She's so unusual
Unique Vintage ( www.unique-vintage.com ) has hundreds of dresses and other clothing items for those with a different bent. ( Let's put it this way: There's a "flapper" section, and some of the other clothes include corsets and prom dresses. ) However, guys shouldn't feel excluded: Men can shop for tuxedos, casual shirts and sunglasses.
Leigh club
Boystown's The Leigh Gallery sells all types of intriguing art. However, the hand-blown glass pumpkins ( www.theleighgallery.com; $40 each ) are among the most popular itemsand it's easy to understand why: They're almost hypnotic, and they're affordable.
Feel the heat
The Dyson Hot ( www.dyson.com; $399.99 ) is pretty revolutionary: It heats rooms quickly by employing Air Multiplier technology and oscillating the heat to warm evenly. However, the Dyson Hot fan heater can also be tilted, directing air flow in your preferred direction.
Drawing the lines
The Nendo Black Lines Chair ( www.nendo.jp/en; TBD ) is the result of a solo exhibition by Phillips de Pury & Company at the Saatchi Gallery in London from the London Design Festival to the Frieze Art Fair in 2010. This does look like it's straight from Chicago's SOFA Expo: functional artthat my cousin would destroy by throwing a tacky pillow on it.
I like mic
The AKG Perception 120 USB home-recording microphone ( www.akg.com; $199 ) is the perfect gift for the right person. The mic provides high-quality sound for the amateur ( or professional ) recording artist. Even better, it requires no installation, drivers or rebootand it supports Windows 7, Vista, XP and Mac OS. I guess it's time to warm up my vocals for X Factor and meet my spiritual husband, host Steve Jones.
Lighting the way
Plumen ( www.plumen.com ) specializes in showcasing low-energy light bulbs ( $29.95 ) in rather inventive ways. Moreover, the Plumen bulb uses 80 percent less energy and lasts eight times longer than incandescent bulbsallowing you to be eco-friendly with style.
Crate expectations
The Kiwi Crate ( www.kiwicrate.com; $19.95 ) is an educational tool for kids 3-6. Each "crate" is themed ( e.g., space, gardening or dinosaurs ) , gender-neutral and designed to encourage active learning through play. Crates contain at least two projects ranging from arts and crafts to science experiments to imaginative playand shows that you don't need Playstation 24/7.