gift guide no. 4
We all have that friend who’s really weird but interesting (you may have more than one). Here are some gifts that are a tad bit off, but not off-putting, just like them.
For $5 and under
Not only is this pure beeswax mouse candle completely adorable, it’s also hand-carved. A mini-masterpiece that’s almost too sweet to burn.
Is this morbid? Yes. Creepy? Mos def. But Baby Doll Soap is exactly what everyone’s shower needs (available in an assortment of colors).
Because everything’s better when it’s on a weird scale, check Poe shrunk in a miniature book of “The Raven.”
For $15 and under
Make baking so hardcore with a “table saw” cake cutter.
Like dentures in your glass, but not as gross – “frozen smiles” ice cube tray.
Bring out evil laughter when you gift the Laboratory Flower Vases. Being a mad scientist never looked so pretty.
For $25 and under
Ever wanted to tell your friend, “Your the kind of person who would punch someone with a coffee cup”? Then the “fisticup” brass knuckle mug is exactly what you need.
It’s a pretty pink furry flocked skull! Is any other explanation needed?
The “washboard” necktie is a metal tie you wear and play with included thimbles. Teal for the person wearing it, totes annoying for everyone else.
For those who are willing to drop a lot of cash
Yes. That is a gold necklace molded in the shape of a retainer. Weirdly interesting enough?
gift guide no. 3
Hello all you unfortunate people who love a member of the fashion obsessed. Here is a gift guide just for you to surprise your pickiest fashionista!
For $5 and under
Mock those who came before and failed with the book Peculiar Beauty: Three Centuries of Charmingly Absurd Advice.
A little Blair and a little Jenny, the Chain and Leather Headwrap.
True lovers of fashion never show their eyes. Help them hide with swan lake sunglasses (available in an assortment of colors).
For $15 and under
Tell her you think she’s classy with White Poise Gloves from ModCloth.
Keeping a timepiece on your wrist? So last year. The time’s at their fingertips with a rhinestone Riveria watch ring.
Because everyone should have cards and a teal case to store them in, the Tattoo Etched ID Case.
For $25 and under
Because you can’t afford an actual Prada bag, give them the lovely collage, My Prada Bag.
The Tatlin Necklace brings tribal to the city with chunky wooden beads (also comes in orange).
As The Fashion File attests, every clotheshorse needs this book: The Sartorialist.
For those willing to drop some serious cash
Since green is the new black, your fashion-lover might be trading in cab fare for a bike. Make the choice a classy one with the Chanel bicycle.
More stylish gift guides to come for the person who: knows everything about movies, reads constantly, is really weird but interesting, has everything, has nothing, doesn’t have everything but you still never know what to get him, and has everything because she made it all herself.
If you send out holiday cards, why not send one to:
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20307
Because no matter what you feel about our government and the war, soldiers are people who deserve way more than a card.
gift guide no. 2
…the promised gift guide for the person who is always reading (aka the bibliophile).
For $5 and under
Readers can read their initials even when they’re wiping their mouths if you give them Monogram Cocktail Napkins.
Your friends may not be librarians, but they’ll feel like it after you present them with a 50 pack of Library Cards. (Unfortunately, this might mean you actually have to return any books you borrow from them.)
“Beatrix the Bookworm” is an adorable rounded corner little print. She’ll be right at home amongst your book lover’s shelves.
For $15 and under
Erase the worried search for a page-marker with bookworm bookmarks, a set of 20 with 5 of each design. Bonus: these bookmarks can serve as quick answers to the question “How’s that book?”
Maybe you can’t afford to buy a room full of books, but you can give that old book smell with “In the Library.” It’s a 2ml absolute perfume from CB I Hate Perfume (If you’re near Brooklyn, consider the gallery-only accord, “English Novel”).
If they’re always reading, they need somewhere to keep their books. The Quo-Tote carries the load and lifts the spirits with a Lewis Carroll quote: “Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
For $25 and under
Are your neighborhood readers the snooty type? Then they’ll love the display opportunity of the ZigZag Bookholder. Perfect for holding a few ostentatious tomes or keeping well-worn favorites near.
Perchance the book lover also loves to write? The Overdue Notebook may look like a library book, but it never needs returning. It’ s pages are a truly unusual assortment of “graph paper, lined paper, and others printed with images of receipts, instamatic photos and passport stamps.”
All bibliophile’s may not be shy, but all will find “I think I’m in Love” T-shirt cute. It shows a quick glance between two peeps who have their noses firmly glued between the pages.
For a gag
To test the quality of suspected glamor press, PublishAmerica, James D. Macdonald challenged a group of writers to pen the worst book possible. Separately, they each wrote one chapter without knowing which chapter it would be, the plot, the setting or the characters’ relationships. The results were the travesty “Atlanta Nights” (by Travis Tea) and the knowledge that “PublishAmerica will publish any work, regardless of quality, despite their claims.”
For those willing to drop some serious cash
If given the choice, bibliophiles would probably sit cozily wrapped in a classic smoking jacket reading in their libraries all day. D&G offers a modern take on this most stylish of lounge-wear for around a grand with a blue satin men’s blazer and black velvet women’s blazer.
Keep reading for gift guides for the person who: knows everything about movies, is fashion obsessed, is really weird but interesting, has everything, has nothing, doesn’t have everything but you still never know what to get him, and has everything because she made it all herself.
If you send out holiday cards, why not send one to:
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20307
Because no matter what you feel about our government and the war, soldiers are people who deserve way more than a card.
gift guide no. 1
The holiday gift-giving season is here, so I thought – why not blog a gift guide? Because I believe different types of people need different types of gifts, I’m splitting it into different posts. Gift guide no. 1 is for the person who knows everything about movies (aka the film buff).
