cause I can), but I highly recommend the Twilight Saga book set to any aged lady. Whether you know if they’ve read the series, or if they haven’t, 95% of the people I know gotten addicted. The box set is just something that any girl should have, even if they already bought the books individually.

Cost: Around $50

For Him

My favorite and best gift idea for men is simple: a hooded sweatshirt. Only, this sweatshirt is hands down the BEST and most comfy hooded sweatshirt any guy can have! I will bet you money that your brother will LOVE it. Nordstrom sells this Alternative Eco-Heather Hoody, and YES its eco-friendly! It’s made of recycled and organic material. They also have great T-shirts made of the same material that you can combo the gift with (Here’s a secret: They make the same ones for women too!!)

Cost: $40

New boyfriend or girlfriend

It’s always hard to buy a gift for a new boyfriend or girlfriend for your first major holiday. A great way to express how you feel is thru music! An iPod with music you loaded is a way to keep you on their mind when you’re not around. With iTunes now allowing you to share music freely without a password, the time is now. This gift also gives you an opportunity to build playlists that can help build or enhance special moments. Here are some great playlist titles to help you get started — build accordingly!

• Over wine (songs you would listen to making dinner together or chatting over some wine)
• Between the sheets (sexy music to get the mood set right)
• Beautiful Morning (upbeat, fun music to start the day right)
• Smile (songs that you think might make them smile. This might be a good playlist to place “your song” or songs from memorable moments like your first dance)

Estimated Cost: $149-399

The Athlete

iPod Shuffle with music preloaded mixes from www.beezo.net is golden! This is a great gift for an avid athlete or someone that you know is looking to start a new work-out regimen in the New Year. Beezo.net is an amazing resource of downloading FREE 30-60 minute mixes by the world’s best DJs! These DJ mixes are great because they are only one long track versus individual songs– so when songs “shuffle” it’s going from one 30-60 minute mix to another, keeping the momentum up, helping you work out harder. You can even get the shuffle engraved with a special message!

Estimated cost: $59 -99

The Power Balance wristband and holograms are golden for helping increase flexibility and stamina during workouts. Before I ran my marathon, I realized that a lot of people had these wristbands that they just couldn’t live without. My BFF handed it to me on mile 20 of the marathon when I was losing steam, and it seemingly helped me get thru those last 6 miles. Some might say it’s a placebo, but I say, why not! These are hard to find in a store, but I found a stand at the Orange County Swap Meet. You can find it online on the link above.

Estimated cost: around $25-29

For the Kids

Up! Is one of the best kids movies I have seen in a long time. It has a great story line, easy to understand no matter what the age group is, and it even keeps an adult’s attention. In that same vein, another great movie is Horton Hears a Who, which can be combo’d with the book J

Estimated cost $17.99 – 29.99

Word on the street is that the hard to get kids toy’s this year are the Zhu Zhu Pet Hampster. My niece is dying for one because they supposedly simulate having a real hamster.  Apparently they’re normally $7.99, but are so hard to find that they’re going for like $30 online. Good luck with this one!

Gifts that keep on giving!

Regal Cinemas offers discounted tickets that can be used anytime, with no restrictions. This gift is great because instead of purchasing a gift card to Regal, you are actually buying tickets at a discounted rate (depending on the quantity, $6.50-$7.50 each). So, if you buy someone a $25 gift certificate, they will likely only be able to buy 2 tickets with it. With the discount tickets, you can spend $25 and get them 4 tickets that can be used anytime. Target has plastic movie popcorn “boxes” that you can present the tickets along with movie candy for around $2. The link is to Walmart because I couldn’t find the popcorn boxes I’m talking about on Target online (I’m not a fan of Walmart, so don’t go there). They have them in the store though. Tickets can be purchased online or at a local box office.

Estimated cost: Starting at $7.50. The more tickets you buy, the cheaper it is.

A museum membership is the ultimate gift that keeps on giving. Museum memberships give members invitations to exclusive events, previews of new gallery openings, film presentations, lectures and symposiums, and special discounts. This is a great gift for a friend that is single! Museums and related events are a great way for people to meet classy and educated people. I am a huge fan of the contemporary museums (MOCA) across the nation. I’ve been a member of both the Los Angeles MOCA and Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and both have incredible events and dope exhibits. There is a MOCA in every major city!

