Quick! There’s still have a chance to get an awesome Halloween costume ordered today and delivered by tomorrow for the big Friday night Halloween party. Of course you can get it delivered in time for Halloween night as well. Guaranteed Halloween Delivery – See BuyCostumes.com for details.

Super BONUS!: Orders over $100 get free premium shipping.

Posted by Sean in Fun
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Did your costume make it on the top Halloween Costume list for 2009?

There are less than 2 weeks until Halloween 2009 and right about now we should all be going into super happy Halloween mode while we try and find the perfect Halloween Costume for the year. So to help narrow down your choices I present to you the official Mable’s 2009 Top Halloween Costume List. It’s full of the best, sexiest, and most popular costume ideas for everyone in the family.

We broke it down into Men’s Women’s Boys and Girls featuring the top 5 costumes from each group. Check out the sneak peak for each group.

• Girls Costumes
  #2 top young girl costume is Hannah Montana Costume
• Boys Costumes
  #3 top young boys costume is Star Wars Clone Troopers
• Women Costumes
  #5 top women’s costume is Egyptian Queen Costume
• Men Costumes
  #4 top men’s costume is Sherlock Holmes Costume

Whether you need an awesome costume idea or are just curious about what the trends will be like this Halloween, check out our entire Halloween costume section.

Posted by Sean in Clothing and Accessories, Halloween
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Willy Wonka is the legendary candy man who in 2005 made a comeback to take a new twist on the mysterious chocolate factory. Johnny Depp starred as Wonka in the 2005 remake, but the new look didn’t seem to sit well with everyone who watched it. Although there are many big fans of the remake out there who enjoy dressing as the new Willy Wonka.

For the old school fans out there be sure to check out Mable’s Willy Wonka Costume page to find the more colorful Gene Wilder / 1971 rendition of Willy Wonka. You could even call it the original Willy Wonka costume, but stores call it the Candy Man costume.

More options and even high-end hand made costumes can be found on eBay.

Posted by Sean in Clothing and Accessories, Halloween
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It’s all about the little things that really make a Halloween costume “the best costume ever.” Case in point; our post about Wonder Woman Underoos and the new for 2009 Wonder Woman Wig.

Both are the perfect accessory to your Wonder Woman Costume for Halloween and any other day of the year.

Sexy tip: Wear your Wonder Woman underoos underneath your costume and when the night is over some lucky Halloween goer gets to see the sexy side of the Amazon Princess Diana of Themyscira.

Posted by Sean in Clothing and Accessories, Fun, Halloween
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Would you accept free housing in the Caribbean or Hawaii in exchange for the skills you already enjoy doing? So would I. That’s why I want to tell you about how we just found our new favorite newsletter; the Caretaker’s Gazette. It can quickly be described as a newsletter for property caretaking and house sitting jobs.

I admit that doesn’t sound very exciting right away. But what if I told you about the very real possibility that you can vacation/staycation in “the house of your dreams” in “the location of your dreams” for weeks at a time? Usually they just ask for upkeep in the garden and around the house while the owners are gone. I love it; that’s the new economy in action!

See samples of the type of ads in the Caretaker’s Gazette.

Each time we receive a newsletter from the Caretaker’s Gazette (usually every 2-3 days) we know it’s ripe with possibilities before we even open it. It’s like opening a card from your Grandma and you just know some cash is gonna fall out when you open it. I love that feeling.

From Alaska to Australia and everywhere in between the Caretaker’s Gazette covers the globe providing a wonderful service for all. Subscribe today and enjoy the excitement of finding the perfect situation for you.

Posted by Sean in Fun
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“Follow your joy” is amazing advice. That’s how we find out who we truly are and what we really love… and we get to have a great time in the process. We have been following our joy, which has meant putting effort in new places. That also means that things we used to really love – like blogging about cute indie & vintage products – are not being worked on much right now. And you know what? That’s totally OK.

