Sour Tang

The homepage of Sour Tang welcomes you to the store for handmade, whimsical and fun jewelry, and accessories for the child at heart (as well as everyday independent woman)!

This is the first time I've seen a faux pearls combination of this sort. To me, its quirkiness and the adorable pink hue turned out to be very interesting. I used to have the notion that pearls were for a chic and mature look -- but pearls with a twist can brighten up an outfit too.

Sour Tang has a range of funky earrings, bracelets, and keychains. Regarding earrings, there's something about star-shaped ones that's entirely and uniquely hip.



This is a simple, calming necklace with a turtle charm as the centerpiece. The necklace was donated to Craft for China, a lovely arts & crafts fundraiser for Chinese orphans. The necklace sponsored two girls, Gracie, and Emma.

Sour Tang is a one-girl indie business started by Kelly Tang. Kelly has been selling her creative jewelry and accessories online since 2004. She hopes to turn the fun business into a real career some day. Currently she is a fashion design student. I'm sure of the high potential that Sour Tang will have a bunch of additions and be an expanded business in the future.

Sour Tang's first ever "After X'mas" sale is running (until 3 Jan) -- so do check it out while you still can at http://sourtang.com.

Martial Arts Supplies

Black Display Samurai Sword Set

KarateDepot.com has a huge collection of goodies for the martial arts practitioner and/or enthusiast. This samurai sword set can be used for actual practice, or as a decoration for one's home.

The set comes with three beautifully crafted stainless steel "sharp" swords -- they are crafted to look and feel like authentic samurai swords. The scabbards are polished black lacquered wood, and the gold coloured handguard against the black handle catches even the smallest glimmers of light.

The swords included are the Katana (general term for single-edged sword), Wakizashi (similar to but shorter than a katana), and Tanto Black (has a thick pointed blade) Display Samurai Swords.



A real Wakizashi-style sword mounting, Edo period, 19th century


There are also gift items like the really cute Karate Bear. The plush bear from Boyd's Bears stands at 8" (20cm) tall and is dressed in an authentic karate uniform with a black belt. The bear is of the same quality and attention to detail that Boyd's Bears is famous for.

KarateDepot's whole range of martial arts supplies includes uniforms and sparring/training gear, to exercise equipment like leather jump ropes and deluxe exercise mats.

Handcrafted Silver Jewellery

The original handcrafted jewelry of Kutuu is designed and created by Hannah Salomon. The classy pieces are made primarily with sterling silver with gemstones, using silversmithing techniques.

Hannah loves working with silver and semi precious/precious stones, as they tend to have an organic feel to it. There's also that little something which makes each design different and special.

While there is usually only one of each piece of jewelry available, repeats can be done on request. Commissions are taken on too, if there's something you're interested in or would like to see.



Leaf Bangle

The Kutuu website is updated regularly with new products -- and the Jewellery Information page is a comprehensive overview of processes and materials that are a part of jewelry making.

A lot of time and care goes into making each piece as perfect as it could possibly be. For instance, several hours went into the hand woven "Constantinople" bracelet -- a byzantine chainmaile with a forged ring and small trigger clasp, weighing in at 14g (0.49 ounces).

The designs are stylish, in a subtle understated way. They have an urban coolness, blended with the timelessness of traditional crafting.

By the way, Hannah is someone who can get 2 pendants, bracelets and pairs of earrings out of ONE Paua shell from a customer. Impressive, to say the least.

Art Gifts

Abstract Thinker

I might not be the biggest fan of abstract art, but I thought this was an interesting take on the classic "thinker" pose. The empty space represents the body dissolving into connection with the world. This piece measures 20cm (around 8 inches).

Bali-Karma has a whole range of other abstract art gifts, which are sure to be talk pieces in a person's room or home. Many of the pieces celebrate the human body, as well as the enjoyment of having a physical form in the universe.

There are funky accessories and animal figurines on the website too. The items are expertly hand carved. The Balinese Carvings section is an inside look at real Balinese Art, which differs from the more commercialized surface that tourists usually see.

