Asos Cat Velvet Cross Body Bag, $29
Thanks to Asos, who knows how much people like cat-related objects, and make very cute ones, here's something for your friend who loves cats AND handbags.
"The World Turned Upside Down" - $18.95 and up
A hybrid of Hamilton and Stranger Things??! WHO CAN RESIST. This is from one of those sites where you can get the logo printed on any color of anything -- shirt, sweatshirt, mug, backpack, etc. Go forth and customize.
A Die Hard Christmas
Have you ever had an argument about whether Die Hard counts as a Christmas movie? I'm pretty sure this book wants to help you win that fight.
Blue Q Oven Mitts
I am so in love with these that I couldn't even pick just one or two to show. I AM the boss! Bitches DO get stuff done! I am also dropping a new recipe on your ass and I DO have a knife and this IS fucking delicious! Deal with it. Choose between the sets, or just order them all, at this link.
Cat Bird's Brass Snake Cuff, $68
Very subtly ominous, but also very chic.
Type Is Beautiful: The Story of Fifty Remarkable Fonts.
This seems RIGHT UP Fug Nation's alley. We love to break down a font.
J Crew's Darth Vader Backpack, $50
Can you use The Force to do your homework? There's only one way to find out.
Cat Studio Drinking Glasses, $14.75 each
These glasses are SO CUTE. (I saw them in person at my local bookstore.) These are for your friends who love California, but they've got whimsical, retro-ish glasses for various cities and states and colleges and regions and countries.
City/State Swag - $19 to about $57
While we're talking home pride: Sisters of Los Angeles has a whole bunch of city/state/regional items that are adorable. The California selection is the most detailed, obviously, but they have an impressive array of other places (Kansas City, holla!); that link goes to Cali but from there just click on "Shop by City/State" for the full menu. Bonus: Some of the Texas-centric stuff, like these glasses, sends proceeds to Harvey victims.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Poster, $14.20-$39.05
Etsy strikes again! This is perfect for your lawyer friend, but if RBG isn't her jam, this shop has posters of Michelle Obama, Ida B Welles, Sally Ride, Oprah, Marie Curie, Glora Steinem, Malala, and various other women whose faces you might like to hang over your desk.
J Crew's Classic Breton-striped tee, $32.50
This is my favorite short-sleeved Breton tee in YEARS, and you know I've tried them all. Right now, J. Crew has them in basically all sizes. (You might need something for YOURSELF.)
Medieval Cheese Board: $34
For the Medieval Times and/or weaponry fan in your life. Via ThinkGeek.
Succulent Collection
I (Jessica) am REALLY into succulents right now, and there's something delightful about giving someone a whole BUNCH of something. This is a very good price for so many tiny little plants.
Six Tiny Pots For Your Succulents
And you can upgrade that succulents gift, or go it alone with these incredibly cute TINY OWL POTS FOR YOUR TINY PLANTS!
Echo Dot Holder
And on the topic of owls: If you're on the Alexa bandwagon but wish it didn't look so much like an appliance, you can nest the little Dot version inside one of these. There are several different owls -- one in black -- and even a curled-up fox, a penguin, or a soccer ball for kids. Or for you. NO JUDGMENT.
Groovy Light-Up Disco Shades
Need stocking stuffers, or other novelty swag? Jessica bought these for the beans, and they're hilarious. They can blink and flash as well. It's like having a cross between Kanye and Daft Punk in your house.
LL Bean Classic Boat and Tote: $24.99-$29.95
This is a classic, classic gift. So many sizes, so many colors, and you can get it monogrammed! I like to buy these and use them as wrapping to deliver other gifts, too -- like, if you're a person who likes to give jams, or wine, or various foodstuffs. You can also use them to deliver firewood and matches, etc. But they're also great on their own.
Corgi Socks
Hello. THESE SOCKS ARE COVERED IN CORGIS. Just when you were wondering what to buy the Queen...
Who's The Dude? game
You almost certainly know at least one person who loves The Big Lebowski and/or wants to play charades with a blow-up Dude in tighties. This game will be their happy place.
