Buying Fair Trade, recycled goods is so easy nowadays. Consumers are starting to demand it, and artisans are happily complying. These colorful recycled pillows from Uncommon Goods are an excellent example. Handmade from recycled plastic soda bottle labels by South African artisans, these recycled art pieces have an amazing, soft texture and will liven up any room. When guests in your home inquire about the fun feel of the pillows, how fun will it be to answer, “Oh, those come from recycled soda labels, and were handmade in South Africa!”? Answer: probably very fun.

$45-75

Posted by Alison in Household, Green Living
Leave a Comment

Friendships seemed so much easier to maintain when we were kids. When we grow up things like college, careers, chores, and kids of our own often take precedence over our personal relationships. But even adults need close friends! Step back in time and revive the caring tradition of giving “best friend jewelry” to your closest mates. The My Friend… Sterling Silver Cuff Bracelet bears the meaningful inscription “You are the Sister I Wish I Had”, making it the perfect sentiment for your BFF. Each cuff is handcrafted and signed by the artist, so it’s as unique as your dear friend.

For something more lighthearted, Cherry Dot’s sweet handmade set of 2 PB & J Friendship Necklaces are perfect. You’ve probably already told your best buddy that she’s the peanut butter to your jelly (or the cherry to your sundae, the ketchup to your fries, etc.), but now you can wear a daily reminder of how lucky you both are to have each other in your lives.

$79.99 & $22.99

Posted by Lauren in Indie, Clothing and Accessories
Leave a Comment

Everyone loves a good martini, even dogs! How better to help your dog unwind from a “ruff” day like ice cold water in her very own martini dog bowl? Wrapables has a quirky take on the tired old stainless steel dog bowl, and it pays attention to the details. This designer dog bowl set comes with ceramic martini-themed elevated dog bowl, matching placemat, and olive dog squeaky toy. It’s all in a nifty gift box too, which makes a great gift for a dog owner/parent, or even bartender, in your life. Since no dog is happy without a few treats, there’s also a matching Cocktail Shaker dog treat jar for truly a swanky set.

$34.95

Posted by Alison in Pets
Leave a Comment

Imagine going back to your childhood. How vividly do you remember your bedroom? Was it unimaginative or boring, or did you have the perfect room? Would you have been the happiest kid alive if you had your own fantasy bed? I’m not sure if this type of custom dream furniture was even available when I was a kid, but nowadays some very lucky kids can have their own dream beds.

Posh Tots has an awe inspiring collection of fantasy furniture available in many different themes: each one a unique work of art. One of the grandest beds they offer is the Fantasy Coach bed. Themed like Cinderella’s pumpkin coach, this bed is as magic as the real thing. This princess carriage bed is handcrafted in England, and is sure to make all your little girl’s dreams come true. For those of you with little pirates in training, you’ll love the ornately decorated Shiver Me Timbers bed and bedding. If your little swashbuckler dreams of sailing the deep blue sea, and wants to be the captain of his own pirate ship, then this is the bed for him! Another amazing bed is the Gingerbread Cottage. A Posh Tots exclusive, this charming cottage is sure to make your little girl feel just like Goldilocks. It’s a 2 story cottage with room for a twin size mattress, and an entire upper floor for imaginative play.

These beds are exquisite, but being a splurge item, they are not for everyone. If you have the budget for a fantasy bed, Posh Tots is the place to order from, otherwise you can try your hand at making your own!

$1,000-$49,000

COUPONS: Save 10% on orders $200-$999 with code LOVE10
Save 15% on orders over $1000 with code LOVE15
Coupons good until 2/28/07

Posted by Alison in Kids, Splurge
Leave a Comment

During a late night perusal of some design blogs, I recently came across New York based dVider. As their name would suggest, their flagship product is a modular room divider. Highly customizable in size and optional printed design, these partitions are adjustable vertically and horizontally, and provide a clean look to open spaces.

Unsurprisingly though, what really caught my eye was their accompanying line of movable wall stickers that can be applied to either the room dividers or any smooth, flat surface, such as a wall. Where other manufacturers have focused their efforts into a niche set of designs, dVider has a wide assortment of art to adorn your walls. There are styles for kids, an “edgy” category, animals and insects, and my favorite, nature stickers. Looking at the organic forms found in the “nature” and “shapes” categories is reminiscent of flipping through a graphic design magazine or walking through an expensive boutique; applied in your room though, you’ll get the look without the pretense.

Each design comes in 12 vibrant colors, and combined with their extensive design choices, that gives you a lot of creative options. To further sweeten the deal, dVider’s prices are a bit more affordable than the better known brands, starting at just $19. Be sure to check out their gallery for inspiration, then put together a set of stickers that are perfect for your walls.

