Nintendo Wii Chocolate Avatars for You and Miis

Love playing against your significant other in Wii Sports? Then, enjoy showing your confectionary love to them by immortalizing yourselves in milk/dark chocolate, in Mii avatar form, for Valentine's Day. As my geeky brother would say, sweeeeeeet. How cute would these be for Valentine's Day? Even as an anniversary/wedding gift? Seen over at Pop Gadget.
Nintendo Wii Chocolate Avatars, $14.95, by Paul Papa Designs

Geeky Bathroom Humor: Tokyo Style

Airyusha Robotan Toilet Paper Holder, $35.99, at AudibleCubes

Japan Cool hunters and geeksters -- not only can you outfit your clothes, art, and decor to match your asthetic lifestyle -- why not top the fun off with the Robotan Toliet Paper holder? Have fun with the tissue printouts unfurling out for your service! Spare roll included. Discovered by my new favorite girl friendly-tech blog, popgadget.

Twisted Valentine's Day Gift

We get it, Valentine's Day is a bad time for the singletons and the broken hearted.
Well, project your dark thoughts on to the aptly named product above, The Ex Knife Set as designed by Raffaele Iannello. Thoughtfully included are the five knives shown above, it's just just for show! This knife holder, in a cheerful fire-engine red, stokes my love for the morbid. Someone in need of closure? Buy this for that friend! As the product info discloses: "This set makes a great gift for any occasion and it's also considerably cheaper than therapy."
The Ex Knife Set, $69, Think Geek

Kanzashi Hair Pins

Red Chirimen Cherry Blossom Kanzashi, $15, by gochemoche

Kanzashi is the traditional Japanese art form of ornamental hairpins that were often worn by apprentice geisha and by young girls for celebrations, according to PuchiMaiko. Beautiful, intricate, and delicate, these fashionable pieces have been gaining attention from craftsers interested in picking up this Asian art form.

Here's some interesting kanzashi ornamental pins I've found :

Everday Kanzashi, PeachyPan, $8.99 AU

Pink and white Cherry Blossom with green leaves hair pin

Turquoise and red chrysanthemum hair pin

Now, if you're wondering how it would look pinned on hair, here's some photos from hanatsukuri's Etsy shop:

Funky animal decor: eco-friendly trophy heads

The 3D cardboard Moosehead by Cardboard Safari is cheeky. It's definitely a decor item that qualifies as a conversational piece. It kindles my love for Canada (and what it stands for--Coffee Crisp, real maple syrup, Tim Hortons, among others) but I doubt Canadians would appreciate me mounting a likeness of their heads to my wall. So, I think the Moosehead will do, preferably in a study room, hallway entrance, or foyer. Environmentally tongue-in-cheek at a decent price, this baby can be your's for $24.34. For your inner Safari hunter, you can also nab the 3D cardboard Rhino and Deer trophy heads at their website.

Tales of a Bunny Fashionista

Meet Fifi Lapin, an artfully dressed bunny girl about town, who proclaims prettily, "Some people think I’m just a socialite but I think there is more to me than just an extremely stylish clotheshorse!"
Whatever her reputation, Fifi's depiction in up-to-the-minute runway fashions makes us idolize her couture sensibilities. Clothed in labels from Chanel to Missoni to Marc Jacobs, this bunny makes it work. Someone needs to get her British designer/creator a book deal because I'd love to see these illustrations put into a stylish children's book.
Currently, Fifi's Etsy shop is closed till Spring. Catch archived artwork there and upcoming art on her blog.

DIY ideas: Owl Plushies

I was checking out Ohdeedoh, Apartment Therapy's nursery section, and found an inspiring burst of inspiration--check out these owls! Yes, I know, owls were definitely overused in 2007 but in proper context, look at how cute they are here. Above, the Zakka Style Owls were created by Moonstitches, a crafty seamstress who resides in Japan, whose creations inspired the Scottish crafster who created her own baby owl mobile that the Ohdeedoh's post covers, below. I hear minimal sewing is involved in their creation, if so, I am tempted to work on this as a weekend project.

Tech Gear : Mimobot's devilish USB Flash Drives

gloomy bear pink mimobot, 1GB for $49.95

While I'm on a roll about tech gear, who can resist the allure of Mimobot's USB Flash Drives that have the irresistible charm of a Japanese school girl's gizmo? Cute idols of gadgetry that they are, they're sure to attract attention and nerd approval when you plug in. 1GB for $49.95

Queen mimobot®, 1GB for $49.95

chewbacca mimobot®, 1GB for $49.95

See? Didn't I say they were adorable? Man I love me some Domo-kun, check him in all his mighty USB glory here.

Tech gear: laptop sleeves

When it comes to laptop gear, I start developing Goldilocks syndrome in that nothing satisfies my needs when I go shopping. When facing the selection at Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. it's either, too drab, too masculine, too bulky, or god forbid, too girly-- have you seen the crop of feminine tech gear companies that have sprouted? See an example here.
So, when facing the dilemma of finding a new laptop sleeve and bag, I set my criteria that my selection had to be graphic, bold, have interesting details, and was unique (hadn't seen it carried elsewhere *cough*Apple Store*cough*. What I did find useful was checking out girl-appealing gadget sites like Geek Sugar and Shiny Shiny to see a variety of gadget gear not seen on Engadget or Gizmodo in terms of style and selection. Here are the results:






Red Maloo Apple Laptop Sleeve , $89 EU



Janine King Laptop Sleeve, $49





9 to 5 Laptop Sleeve, $45


LeSportSac 7904 Laptop Sleeve, $39



MetStyle's Tokio Laptop Sleeve, $35



MetStyle's Milano Notebook Sleeve

affordable art: prints, prints, prints

Der Fallout Und Wir 1 (miniature) by Heiko – $19.99

Last time, we talked about affordable art sources, I mentioned Etsy and The Poster List. Add to that list, Thumbtack Press, a shop where artists can distribute their works. I spent alot of time pouring over the selection. Tons of selection and prices hover around twentysomethingbucks or less!
Check out some of the favorites I snapped at:


Triptych by Mutt Ink – $34.99



Laurea by Riki Blanco – $39.99


Fatal Roller (miniature) by Heiko – $14.99


The Host by Ana Galvan – $29.99


Umbrella Pink Eyes by Doug Boehm – $19.99

Cheerful Housewares

Update your coffee cup collection with the bright, cheerful selection found at Anne Kelle Designs. Discovered through my new blog find, Hostess with the Mostess.

Etsy Find: Soapylove

When  I think of hospitality gifts to give when I'm a house guest, I try to think of something unique, fun, and playful to give out. Artisanal soap isn't one of them, yet, through Etsy, I found Soapy Love, a cute soap maker and fell for her product line. What I love about her creations are the shapes, colors, and good humor (pun intended) that her soaps come in. I think I'd dole these out for cute kids (who wouldn't want to play with rockets?), potty-mouth coworkers, and pretty-loving friends. Who wouldn't want to play with them?