gift idea #5

in the style of good ol' siskel & ebert on their movie reviews, the Like & Dislike Stamps emphatically announce your thumbs up or thumbs down.  what started out as a rubber stamp to attack each others' paperwork at the Nation Studio became a hot item selling to people all over the world, "including one to the man himself, Mark Zuckerberg".

available at jailbreak toys for $12.99 a set.

i have to say however, that the old prototype (when the product was purely a studio joke) in the old fashioned rubber stamp with a wooden handle was much nicer.  the thumb was more digitized, not smoothened out.

it's actually a good and economical project to design your own rubber stamp with a funny, quirky message or image.

neighborhood scoop/gift idea #4

for my friends living in the valley, here's a good tip.  Restoration Hardware in sherman oaks galleria (the one at riverside and woodman) is having a promotion for the closing of that location.  they are offering 20% additional discount to sale items and 30% discount to non-sale item.  we picked up a couple boxes of their mini cashmere hand warmers regularly priced at $20.  with the sale plus additional 20% off, we got them for $12 each box (of two warmers!).  that's good value.  and they are beautifully boxed ready to be gifted.

besides the hand warmers, the cashmere pillows are amazingly luxe and in beautiful muted colors.

 

gift idea #4

the nutcracker in natural wood holding a little present is the best nutcracker i've come across.  it is unpretentious and refreshing.  that's the way i would imagine the original nutcracker to be.  available at west elm for $24.  part of proceeds will be donated to st jude's children hospital.  plus free shipping.  doesn't get much better than that.

gift idea #3

cash is the best gift.  second to that, gift cards are always welcomed.  here are some fun little containers for your x'mas gift cards.  the plastic holders at the top are 99-cents each.  the paper holders on the bottom are two for 99-cents.  all from the lovely 99-cent store.

gift idea #2

everybody loves these app magnets.  they are relevant, funny and functional.  available at urban outfitters for $16.  cheaper at the manufacturer's website, JailBreak Collective, for $12.99 (currently out of stock).  or on sale at Think Geek for $9.99.  

gift idea #1

i wouldn't mind getting a white elephant of these stone buildings (house, temple, condo).  simple and quirky, they seem to have jumped right out of john hejduk's drawings.  $14.95 each from CB2.