But yesterday I surprised myself with an idea for Mables.com that was actually a joy to work on. On the left side of the site I swapped out the rotating banner ads and replaced them with positive affirmations. No products or services to promote: just some much needed positive thinking for anyone who stops by. In sales, making the customer feel genuinely good about herself is rare. It’s more profitable to use fear so a person feels (subconsciously or consciously) like a dork who needs to shop herself to perfection.

So take a deep breath… and enjoy these reminders of how awesome and loved you are. All is well.

To see all 5 messages, visit any of the category pages on Mables.com and take a look at the left hand side;

• Unusual & Unique Gifts
• Eco Friendly Gifts
• Retro & Vintage
• Accessories & Wearables
• Home & Decor
• Gadget Gifts
• Child Gifts
• Easy Gifts
• Luxury Gifts
• Pet Gifts

Posted by Lauren in Misc
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Did you know there is no “right way” to meditate? Anything that allows you to become relaxed and centered is the “right way” for you. Maybe that’s a walk around the block, singing along with an uplifting album, or sitting in your favorite chair and just breathing deeply. Yet no matter what meditation methods you prefer, our bodies respond in the same ways when we enter a relaxed and centered state. It’s called coherence: a highly efficient psychological state where all the systems of the body work together in harmony. Thanks to biofeedback machines we can actually measure how “coherent” our bodies are. Wild Divine offers 2 products that allow the user to instantly measure their coherence level, and even better, to learn to bring their body to coherence at any given time.

Both of Wild Divine’s products combine biofeedback data with an enlightening interactive format. Their flagship product, Healing Rhythms is described as a “guided training program” and is better suited for adults and teens. The Passage: Journey to Wild Divine is presented as a beautiful interactive game and is adventurous fun for all ages. (There is another game – Wisdom Quest – that can also be used with The Passage.) Here’s a video clip of The Passage:

Even if you have never meditated before, the very act of watching your biofeedback levels will begin to bring you into a state of calm. Playing with the games will bring anyone into a deeper state of inner peace. The manufacturers don’t talk about the health benefits much, but that’s the part I find especially amazing. The biofeedback unit measures the Heart Rate Variability, and HRV is the best predictor of future mortality and morbidity than any of the standard risk factors (cholesterol, smoking, exercise levels, etc). That means using a Wild Divine product helps us learn to be relax while transforming our health, too. Now that’s holistic health care.

Besides the game versus training format of the two systems, my research shows one other consideration. The Passage game system does not come with detailed graphing abilities, but separate Grapher Expansion software is available. This is the package I will be purchasing, because I want the flexibility of lots of game play but still have the option to just quietly watch my body’s rhythms. Plus, I can add the Wisdom Quest game later if I want.

This certainly isn’t the only way how to meditate, but it is an innovative new tool that promises to open humanity’s understanding about the body-mind connection. Have you tried any of the Wild Divine biofeedback products? We would love to hear your feedback!

Image courtesy of Hector Landaeta.

Posted by Lauren in Gadgets, Just For You
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We’ve talked about VivaTerra’s Root of the Earth Bowls. They are beautiful and make a great gift idea, but it’s time to feature some larger items that can really help surround you with nature in the comfort of your own home.

Set the stage for your magical getaways (a.k.a. books) with this whimsical book shelf that utilizes dense elm wood as well as Indian root and trunk materials for outer decoration. Finally something to hold all your Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and other nerdy fantastical escapes!
There is also a matching Root Wine Rack for those who like to live dangerously and drink while reading.

Now where will you set your book down while you get up to get your wine from the favorite reading spot? On this
Branch & Glass Side Table of course! Yep, with branches working together to support the snazzy glass top it looks like nature is here to serve you. A matching Branch & Glass “Console” Table (whatever that means) is also available.

Last but not least on today’s list is … say it with me kids … a STOOL! Yay for stools! (pun intended).
OK now that’s out of the way what else can be said about these reclaimed wood stools? Well they are made of wood, beautiful Japanese teak in this case, and they are great for an impromptu sit down, or end table, or they can even be magical chairs out in your secret garden.

