Mighty Goods: Dads

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Throw away the ugly plastic rolodex that you snuck out of the office supply cabinet. It’s convenient, but not exactly a display piece. This lovely maple wood rolodex, on the other hand, is a work of art. It comes stocked 1,000 pretty found-paper cards in an array of colors and patterns. Now all you have to do is go out and meet enough friends to fill them up.

$75 at Lovely Design | Buy

( 7x5x3")

| Posted 17 Jan, 2005 by Margaret Mason

Roomba

Robot vacuum! Cleans wood, tile linoleum, and low-to-medium pile carpet while you’re out shopping for dinner. When the battery gets low, Roomba returns to its charger so it’s ready to go when you spill sugar in the kitchen. Seriously, how long has it been since you vacuumed under the bed?

$249 at Amazon | Buy

| Posted 13 Jan, 2005 by Margaret Mason

Red Leather Satchel

$275 at Henry and Lulu | Buy

(9" x 11")

| Posted 13 Jan, 2005 by Margaret Mason

iTunes Music Store Card

THOUGHTFUL GIFTS FOR EMPLOYEES

Prepaid iTunes cards let recipients load their Macs and iPods with whatever they’re into that week. Because songs are only 99 cents each, a $15 card goes the distance.

$15 at Amazon | Buy

| Posted 13 Jan, 2005 by Margaret Mason

Multicolored Aprons

The only downside to this cute cotton apron is that you’ll be annoyed the first time you stain it. Machine washable. Comes in many different colors.

$36 at Murge Designs | Buy

(By reader request)

| Posted 11 Jan, 2005 by Margaret Mason

Tomales Bay Deluxe Collection

PERFECT PICNIC GUIDE

Cowgirl Creamery makes some dreamy cheeses. I feel nothing but tenderness for their Mt. Tam Triple-Cream Brie. It’s rich, indulgent, and ever so friendly. Cowgirl Creamery offers all kinds of cheese clubs, but my favorite product is their sampler pack of three tasty cheeses, all made in the Tomales Bay region. You’ll get the Mt. Tam, a bum-fortifying triple-cream brie, Point Reyes Original Blue, and Matos St. George cheddar. With this in your picnic basket, don’t bother with sandwiches.

$50 at Cowgirl Creamery | Buy

| Posted 10 Jan, 2005 by Margaret Mason

Nelson Relief Aorta Teapot

If you like your serving pieces modeled on internal organs–and who doesn’t!–you’ll love this cozy aorta teapot by Jonathan Adler. I like it because it’s modern, but it still looks like a teapot. As opposed to the endlessly irritating novelty teapots that have become the norm: It’s the Chrysler Building! It’s an elephant! It’s Kermit the Frog! Just pour me a damn cup of tea. Comes in white and white.

$90 at Velocity Art and Design | Buy

(No longer available.)

| Posted 05 Jan, 2005 by Margaret Mason

COVET: Egg Vase

Don’t worry about the flowers, this vase is just fine on its own. I find it very soothing. It’s a Ted Muehling design, created in 2000, and is manufactured in Germany. It is expensive, and therefore an excellent apology gift for when you really screw something up.

$240 at Moss | Buy

(About 6" high.)

| Posted 05 Jan, 2005 by Margaret Mason

Leaf Coaster Set

When you’re not using these leaf coasters by Michael Aram, you can scatter them across the coffee table to decorate for fall. Made of polished aluminum, they’re several steps up from the cardboard ones you brought home from the bar.

$50 at Bloomingdale's | Buy

(No longer available.)

| Posted 05 Jan, 2005 by Margaret Mason

Tempo Time Tag

The site calls its Time Tag “an extension of your computer clock.” That’s just right. It doesn’t do anything fancy, it’s just a little clock that clips onto your sleeve, collar, or laptop strap so you always know what time it is. Much better than digging out your phone.

$18 at Vessel Store | Buy

| Posted 04 Jan, 2005 by Margaret Mason

One-Handed Pepper Mill

15 WEDDING AND SHOWER GIFTS UNDER $40

This is the sproingiest little pepper mill on the market. I own one, and it always gets comments from guests.

You hold it in the palm of your hand and use your thumb to press the button on top. This means that you can grind fresh pepper with one hand and wield a spatula with the other. Plus it has a little window that lets you know when you’re running out of pepper. Genius!

$24 at MOMA Store | Buy

| Posted 04 Jan, 2005 by Margaret Mason

Cook’s Illustrated Magazine

If I’m going to spend three hours cooking something, it damn well better taste good when I’m done. Cook’s Illustrated is my favorite cooking magazine, because it eliminates much of the risk involved in trying new dishes. I also love it because it contains no ads. Every recipe is tested multiple times and compared against other alternatives. It’s the magazine version of “America’s Test Kitchen,” which is a television show that tests several versions of a particular recipe, and gives you the easiest, tastiest one. The magazine also compares different food products and gadgets and gives you recommendations. Once you subscribe, you get access to the online archives, which offer ten years of recipes and product reviews. Subscribe, you will like it. And while you’re at it, you might want to renew your gym membership. (Many thanks to Freddy for the reminder.)

$27 at Amazon | Buy

| Posted 04 Jan, 2005 by Margaret Mason

Chainstitch Tee

A basic T-shirt with a little something extra. This Tee has a triple chainstitch effect that slims you up by emphasizing your verticality. 100% Egyptian pima cotton, machine washable.

$36 at Liz Claiborne | Buy

(Also available in yellow.)

| Posted 31 Dec, 2004 by Margaret Mason

Joystick Junkie T-Shirt

Know someone who’s nostalgic for that eerie arcade glow? Here’s a hip shirt for your favorite geek. Give it to him with a roll of quarters.

