Ideas that might spark joy, surprise, and style.

Note: Black Friday has made it impossible for us to stay current with the prices of these items. We hope the result is that you will get great deals!

For Him or Her:

These ThinOptics reading glasses are the lightest and thinnest glasses I’ve ever seen. In their ultra-slim case, they are easy to slip into a pocket or a small bag, and travel with you anywhere. They come in magnifications of 1.0 up to 2.5. They fit both men and women, are feather-light because they are made with durable, shatterproof polycarbonate frames and stainless-steel arms. There are many colors to choose from. $49.95.

This Knog 150 Lumens headlamp is lightweight and USB rechargeable. It is water resistant and has 3 light modes. It’s great for camping, illuminating any DIY project, or reading in bed with someone who is asleep, and you don’t want to disturb with light. It comes in black, blue, orange and teal. $29.95

This is a gorgeous navy & white stripe silk (washable) blouse. It has natural mother-of-pearl buttons, and it hits at the hips so it can be worn tucked or untucked. It also comes in 9 solid colors. $295.00

These are extra warm, soft, cotton blend socks from Britain, for men and women. They come in green, navy, pink and lavender. $30.00.

My goddaughter recently gave her mother this Longchamp mesh bag for a birthday present. I thought it was a brilliant idea. The bag comes in three colors and measures 15” L x 12.2” H. It is made of cotton and trimmed in leather and has a snap closure. It can be used as is, or, if you don’t want all the contents on view, line the purse with a beautiful scarf and you have a dressier, fun, and classy look. Longchamp mesh bag $120.00.

This is a four-zip Travel Organizer. It comes in six colors and is 8.5” x 5.25” x .75”. It is made with top grain Nappa leather. Personalizing is free. $150.00.

The JBL Clip 5 is a portable waterproof and dustproof Bluetooth speaker. It has great sound, great bass and will play for 12 hours on a full charge. It comes in 9 colors and measures 3.4” D x 1.8” W x 5.3” H. $49.95.

I love these Classic Lolita Fruit Earrings by Susan Alexandra. Customers can also design their own earrings on her website. $75.00.

Becoming Duchess Goldblatt

This is a memoir by Anonymous and Duchess Goldblatt, but if I left the description there, I would be doing this book a tremendous disservice. It is a light read with a deep message. It also delivers many delightful bon mots through Duchess herself that had me alternately in awe of her word usage and laughing out loud. I listened to it on Audible which was wonderful. I can’t say if reading it will deliver the same level of enjoyment. Print version – $14.00. Audible version click here.

This Lay-n-Go cosmetic toiletry bag makes sense for travel. When it is flat, it has a raised outer edge that keeps items from rolling away. It has a zippered storage pocket for the smallest items, and an easy drawstring to open and close. It can be hung and fits easily into a suitcase. It comes in 20 colors and is machine washable. It comes in four sizes. The 20” organizer is $19.95.

For the Home:

ASE reader Frannie B. introduced me to Lakrids candy because she knows I love licorice. I loved the chocolate covered licorice, made in Denmark. I was thrilled to discover a Lakrids advent calendar. $59.99.

This Tink Tray comes in five colors and will keep all your trinkets safe in one place. It is papier-mâché and handmade by artisans in Mexico. There are five colors to choose from, and for an extra fee you can have a custom color. It is 9” L x 6.5” W. It is $88.00.

This Crosley Brio Bluetooth Turntable comes with two stereo bookshelf speakers and Bluetooth. It is a three-speed (33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM records) belt-drive turntable with auto stop. Set up is easy. $134.95.

This porcelain Bunny lamp comes in two sizes and three colors. It has a crystal base. The small size measures 11” to the finial. Price includes a white linen shade. $130.00

Miffy and Friends Silicone Rechargeable LED Lights are modeled after Dick Bruna’s pop-culture icons. This bunny is 12” high and made from silicone. It is great for a child’s bedroom or playroom. Each light has six dimming settings including a night mode. The battery life is 8 – 120 hours depending on the setting. $99.00.

Give your golfer The World Golf Map by Mallin & Mizen. It comes in Medium (16” x 24”) or Large (24” x 36”). It can be printed on paper, canvas, or wood. If you choose paper, it can be framed for you for an additional charge. There are four frame choices. The Medium map without frame is $59.95. The Large print of the map is $69.95.

This appealing bird feeder is made from recycled plastic in Finland. It comes in camp green and terracotta colors. It is designed to feed birds who like to cling vertically while eating. These include Chickadees, Blue Tits, Titmice, Nuthatches, Finches, and Woodpeckers. They advise using sunflower seeds with the shell still on, and peanuts. The feeder measures 7” x 9”. Please remember that once you start feeding birds, they will come to depend on you as a source of food, especially in the winter. $84.00.