Pop Chart Labs, The Connected Characters of Seinfeld: $37
This is AMAZING. To quote Pop Chart Labs: "From Kramerica Industries, in association with Art Vandelay (he’s an importer/exporter), comes a masterful guide to the personalities of Seinfeld! Cataloging a cast of nearly 250 close-talkers, anti-dentites, mimbos and more—from recurring players like Newman and Jackie Chiles to memorable one-offs like the Mandelbaums and Man Hands—this sprawling, sponge-worthy schematic sorts the sitcom’s subjects by frequency of appearance, then maps each character’s connection to Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and yada, yada, yada.
Various Awesomeness from The Casey Barbershop
Casey created the original and best Hamiltines, as well as gorgeous enamel pins and other rad merch based on the show. She's expanded into other pop culture things, and this is just a sample: There's Royal Tenenbaums pins ($12), a Ron Swanson mug ($25, or a magnet for $7), Peggy from Mad Men (card, $5), and well, I HOPE you recognize the last quote (card, $5). More, including holiday cards, whence this came!
J Crew Large Leather Pouch, in tartan: $69.50
This is cute as an evening bag, as a way to festively organize all the stuff in your tote, or to carry around your iPad and whatnot. I mean, for the person you'd be buying this for. Not for you. You're not shopping for yourself, I know.
Typewriter-Style Tablet Keyboard: $139
These aren't shipping yet beacuse it's an IndieGoGo campaign, but they're too cool not to share. They're device-agnostic -- OS and Android both work -- and use bluetooth, and for $139 you can pick between the two key styles and four colors.
Paper Source's Drink Paper Clips, $12.95
For your friend who both loves cocktails AND being extremely organized! At last, a gift that marries her two loves.
Paint Your Own Nutcracker:
The beans are getting this. DON'T TELL THEM.
J Crew Sequin Ball Drop Earrings, $65
These are festive! J. Crew has a variety of colors -- silver, red, black, gold -- and you should feel free to get multiples.
Milk + Sass Macaron Brush
This purse brush/mirror comes in five colors. It's compact but not tiny -- I can hold it with my thumb and forefinger wrapped around the outside, but they are in no danger of touching -- and it's effective. And also in the shape of my favorite cookie, so.
Animal Mask Greeting Cards (set of 12): $17
I might be too selfish to send these to anyone, honestly, in favor of plastering them on myself and the beans. Via Of A Kind.
Shhhower Cap - $43
These supposedly repel water well, dry almost instantly (handy if you keep one in your gym bag), and they are cute. If you are a heavy shower cap user, or know someone who is, it might be worth checking one out.
Mug - $13.99
This Etsy shop has a couple cute ones, like this potentially essential Sock Monkey affair, but this slogan rang the truest to my business life.
Gorgeous Backgammon Set -- $89
Never let it be said that you must suffer the indignities of playing backgammon on anything less than beautiful. This is from the MOMA store.
Everlane Market Day Tote, $165
As seen on Meghan Markle, and due to be back in stock shortly, Everlane ALSO sells this frankly classic tote in navy, black, and blush.
O2Cool Personal Fan
These are GREAT little trinkets if you are traveling someplace hot, especially with kids. The beans used these on the Tube a lot over the summer. You wear it around your neck and it blows right up at you, it's quiet, it's not irritating, and it WORKS. I know this because I stole theirs multiple times. We also never had to change the battery.
Fan, $22
Or, if you want to be a little bit more fabulous and a little bit less battery-powered, try these cute fans at Izola. This is the Bauhaus but there are three or four others.
Mystery Bag: $28
Parker Thatch, formerly iomoi, is doing kind of a fun thing: For $28, you'll get a prepacked bag of semi-randomness. They tell you how much of each thing it'll include, but you won't know specifics. They also do a $38 travel-themed version and a $48 one that will include a leather item. It's like shopping for yourself yet ALSO preserving the surprise -- a nearly impossible feat otherwise.
Portable Seat
I bought some of these for the wave of outdoor movie screenings (with picnics, or food trucks) that have sprung up in the city during summer. You carry them like a backpack, then plonk them down and adjust the back based on how much you want to lean. (I also use them as a workstation in the beans' bedroom when they insist on having a human presence while they fall asleep.) Plenty of colors are available, they're great for the beach, and I've used it a ton in just six months.
Hillflint Sweaters - $120
I (Jessica) already own one of Hillflint's awesome college sweaters -- they have MANY schools available -- and now they've branched out into MLB gear for any team you may support. This is OBVIOUSLY my choice and I am a hero for having not bought this for myself yet, but they're also a perfect gift for the baseball fan in your life. THEY ARE SO CUTE. (Some teams even have CARDIGANS.) The sizes are unisex; for reference, I wear a size 4 and the XS fits me very well/has plenty of room.