*This gift is an MVP! So many people took my advice on this one last year, and made a lot of people happy

Estimated cost: $75-150

Other things that I just love that are great for anyone:

• Super Mario Brothers for the Wii (around $45) – if you loved the original, you will love this! This gift is great for any age
• The Alchemist by Paulo Cohelo – my favorite author and love all his books. This is a great gift for a friend that is at a crossroads in their life
• Michael Buble, Crazy Love Album – This album is great for anyone! You can’t help but snap your fingers to this crooner sound. This is a great stocking stuffer.
• I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell by Tucker Max – Definitely an NC-17 book, but ridiculously hilarious short stories about this sex and alcohol addict with some pretty unique situations!
• My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands by Chelsea Handler – Before Chelsea Lately, this is the life Chelsea Handler lived. Incredibly entertaining and hilarious!
• Chenille Socks – these are great stocking stuffers! I am literally addicted to them
• Magazine Subscriptions – Keep print media alive! I love giving and receiving this gift! If you search hard you can find super discounted subscriptions online, but those are hard to find these days. If you buy someone a subscription, go to the newsstand and buy the magazine and wrap that up!

You can’t go wrong with these budget gifts:

• Bake some cookies and decorate with your heart’s desire! You can find cute little containers at Big Lots, or if you’re REALLY on a budget get colorful cellophane wrapping paper, a cute bow, and wrap those puppies up! Dress up your gift by attaching a budget Christmas tree ornament (Dollar Tree stores have awesome ones!)
• Ikea has great glassware. Buy a pack of 6 like this for $3.99 and fill it with Holiday candy or something relevant to your gift recipient.  Wrap with cellophane plus a Christmas ornament and bow, and viola! I like this one for co-workers.
• Print a photo (people just don’t do this enough these days!) and stick it in a frame. Photo printing can be as cheap as 25 cents, and frames vary. Spice up the picture by printing in sephia or black and white. Here’s a tip: people are kinda wierded out when you give them a picture of YOU. Try to make sure the photo is maybe of you and your gift recipient, their pet, or something memorable. This could be a great fit if it’s a good photo. Last year I took pics of my nieces for my sister, and she ended up blowing up one of the photos as a huge art piece in her living room.

Hope these help inspire your gifts this year!!

Hope you can make it!

Classy

Here’s something cool to do:

Due to an overwhelming response, please RSVP you and your group!
Please RSVP to: rsvpmenow@gmail.com

The GREEN PARTY:FREE BEER ALL NIGHT courtesy of MGD
A St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
Friday the 13th of March

$20 Cover Charge

@ the newly remodeled
REHAB
2324 Cotner Ave.
West Los Angeles, CA 90046

Drinking begins at
8pm

All you can drink GREEN beer
::ALL STAR DJ LINE UP::

ARABIAN PRINCE (NWA, Stones Throw)
DJ HAPA (www.hapaworld.com)
DJ 4Tify (www.dj4tify.com)
Ver5e (www.djver5e.com)
RobShot
DJ Epic Twelve (www.myspace.com/djepictwelve)
DJ Persyst
Uncle Paulie
Nealo
and many many more droppin sets!

Valet Parking available
Limited capacity, so please arrive early!

Get ready to party!!
For more information, contact Candice

Robert Nathaniel is one of my favorite graphic artists. He also sends me new music on the regular, and never asks for anything back. That, along with the fact he hooked me up with the image below I like to call “Candobama” holla!

1. Too often I feel like we (including myself) take for granted the service that the United States military provides for us on a daily basis. Out of sight, out of mind, right? With soldiers in two different countries fighting “wars” on our behalf, I think it is important to recognize the men and women protecting our shores. Arlington National Cemetery has the most soldiers buried from our current “wars” than any other war ever.  I feel fortunate to have a father that through the course of his 25 years of service to the United States Marine Corps, he fought for this country (and wasn’t even a citizen at the time) during the Vietnam War. So, this one’s for you, Dad! Thanks for having our back!

   Below: Howard Clarke as a Captain, circa 1980. In 1998, my Dad retired as a decorated officer: Major Clarke!

   

Yeah yeah, its been a minute, so here’s a list of my current Top 10 things I love, are going on in life, and simply, things I think the world should know about….just to get you caught up:

10. Yummy Breakfasts:

LA Cafe www.thelacafe.com

In July I moved to downtown LA – GASP – I know, so many people don’t get why. I love it here. Lots of people (both normal and wierd, or poor and rich) around, and lots of inspiration.

Just down the street is the ever so convenient and yummy LA Cafe. Great sandwiches and food overall. Love the smoothies, and highly recommend the mocanilla latte – its good iced or hot!

9. Exploring New Things:

I’m really diggin Tivo.  For the first time in my life I actually ordered cable for myself.

