Top Ten No-Fail Gifts for Women

As Mother's Day (and my birthday!), approaches I was thinking of how some men say it's hard to know what to buy for the woman in their life. Personally, I find women very easy to buy for, but that's probably because I AM a woman! Here is my list of no-fail gifts for women.

1. Flowers
I made the mistake of saying that I didn't want flowers for an anniversary/birthday/whatever important event one time. I am frugal you know, and I said something like, "Oh don't waste money on flowers. The cats will eat them, and they just die anyway." Dumb, dumb, dumb. Seriously, I do like flowers and it has taken a while to come back from that, but Mr. Incredible knows that flowers are a nice gift for me.

2. Jewelry
Listen up, guys. Women like jewelry. I would say this has a 99% get-out-of-the-doghouse success rate. And, it's just an all-around great gift. There are so many great personalized jewelry sites now too. I love everything on this site: http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/.  And, seriously, I do not know of a mother out there who would not swoon over this silhouette necklace from Le Papier Studio.

3. Spa gift certificate
Ladies like massages. And facials. And mani/pedis. If you don't know what that is, you're in more trouble than I thought. Try this website to find a spa near you: http://www.spafinder.com/. I think I've even seen discounted gift cards at Costco.

4. A Free Day
A free day where she can do whatever she wants. Meaning, a GUILT-FREE day where she can go shopping/out to lunch/to the movies/to the beach/whatever and you make your own dinner/take care of the kids/and maybe even clean the toilets, and don't complain about it.

5. Tickets to a show or concert
I rarely get to go to (Off) Broadway shows, but I love them. It is expensive when you add up the tickets, parking, dining, etc. It is a treat that most women would enjoy. I have seen and loved Wicked and The Phantom of the Opera. I would love to see The Lion King and Les Mis some day!
6. Amazon or Starbucks gift card
Some say a gift card is too impersonal, especially for your significant other. I tend to disagree. I think a $25 gift card to Amazon would be fantastic. You can get almost anything on Amazon (books, books, and more books for me, please!) and most things ship free when you spend $25. Almost every woman I know loves fancy coffee (or tea) drinks, but feels guilty about spending the money. Your lady would love this treat!

7. Photos
I LOVE pictures of our family! Find a great photo and get it enlarged and framed. A friend's husband did this, made the photo black & white and colored in the flowers. It's gorgeous and different! Or, make a photo book--there are a zillion different options out there! If your lady is into photography, I'm sure she would love a new lens or some other equipment she feels guilty spending money on.

8. Personalized stuff
Nothing says I love you/I put lots of though into this/I didn't just buy this gift five minutes ago at the gas station like a personalized gift. My bloggy friend http://www.theothermama.com/ is starting a monagramming business, and she is going to have some very cute tote and overnight bags. Great gifts to go along with #9!

9. A mini-vacation
You could go big or small on this one and still be a hero. One night at a bed & breakfast or a week in the Caribbean would have the same affect on me. Take care of all the details and surprise her!

10. Dinner out on the town
This is one of my favorites! Mr. Incredible (admittedly, so I don't think I'm speaking out of turn here) is not a chef. So, a night off from cooking is a lovely gift for me. Add in a babysitter so you can have more than 2 minutes of uninterruped conversation and you have a winner!

Ok, ladies, what did I miss? What would you love/hate as a gift? And, guys, please make a list of no-fail gifts for men and send me the link, k?

This post is linked to Top Ten Tuesday at Oh Amanda