Great Christmas Gift Series: Shopping for Crafters

 

Welcome to DealDash’s “Great Christmas Gifts.” series –  If you’re a person who struggles every year trying to think of gifts to get your family and friends, this series is for YOU!

Today we will be talking about crafters. For the uninformed, a crafter is someone who does any sort of craft, including sewing, knitting, scrapbooking, crochet, papercrafting, or even newer types of crafting such as using a 3-D printer. Think about the people in your life such as your wife, mother, daughter, Grandmother, or even your husband, brother, or friend. Do any of these people talk about the crafty side of life? If so, I have some great suggestions of what you might want to get them for Christmas.

Knitting Machine Set for Kids

If you’re trying to think about what to get a crafty child you might want to think about getting them a knitting machine. Knitting machines are very cool, you can produce a knit item very quickly without too much effort involved. Basically, you thread the yarn (which is included with the particular machine that is up for auction on DealDash) through a circle of hooks, turn the crank, and knit material is produced! It’s super easy to make a scarf, and when you get more comfortable with the machine you can even make hats and sweaters! If you’d like to check out the knitting machine for kids (age 6+) on DealDash check out this link.

Singer Electronic 100-Stitch Stylist Sewing MachineBrother SE400 Computerized Embroidery and Sewing Machine

If you’re looking for a present for an older crafter, say age 13+, you really can’t go wrong with a sewing machine! Even crafters who are more into knitting or scrapbooking could probably still use a sewing machine. For example, they might need to sew together pieces of knit fiber or even sew together paper for making scrapbook layouts. Sewing machines are awesome! Some non-crafters might say that I’m nuts, but I have no less than 3 sewing machines set up at one time, sometimes even more. If you are looking for something even more advanced than a regular sewing machine you might look into embroidery machine. An embroidery machine can be extremely useful if the person you are giving a gift to enjoys quilting or making personalized items. You can find both regular sewing machine and embroidery machines on DealDash at this link.

Brother ScanNCut Home and Hobby Cutting Machine

The last item that I am going to suggest for the crafty person in your life is a cutting machine. There are a few different brands of this type of machine, but they all do very similar things. These cutting machines can do a lot of different things, they of course can cut paper to make scrapbooking layouts, but they can do so much more! They can cut out stencils, vinyl stickers, t-shirt transfers, and even fabric. It’s very easy to design a project and cut it out in one sitting, it’s great for people who like instant gratification. These machines tend to be rather expensive, so my advice would be to check them out on DealDash. You can find one at this link here.

 

Thanks for reading, and I hope that I gave you some good ideas that you can put into practice for your holiday shopping. As a crafter myself, I would be overjoyed to receive any of these gifts for Christmas this year. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

 

Great Christmas Gift Series: Sports Equipment

 

Welcome to DealDash’s “Great Christmas Gifts.” series –  If you’re a person who struggles every year trying to think of gifts to get your family and friends, this series is for YOU!

If you’re wondering what to get your kids, husband, sibling, or other active person in your life this year for Christmas I would recommend sports equipment. There are so many sports and activities out there that there is something to please just about anyone, except perhaps hardcore couch potatoes like myself. Even though I am not a sports nut myself my kids and fiance certainly are. Which brings me to another great point – when you get someone in your family sports equipment for a Christmas gift it’s like getting the whole family a gift.

What’s better than getting your kids new bikes for Christmas and making them smile? Bike rides together with the whole family. What’s better than making your husband happy with a new basketball goal for the driveway? A family game of basketball after dinner. So you see, getting someone sports equipment is not only fun for them, it almost like an invitation to spend more time together. And really, what’s better than that?

If you’re wondering what sort of sports equipment they have available on DealDash I’ll give you a brief overview, all of the underlined equipment are clickable links to check out the item on DealDash.

  • Indoor basketball hoop – This is a great item for the family to use during the winter time when it’s too cold outside but you feel the need for a little exercise.

