Cupcake Pop Mold

One of the many blogs I follow is Bakerella, whose creativity and talent amazes me. If you're one of the few people out there who don't know who she is, she's the one who makes all those amazing cake pops, or little decorative (and edible) cakes on a stick. She has her first book out, Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats, and she's been on a whirlwind publicity and signing schedule lately. I have her book on my wishlist, even though I know I'm not likely to attempt her creations since I'm not even good at making cookies from already-prepared dough!


So where am I going with this? I was looking at the Cake Pops book on Amazon, and Amazon helpfully suggested to me I might also like this cunning little cupcake pop mold for $5.95. It certainly is cute! (It does occur to me that one mold might not be very helpful, if you have to make these one at a time, but on the other hand, I imagine every type of cake pop is kind of labor intensive to make!)

Anyway, if you are stuffing the stocking of someone who loves to bake creatively, the cupcake pop mold would be a great stocking stuffer, perhaps paired with the Cake Pops book under the tree. And this book has started quite a trend, because there's another beautiful book, Pop Bakery: 25 Cakes on Sticks and Other Tempting Delights by Clare O'Connell, coming out in March 2011.

What: Cupcake Pop Mold
Where: Amazon or a baking supply store
How much (as of today's post): $5.95 (plus shipping)

Little Dancer Pin -- Paired with Books!

I didn't intend to post about another luxury stocking stuffer so soon, but this little dancer has captured my heart! As many of you will recognize, this pin is a replica of the famous Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer, more commonly known as just Little Dancer. The sculpture was originally made of bronze and tulle, while this 1.25 inch high by .75 inch wide pin is made of antiqued bronze finish.

One of the reasons I think this would make a lovely, special stocking stuffer is that it can be so nicely paired with a gift under the tree. The Little Dancer has been featured in several books, including multiple picture books and even a young adult novel depicting Marie's life as an aspiring dancer at the Paris Opera. The novel is Marie, Dancing by Carolyn Meyer, and it's truly a moving story. The paperback would probably even fit in a larger stocking along with the pin, while the hardcover edition could go under the tree if that's what you prefer.

And the picture books would be great fun for younger girls to go with this keepsake pin! Two picture books I know of are Marie in Fourth Position: The Story of Degas by Amy Littlesugar and Ian Schoenherr, and Degas and the Little Dancer by Laurence Anholt. I love the way both cover illustrations capture the mood of the Little Dancer, but so differently!

And there are probably even more books out there -- clearly I'm not the only one whose imagination has been caught by the Little Dancer!



What: Little Dancer Pin, paired with a book!
Where: Museum of Fine Arts, Boston website (or other museum stores)
How much (as of today's post): $48.00 (43.20 for members) (plus shipping)

Good Night Our World Books

At six by six inches square, it might be tough to squeeze one of these into a stocking, but these are such a neat idea that I thought they would be worth listing as a possible gift idea. There "good night" books are available for many countries, cities, general areas such as America, Cape Cod, the Florida Keys, the beach, the zoo, and so on. Even if you don't see your city on the list, go ahead and check on Amazon, as they're adding new books all the time.

What: Good Night Our World Books
Where: Amazon or your local bookstore
How much (as of today's post): $7.95 to $9.95 (plus shipping)

101 Recipes for Microwave Mug Cakes

Measuring 7.8 x 4.9 inches, this little book might fit down into wide-mouthed stockings. If not, it would make a great little item for a gift basket, especially if that basket also included a mug or two and some of the ingredients for making these little microwave-cake-in-a-mugs! I actually don't eat cake often because I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but I like the idea of being able to make a little one-person cake if I suddenly get the urge, so that I then don't have a whole cake sitting around waiting to be eaten. And I bet kids would love these!

What: 101 Recipes for Microwave Mug Cakes
Where: Amazon
How much (as of today's post): $10.72 (plus shipping)

Mummy Rummy Game

I came across a review for this game on the Gamewright website, and I think it looks fun. It's called Mummy Rummy, and it's a game in which players "dig and sift" for cards that complete picture sets showing ancient Egyptian treasures. "Certain cards with special power can transform the pictures, and antiques can suddenly jump from one player to another." It's a game for 2-5 players aged 8 and up.

