Mable's Unique Shopping Blog » Useful and Fun

Civil Rights Card Game

Lauren — Thu, 07 Dec 2006 20:53:46 +0000

Civil rights are not a game… but CIVIO is! It would probably take more than a kitschy, memorable commercial to make CIVIO a household name, but this Fair Trade civil rights strategy card game has “infotainment” for everyone. Whether you’re concerned about your dwindling civil rights or you’re just looking for a uniquely themed game to play, CIVIO promises to be an enlightening and entertaining ride. Each player starts as an intern at a law firm specializing in civil rights. Using the 82 beautifully illustrated cards representing laws, Supreme Court decisions, constitutional amendments, key issues, rights and freedoms, players race to combine these cards into legal precedents. Ages 13 and up means that it could make a great family game for teens and adults, or be a useful learning aid for teachers. Perfect for your AP Civics student, someone heading off to law school, or a social or political activist. Since it only contains cards and an instruction booklet, this is also a very portable game that can fit anywhere.

Of all the gifts on our Green Gift Guide this year, CIVIO is perhaps my favorite. It ties the important topics of civil liberties and social justice with the fun of a card game, allowing the players to enjoy themselves while using their minds. At $14.95 it’s also a very affordable gift idea or stocking stuffer.

$14.95

Recycled Bottle Cap Belt

Sean — Wed, 06 Dec 2006 02:26:51 +0000

Littlearth says they are the original world famous bottle cap belts, but we like them because they’re made of recycled rubber and vintage bottle caps. The recycled rubber is made from ground up tires and the bottle caps go all the way around the belt for some added vintage flair. You can also choose from beer bottle caps, western themed bottle caps, tattoo themed bottle caps, as well as a custom cap set all your very own. The buckle is a custom automotive seat belt type buckle that snaps off so that you can easily glide your belt through smaller belt loops. This recycled bottle cap belt also features three snaps for micro-adjusting to your exact fit.

$25

Organic Biodiesel Shirt

Lauren — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 01:25:41 +0000

According to this superfly shirt from Reware, “Biodiesel is made from any recycled COOKING GREASE – like the oil used to make french fries.” What, you didn’t know that? “Any diesel engine can run on the stuff.” Wow, shirt, now that’s a really amazing concept. Could you remind me why that’s a fact that everyone needs to be aware of? “Renewable fuels can directly reduce our messed up dependence on imported oil.” OK, so this biodiesel t-shirt will help you spread the important message about eco-friendly alternative fuel, and it clearly has a cool design, but is it printed on organic cotton and free of sweatshop labor? Oh, don’t you just know it is.

Reware also carries 2 other biodiesel t-shirt designs, as well as 3 wind power and 2 solar power designs. Excellent gift for anyone interested in alternative fuels (who isn’t?), and a must-get for the biodiesel driver in your life.

$24

Recycled Aquatic Adventure Planner

Lauren — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 19:44:16 +0000

Just like a recycled item, this Aquatic Adventure Weekly Planner has no expiration date. Because the days and months are blank, you are liberated from the date tyranny of standard calendars, and can use it any year you choose. Made of 100% post-consumer recycled paper and soy-based inks, this 54 week planner comes with quirky, beautiful, illustrated sea creatures and imagery. Printed in Portland by Little Otsu, the publishing division of an all-vegan store that collaborates with like-minded artists to make print products using alternative materials.

$15

Recycled License Plate Purses

Sean — Sun, 19 Nov 2006 23:57:05 +0000

Littlearth has been creating “eco-fashion” since ‘93, and their product line just keeps getting bigger and better. Some of their signature products are made from recycled license plates, bottle caps, and rubber. Over the years they’ve created unique purses, belts, CD holders, and photo albums with these materials, and all of them make great gifts.

The classic recycled purses shown here are made from real recycled license plates and rubber with a velvet lining, but Littlearth has also released a designer line with added “flair” to each purse. What’s the added flair you ask? Oh, just hundreds of hand set Swarovski crystals and a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity. If you’re a green shopper I’m sure you’ve noticed how recycled goods can be bland and boring; it’s nice to see that Littearth makes these recycled purses as unique and stylish as you are.

Flair is $130.00, SuperFlair is $270.00

Certificate of Awesomeness

Lauren — Fri, 17 Nov 2006 20:50:10 +0000

One of the most common complaints in relationships is that “I love you” isn’t said frequently enough. Just “knowing” that somebody cares is nice, but reminding them of our feelings with words and gestures is invaluable. With that in mind, when is the last time you told someone “You are really awesome“?

Nothing beats an old fashioned face-to-face “I love you” in terms of heart melting, but words really don’t make a great gift and you can’t display them online either. Awesome Million solves this problem by allowing you to give a sentimental gift that comes with an online certificate. Let that special person in your life know that you think they are indeed Really Awesome by including them in the Awesome Million. Just select a unique number between 1-1,000,000, choose a certificate design, upload a picture of the awesome person and the entire Internet will know of their awesomeness. If they have a web page you can even include a link on the certificate. For those with a MySpace or business website, that makes it an even better gift.

But let’s get more creative with this unique gift idea. Who (or what) can you make Really Awesome? Besides the obvious, here are some ideas:

Your Kids: Lots of people are making their kids really awesome!
Nicknames: stinky.isreallyawesome.com
Businesses: XYZcompany.isreallyawesome.com
Your pets: MyDogAndy.isreallyawesome.com
Being something: BeingVegan.isreallyawesome.com

People, places, things, bands, MySpace pages, businesses… you name it and it can be Really Awesome with this cheap personalized gift. We named our business after our beloved kitty Mable, so we immediately bought a tribute page to her located at mable.isreallyawesome.com. Another added bonus is that when we search “awesome Mable” or “Mable is awesome” in search engines, the tribute page shows up as the first result. What a unique way to tell your Really Awesome person about their gift: just tell them to Google their name and the word “awesome”. Just be sure to order at least a week early to allow search engines to pick up your new web page.

This also makes an easy, last minute gift or stocking stuffer, and at $1 to $5, its apt to be the most inexpensive gift you’ll find all season. It can also be a quick, green alternative to a card. Rather than mailing out a paper holiday greeting card, why not send an e-card from Awesome Million?

$1-$5