Medal Sports 2-Player Basketball Game with 8-in-1 Game

 

 

  • Outdoor basketball hoop – Perfect for older kids and adults in the nice weather. Provides a great workout and is really fun, too.

 

Lifetime 44-Inch Court Height-Adjustable Basketball Hoop

Bikes for the whole family – Bike riding is great exercise, good for saving gas if there’s anywhere close you can ride to instead of drive, and also a lot of fun.

 

29-Inch Huffy Bantam Men's Mountain Bike

Table Tennis/Ping Pong – Even though I’m not very athletic myself, I love ping pong! It’s good for kids and adults, even senior citizens can get in on the fun as long as they are able to stand for short time periods.

Sportspower Conversion Top Table Tennis

 

If you’re interested in indoor or outdoor basketball hoops, bikes for the family, or table tennis be sure to visit their links above. DealDash also carries many other types of sports equipment such as basketballs, baseball mitts, outdoor tennis nets, tennis balls, and even sporting goods store gift cards. If you’re interested in bidding on anything sporty, check out the Hobbies, Toys, Outdoors, and Games section on DealDash. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

 

Great Christmas Gift Series: Dyson Vacuum Cleaner

Welcome to DealDash’s “Great Christmas Gifts.” series –  If you’re a person who struggles every year trying to think of gifts to get your family and friends, this series is for YOU!

 

If you’re wondering what to get your wife, mother, or even grandmother this year for Christmas I would recommend a Dyson vacuum, from personal experience. Dyson vacuums are some of the most awesomely powerful vacuums out there, and they can cut your housework time in half!

You might be thinking “My wife would kill me if I gave her a vacuum for a Christmas present!” I wholeheartedly disagree, as the recipient of a Dyson Vacuum for my Christmas gift last year, it made me extremely happy. Not only is the Dyson vacuum a great workhorse that sames me time it’s also a beautiful purple and silver color. You might not think that the color of a household chore machine might matter, but I know that I am just a little bit happier when I use my purple Dyson than any other boring black vacuum that I have owned before.

The actual Dyson company was started in 1993, but you might be surprised to know that James Dyson has been working on his vacuum designs since 1979! James Dyson’s vacuums were so well received that by 2009, Dyson began creating other air-powered technologies, such as the AirBlade hand drier (my favorite hand dryer, the only one that ever actually DRIES my hands), the Air Multiplier bladeless fan and Dyson Hot, the bladeless fan heater.

Since I think that a Dyson vacuum would be a great gift for just about anyone who cleans their house on a regular basis, you might be interested to know that there are a few different kinds of Dyson vacuums, and luckily for you they available pretty frequently on DealDash.

Dyson DC41 Animal Complete Upright Vacuum

The Dyson vacuum that I am most familiar with is the Dyson DC41 Animal. The DC41 Animal is a Dyson Ball upright vacuum cleaner for all-around dirt and pet hair removal. The machine’s cleaner head has an active base plate, which self-adjusts automatically for optimal contact with all floor types. Which means that I can vacuum my hardwood floor kitchen and then transition to the family room which has a huge rug covering almost all of the floor without stopping to adjust the pile setting like on a regular vacuum since the cleaner head adjusts automatically.

Dyson V6 Slim Cordless Vacuum

The other popular Dyson model that I have some experience with is the Dyson V6 Cordless vacuum. The Dyson V6 cordless vacuum gives you Dyson suction power without the hassle of a cord. Its motorized cleaner head cleans all floor types. My friend received this vacuum for her birthday and she loves it! It’s a great cleaner like a regular Dyson but you can easily carry it up and down the stairs to clean everywhere without lugging a vacuum.

If you’re interested in either of the vacuums or any other Dysons or Dyson accessories check out this link here. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

 

 

Holiday Trips with Children and DealDash

 Here it is, the end of October! Does your family travel in November and December to visit relatives? If you have small kids even a small weekend trip requires preparation.

