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.

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.

Shakespeare Journal

Bibliophile Bullpen: Shakespeare Journal

Available for $9.49, this is a savvy-looking Shakespeare Journal you can get for booklovers, and/or people who are into writing.

The Wire-O bound, 160-page journal is unlined and measures 5" x 8" (12.7cm x 20.32cm), a handy on-the-go size that fits in a bag or backpack. Go creative and let the muse (in the form of The Bard himself, perhaps?) flow.

Product Details:

* Back cover is made of thin black flexible textured plastic
* Front cover made of 12pt glossy paper, coated for scratch resistance
* Filled with 60lb bookweight (24 lb bond) blank paper - no lines

This journal is sold online at Bibliophile Bullpen.

Bibliophile Bullpen is in association with SicPress.com, which stocks a diverse catalog of supplies for cleaning and repairing used books.

Writers Store

If you have any friends and loved ones that are writers, Writers Store is sure to be a treasure trove.

While the manuscript box above might look plain and simple, its functionality packs a punch. An entire manuscript draft can be neatly mailed in this sturdy box. White with a tuck flap, this gem will protect up to 500 8.5” X 11” pages from the damages of mail travel.

It is also an excellent way to store and label earlier drafts. Each set comes with 5 boxes.

Writers Store's products are available offline as well. The store is located at 2040 Westwood Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 10am-7pm.

Write Away

Personalized stationery for someone with a home office, or any kind of office, or even no office - it just makes a great gift. I know I'd love to receive some!

Handcrafted Journal

Before there were blogs, there were journals.

Some stats: at 111, the world's oldest man (Mr. Tomoji Tanabe of Tokyo) upkeeps a daily journal. In a recent scientific study, psychologists determined that putting feelings into words produces therapeutic effects in the brain. Something which practitioners of mindfulness meditation have been doing for millennia.

Maybe you know someone who still journals, the old fashioned way - it *is* more private! Not to mention all the benefits as listed above.

You could get him or her an authentic, beautifully handcrafted journal from Nepal. There are a couple of wirebound journals too for someone with more fastidious habits, whereby they'd prefer ripping a whole unwanted sheet off instead of having a messy, scribbled and re-scribbled page amidst their lokta/recycled papers (the type of paper that SoulfulLiving uses for its paper products).

SoulfulLiving also has unique gift baskets - you can even mix and match items to create your own gift basket. Thoughtful consideration goes into each of their themes and combinations, which are aptly named to the likes of "Tranquil Meditation" (one of my favorites, looking at the colors is soothing enough), "Awakening" (for energizing), and "Om Mantra".

Something funky about SoulfulLiving is that you can select your favorite gift wrapping from eight colorful and fun specialty wrapping papers. These papers are hand crafted in India and Japan.

A Share of Stock

'Give a share of stock for a unique gift' it says at http://www.frameastock.com/ I know someone who would love this stock certificate as a gift.

The Look of Gifts

Whether you've got a unique gift or just a nice gift, how about some unique packaging? http://www.thinkrockpaperscissors.com/
has some truly unique ideas when it comes to packaging your gifts. Now who wouldn't be pleased to receive a gift in a gift box shaped like the Eiffel Tower?

or how about these unique gift buckles?

Handcrafted Books

Here's something really unique -for book lovers and nature lovers. Beautifully hand-crafted from natural wood! You have to contact Steve Iredale, the maker for a special order but take a look at the cover of such a book. I'd love to have one as a gift!
Here's the website: http://www.booksbyhand.co.uk/