15 sweet gifts for your Valentine

On my recent trip to my favorite family run business I had hoped they would have a plethora of goodies available for this coming Valentine's Day...and they did not disappoint! Here are 12 great gifts to give your favorite Michigander and for your loved ones who have made the most peculiar decision to leave God's country they will ship anything in their store out of state.

*Writing a Michigan themed blog as well as blogging professionally has been on my mind for 3 years now so I'm starting here to see how it goes!

1. "You will forever be my always" wooden wall decor $23.99

2. FREE heart shaped box of chocolates with every floral order of $55 or more placed BEFORE February 7th-$11 value

3. Hand made necklaces with charms. Locally made and can be personalized with 1 week *shown $32

4. Floral arrangements starting at $35 *above shown $45

5. Cheeky reversible door knob hangers $6.99

6. Sparkly hearts assorted sizes $2.99-$23.99 ($23.99 shown)

7. Glass "Be Mine" and "i love you" ornaments can be added to any floral arrangement or gift $7.99

8. "I love you" canvas $150

9. "Clarkston Love" tank top $29

10. Double sided wooden heart, blank side is also a chalkboard $46.99

11. "XO" wooden blocks $18.99 each

12. "Kiss me I'm from Michigan" tee $28.50

13. "Together we so rock" wooden sign $37.99

14. Assorted Chocolates $2.50-$3.99

15. "Head over heels" charm $18

All of the above items are available at The Birdfeeder/Bonnie and Clyde located on Main Street in Downtown Clarkston, Michigan @ 7150 North Main Street, Clarkston Mi. 248.625.9007.
Call the Clarkston Flower Shoppe to order your flowers for Valentine's Day at 248.625.9711
or order online www.clarkstonflowershoppe.com 

Disclaimer: Prices are based per item. Several of the above items are made or printed in Michigan. Information printed above is relevant and available only as of February 2014. 

LIKE the Ultimate Life List on facebook to see more Michigan motivated lists.

Click HERE to view my list of 15 Great Gifts For Your Favorite Michigander which I am so proud to say was printed on the front page of The Oakland Press the week before Christmas.

For any further information about this store or The Ultimate Life List you can email me at Allisonslifelist@gmail.com

10 places to take your kiddos during this COLD winter

It's colder than heck outside so taking advantage of the opportunity to play in the snow is out of the question particularly with the smaller kids but that doesn't mean the fun has to stop! Here is a list of some great INDOOR play areas in the tri-county area, several have multiple locations. My girlfriend asked me the other day if I knew of a good place to host children's birthday parties...I said I wasn't sure, then as I looked at this list I had already made I realized that most of these facilities have birthday party packages too! So keep them in mind this frigid winter I've included the links to each website for you to check the hours and prices.

1. Jungle Java
2. Pump it Up
3. Tiny Town Play Lounge
4. Airtime Trampoline
5. Castaway Play
6. Cranbrook Institute of Science 
7. Tea Party Castle
8. Rochester Play
9. Busy Bodies 
10. Chuck E. Cheese's 

50 life list ideas

These are all experiences that I think everyone should have at least once in their lifetime. The items on this list are attainable to anyone regardless of gender or adult age and are affordable. The following list of 50 life list ideas are all things that I have done and all right here in my home state of Michigan. Though this list is not exclusive to Michiganders, in fact, these are things you could pretty much do wherever you live with the exception of Deleware, I assume you can't do any of these things in there because there is absolutely nothing to do in Deleware. So if you want to start a LIFE LIST but don't know where to begin, begin right in your home state!

1. Skydive
2. Ride a Motorcycle
3. Hot Air Balloon
4. Ride a Horse
5. Surprise Someone
6. Hot Stone Massage
7. Ice Skate
8. Fly First Class
9. Volunteer
10. Buy a Puppy
11. Rescue a Kitten
12. Acupuncture
13. Take a Flying Lesson
14. See a Psychic
15. Go Tubing Down a River
16. Sing Karaoke
17. Shoot a Handgun
18. Shoot Sporting Clays
19. Ride a Jet Ski
20. Take a Self Defense Class
21. Go Camping
22. Go to a Casino
23. Crash a Wedding
24. Go to the Opera
25. Meet Someone Famous
26. Learn How to Make a Flower Arrangement
27. Graduate From College
28. Learn a New Language
29. Get a Tattoo
30. Plant 100 Trees
31. Get a Manicure/Pedicure 
32. Get a Facial
33. Paint a Picture
34. Crochet a Scarf
35. Fish
36. Learn to Play a Musical Instrument (violin)
37. Go to an Inflatable Bounce House 
38. Plant a Garden
39. Go on a Blind Date
40. Donate Blood
41. Milk a Cow
42. Go Skinny Dipping 
43. See a Drive In Movie
44. Hula Dance
45. Learn to Flamenco Dance
46. Take a Spinning Class
47. Take a Mystery Dinner Train Ride
48. Become CPR Certified
49. Fall in Love
50. Drink Dom Perignon

If you have any inquiries about any of the above LIFE LIST experiences please email me at Allisonslifelist@gmail.com

Like The Ultimate Life List on facebook to see daily photos and updates. 

Which of these experiences have you had? Will you do any of these things this year?