Here's another thought: right now I'm reading the latest book in the "Theodosia Throckmorton" series by R.L. LaFevers. If you haven't heard of them, the series has three books so far, and I would describe it as a cross between Nancy Drew and Indiana Jones. Theodosia is an eleven-year-old girl living in England around 1907. Her parents are brilliant but absent-minded archaologists/Egyptologists, and Theodosia spends her time protecting her parents and their museum from the many curses that seem to be imported with the Egyptian artifacts. She's smart and spunky and proactive. So.... if you have a 9-12 year old girl who likes to read, you could put the books under the tree and the Mummy Rummy game in the stocking!

What: Mummy Rummy Game
Where: Amazon or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $8.95 to $9.99 (plus shipping)

Board Book Blocks

Most regular board books are small enough to make great stocking stuffers, but this chunky block board books are even more well suited to the task! Each book is 12 pages long, and suitable for ages one and up. The choices include Kids ABC, Animal ABC, and Things That Go. Because of their chunky shape, they can also stack like blocks. (It's two bad they don't sell a reasonably priced set of 20, which would really make a nice set of readable blocks.)

What: Board Book Blocks
Where: The Land of Nod website
How much (as of today's post): $3.95 (on sale from $5.95) (plus shipping)

Retro Rocket Night Light

At 3.5 inches wide and 5.75 inches high, this retro rocket night light should work as a stocking stuffer, although it's hard to predict how big the packaging in comes in will be. And boy, would I ever have loved this when I was a kid! One of my favorite books was Eleanor Cameron's The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet, in which two boys build a rocket ship to help Mr. Bass save his people on the Mushroom Planet. (That reminds me, I haven't re-read that in a while....)

Anyway, this should be perfect for boys or girls who enjoy adventure stories and space tales, or as a retro-gift for adults into science fiction. For kids, you might also pair this with a book under the tree, such as Harry and Horsie or Curious George and the Rocket or any number of other titles.

What: Retro Rocket Night Light
Where: Perpetual Kid website
How much (as of today's post): $19.99 (plus shipping)

Miniature Opera Guides (or anything that goes with event tickets)

I realize that opera is a very specific, acquired taste, but I also thought I wouldn't like opera, and I was wrong. For Christmas 2008, I put opera tickets in my husband's Christmas stocking because I knew he'd been wanting to go. (Unfortunately I also left the receipt lying around so the surprise was kind of ruined!) The tickets were for A Midsummer Night's Dream, because I wanted to start with something that was in English and that was a comedy. I really enjoyed it, so this year I bought a package deal for tickets to three of the Houston Grand Opera performances. No easy comedies this time: I got Tosca and Xerxes, both in Italian with English supertitles, and The Turn of the Screw, which is in English but is a creepy atmospheric ghost story based on the Henry James story.

So last night was my real test: was I going to like tragic opera sung in a language other than English? Yes! Although a tragedy, Tosca is also a beautiful love story and it even has a little humor in it.

In any case, though, one of the reasons I enjoyed the opera is that I did a little homework. A week beforehand, we went to a lecture on Tosca, learning a bit about the opera itself, the composer, and the context in which it was written. Opera is not like the movies -- you don't have to worry about spoilers because 1) the stories are generally well known to begin with, and 2) if it's a tragedy, which many of them are, you already know that most of the good guys are going to die. So generally, the more you know about the particular opera going in, the more you'll enjoy it. At the lecture we went to, we purchased a little booklet guide to Tosca -- sort of like a Cliff's Notes to the story. This guide was prepared by the lecturer who is local to Houston, although you can order the booklets by mail.

I also looked just now on Amazon and there are miniature guides to many operas there as well. Shown here is the La Traviata guide that is part of the "Opera Journeys Mini Guide Series". The booklet is 36 pages and measures 8.3 x 3.2 x 0.2 inches -- in other words, it's a tall and narrow little booklet that would fit into a wide-mouthed stocking.

