Love me some Tracy Porter! Everything in her catalog is so luxe and unique. She even makes some of the furniture items in her Wisconsin studio. Take these cute candles, for instance. Comes in a tea cup with a saucer. Each arrives with a beautiful green hat box tied with a grosgrain ribbon. Perfect girly-girl, pick- me- up gift! This one is lemon chiffon scented, so you feel like you are at afternoon tea. Only $35. Check out www.tracyporter.com
Conde Nast has put together a unique collection of vintage photographs and illustrations from many of their different publications and have placed them into an online store. You can purchase these in many sizes, framed or unframed. All U.S. orders have free shipping. I love the feature where you can choose your mattes and view them online AND change the wall color for the background! This one I love because of her perfect scarlet manicure and dainty shoes. So feminine! It is from April 1, 1957. Always in fashion.
Have some embarassing essentials you don't feel like picking up at your local, nosy drugstore? Maybe you live in a rural area and have a hard time finding certain brands??? Maybe you are just plain lazy and don't feel like driving to the store! For those folks, there is drugstore.com. They have everything from pet supplies, contacts, toys/games, makeup to all-natural products. They even have an FSA store (flexible spending account). I like that they have some upper-end beauty products, like OPI nail polish.
Many pull-on knit boots are popular this season, including tall boots like this style from Ugg. These are versatile because they can be worn 2 different ways: folded down with small buttons exposed or folded up with large buttons exposed. They also have a sheepskin sockliner that keeps moisture away to keep your feet dry. They also come in Dusty Rose, Black, or Oatmeal. I found them at zappos.com for $140 (free shipping) and also at Nordstrom's for $139. Dusty Rose is my favorite. Perfect for throwing on with some shorts for your next beach bondfire!
Wine gift sets make the perfect gift and now with wine.com, you don't have to spend a lot of time perusing store aisles trying to figure out what to purchase. Wine of the Month gifts are excellent because they are the gifts that keep on giving. Another gift idea is a basket of goodies by Oscar-winning director, writer and producer, Francis Ford Coppola. Not only are the wines produced under his direction, but as an avid cook, he has created "Mammarella," a line of authentic organic pastas and sauces honoring his mother, Italia Pennino Coppola. Included in this package are the Diamond Series Claret and Cabernet Sauvignon, two types of artisan pasta, classic tomato/basil pasta sauce, red pepper packets and a "Mammarella" kitchen towel. Delicioso!
Charm bracelets have made a comeback and are all the rage because you can express yourself...and well, let's face it: mini silver or gold purses, ornaments, etc are just plain cute! Preppy chic designer extraordinaire Tory Burch has a great gold one out that showcases all of her signature logos and products. Check out the little ballerina flat! Retails for about $295
Get ready for your YouTube closeup with this camcorder less than $100! Easy to use, compact and lightweight. This full-motion digital camcorder also can be used as a voice recorder, a webcam, a 5.1MP still camera, and MP3 player. Powered by four AAA batteries. Also comes in pink, blue, black or silver. Perfect for an amateur photographer or teen and won't break the bank either. Say Cheese!
Channel your inner goddess in spring’s regal-looking gladiator sandals. Flats are always good news for the tooties! I saw these glamorous brown ones on UrbanOutfitters.com and loved them. Great with pants, dresses, skirts, skinny jeans. I can even see these with business pant suits! $198.
With some cuff links from the Metropolitan Museum of Arts store. What a unique gift! Each item tells a story: " Cloisonné is a technique that combines metalwork and enameling to produce vividly detailed designs on glass or ceramic surfaces. First developed in the Near East, commercial trade brought cloisonné to the Byzantine Empire and from there it traveled along the Silk Road to China. Today, this technique remains widely employed in the production of Asian art objects. Our cuff links are based on the symbol for “long life,” which decorates a cloisonné and enamel plate from China (Qing dynasty, 1644–1911) now in the Museum’s collection.” 24K gold plate, with enamel. Diameter 3/4 in. $65 for non-members, $58.50 for members.
This cheezy pick up line from the 70's now has a different meaning with the plethora of cool, ornamental charms and jewelry pieces out there. Claypot.com has a few different designers and unique styles to choose from. Want to personalize your style and show your boho chic? I like Marian Maurer's designs for their understated, yet classic appeal. Marian can hand-engrave a name and birthdate on the back. 
