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?

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

Let me start off by saying that I am a firm believer that all practical things should come in pretty packages. Why companies are still making those silly bright yellow galoshes when cute ones like these are available is a mystery to me. You dont have to sacrifice pretty footwear for dry feet anymore; I had no trouble finding many different cute designs. (Just look at these adorable pink cowgirl rain boots!) The only hard part was deciding which ones were my favorite.

These little girl’s mary-jane rain boots are to die for. It’s a shame these cuties only come in sizes 6-11 toddler sizes, or I’d be sporting them every soggy day this spring. How sweet are these pink kitty rainboots? Slipping these cherry print boots on could easily be the best part about your little girls rainy day. The thought of splashing around with these in rain puddles actually makes me feel a bit giddy inside! Any of these rain boots will be perfect for those impending soggy days where it’s too wet for regular shoes, but not slushy enough for snow boots.

$23-28

I love astrology. Being pretty acquainted with the various signs and their personality traits, I chuckled when I saw the these “Sassy” and “Sweet” astrology tiles. As a Scorpio, I am described as being dynamic, loyal, magnetic, and investigative. But every rose has it’s thorns, and thus every sign has it’s naughty quirks. Scorpios are also notoriously moody, jealous, demanding and obstinate. As with each of the star signs, despite our unlikeable habits, we are still totally worth it!

I like certain artwork on these tiles more than others, (whats the deal with the illustration for Aquarius?) but I suppose that’s a personal thing. The black frame won’t match every decor of course, but it’s a stylish choice over the classic white.

$32

Imagine living on a remote island and to survive, you must learn how to harness the power of the sun and the wind as well as tap the energy of other physical forces. Explore this adventure with the Power House model kit as you learn about almost every earth friendly energy source under the sun. Wind energy, sun heat and light energy, along with plant and electrochemical energies, are covered multiple times in the 70 experiments and 20 building projects included in this kit. Designed for ages 12 and up you can build a model house complete with solar panels, windmill, greenhouse, and desalination system. You can even build and operate an electric train, windmill, solar cooker, solar hot water tank, hygrometer, electric motor, power hoist, sail car, and more! A perfect gift for the young hands on learner that enjoys creating and experimenting with new ideas.

$150

Similar gift ideas: Watermobile: Fuel cell car and experiment kit, and Solaro: has everything needed to build seven models, all powered by the sun.

Reusing items for something completely different then there intended use is one of my favorite types of gifts. This vintage ammunitions box dates back to the 1960’s and 1970’s and now has a more peaceful purpose in life; to care for your wine bottles. Transforming an aged wood ammunitions case into a recycled wine rack can bring a rustic and eclectic feel to your home. An excellent gift idea for the once enlisted and now wine interested person who can appreciate a hand crafted recycled item such as this.

$300

Find anything but ordinary for your holiday gift recipients this season at UncommonGoods. Ease the frustration of what to get with a gift certificate from UncommonGoods.

Every year you get a new sweater for Christmas and every year you donate it to the thrift store. What happens with all of these soft, yet unwearable cast offs? Some of them may ends up in the hands of a creative New England handicapped artist collective. They reclaim knits and transform them into exceptionally soft stuffed animals. Each creature is gently handcrafted from recycled materials, giving it a unique appearance all its own. I really like the exaggerated scale of the lion’s mane and the elephant’s ears vs. the size of the body, as well as the simple, petite facial features. I think whimsical is really the way to go with baby toys. The ones featured above are cute, but since color and material content will vary, your sweater plushie will be a unique surprise.

$26

Uncommon Goods also offers gift certificates in case you can’t decide on the best present.

Looking for some unique and creative cutlery? Check out this saw shaped cake knife from Uncommon Goods. The first thing I thought of is how great it would look slicing into the world famous Bleedy Cake. I also thought this would make a good gift for the handyman or handy woman who likes to cook.

They say it’s great for cutting cake and other desserts, but I wonder how well it does on other things. I wonder if the serrated edge makes it hard to cut vegetables, or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? I’d like to use a novelty looking knife as my everyday knife. Maybe a mini clever or machete, or something shaped like a lightsaber for the handle, but with a regular looking knife as the blade. Anybody have any answers to these burning questions?

With Labor Day weekend right around the corner, I had me a little brainstorm. Since we live within spitting distance from the beach, why not haul a cooler of water bottles down there and sell them to the touritsts for a fair, yet worthwhile, profit? Not 24 hours after the idea struck did I see these adorable light-weight coolers with ipod speakers from Cool Tunes. They’re too small for my water-peddling scheme, but they are the perfect size for you and your friends! Each holds 8 soda, beers, or other 12 oz. cans and is made from 100% insulated cotton. Two retro designs, Woody and Mod Floral, each come with AM/FM stereo and the ability to connect any iPod, CD, mini-disc, or MP3 player to it using a headphone jack. These ipod boomboxes have 2” loudspeakers that are waterproof so the ocean spray or splashes from the pool aren’t going to spoil the fun. I think this would make an ideal lunchbox since it’s convenient (lightweight, collapsable, portable size) and comes with built-in tunes. Or, if you can’t stand purses like me, it’s a good alternative to a regular purse or mini day-bag.

RELATED: ipod Alarm Clock, ipod Covers

Let’s face it, most people have a few crumbs of food, strands of cat hair, or mysterious crust down in the deep trenches of their keyboards. Heck, some even have all three! Take it from me, it doesn’t always come out with a simple flip and shake of the keyboard. What should come standard with computers is this mini keyboard vacuum. This one is made available from Uncommon Goods and has four different attachments to help brush and suck out all the nastiness hidden in your keyboard crevices. At only 4 inches long and 3 inches wide this mini keyboard vacuum can fit easily on your busy desk. It uses 2 AA batteries and is made of frosted translucent plastic.

If you’d prefer a keyboard vacuum that sucks and blows (::snicker::) then I’d suggest the Shuttle Computer Cleaner from Stacks and Stacks.