'Tis the season: Your gift-shopping just got a lot easier
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10 clever holiday gifts for $10 or less
Budgets are tight this holiday season, but there's no need to break the bank for a gift that's both functional and fun.
Here are 10 worthy gifts for under $10:
* The Utensil Pot Clip ($7, Sur La Table and other retailers) may not look like much, but it does create commotion in the kitchen. It ingeniously holds a spoon teetering above a pot of boiling water with a dash of cool.
* The Expandable Flower Vase ($4.99 to $9.99, Vazu USA) is a lightweight but durable plastic vase that comes in many colorful, artsy designs and sizes. When water is poured in, the vase expands to mimic a glass vase. These vases store flat, so they're portable and easy to store. Similarly entertaining is the Collapsible Vase ($8.50, Lee Valley Tools), which expands when hot water is added. The vase can be molded into any particular shape, which is held in place with cold water. Hot water re-flattens this vase for storage.
* Pastel-colored, ceramic Egg Cups ($10, UncommonGoods) can do double-duty: They're intended for keeping soft-boiled eggs steady, but they also can sit quietly on a counter, holding a homegrown posey or a posse of paperclips.
* The heat generated by the small candle in the Tea Light Rotary Candleholder ($9.99, The Container Store) spins one of two holiday shapes - snowflakes or reindeer. The candle is not included.
* Toilet Tattoos ($9.95, Lena Fiore Inc.) are vinyl covers for the commode. You don't think your throne needs decorating? Check out this company's many designs, including holiday-themed appliqués.
* Heartbeats notepads ($3.75, Heartbeats Catalog) are not sassy. They're not glamorous. They are simple, inspirational and to the point. There are nearly 30 notepad designs from which to choose from this nonprofit, Roman Catholic ministry of the Sisters of Humility in Mary based in Cleveland, Ohio. Several to ponder: "Wishing you unexpected surprises," "What if imagination ruled the world?" and "Beauty awakens the soul to act."
http://www.heartbeatscatalog.org
* Candy Cane Shot Glasses ($8, fredflare.com) are sassy. They're also edible. This is the gift for that kooky person who really does have everything. It comes in a two-pack, so you can sip, and chomp, with a friend.
* The Luggage Scale ($9.85, Magellan's) could save your frequent flier from footing extra airline baggage charges. The lightweight device can be tucked into luggage for use before the return flight. It weighs luggage up to 75 pounds and there's a built-in tape measure to make sure your luggage doesn't exceed the dimension restrictions.
* The Sukie Perpetual Calendar ($9.95, MoMA Store) from the gift shop at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, is a charming way to keep track of the days. The dials inside this sturdy cardboard treehouse help keep track of the month and day of any year. This is one calendar you don't ever have to throw away.
* The Camera Photo Album ($10, Sundance Catalog Co.) has that classy, retro look that may tempt those of us who never print their images to do so just to show off this totable album.
http://www.sundancecatalog.com
Easy ways to give green this holiday
Kermit the Frog only had it half right: It may not be easy to be green, but it's certainly easy to give "green." With "green" the hot buzzword these days, it's not hard to find gifts in every price range.
Some ideas:
* The "Adela" Recycled Tire Tube Handbag ($42.95, The Hunger Site), which is sold on several Web sites run by GreaterGood.org, is created by El Salvadoran artists. There are other sizes and styles available, including a toiletry bag for men.
* The Acai Rainforest Beaded Bracelet ($12, The Rainforest Site) is made from the nut of a palm plant that's native to rainforests throughout Central and South America, according to the Web site. The seeds are colored with organic vegetable dyes. Purchases at this site, also managed by GreaterGood.org, help fund land preservation. The sale of this bracelet includes a $1 donation to the World Wildlife Fund.
http://www.therainforestsite.com
* The Succulent Wreath ($98 plus $10 surcharge, VivaTerra) includes five varieties of succulents arranged to highlight differences in texture, shape and color around a wire-mesh frame. The plants can last for several years with proper care and watering, the company says.
* The Recycled Car Part Earrings ($35, WorldofGood.com) are crafted by Trillium Artisans of Portland, Ore., which is a community economic development program. Available in black or antique gold.
* The brightly colored Patchwork Kalamkari Pillow ($24, WorldofGood.com) is made in India for Ten Thousand Villages, a nonprofit retailer with more than 155 stores in the United States and Canada. The naturally dyed and painted cotton pillows also are available via this Web site, an online marketplace launched by eBay in September.