For $5 and under
True movie snobs only want to see films in their original format. Show them you’re proud of their snootiness with the “this button hasn’t been modified to fit your clothing” pin (that’s the name of the button – the button actually reads “If you truly cared about a movie, you wouldn’t watch in in fullscreen.”).
What person who knows everything about movies doesn’t want something that was in a movie? While this Peppermint Fight Club novelty soap wasn’t made by Tyler Durden, it reportedly smells like “a punch to the face.” Fun fact: unlike the soap in “Fight Club” this homemade product is not made from human lipo leftovers.
Almost every film buff considers “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” a classic and Audrey Hepburn an icon. Celebrate the Academy Award winning actress with the Scrabble Tile Pendant “I love Audrey”. It’s simply marvelous, darling.
For $15 and under
Directed by the master himself, George A. Romero, “Dawn of the Dead” is a must-see zombie flick. Your favorite horror lovers can see zombies everyday with the Dawn of the Dead print.
You know those film snobs who think they can do it better? Give them the Hollywood slate board and watch them set the scene. Director attitude included. (although you might want to include some chalk)
Piles of movies getting your pal down? No organization system? The DVD Storage Box 2-pack will solve all that with room for over 50 DVDs!
For $25 and under
Provoke some deep musings with this quote by a renowned filmmaker, “If it can be written or thought it can be filmed.” The Stanley Kubrick limited edition art print is perfect for the dramatic friend.
Does the person who seems to know everything about movies really know it all? Shed some light on the behind the scenes with the book “50 Designers/50 Costumes: Concept to Character”. So you’ll pay attention to the Costume Design category at the Oscars.
Speaking of behind the scenes, what about a year subscription to “Creative Screenwriting” magazine? Because the writing’s what really determines a movie’s quality (yes, I may be a tad biased).
For a gag
As a joke (or if you don’t like the person) give them them the action fiasco that is “Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever.” Making it worse than such horrors as “The Hottie and the Nottie,” “Gigli” and “Glitter,” Rotten Tomatoes named this Lucy Liu/Antonio Banderas disaster the worst movie of the last ten years.
For those willing to drop some serious cash
If you have a couple grand lying around loose, pick up a Classic Chaselite Cinema Identity Sign. It’s the perfect addition to any home theater. (These are custom made so you can change the finish and color).
And for just a few hundred more you can give “The Birds” an original oil painting inspired by the similarly titled Hitchcock masterpiece. Beware: this is just one of many in Ginette Callaway’s Vintage Hollywood Series: once they own one, they may want to own them all.
Stay tuned for gift guides for the person who: reads constantly, is fashion obsessed, is really weird but interesting, has everything, has nothing, doesn’t have everything but you still never know what to get him, and has everything because she made it all herself.
If you send out holiday cards, why not send one to:
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20307
Because no matter what you feel about our government and the war, soldiers are people who deserve way more than a card.
Fantatic Mr. Fox
Puppet animation and celebrity voices fantastically adapt Roald Dahl’s tale of an ex-crook fox who endeavors to stay on the legal for his family. Family and self-worth are essentials in “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” a morality tale with fairly lax morals.
I loved this film with it’s quirky characters and sunny art direction. A plus for me – The Beach Boys are on the soundtrack including my favorite song of theirs, “Heroes and Villains.”
I’m writing a book
Or so goes the plan. I’m on a six week winter break from school. So I asked myself, “What productive thing can I do with all my time?” And I answered myself, “You should write a novel. You are a writer, right?” Right.
My goal is to have 60,o00 words by January when I have to go back to school. To keep me psuedo-accountable, I’ll blog my progressing word count. (And you can leave me nasty comments if I don’t.)
Day 1 = 1000 words
pumpkin pancake goodness
Pumpkin pancakes are the simplest fall breakfast food out there. Just add canned pumpkin puree to ready-made pancake mix and spice to taste. I used 4 cups of pancake mix to one small can of pumpkin puree and added a dash of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice.
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This makes a lot of pancakes batter, but I wanted to get rid of the can of pumpkin. You can refrigerate leftover batter for a week or so, or make all the pancakes and freeze the extras. Frozen, they’ll last for months and be ready at a moments notice. Just pop the frozen pancake in the toaster or microwave for a dose of fall sunshine anytime.
the mysterious Mr. Gorey
Edward Gorey was a writer and illustrator with a penchant for fur coats, cats, ballet, tennis shoes and macabre Edwardian settings.
He illustrated book covers and spot illustrations for Doubleday Anchor early in his career, and later illustrated his own books. A favorite is “The Gashlycrumb Tinies,” the alphabetical telling of 26 children’s deaths with illustrated rhymes.
His animation for PBS’s “Mystery!” brought him even more attention.
If you like the surreal, gothic or kooky, then you should def check out Mr. Gorey’s fabulousity.
How to become a magazine editor
If you want to be the editor-in-chief of top magazine (like “Teen Vogue”), you only really need three things:
1. The hair = Blond and straight with a blunt bang. Alter the shade and length to show your individuality. See “Teen Vogue” editor Amy Astley below.
2. The background = Ballet. If bleeding feet aren’t your thing, any activity that emphasizes line, proportion and style will suffice. According to Amy Astley, the ballet world and magazine world share “discipline, training and rigor.”
3. The attitude = Condescending to all except for your superiors. You must flatter your boss at all times. Astley said “Vogue” editor, Anna Wintour, may be a demanding ice queen to some, but “I care for her and she cares for me.”
Just check out the absolute lack of fear in Astley’s eyes. Obviously she and Wintour are best buds.
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