No, not that kind of pink elephant. I’m talking about the adorably round, mid-century modern, time-telling kind that add fun interest to any room. From design pioneer George Nelson (father of the “marshmallow couch”, modular storage, and the L shaped desk, as well as director of design at Herman Miller for nearly 30 years) comes just such an object: the fingerprint-swirled Vitra pink elephant clock. The simple colors and extreme proportions (the tiny head and feet! the minuscule tail!) are eye-grabbing and oh-so-cute. It would look equally at home in your mod styled office or your wee one’s playroom.

More Elephant cuteness at Design Public:


$38 – $295

Related: Cocktail Pink Elephants, Pink Elephant cocktail Shaker

Posted by Lauren in Household, Kids, So Pretty
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For some people, Overstock is like crack. Like eBay, their inventory is constantly changing and often available only in small quantities. You have to keep checking back to see what new discounts and coupons are available, otherwise you might miss The Deal. Overstock fanatics and newbies alike can rejoice at the O Day Sale going on the next 4 days. Get %10 off your purchase, plus pay just $1 for shipping.

Sale runs 4/27/07 – 4/30/07 @ 11:59 PM MST

Posted by Lauren in Misc, Sale
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So, I hear that little boys are made (mostly) of snips, snails and puppy dog tails. Not the most flattering description, to be sure, but it’s far less insidious than the product description for the Famous Wee Blocks: “A baby boy loves to take direct aim at you when being changed”. *shocked* You mean they do it on purpose?

In the vein of the Pee Pee TeePees, you can now protect yourself against such little boy joys with the Famous Wee Blocks. The cheeky embroidered phrases are the best part: choose from Wee-Wee Man, Lil Squirt, or Wizz Kid.

$10

Posted by Lauren in Kids
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It’s only natural to be curious about the things around us, especially the little things we can’t see so well. Remember back in science class when we got to look at leaves, bugs, and bacteria up close? Me too, and the only thing holding me back from putting anything I can under a microscope these days is actually having a microscope to use.

This USB Digital Microscope looks like it will satisfy my curiosity quite well. With a zoom capability of up to 200X you can get pretty up close and personal with just about anything you can fit under the lens. You can even capture video straight to your PC at up to 30fps with the included software. The digital microscope comes with its own stand and can be removed for ease of viewing larger objects.

For a little teaser and to see its capabilities check out the images of this digital microscope in use on some US currency. This microscope would make a great learning tool for kids and inspire some good experiences with science.

$179.99

OK, so who’s going to be the first one to be brave enough to zoom in on their own skin? I want to know what my skin looks like at 200x zoom, but I’m afraid to look. If you’ve got one of these bad boys, or are going to purchase one, I’d like to see some more pictures, so please feel free to leave a comment with a link to where we can all find them.

Posted by Sean in Gadgets, Splurge
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The weather is changing and that means we get to spend more time outside. Good outdoor lighting can really make a difference and I think everyone should have some glowing orbs lying around their backyard. These aren’t just your ordinary light up orbs though.

Since it’s officially Earth Day I thought I’d recommend these solar powered glowing orbs from Hammacher. Not only do these collect the sun’s energy during the day, they also gradually change colors to create some relaxing ambient light at night. Their sturdy translucent plastic globe is watertight and can be left floating in a pool or set upon it’s stand for table illuminations. The bright LEDs slowly turn blue, pink, and green and the orb can detect darkness to turn off automatically at dawn.

$39.95

Posted by Sean in Green Living, Outdoors
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Ever had a plain brown box sitting on your doorstep and you can’t figure out what’s inside? You didn’t order it, but it’s got your name on it. You weren’t expecting any packages, but there it is hand delivered to your door. We are all curious about plain brown boxes at our door, and it feels a little like Christmas when we get to rip into them to satiate our thirst for knowledge.

That’s why I’m recommending a mystery box as a fun and friendly gift. Either create one of your own from things around your house, or buy one pre-packaged and ready to ship on eBay. Part of what makes this a great idea, in addition to the mystery awaiting inside the box, is that it can come from any part of the world and be full of things you never knew existed. You can even narrow down your mystery items to jewelry, electronics, or a chance at some big cash.

So send a mystery box to a friend, label it “Mystery Box 3000″ or don’t label it at all, and maybe even put in a card at the bottom of the box explaining your idea and why you sent it. Add to the excitement of solving the mystery and keep your identity a secret while only leaving clues in the box as to who sent it. Make it fun for you and fun for them, and you’ll both a have a great time.

Got any other ideas for sending or receiving a mystery box? Leave them in the comments and share with the rest of us.

Related: The Sampler: a monthly surprise box full of totally unique goodies made by independent online businesses.

Posted by Sean in Fun, Unique
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A common theme around Mable’s H.Q. is the incorporation of sweets into unexpected places. In the past we’ve looked at candy wall decals, cupcake t-shirts, cotton candy scented perfume, snack food necklaces, and even display fake foods. These Sweet Luggage Tags from the ever-adorable Fluff company take the (cup)cake, though! Look at those rainbow sprinkles and bright red cherries and tell me you’re not in love, too.

Fluff also makes a bunch of other super cute luggage tags for you traveling types. Or if you’re like me, you’re just going to attach a couple of these to your messenger bag so you can look at a teeny cupcake or ice cream throughout the day.

Posted by Lauren in So Pretty
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Earth day is just around the corner (April 22nd) and we wanted to share our Earth friendly gift findings from our hand picked Green Gift Guide.

From the usual plant-a-tree and organic fruit baskets to the educational alternative energy house kit we’ve got more than a handful of Earth friendly and economical gift ideas. Remember, it doesn’t have to be Earth Day to give a gift the whole world will benefit from. Let’s create the habit of buying eco-friendly and sustainable gifts all year round.

Find gifts by tags: Solar, Recycled, Organic, Health, Fair-trade… view all tags.

Have any green gifts you’d like to be featured on our Green Gift Guide? Suggest them in the comments and let everyone know about them.

Posted by Sean in Green Living
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Matt & Nat is such a rad company. They make fun yet functional handbags, often in beautifully bright colors, but it’s the details that make their company and products so unique. Their philosophy is one of positivity, so each Mat & Nat bag has the “signature of positivity”* message printed somewhere on the purse. All of their products are cruelty-free and vegan-friendly, and the production facility is routinely checked by Matt & Nat to ensure good working conditions. I’ve got my eye on the green Charlize Handbag featured at left. What’s your favorite style?

*choose life, choose positivity, choose the golden rule, choose to be at peace with yourself, choose salvation, choose to make a difference, choose to be different, choose to be a rebel, choose to be a rebel, choose to be yourself, choose to create a fashion statement.

Posted by Lauren in Clothing and Accessories
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We are always looking for unique and novel items that are not only useful but look good as well. Almost everyone can use some wall hooks for keys, coats, jackets, etc. by the door, so why not make them unique to match your/their personality?

Swank up your place or their office with some unique dart wall hooks from Uncommon Goods. These chromed coated darts look as though they’ve been thrown hard enough to completely bury their tips into the wall. They are also sturdy enough to handle the heaviest coats and the fins are shaped to prevent tearing and deforming of coats.

For those out there with delicate coats and clothes to hang this gummy based wall hook will bend with the weight of the jacket or coat to prevent deforming or tearing of the fabric. Being that it is made completely of silicone it also bends to the will of those who are a little more clumsy then the rest of us and tend to bump into everything sticking out of the walls.

Other unique wall hooks worth mentioning are these animal shaped wall hooks (Set of 2) from Wrapables.

Posted by Sean in Household, Unique
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