Along with some tickets. ;-)

Since I know that opera will not be to many people's taste, and not everyone lives near an opera company anyway, I'll try and make this post a bit more general at the end by saying that tickets to anything the recipient will enjoy make terrific stocking stuffers: rock concerts, Sesame Street on Ice, you name it. And they're a great opportunity for paired gifts, because you can get a CD by the band whose concert the tickets are for, a Sesame Street toy or stuffed animal or book, etc. Tickets to a Broadway traveling show can be paired with a DVD of the movie if there is one, and so on. The possibilities with event tickets are endless.

What: Miniature Opera Guides (or anything that goes with event tickets)
Where: Amazon (for opera guides) or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): approximately $9.75 for opera guides

Bird Guides of [xyz]

On January 2, my husband and I were treated to a "Breakfast on the Bayou" pontoon boat tour through a bayou here in southeast Texas. While it would have been a bit chilly by some folks' standards, my husband grew up in Manitoba, Canada, and I spent three years living in North Dakota, so believe me when I say that this was nothing, weather-wise! Besides, the cold air and the morning sun made the most unbelievable mist coming off the water.

The best part was that we got to see, up close and personal, many birds that seem exotic to me, having grown up on the East Coast. We saw Roseate Spoonbills, Egrets, Herons, two types of Vultures, Cormorants, and more.

Much later that day (after a nap of course!), we went to Barnes & Noble, and we got a tremendous kick out of consulting a miniature guide to Texas birds, looking up all the species we'd seen that morning. It occurred to me that field guides are likely available in any large bookstore for any part of the world, so look in the regional interest section the next time you're in a bookstore and see what you can find. It's fun to get to know the wildlife of your particular corner of the world, and birds truly are magnificent creatures. This guide to Texas birds shown above is 6 x 4.4 x 0.9 inches, making it the right size for a stocking stuffer, and I'm sure many of the field guides out there for other regions are stocking stuffer sized as well!

(And while I'm at it, I'm going to label this as an eco-friendly post, because the more people know about the creatures we share the world with, the more people are likely to try and take care of that world.)

What: Bird field guides
Where: Amazon or any bookstore
How much (as of today's post): varies (most under $15 or $20)

Skein of Yarn (with book as Paired Gift)

Every time I go into Michael's or another craft store, I drool over the pretty yarns, but I've so far restrained myself because I don't know how to knit! I will learn someday, but right now I'm concentrating on inkstamping and making greeting cards and art trading cards.

But if you know a knitter, a terrific stocking stuffer would be a single skein of pretty yarn -- with a book of one-skein products under the tree as a paired gift! A search on Amazon for the phrase "one skein" or "one-skein" brings up several books to choose from, all full of projects that need only a single skein of yarn. The one that really caught my eye was 101 Designer One-Skein Wonders by Judith Durant, but there are books ranging from simple projects to glamour knits.

You should be able to get a gorgeous skein of yarn for under $5, and a book for less than $15, which means the total gift would be less than $20. Or, if your knitter already has a one-skein book, you can just go with the skein and have a stocking stuffer that's less than $5. Sometimes craft stores have $1 clearance skeins, so you could get a couple if you wanted!

What: Skein of Yarn (with book as Paired Gift)
Where: Yarn - any craft or fabric store; Book - Amazon or any bookstore
How much (as of today's post): $1-$5 for yarn; $12.32 for book (on Amazon)

Kids' Audio Books on CD

I'm showing my age here, but I have fond memories of children's books that came with 45 rpm records (or maybe they were 33 rpm?). The record would read the story and the child could read along, and there would be a little chime indicating when it was time to turn the page. I had Disney's The Aristocats, and a Mickey Mouse version of the little tailor who brags about killing seven flies with one blow (I can still hear Mickey's voice saying that in my head!), only everyone thinks he means he killed seven giants with one blow instead of seven flies.

Nowadays, a child wouldn't have the faintest idea what to do with an actual record, but children's audio books are alive and well on CDs. I was in Barnes & Noble the other day, and saw this Olivia Audio Collection for $9.99. It contains all five of the Olivia books by Ian Falconer on one CD, so I consider this quite a bargain! Featuring the voice of Dame Edna Everage, this would make a terrific stocking stuffer, and if your child doesn't already have the Olivia books, it's a great opportunity for a paired gift, with the CD in the stocking and a book or books beneath the tree.

