J'adore: Part Deux

Christmas is less than twenty days away, which means I have It’s a Wonderful Life and March of the Wooden Soldiers playing on a continuous loop.  The weather is getting colder and Santa’s on his way.  If you haven’t finalized your Christmas list, here are some fun stocking stuffer ideas:

Cire Trudon was founded in 1643 in Paris, and has made candles for royalty, world leaders, and the greatest fashion houses.  They have a vast selection of candles, including tapered candles of every color in the rainbow, and scented candles.  The most interesting are the busts of famous French figures.  My favorite is the Napoleon, which is available in a natural color, white or black wax.  There's also a tres chic Marie Antoinette bust available.

There was a time when going to the airport and flying to far off places was glamorous.  Now the TSA rifles through luggage and a woman’s unmentionables to make sure the skies are secure.  Most humiliating of all is enduring a body scan and/or a pat down in the security lines in front of strangers, all the while contracting some foot fungus from walking through the airport with bare feet.  Tory Burch must have shared these sentiments because she created a lovely pair of socks, with a travel case for fashion forward, health conscious jetsetters.

Jonathan Adler designs home accessories that can best be characterized as happy and loud.  It’s hard to choose one item from his collection that would make a great, but useful gift.  The first few items that caught my eye were his food jars.  The three jars are labeled, and filled accordingly with Carbs, Calories and Candy. 

 

Two other items that stood out were the Blackberry and iPod cases, which feature needlepoint of an antique phone and a phonograph on the front.

This holiday season's hottest nail colors are various metallics, and as always Chanel is the trendsetting, go to polish.  Their most popular shades this winter are Steel and Gold Lame, both limited editions.  Steel and Gold Lame can be found on the Chanel website.

Doesn’t every girl dream of meeting a handsome and rugged man, who’s a skilled outdoorsman that can fix any and all appliances in the house?  Portland General Store makes a great stocking stuffer for guy.  Their selection of men’s personal care products include scents called Tobacco, Wood, Whiskey and Professor.  Now, even guys who are afraid of spiders and mice can smell like they’ve just come from a bar fight or chopping down a tree.  

The last stocking stuffer idea is on the pricey side, but totally unique.  Any girl can go out and buy a David Yurman bracelet or a Tiffany necklace, but finding eye-catching jewelry with character is a challenge.  Gem Kingdom’s “Happy Baby” necklaces fit the bill.  Made in the Netherlands, the necklaces are sterling silver, with porcelain pendents.  Each Happy Baby is made differently, and can include mother of pearl or various gemstone charms.  My personal favorites are the Little Mozart and Little Viking.  The necklaces are available on Gem Kingdom's website, or on Fragments.