Image (c) roboppy

A couple months ago a friend emailed to tell me about a berry that I “might be interested in”. She pointed me to the now infamous NY Times article about the “Miracle Fruit“, and I proceeded to flip out. For those of you who haven’t been introduced to this truly magical berry, it makes sour things taste sweet and food in general just tastes better. How exciting is that? It contains a substance called “miraculin” that binds with your taste buds for up to 2 hours of “everything tastes like heaven” fun. Wow, talk about a natural sweetener. Sign me up!

But there’s just one problem: availability. Wikipedia says Miracle Fruit was documented way back in 1725, yet it only gained popularity in America in 2008, thanks largely to the “flavor trippers” referenced in the NY Times article. Without a solid growing infrastructure in place, it’s been really difficult to obtain the berries or the packaged tablets. Most retailers run out of stock for months at a time! I tried to find some seeds so I could grow my own, but at the time nobody had any stock available.

This morning I opened up an email from my homies at Think Geek and almost fell out of my chair when I saw they are now selling Miracle Fruit tablets! The date on the email said it arrived yesterday, but by the time I arrived at their site they were already sold out and taking backorders. Noooo! But since Think Geek is located in the USA (unlike most retailers) and has amazing customer service, I’m just going to backorder a couple packs now. What can I say, I have an insatiable sweet tooth and the idea of sucking on a lemon and having it taste like candy is too novel to resist.

Every story I’ve heard about Miracle Fruit has been funny and amazing. If you’ve tried this miraculous berry, please share your story in the comments. I’ll report back when my shipment arrives

PS- I predict that this berry is going to be so instrumental in getting people to eat healthy. We’ll start by eating a miracle berry before a big leafy green salad – you know, so even the most picky tastebuds can “tolerate” real food. Then we’ll only need a half berry as our bodies become used to eating well. Then one day we’ll realize that we don’t even need to “flavor trip” anymore. Did this idea occur to anyone else?

On the Mable’s Vintage Clothing page we list our favorite vintage eBay stores, but every now we just got to feature sellers who stand out from the rest. Enter MakiMaki Vintage: a vintage boutique specializing in one of a kind dresses and other exclusive items.

MakiMaki features vintage clothing from the 1950s, mod ’60s, hippy 70s, and radical 80s. Shae, the store owner, used to be a stylist and it shows in her fabulous photos that sets apart MakiMaki from the other vintage clothing sellers on eBay.

MakiMaki has been making waves lately in the media and has been featured in VenusZine, Dorian Magazine, as well as on MTV just to name a few. I imagine one of the reasons her store is so popular – besides her great clothing & photos – is the intuitive navigation that categorize by shoes, dresses, jackets, etc. which is a huge plus for an eBay store.

Be sure to stay up to date with their latest vintage finds by subscribing to the MakiMaki Vintage blog, or by becoming a friend on MySpace or Facebook.

It’s been a long day on teh Interwebz. I’ve been glued to my laptop most of the day doing nerdy behind-the-scenes work for Mable’s and our Halloween website. Kinda fun, but rather tedious work.

But you know what makes it all better? Perpetual Kid is having a Spring Cleaning Warehouse Sale. A bunch of their items are marked down 20% – 70% off. Now would be a good time to stock up on Dead body Towels for company and replace that busted travel hula hoop of yours. Sheesh, why am I still writing this, I could be securing a lifetime supply of Cocktail Monkey necklaces right now.

Even better is their newest item: novelty ice cubes in the shape of… wait for it… dentures. (If this is your first visit and you weren’t sure what to expect from a “Unique Gifts Blog”, you now know just what you’re in for.) It’s official: these chompy cool treats are going to be the official ice cube at Mable’s HQ this summer.

In honor of leap day I’d like to invite you all to start jumping to conclusions. Thanks to modern science we are all able to easily jump to conclusions by simply leaping forward in a particular direction. Simply amazing. Also included in the official Office Space Kit is a mini red stapler, Initech mug, TPS reports, starter “flair”, “Is this Good for the Company” sign, and a sticker for a copy machine that says “PC Load Letter.”

