News from BelleRinger PR

JOIN THE CHOCOLATE CAKE CLUB! Membership in the Club is easy - just sit back, relax and shop! That's right. The Chocolate Cake Club's goal is to simplify the sometimes daunting process of shopping for little ones. I'm always clueless when shopping for nieces, nephews and rest of the kids in my life. And 4-year olds don't always enjoy opening a pretty box and finding a little plastic gift card. The Chocolate Cake Club is the perfect solution. The site is packed with original - and sometimes unique - toys and activities that you won't see anywhere else. And they're organized in convenient categories - by need (traveling), age groups, and type (kids games/puzzles). My favorite? The Playful Chef Kids Cooking Set . It has everything for the budding chef: apron, tools, recipes and more!

THE PERFECT SECRET SANTA GIFT I couldn't help but giggle when I saw this belt on the Great Green Goods site today. Unique belts are great for adding a touch of whimsy or originality to an outfit. And the green and red on this belt are perfect for the holidays. But seriously, what kind of mindset would you have to be in to put this on? "I can eat anything I want - and still wear a size 4!" "Won't Aunt Jan love this (hee hee)!" Take a look at Refinding for more fun (and practical) gear!

DOUBLE-CHECK YOUR GIFT LIST Last night I reviewed my holiday shopping list and discovered that a VIP was missing from it. My pal Frankie is the Very Important Pet in my life and to leave him off the gift list would be a gross mistake. There are too many ways my 30-lb. canine friend could (and does) punish me. Fortunately his latest method - dragging blankets, throws, and sheets all over the house - is less destructive then past punishments. This morning I started browsing the usual pooch sites for a suitable gift and found this fun carrier at Pet Paris . Though Frankie's too large to be toted around I can still appreciate a carrier that has a fur-lined entrance, a coordinating fur blankie, and a skull that glows in the dark (!).

TIME TO SEND OUT HOLIDAY CARDS . . . As readers of my blog already know, I love unique and custom stationery and paper goods. There are a lot of fun cards out there but I haven't seen too many postcards. Hammerpress makes a full line of stationery, wedding invitations, cards, and yes, postcards. The company's art is very vintage in its look and feel - you can't get more vintage than pressed lead type! This is one of their Christmas postcards - don't you love it!

#2 ON MY CHRISTMAS LIST The next goodie on my Christmas list is a bag from 1154 Lill . I can't begin to tell you how many I've designed through their online shop - only to sigh and leave them in the cart for 'later'. I absolutely love choosing my bag's style, fabrics, shoulder straps (for totes), inside compartments and more. The reversible bags are my favorites - it's like a 2 for 1! 1154 has a lot of competition out there but I haven't found any that beat their selection of fabrics, accessories, etc. I noticed that they've expanded their selection of 'pre-designed' bags - the one in this photo is reversible and available off the shelf. I'm trying not to sound like an ad for 1154 but I'm simply gaga over them. My Santa knows the gift certificate to put in my stocking!

ONE FOR ME, ONE FOR YOU Christmas shopping can be such a chore. My rule, established years ago, is for every item I buy for someone else, I buy something for myself. Based on the childhood sharing mantra, 'one for me, one for you.' One example is my husband's pajamas. Last Christmas he told me that he'd like a new set of blue pajamas. Dutiful wife that I am, I went to one of my favorite sites and found the blue PJs for him. I then found the perfect PJs for me. And wouldn't you know, mine came in one of their beautiful organza hatboxes with a Do Not Disturb sign and lavender sachet.

HAVE YOU STARTED YOUR CHRISTMAS LIST? Today I started Christmas shopping. For myself. I'm putting together my annual list of all of the things my husband should know that I 'need'. Here is some beautiful jewelry from Peggy Li's collection ). Her stuff is young, original, and very wearable with a collection large enough to meet all of your style needs. Peggy talked about her rapidly growing business (some of her pieces have been seen on Hollywood actresses!) and how she balances it with a day job in her August profile on omiru.com .