$19 and up

Related: Wall Candy Arts & Critter Walls

Posted by Lauren in So Pretty, Household
Leave a Comment

When a simple hand gesture just isn’t enough, use an emoticon to tell them exactly how you feel. The driving LED emoticon suction cups to your rear window and is controlled via the included wireless remote. This handy little gadget has 5 different messages: smiling face, frowning face, “Thanks”, “Back Off” and “Idiot”. Just be careful which button you press when the fuzz is behind you. Watch this YouTube video to see it in action.
$29.99

I’ve always wanted something that could express my true feelings or send a message out to others while driving, but I always envisioned some scrolling text. Another option in road-based communications is the scrolling LED license plate frame. Most geeks prefer blue LEDs because of their elite status, and this license plate frame not only has all blue LEDs, but is made of rust proof aluminum alloy for that extra bling. Programmable with up to 120 characters per message it can hold 5 messages and is controlled via included remote control.

39.99

This is only the beginning since it looks like Volkswagon’s Electronics Research Laboratory has designed a programmable electronic bumper sticker that can be used to communicate in real time with an unlimited amount of messages. [via] - Link

Posted by Sean in Nerd, Gadgets
Leave a Comment

Most people aren’t aware of how germ infested everyday household usually items are, even in well looked after homes. Kitchen sponges, door handles, toothbrushes… they all fall into the category of things people don’t clean very often. I think some people misunderstand disinfecting, and wrongfully assume that rinsing long enough will rid their toothbrush of any germs. Your mouth, no matter how much you brush, is bacterium’s playground. In order to truly have a clean mouth, and a cootie-free toothbrush, you need a sanitizer. Brookstone offers a great solution: their germicidal UV light toothbrush sanitizer which kills %99.9 of bacteria, viruses and anything else mucking up your toothbrush. It holds up to 4 of your family’s brushes, even the electric ones. It works with just a touch of a button, has an automatic shut-off feature, and performs it’s job in just 10 minutes! There’s also a travel version for keeping clean on the go.

$29.95 & $50.00

Posted by Alison in Household, Gadgets
Leave a Comment

Welcome to the most comfortable sitting experience you’ll probably ever feel. This portable gel seat from Hammacher & Schlemmer is designed with maximum comfort in mind. You’d be surprised how many times a day you might be able to use this: waiting at the bus stop, sitting on a park bench, behind your desk, in the bleachers during a sporting event, or anywhere that has less than comfortable seating options. The pliable gel interior disperses weight evenly across the cushion, relieving painful pressure when sitting. The center groove even gently slopes for tailbone comfort- which helps to eliminate back pain- and the entire design is just slightly sloped to encourage correct posture. Good things do come in small packages; at a wee 2.5 pounds, the gel seat is compact (folds right in half) and portable (comes with a handle).

$59.95

Posted by Alison in Just For You, Outdoors
Leave a Comment

How’s this for irony: I’m not a parent, but I’m a sucker for baby clothes. Having a little sister has it’s perks, one of which is shopping for the cutest kind of kids clothes…springtime ones! I’m a big fan of screen print t-shirts, which is why I was drawn to these quirky, glittery tees. I love this Here’s The Scoop ice cream print top. Being a big fan of food/dessert related fashion, it was an obvious choice. Also available, and equally as adorable, is the Morning Swim breakfast cereal themed top. Both are cotton jersey fabric with tagless design for itch-free playtime, and are on sale for $6.00 a piece.

For more sweet themed kid’s clothing, check out this cupcake appliqued birthday girl outfit from liliputiansNYC. It’s handcrafted and oh-so-custom, just for your birthday girl. There are also a ton of other adorable kids items in the liliputiansNYC online boutique featuring “bright colors, retro prints, polka dots and stripes in the finest fabrics”.

$6.00 & $39.99

COUPON: Get 15% off your order at The Children’s Place with code S2A27. Expires 3/11/07.

Posted by Alison in Kids, Clothing and Accessories
1 Comment

A familiar theme here at Mable’s is functional things in attractive packages. I’m bored of household items in greys and whites, and I’m pleased to see that the creators of Hot Heads Oven Mitts feel the same. Who says kitchen safety has to be boring? These silicone oven mitts are heat resistant up to 446 degrees, and are flexible, strong, and lightweight. Now you can shield your hands from steaming temps while bringing a smile to your face. Much more durable and heat resistant than traditional woven oven mitts, these silicone mitts are, in the words of Howard Hughes, the way of the future! These would also make great hand puppets for the kiddos, so don’t be surprised if you get requests to borrow these for playtime. Choose from orange doggy or green froggy.

