Gift Ideas for P49 and Up

Yup, you read it right--49 bucks!

Christmas started in the Philippines in September, but for me it started around August when I had to put together our gift guide for the November issue of Good Housekeeping.

This particular cover looks very US GH.

In previous years, the gift guide would appear in the December issue, but we figured that GH readers are girl scouts--they like to be prepared, so November's the best time to come out with a list. Last year, three of us put it together and, let me tell you, it wasn't easy. This year, I did it myself (with the pullout powers of our trusty EA), and I quite enjoyed it. There's a mix of super cheap finds, reasonably priced items, and blowout gifts for the ones you truly love! I especially liked putting together the food page (mostly because we got to eat everything after the shoot)...

The photo that didn't make it. By Ocs Alvarez. I originally intended to do setups for all categories, but dropouts seemed like the best way to go in the end. The space at the top portion and on the side was supposed to be for text.

The goodies pictured above are (from top): a cheesecake from new store Tous Les Jours (a Korean bakeshop officially opening on Friday), cookies from Luxe by Goldilocks, apple crumble pie from Secret Passion with a scoop of Fog City Creamery whild cherry vanilla ice cream (I love their salted caramel), Devil's Food Cake (and super cute Little Devils) from Chocolate Kiss, Pinoy chocolate from Theo & Philo, native tea from Kultura Filipino, and a red velvet cake by Bob's Red Velvet. Drooool.

Aside from the gift guide, we've got lots of other great features this month, making it by far one of my most favorite issues since I came on board:

• a cover story on Daphne Osena-Paez, whose list of jobs has me feeling out of breath. Ready? *deep breath* TV host, producer, furniture designer, jewelry designer, linen designer, blogger, UNICEF ambassador, wife, and mom of three! Phew!
• feeling sluggish? Bloated? Always cold? Our health feature tells you just what might be the cause.
• how to make better decisions. This article speaks to me because, well, I have a hard enough time deciding where to eat and what to order! Lots of women are indecisive. This helps you (and me) address that!
• a quiz to help you find your fragrance personality and the best scent for you.
  
• great kitchen tips from the Junior MasterChef judges, including their smart suggestions for dinner in a hurry.
• "Never Be Late Again"--tried and tested ways to get kids out of bed and out the door, on the dot! The tips can help you get to work on time too!
• recipes with a secret ingredient that makes every dish tastier!
• decorating rules for every room of the house (do you know how much space there should be between your sofa and coffee table?).

And loooots more. It's just a hundred bucks, so do grab a copy from the nearest bookstore, supermarket, newsstand, or wherever else magazines are sold.:)