* I Am Not a Paper Cup ($20, MoMA Store), from the gift shop at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, is an amusing reminder to bring your own mug to a meeting. The porcelain cup has a pliable, silicone lid to keep drinks hot, and it's dishwasher-safe.
* The Desk Pendulum Clock ($86, Eco-Artware.com and other Web sites) is artist-crafted from recycled automotive tire rubber and bicycle parts for this online company that sells eco-friendly gifts.
* The Green Toys Tea Set ($24.99, Target and other retailers) is made from recycled, plastic milk jugs by Green Toys, a California company that prides itself on making toys locally.
* The fun of a Recycled Tire Swing ($79.99 to $129.99, Target and other retailers) never goes out of style. The company that crafts this swing, Wildlife Creations International Inc., also makes 13 other styles, from dragons to airplanes, and they're sold at retailers, such as Target, and online.
http://www.originaltireswings.net
* The Optibike 800 Li, ($8,995, Optibike) is a best-selling, hybridized electric bicycle hand-built by this Boulder, Colo., company. Great for commuters or recreational cyclists in search of a kick, the bike can travel 30 miles on one charge, but that distance is doubled with an optional battery. It uses about 9 cents of electricity to travel 50 miles, according to the company.
10 gifts that give back
Some gifts give, then give again. Here are some gifts that help support philanthropies or those in need with their purchase:
* The gift of a goat ($120, or share a goat for $10, Heifer International) is one way this charitable organization promotes its mission of helping families worldwide struggle out of poverty and become self-sufficient. A financial contribution enables Heifer to provide animals and training to people in places such as Zambia, Albania, China and Peru. The gift recipient receives a colorful card explaining Heifer's work.
* Adopt a blue-footed booby ($50 to $100, World Wildlife Fund) and your gift recipient receives a small plush replica of this South American bird. This popular program, which generated more than $1 million for WWF last year, includes more than 90 animals that can be symbolically adopted.
* The Three Soup Gourmet Food Bundle ($18.75, Women's Bean Project) is one of the many food items sold online by this Denver nonprofit that tries to break the cycle of poverty by employing women in its gourmet foods business.
http://www.womensbeanproject.com
* The Freedom Trees Jute Tote ($22, WorldofGood.com and other online retailers) helps the women in North Calcutta, India, who make the bags to help make a living. Sold by Karma Market Boutique on this new eBay online marketplace, each eco-friendly bag comes with a tag that explains its story.
* The Side-Zip Mat Bag ($38, One Mango Tree) is made by seamstresses in Northern Uganda. The small, fair-trade business launched by an American woman and a Ugandan seamstress has expanded to include 27 tailors in just one year. One Mango Tree also sells purses, neckties and kitchen items to help people in conflict-torn regions out of poverty.
* The Bicycle Chain Menorah ($24, Ten Thousand Villages) gives an eco-twist to Hanukkah. Artists in India fashion these menorahs out of recycled bicycle parts for this free-trade retailer with more than 160 stores in the United States and Canada.
http://www.tenthousandvillages.com
* The "Green Vines" Outdoor Recycled Blanket ($79, Blue Lotus) is made from recycled plastic soda bottles. This family-run company that specializes in sustainable goods says 18 one-liter bottles go into each of its blankets, which are made with soft fleece on one side and water-resistant nylon on the other. The company says it donates to marine-life causes, such as the Sea Turtle Restoration Project in Forest Knolls, Calif.
http://www.bluelotusblankets.com
* These jeans, called "Boot Cut in Raw" ($99, Good Society), are made by this 1-year-old label, the creation of a band of college friends who say they make fairly traded, organic, eco-friendly jeans and T-shirts at the factory they built near Delhi, India. Good Society's profits are helping build a Delhi orphanage launched by a partner's relative.
* The porcelain Mondo dessert plates or mugs ($50, Rosanna Inc.) come in a set of six, each with a different, graphic design. The company says it donates 5 percent of the sales profits from this collection to Doctors Without Borders, an international, humanitarian-aid group.
* The "Give The Way You Live" canvas tote ($10, west elm) is available at the retailer's 34 U.S. stores while supplies last. (It's not sold online.) Half of the purchase price of each bag will be donated to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., the company says.
Posted in Lifestyles on Tuesday, December 9, 2008 12:00 am Updated: 8:11 pm.