Squishmallows pet beds are adorable, especially if you have small Squishmallows fans in your house. They come in small (20″D x 8″W), medium (21.26″D x 6.3″W) and large (25.2″D x 7.48″W). They cost $24.00 – $60.00 depending on size.

Adults can build their own LEGO bouquets. These LEGO flower kits are beautiful and realistic. I have a friend who put one together and loved it so much she still has it in a favorite vase. $47.95.

This Netvue Birdfy Feeder alerts you to every visitor, gives you a wide, clear image, and allows you to store recordings in the cloud or to a microSD card. It comes with a perch and a solar panel.

Even if you are not a ‘birder’, these smart bird feeders with cameras are lots of fun and might turn you into one. These are perfect for the backyard birders who don’t want to go tramping around the forest with binoculars around their necks. These feeders entice the birds to come for a visit, and the visits are videoed by the small wireless camera. Their visits can be viewed live or played back later. This is a fun present for families and the photos are easy to share through the app. There are four tips I read about: Expect a mess, birds are wild animals so the feeder will need to be cleaned often. Squirrels can damage your feeder. Using a baffle or spicy seed or oil will keep them away. Make sure you pair the feeder with a solar panel so you won’t have to worry about charging the camera. Keep the feeder close to home so the Wi-Fi signal is strong. $159.99.

I love my new fox planter. It is made from coco coir and handcrafted in the Philippines. I have the regular size planter that measures 7” H x 6.5” W x 14.5” L.

The regular size is $65.00.

There is an adorable baby size that measures 6” H x 5.5” W x 14.5” L The baby size is $53.00.

Anna Heineman designs ‘custom ceramics to commemorate life’. I see from her Instagram feed that she makes many ceramic shapes and sizes and includes your custom text. She designs beautiful dinnerware, tiles, and ceramic items that commemorate special places and events. To give you an idea of prices, a 10” round plate with text, hand painted, is $225.00.

For the Kitchen:

I saw these at a restaurant recently and loved them. This coffee mug is double-walled Borosilicate clear glass and insulated. They are heat resistant, safe to touch and will keep your drinks hot or cold longer than single glass mugs. They can be used for tea, coffee, or soup. The ones pictured above hold 12 oz. of liquid. A set of two is $12.72. These double-walled glass mugs come in many shapes and sizes.

Bodum Bistro glass coffee mugs get great reviews from Food & Wine magazine. They also use the borosilicate glass which handles very hot coffee and allows you to hold it without feeling the heat. This glass also insulates cold drinks as well, and resists condensation (no water rings on your furniture). This coffee mug holds 10 oz. A set of two is $19.00.

Bodum espresso mug holds 5 oz. A set of two is $36.00.

These Bodum double-wall insulated glasses are 12 oz., and great for hot or cold drinks. They are heat resistant and microwave safe. A set of 2 is $18.99 .

This Zulay frother is considered one of the best. It is powerful and easy to use for whipping cream, frothing milk for coffee, beating eggs, basically whipping anything liquid. It is battery operated by two AA batteries and comes with a stand. There are 45 colors to choose from. It comes with a lifetime guarantee. $16.99.

I think these glass measuring cups are so pretty and cheerful. They are microwave and dishwasher safe. The large 4 cup is $40.00, the 2 cup is $30.00, one of each is $60.00. Choose between the two colorways or have one of each.

I live with hot sauce fanatics who will love this hot sauce making kit. The kit includes six bottles in which to make the small-batch chili sauces, the ingredients, instructions, and labels to name each sauce. $45.00.

Surprise the environmentalists on your list with this compostable, renewable, sustainable, BPI Certified clear cling wrap. The cling wrap is heavy duty, and 820’ long by 11.4” wide. 1 box is $46.70.

We recently had dinner with friends who were outdoing themselves by preparing smash burgers. They had the correct kind of ground beef (85% lean beef/15% fat), all the trimmings and sauces, it was amazing. And there was equipment required, namely something to press the burger patty into a skinny delectable 6.5” round flat shape. Our pick for the smasher is this Cuisinart Cast Iron Press. It promises to give the burger patty crispy edges and a juicy center.

Cuisinart Cast iron Smash Burger Press $19.99

Print out a photo of your pet or family member and paint their picture! Paintable Pictures makes paint by number kits from your submitted photos. No painting skill is required. There is a Pets Edition which provides kits to paint your pet’s photo. The kits contain 48 paint colors. The Portraits Edition is for painting photos of friends and loved ones. It contains a color palette that will paint a range of skin tones. $39.99 per kit.

