Wish.list: Japanese Toys and Tech!

I sometimes lose myself looking at Japanese toys and gadgets on the interwebs. There are some truly absurd and amazing trinkets out there, making for a wellspring of gifts, from quirky to astonishing. Here are some favorites.





[ichi] finger tentacles . thinkgeek
Go ahead, freak people out with these things.

[ni] Poking Box . gizmine
You can fight a little karate stick figure guy with your digital digit, c'mon! 

[san] Lumindot . Japan Gadget Shop
Like the old school Lite-Bright but waaaay better. Seriously, watch the video.

[shi] Electric Butterfly . Japan Gadget Shop

[go] Solar pet bottle car . japan trend shop
Got to get a cool shaped bottle, I suggest Ito En.

This gift guide brought to you by our friend, plasticblog. He can probably count to ten in Japanese.

Wish.list: Home Chef Enthusiast

If you're dreaming of a gourmet holiday season, the following wishlist is for your home chef extraordinaire...





[one] Global chef knife . Amazon
A good knife is a necessity.

[2] Cutting board . korin
THE cutting board.

[three] the smoking gun. williams sonoma
I want to smoke my own salmon like Marcus Samuelsson.

[4] Profession immersion blender . williams sonoma
Soups in a snap.

[five] Silicone spatulas . amazon
All silicone and sturdy.

[6] herb keepers . prepara
I'm obsessed with them, as you can see.

[seven] larousse gastronomique . amazon
A classic.

This gift guide brought to you by DomesticEsq , an attorney/culinary school graduate who is spending this holiday drooling over kitchen gadgets.

Wish.list: Christmas Under the Arch

A collection of items every card carrying member of STL* would be proud to own or at least totally understand why it belongs in their closet/fridge/wall.




[one] I Love St. louis Block print . Lucius art on etsy
Forgive me this is a Chicago artist. But it's too cool!

[2] bird feeder . joepapendick on etsy
Modern birdfeeder by local artist Joe Papendick.

[three] STL flag. desertjuan on etsy
Okay, so maybe not the most high class artwork ever, but: St. Louis flag done in Mardi Gras beads. Be still my heart.

[four] STL microbrew selection . list by stl hops
For the ultimate St. Louis microbrew champion, why don't you pick up a bottle from each brewpub in this list?

[five] David freese jersey . mlb
He's the hometown boy for the hometown team. Thats like STLove x2!

[6] I (fleur-de-lis) STL . STL STYLE
I <3 STL, only redesigned.

 This gift guide brought to you by Mrs. Kuhlrock, the proudest St. Louisan outside of St. Louis proper.

*For those not familiar, STL is the common abbreviation for St. Louis, MO. There, now you are an honorary, STLien.

Wish.list: Nature Lovers

Ahh, the great outdoors. There is nothing quite like it. Here is a list inspired by those who find solace under the canopy of a hickory-oak forest.




[one] travel vest . national geographic store
While you wear the most legit trekking vest ever...it is offered by NatGeo, after all.

[2] field guide to urban wildlife . amazon
Go collect all 135 species!

[3] birch pillar candles . world market
Bring the indoors in with fake wood.

[four] seed bombs . visualingual on etsy
Bring the animals to you with wildlife habitat seed bombs.

[five] burl wood light switch plates . timbergreenwoods on etsy
One way to bring the outdoors inside is with flowers. Another way is to cover your light switches with interesting wood

[6] missouri botanical garden membership . mobot or your local garden
The best trekking is done in your local botanical garden. Get a membership and support local and worldwide efforts to sustain the flora you so admire.

 This gift guide brought to you by Mrs. Kuhlrock, an ethnobotanist that hikes for extended periods in the jungles of Madagascar and the mountains of Peru.

Wish.list: For the new momma

Dear new mom - Ah, the joys of being a new mom. Is anything the same as before?




[one] softened edges robe . anthropologie
A beautiful silky robe to feel pretty when you are up way too early and not getting a nap anytime soon.

