My picks are *slightly* late this week as I was fighting a nasty migraine on/off for five days. Yes, FIVE days! Longest headache ever… and, it derailed me from my shopping, so that’s unacceptable!

Anyhoo… without further ado, here’s what caught my eye on SHOP.CA this week:

OASIS FIREPLACE

“Indoors or outdoors, on a table, floor or ground, around a pool, patio or in a living room you can place the beautiful and and stylishly designed Oasis Fireplace from Anywhere Fireplace. It will add the ambiance and create a focal point and the ambiance that dancing flames the fire creates. By using a Gel fuel canister that is placed into the center cup, you just have to light is with a long lighter or match stick and you now have a personal fireplace. Using the proper gel fuel cans designed for fireplaces, it is safe to use indoors or out, where ever you may want to create ambiance. It comes with white decorative river stones, but choose to decorate it with colorful fireglass, sea shells, or anything else to make it a perfect piece for the perfect setting.”

Totally digging this little fire pit, especially since it can fit on a small deck. I am picturing: the kids in bed, a few girlfriends, wine, my backyard – and the Oasis fireplace. Paints a nice picture, no? And at $139.99 – an affordable luxury. This is definitely at the top of my “investigate further” list. (more…)

Kijiji has daily deals? Who knew?

Well, they have a pretty spectacular daily deal today - for just $10, you can grab a $25 online gift certificate to Chapters.Indigo.ca. 

The fine print: Electronic Gift Certificates from Chapters Indigo are not redeemable for cash and may be redeemed online only at chapters.indigo.ca; Vouchers cannot be refunded, resold or transferred for value; Limit 1 per person; Free Shipping Details; Coupons will be issued within 24 hours of the deal ending.

No word on when the gift certificate expires, but hey, for a savings of 60% on top of Chapters’ already great online prices, just grab a few bestsellers and enjoy!

Click here to purchase today’s daily deal.

I’m probably shooting myself in the foot by blogging this because, trust me, I don’t want to reduce my odds of winning this prize…. but, today’s Random House giveaway is a Super Shopaholic Package!

“Calling all Sophie Kinsella fans! Exclusive swag from the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie and a complete Shopaholic library makes the perfect gift for a devoted fan or for yourself.

This prize includes:

1 SIGNED copy of Mini Shopaholic
1 Baseball cap from the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie
1 Shopaholic shopping bag
1 copy of Confessions of a Shopaholic
1 copy of Shopaholic Takes Manhattan
1 copy of Shopaholic Ties the Knot
1 copy of Shopaholic & Sister
1 copy of Shopaholic & Baby
1 $100 Amex Gift Card
1 Swag bag full of beauty goodies
A year-long subscription to Canadian Living Magazine
(Approximate value: $275)

TO ENTER: Email your name and address to onlinemarketing@randomhouse.com.”

Um, hello? In my original post I mentioned that I am currently reading Mini Shopaholic… I will gladly trade it for a SIGNED copy!!! Good luck everyone!

It’s no secret I’m a bookworm: I’ve constantly got my nose in a book. I’m currently reading Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella – chick lit at its finest! If you’ve followed the Shopaholic series, of course this one is a must. (Curiously, I prefer her pseudonym-authored books to the Madeleine Wickham series – perhaps, like me, she enjoys escaping into a different persona from time to time).

Our friends at Random House of Canada have another great promo (remember their sweet 40% off orders of $50 early this year? Still have titles yet to crack open since that haul)…

It’s the 25 Days of Giveaways! You can enter every weekday for a chance to win great prizes: major collections, signed first editions, spectacular products from their partners and more.

Today’s featured giveaway is a Sexy Gourmet Prize Package:

Everybody has a domestic goddess in their life. Treat them this holiday season with a gift that will spice up their kitchen! This prize includes: 1 gorgeous gift basket of goodies courtesy of the Sexy Gourmet Food Company and 1 SIGNED copy of Kitchen by Nigella Lawson. (Approximate value: $145)

TO ENTER: Email your name and address to onlinemarketing@randomhouse.com. A valid mailing address is required; one entry per person. You may enter each contest once, but you may win multiple times. Open to Canadian residents only, excluding Quebec. Entry names will NOT be used for subsequent mail solicitation.

You can also visit the website to find the perfect gift for Book Lovers on your list this season. Good luck everybody!

If there’s one thing that Ryder, at the tender age of two, has taught me – its that knowledge is never wasted. In fact, he finds clever uses for all the little tidbits of information that he gathers every day. He has learned to scream “Oh my God!” when something surprises him; understands that any sound resembling a crash brings mommy running (and fast); and that eyelashes, particularly when batted, are a powerful weapon.

That’s why I’m happy to books which inspire his intellect and foster imagination. Disney’s Wonderful World of Knowledge collectors box is a beautifully illustrated, fun and highly educational children’s collection of 14 hard cover encyclopedias. Each 64 page encyclopedia is beautifully illustrated and features the most adored Disney characters of all time – Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pluto.

