This Cyber Monday, The Gift Insider wanted to focus on small businesses and some of the amazing deals they’re offering for 1-day only on their sites. Check out some of our Cyber Monday exclusive deals below:

Watch editor of The Gift Insider, Lindsay Roberts, on Fox 2 Detroit for Cyber Monday! Discounts below.

The Adorned Article

Cortizza Cork Products

Cortizza makes all sorts of unique pieces from cork leather, which is made from an intricate multi-step process. This elegant gift box is a personalized way to give a bottle of wine & make it a really special gift. Covered in two choices of cork leather, natural brown or brown zebra and lined in brown satin with a magnetic closure. The Coritzza logo is engraved only to illustrate the laser engraving technique (so that you can see how beautiful the personalization would be). Love this idea for the holidays or a special birthday or anniversary. The box would be kept forever. FREE PERSONALIZATION code below XJPM2HU1J0KP for logos or letters. $22  cortizza.com

One Meaning Couture

Kind of sexy, rocker chic with a romantic edge. This high grade leather bracelet by One Meaning, wraps around your wrist about 4 times and has a steel barcode that means “I love you” (8 letters, 3 words, 1 meaning).  One Meaning is very hot right now, especially since they were featured in ELLE magazine. Leather comes in black, blackened brown, or red with silver buckle.  Also available in a single strap male version.  $68 For CYBERMONDAY only, enter 813GIFTINSIDER in comment section for 50% off. 1meaning.com

Olive Tree

Adopt an olive tree in Italy for a year! You get an adoption certificate, a photo of your tree and in the spring you receive 3 liters of EVOO a.k.a. Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Your tree is also tagged for a year with your name for the adoption year. Pretty cool. Definitely a great wedding, holiday or anniversary gift. $110  treolive.com

iKre8

This is so cool in so many ways. Artistic, personalized & you create it. MyZaic is IKre8’s latest creative idea, a make your own art-quality mosaic kit that lets you design any of 5 wood products using handfired miniature tiles. You choose the design, words, background and iKre8 sends you the whole kit, including grout & tiles. Make a tray, memory box, trivet, plaque or sign. Functional & creative, now that’s a combo I love! It’s also a great way to unleash your inner creativity. $35-$85. **This creative gift is a favorite of 4 of us Gift Experts, so we made it part of the GGAB Gift Guide. iKre8.net

**Check out these other sites for more Cyber Monday info & deals

Cyber Monday 2011

Dealighted

The Daily Beast – Best Cyber Monday Deals

Gizmodo’s Cyber Monday List…So Far

Travel Deals: Marriot Hotel Los Suenos

Oh, just think of what you’ll save if you try at least one of our Savvy Shopping Tips. Here are our top 5 ways to save:

Get app-ed up

Man yourself mobile-y with money-saving apps! With ShopAdvisor you can search and scan barcodes for products, watch products, view their price history and best time to buy, set price time alerts, view reviews and share with your friends. It’s always important to keep a budget, especially during the holidays and with Mint, it’s easy to keep track of your spending on the go. Shopping for deals is one thing, but it’s more important to follow a budget.

Get @ it

There’s plenty of savvy shoppers with awesome tips and deals to follow on Twitter. Check out: 

@earlybird  @cheaptweets  @coupontweet  @fatwallet  @retailmenot

Get flashy

Ever since Gilt Groupe popped up a few years ago, flash sale sites are all over the web! Designer duds for less for a limited line – you know the drill. Here are some great sites:

Gilt Groupe ~ Rue La La ~ Haute Look ~ Beyond the Rack ~ Editor’s Closet ~ One Kings Lane ~ Fab

Get your closet right 

Clean out your closet, find gently-worn items that are in good condition and head to a consignment shop to sell them. In the meantime,  you’ll have more cash to put toward new things that you’ll actually have room for in your newly cleaned out closet. Here are some places where you can sell your things:

Closet Rich

Second Time Around

eDrop-Off

Luxury Garage Sale 

Buffalo Exchange

Crossroads Trading Co.

Plato’s Closet

Get subscribed

The best way to know when and where sample sales are going on is subscribe to your favorite designer’s emails or to subscribe to sample sale know-it-alls like Daily Candy and Top Button. And sample sale companies like Billion Dollar Babes and Decades Two (upscale vintage consigment) throw their own sales with numerous designers at one sale. So if you know want to know the deets, subscribe! subscribe! subscribe!

{Guest Post Feature: Lily Himmelsbach of Let’s Gift It}

Looking for just the right gift that’s out of the box? Well this holiday season we’re excited to bring you the newest trend from across the globe: Experiential Gifting. We’ve seen it happening for years and now consumers are calling for it too, they are looking to share experiences with the giver, rather than just receiving ‘stuff’. Read the rest of this entry »

Brrr…it’s getting cold up in here! And obviously we’re obsessed with everything furry, fuzzy, cozy and warm right now and so thought we’d put together a list of Cool Gifts to Keep You Warm.