I also saw Green Eggs and Ham and Other Servings of Dr. Seuss. Another bargain, this has nine unabridged classic Dr. Seuss tales on two CDs, read by Jason Alexander, David Hyde Pierce, and Michael McKean. The titles include "Hop on Pop", "Fox in Socks", "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish", and more. This one is priced at $19.99, but Amazon sells it for $13.59.

Aside from giving Mom and Dad's voice a break from reading aloud once in a while, audio books allow children to listen over and over, which in my mind really helps reading sink in. My mother says that she thought I simply had my record books memorized, but then she realized one day I had somehow absorbed how reading works because she bought me a new one and I was able to read it before listening to the record. And if reading is something your children are happy and comfortable with, their entire school experience will be so much easier, and their lives will be enriched in many ways.

Free E-book Downloads from Girlebooks

Can you believe it's already August? Wow, this year is flying by!

Today's stocking stuffer is almost free, it's do-it-yourself, and it's something you can do at the very last minute if you get caught short. All you need is a flash drive, which is the part that isn't quite free. But maybe you have one on hand anyway -- I have at least six or seven of them that I've picked up various places.

Have you heard of Girlebooks? It's a website with the tagline "ebooks by the gals". Their stated goal is "to make classic and lesser-known works by female writers available to a large audience through the ebook medium." They provide many free downloads of ebooks that contain works that have entered into the public domain, and also provide links to ebooks by women that are for sale. If you're not familiar with the term "public domain," it means books for which the copyright has expired, meaning that anyone can reprint the book and sell it without having to pay the author or the author's estate. In other words, these are generally older books, but don't let that fool you into thinking they're uninteresting! Here's a sample of authors for whom Girlebooks offers selected free downloads:

• Louisa May Alcott
  
• Jane Austen
  
• Anne Brontë
  
• Charlotte Brontë
  
• Emily Brontë
  
• Willa Cather
  
• Agatha Christie
  
• Helen Keller
  
• L.M. Montgomery
  
• Dorothy Sayers
  
• Edith Wharton
  

The books are offered in multiple formats, including Adobe Reader PDF, eReader PDB, Microsoft Reader LIT, Mobipocket/Kindle PRC, and plain text. Unless you have a dedicated e-book reader, which I don't, PDFs are probably the best choice because just about every computer has a free PDF software, and if you don't already have it you can download it for free. I still generally prefer books in the printed form, but I have read a few books on the computer, especially at lunchtime at work, and found it easier and more pleasant than I thought it would be.

So back to the stocking stuffer aspect: all you have to do is take a flashdrive and download several books to it to have a great stocking stuffer for the book lover in your life. For instance, you could put all of Jane Austen's books on the flash drive: Emma, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, and the lesser known Sandition and Other Stories. (Sandition is actually an unfinished novel, so they've collected some short stories into the same volume.) You can also take a shortcut by simply downloading Girlebooks' The Complete Works of Jane Austen as one file, but I actually like the idea of downloading them separately because Girlebooks has gone to the trouble of creating lovely covers for each of them. A flash drive filled with these books would make a lovely addition to a Jane Austen themed stocking (don't forget the Jane Austen action figure!), but it also stands on its own very nicely.

You could also do the same with L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables books, although unfortunately copyright restrictions prevent Girlebooks from providing one of the books in the series, Anne of Windy Poplars. It seems odd, but copyright law is extremely complicated and these kinds of oddities do occur. For Agatha Christie, only two of her dozens of books are available so far (The Secret Adversary and The Mysterious Affair at Styles), but you could combine them with the two Dorothy Sayers mysteries featuring her Lord Peter Wimsey character for a mystery-themed stocking stuffer. Or you could put all of Louisa May Alcott's books on the drive, or simply some combination of books by different authors. This would even work for a teen or tween girl, because you can get the classics Heidi, The Secret Garden, Little Women, What Katy Did, and at least the first three Anne of Green Gables books. I loved each of these books as a kid, and it's clear that they're enduring classics that each generation can discover anew.

You can conveniently browse the Girlebooks catalog by title, author, American literature, British literature, young adult, and new releases. And Girlebooks is constantly adding new free e-books to its catalog, so be sure to check back there, or subscribe to their updates so you don't miss anything!