15 awesome finds at one of Michigan's finest small businesses

Several years ago I found this unique small business in one of my favorite towns in Michigan. Over time I've become close with the lovely family who owns The Birdfeeder/Bonnie and Clyde in Clarkston. They like to offer their customers a large variety of locally made and Mitten inspired products. About 2 years ago I decided to start a blog for the Michigan Enthusiast but have not found the time, recently one of the owners of this family run business mentioned they were looking for someone to blog about their store. Without hesitation I accepted the job...it was not necessarily offered to me...but I accepted none the less.

This family owned store has blossomed over the past 22 years into 3 different, yet combined shops; there's the boutique called Bonnie and Clyde where you can find the latest trends in clothes, jewelry, shoes, belts, scarves...etc. The Birdfeeder is where you can find every thing you need to take care of the wild birds in your yard but also is where you can find home decor items, Michigan made products and gifts. Then they also have The Clarkston Flower Shoppe with a group of very talented designers who love to think outside of the box to create unforgettable floral arrangements.  It's basically all things that I love in one spot. In fact, if I owned a business it would be very similar to this one, so I am very excited about my new opportunity to write about this store that is totally Ultimate Michigander worthy. Though this charming boutique has no shortage of Michigan made treasures you can also find all sorts of other unique goodies...

1. It's so cold in the D koozie from Detroit Apparel Factory out of Clarkston $4

2. Pillow printed on front and back $20.99

3. Women's Made in Detroit sweatshirt $58 company owned by Kid Rock

4.  Unique decorative plant holder $99.99

5. Granite coasters, set of 4 $32.50

6. Lake Art photo album, can be personalized $72.99

7. Assorted winter hats, shown above $38  

8. Made in Detroit fidel cap, multiple colors $25

9. Lionblood tee, created by NFL Detroit Lion's Wide Receiver Nate Burleson, $31

10. Kiss me I'm from Michigan women's tee $28.50

11. Hand carved by a local artist, styles and prices vary.

12. Creative floral designs available. Above shown-arrangement with military statue $225

13. A large variety of custom made signs, styles/sizes/prices vary.

14. Gizaun indoor/outdoor artwork. Styles/sizes/prices vary. Above shown $88

15. Bottle lamps, styles/prices vary.

All of the above items are available at The Birdfeeder/Bonnie and Clyde located on Main Street in Downtown Clarkston, Michigan @ 7150 North Main Street, Clarkston Mi. 248.625.9007.

Disclaimer: Prices are based per item. Most of the above items are made or printed in Michigan. Information printed above is relevant only as of January 2014. 

LIKE the Ultimate Life List on facebook to see more Michigan motivated lists.

Click HERE to view my list of 15 Great Gifts For Your Favorite Michigander which I am so proud to say was printed on the front page of The Oakland Press the week before Christmas.

For any further information about this store or The Ultimate Life List you can email me at Allisonslifelist@gmail.com

What are your favorite Michigan products and/or businesses?

15 Great Gifts For Your Favorite Michigander

Several years ago I found this unique small business in one of my favorite towns in Michigan. Over time I've become close with the family who owns The Birdfeeder/Bonnie and Clyde in Clarkston. They like to offer their customers a large variety of locally made and Mitten inspired products. About 2 years ago I decided to start a blog for the Michigan Enthusiast but have not found the time, recently one of the owners of this family run business mentioned they were looking for someone to blog about their store. Without hesitation I accepted the job...it was not necessarily offered to me...but I accepted none the less. This Michigander is smitten with the mitten so I am always looking for special little things to represent the greatest state in the country. Though this charming boutique has no shortage of Michigan made and motivated treasures, here are 15 of my favorites...

1. State of Michigan Window Decal $5

2. Michigan Metal Garden Steak $60

3. Michigan Lake Art prices vary, $148 clock shown
   Can be personalized with your name and lake of your choice for an extra fee.
   Multiple Styles available.

 4. Granite Michigan Cutting Board $62.50
    $10 extra to personalize with name.
    Available with or w/out Lion's logo.

5. Detroit Bold Ground Coffee $12

6. Made in Detroit Track Jacket $60 shown
     Multiple colors available in store, prices may vary.

7. Pine Knob Tee or Thermal $31-$48
    Men's and women's styles available.

8. Home Tee $28.50 shown
    Men's and women's styles available, prices may vary.

9. Lion Blood Tees and Hoodies Created by The Detroit Lion's Wide Receiver Nate Burleson
    Men's and women's styles available, prices range from $33-$64

10. Michigan Candle Made From a Wine Bottle $33.99 shown 
      Also available with 'Clarkston' etched on glass

11. Wooden Cutting Board $27.99

12. Made in Detroit Cozy $4

13. Made in Detroit Tumblers $8

14. Michigan Canvas Bag $26.99

15. State of Michigan Cookie Cutter $6.50

All of the above items are available at The Birdfeeder/Bonnie and Clyde located on Main Street in Downtown Clarkston, Michigan @ 7150 North Main Street, Clarkston Mi. 248.625.9007.

The Birdfeeder is also on my list of The Best Places to See Santa in South East Michigan. 

Disclaimer: Prices are based per item. Most of the above items are made or printed in Michigan. Information printed above is relevant only as of December 2013. 

LIKE the Ultimate Life List on facebook to see more Michigan motivated lists.