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 The sculpture was originally made of bronze and tulle, while this 1.25 inch high by .75 inch wide pin is made of antiqued bronze finish.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)

Soap Rocks

My husband is a planetary scientist, so we have a fair number of rocks around the house, some of which are very pretty. Years ago he went to Herkimer, New York for a day, where you're allowed to go into some "mines" and bring out any Herkimer "diamonds" (actually "double-terminated quartz crystals") that you find. My husband found me one still embedded in a large chunk of gray rock, which is one of the few things I took with me when we evacuated for Hurricanes Rita and Ike. But I digress....

In any case, I happened to come across these "soap rocks" on the Signals website, and I love how much they really do look like beautiful rock specimens! The product description says they're made from all-natural ingredients, and weigh 6-8 ounces. The choices are "Amethyst" (with a Cucumber Ylang Garden fragrance), "Agate" (Cool and Fresh fragrance), or "Black Onyx" (Cool Mist fragrance).

For a lovely paired gift, you might also consider the 4 by 3 inch sandstone soap dish. (*As always, be careful putting anything scented in a Christmas stocking if you also have chocolate in there -- chocolate picks up smells and tastes!)

What: Soap Rocks
Where: Signals.com
How much (as of today's post): $12.95 soap / 9.95 dish (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)

Ice Cream Accents

This cute little four-compartment container holds different ice cream toppings to turn a dish of ice cream into a celebration: Fruit Imperials, Cinnamon Imperials, Carnival Sprinkles, and Rainbow Non-Pareils. I saw something similar at Sur La Table last weekend, and then found this version on the BetterTaste.com website (which also has a Chocolate Ice Cream Accents version, for all those chocoholics out there!). Put this in the stocking with an ice cream scoop and put a monogrammed ice cream dish under the tree for a fun paired gift.

What: Ice Cream Accents
Where: BetterTaste.com, Sur la Table, or elsewhere
How much (as of today's post): $5.50 (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

Alice in Wonderland Clock

Today's "luxury Friday" stocking stuffer: an Alice in Wonderland clock featuring the classic John Tenniel illustration of Alice with the cards. I love the bright red color scheme, plus it would make a fun paired gift for a little girl if you also gave her the book or even the Disney DVD. The clock is 2.5 inches high, and 4 inches in diameter with a 2.25 inch diameter face. It requires one AA battery and comes with a one year warranty. I think it would be great for younger girls, or for older girls or women if you know they love Alice.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

What: Alice in Wonderland Clock
Where: The Afternoon website
How much (as of today's post): $29.95 (plus shipping)

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.

Space-Themed Stocking: Celebrating the Moon Landing!

Here in Houston, we're all very aware and proud of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. In honor of that event, here are some ideas for a space-themed Christmas stocking for the budding astronaut in your life. First, Johnson Space Center's gift shop carries this "Space Toob", a tube filled with small astronauts, space vehicles, and even a little space chimp. It's great for imaginative play, and the tube will look cute stocking out of a Christmas stocking. For those of you who don't live in Houston or Florida, it's also available from Amazon.

And you just can't have a space-themed stocking without astronaut ice cream! This used to be something exotic you could only get on a school field trip to a science museum, but nowadays, astronaut ice cream -- or even alien ice cream! -- is readily available from many retailers including the Perpetual Kid website. Heck, these days you can even choose chocolate chip, mint chocolate chip, or an astronaut ice cream sandwich! The Kennedy Space Center gift shop, which also sells online, even has a can of moon soup, although I doubt the little ones will find that exciting as the ice cream.

Another space-themed stocking stuffer: glow-in-the-dark stars and planets to decorate your child's ceiling. The previous owners of our current home included a teenaged boy, whose bedroom is now my office. We bought this house five years ago, and I still haven't taken down the NASA space shuttle wallpaper border or the glowing stars on the ceiling because I get such a kick out of them! These stars can be found at the Kennedy Space Center gift shop, and I imagine they can be found elsewhere where novelties are sold, such as Spencer's Gifts.

Once you start looking, you'll see that space-related stocking stuffers are remarkably easy to find. And if your son or daughter or niece or nephew is really into this space stuff, here is the ultimate gift to pair with your themed stocking: the NASA flight suit, which is available in orange or white. These aren't cheap, at $49.99. But we purchased one for our almost-nephew (son of a very close friend) a few years ago, and his mother reports that it's hard to get him out of it because he loves it so much! It does double-duty as a Halloween costume, and has provided hours and hours of play time for him. We purchased it at least one size bigger because we knew he would probably grow out of it quickly, and it turns out the danger is him wearing it out before he outgrows it!