Purchasing from Bali-Karma is a way to connect with artists and craftspeople in Bali who are small producers, where the dollars you spend will have the most impact. There's more information on the story of Bali-Karma.

PS: Happy Holidays -- I'll next be back on Wednesday (or earlier, it depends).

Nomad Writing Journals

Adventure Journals

This makes a neat travel gift -- especially for people who view traveling as an opportunity to experience different cultures, see exotic locations, or simply meet new people from around the world.

Nomad Travel Journals help travelers keep notes about their trips. Who was on the trip, things seen, people met, contact information such as email address, phone numbers and so on can be recorded. Over time, you can wander through the travel journal to relive trips and other details along the way you may have otherwise forgotten.

The compact journals grew out of a passion for traveling and outdoor activities like hiking, climbing, bird watching, fly fishing, paddle sports and live music.

Each journal costs $27 with case. The case is a durable, water-resistant zippered cover, that offers protection from the elements and rigorous outdoor activities. Blank journals are available, for letting the imagination flow.

Student travellers and backpackers would love it.

I have a feeling Miss Lara Croft from Tomb Raider (one of the most awesome games ever), would be delighted to have one of these too.

Handmade Jewelry

PurpleMe.Com is a quaint business, with an equally charming website. The company has always been about unique and affordable jewelry, handmade and crafted like no other.

The jewelry is designed with gold and silver plated metal and wire hooks, unless otherwise noted, and consists of daring, funky mixtures of metallics, glass and pearls (to name a few). Each item is created from beginning to end in the founder's home in Brooklyn, NY.

The one featured above is called "Blue Ocean Fun", and I like how the two sides aren't identical. Items like "Stars Caught" -- with PurpleMe's signature PurpleBerry wrapped glass bead dangling from it -- have been featured in popular shopping webzines. Necklaces are now included in the product line as well.



PurpleMe.Com began in August '03, when the founder decided to begin a project that would combine her love of fashion and design, and her crazy obsession with the colour purple.

Hint: Keep handmade crafted jewelry inside a bag or jewelry box when not in use. That way the metals will not oxidize and your pieces can retain their unique appearance and last longer.

Guitar Collectibles

Flying V Style Black

Baby Axe manufactures miniature guitar collectibles. The range includes the Stratocaster (by Fender) and the Rickenbacker. The guitars are associated with the world's most famous musical artistes, including Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, John Lennon, and Noel Gallagher.

The Baby Axe guitars look extremely realistic. I didn't even know they were miniature collectibles at first. The guitars are approximately 10 inches (25.4 cm), and come in a simulated aluminium case box. The guitars are made from the finest quality material -- such as high-quality fibre -- which makes them feel a bit heavier than they might look.

In the 1960s, the Flying V style (featured in the above picture) became a statement of individualism and creativity. More recently, it has been used by Lenny Kravitz.

There's also a cool Harley Davidson Fender. Each retails for about £23.

These are droolworthy gifts for music lovers, or people who are into rock music.

You might want to include a note though, that the guitars *are* miniature instruments, and cannot be physically played.

Wilson Manor Crafts

Coffee Grinder

I was actually checking out the fountain pens of Wilson Manor Crafts, but I thought this was interesting too (by the way, the fountain pens are a favourite among collectors. There's also a complete line of fine handcrafted wood pens).

Buying whole beans is a great way to make fresh coffee every morning. Hand-grinding it makes it much more special. This functional coffee grinder will allow you to do just that.

The coffee grinder is made of cast iron and Hickory. The bottom drawer opens up to let you scoop out the ground coffee inside. The bottom of the grinder is lined with cork to provide a non-slippy base that will not damage table and/or countertops.



And if you know someone who likes to play darts (I was very into it at one time!), they're sold at Wilson Manor Crafts as well. These are soft-tipped Cocobolo darts for electronic dart boards. Weighing 20 grams each, the tips and flights are standard threaded, and come with three replacement tips. Supplies are limited. The darts come in a set of 3.

PS: Cocobolo is a prized wood highly favored for fine inlay work, and musical instruments like guitars and basses.