Looking for a unique gift for Mother's Day, a bride, your girlfriend, mom, mother-to-be...or just about anyone? How about chic collectible hatboxes containing fanciful fresh flowers, luscious Lilyfield Cakes and sparkling sterling silver charms? Choose from Original Country Vanilla, French Chocolat, English Toffee or Exotic Coconut. Choose from many different designs, flowers and charms also. They even have an organic section and a ‘green section’. Also, a portion of the proceeds from every Lilyfield Cake is donated to the Children's Rehabilitation Center which provides hope, support and prosthetic limbs to children who need them.
Excuse me Ms., do you happen to have the time? Right now, I love anything gold. This is a little out of my price range, but one can dream, right? This watch is classic and very luxurious. Love the blue hands, love the blue winder (otherwise known as a sapphire cabochon). The Cartier La Dona watch comes in small size, large, and also in steel. I guess you could rationalize it by saying that you will wear it forever, right? Only $14,000
I was amazed when my friend pulled out one of these recently! What a great idea! How many times have you been at a restaurant or bar and had to put your purse on the floor because your chair didn't have a place to hang it? Purse Holders attach to the table and keeps your purse off of the germy floor. These little wonders are inexpensive and come in a variety of styles. I checked out a few websites on Google and liked this one the best. Liked the founder's bios also. Makes you want to show your support when you read on. Check out the Swarovski Collection and kick your fabulocity factor up a notch!
Zink is a company that uses a new print technology: zero ink! The ink is in the paper and the printer's heat brings up the image. Zink has partnered with Polaroid to make this sleek, pocket-sized digital instant printer so you can print pictures anywhere using digital cameras or mobile phone images. Slightly larger than a deck of cards, it produces borderless, full-color, 2"x3" ZINK prints in a matter of seconds. The Polaroid printer easily connects to digital cameras through a PictBridge USB cable and to camera phones wirelessly through Bluetooth. The Polaroid Digital Instant Mobile Photo Printer is due out in stores in spring 2008. So cool!
J Crew has done it again with their beautiful line of jewelry! I saw this gorgeous piece and was instantly drawn to it. I love the way they pair this dressy necklace with a casual outfit too. The 'bubble necklace' is 18K gold-plated brass with enamel stones and beads, lobster clasp. Of course with J Crew they have to come up with funky names for the jewelry colors, too! Comes in Sweet Papaya (a salmony-orange), Brilliant Blue (midnight blue) and Turquoise (which is easy to figure out!). Definitely a statement- making piece.
Loeffler Randall is the result of a collaboration between husband and wife Jessie Loeffler Randall and Brian Murphy. Their glamorous shoes have attracted the attention of fashion editors and film stars from coast to coast. Now Jessie is designing handbags and shoes for Target, my favorite low price trendy super store! Man, is this line cute! If you were to buy her shoes or purses elsewhere, you would be paying about $750. Of course Target brings it to you at deeply discounted prices. Check it out the line. It's sophisticated, with a bit of edge.
Need a casual watch that is unique, in order to switch things up a bit? From sundials and hourglasses to analog and LCD watches, Uncommon Goods has been inventing new ways to count the minutes since time began. This modern design by Brieuc du Roscoat is based on a simple, yet revolutionary, concept - count the blocks, tell the time. The orange EL display's (electro luminescent) sharp image and wide viewing angle can be read in virtually any light. Features an alarm and sturdy yet comfortable black rubber wristband. Perfect Valentine's Day gift for watch enthusiasts and techies alike. Time is fleeting - why not have fun with it?
Getting a hand-written letter or invitation in the mail is always nice (instead of a bill!). Make it even more special with a personalized stamp celebrating your wedding, a birthday, your dog, your children, your house, heck....even a picture of you! Zazzle lets you add your own photos, designs, business logos, and text to design your own custom postage that can be sent through standard U.S. Mail. This is also another unique gift idea. A set of 20 medium size $41 stamps is $16.95.
This is such a cute idea! Keep love in the air and your hands out of the cold. Knitwear designer Wendy Feller came up with the idea for Smittens while on a romantic but chilly walk with her husband. Instead of holding hands through bulky mittens, Feller designed a plush fleece set of two regular mittens plus a third oversized one for a couple to share between them. Cozy for parents and kids, too. Enjoy your walk! Machine wash, tumble dry low. Handmade in Seattle. Set includes one medium mitten, one large mitten, and one smitten to share.
