A Canadian domain name company has created a gift card that lets anyone buy their own .tel domain name when they buy a coffee at their favourite Canadian Blenz Coffee franchise.

.Tel names are like “live” digital business cards which direct customers to a person’s or a business’s contact details - such as their phone, mobile, website, email addresses, social media profiles and so on. Optimised for mobile phone content, you can try out mobile campaigns, for example.

An original birthday gift (card) for your favourite business-owner, it’s also a fantastic housewarming gift idea for twentysomethings who are always moving too, as it lets them provide one ongoing point of contact at SamSmith.tel, for example.

OK, well I guess this appeals to the nerd in me but I love a list!

Considering we’re just two weeks into 2010, and it’s oh, 49 weeks to Christmas, now is a great time to set up a gift fact file on your friends and family. You can use it for anniversaries, birthdays, Valentines, graduations, housewarmings, weddings too.

So what are some of the things you should take note of, ask or discuss so you give them someone perfect (or close to it)?

1. Favourite colours. My younger nephew loves red, the older one goes for green while my niece is a sucker for pink. Makes it easy knowing this when it comes to cute t-shirts etc. Same goes for adults. My brother thinks pink and purple (not worn together) are completely gay. My stepmother won’t wear anything with a floral print, thinking she looks like a sofa. Dad is mad on chocolate brown and navy. Easy. Make a note of what colours they love to wear (and particularly the ones they look good in ie don’t forget it is your chance to help them wear something that suits them and stops hurting your eyes). Hint: it can be an insight into their favourite decorating colours, too.

2. Favourite metals. No, I’m not talking about Black Sabbath! If you’re giving jewellery, think back to whether you’ve ever seen them wear silver. Do they prefer yellow gold to rose gold? In home decor, are they a silver-frame kinda girl or do they go for brushed steel? It’s not just the metal, it’s the way it is finished that can make all the difference between a dud and a great gift.

3. Favourite decor. If your little niece’s bedroom is pink gingham, her mother is not going to appreciate something batik. Do they like French provincial? Then they won’t appreciate anything that belongs in an architect’s office. If they mention they’re buying new furniture, ask a bit more. Have their tastes changed? Are they buying more of the same style? A white mohair throw won’t suit people with kids. A gift certificate for more storage accessories (Howards Storage World is great) will suit almost anyone.

4. Size. Kids under 15 years old change rapidly. If you’re buying clothing or shoe sizes, ask within 2 weeks of buying and giving it to them. You never know when they’re going to have one of those crazy growth spurts. If you’re planning on giving your girlfriend or best friend lingerie, if you live together check the sizing on her underwear on washing day. Some brands, like Country Road and Sportscraft, are known for vanity sizing so if she’s really a 14, she’ll be delighted to fit into their 12. Sneakers tend to be one half-size bigger. I’m normally an 8 1/2 but need a 9 for trainers.

5. Fragrance. Mum has no sense of smell so I get all her perfume gifts. Jo is allergic to anything not made with essential oils. Kirsten doesn’t wear it. Next time they smell particularly good, ask them what they’re wearing. You could always give them the soap or moisturiser that goes with that fragrance. Know they like spicy style perfumes but still afraid to guess? You could always give them berry-scented candles or pot pourri.

6. Flowers. My stepmother loves violets. My sister-in-law is partial to camellias. I love oriental lillies. My grandfather however associates lillies with death and can’t bear them. In fact the only flowers he has in the house are silk ones which are getting awfully dusty. Check if they have allergies!

7. Foods. A homemade dish can be ideal if you know what they love to eat. My sister is vegetarian. David swears he won’t eat quiche. Audra prefers savoury snacks and strong coffee while Kate has a real sweet tooth and prefers herbal tea. Caz hates pate while our pregnant neighbour can’t eat brie right now and Jo is allergic to peanuts. If your best friend only likes green M&Ms for example, they sell packets of M&Ms in red and green colours at Christmas. Pick out the red ones, wrap the rest in a cellophane bag and there you have a very sweet (literally!) gift.

8. Music. Are they into their iPod or do they prefer vinyl? Are they fans of one era or do they have wider musical tastes? An iTunes card might suit some people while others would prefer the CD soundtrack of that really cool movie you saw together.

9. Hobbies. Do they like outdoorsy, camping type weekends? Do they potter around market stalls looking for antique objets d’art they can pick up for a song? What about gardening? Or doll collecting? What hobby would they do if they had more time? How do they like to see themselves (everyone has a fantasy version).