Here’s what I have in the recorder:

• Entourage - I hate being on any kind of bandwagon, but LA is my hood, and I like seeing it exploited on TV. Also, it kind of makes it worth it to deal with the traffic and irritation filming on location causes normal people like me just trying to get to work. I can’t seem escape filming these days. Not even in my building!
• Lipstick Jungle - oh yeah. It’s the female in me. The storyline is cute, and I can’t help but enjoy hot designer outfits on ladies that hustle hard.
• Planet Earth – So amazing  I have to let it take up so much space on my hard drive. Worth it!
• Three Sheets – Zane Lampfrey is my favorite TV host ever. He’s probably one of those random celebrities I would run into, and totally loose my shit over [MC Hammer I love you]. He has great timing, and can host while clearly drunk. Three Sheets is on the MOJO Network. It’s a show about drinking customs in other countries and their hang over remedies. Great show – definitely worth a lil space in your Tivo.
• While I don’t record these, a frequently watch Jon & Kate plus 8 on TLC (the best natural birth control on TV), CNN, The Island, and MTV Soul. Plus, I have Chris Rock Don’t Kill the Messenger and Superbad saved.

To be perfectly honest, I didn’t want to give the visual branding to Time Warner, cause what I really have is a DVR thru them. Their service is a little spotty…plus, it just sounds cooler to say Tivo, then “I DVR’d that show”…c’mon, I know u agree..

8. Guilty Pleasures:

I finally made the switch. Yes, I still have my myspace page, but a far more personal side of me is on facebook. I’m on there, you can find me – but I only accept my close friends. Some times I like to post scandalous pictures of me and my friends, and for whatever reason I find people mix wall posts for messages – T.M.I. kids!

7. Sounds good to me:

I have no friends on imeem, but I love this site nonetheless. I can find playlists of any kind of music, and listen to it at work. I highly recommend you throwing up your playlist. Find me! C-Dice is my screename  

6. Cheers in my own backyard:

I dare say this, but on any given Sunday you can find me sucking down $7 all you can drink mimosas at the J Lounge Sunday Brunch (1119 S Olive St Los Angeles, CA 90015, 213-746-7746). Its a short walk from my loft, making it dangerously easy to drink to my hearts desire without worrying about who’s driving me home. I currently have a love affair with their Quiche Lorraine. It’s a little slice of heaven and is addicting!

5. Dope Shoes:

Yeah, I’ve got Nikes, Pumas, Chuck Taylors…and love each of them for the respective outfits they go with, but my current favorite sneaker I’ve been rockin’ are the Reebok Legacy Mid Leopards. Super fly!

4. Good Music: JUST BELOW THE SURFACE & POP:

LMFAO has got djs from cities across the country begging for a remix of “I’m in Miami Bitch” with their town. So far, looks like Diego, LA, and Vegas are the only lucky cities to get the dope remix. Hollywood locals, Blu and Redfoo make up this disco, meets electro, meets hip-pop, duo. The group have been touring around the country, and just got a record deal on a major label. Want more info? Interested in booking them? Holla! candice@moodswing60.com

So What? said best by P!NK Her new album comes out next week on October 27th. Gotta love female angst. This outta be a big seller with my peeps in the OC!

3. Socially concious artists: I love DJs that utilize their power to influce crowds for something positive. I definitely want to highlight Z-trip for telling a story thru other people’s words and music to create his own artwork while sending a positive message. Download his mix for free below – and spread the word!

http://djztrip.com/obama/

2. Biz-nasssss:

I am building a new home with Moodswing360 WEST! Headquartered in New York, with a new satellite office in LA, run by yours truly, Moodswing 360 is a full service talent management and booking agency that represents recording artists and DJ talent. With a backbone of artist development and management, Moodswing360 exclusively represents some of today’s most recognized talent including Tommy Lee, Dave Navarro, Pete Wentz, Joel & Benji Madden, and Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes. The agency has been best known for representing the most highly respected industry DJ and MC icons Skribble, DJ Riz(Crooklyn Clan), DJ Sizzahandz(Crooklyn Clan), Fatman Scoop, and Spinbad. In addition to its artist development and management background, Moodswing360 has been routing national and international tours, and buying talent for over ten years in venues that can fit as little as 200 people, to arenas that fit over 500,00.

…and yes, I am still working on several projects with Hapa check out what he’s up to here: www.hapaworld.com

#1

O-Obama, O-O-Obama! I think voting should be compulsory. It’s our civic duty! Much to my father’s dissapointment (whom I think was 2 minutes away from requiring me to write an essay to explain why I was voting against the rest of the Clarke family [he does this every election]), Mr. Obama is my choice for President.

As many of you know, I am no stranger to contests since I am also no stranger to winning (not to toot my own horn!). My latest conquest will be a shoe design contest brought to us by www.ryzwear.com

Its simple – download template, design shoe, get your friends to vote, and the win. Winning shoe gets $1 royalty on sales – that’s a far cry from the, what, $.05 rappers get for their album sales? Pretty cool concept, I know – this brilliant idea is brought to you by none other than the former president of Adidas, the brainchild of the whole operation.

You can attempt to beat me (still working on my design, but trust I will post here and encourage voting), by visiting www.ryzwear.com. Below is a picture of round 4’s winner The Creep by Caveman.