Get up to 50% off at Hammacher Schlemmer’s private online sale. Why is it called a private sale? Because they don’t have any links to it on their own site. You have to be lucky enough (that’s you!) to find the links elsewhere.

We’ve blogged about why bamboo fabrics are so desirable before and now their bamboo sheets are on sale at almost half the regular price. Be aware that these have limited quantities, and when they’re gone, the sale is over.

Another item worth mentioning in their private sale is the iPod t-shirt with built in iPod pocket and headphone tunnel. Great for those who want to listen to their music while they work out and not have the earphones or MP3 player get in their way.

Posted by Sean in Household, Clothing and Accessories
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We love Rare Bird Finds. They bring us the best in fresh, new, gifty type items and always have a new gift guide or contest. Right now they’re featuring 100 unique gift ideas, all at $10 or less. If you’ve got a birthday, anniversary, or other gift-worthy event coming up, but are low on funds then head over to their 100 Goodies Under $10 guide. Savvy visitors might even recognize a couple products that have previously been featured on Mable’s. Hey, great minds think alike!

Posted by Lauren in Misc
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Puzzles are one of the most under-rated, under-utilized, fun for all ages things you can do. It’s terrible that puzzles are considered either child-like or geriatric, when the truth is, they’re simply laid back FUN! So I’m unofficially starting a “BRING THE PUZZLE BACK” club.

5 reasons why I love puzzles:
*Unlike board games (which are also great fun!), you can leave them out for the night and come back and finish up when you’re in the mood, without forgetting who’s turn is next, who was winning, etc.
*They develop your brain, encourage problem solving skills, and are great for upping your “Tetris skillz.” (haha)
*Nobody technically “wins” so there will never be a sore loser or obnoxious winner. This is great for those competitive types who can’t stand to lose, or teaching kids to learn the fun of playing a game just for enjoyment.
*There is no player number restriction, so you can put your puzzle together with a room full of buddies, or just yourself!
*No directions needed, no rules, no dice, just pick it up and go!

With that being said, the coolest concept of a puzzle I’ve seen lately is this mirrored puzzle from Uncommon Goods. I love a challenge, so I’d like to get my hands on this puzzle to give it a try. With 200 pieces, and no image to help you along, it’s sure to be a tad difficult, engaging and surprisingly addicting! Because it’s mirrored, your finished product’s image will be different every time. It all depends on who finished the puzzle, what room you’re in, etc. You’ll never have the same end result.

So who’s with me? Who wants to join my new BRING THE PUZZLE BACK Club?

Posted by Alison in Unique, Fun
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Looking for something to foster more creativity in your kids than video games and movies? So are we, and that’s why I wanted to share this three sided art and activity center with everyone.

Instead of placing a regular easel against the wall, where it would be easily ignored, I’d place it in the middle of the room, or slightly away from the walls in a corner. That way it can’t be thought of as another piece of furniture, but an actual activity center. When they are bored, or feeling artsy, this will call to them with it’s three different mediums for expression. One dry erase board, one chalkboard, and one drawing board with mounted roll of paper for easy access will provide them with lots of opportunities to draw by themselves or with friends. Recommended for ages 3 and up.

Great as a gift for another parent, or for your own kid. Act now to take advantage of Hammacher’s sale price and save $50. Shop smarter with Hammacher’s unconditional lifetime guarantee.

Was $199.95, now only $139.95

Posted by Sean in Kids, Fun
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The more common funny doormats say things like “Hi, I’m Mat” or “Wow! Nice Underwear” but I found some other funny doormats I’d like to share.

What sparked this post is the sheer simple cleverness of the “You are Here” doormat. As soon as I saw this and got over my initial chuckle I wondered why I didn’t think of that. I was also proud to see that this particular doormat is made of 100% recycled truck tires.

Another clever doormat made from recycled rubber is the sewer manhole cover. It comes in Boston, NYC, or generic Metro styles.

Lastly are my personal favorites because they are quite nerdy. “There’s no place like 127.0.0.1” is one, and the other simply says “welcome” but stylishly encoded in binary (just a bunch of 1’s and 0’s).

Have you come across any funny doormats you’d like to share? We’d like to hear from you, so leave a comment below to let everyone know about it.

