Friday Find: Nested Wooden Doll Set

Nested Wooden Doll Set, Target, $19.99
(This item may be out of stock online, but you can check to see if it is available at your local store)

Friday Find: Holiday Cardinal Plate

Holiday Cardinal Plate, Crate and Barrel, $5.95

Friday Find: Petal Green Dinnerware

Petal Green Dinnerware, CB2, $2.95 - $5.95

Inspiration: 2010 - The Year of Turquoise

Pantone announced yesterday that Turquoise (PANTONE 15-5519) will be the color of the year for 2010:

Pantone describes turquoise as follows: "Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise evokes thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a languorous, effective escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing."

My personal favorite dash of turquoise can be found in here somewhere:

Here is more inspiration for you:

(by lorytravelforever)

(by Trapac)

(by berpela)

(by Tina Manthorpe)

(by Turquoise Bleue)

Christmas List: For Your Geek

1. Lego Taj Mahal, Amazon, $259

2. Ninja Umbrella, uncommon goods, $28

3. Life Size Darth Vader Cut Out, Amazon, $49.99

4. The Office Clue Game, Amazon, $34.95

5. LED Jellyfish Mood Lamp, Think Geek, $34.99

The gifts on this list are more costly; just assembled for fun!

Friday Find: Out on a Limb Pillow

Out on a Limb Pillow, uncommon goods, $36

Christmas List: For Kids

1. King Me Game, Winning-Moves.com, $18.95

Thanks to this ingenious new game, "kinging" becomes a snap. Just twist the game piece and the crown pops up! The board lets you play several different games, including traditional Checkers.

2. Pandora Gets Jealous, Amazon, $10.76

General Hospital fans know Carolyn Hennesy as the fashion maven and brilliant attorney Diane. If you watched carefully a few months back, the character of Molly sat in Alexis's living room reading a "Pandora" book. This was a little plug for Hennesy's Pandora books. Currently there are three books in the series, "Pandora Gets Jealous", "Pandora Gets Vain" and "Pandora Gets Lazy". Great tween-reading.

3. Doodle Book Frame, Umbra, $16

Your child can personalize this frame with their own doodles/artwork.

4. I'm Not Bored Anymore Art Jar, Land of Nod, $29

Speaking of artwork, this great jar full of supplies will cure your child's boredom instantly. It contains googly eyes, pom-poms, pipe cleaners, glue pens, construction paper, wavy craft scissors, wooden buttons, spools, beads, craft sticks and more. Last I heard, supply is running low on these for the holidays, but you could make your own with a visit to your local craft store!

5. MilleBornes, Amazon, $9.99

I first played this game in my high school French class. The object is to get as many miles behind you as possible, while at the same time trying to prevent your opponents from doing so. This makes a great addition to Family Fun night.

6. Spirogiro, IntPlay, $19.99

More art fun! These classic spirographs make doodling fun!

7. Totem Tree, Plastica, $36

This kit comes with 170 pieces (2 birds, a birdhouse, mushrooms, and plenty of leaves to grow on the tree trunk) made from recycled material for your child to make their own totem tree.

8. Koi Fish Necklace, ShanaLogic, $10

I added this to the list with tween girls in mind, but it's so pretty that I would hang it in my office! I love this shop. There is all kinds of cute items, and the prices are reasonable!

9. LEGO Darth Vader's TIE Fighter, Amazon, $29.97

I've discovered that LEGO lovers come in all ages. Even my husband & I would have fun putting this one together!

10. Retro Block iPod Speaker, Fred Flare, $25

When all other ideas fail, iPod accessories are always a good choice. Fred Flare sells these colorful speakers, as well as a ton of other fun gifts.

Christmas List: For the Preschooler

1. Sheep in a Jeep, Amazon, $5.95

Nancy Shaw's Sheep board books are so much fun to read with your little ones. The catchy poem structure makes for an excellent read-aloud story. Our current favorite is "Sheep in a Jeep". The hilariously irresponsible sheep go for a ride in their jeep and get in trouble all along the way.

2. Gel Packs, The Container Store, $9.99 (each)

Soothe that next ouchie with a super-cute Mr. Happy or Little Miss Helpful!

3. Cloud B Twilight Sea Turtle Constellation, Amazon, $19.79

The beautiful shell on this sea turtle illuminates with soothing colors and depicts several different endangered sea animals. It projects a star scape on the ceiling to teach your child about constellations.

4. Ball Miniland, ThinkGeek, $14.99

This colorful ball depicts a colorful stuffed town scene. Different textures used in the construction of the ball make different sounds (such as crinkling) to engage your child.

5. Melissa and Doug Puzzles, Amazon, $10.99 - $16.85

Melissa and Doug make great puzzles. The two above, "Abby & Emma Deluxe Magnetic Dress Up" and "Deluxe Wooden Vehicles Maze Puzzle" are just two examples of many. Try a "maze" puzzle, which gives the fun of a puzzle with no little pieces to loose. The magnetic puzzles offer a fun new twist on puzzles, too. The one above is like high-quality paper dolls without the paper!

Christmas List: For Your White Elephant $10 Gift Exchange and Random People You Don't Know Well

1. Designer Duct Tape, uncommon goods, $10

2. Pinocchio Tape Measure, MoMA Store, $6

3. Mobi Charging Valet by Umbra, The Container Store, $4.99

4. Little Box of Encouragement Word Magnets, The Spoon Sisters, $6.50

5. Origami Sticky Notes, Think Geek, $3.99 (so you can buy 2 packs!)

Book Releases - December 2009

Releasing this month:

• Berry, Steve - The Paris Vendetta (Cotton Malone).(12/1)
• Dunne, Dominick - Too Much Money. (12/15)
• Grafton, Sue - U is for Undertow (Kinsey Millhone). (12/1)
• Hall, M.R. - The Disappeared. (12/1)
• Hoag, Tami - Deeper than the Dead. (12/29)
• Hunter, Stephen - I, Sniper (Bob Lee Swagger). (12/29)
• Jance, J.A. - Trial by Fire. (12/1)
• McLaughlin, Emma & Nicola Kraus - The Nanny Returns. (12/15)
• Patterson, James - Witch & Wizard. (12/14)
• Rollins, James - Altar of Eden. (12/29)

Christmas List: For Him

1. A Good "How To" Book, Amazon, $17.96

Any man can use a reference guide. "Show Me How" is a great find for those who don't particularly like to read - most of the instructions here are a visual step-by-step guide. A few things you can learn: perform CPR, dance the tango, pack a suitcase, play the blues, make authentic sushi rolls, fight a shark, how to make the perfect bed, tell time with a potato clock, treat a snake bite, tie basic sailing knots, twist a balloon animals, get out of a straight jacket.


2. Desk Frames, Crate & Barrel, $18.95 - $22.95

Every guy needs frames to display those special photos of children and you proudly on his desk at work. The Asbury Frames, shown above, are a perfect blend of classic shape and masculine design.

3. Yes Dear Mug, uncommon goods, $14

Your significant other causing you trouble? Perhaps he needs a refresher hypnosis session with his morning coffee.

4. Multi-Tool, The Container Store, $24.99

My husband likes to see how many tools that he can fit into one location. The kelvin.23 Tool (shown above) boosts 23 functions in one tool.

5. BBQ  Set, uncommon goods, $25

Combine his love of golf with his talent for the grill with this ingenious set.