10. Books. The first clue is: if they picked up the newpaper on the weekend - what section would they flip to first? The business section? They might prefer the latest book on wealth creation or on creating your own business. Hollywood gossip? Juicy, unauthorised biographies could be the ticket. Those who flip to the home & garden part could appreciate a beautiful coffee table book on New York/Paris/Tuscan/Thai/Scandinavian living etc. Do they read their stars religiously? What about giving them an astrology report for Valentine’s Day? If they just like reading the news, what about the latest Guinness Book of Records or a Life picture book.  The travel section? Indulge them with an Eyewitness Guide or a Lonely Planet on their favourite city/country/continent.

Three in four homebuyers receive nada, zip, nothing at all from their real estate agents as a thank you for shelling HUNDREDS of thousands of dollars, but more than six in 10 homebuyers would use them again and recommend them to others looking to buy a home if they did.

The Real Estate Agents Gifts Survey conducted online by It’s In The Stars found that if you want that bottle of champagne to celebrate your massive purchase, you’ll be much more likely to receive it once you’ve bought oh, three homes or more.

Overall, only 26% of homebuyers received a gift from their real estate agent with the first homebuyers the least likely to receive anything. Ironically of course, if you kept them sweet from the start, they might recommend to their friends who are in the market for a house, consider you for their second, third and holidays homes…but no.

Homebuyers were instead more likely to receive gifts the more homes they had bought. Of the 38% who had bought one home, only 37% of those had received a gift. This rose to 43% for the 23% who had bought two homes, and to 51% to the 39% who had bought three homes or more.

Wine or champagne is the most gift most given (31%), followed by food hampers (13%), flowers and plants (11%), homewares (10%), promotional items thoughtfully including the real estate agency’s logo and personalised gifts for the homebuyer and/or their family (9% each) and gift certificates (8%).

Of those who did receive gifts, 53% said they cost under $50, 26% estimated $50-$100, 16% guessed $100-$200 while only a lucky 5% received gifts valued at over $200.

So - who’s more generous? Boutique firms or the major franchises? Seventy percent of respondents used a major franchise, 22% a boutique firm while 8% dealt directly with the vendor. I was surprised to discover that homeowners were more likely to receive a gift from a major franchise  than a boutique firm (47% vs 34%).

The major franchises were more likely than the boutique agencies to give gifts under $50 (58% vs 50%) but none of the boutiques gave gifts worth over $200 while the 8% of the franchise agents did. Smaller agencies were much more likely than the franchises to spend a mid-price range of $50-$200 (50% vs 32%).

While it is obviously better for the agent to give something rather than nothing at all, if he or she chooses the gift wisely, it could be worth hundreds of thousands of commission in referrals.

The survey found 81% of homeowners would tell their friends, family and colleagues what gift/s they received, 63% would use that agency again when they next bought a house, and 61% would recommend them to others in the house-hunting market if their real estate agent gave them a thank-you gift.

Forbes ran a great story about a company which has tapped into people’s concern about people in Third World countries being paid fairly for their work. Ten Thousand Villages works with over 130 artisan groups in 38 countries who make fair trade jewellery, home decor, gifts, clothing and other items and is considered one of the largest companies in this field (it netted $US24 million in sales in 2009, up from $US10 million in 2000). In addittion to its website, it also has bricks-and-mortar stores in upscale neighbourhoods to reach the affluent gift-buyer.

There are a lot of fantastic fair trade websites out there! Here is a not-exhaustive list of 44 other fair trade websites (let me know about others!) that you might like to know about for truly unusual anniversary, birthday, christening, Christmas, engagement, housewarming, Valentines Day and wedding gifts that will help to support artisans in developing countries..

These ones feature artisans’ works from a number of countries
Pachacuti (I want their amethyst & blue topaz necklace), A Better Footprint (little boys will love the recycled cans made into toy cars), Global Goods Partners (how cute is their hot pink dog collar?!) Global Sister Goods (make Christmas an international affair with their Zulu nativity set), Serrv (I’m loving their Neela bright blue ceramic tile towel hooks), World Next Door (I love their Zulusports brightly coloured bracelets), World of Good (created by eBay), Trade As One (see their sweet children’s elephant puzzle), Manos de Madres (my niece would love their dresses), Gifts With Humanity (the Tree of Life wall art made from recycled oil drums is very now), Five Accessories, Fair Trade Marketplace, One World Projects (you’ve gotta see their gift baskets!), Global Exchange Store (check out their ingenious baby pumice stone feet), Pangea Collection (intricate artisan jewellery), World Shoppe (check out their pretty greeting cards from Bangladesh), Generation Wonder (your little girl might like their pink heart purse), and Brindabella Baby.

