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Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Love’s Labors Made Easy

By Tara Manners

Who knew Valentine’s Day, a simple holiday designed to express love to a significant other, could cause so much angst? What’s an appropriate gift? Where’s the best place to get it? What’s the most wonderful way to give it to that special someone that makes a lasting, and positive, impression? To make things a little easier, Prosper offers a variety of lovely, quirky, funny and just plain strange ideas to help make that certain someone feel that certain some way.

It’s All About the Label
Nothing says “I love you” like a personalized case of wine. A commemorative bottle of wine, such as the vintage served at your wedding reception, is a sentimental way to say “Honey, I remember our special day.” Order your select vintage by the case and personalize custom wine labels for the next 12 Valentine’s Days through Stone Creek Wine Press. For added impact, give your valentine a stainless steel wine refrigerator and age your wine appropriately while affording yourself room to watch your wine collection grow.

Enjoy the “Chefpertise”
Combine your case of wine with Le Chef d’Amour and a custom-prepared gourmet meal created in your kitchen. The four-course meal includes a multitude of keepsake items, such as personalized menus and an engraved champagne bottle. In addition, Le Chef d’Amour provides the linens, rose petals and candles to set an ideal ambiance for “stress-free dining in the comfort of your own home,” says Le Chef d’Amour founder Cindy Rhodes. Rhodes believes her private gourmet dinners are a “truly unique and sensual dining experience” and who could blame her? Le Chef d’Amour arrives at your home fully prepared with groceries, cooking tools and a promise to leave your kitchen sparkling clean. The meal begins with a cheese platter for two, evolves into the gourmet meal and ends with chocolate-covered strawberries and optional massages. 

Love-Cycle
For the adventure enthusiast, a fully planned bicycle tour through Amador County is an intimate way to stay in shape alongside your loved one. Escape Travel is a locally owned company that custom designs cycling, hiking and/or kayak tours through the region’s most scenic areas. John Gill, owner of Escape Travel, pays great attention to the details of your adventure and places you in such romantic settings as Taste restaurant in Plymouth and accommodations at the Eureka Street Inn in Sutter Creek. Gill says his company will “outfit you with your road bike of choice, helmet, gloves, souvenir water bottle, map, Clif energy bars and more for your cycling adventure. Then saddle up and ride 15 miles to 50 miles through the stunning countryside dotted with old-growth valley oaks and sprawling vineyards.”

Cartier … Enough said
Cartier, the Love Collection, consists of jewelry that requires a special tool to put it on or take it off. This tool comes in the form of a keychain, which your valentine can carry at all times. If jewelry is not your style, then try the Cartier USB port. 

Run of the Mill, Not
Instead of the usual suspect restaurants, try a Moroccan evening with a dinner at Marrakech Moroccan restaurant on Fulton Avenue. The colorful ambiance, exotic food and sensual belly dancers will add a lively twist to a romantic dinner. Or try Gonul’s J Street Café, cuisine that is defined as eclectic California but has the soul of Turkey in many of its dishes. And if you want something timeless, try the classic French restaurant, La Bohème, in Fair Oaks.

Cupid’s POV
Napa Valley is one of the more scenic areas of Northern California, so why not see it from above? Hot-air balloon rides are not only picturesque, they are intimate. Ballooning California flies its patrons several hundred feet aboveground, beginning at dawn. Balloon rides last approximately 90 minutes. Follow up your ride with a picnic lunch at V. Sattui Winery where wine tasting is complimentary and the picnic grounds are ample. Looking for a place to stay? The newly built Meritage Hotel provides beautiful accommodations adjacent to the hotel’s wine cave, set to open in February.

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Ways to Ex-Press Yourself

Whether you’ve managed to stay friends with your ex or have moved to another city, here (in no particular order) are some gifts that you, being the generous person that you are, might get for your former significant other.

