Time to round up all the neat and clever and oh-so-tempting items for your holiday shopping and wish-listing needs. I’ve been collecting ideas for a few weeks now — and really, this is so fun, like I’m shopping for all of you. Each Wednesday, I’ll be posting collections of gifts and ideas for gifting and receiving. If you’ve got a suggestion or something you love that you’d like to share, please email me!
Shall we get started?
For the LEGO and Steampunk person you know: Steampunk LEGO by Guy Himber. According to the info I received, Himber has “worked on Special Make Up Effects and Animatronics for more than 50 feature films, including Edward Scissorhands, Independence Day, Stargate, and the Underworld trilogy. Himber (aka V&A Steamworks) is also an award-winning LEGO builder.”
This book comes out Friday and it’s a big ol’ hardback full of, well, Steampunk LEGO projects. (I think I just heard someone squeak with excitement.) Here are a few of the images inside:
This is a coffee-table book, and I don’t think there’s a digital version, but if you have a LEGO fan or Steampunk devotee in your world, this might be a great gift.
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Via Jennifer Estep, here’s an idea for those who love urban fantasy – and the cover art by Tony Mauro:
Tony Mauro has once again published his annual When Darkness Falls calendar. Tony is the cover artist for my Elemental Assassin series (and many other fantasy book series), and if you look at the graphic above, you will see that the cover art for The Spider is featured in the calendar. Gin is looking sharp, as usual.
Here are some of the other authors and books featured in the calendar:
December: Night’s End by Yasmine Galenorn (alternate design)
If you order the calendar through Tony’s website, he will autograph it for you. How cool is that? The calendar is also available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million.
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This is a bit more pricey, but Elyse recommends this lamp for all your reading/crafting/illumination needs. She says:
Last year I bought this lamp for reading/ knitting and I love it. It gives off a really natural light so it’s easy on the eyes. Also, if you are using it for crafting, it shows colors the way they look in sunlight.
It won’t light up a room, but for close work, it’s excellent. And the head and neck are adjustable.
Book-themed candles? Oh, yes. Old Books, or Oxford Library – or even Trashy Romance Novel, which I find…strangely attractive.
If you know someone who likes to reads while they eat (for example, everyone I know, including me) this set from Uncommon Goods might be very appreciated. There’s a set of two soup and sandwich trays for $30, plus a set of 4 ceramic french fry holders, too.
If you spend a good amount of time rolling your eyes, or trying not to, this Eye Clock ($35) might make your day. The left eyeball keeps the hour, and the right keeps the minute. The description says, “The Eye Clock may not be the most precise, but it is the most understanding.” Ha!
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Another gift for those Steampunk writers and readers you know: gear and toggle switchplates for single and double light switches.
They start at $40, and yes, it’s a bit much for a switchplate, obviously.
The switchplates are made of wood and brass, and reviews state that the wood used is kind of thin, so this isn’t good for a high-traffic area. But if you’re looking for something really odd and bizarre, this totally fits.
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And finally, this made me laugh so hard when I saw it in a catalog, I needed Lamaze breathing to catch my breath.
My mother bought that tree plaque for my sister and me last Christmas. It hangs in a place of pride in our living room.
I have a pretty awesome family. 😀
Signals scores again! Off to shop. Thanks Sarah.
I have an Ott Light (like the Verilux, but just a different brand) and it really is a must-have for crafters. They are worth EVERY PENNY. Mine is a table top version, but I’m thinking I need a floor version now that I’m learning to knit and getting back into cross-stitch.
I’d recommend Lego Shakespeare! BRICK SHAKESPEARE by John McCann and Monica Sweeney does the Bard’s works with Lego figures and sets. There are editions for the Tragedies (HAMLET, MACBETH, ROMEO AND JULIET, JULIUS CAESAR)and the Comedies (A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THE TEMPEST, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW). I *think* I saw a collection mixing the tragedies and comies (like Shakespeare did! Hah!) but that only had four plays, so it may be better to get the “specialized” editions.
The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones is an illustrated guide to the Game of Thrones world that sounds like it would be a great gift for a fan of the TV series and/or books.
Jimthered! Thank you so much for mentioning the Lego Shakespeare! The household Lego fanatic (and I cannot describe how fanatic, but he’s built an airport in his room with 24 gates, 13 planes and a train system linking it so that’s a start on the fanatic level) … well, that kid is doing Shakespeare at school in the spring! This is a huge score! Thank you!
Also on the Lego front – I highly rec the “Oyos” Lego-style sports guys. They have most major teams, with specific players. A little more pricey than regular Lego, but absolutely collectible. Bridges the gap for kids who are starting to think they might be too old for Lego, but still secretly want to play – when it’s your team, it’s okay to build a stadium.
I have a tradition of giving the best ideas for kid gifts to my mother so she can score great grandma points, and this year I suggested a metal detector for the boy and the girl is desperate for a pom-pom puppy making kit (from Mindware). With lots of yarn. Gateway to knitting, I suspect. The girl has also been making her own flip books lately, so the cute link from Dear Author for those secret compartment flip books was awesome.
Elyse is so right on that lamp. I have one for crafting and it’s really easy on the eyes and shows true colors. Also, it is hella expensive, but they are sold at Joann’s and they almost always have a 40% off coupon on one item. Also, also, they have an array of similar daylight lights in “prettier” offerings that are worth looking at.
Hubby emailed me about that book, saying that while he’s digital only at this point, that’s a book worth having in paper, and that it would be a good Hanukkah gift for him. I was shocked. He hasn’t wanted a physical book in years.
My living room is really dim, and every time I pull out my cross stitch, I think about how nice it would be to have that lamp over my shoulder. Hmmm. Hanukkah is coming…. (Winter, on the other hand, is already here. Go home, January, you’re drunk AND early.)
Also, for the Gamer in the family (or the gaming family): KING OF NEW YORK. This dice/board/card game takes the general rules from the very good KING OF TOKYO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGaCjM2hal4 and adds more strategy. Your monsters can move around the five boroughs of NYC! You can destroy buildings, which results in military units popping up in your borough. You can destroy those military units, or have them fire at you, or have them fire at EVERYONE (and become NYC’s defender, with the Statue of Liberty coming to life and fighting alongside you). You can, of course, benefit from entering Manhattan — and become the target of all other monsters. And you can become a celebrity! It’s very fun, more complex (which I like, though I still love the original), and has a giant monster named Cap’N Fish.
I have a verilux floor lamp and it is so good that I can do embroidery or beadwork under it without having to put on my reading glasses. 🙂 Highly recommend for any crafter on your list.
If you are an adventurous sort, I noticed that JoAnn’s has the table top Ott light as a doorbuster sale. Normally $99 on sale for $19.99. I have the Ott lights and they are very nice.
I think I may be most tempted by the eye rolling clock…
I think the daylight lamps also help with SAD, and they are currently the only lamps I have, despite the price. (Which, incidentally isn’t THAT awful when you factor in the fact that they are cheap as anything to run.) I do cross stitch (sometimes, though mostly I just buy cross stitch kits and the lights make a HUGE difference for thread sorting, and the are my favorite things ever.
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