Bloggers point, click the way to cool holiday gifts
Whether you’re skipping the malls Friday to order gifts online or debating which big-box parking lot to camp out in, the following blogs can help you reach the top of the holiday shopping heap. Get started with this targeted buying guide for …
New Age Nancy: Yoga Toes, in pink or green, “are made of a squishy plastic; you put them on your toes and they align your feet”—for only $50 a pair (ShoppingBlog.com).
Hunting Harry: Season Shot, “a new type of live ammunition containing buckshot loaded with meat seasonings.” Next year, look for heated bullets that cook your venison on the hoof (Strange New Products).
Augustus Gloop: Your favorite young glutton won’t even need to look away from the screen of his WonkaZoid handheld video game to grab a snack. The Willy Wonka Candy Factory device comes with goody-storage compartments (CrunchGear).
Connie Commuter: The daily drive between Coeur d’Alene and Spokane goes by a lot faster with a dash-mounted Audiovox LCD TV/DVD player. Be sure to watch coverage of your own crash (Woot: The Blog).
Hipster Hannah: She’ll feel kicky in suede ballet flats with corduroy capped toe from Charlotte Ronson, which are “undeniably cute, but not at all cutesy” (Teen Fashionista).
Pierced Paula: The Kiko Ninja Doll, which looks like a kill-crazy version of a classic monkey sock puppet, will stealthily steal $58 from your wallet (Omiru.com).
Gourmet Gunther: An auto-measure spice rack mounts eight bottles under a cabinet and dispenses perfect quarter-teaspoon pinches (Cooking Gadgets).
Bartender Bob: A Blendtec Total Blender, which can “blend up golf balls, a Coke can, marbles and even a rake handle” (Uncrate).
Dorm-Room Debbie: She can curl up with a Rockin’ Boyfriend Pillow, which boasts an iPod input and speakers in its comforting arms (Ubergizmo).
NPR Ned: “Stories of Hope & Fear,” the third CD collection from quirky public-radio favorite “This American Life,” will keep him humming (Cool Hunting).
Vicky Vegan: An organic chocolate bar that “tastes so good, it didn’t even occur to me that it was specially formulated to make it suitable for vegans.” Goes great with beef jerky (Hippy Shopper).
Shutterbug Stu: The Joby Gorillapod, a camera tripod with “legs that can be strongly wrapped around poles, branches or ledges, and can fit in a small pouch or a large pants pocket.” The “Is that a tripod in your pocket?” joke remains optional (Cool Tools).
Celeb Cindy: Frugal Fashionista examines publicity photos of celebrities such as Hilary Duff and Angie Harmon, and tells readers how to reconstruct their outfits on the cheap.
Sweetheart Sue: “Write a love letter for her wrist” with a custom silver bracelet from Elsewheres (Mighty Goods).
Cool Kid Kyle (or Kylie): Help that skateboarding toddler step into a pair of baby Vans (Cool Mom Picks).
Walkin’ Willie: Hammacher Schlemmer’s MP3 Player/Pedometer/Radio will keep the beat while marking each step (Gizmos for Geeks).
Got-It-All Gilda: Bet she doesn’t have a stylish Emma Orange Peeler shaped like an orange snail—or a Recycled Bar Code Candywrapper Pouch (Outblush, A Girl Must Shop).
Paul McCartney: Cheer up everyone’s favorite divorcing ex-Beatle with the personal yellow submarine known as Exomos Goby (Popgadget).
Ink-Stained Iggy: Favor the newshound in your life with Recycled Newspaper Cufflinks from NewspaperJewelry.com. And they’re just my size (Great Green Goods).
Drilling down
Strategic post-Thanksgiving sale shoppers can get a head start on their bargain-hunting brethren at Black Friday 2006 Blog, black-friday.blogspot.com. It links to the shadowy sites that race to post leaked sale circulars before they hit print (and then sometimes remove them at the request of retailers’ legal teams). Several regular shopping blogs — such as Baby Cheapskate, Budget Fashionista and Consumerist — link to black-market Black Friday ads as well.