$17.99 - $39.99

Posted by Sean in Outdoors, Household, Unique
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Scents surround you wherever you are. Some can be terrible, and bring back unpleasant memories, yet others are delicious, comforting or serene. What every scent has in common with one another is association. Every smell makes you think, feel, or remember something (whether you are fully conscious of it or not). For me, smelling cotton candy always makes me think of my sister, and her love/obsession with it. I remember us eating pink cotton candy together at Disneyland, and it always puts a smile on my face. Sweets are a pretty much universally delicious scent. After all, can you think of anyone who doesn’t like one type of sweet? Perpetual Kid offers a collection of fragrances from Demeter, my personal favorite perfume company. All the favorites like birthday cake, bubblegum, pina colada, vanilla cake batter, and marshmallow are available. They even carry some of the more “original” scents, such as sawdust, Play-Doh, and cannabis. My personal favorite is Waffle Cone, which I usually wear daily. After all, It’s always nice to hear “Mmm, you smell like cookies!” when you walk in a room.

$18.99

Looking for other places to buy?
COUPON: Get 10% off your purchase at Perfume Country. Their regular price for all Demeter 4oz. sprays is is $24.99 (retail is $39.50), and they carry tons of scents. (Coupon expires 3/30/07)
Unbeatable Sale also offers 4oz. Demeter at a great price ($31.36) and they have a lot of scent options, too.

Posted by Alison in Just For You, Clothing and Accessories
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If your curious mind is like mine you’ve probably spent some time playing with magnets because of how attractive they are. Pun intended. I’m not talking about those weak refrigerator magnets, I’m talking about the ones that slam together, or push away when too close. That’s where the real fun is, and I think this game incorporates those basic factors into a habit forming good time.

The Polarity Game is part skill and part strategy. The skill portion is easy to overcome with a little practice, and then you can delve into the strategy part for some long lasting fun. The goal is to get more of the magnetic pieces to stack in your favor than your opponent. This is difficult to do because of the chaos that ensues when dealing with multiple magnetic fields on the board.

After reading the well written description at ThinkGeek and the user reviews at Are You Game I get the feeling this game will stay in our game closet for years to come.

Posted by Sean in Unique, Fun
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What a snugly treat for your new baby. The Grembo Baby Sleeping Bag is made of organic cotton, and replaces the need for any extra blankets. It’s safer than traditional bedding and comes in two cute shapes and three different fabric weights based on your climate and the time of year. The Winter Snowflake Bag featured at left makes me imagine a snowman baby, which I like. If you’re in a cold climate, this is the papoose for you.

$52.99 - $77.99

Posted by Lauren in Kids, Green Living
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Ever used your sink directly after someone else and were unpleasantly surprised with scalding hot water? Well now you can color code your water with this heat sensitive LED faucet adapter from ThinkGeek. Just to state the obvious; red water means hot (89 degrees or higher) and blue means cold.

I’m a little leary about the fact that this extends your faucet quite a bit (2.25 inches), but if you have the room in your sink, then I’d definitely join the cool kids on the block and get one. Midnight trips to the bathroom, tooth brushing, even simple face washing would become fun just by using this technological marvel. This LED faucet light attachment comes with two universal adapters for use with almost any standard faucet in the USA. Be sure to check out the customer action shots to see all the fun others are having.

$12.99 - $19.99

Posted by Sean in Nerd, Gadgets
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Every week when I visit my chiropractor, my first stop is the coffee table in the waiting room. There is a Buddha Board perched among the magazines and little books that always draws me in. You “paint” on the easel with plain old water and a calligraphy-like brush, and when the water evaporates moments later, you have a clean slate with which to begin again. I find it a refreshing, relaxing activity. The concept is beautiful and simple: just start painting, and forget about the stress of “what if I mess up?”. Only 2% of American adults actively pursue an art, meaning 98% have lost touch with their artistic roots. A lot of people feel they “can’t make art”, and are put off by even trying. The truth of the matter though, is that “art” (in whatever form that may take for you) can be very therapeutic, and is totally subjective. Feel like you’re all thumbs? So what! As long as you are trying, making any kind of art, you’re doing it “right”. The Buddha Board takes the stress out of creation, allowing you to make and remake without thinking of erasing, painting over, or even getting a clean sheet of paper. I actually like to paint left handed (I’m a righty) while using it, since it allows me to complete 2 tasks that I previously thought I “couldn’t” do. It’s a good feeling

$30

Also available from Baron Bob.

Posted by Lauren in Just For You, Fun
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It’s products like this that make your life much easier in small, but very useful ways. Believe it or not, draining pasta isn’t an easy task for me. One too many times I’ve spilled my noodles down the sink while trying to drain the water out. Now that I know about this Expandable Over-The-Sink Colander I won’t have to do the tricky “one-handed pasta drain” maneuver, and never have to worry about spilling my food, or burning myself again. It’s great for rinsing produce too, as it’s professional fine gauge mesh allows even delicates, such as sprouts, to be rinsed or drained with ease. Because it’s expandable, it’ll fit almost any size kitchen sink. I appreciate that it’s stainless steel too, as my last conventional plastic colander was ruined after it was left on a warm stovetop for just a moment.