This is a lovely, tiny glass lamp. It is battery powered and can be tucked anyplace you need more quiet light. It is 6” W x 7.5” H and requires 3 AAA batteries. It comes in several colors and patterns. $56.00.

Yogasleep Hushh is a portable/travel white noise sound machine for babies, children, and adults. It comes with a crush resistant travel case. It has three soothing natural sounds – bright white noise, deep white noise, and gentle surf. It has a child lock and a gentle amber LED nightlight. It is USB rechargeable and can operate up to 24 hours on a single charge and comes with a USB cable for recharging. $31.99.

For the pantry:

Central Provisions restaurant in Portland, Maine is fabulous, innovative, and wildly popular. It has paired with the new spice shop Skordo to create its own line of spices. The French Fry Spice is a Korean blend that combines spicy, sweet and umami flavors. The Baja Spice Mix is spicy, smoky, and herbaceous. Vadouvan combines sweet and spicy similar to Indian curries. Ras el Hanout is from North Africa and includes local rose hips and dried anise hyssop flowers. It can be used on anything from roasted vegetables to lamb and chicken. A set of these four (1.3 oz each) is $38.00. Or sold separately, choose from four sizes starting at a ¼ cup jar for $9.00.

From the world-famous restaurant Noma, these are flavor discoveries created in the restaurant. Noma in Denmark was voted the best restaurant in the world for five years. It has since opened in other cities around the world and closed in Denmark. Noma Projects are the flavors they use consistently and swear by. Mushroom Garum is an Umami-packed liquid seasoning, Dashi RDX is a powerful reduction to flavor any dish, and Corn Yuzo Hot Sauce is bright, aromatic, and spicy. $85.00 for the three. There are other items, and you can opt to buy individual products.

Meat Church Grill Seasoning are famous for their flavor. Try this Holy Rub & Seasoning Sampler which contains one bottle each of The Holy Gospel, Holy Cow, Honey Hog & The Gospel. $48.00 .

If you need a gift for a butter snob, try to get your hands on the cultured butter from Animal Farm in Shoreham, Vermont. They provide cultured butter to some of the best restaurants in the country, but you can find it on their website. $60 for one pound of sweet cream butter, divided into four balls. It is currently sold out until December 6^th at 3 PM when they receive their next batch. Put that in your calendar!

Entertaining:

This trio of nut chocolate bark looks so delicious. Included is 1 lb. of dark chocolate with almonds, milk chocolate with cashews and white chocolate with pistachios. $37.00.

ASE reader Robyn D. highly recommends Bridgewater Chocolates, founded by a Swiss chef who moved to Bridgewater, CT in the late 1990s. Chef Erik Landegren has given American chocolate classics a European makeover, making them creamier and richer. I know, because I worked my way through a box of the Bridgewater Assortment, all by myself. A 19-piece box is $64.95.

These embroidered linen Coquilles shell placemats are lovely. They should be handwashed in delicate detergent, aired dry and lightly ironed. Each placemat is about 16” wide. A set of 4 is $120.00. There are 64 other placemat designs to browse through.

This “You’re Getting Old” game is for ageing millennials. Here is a description I loved – “Designed for aging millennials ready to embrace their inner senior citizen.” For ages 18 – 45 and is best with 3+ players. $12.77.

This is not a brand-new game, but it receives such rave reviews that I wanted to include it. Players tuck a game card into their headband and then try to figure out who or what they are. Ask the other players ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions to try and find the answer. It’s a great family game. $19.97.

I love these 4” tumblers that hold 12 oz each. There are 8 colorways to choose from. $46.00 each.

Hester & Cook paper placemats are wonderful to have if you eat outside or feed large groups of people. They have 160 designs to choose from. I’m pleased that they have round placemats (15.4” x 15.7”) as well as rectangular (18.5″ x 12.5″) ones. Rectangular placemats come as a padded set of 24 for $29.95. Round or irregular shaped placemats come as 12 loose placemats for $29.95.

Sea Life cocktail napkins on a roll are great looking and very convenient. Each roll has 50 ‘tear and use’ napkins. They are 100% cotton, are machine washable, reusable up to 5 times, and measure 4.5” x 4.5”. $24.00.

Hob Nob bottle stoppers are lovely glass stoppers. They will keep your open bottles “fresh and looking smart”. $24.00 each.

I love the patterns of the ceramic tableware collections of Villa Bologna Pottery. Dinner plates are $45.00 each, and come in stripe patterns or scroll patterns and many colors. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of what you’ll find on this site.