Finally, for some extra quality time with your child, you could spend some of your Christmas vacation helping him or her build a space shuttle out of cardboard boxes. Back when I was a kid, I built a "viper" out of cardboard boxes based on my favorite show, Battlestar Galactica (yes, I'm dating myself -- I mean the old version, although I also love the new show!), and it's one of my fondest memories.

Handmade Wooden Nursery Rhyme Blocks

OK, I am completely in love with this set of handcrafted wooden nursery rhyme blocks! Each block has two sides with embossed and painted (non-toxic inks!) images, and four sides of text. The set of 28 blocks tells these nine Mother Goose rhymes:

• Three Little Kittens
  
• Jack Be Nimble
  
• Hickory Dickory Dock
  
• Humpty Dumpty
  
• Jack & Jill
  
• Pat-a-cake Pat-a-cake
  
• Mary Had a Little Lamb
  
• Hey Diddle Diddle
  
• Little Miss Muffet

I admit that nobody would want to put all 28 blocks in a Christmas stocking, but there's certainly no reason you can't put at least a few of the blocks in the stocking, then have the rest under the tree -- perhaps paired with a book of nursery rhymes? And because they're made of wood, these are the kind of quality toy that could be passed down from generation to generation.

What: Handmade Wooden Nursery Rhyme Blocks
Where: Uncommon Goods website
How much (as of today's post): $38.00 (plus shipping)

[Note: Don't forget to enter my ongoing giveaway for a Swarovski rhinestone stretch bracelet. The giveaway runs through Saturday, July 11, 2009.]

Bunco Coasters

Do you know anyone who plays Bunco? My mom belongs to a Bunco group, so I'm thinking these coasters might make a fun stocking stuffer for her. I love the retro look! These coasters, which come in a set of four, are made of sandstone with cork backing, and measure 4.25 inches in diameter.

And if your mom (or other gift recipient) is not yet a Bunco player, you can get her the game and make it a paired gift!

(By the way, if it's sexist of me to list this stocking stuffer for women only, it's just that I've never known any men who play Bunco. Well, that, and the coasters look a little girly anyway!)

What: Bunco Coasters
Where: Perpetual Kid website
How much (as of today's post): $14.99 (plus shipping)

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)

Audobon Bird Call

Here's a fun stocking stuffer when you're trying to get your child interested in the outdoors instead of just television shows and video games: an Audobon bird call. Made of birchwood and metal, this little "instrument" makes a variety of calls that are meant to attract wild birds.

Where I grew up on the east coast, it was a rare and special occasion to see an honest-to-goodness bluejay or cardinal. In Houston, though, I often see bluejays in the backyard, keeping an eye on the squirrels. My cats certainly enjoy the show! We also have hummingbirds (I understand that we're just on the edge of a migration route), egrets, doves, and herons, and they're all lovely to watch.

The bird call is also appropriate for a child already enrolled in Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, as those organizations (if I recall correctly) like to emphasize nature activities. You can also pair this with any number of guides to bird species, either one small enough to also fit in the stocking, or a larger book under the Christmas tree.

What: Audobon Bird Call
Where: Escape Direct website
How much (as of today's post): $5.45 (plus shipping)

Divided Butterly and Flower Boxes

This Easter stocking basket stuffer pays off twice: once when you fill it with jelly beans or pastel M&Ms, and again when the recipient can use it to hold jewelry-making beads, earrings, or other little treasures. In fact, if you're trying to cut back on the Easter candy altogether, why not just fill it up with beads to begin with? You could then also put little pliers, coils or jewelry wire, or other jewelry-making tools into the Easter basket too.

The butterfly and flower boxes pictured come from The Container Store website, although as of today's date it says that both have been back-ordered. However, you may be able to get them in person at a Container Store location, or find something similar at Michael's, AC Moore, or Hobby Lobby craft stores. Another option might be a plastic "egg carton" if you can find one.

