My cousin’s baby girl is turning 1 in a few days. When searching for a gift for her, I had a surprisingly difficult time. For one thing, she’s too small for big kids toys and too big for infant things. After scouring the Internet for a week, I finally found some unique gifts for her and maybe for the soon-to-be 1 year old in your life.

1. These adorable T-shirts from Etsy: Happyfamily are perfect for the birthday boy or girl!

2. This adorable hand-knitted hat is perfect for the little monkey in your life. Monkey hat and fruit rattles from Cocoa Crayon.

3. Soft and cuddly for any baby, this little monkey cuddling mat from RedEnvelope is a gift for all ages.

My father’s birthday is coming up, and every year my family and I face the daunting dilemma of finding him birthday presents. The man is impossible to shop for–anything he wants, he just buys for himself. As a result, we have all turned to quirky unexpected gifts as a way to celebrate Dad’s birthday in style. Bookmark some of these fun gift ideas for the next time you’re stumped when shopping for the men in your life:

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BBQ Sauce of the Month Club

It seems to be in a man’s DNA to want to cook over an open flame, so encourage his passion for the grill with this sweet and tangy gift!. If barbecue isn’t his thing, AmazingClubs.com features 25 other gift-of-the-month clubs, including beer, ice cream, hot sauce, cheese and salsa!

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Party Chain

This nifty little gadget isn’t just a cool key chain–it functions as a bottle opener, LED light and TV remote control. I know my dad would get a kick out of covertly turning on a football game during family dinners or holiday parties!

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Stationery

Our sister site, Wedding Paper Divas, offers an exquisite collection of thank you cards that can be personalized to suit stylish dads of all ages.

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Puzzle Alarm Clock

Perfect for dads who just can seem to get out of bed, this alarm clock doesn’t have a snooze–in fact, it won’t stop going off until you put all of the puzzle pieces in correctly!

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The Stellarscope

This portable, hand-held planetarium will help him identify stars, planets and constellations, and it will chart the night sky any day of the year. It’s perfect for a pop who loves the outdoors or dabbles in science.

Surprise the kids and new moms in your life with unique gifts that are perfect for the summer season.

Cocoa Crayon has a variety of cool designers such as Bink Link, who created the Blueberry and Candy Necklace above, used to clip binky to baby. They also carry items from DwellStudio such as their transportation travel case and stroller blanket so you can travel with style. Dwell’s stylish Transportation design matches perfectly with their Beep Beep thank you cards sold at Tiny Prints.

The adorable Owl pouch and Paradise aluminum water bottle from Chloe in Style comes in handy for adventurous afternoons of shopping, playing and picnicking.

And Kate Quinn Organics Sun Hat and Random Nicole Elephant Organic Elephant Tank from Wild Dill are made of100% organic cotton, and will keep kids cool in the summer heat.

With a variety of options to chose from, you have no excuse to go sans gift this season!

Planning my own wedding, I knew what place cards were, but I didn’t even think about using them for more casual gatherings such as birthday parties. Here are some ways that I’ve discovered to incorporate a bit of creative flair into any festive affair.

(Top row: Candy place cards and Paper Boat place card from MarthaStewart.com

Topiary Photo Holder/Place Card from Creative Bride

Watercolor Floral place card from Wedding Paper Divas.)

Summer’s going by fast, so take advantage of the month of August with nonstop celebrations with family and friends. Take a look at my inspiration board for ideas on how to make the summer of ‘08 the best one yet! From Martha Stewart’s corn-on-the-cob cupcakes to a hot dog and fries birthday cake, here are some ways to get creative with the kids this season.

Photos:Top row from Martha Stewart, middle row FamilyFun and Kite Party Birthday Party invitations from Tiny Prints.

When I was in high school, my grandma took my prom photo with her to China. There she had someone paint a portrait of me based on that picture. It was a pretty good representation, and I was reminded of it when I read Tiny Talker Lea’s previous post and I saw portraits from Paintyourlife.com. Take a look at some of their portraits, which are artistic takes on everyday photos. They can portray anything from your family to your pets, and the artists can do them in a variety of mediums such as oil, watercolor, pastel and pencil. A great idea would be to take the digital image of your new painting and use them in your child’s photo birthday invitation. The results look like a work of art!

I love the idea of matching party invitations with the designs on a birthday cake. Here are a few ideas from FamilyFun.com. Check out their website for recipes and more fun birthday cake and cupcake designs.

Towering Sand Castle cake, Horse cake and Fish cake

Pink Castle, Wild West and Go Fish: Boy Party Invitations

There are so many cool things you can get for kids these days. One new idea I love is creating your own personalized children’s book. Your child can be a first mate on a ship or a sprite in a forest–either way they’ll be star characters in their own book. All you need to do is upload their photos. Check out flattenme.com for more information.

I See Me! is another company that does fun personalized gifts such as books, puzzles and plates. Kids love to feel extra special, and these unique gifts are sure to do the trick. They may even be perfect for the big kids in your life as well.

Do you often forget people’s birthdays?

In honor of my birthday and everyone else whose birthday is today, Happy Birthday! Here’s a list of things you can do so you won’t forget anymore birthdays this year.

1) Google Birthdays. Google has a feature that allows you to add a birthdays section to your home page. The service is free and an easy reminder since you’ll see it as soon as you open up your Google personal page.

2) Yahoo Calendar. Like Google, you can add in special dates to your online calendar for free.

3) Organize your greeting cards. Get a stylish organizer to organize cards for friends and family. The one I had from GfDG Studio is great since it has monthly tabs with space to write their names.

4) Check out RealSimple.com for more great ideas to save you from forgetting another birthday!

A girl’s sixteenth birthday is her first chance to have a stylish soirée thrown in her honor. With all of her friends and family there, it’s her opportunity to let her budding sense of style shine as bright as her rhinestone tiara! As a result, the pressure is on to make this party as chic and sassy as possible.

If you are having trouble deciding what theme, decor, food and games to feature, draw some inspiration from these flirty and fashionable ideas from our very own party planning experts. There is even a cake sculpted to resemble a Marc Jacobs bag! You’ll make sure no one is crying over her sixteen candles by suggesting these fun and fabulous themes!

• Modern Masquerade
• Roaring Twenties
• Alice in Wonderland
• Once Upon a Time
• Sixteen in the City
• Winter Wonderland
• Caught in Candyland
• Red Carpet Rendezvous
• Tahiti Sweetie
• Murder Mystery
• Mall Madness

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