great gift ideas for your girls!!

I sent this article to myself at christmas time and wanted to pass it on here- still great anytime ideas for birthdays, or just anytime you need a girlfriend gift.

They're the first ones there when your heart is broken, the last ones there when you throw a party, and the only ones who, like you, endorse eating the entire roll of cookie dough.

Gift Guide

Dont give your girls the brush-off; give them makeup brushes from Marshall Fields.

Let Carrie be your relationship guide with "Sex and the City" DVDs.

"Classic Cocktails" has 150 ideas on what to put in those glasses.

Hot chocolate from Williams-Sonoma helps keep warm chatter flowing.

Photos/Kevin Eisenhut Give the gift of "Peace" and a heartfelt holiday "Wish" with selections from Yankee Candles.

Weekly Guides

For your girls Check out our list of 30 gifts under $30 The art of gift giving in a new romantic relationship

They are your girlfriends. Your girls. And you can't imagine how you would have made it through life thus far without them.

So this holiday season, you want to reward the ladies with something special.

"It's an emotional connection we have with our girlfriends," says Jennifer Putney, owner of the J Bird Boutique, 415 E. Menomonee St., in the Third Ward. "It's a nice way of saying thank you for their friendship and support."

Putney, who considers buying gifts for seven or eight of her girlfriends as important as buying gifts for her family "because they are family," searches for months for the perfect presents. Clutch handbags and jewelry pieces are some of her favorite gift ideas.

Ethnic-inspired, big jewel, crystal and semi-precious stone necklaces and bracelets have been popular gift purchases at the boutique in recent months, she said.

To help you navigate some of the other girlie gifts available, we've picked out some of our favorite finds from stores around and just outside the Milwaukee area.

Your girlfriends will be so proud of you for making great shopping decisions on your own.

Candles: Let's face it. When we have extra cash in our pocketbooks - or available balances on our credit cards - it goes straight to shoes and clothing. Fancy candles become the items we don't often splurge on for ourselves. Splurge for her with these dreamy jars from Yankee Candle at Mayfair Mall in Wauwatosa. The "Wish" candle carries the scent of vanilla and balsam. "Peace" is country linen scent. $19.99 each.

"Sex and the City" DVDs: The series that made girlfriend relationships famous has just been released as a six-season boxed set on DVD. The hot pink velvet-covered case holds a book with quotes and memories of the show's best moments. If the $186.98 Amazon.com price tag is too steep for your budget, consider getting your friends to chip in for group ownership. Individual seasons are available and generally cost about $29.99 each.

Here's to us!Girl talk is always more fun when it's accessorized with beverages. The party martini glasses were a steal at Crate & Barrel, which has a store at Mayfair, at $4.95 a piece. Wine glasses are available for the same price. Add a martini shaker for $14.95 or a book on "150 Classic Cocktails" for $9.95.

Hot cocoa also goes well with winter gossip. Williams-Sonoma, which has stores at Mayfair and Bayshore Mall in Glendale, sells regular and peppermint hot chocolate made of chocolate shavings, $14.75 for a container. Add handcrafted marshmallows in either chocolate or vanilla, $14.75 a box.

Massage break: You've heard her complain non-stop about stress at work, so how about sending a masseuse right to the office? Jurg J. Oggenfuss, owner of Massageworks1ders, will bring his massage chair and services to her break room. An on-site chair massage is $1 a minute, with an 80 minute minimum. She can split the gift into 10-minute increments with other stressed out co-workers. For more information, contact Massageworks1ders: (414) 614-5832.

All Men are Liars! Got your attention? And you'll get hers by giving her a new book by Jeffrey L. Rodengen - yes, it's by a man. In "All Men are Liars: An Incomplete Guide to Relationship Trauma" (Write Stuff Enterprises Inc.; $24.95), Rodengen attempts to prove that men tell the most lies, whether they be about sex, relationships, business, sports or personal accomplishments. The perfect gift for your girlfriends in Men-Are-Dogs mode.

Funky tees: Pop rocker Gwen Stefani released her high-priced L.A.M.B. clothing line in the spring of 2004. Stefani recently released her less- costly Harajuku Lovers line, which is available at a few local boutiques. We found a T-shirt with long thermal sleeves for $52 at Moxy, 2219 N Farwell Ave. Moxy expects to get four more styles of screen tees, which start at $46 each, by mid-month.

Buckle up for fashion: This season's hottest accessory is easy to buy for friends because the styles are mostly one-size-fits-all. All of these knock-off designer belts, which look great on jeans or over tunics, came from Wet Seal at Mayfair Mall. The Moroccan-inspired belt (the one with big circles) was $12.50; braided bronze metallic, $10.50; and silver shimmering fabric design, $10.50.

Pretty practical: Maybe you can't buy her makeup, but you can buy her a gorgeous set of makeup brushes. These handy brush kits gift sets are offered at Marshall Field's MAC makeup counter during the holiday season. Three different colors: hot pink, aqua and olive green are available. Brush styles vary, so be sure to get the kinds she'll use. $46.

Sephora for a friend: On second thought, maybe you can buy her makeup. Sephora, the makeup wonderland that opened at Mayfair Mall this summer, sells gift cards for any amount above $10. They come in a dainty icy blue mirror compact. Or, for $5 put the gift card in a gift set with Philosophy Sugar Cookie body wash. Or for $8, add it to a set of Sephora brand body butter.

Sweeten the gift: If your girlfriend likes cooking or baking, she'll love her own gift set of freshly ground spices and sugars from The Spice House, 1031 N. Old World 3rd St., and 1244 N. Glenview Ave. in Wauwatosa. Pre-made box sets include a Flavored Sugars collection for $23.95; Bakers Extracts for $24.95; and Asian flavorings; $17.95 You may also create your own gift set with four, six, or eight spice blends, averaging about $16.95 for the smallest set. Internet shoppers can hop to www.thespicehouse.com.

Handbags, her way: This gift certificate idea is a fun holiday present and the start of a future girlfriend outing. 1154 Lill Studio, at 904 W. Armitage Ave., Chicago, is a boutique where you can custom-design your own handbag, choosing from 20 available styles and hundreds of fabrics. The handbags range from $25 to $150 and take about three weeks to be completed. If you can't make it back to Chicago to pick up your creation, they'll mail it to you for an extra $8. Call (773) 477-5455 or visit www.1154lill.com for more information.

The gift of relaxation: No list of girl-oriented gifts would be complete without a spa suggestion. So how about a gift certificate from Spa Finder, a global spa resource on the Internet? This gift is especially convenient for out-of-state girlfriends. Buy a gift certificate starting at $50, and your friend can choose to use it at thousands of participating spas around the globe. www.spafinder.com/index.jsp

From the Dec. 5, 2005 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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