All this for only $12.99.

What does this mysterious “Jump to Conclusions” Mat look like? Find out.

Remember the 8-bit days of running and jumping from left to right and trying to avoid those carnivorous plants that arose from sewer pipes? Yeah me too. I was a rough life. Well fast forward 2 decades or so and now we are dealing with wireless controllers with like 8x more buttons and visual effects that we swear look totally real. If you or someone you know likes to reminisce of the simple 8-bit days then this pixelated style clip-on tie, dubbed The 8-Bit Tie, is a unique gift sure to be enjoyed. It has a silk-like feel, and each one is handmade for that special touch. Wear it with a button up, regular t-shirt, or snap it on your dog, where ever it goes it screams video game nostalgia and lets others know you are an old school techie fan.

For other novel ties with a techie flair check out ThinkGeek’s “Ties Suck” Tie and their Power Tie.

To celebrate the addition of a new line of wistful jewelry, Cherry Dot is sponsoring a contest where you can win some yummy Tricked Out Treats. Michi handmakes all her adorable food themed creations, and is always looking for new ideas. Just tell us your dream food item that you’d like to see turned into jewelry, and Cherry Dot might make your fantasy a reality! Maybe you daydream about a type of candy from your childhood, or you don’t go a day without your favorite snack; whatever your fabulous foodie ideas are, we want to hear them!

One Grand Prize Winner will have her idea turned into a piece of jewelry, as well as one of Cherry Dot’s new Orange Peel Necklaces, and a set of PB & J Sandwich Friendship Necklaces. Two Runners Up will receive a set of PB & J Sandwich Friendship Necklaces. Winners will be chosen based on creativity. Contest runs from May 14th – 28th.

To enter, leave your idea for fantasy food-themed jewelry in the comments section below. Be sure to leave your current e-mail address so we can contact you if you win. Mable’s has a strict privacy policy, and never shares your information with anybody. Good luck!

The contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who participated!
Grand Prize Winner: Vivien who suggested Dim Sum items
Runner Up: Joan who suggested Goldfish Crackers
Runner Up: Kira who suggested a Lucky Charms charm bracelet

It’s spring time, which translates to more outdoor fun as we gear up for summer. The retro feel of tiki decor is always in style and its complimentary theme let’s us escape our backyard into a bamboo enchanted island setting. So get your tiki bars out and check out our tiki decor page for more ideas.

What tiki bar is complete without tiki themed mugs, tumblers, shot glasses, and for the nomadic drinker, a flask? These are all available from our friends over at After5. Made of ceramic and with some clear detail these mugs are ready to impress and intoxicate your guests with some tiki flair. Buy these dishwasher safe mugs, tumblers, and shot glasses in a set or individually to customize your very own tiki decor.

$6.99 – $56.99

Looking for the perfect retro inspired cocktail glass and/or cocktail shaker? Blast off with this rocket shaped cocktail shaker, with matching cocktail glasses, and just sit back and enjoy the ride.

This retro inspired rocket design is an exclusive to the After5 Catalog, so there is no need to go looking elsewhere for such a unique item. Made of stainless steel and able to hold 16 ounces of the “rocket fuel” of your choice this cocktail shaker is ready to take you and your party guests back in time to a more space fascinated time.

$39.99 – $119.99

It’s spring time, and Easter is just around the corner, which translates to a lot more get-togethers with friends and family. Laughter is heeling and these Pick Your Nose party cups will make anyone giggle, not to mention create many timeless picture opportunities. So invite your family and friends, get your camera charged up, and drink until your heart stops … from all the laughter.

You get 24 12-oz paper cups in each pack, evenly divided between male and female noses, to experiment with new styles of facial hair and noses.

If you haven’t already gotten your party supplies for Easter make it easier on yourself and shop online to have them delivered so you can get on with your life.

$7.49

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