Titles include:
Dinosaurs
Planet Earth
The Human Body
From Stone Age to Space Age
Wonders of the Sea
Great Travelers and Explorers
Space
The Marvels of Science
Great Inventions
The Kingdom of Mammals
Reptiles and Amphibians
Famous Places
How Machines Work
Insects and Spiders

Click here to look inside Dinosaurs.

The collection is NOT sold in stores and can only be ordered exclusively through the Montreal Gazette for a limited time. It is definitely something that will be treasured for generations to come.

For more information and to purchase the Disney Wonderful World of Knowledge collection, please click here.

Here’s a sweet way to treat Mom! Forget the bubbles and bubbly, most mamas would trade their highest heels to be able to curl up with a good book. And while Chapters can’t chase the kids away, they can help with the reading material – for 4 days only, April 29th thru May 2nd, buy any book and get a second (equal or lesser value) at 50% off! The promo is valid in-store only and you must print and present this coupon to enjoy the savings.

A bonus: if you’re an irewards member, you can grab an additional 10% off both books! This year, I would like nothing better than to lose myself in good murder mystery…

Yeah BookCloseouts!

BookCloseouts.com is one of North America’s largest sellers of Bargain Books. Bargain Books are new, unread books that the publisher sells-off in volume to reduce excess inventory. Sometimes the publisher printed too many copies, in other cases bookstores purchased too many copies and have returned them to the publisher for credit.

The books therefore have been handled a few times but are still in excellent condition.

I LOVE BookCloseouts.com! I’ve ordered from them several times before (I love to grab chick lit and cookbooks for up to 80% off) and they’ve always shipped the product promptly and in excellent condition. A bonus – even though the website is in US prices, the books ship from their warehouse in Thorold, ON – so there are no extra taxes or duty fees.

Quick tip: if you’re planning on buying books as gifts, be sure to note that like most closeout sales, the books may be marked with black sharpie on the top/bottom of the book. This is to prevent you from trying to return the book to a retailer. Not a big deal if you consider you’re saving a chunk of money!

Got little Einsteins on your hands? Check out their Smart Start Sale…

Summer may almost be here, but that doesn’t mean the learning has to stop. We have selected and discounted a number of fun, popular educational books that are just perfect to both entertain and educate children of all ages, especially once school is out. All these titles have been discounted to $0.99. There is no limit to how many you can purchase, but please do not delay; inventory for these unique books is limited.

No free shipping promo this time around (boo), so you will have to incur delivery costs – just for fun, I threw 12 books into my cart, and standard shipping clocked in at $5.40. Not too shabby, considering my total savings were over $38!

Click here to shop the Smart Sale at BookCloseouts.com.

I saw this one on Red Flag Deals and thought I’d share…

There’s nothing dumb about saving $5 – and you can do just that with this $5 rebate offer on “Dummies” books or audio sets.

Celebrate Dummies Month by purchasing a Dummies book or audio set by May 9th, sending in this downloadable mail-in rebate form, and receiving a cheque for $5 from Wiley Publishing Inc within 6-8 weeks. Chapters.Indigo.ca available Dummies titles can be found here.

Offer valid on minimum purchase of $6.99 before taxes. Rebate form and copy of sales receipt must be postmarked by May 15th and received by the publisher no later than May 30th, 2010.

I’m just curious – do you own a “Dummies” book? What is the title? There are so many, it’s almost comical to see what needs to be dumbed down. My personal favourite – “Raising Smart Kids for Dummies”… cause obviously, you don’t want them to turn out like you!

Happy Dummies Month!

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, wouldn’t your sweetheart love a book on dieting? Cooking for crowds? A fitness manual on targeting those thighs?

If you’ve even considered any of the prior sugges-tions, perhaps you’ll need a book on relationship counselling. Regardless, why not grab some reading material for Valentine’s day? I’m thinking a book of poetry, perhaps a traveler’s guide to a place you’d like to visit together, or a cookbook – for couples.

To make it easier on the wallet, do take advantage of Chapters’ latest coupon, where you’ll save 25% on one regular priced item. The coupon is valid until February 14th, and it is not a unique barcode, meaning that you can print it out for several different purchases.

Click here to print your Chapter’s 25% off coupon.

It’s Book Closeouts Mix & Match Blowout sale – where over 2000 books from different genres are an additional 50-95% off – and no book is priced over $1.99!

You’ll need about 30 minutes and tons of patience to go through the list, but I have a pretty good idea that the 3:45pm office lull may entice you to take a look. Remember, you’ll have to pay for shipping (usually about $5-6 for 20 books), but NO duty fees as the Book Closeouts warehouse is just outside Niagara Falls.

A couple of months ago, I did some major damage at the “50% off Fiction” sale (when I say damage, I mean, oh, about $65 for 28 BOOKS!!!) but I am sooo happy to have reading material for the next 2 years :) Right now, I’m just starting Stephenie Meyer’s “The Host.”

Click here to shop the Book Closeouts Blowout Sale.