Shakespeare's Den

Smart Gifts for Intelligent People

I absolutely love this huge website (their storefront header is spiffy too!).

Shakespeare's Den can easily boast about having the largest collection of Shakespeare related gifts and merchandise, available on the internet.

Classics and hot favourites include The Shakespeare’s Quips, Cusses, and Curses Quiz Deck, and in fact, there's an entire section of products devoted to Shakepeare's Insults.

Here are some of the insults featured on the Shakespeare's Insults T-shirt:

* You scullion! You rampallian! You fustilarian!
* False of heart, light of ear, bloody of hand
* Idol of idiot-worshippers
* I do desire we may be better strangers

The food products (like mints and teas) come in very attractive, charming packaging that any Shakespeare fan would appreciate.

You can even search for gifts based on the plays - Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, King Lear, and so on.

Gifts like the hilarious "To Pee, or Not To Pee" baby bodysuit is a simplified version of the epic quotation, suitably so for the much younger crowds.

Romantic, Tropical Decor Gifts

The World's Finest

Conch King has an extensive selection of romantic, tropical decor gifts that are fit for queens and kings. Their featured wedding items are fast becoming a tradition at beach weddings!

Some of the tropical South Seas Island wedding horns were used at the wedding of Nicholas Cage to Lisa Presley (and at the island weddings of many other celebrities as well). The oil lamps are refillable for life too.

Each shell is lovingly cleaned and polished, and so far this isn't done anywhere else in the business. It is also trimmed so that it will stand up as an open vase or display and not just roll over.

Seashells do not come from the sea in nice condition. Many things grow on them. They have chipped edges and scratches that need to be trimmed down and polished.

Like any trade, practice makes perfect and the staff at Conch King are well beyond practice. They have developed some very unique methods of cleaning and polishing and carefully go over every item that is sold.

Conch shells are a beautiful gift that evokes high seas, adventure, mystery, allure, and amor.

It's noted on Conch King that conch are not an endangered species. They are also fished legally.

Homemade Potpourri

Debbie J.'s, with candle holder on top

Inexpensive and Eco-Friendly Giving

There's nothing like walking into a home with the beautiful and inviting smell of potpourri. If you like to make things yourself, you will love making it. A personalized gift is always something to cherish (and the time and thought behind it too).

You basically need four main ingredients.

* Flowers & leaves
* Essential oils
* Spices and Herbs
* Fixative

To get the flowers and leaves ingredients, you can go to your florist shop and ask for any discarded flowers. You can also dry out your own flowers.

You should collect 4 times the amount you need for the final potpourri mix, as flowers and leaves shrink when dried.

After the petals are thoroughly dry, pack them in screw-top jars, in alternating layers of petals with sprinklings of orris root. Orris root helps to preserve the fragrance of the herbs and flowers, and has little scent of its own, so it is a good base to use in a potpourri mix. Use 1-2 tablespoons of the dried orris root per cup of dried mix.

Store the jars in a dark place to preserve the color.

Your mixture can be just rose petals with an assortment of other flowers available, along with two or three spices and herbs, and one or two oils. Use the strong scented ingredients in small amounts.

Lastly, put in two tablespoons of fixative.

The mixtures can be used in sachets, in padding on hangers, and in closed or open porcelain jars. In a closed jar, it will keep for years. The jar stands open when the fragrance is wanted.

For ideas, you can view a collection of potpourri recipes at The Homemaking Cottage and Pioneer Thinking.

Novelty Computer Mice

Crystal Skull Designer Mouse

"Arghh, matey! Here be pirates!!"

Mousenvy.com believes that (along with your car and shoes), your computer mouse says a lot about you. They've something for everyone, whether you're naughty or nice, crazy or conservative, geeky or chic.

The Crystal Skull computer mouse is designed by Pat Says Now, a (somewhat quirky-named) Swiss manufacturer of individual computer mice. The skull-and-crossbones are set in precision-cut, Swarovski crystal.

Simply plug it into any USB port, and click away. The state-of-the-art 800 DPI optical technology makes the Crystal Pirate mouse pinpoint accurate and fast. Because there’s no mouse ball, you won’t have parts to clean, and there's no need for a mouse pad.

