misosouper, a shopping blog, featuring fashion, design, and gadgets

Not in the mood for love?  These gifts will bring out your cheeky side.

These animals will keep that library in line.

Mix your Mexican beverage metaphors and serve her up with a tray full of Negra Modelos.

My favorite martian.

Way creepier than playing poker with mirrored glasses.  A true objet d’art.

Why should Radiohead get all the rainbows?

A satisfyingly dramatic way to pass the days.

Now that the election is over, you need someone else to root for.

Lover, you should have come over.

My teenage cousin is obsessed with phone charms.  Here’s one (a miniature terrarium!) that doesn’t involve pink beads.

Perhaps my favorite item in the whole gift guide.  Perhaps the cheapest, too.

Do these derby critters remind anyone else of the Hummer soapbox derby kids?

Portable iPod karaoke sets bring joy to the world.

A daschund bag needs no commentary.

I warned you that I like small things writ large.

Yo to the yo.

This koi pitcher makes a lovely gurgling sound when it pours.

I’m thinking this tape isn’t fireproof.

Parrots are the new Rabbits.

Cleaning toilets probably isn’t what Pinocchio signed up for.

Unwrap it.  You know you want to.

What this sleek white instant camera lacks in vintage charm, it makes up for in features, like autofocus.  Plus, it hasn’t been discontinued, which is always a plus.  RIP, Polaroid.

And to think you were going to get them a Jawbone.

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Am I insinuating that the gifts you usually give aren’t meaningful?  (Maybe I am.  I can be like that sometimes.)   Regardless of how much of a jerk I am, these should go out to the ones you love.

Tiny and delicate can also be a grand gesture.

A container for just one thing.  Your love? Your dignity? I’ll let you decide.

You heard the man. Be somebody, all day long.

While Virginia Woolf insists on a room of one’s own, I’d just settle for my very own comfy chair.

Putting your jewelry in this dish will probably scare the robbers away.

I’m not sure what the metaphor is either, but I think I like it.

Perfect for your new assistant. When he finds a better job, ask for it back and give it to your next one.

Felt is so much sexier than leather. What would you rather rub up against in the subway?

Give this to your mother-in-law.  Then smile like you mean it.

For the more cynical among us. (Hey, I say meaningful, not joyful.)

These honesty stamps allow you to apologize or inflame, all without opening your mouth. Isn’t that what got you in trouble in the first place?

A much better teacher gift than caramel corn or an ornament.

A little handmade book of garden birds for your favorite green thumb.

An elegant home for the most modern of necessities.

Puts those Cartier love bracelets to shame.

There’s someone like this in your life, even if it’s your therapist. A route we do not recommend.

Ridiculously romantic: artist Jessica Marie Lertvilai collected love letters and transcribed them in Braille onto the surface of this vase, appropriately entitled “love is blind.”

Is there a more affectionate term of endearment?

These metal flowers come gift-ready in a long white box. Bonus: they’ll never, ever die.

Acrylic is the new gold. Custom made, so get your order in now.

After all these years, there are still some questions left unasked.

And after all these years, they still deserve some secrets.

Send in your doodle, and they’ll stuff it for you.

An anatomically correct silver heart locket. Go Victorian and enclose a lock of hair.

This therapeutic warming mattress cover, with its six separate temperature zones, could save your relationship.

Remember when you used to go to concerts? (Both a question and a statement.)

Limited edition, just like your kid.

Yes, you could just write out twelve ways you made a difference in a plain journal; but if it were that easy, wouldn’t you already have done it?

Make a wish.  Make it count.

If a thematic mantra unites the gifts in the ‘08 Wishful List, it’s this:  smaller is indeed better.  Not necessarily in scale–as you’ll see, I have a particular affection for objects that are usually small, but have been writ large–but in scope, and certainly in price. Today we begin with gifts chosen for their utility; as all good devolutions go, we’ll end the week in a heap of frivolity.

For my family and friends: you’re probably getting something from this list.  Sorry, and you’re welcome.

Bringing beer to the party?  You could just dump out the swill and fill the cans with flowers instead.  I’m sure someone will be taken by your gesture and share theirs.

As a social smoker (only when I drank, and only one!) who was shoved onto the brutal, bitter NYC sidewalks in the great Bloombergian smokeout of ‘03, I empathize.  Use these to keep your favorite smoker’s hands warm.

Oil is on one side, vinegar is on the other.  Separate spouts guarantee that ne’er the twain will meet, except on your salad.  Bonus points for looking gorgeous on the table.

A spilt bottle of water is the cause of many purse moatings.  Friends don’t let friends be that wet, soggy girl.

This skullcap with built-in headphones is just one step away from the ultimate in wireless, which is having the speakers implanted directly in your brain.  Maybe next Christmas.

As a design object, jiggers are usually ugly; this sleek aluminum cube proves they don’t have to be.

The possibilities are endless for this little bag made out of steel (literally!  the thread is coated with it):  toys, shoes, produce, small dogs…

Ladybuds, which are perfect for keeping your earplugs in while you rock your body at concerts, are not to be confused with ladybugs or ladylumps, neither of which would make good gifts.

This luggage tag makes me laugh.  Give one to your travel partner, and make them laugh too.

Best line ever:  “Your wife is so hot–is she a stay-at-home?”  Perfect for the party planning committee.

Yes, these gloves do have a bit of street urchin about them; but for professorial friends who toil in dank library basements, they may not stave off boredom, but they will prevent frostbite.

For those of us who don’t have a bike, a shoulder-strapped version of the iconic Carrie shopping basket.

They say lazy, I say efficient; hook this spoon’s notched edge onto a pot to preserve your counters from caked-on food.

Actually a great travel gift:  use this device to turn off annoying TVs around the globe, from bars in Kenosha to the airport in Bangor.

Sculptural and affordable, unlike so many other modern clocks on the market.  For a very tall wall.

Tomorrow:  gifts suited for a houseful of your favorite people.

I understand that plastique purses serve a purpose:  done well, they can offer the cheap, broke, and/or vegan an alternative to pricey leather bags.  But in practice, the pleather often reeks of, well, pleather.  Their vaguely chemically smell and rigid texture have disqualified them from my closet.

Until I scooped up this faux-woven bag from Kohl’s.  My new beloved is huge, slouchy, and odorless, which makes for an amazing work or school bag beyond its obvious “so what if it touches the disgusting subway floor because it only cost $13.50″ statement.

If this dashing clutch wallet were covered in real peacock plumes, it would never be $7.50.  It would also get soggy in the rain, and probably itch your fingers. So we’ll count our blessings; namely, that this dashing clutch wallet is only $7.50.