What: Divided Butterly and Flower Boxes
Where: Container Store website or store location
How much (as of today's post): $2.99 (plus shipping)

Library Thing Membership with CueCat Scanner

Here is a stocking-stuffer-appropriate gift for the book lover in your life. Are you familiar with Library Thing? It's a social book-cataloging website where people enter the books in their personal collections, usually by the ISBN (a unique number that identifies the book in question). You can catalog with as much or as little detail as you like, and the really fun part is that you can tag books with any word or phrase you can think of, such as "to be read" (which a lot of folks abbreviate as "TBR"), "mystery", "romance", "favorite covers", "storage box 1", or anything else you can think of. You can then click on your tag to find all of your books with that tag assigned.

LT still calls itself a "beta" website, but it's been around since August 2005 and now boasts more than 600,000 members. To date, more than 35 million books have been cataloged. There are also group chat topics where people can discuss books or other areas of interest, and a Common Knowledge wiki feature that allows users to enter character and other information (so you can theoretically find every book that features William Shakespeare as a character, for example). Perhaps more importantly, it's an awful lot of fun. You can even make a photomosaic of your own photos, made up of your book covers! And depending on how into tech you are, you can view your LT book collection over your iPhone or other Internet-ready device. That means if you're in a bookstore and can't remember if you already have a book, all you have to do is check, instantly. Your LT collection can also serve as an insurance inventory, and since the information is stored on the LT server, it will still be there if your house burns down. (You can make your library private instead of public, if you're so inclined.)

How does this all fit into a stocking stuffer blog? Well, there are free Library Thing memberships available that allow the user to catalog up to 200 books. But a lifetime membership -- which you can give as a gift -- is only $25. That lets the user catalog as many books as he/she wants, forever. And here's the icing on the cake: you can buy a CueCat scanner for only $15 plus shipping. This is a little scanner that's actually shaped like a cat, which reads in the books' ISBNs, making cataloging a book collection even quicker and easier. (I still think it's funny that it's shaped like a cat -- and so fitting, since book lovers and cat lovers have so much overlap.) Inexpensive CueCat scanners on ebay.

All in all, I think a CueCat in the stocking, accompanied by a Library Thing membership, is one of the nicest gifts you can give to a book lover.

Shakespeare the Romantic on Valentine's Day

One of my all-time favorite movies, and certainly one of the most romantic, is Shakespeare in Love. And the best thing about this movie is that it's not really a "chick flick" the way many others are -- there's enough wit and humor in this movie that many men will like it too (my husband thought it was great). It did win the Oscar for Best Picture, after all! And it's downright laugh-out-loud funny in places.

Then it occurred to me that Shakespeare in Love offers a wonderful opportunity for a themed Valentine's Day gift basket. First, I'd start with a heart-shaped basket, which should be easy enough to find at Target or a Hallmark store, or maybe even a dollar store. I'd layer in some Valentine-colored tissue paper, and then I'd pop in a DVD of Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series), which can found on Amazon and elsewhere for under $10.

So what else? How about the music CD for Shakespeare in Love? Stephen Warbeck's score also won one of the many Oscars the film picked up in 1999. (It also won for best screenplay, best costume design, best actress, and best supporting actress, in case you were wondering.) It really is gorgeous music, and I picture the movie any time I listen to it.

And finally, since I'm a book lover, the pièce de résistance: Shakespeare in Love: The Love Poetry of William Shakespeare. Admittedly, this is just a repackaging of Shakespeare's sonnets that was brought out in an attempt to cash in on the movie's success. But I loved the movie so much I just had to have this version, so I could picture Will and Viola as I was reading. Sadly, this edition is technically out of print, but the link above goes to the Amazon page where there are still many new copies available from Amazon Marketplace sellers for under a dollar (and shipping is usually $3.99, making this quite inexpensive). Personally I've had very good experiences using Amazon Marketplace sellers to purchase out-of-print items, but if you're not comfortable with that, there are always editions of Shakespeare's sonnets still in print.

And if you really want to go all out, you could throw in the luxury item I posted about back on December 26, the Shakespeare sonnets silk scarf available from the Museum Store Company.

Now it just may happen that Shakespeare isn't your favorite thing, but don't forget this could also work for other romantic movies -- what about the recent version of Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley? There's the DVD, the CD of the score, and the book. Even if there's not specifically a book edition with the movie art on the cover, any nice little copy of Pride and Prejudice would work just as well. You could even throw in the Jane Austen action figure I mentioned in mid-January, or the Jane Austen tarot deck featured back in November 2008.

What other romantic combinations of DVDs, CDs, books, and related items can you think of?