November is just a day away, and with November we have Thanksgiving, then of course December is right behind it with all of the holidays that come with it. My family makes at least 3 or 4 small trips in the winter season to visit various relatives, and let me tell you, travelling with small kids can be awful if you aren’t prepared.

Coleman Cooler Combo, Red

First and foremost, you should acquire a cooler that fits comfortably in your car, and fill it with all sorts of snacks and drinks. Even if the trip you’re taking to Grandma’s or Auntie’s is only a couple of hours, the kids will be whining “I’m hunnnnggrrryyy!” at the first fast food place they see. Save your money and your time by preempting the hungries with kid friendly snacks such as grapes, goldfish crackers, pretzels, and juice boxes in your cooler. You can find some nice travel coolers on DealDash in the Hobbies, Toys, Outdoors, and Games section.

RCA 7-Inch Dual Screen DVD PlayerApple iPod Classic 160GB MP3 PlayerApple iPad mini with Retina display Wi-Fi 32GB, Space Gray

Next up in saving your sanity, entertainment! There there are some great products out there such as portable DVD players for the car, and of course MP3 players and tablets. Just make sure that you get some headphones for the kids from DealDash. That way the kids will be occupied with their devices and you can have some peace and quiet. Check the Electronics & Computer section for a variety of headphones and other electronic devices. A word of advice, though – if you have small kids under the age of 12 or so, please don’t let them use earbuds. Earbuds aren’t safe for younger kids who don’t realize that it will hurt their ears to turn up the volume too loud. Please choose over-the-ear styles for younger kids. A lot of the headphones meant for children have a built in volume regulator so the kids can’t turn them up too loudly and damage their hearing. Please check the headphones carefully before you let your kids use them to be sure they are at a safe volume.

Disney Frozen Cool Tunes HeadphonesAmazing Spider-Man Headphones

Hopefully you and your kids will have a great holiday season visiting your family this year. Check out  DealDash and I’m sure you’ll find something to entertain even the most difficult child. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!

 

The Early Bird Gets the Good Deal on DealDash

 

I am similar to most people on DealDash, I think – we all love to shop! And one of the most satisfying shopping experiences that a person can have is to be completely done with all of their Christmas shopping by the end of November.

I was able to do this last year with a little help from DealDash, but this year it’s going to be even easier. I’ll let you guys in on a little secret…Starting Monday August 10th DealDash is running their “Early Christmas Gift Sale” promotion! It runs all week, and includes discounted bids as well as 2x Highest Bidder time!

Since you have a couple of days until this promotion starts maybe you should start thinking about what your friends and family might like for Christmas this year. I have 2 small kids (and 1 on the way!) so I am pretty in tune with what the infant-to-elementary school age is interested in, and I have been doing my research on the best gifts for this year. Here is a quick run-down of what I think are some of the most entertaining things that your kids or grand kids would love to get as a gift:

Baby to Toddler

 

Babies and toddlers absolutely LOVE stuffed animals- and even better than plain stuffed animals are ones that sing, talk, and make other noises when you press their buttons. However, my daughter has a few of these from her younger days, and they are still cuddly even though they are basically stuffed robots.

 

Preschooler

My daughter is now preschool-aged, and some of her favorite things are Minnie Mouse, her kid’s laptop, and her tablet. She also loves outdoor water toys and dolls that she can dress up, too.

 

 

Grade K-3

My son falls into this category, and some of his favorite things are robots, radio-controlled (RC) cars & trucks, and of course his bike! He tells me that Doc McStuffins is popular with the girls in his class.

 

 

Grade 4-6

Most of the kids in upper elementary grades are growing out of toys by this age, but I can definitely think of a few things they might enjoy, such as a Remote Helicopter/drone, an iTunes gift card, or if you’re feeling really generous an iPad mini would bring a smile to just about any kid’s face!

 

Hopefully I have given you a few ideas that got you into the gift-giving spirit. All of these things and way more can be found on DealDash, mostly in the Toys, Kids, & Baby section. Good luck and happy bidding everyone!