The mouse is imported from Switzerland, and arrives in a sleek acrylic box.

Mousenvy.com has been featured by websites like CNET, PopGadget, GeekSugar, and CNN Money.

Pat Says Now is also the manufacturer behind the world's most expensive computer mouse.



There are two main designs for the moment: the Diamond Flower and Scattered Diamond. Available in 18-carat white or yellow gold, the design is set with 59 brilliant diamonds

At $24,180.00 USD, it's a trendy diamond "desk pet". It would make a great gift for a 60th wedding anniversary (diamond is the traditional gift for this event), or for someone who just plain already has it all.

Coupons and Freebies

If you do a lot of shopping online, this is a good place to check out!

CouponCabin.com has discount coupons for stores like Nike, Nordstrom, The Body Shop, Figleaves, FragranceX, Ikea, and more. There's a section on deals that are expiring in the next three days. CouponCabin updates itself daily, but the money saving offers on this section are on the way out for good, so be quick if you want to save online.

The coupons ARE:

* "online coupons"
* valid only for orders made online
* free for customers to use
* instantly redeemable
* activated when you click (or type in the code at the seller's site)
* time sensitive
* updated daily

The coupons ARE NOT:

* printable
* valid in retail or mall stores
* rebates

The people behind CouponCabin search consumer emails, online forums, blogs, merchant sites and even the Sunday newspaper looking for elusive coupon codes e-tailers release to "special customers". In total, they monitor discounts to more than 875 online stores, sort through 2,000 weekly e-mails and update the directory three times a day so that visitors can take advantage of these great online savings.

You can also sign up for CouponCabin's weekly newsletter, for the best coupon code findings delivered straight to your inbox. The e-mail is sent on Mondays. The website has a box for you to enter your e-mail address to receive this publication.

Interesting tidbit: Amazon.com pioneered online coupons in the late 90's to reward their best customers with special discounts. Today however, online coupons are also used to attract new customers.

Glass Addict

One of a kind Glass Art

Glass Addict, run by Kim, proudly showcases a glass art gifts collection. The glass art available is crafted in mind for the home, body and spirit.

Each glass art piece is made by hand using an age-old technique called kiln-forming or lamp-working. Since each piece of art glass is made by hand, a design is never used more than once. No two pieces of glass art will be the same. Kim takes great pride in knowing when a customer purchases or commissions glass art for unique gifts from Glass Addict, they will truly be getting a one of a kind.

The artist's philosophy on art glass is that it should be an expression of your personality. It should speak to you, make you feel, make you want, make you think. Kim would be more than happy to consult with you, to make something perfect for your home or for a gift.

Kim says that in every piece of glass art she makes, a little piece of her heart, soul, and DNA can be found. Inspirations for her art glass pieces come from everywhere. Sunny or rainy days, moods and music all play a part in the creation.

Check out the upright modern style sculpture too.

Fish Amulet

Hanging Fish Amulet

Ooh, purdy.

This home decor accent is made of pewter, and is hand painted. Furthermore, it's decorated with Swarovski crystals, brass and copper beads. It is signed by the artist, Ester Shahaf.

Dimensions: 15.5 cm (6 in) length, 7 cm (3 in) width.

The fish symbolizes prosperity and abundance for many religions (from Christian, to Pagan, to New Age, etc - check out this page on the meaning of the fish symbol for some interesting information).

Handmade Blown Glass Baubles

Mix of Colours Glass Ball

This lovely glass ball from Gifted in Design, is based on the Medieval Witch Ball. Traditionally, this is hung at the window where any potential trespassing evil spirits would be mesmerized by the reflective beauty of the ball.

Legend suggests the evil spirit would either be absorbed by the ball & trapped forever, or be scared away by the sight of its own reflection.

The hand blown balls on the site were crafted from a lead glass crystal mix. A fragrance bubble was added within the ball. Try dropping some oil into this bubble & hanging it up in a sunny window. Enjoy the beautiful reflections and the lovely aroma as the oil heats up!

Gifted in Design showcases inspirational gifts from British artists.