It’s pretty much perpetually sunny here in San Diego, CA, but if I was living in an area that had winter to make me stay indoors, I’d be sure I had some eco-friendly nature inspired furniture to help keep me company.

Posted by Sean in Household, Unique
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We love our local co-op. Every month they publish an amazing newsletter that is full of fresh articles and ideas that inspire us to “live green”. When I read their December cover list called “Celebrate the Eco Way”, I knew I had to share it with Mable’s readers. Enjoy and have a wonderful green holiday season!

“During the holiday season we tend, as a whole, to consume more. And, in doing so we create more… waste, that is. The following is a short list of ideas to help you reduce, reuse and recycle this season.

• Purchase living gifts such as house plants, garden seeds or potted trees that can be transplanted in the spring.
• Reduce waste by offering homemade food items or personal services as gifts. Baking cookies or preparing a meal a week for someone who would appreciate the help are two examples.
• Reuse holiday wrapping: use old maps or pages from newspaper comics for wrapping gifts.
• Reuse good quality, nearly new items as gifts or as donations to less fortunate individuals and families. Local charities can help distribute these items.
• If your celebration calls for a Christmas tree, compensate for the harvest of your tree; arrange to plant a new tree in your yard or neighborhood next spring.
• Give gifts that promote eco friendly life style changes. For example: cloth napkins and tablecloths, cloth or string shopping bags, a compost bin, gift certificates to resale shops, lunch boxes, reusable or biodegradable picnic plates, cups and utensils, recycling bins, or any gift made from recycled materials.

To preserve the spirit of giving, don’t try to give too much. Less “stuff” means less waste and a healthier environment for everyone.”

Article courtesy of San Diego’s organic and vegetarian Ocean Beach People’s Co-op.

Posted by Lauren in Green Living
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For an easy way to find out how old someone is, just ask them how they spent Saturday mornings as a kid. If it involved heaping bowls of fluorescent colored cereal and watching cartoons about otherworldly creatures at 6AM… you’ve found yourself an 80’s child. Both Sean and I spent untold hours parked in front of our television screens, watching with equal amounts of awe and laughter as epic battles were waged between our heroes. Is it any wonder we gravitate towards 80’s t-shirts?

Sprite covered
Rainbow Brite shirt

Freaky Mumm Ra
Thundercats shirt

Candy covered
Care Bears shirt

The characters were usually cloaked in goofy outfits and had funny sounding names, but they all has a pretty serious mission; Rainbow Brite and the Care Bears kept vitality and love in the world, GI Joe was battling global “terrorists”, the ThunderCats prevented an ancient mummy from controlling the planet, and He-Man and She-Ra were defending the entire universe. We never watched the animated offerings from Lucas, but the Star Wars movies were so influential for us and that plot also involved protecting the galactic from evil. 80s kids were definitely presented with some mature themes and we loved it.

Ninja Turtle
costume shirt

Nobody puts Baby
in a Corner shirt

Darth Vader
costume shirt

Of course the 80’s were also influenced by the Me Generation mindset so we also ended up with fantastically silly or mundane plot lines. The Ninja Turtles were kind of a hybrid, as they fought off potentially multidimensional domination by evil, but they also used surfer slang and ate ice-cream topped pizza. (Which, by the way, is absolutely delicious. Thank you TMNT for prompting me to try that back in the late 80’s.) And then we’ve got a boatload of movies like Dirty Dancing where the drama stems from coming of age and a simple need to dance. Goonies, Ghostbusters, and Back to the Future were also some “heavy” 80s movie offerings that tickled our imaginations as well as funny bones. It was an amazing time for media and for just being a kid.

All things considered, I’m really grateful that I got to spend my adolescence in the polarized yet magical decade of the 80’s. How about you, fellow 80’s children?

Ghostbusters
costume t-shirt

Delorean Back To The Future shirt

Goonies shirt

RELATED: 80s Clothing for Women, 80s Clothing for Men, our main 80s Clothes Store, and Vintage Metal Lunchboxes

Posted by Lauren in Clothing and Accessories, Retro and Vintage
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