Besides buying a 4-month warm-weather get-away, these are the cold-weather gifts that top our list:

1. Giant Flask

There’s something about that chill in the air that makes you want to cozy up with a little libation or two…Ok, so you might want some help from your friends–or 10-20 of them. It is one humongo flask and remember what you learned in kindergarten – share your toys. ($29.99)

2. USB Drink Warmer

It’s harder to keep drinks warm once the temp hits 30, so hook-up your co-worker with a sweet USB drive that doubles as a drink warmer from Vat19.com. ($16.99).Those USBs get ridiculously hot anyways, so whoever invented this was one smart (techy) cookie.

3. Couples Snuggie

Speaking of things getting HOT…it can’t get much hotter than a Friday night on the couch with a full DVR, munchies and cuddling with your schmoopie in a Couples Snuggie. ($19.95) Ow ow!

4. Make Me Late Pillow

Let’s face it, when it gets cold you spend more time in bed yada yada yada-ing. And a little personalized flirty message on a pillow for your boo might keep you in there longer…or just make you hibernate all winter with this Make Me Late pillow. ($18.95)

5. Voluspa Candles

Set the mood with sweet smelling candles from Voluspa. ($14.90) Just don’t forget to blow it out before the heat of the moment really becomes that.

6. Gloves from Scotland

And finally when you actually decide to wake up from hibernation and leave your place, these hand-knit Gloves from Scotland will keep your fingers warm while you brave the elements. ($71)

Stay Warm + Happy Gifting!

What do you get your trendy friend that has everything? how about a funky one-of-a-kind necklace that she won’t be able to find in the store.

This “plumber-chic” necklace made out of hardware store copper pieces + velvet ribbon is not only a stunner but as easy as…

Easy, chic, funky + original. oh, and made by you! It’s a gift your hard-to-buy-for friend will love knowing it’s a one-of-a-kind.

Happy gifting + D.I.Y.ing,

Marisa

The Gift Giving Advisory Board (GGAB for short) is announcing our top holiday gift recommendations of 2011! Our board members have been working hard the entire year to seek out the most meaningful, unique and one-of-a-kind gift ideas and have compiled them into our sponsored, but oh-so-highly-curated, 2011 Holiday Gift Guide. Read the rest of this entry »

My name is Marisa and I’m thrilled to be the newest member of The Gift Insider team! Even though I’m a copywriter by trade, I’ve always fashioned myself as a pretty awesome gift giver. I enjoy the hunt for the perfect gift but most importantly, I live for the sneak attack—giving the gift they never thought they asked for (because listening to the little things everyday in turn, creates my giftspiration). Who doesn’t love hearing…”but how did you know?”

Some of my favs:

Here are the Gifts I Love on The Gift Insider:

1. State necklace by Maya Brenner – I LOVE to represent my home state, the Midwest’s high-five, the mitten state, Michigan and whenever I wear this necklace, I always get compliments. It’s the perfect gift for your “transplant” friend who loves showing off her hometown pride.

2. Bocce in a Bag – I actually grew up playing bocce ball. It’s an Italian pastime that the men in my family always played in the summer at gatherings and I always tagged along as a kid in hopes that my dad would let me throw a few times. It’s an awesome lawn game and a fun gift for the men in your life or a sporty friend.

3. Mad Canvases – I’ll all about putting up original and unexpected art work in your space (whether it be at work or at home) and that’s what I love about Mad Canvases. It takes your standard black and white city print and adds a pop of color to brighten up your space and inspire creativity.

I hope to offer you hours of giftspiration, humor and hip DIY gifts, for that extra personal touch. Look for my DIY post every Friday.

Happy Gifting!

Marisa

Well hello! Welcome to the first D.I.Y Fridays on The Gift Insider! Every Friday we’ll bring you easy-to-create gifts. Why Friday? Because the weekend is the best time to get your D.I.Y. on!

http://riflepaperco.com/content/about/1006
So let’s kick it off with a hostess gift to spice up your ordinary “bring-over-a-bottle-of-wine” to Thanksgiving dinner. Come on, you know that’s the easy way to do it! Feathers are so hot right now, so why not make a nod to the O.G.’s of Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims and the Indians, and add a little headdress to your bottle of wine?

I was able to get all of these materials at Michael’s. Everything was under $25 and I also used a 40% off coupon. Check out Michaels.com for their everyday coupons or better yet, get their app – you can see what’s on sale, check-out the daily and weekly coupons and all of these are scan-able at check-out.

Happy D.I.Y.-ing!

Marisa

Make spice the center of attention at your next chic Fall soiree! With creatively arranged seasonal roses, lilies, hypericum, mini carnations and more, mixed with sweet cinnamon sticks, this bouquet is one festive and fabulous hostess gift that will add a unique look to any Fall tablescape. Enter for a chance to win a Pumpkin Spice Martini Bouquet™ from 1-800-FLOWERS.com – we’re giving away 3! Read the rest of this entry »