Central & South America
Ecobre of Mexico makes beautiful hand-hammered copper items, including unique copper kitchen sinks), Pueblito (it sells a range of South American jewellery including a striking seed necklace), Propueblo (their banana husk tissue box from Ecuador could make a great housewarming gift), Mayan Hands (check out the purple chenille shawl), Maya Works (the children’s backpacks are great value), Shop Mayu (see their beautiful alpaca throws), Partners for Just Trade (they’ve got some fun animal pillows in Spanish - great for kids), Inca Kids (check out their handknitted cupcakes), Kusikuy (Bolivia and Peru), Basura Bags (they make amazingly colourful bags and totes from 100% chip packets in Honduras - quite striking and a cool way to clean up the streets).

Africa
Shea Yeleen, Baskets of Africa (stunning grass baskets), Bridge for Africa (I’m loving their cool telephone wire baskets), Suubi(hope) (check out their particularly funky t-shirts), Indego Africa (be a geek with a conscience using their laptop sleeve made in Rwanda), Rwanda Baskets, Leakey Collection (eye-catching necklaces made by the Maasi in Kenya), and Tropical Items (out-of-the-ordinary raffia hats made in Madagascar).

Asia
Rupalee (fantastic Christmas decorations), Tilonia (lovely cotton tablecloths), Mata Traders (great accessories and clothing from India), Orijyn (Laos silver and silks), Wear Gianna (from India, Laos and Thailand), and Brag Bags (which makes beautiful bags in Vietnam - my favourite is the overnight bag).

There are also some others you might like to visit, including Make Piece (which sells pretty jewellery made by African-American women living below the poverty line in Washington DC), Shanti Boutique (see their Buddhist jewellery), and Taraluna (which has a variety of fair trade items, including a wooden earring stand made in India).

While 8 in 10 people have taken part in a group gift - most commonly for baby gifts - it can be a hard ask organising the money if you don’t all live in the same city. Someone usually has to shell out the full amount on their credit card (or pay for it from their savings account via Paypal if they get the option) and then have to contact all the people concerned to get reimbursed in slow dribs and drabs.

A new website called eDivvy is making it easy for far-flung friends and family to put in for a group gift that’s really special. It suggests baby showers, back-to-school (you never know, some families might need help buying a laptop for junior), housewarmings, birthdays and weddings but of course you could also use it to organise a farewell gift for an office colleague, money for a honeymoon or long-awaited anniversary mini-break, or maybe even as a whiparound for someone who’s really down on their luck.

You simply enter the eDivvy number - that is, the number of people going in on the gift - and see what your share is. No need to break out the scientific calculator! You don’t actually have to contribute the set amount but it does make it fairer. It seems to have a default of “10″ but it is amazing how affordable someone’s gift can be when 10 people (or at least more than 2) are sharing the cost. And if your fellow gift-givers don’t quite cough up the amount needed, the recipient receives a Visa gift card for that amount.

Thursday 9 July features a very helpful Sun in Cancer sextile Saturn in Virgo aspect for those seeking housewarming, birthday, wedding or baby gifts that have a house- or family-related theme.

If you’ve got time to hit the shops (bricks-and-mortar or online), you could find reasonably priced (both Saturn and Virgo like a bargain) gifts for your home or family (both of which are ruled by Cancer).

Ideally you’ll be looking for gifts that can be useful (Saturn and Virgo again) and lasts for the long-term. Durability is key to Saturn-themed gifts. Saturn is the classic, the antique or the quietly understated type of item. It is not say, a lava lamp or a BBQ apron with rubber breasts. Virgo likes items that DO things. They would not shy away from say, a good Mixmaster, a storage unit, or even a security alarm. (Virgos are kinda pessimistic about others’ intentions.)

Cancerians are sentimental and treasure what they’ve been given so if you managed to find a family-related, long-lasting classic item at a bargain price, well you are truly shopping by the stars!

Draw a Venn diagram of all the people you know, with you at the centre. It would probably look like a flower with all your friends, clients, colleagues, relatives, sport team members, golf buddies, church friends etc as the little petals you know.

So there’s gonna be some groups of people who’ll just never meet your other people - right? Fantastic!

When you’re the only common denominator, if you give them a gift, they’ll be none the wiser if you also happened to give that exact same thing to someone else, such as for a christening, housewarming or 21st.

If so, you might want to consider buying gifts in bulk! Simply type in “bulk lot” on eBay and you’ll be amazed what you can find.

Are a few of your girlfriends having babies all at the same time? Come pre-armed to those baby showers with a babysuit, socks, singlets or little shoes.

Got endless kids’ parties that you have to come bearing gifts? You’ll find sets of little girls’ fairy style necklaces, Lego sets and kids’ books for a steal.

Is it coming up to housewarming season? Buy a bulk lot of beeswax pillar candles, serving platters or magazine baskets.

Have you got more kitchen teas and bridal showers than you can poke a stick at? Save money with bulk purchases of tea towels, cooking utensils or coffee table books.