$28.95

Posted by Alison in Household
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One of the best things about being a kid who grew up in the 20th century is remote control toys. I remember the year my little brother opened up his new remote control truck on Christmas morning, and he screaming with delight. Regardless of my age, I still jump at the chance to mess around with the neighbors little remote control helicopters, or any other RC toys. In my opinion, they’re are one of the coolest things you can play with. They are great for all ages (even adults), develop dexterity in children, promote good hand-eye coordination, the batteries are rechargeable, and they are very sturdy overall.

A really cool spin on the traditional RC cars, trucks, and airplanes is the Swimming Remote Control Robotic Shark. Control your very own robot shark as he swims up to 9 feet deep in your pool, the ocean, bathtub, or anywhere else you decide to take him along. Your shark will maneuver gracefully left, right, even backwards with the skill and precision of a real shark! The hand held remote control unit is water proof too, so you can swim right along. Since it comes from Hammacher, it also has a lifetime guarantee, ensuring Jaws will be around for many summers to come.

$99.95

Posted by Alison in Kids, Gadgets
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Is it organic cotton sale month? First we found great deals on organic underwear, and now Viva Terra is offering organic cotton towels at a whopping 50% off.

Did you know that about 1/3 pounds of chemicals are used to grow and manufacture just 1 pound of cotton? Towels are a daily necessity, and I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to dry off with chemical-laden materials everyday. Another neat thing about organic cotton is its super absorbent capability. Organic cotton towels are more absorbent than conventional ones, which means you’ll dry off faster and your towels will sustain less wear and tear.

You won’t have to sacrifice elegance for buying green either. Each towel boasts a Dobby hem, the trademark of fine linens. These would make a great bridal shower or housewarming gift, but would be perfect gift for yourself, too.

$6.00-$29.00

Posted by Alison in Household, Green Living
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Greetings, faithful readers! We interrupt our usual program of stimulating your consumerus-maximus gland to bring you news from afar. From the endless realms of the Interweb, we present some of the best and brightest websites that have been tickling our funny bones and wrapping us in nostalgia like a warm binky. So strap on your time travel helmets, because we’re taking a trip back…

In an apropos move, we draw your attention first to Malls of America. Keith’s e-museum pays tribute to the roots of those gargantuan monuments to consumerism. Featuring movies, articles, and kitschy cool vintage photos of “lost Shopping Malls of the 50s, 60s and 70s”, this site will bring you back to a time when malls were designed instead of just manufactured. Is the “Dawn of the Dead” mall featured? Don’t you just know it would be?

So now that you’re fondly recalling where you bought your stuff, let’s remember the “technology” that will forever color your perceptions of new gadgets: “Bluetooth headsets, huh? Time was, we used Superscope microphones“. Retro Thing pays homage to these ghosts of technology past without a drop of irony. James and Bohus obviously love what they do, and it shows in each post. Be sure to check out the Hi Fi Audio category for some of the most creative incarnations of vinyl records imaginable.

For over 5 years Robert at Retro Crush has been serving up a near-daily dose of classic and infamous pop culture. Not content with just writing phenomenal lists packed with vintage goodness (such as 50 Coolest Song Parts or Lamest Lunchboxes Ever), there are also lots of movie reviews and interviews with an interesting selection of cult celebrities.

If cult is your thing, X-Entertainment should be your next stop. The Internet has changed a lot since 2000, but the obscure, geeky pop culture features on X-E have always been a constant. Matt, the main writer, has appropriately dedicated much time to the dissection of topics such as the Corey Haim Video Diary and sticker collections as well as assembling an amazing archive of 80’s commercials.

What are some of your favorite retro and vintage websites? Drop us a comment and let us know!

Posted by Lauren in Retro and Vintage
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With beautiful warm weather approaching, thoughts of outdoor lunches and picnics have been filling my mind. What kid wouldn’t love eating a healthy packed lunch with super cute beetle flatware? I pack a lunch with me everyday, and the annoying part is carrying around my heavy, bulky silverware. Each set comes with a spork, spoon, and tiny carrying case, and is lightweight, durable, and collapsible. Since these plastic beetles collapse, they save so much room in the lunchbox, which means more room for treats! The nifty handle is designed to fit comfortably in your child’s hand, so it’s easier to keep a hold of.

This set would be great for restaurants, picnics, school lunches, breakfast, or dinner at home. Make mealtime more fun for your kiddos, and let them finish their food with a little help from the beetles!

$17.95

Posted by Alison in Kids
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