1. Smack Him Ex-Boyfriend Punching Bag

2. The Ultimate Sky Diving Experience, SkyDance SkyDiving

3. Spray-On Hair

4. Sony Portable Reader System

5. “So Happy I’m Single” mug

6. Shocking Liar Electronic Game

7. Gift Subscription to Online Dating Service

8. 1,000 Places to See Before You Die Book or DVD

9. Adopt a Donkey

10. Pink Poker Night Game

11. Gump’s Liars Dice Game

12. The Ex Vodoo Knife Set

13. Hands-On Scenic Flight, Full Bay Tour of San Francisco
 
14. Complete DVD set of “Sex and The City”

 

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Last-Minute Gift Ideas

It happens to the best of us. Valentine’s Day is nigh, and you’ve got that classic deer-in-the headlights look. Not to fret, Prosper has compiled a list of last-minute gift ideas that would make even Cupid swoon. 
    Flowers: Florists love February, with red roses being their biggest commercial seller. Show your smarts by picking your honey an alternative bouquet: forget-me-nots, honeysuckle, bluebells and carnations are all symbols of love, while violets and rosemary symbolize faithfulness and chastity. Try Twiggs Floral Design Gallery (3250 St., Sacramento) or Blooming Art (1903 Capitol Ave, Sacramento).
    Chocolates: You can’t go wrong with sweets for your sweet. Cakes, tarts, tortes or truffles will surely create a sharing mood. Try David Berkley (515 Pavilions Lane, Sacramento), Ettore’s (2376 Fair Oaks Blvd, Sacramento) or Edible Arrangements (2681 El Paseo Lane, Sacramento).
    Lingerie: Heat things up on a cold Valentine’s Day night with this traditional Valentine’s Day gift. Nowadays, lingerie has crossed boundaries as a gift for men or women. For great selections, try Calla Lilly (558 Pavilions Lane, Sacramento), Nordstrom (1651 Arden Way, Sacramento, or 1131 Galleria Blvd, Roseville) or Wink (1903 Capitol Ave, Sacramento).
    Spa Gift Certificates: Make a date for two this year with a “Romance ‘It’” Package from Hoshall’s (7330 Fair Oaks Blvd. #1, Carmichael, or 6608 Folsom Auburn Rd., Suite 4, Folsom) or the Deluxe Couples Package from Arden Hills Country Club (1220 Arden Hills Lane, Sacramento). Spa packages vary by location, but most include couples’ massages, meal options, steams, pedicures or facials — perfect for unwinding and reconnecting. 
    Tickets: Whether it’s sports, theater or music, nothing beats tickets to an event. Craving a concert or Kings’ game? Pick up tickets sans service fee from the Arco Arena Box Office directly (1 Sports Parkway, Sacramento). Swing by the Sacramento Community Center Theatre for tickets to Sacramento Opera’s “Carmen” or Sacramento Broadway Theatre’s “Twelve Angry Men.” Or head up to the Sierra with lift tickets to your fave ski resort.
    Surprise Getaway: Win extra brownie points with a romantic escape for two. Buy a postcard, photo or travel book of your surprise destination, then break out the details of your perfect sojourn. Visit Barnes & Noble (1725 Arden Way or 3561 N. Freeway Blvd., Sacramento) or Borders (2030 Douglas Blvd., Roseville or 2339 Fair Oaks Blvd., Sacramento).
    MP3 Player: As the 21st century’s “mix tape” equivalent, MP3 players are a great way to upload not just “your song,” but an entire database of romantic tunes. Mac fans can head to the Apple Store (1689 Arden Way, Sacramento; apple.com), while PC users can check out Best Buy (1901 Arden Way or 3690 N Freeway Blvd., Sacramento) for a full selection of players and music to fill them. 
    StarRegistery.com: Searching for a gift that’s truly out-of-this-world? Show your eternal devotion and buy a star named after you and your honey. You pick the exact star location, in addition to optional naming packages that include personalized gifts and merchandise with the chosen name and coordinates of your star. 
    Camera: Are you in love with a shutterbug? Whether it’s disposable or digital, giving a camera allows your sweetie to capture the special moments of V-Day 2007. Stop by Ritz Camera Center (2200 J St. or 515 L St., Sacramento), Camera Arts (712 57th St., Sacramento) or Action Camera (1000 Sunrise Ave., 4B, Roseville).
ritzcamera.com;
    Lessons & Classes: Help your loved one keep up with some new year’s resolutions with a gift of lessons. Be it belly dancing or rock climbing, photography or painting, voice lessons or guitar lessons, the gift of knowledge is one that anyone can appreciate. Try Pipeworks (116 North 16th St., Sacramento), Capital Athletic Club (1515 8th St., Sacramento) or Arden Hills Country Club (1220 Arden Hills Lane, Sacramento).

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