Awesome socks - $17
I hope I'm not too late with this, as they were running low on stock, but: These are not only USEFUL for wine acquisition, but the site supports a literacy charity called First Book. They come in and out of stock, and shipping takes a while, so this one might be worth bookmarking and checking frequently in the next year. Y'know, if you NEED them. Which you do.
This WIne Is Making Me Awesome: $17.95
In case the socks aren't around. Multiple colors available from Zazzle.
Anthropologie Clutch - $98
This is SO PRETTY. We recommend a clutch like this every year, but they're sort of the ideal Pretty Thing Someone Probably Wouldn't Buy For Herself.
Gap sweater: $48
The Gap has a bunch of cute stripey sweaters right now; I picked out this heart shape, but there's also an arguably even sweeter one that says LOVE, or this one, or some gloves... They're also doing 40% off with SOGOOD at checkout, no restrictions, so get in there.
Whimsical Soaps: about $10
I am super bummed that Whiskey River sold out of basically all twelve pages of it's hilarious soaps. I found these through other retailers: Tuesday, Okay Moms, and Hipsters are at Little Green Apple with a few others, a place called Ana's Papaterie in Austin had the Awesome one, and Soap For Debbie Downers is here. I'd almost recommend reading through the whole mega list of Whiskey River selections and Googling them individually, or looking at their list of resellers by region.
Pasta Drying Rack
if you know anyone who digs making fresh pasta, this thing RULES. You turn the top to fan out the prongs, then turn it back to collapse them, and the base folds up. There's a utensil tucked in the top that you use to transfer the noodles from your pastamaker. This one is also available in red, or there's a cheaper KitchenAid one that's clear.
Kate Middletoe! -- Approximately $10.75
You definitely know someone who would be DELIGHTED to be wearing socks with Kate Middleton on them. This site also offers Famous Artists Socks (like Vincent Van Toe), Albert Einstoe, and Frieda Callus. SOCKS AND PUNS.
Dolly Parton candle: $18
Because WHY NOT. It's from Blue Ribbon General Store (which also has a whole GIRL POWER gift section).
Prosecco Pong, $25
This seems like a potentially bad idea, in the best way.
Royal Bingo! $29.99
The PBS store brings us the game that Royals Round-Up readers will SMASH.
Window Seat puzzle: $13.99
I always have to put in a jigsaw or three. This 500-piece one is, as you can tell, based on views from different airplane windows, which seems tricky and delightful.
QE II puzzle: $17.99
And this 1000-piece offering looks VERY complex, which is my personal jam.
Front Page Puzzles: $50-$65
And this looks SO NEAT. Basically, pick any date in history from 1851 onward, and the Times will have it made into a puzzle for you. The 300-piece and 1000-piece options are $65, and 500 pieces is $50 (I don't quite get those pricing tiers, but whatever).
Princess Anne Commemorative Mug, $52.61 at Etsy
Do you have a friend who will truly appreciate a mug commemorating Princess Anne's intense irritation at being forced to sit for a photgraph for her second wedding, as she knew it would be plonked onto a mug? Allow our friends at Etsy to make her dreams a reality.
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
We enjoyed this so much that we blurbed it. Evelyn Hugo is a richly drawn character, and her life rivals Liz Taylor's for dishiness.
Far From The Tree, by Robin Benway
This cover needs to be updated to say National Book Award WINNER, because IT IS, and it couldn't have happened to a lovelier person than Robin. It's a beautifully woven story.
Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls:
I'll let Informative Caption do this one: "a children's book packed with 100 BEDTIME STORIES about the life of 100 EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN from the past and the present, illustrated by 60 FEMALE ARTISTS from all over the world. Each woman's story is written in the style of a fairy tale. Each story has a full page, full color portrait that captures the spirit of the portrayed hero."
And if you like this one, or already read it, good news: There's a part 2 that just came out like a week ago.
The Royal We
Yes, I decided to use the hardcover copy of our novel instead of the paperback copy because I just like it better, even though I'm linking you to the paperback. If you have someone in your life who is VERY excited about Prince Harry marrying an American woman, this is -- if we do say so ourselves -- the perfect gift.