[two] gold loop hoops . kateszabone on etsy
Hoop earrings that easily slide out when a little one grabs at them.

[three] transatlantic bag . anthropologie
A beautiful bag that can hold all of baby's stuff without letting anyone know its a diaper bag.

[four] organic cocoa facial mask . dress green
And while you are not sleeping as much, a little TLC for your tired face. Why not use one made out of chocolate?

[five] flower of the month club
Fresh flower of the month club!

[six] organic argan oil . josie maran
Argan oil. Mix it in to your conditioner or use it as a serum, apply to your face, hands, everywhere! So helpful for drying out of skin that comes with washing your hands every 10 minutes.

 This gift guide brought to you by Mrs. Kuhlrock, a new momma who is gearing up to spend her first Christmas with her little one and husband.

Wish.list: Gifts for a nerd

Boy or girl, one hundred percent of nerds love: old school video games; Star Wars; Harrison Ford; webcomics; card games; Hayao Miyazaki; and crafty things. Buy your special nerd a gift from this list, and you are sure to put a smile on their face!


[one] gamespite journal 10 . blurb, but read more about it here
[2] no one wants to play sega with harrison ford print . brandon bird
[3] kodama figure . cuteart on etsy
[four] penny arcade: the game . penny arcade
[5] tauntaun sleeping bag . think geek

This post brought to you by our resident geek (Daniel).

Wish.list: Casual Chic

The 2011 wish.list gift-giving guide is here! Look for more guides throughout the holiday season.

This gift list is for the gal that likes a little umph in her daily lineup, but nothing too glitzy. We like to call it casual chic. (Also, I've been told you can't wear yoga pants all the time...)




[1] kallia bag . milloo on etsy
[two] handcut silver earrings . gemagenta on supermarket
[three] stripes pullover . anthropologie
[4] sneaker customization kit . uncommon goods
[five] t-shirt jewelry . uncommon goods - or - make it yourself

Antiquing Treasures

I recently went antique shopping in Hannibal, MO* during our weekend stay up at the ranch. Having been born and raised in a small town in Missouri, I can attest that small town shopping is usually good for a WalMart, gas station convenience stores and antique shops. Being in the mood to look for old world treasures, I am happy to report that Hannibal didn't let me down on the antique front**. The first rule of antique shopping, if there are any rules, is that antique shopping is not only locating a coveted item, but also getting a good deal on said item. As a novice, I am diligently honing my skills, but mistakes will be made and junk will be collected during this whole process. On this particular outing, I feel I demonstrated a decent amount of restraint so as to draw the line between myself and the individuals you see on Hoarders. I present my treasures:


[ 1 ] Pink glass sugar bowl
[ 2 ] Blue glass Ball jar 
[ 3 ] Yellow glass sugar bowl 
[ 4 ] Red glass sugar bowl 
[ 5 ] Metal shelf brackets. (I loved the color and patina on these.)



You might ask yourself, "Ummm...what is the deal with all the sugar bowls?" Well...my big plan is to use them as little vases. I am sure Martha or Pottery Barn probably beat me to the punch, but I don't recall and am quite pleased with my idea nevertheless. Below are some sugar bowls from a previous shopping trip filled with herbs from the backyard (oregano and flowering chives). I am hoping to amass a lot of little sugar bowls and cluster them with flowers/herbs/whatever I fancy for that "Aren't I clever whipping this together?" centerpieces just like you see in the magazines. Nevermind that no one would have 20 sugar bowls at the ready for anything other than just such an occassion.


As for the Ball jar, these little darlings are the pride of homemade mavens and DIY wedding centerpieces alike. Personally, I collect these to put my dry goods on display in the kitchen. Clearly I need a refill on some of my dry goods in this picture, but it does function quite nicely as storage and fills up an otherwise empty wall.


Until next time...happy hunting.

* MO is the state abbreviation for Missouri. People commonly mistake it for MI (Michigan called dibs on that one) or MS (Mississippi lays claim to that one).
**Hannibal also has a nice gallery/art scene as well.