$16 at Amazon | Buy

| Posted 14 Dec, 2004 by Margaret Mason

Netflix Gift Subscription

What do you get the guy who you have no idea what to get? A Netflix gift subscription. You pick how many months you want to subscribe, then print up the subscription certificate or send a notice via email. The recipient chooses DVDs online, and Netflix ships them directly to his door. Easy as pie.

$36 at Netflix | Buy

(For two months.)

| Posted 10 Dec, 2004 by Margaret Mason

Plum Blossom Plate

Ah! Perfection, these bone-china dessert plates. Purchase one and eat something chocolate with a small silver fork. Of course, with plates this exquisite, you’ll also need hemstitched linen napkins, and perhaps a touch of champagne. Here’s to your good taste.

$27 at Lille | Buy

| Posted 09 Dec, 2004 by Margaret Mason

Republic of Tea’s Ginseng Peppermint

I don’t usually like herbal teas, they tend to taste like a bunch of sticks floating in warm water. Glah. This ginseng peppermint tea, however, is tasty. It contains eleuthero (no idea), peppermint, cinnamon, licorice, and echinacea root. It’s minty, of course, and the licorice flavor isn’t discernable, but it leaves a sweet aftertaste in your mouth. If, like me, you’re bouncing off the walls from your five or six “nice cups of tea” a day, give this a try. It will mellow you right out.

$9 at Republic of Tea | Buy

| Posted 08 Dec, 2004 by Margaret Mason

Amelie

TOKENS OF AFFECTION UNDER $15

Amelie is an attentive movie. It celebrates the small habits and preferences you often only notice about others when you’re falling in love. The director is tender toward human failings, and hopeful about our triumphs.

$14 at Amazon | Buy

(In French, with subtitles.)

| Posted 06 Dec, 2004 by Margaret Mason

Gillette M3 Power Razor

My friend Lance is sort of a guru about personal grooming products. He told me about this new razor from Gillette that has a little button on the handle. You press it once, and the razor vibrates as you shave. He said he assumed it was a marketing ploy, but bought one anyway just to see if there was any difference. Apparently, the thing delivers an incredibly close shave with no irritation at all. If you have problems with razor burn, or would like a travel-sized alternative to your electric razor, give this a try.

$15 at Drugstore.com | Buy

| Posted 06 Dec, 2004 by Margaret Mason

Sean John “Sherri” Shirt

ON SALE Finally, a men’s dress shirt with some oomph. (Which isn’t to say that your striped cotton one isn’t just as nice. Your mom has impeccable taste.) This one has a dramatic mod print in shades of blue. It’s a great choice when the event doesn’t call for a suit, but you want to look like you put some effort in. It’s also made of silk, which means that if you sweat in it, you’re one of those guys. Do not, repeat, do not wear it dancing.

$54 at Macy's | Buy

(Regularly $72.)

| Posted 03 Dec, 2004 by Margaret Mason

Blue Ceramic Mixing Bowls by Nigella

ON SALE These modern mixing bowls look like oversized robins’ eggs. Lovely, no? Set includes for sturdy bowls that nest sweetly in the crook of your arm. The pointy end lets you pour batter without getting it everywhere. They make holiday baking all the more palatable.

$60 at Amazon | Buy

| Posted 03 Dec, 2004 by Margaret Mason

Breakfast Basket Gift Pack

There’s something hilarious about a gift of meat, and Niman Ranch makes some seriously good meat. They’re known for their humane treatment of animals, feeding them all-natural food, and allowing them to mature, so there are no hormones in your food. Their Breakfast Basket Gift Pack includes award-winning applewood smoked bacon; two different breakfast sausages, thier original link and their maple link; two ham steaks; and 4 thinly sliced New York steaks. They have several other meat packages (if you will), I just especially like the idea of sending someone breakfast.

$105 at Niman Ranch | Buy

| Posted 03 Dec, 2004 by Margaret Mason

Cigarette Counter

Stop! Stop! Stop! Well, at least slow down. The cigarette counter clips right on the top of your latest pack, and tells you how much you’ve really been smoking. Then you can reduce slowly over time. (Or at the very least, keep your pack-a-day habit from creeping up to pack an hour.)

$5 at Cigarette Counter | Buy

| Posted 02 Dec, 2004 by Margaret Mason

The Four Agreements

Buy this book. It’s remarkable in its simplicity and power. The Four Agreements puts forth a few very simple things you can do to let go of your limits and better your life. The Four Agreements are: 1. Be impeccable with your word. Words shape your world, your viewpoint, and your relationships.

Don’t make assumptions. There’s no sense in obsessing over events that may be figments of your imagination.
Don’t take things personally. People do things because of what’s going on with them.
Do your best. This helps you avoid self judgment. Just trying to live by these rules has rocked my life. I can’t recommend it highly enough, and I’ve forced it on many of my perfectly well-adjusted loved ones. Get one for yourself, and then one for everyone you adore. It’s small enough to fit in a stocking and brief enough to get through in a day. You will like it. (And Oprah likes it too.)

$10 at Amazon | Buy

| Posted 30 Nov, 2004 by Margaret Mason

Dean and DeLuca Sugar Collection

Go all out for this year’s cookie-decorating party. These sugar crystals come in such brilliant, rich colors, you’ll want to eat them right out of the tin. (Don’t do that though, because then you’ll have colored-sugar mouth, and no one will want to use the sugar to decorate their cookies because they’ll know you licked the tins, which is totally gross.) A luxurious gift for bakers, or artists who need a good pallette for baking inspiration.

$35 at Dean and DeLuca | Buy

(Eight 7.2 oz tins.)

| Posted 29 Nov, 2004 by Margaret Mason