Zoo Mania Pencil Toppers

I remember loving school supplies as a child, especially brand new school supplies at the start of the school year, like a pencil box to keep in the desk, and new crayons, and a cute little stapler.... And what child doesn't like special decorated pencils, or pencils with cute little toppers? If this is your child, here's an inexpensive stocking stuffer: Zoo Mania Pencil Toppers. They come in all sorts of animals and all sorts of sets. The best part is, you can order amounts that work for you: individual toppers for 50 cents each; a set of five for $1.99. Or if you want to spread these out over the year, or have lots of kids, neighbors' kids, nieces, nephews, etc., you can buy a set of 10 for $3.95, or a bundle of 25 for only $7.99.

I think the only problem will be kids fighting over who gets which one!

What: Zoo Mania Pencil Toppers
Where: Adam's Animals website
How much (as of today's post): $1.99 for set of five (plus shipping)

Floppy Disk Sticky Notes

Aren't these floppy disk sticky notes incredibly realistic? No matter how long I look at the photo, I keep thinking that they must be real disks. That's why I also have to show the photo of the "disk" with the writing on it -- it's the only way to convince my eyes.

These are a little pricey for what they are, but the price is for a 3-pack, which means you could break them up for three stocking stuffers that cost $3.33 apiece. They'd be great for the technologically challenged folks in your life, whether in your workplace or in your family. (And don't forget ThinkGeek participates in Mr. Rebates!)

What: Floppy Disk Sticky Notes
Where: ThinkGeek.com
How much (as of today's post): $9.99 (plus shipping)

Classic Pumpkin Pin

We had the slightest hint of cool weather yesterday (it takes until November or late to get comfortable in Houston, sigh...), and our neighbors put out their Halloween decorations, so I'm in the autumn/Halloween frame of mind. Now, if I could ever remember to wear jewelry, I'd be tempted to get this for myself. As it is, I'd better leave it for others -- the ones who remember to wear green on St. Patrick's Day and red on Valentine's Day (and you'd think I'd remember the one because it's my birthday, but I never do!).

I do like this pin, though. Simple yet invokes the right mood for this time of year so easily. It's made of gold-tone metal with orange and green enamel, and measures approximately 1 inch by 1 inch.

What: Classic Pumpkin Pin
Where: Animal Rescue Site
How much (as of today's post): $8.95 (plus shipping)

Halloween Nesting Dolls

I know it's not quite October yet, but I've found that Halloween merchandise often tends to sell out, since merchants don't necessarily stock large quantities. So I wanted to mention these Halloween Nesting Dolls from the Spoon Sisters website a little early. I think this is a great take on a classic! This set is made of plastic, and the six dolls measure from 4 1/2 inches high down to 1 1/4 inches high. Kids enjoy stacking and storing shapes, so I think these would be fun as long as the child isn't too young that the smallest piece presents a choking hazard.

As an alternative, I know you can buy blank wooden nesting dolls that you paint yourself. That could make for some fun Halloween decorations!

What: Halloween Nesting Dolls
Where: Spoon Sisters website
How much (as of today's post): $15.50 (plus shipping)

Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter

I'm pretty sure the folks over at ThinkGeek have figured out that if they make something Star Trek that's even just marginally cool, we science fiction geeks will snap it right up! Last year we bought the Star Trek Enterprise Bottle Opener for a number of our friends and it was a huge hit. This year we have the Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter as an option!

At $24.99, this isn't cheap, so it definitely qualifies as a "luxury" stocking stuffer. But if the bottle opener is anything to go by, this is high quality merchandise. The description says it's a "Laser Etched Stainless steel blade with solid zinc-alloy chromium plated body" (technobabble!). The blade diameter is 4 inches and the total length is 8.5 inches. Since it comes in a box that will be slightly bigger than those dimensions, that might make it a little big for a stocking stuffer. Another potential drawback is that it's hand-wash only.

But it's a Star Trek Enterprise pizza cutter!

(Oh, and here's a hint: ThinkGeek participates in Mr. Rebates, so if you sign up for that, you can get 4% back on all of your purchases. There are a zillion other stores that participate too!)

What: Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter
Where: ThinkGeek.com
How much (as of today's post): $24.99 (plus shipping)

Splashimals Floating Cards

Here's a cute stocking stuffer for the little ones: Splashimals Floating Cards. Obviously they're waterproof, making them just right for bathtime. But they're also pretty clever in an of themselves. There are 15 animals split into two cards each, and their names as well as their pictures are split right down the middle. The pictures are set up so you can mix and match the cards and create brand new animals like the "pentle" (penguin and turtle) and the "ostriphant" (ostrich and elephant). Can you believe there are more than 225 possible animal combinations?!

The cards measure 2 5/8 inches wide by 4 inches high, and come with a zippered mesh bag for storage. I think these are terrific, and the waterproof quality for bath time is just icing on the cake.

What:
Where: Spoon Sisters website
How much (as of today's post): $11.95 (plus shipping)

Lipstick Pen

I'm not sure what's going on, but I seem to be in girly-girl mode just now, which is odd considering I'm usually something of a tomboy. But I do know many women who would love to get this as a stocking stuffer: a realistic-looking lipstick pen. It's only 4 inches long so a great size for a purse, and the $5.00 is for a set of two, making it a pretty affordable stocking stuffer (as long as shipping isn't too exorbitant, of course...).

What: Lipstick Pen
Where: Spoon Sisters website
How much (as of today's post): $5.00 for set of 2 (plus shipping)

Matryoshka Dolls Decorative Tape

Matryoshka dolls, also known as Russian nesting dolls, dress up what would otherwise be plain, ordinary packing tape. While I can see using this for actual packages, the first thing I thought of when I saw it was "crafting," since I've been reading more and more blogs lately about clever crafting ideas. So I think this would be a cute stocking stuffer for a crafter, or for someone who likes nesting dolls. (I have to admit, I love them!)

What: Matryoshka Dolls Decorative Tape
Where: FredFlare.com
How much (as of today's post): $10.00 (plus shipping)

Sunny Seed Drops in a Pumpkin

I'm finally back, ready to post a stocking-stuffer-a-day from now until Christmas! Which would make it seem odd that you're looking at a picture of a pumpkin here, but I've got autumn and Halloween on the mind at the moment, and I wanted to post this cute little gift while I was thinking about it.

So, on Friday evening my husband and I were driving from Houston up to Dallas and we stopped at the Cracker Barrel for dinner. We got it into our heads that it was late enough the dinner crowd would be gone -- WRONG! So while we were waiting, we looked around the store, and I saw this adorable pumpkin full of Sunny Seed Drops, which are orange-chocolate covered sunflower seeds. Cute, don't you think?

What: Sunny Seed Drops Pumpkin
Where: Cracker Barrel or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $6.95 (plus tax)

A Kind Friend

A kind friend e-mailed to ask if I was OK, since I was ill when I last posted in July and I haven't posted since. That was so sweet of her! In any case, I am fine -- I just returned from that trip to some big changes at work that have taken up most of my time and energy. I'm teaching a college course for the first time and I'm nervous as anything, although I hope my students don't realize it! It's all new territory as we (the librarians at my community college) created this course from scratch, so it's the first time any of us are teaching it. We also have a student population that is often behind where they should be in terms of reading and writing, so that adds another layer of challenge.

But I am fine, in good spirits in fact, and I promise the stocking stuffer posts will start again in a few days! I have loads of post ideas stockpiled, enough for every day between now and Christmas, I think!

Thanks again to the kind friend. It made my day to hear from her!