Are you alarmed at the number of 16th, 18th or 21st birthday gifts you’re expected to buy for your nieces, neighbours and daughters of work colleagues? You can buy Pandora beads in bulk to start them off with their own bracelets.

Even if you don’t like the idea of buying bulk, did you know you can buy giftwrap in bulk? An average sheet at the newsagent costs about $4.95 but if you buy it from a florist wholesaler (which sells a sea of retail supplies including paper, candles, baskets, silk flowers and so on), you could buy about 100 sheets of gloss wrap, cellophane, tissue paper or that funny reconstituted paper for around $29 - or about $0.29 per sheet. With the money you’ll save on gifts, you’ll be wrapt.

I’d guess you might buy (or, especially if you’re a man, get someone else to buy on your behalf), at least 16 GIFTS A YEAR.

And, no, it’s not crazy talk:

If both of your parents are alive, you just might give: 2 x birthday gifts, 1 x Mothers Day gift, 1 x Fathers Day gift, 2 x Christmas gifts, (and just maybe, 1 x wedding anniversary gift to your parents) = 6 (7 if you agree with the wedding anniversary gift)

PLUS if you have a partner, add: 1 x Valentines Day gift, 1 x (wedding/date you started dating) anniversary gift, 1 x birthday gift, and 1 x Christmas gift. (Again, the bare minimum) which cumulatively =10 (11 if generous)

PLUS if you have at least ONE child, add: 1 x birthday gift (I’m being really minimalistic here - many people give a couple of gifts per child), 1 x Christmas gift. = 12 (13)

PLUS if you have at least 3 adult friends (I hope you have more than that!): 3 x birthday gifts = 15 (16)

PLUS if you attend just ONE wedding OR engagement OR housewarming OR christening OR one of your 3 friends has a baby per year: 1 gift = 16 (17)

Some years of course, you can have multiple births, weddings, christenings and new babies being born.

Sooooo, do you have a gift budget? It might be worth considering one. If every gift costs you at least $20, that’s already $320 (16 x $20), and if you tend to spring for $50 per gift or more, that’s $800.

Many people don’t plan their gift-buying but buy a gift just when it’s due. But why the lack of planning when it comes to gift-buying? Valentines Day is always on 14 February. Christmas Day is always 25 December. Mothers Day is always when your country says it is. And unless you’re Elizabeth Taylor, your wedding anniversary wouldn’t change every year, either. Ditto for people’s birthdays.

Then they panic that they  haven’t got the money set aside for the gift (for a date that’s usually known well ahead of time), and put it on Visa or Mastercard and get into debt, which makes them resent buying the gift/s.

A gift budget of $800 for 16 gifts (which may be more or less, depending on whether you have both sets of parents, siblings (I didn’t even mention those), a partner, children and more than 3 friends you’d give gifts to, works out at about $66.67 per month.

You might not have a gift occasion every month - July is expensive in our family (my mum, brother and nephew have birthdays on the 12th, 19th and 26th) - but you can always plan for it.

Mariah Carey has put in an undisclosed offer on the world’s most expensive mansion, Fleur de Lys in Beverly Hills, ahead of her birthday on 27 March, letting one real estate agent retire immediately.

Listed at $US125 million, the 15-bedroom pile is inspired by the Vaux le Vicomte palace outside Paris. Mariah and her new husband, rapper Nick Cannon like that there is “nothing to do” to the home which features Italian marble walls, French limestone floors, gold-embossed leather wall coverings, gold-leaf crown mouldings, two kitchens and a screening room for 50.

Mariah’s a super-competitive Aries with Mercury (communication) and Venus (love, beauty) also in Aries which can make for a real look-at-moi! behaviour.

With her Mars (drive, energy) in Taurus (money, possessions, music), conjuncting a super-driven Saturn (fears, insecurities, weaknesses to be overcome) also in Taurus which in turn opposes a spending-knows-no-bounds Jupiter in Scorpio, this is a classic combination of never knowing when enough’s enough.

In September 2010, transiting Saturn in Libra will oppose her natal Sun in Aries and conjunct her natal Uranus in Libra which could mean a lot of stomping around on those marble floors for her and Nick. Luckily, they have a lot of bedrooms in which to sulk.

In the meantime, they’ll probably have to buy a lot of furniture to fill up all those rooms. With her Venus in Aries and Moon in Scorpio combination (you look at the Venus and Moon signs in decorating choices - I’m guessing Nick won’t get much of a choice), she’ll want decor that evokes drama, sex, even more gold and “I’m ready for my close-up” mirrors everywhere. I’m also expecting a lot of leopard print.

Her poor friends! It’s not like you could turn up with a pot plant as a housewarming gift.