$9.99

Posted by Alison in Household
Leave a Comment

Want to learn how to use the Force? Need to lift your X-Wing from the swamp? You want to be a Jedi.
Now you can learn from the best, just like Luke, every time you wear this Yoda plush backpack.

Warning: wearing this backpack may result in large muscles, rock balancing abilities, and freaky visions in a cave. Well I saw it in a movie once, OK more like a hundred, but every time I watched it the same thing happened, so it must be true.

$37.99 at ThinkGeek

Related: Most Jedi build their own, but they probably didn’t have the Internet, so get your very own lightsaber replica to complete the look.

Posted by Sean in Nerd, Clothing and Accessories
Leave a Comment

I love crafting: in fact, I spent a surprising amount of time both this week and last making Valentine’s Day cards from scratch. One of my new favorite crafting tools is the ever popular paper punch. Simple, small, inexpensive and so easy kids can use them safely, too. Snag this 40 piece button punch set that includes popular designs like butterflies, snowflakes, palm trees, music notes, and tons more. Also available is the alpha numeric set with complete alphabet and numbers 1-9. With the coupon below, either one is a great deal and is sure to augment your crafting and scrapbooking projects.

$74.99

COUPON: Get $10 off any purchase of $50 or more at Stacks and Stacks.

Posted by Alison in Kids, Fun
Leave a Comment

Oh, timeless vinyl… Many record fanatics are too attached to their own vinyl collection to even dream about making “decor” out of their own pieces, but would love to pay homage to their vinyl addiction. For those of you who are still vinyl junkies at heart and like retro decor, this is for you. Modern Artisans has these incredible 12″ recycled vinyl record bowls that are too neat to pass up. Designer Jeff Davis rescues these retro records and turns them into functional modern art. I’d use this as a fruit or popcorn bowl, but because each one is handmade, and mylar sealed, you can use them for anything and they’ll stay intact.

Also check out the matching Vinyl Record Coasters and “chips and dip” style Snack Tray. I love that you can choose a genre as well: select from Rock, 70s/80s pop, country, jazz, divas and crooners.

$17.99-$24.99

Posted by Alison in Household, Green Living
Leave a Comment

Is it a vegetable, mineral or other? Other.
Is it bigger than a breadbox? Nope.
Is it the 2004 toy of the year? Yep!

The 20Q electronic game is suggested for ages 8 and up, and by reading the user reviews on Spilsbury, even Grandparents will immensely enjoy this technological wonder. Just hold the device in your hand, think of any object, and answer the questions with a simple yes or no. After 20 questions are answered the game will take a guess at what you are thinking. Chances are this 20Q game will know exactly what you are thinking of. It freaks everyone out when a little battery powered device can guess what’s on your mind!

Recently, I was in the same room as some kids about 10-12 years old and I was surprised at how much fun they were having with this game. Each kid would take a turn thinking of something and answering questions, by the time the 20th question was over and the game guessed exactly what they were thinking the whole room exploded in amazement and you’d hear the other kids yelling “My turn!” They were all clamoring to stump the little electronic game.

With an accuracy of 95%, and a 4.5 out of 5 star user rating, the 20Q game is fun for everyone. Leave it in the car for the passengers to play together, bring it to a party with your friends, or simply leave it on your coffee table for everyone to play and be amazed.

Would you like to try it out before you buy? Try the online version of 20Q (now available in many languages) that spawned the electronic version. For a couple dollars more there is also an orb shaped version for a better feel in your hands.

$17.95

Posted by Sean in Kids, Fun
Leave a Comment

Call them drink markers, drink hangers, or just plain fun, Mable’s has always been a fan of cocktail glass decorations. Due to the success of the cocktail monkeys, mermaids, and elephants the powers-that-be have created some new friends to hang from our cocktail glasses.

Now you can adorn your beverage of choice with a black cat cocktail buddy (for that retro look) or a red demon, complete with pitch fork (for that little devil in all of us). Each box comes with about 50 little drink hangers to help your party goers remember which glass is theirs.

Whether you’re throwing a small lounge party or a big open bar type party these cocktail hangers always get rave reviews. I suggest handing out one for each drink refill so by the end of the night, or early morning, everyone can review how many drinks much fun they had. Come Monday morning your party goers can hang these from their cubicle, office desk, office lamp, etc. and they will forever remember the great time they had at your party. You can also use these as secret invitations; just hand out one to each coworker you’d like to have attend your get together and they’ll know whose house to be at this weekend.

Got any other ideas or past experiences with these little drink markers? Leave a comment and share it with everyone.

$6.99 - $8.99

Posted by Sean in Household, Unique
Leave a Comment