Pat the Husband

Oh, if only I had seen this is time to post about it for Father's Day! I saw this while waiting in line at the register in Borders this past weekend, and I about died, especially because the man in the book has the same name as my husband! I will definitely be getting this for him....

As I'm sure any mommies seeing this picture will recognize, Pat the Husband is a clever spoof of the classic children's book Pat the Bunny. This version starts out with "Paul and Judy are married. Paul is the husband. Judy is the wife. Judy does her best to remember who wears the pants in her house." It then goes on to discuss many of those husband-and-wife classic clichés, such as when the helpless man cannot find anything in the refrigerator. If you're married, trust me -- you will see your husband in this book!

In fact, I think it would be hilarious to put Pat the Bunny in your little one's stocking, and Pat the Husband in your husband's stocking (it's board-book sized). Just be sure not to mix them up, or you will have a very confused child on your hands!

What: Pat the Husband: A Parody
Where: Amazon or any bookstore
How much (as of today's post): $9.95 (plus shipping)

Hop on Pop Board Book

It may seem strange, but I'm not listing this as a stocking stuffer for kids; rather I'm listing it as a stocking stuffer for dads -- or, to be more accurate, a small Father's Day gift from a child to his or her dad. Reading aloud is one of the most valuable activities a parent and child can share, and Hop on Pop, the classic Dr. Seuss title that was published in 1963 (it's older than I am!), is a terrific book for a father and child to share. And the small size of the board book edition makes it perfect for a Father's Day gift bag or basket.

What: Hop on Pop (Bright & Early Board Books)
Where: Amazon or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $4.99 (plus shipping)

Dim Sum: A Pocket Guide

This tiny little pocket guide from Chronicle Books, only 4.8 by 3.5 inches, packs its 80 pages with descriptions, color images, and the phonetic pronunciation of the Cantonese name for 48 different dim sum dumplings. I never ate Asian food as a child, so as an adult I'd had to work past being intimidated by it. It took a trip to Japan to get me to try sushi, and now it's one of my favorite meals! I haven't explored dim sum yet, but I'm a little more encouraged to do so now that I've tried more Asian foods and found they're not so scary, and in fact often quite delicious.

I note that this little book gets an average rating on Amazon of 4.5 out of 5 stars. As one reviewer named Annie notes, "Dim sum is a totally different experience when you can actually ask for things by name." At $7.95, this little book is the right price, and it's certainly the right size, for a nifty and unusual stocking stuffer.

What: Dim Sum: A Pocket Guide
Where: Amazon or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $7.95 (plus shipping)

The Monster at the End of This Book

I hope everyone had a terrific Mother's Day! And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming....

I'm in my early 40s, and I still own my original copy of this wonderful classic, The Monster at the End of this Book, starring Grover from Sesame Street. When I was little, I thought this was the cleverest book ever written, and it still makes me smile to this day. So out of curiosity, I searched Amazon to see if they might have it in a board book version small enough to fit in a stocking, and lo! According to Amazon, this edition measures 5.7 x 4.2 x 0.6 inches. So it might take a wide-mouthed stocking, but it is just possible! This is the perfect read-aloud book, especially if you as the reader don't mind hamming it up with voices and "special effects" (my favorite is when the brick wall comes crashing down).

(There's even a "sequel" that incorporates Elmo, titled Another Monster at the End of This Book. Not quite as good as the original, of course, but still enjoyable.)

What: The Monster at the End of This Book
Where: Amazon or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $4.99 (plus shipping)

Mommy Loves Board Book

Technically, the themes in this book -- mommy love and baby animals and counting -- aren't specifically about Easter, but with these adorable bunnies gracing the cover, I say close enough! It certainly won't look out of place in an Easter basket. This book is written by Anne Gutman and illustrated by Georg Hallensleben, who also write/illustrate the wonderful Lisa and Gaspard series about two little dogs and their misadventures. Happy reading!

(And if you have kids, you owe it to yourself to check out the Lisa and Gaspard books at the library. In one adventure, they accidentally get locked in the museum for the night. In another, they try to create the perfect Christmas present for their teacher, and succeed -- sort of!)

What: Mommy Loves
Where: Amazon or other bookstores
How much (as of today's post): $5.95 (plus shipping)