Modish

Rearing to go!

Gift the gift that every girl loves, jewelry!  But hip, unique, vintage jewelry under $40?  Erica Weiner's got it in droves!  
For starters, check out this cute horse necklace featuring a vintage cameo style plastic pendant with oh so debonair horses on it.  You don't have to ride horses (or even really like them) to think this necklace is stylee, hung from vintage copper colored brass.  It'd go perfect with right now's cute thermals and flannel tops- rustic yet sophisticated, girly yet sporty, for $30 you can have your horse and wear it too!  For more great gift ideas, check out Erica's other lovely designs in her shop!

Featured Sponsor: Supermaggie!

Need to find the perfect accessory, but can't bear the mall? Well, never fear, Supermaggie is here! With tees, brooches, stuffed creatures, their rad Slaughterhead wallets and gorgeous hand-felted scarves, Supermaggie has got what you need this holiday season to stay warm and stylish! 
Check out everything Supermaggie has to offer and get 10% off with the code Modish1206, good thru 12/31/06!

Site of the Week: Gifts Define

For a one stop shop for cute gifts and stocking stuffers, look no further than Gifts Define!  The site features oh so adorable mini dolls called InDOLLgences which are handmade by Irma Niekum- there's a whole range of holiday treats to choose from and the best part?  They're all under $40! 

These "holiday birds" and "o holi trees" would make excellent ornaments or Christmas party favors:

Or, check out these adorable reindeer and decorative little "santa girls":

Or, for a gift someone can use all year round, choose a sweet little doll from the Fun Animals collection!

Each doll is handmade with lots of love and attention and can be used in so many different ways!  Check out the full line of amazing little creatures and put a smile on someone's face this year with a gift from Gifts Define!

Handy Hooks

Giving a gift that someone can actually use is always a welcomed plus.  Something fun, yet functional, eye catching and handy dandy all at the same time.  Something like this "wall art with hooks" by Fluffy Co. perhaps?  Why yes, yes that's exactly it!
Weighing in at only $26 buckaroos, these hooks will pretty up your nook while also organizing it a bit.  Put it by the door to hang your keys, or by a stylish vintage mirror to hang your necklaces, or perhaps keep it in the office for a scissor/plier/crafty thing keeper.  The sky's the limit, and your budget doesn't have to be.  Get one for yourself and one as a gift for someone else!  There's free shipping on all orders over $75.  I think I may have to partake in a little fluff myself!

Detox rocks!

I think that some of the best gifts to give (and receive) are gifts that pamper, because we too often forget to pamper ourselves, yeah?  Biggs and Featherbelle has got us covered on the pampering front with lovely, colorful gift boxes filled with health minded bath goodies, like this Detox Box!

This $30 gift box includes a sampling of goodies that will help clear your mind and detox your body- there's an achy muscles massage bar, muscle soak, detoxifying bar soap and a dry skin body brush to exfoliate.  A perfect gift for the marathon runner/yogaholic/pilates teacher/avid dog walker in your life.  Find this kit at Cut & Paste, and check out more gift ideas at the Biggs and Featherbelle shop!

*Oh, and while we're on the bath and body front, you can find more great handmade b&b products from indie designers all in one spot in the anise & currant gift guide!

Chum up your glum

The winter blues don't have to get you down when you have a lovely scarf to keep you warm (and stylish!) like this one from Alena Hennessy!
This suuuuuper long and luxurious scarf is soft and supple and would be perfect for a "chilly" Southern evening or what's left of these fall days.  And, at only $28, it would make a lovely gift for an even lovelier lady!  I'm diggin' the icy blue against the charcoal grey color combo, but it also comes in your choice of a white print on blue or khaki.  And guess what?  You can get one FREE with a purchase of $65 or more at Alena's shop!  Or, if you're not into scarves, choose a matted print for free instead.  Just let her know you "love modish" in the notes at checkout, and give her the details of what you'd like your free gift to be.  Choose your weapon and may the scarf be with you! 

Deck the halls with art!

Art makes a wonderful gift for just about anyone- whether they're an art connoisseur or not, everyone likes to have some color hanging on their walls.  But to find wonderful art pieces for under $40?  Tough, but not impossible with people like Jaime Zollars around! 

With her small prints selling at $25 each, you can get a piece for everyone on your list with money to spare (I suggest using it to buy one for yourself!)  I can honestly say I enjoy every piece for sale in Jamie's shop, but I was especially intrigued by this fantastical, "Marmalade Sky" print inspired by an Italian folktale with a diverse flock of colorful birds making up the "leaves" of the trees.  All of her pieces are as imaginative and original as this- check them all out at Jamiezollars.com!

Overjoyed with Bettyjoy!

Another wordly find for you straight from Bettyjoy's little cottage in the north of England, this super cute Rosetti Cutout Clutch by Sugar Cane.   
I love the earth toned color combo and the vintage Art Nouveau style floral print on this great clutch.  Plus the little cutout handle is not only simple, it's unique and stylish.  It has a reinforced bottom to hold all your goods and a vintage button closure to secure them nicely.  And at $17.50 euros, unless there's recently been some huge increase in the conversion rate I'm not aware of, this is well under $40 and well worth the price.  Find it only at Bettyjoy, along with a bunch of other great handmade goods!

Being an egghead's not so bad

First up, both an announcement and a great gift find- Jessica & Nancy Lim, the talented sisters behind Wild Garden clothing and the design blog, modamuse, which features indie designers from Australia and New Zealand, have just opened a modamuse shop!  It too features goods from Australian and NZ designers, including the likes of OMA who made this cute little nesting owl egg warmer!
Made from felt, this hand-embroidered little breakfast buddy is designed to keep your boiled egg warm and comes with the little white egg holder.  Perhaps you're not a boiled egg fan?  (I for one, have never even tried one...) Nonetheless, this cute little creature can keep your kitchen utensils dust free, or can cover up your egg shaped kitchen timer when you're not using it.  At only $18.17 US, this would be a great gift for your food connoisseur or kitchen laden friend.  And, with free international shipping until Dec 31st, I suggest you peruse around the many lovely finds at modamuse!

Gifts under $40 week!

If you're not all shopped out after the long holiday weekend (I for one haven't even gotten started!) than look no further than Modish for all your gift giving ideas!  For the next week, I'll be featuring wonderful handmade gifts under $40.  Why $40?  Because 4 is my favorite number, $40's about the average that I like to spend on people (unless they've been very very good this year) and because it's alliterative!  So there ya go, stay tuned this week for finds from all over the world that'll cost ya no more than 40 buckaroos!  And, starting Mon, Dec 4th, I'll be featuring finds for specific people on your list in all price ranges.  Remember, there's no need to brave the crowded strip malls this season- stick with Modish and shop indie!