holidash

Pricey Handmade Chess Set Made Entirely of Legos

Filed under: Decor, Art

Chess is a sophisticated game that often lends itself to rare and expensive materials but for this version designer Derek Seiple chose to create a chess set out of common plastic black and white Legos. LEGOs might be common (who hasn't build a Lego fortress at some point in their lives?) but what they lack in intrinsic value they seem to more than make up for in nostalgia and collectability (as Wired pointed out this set costs more than a Macbook Air). The design takes almost 4000 lego bricks to create and the board is made using a special "no studs on top" technique so the squares have a smooth surface. The board measures 22 3/4" square by 1" thick and the King stands 4 1/2" tall. Each set is made to order and can be done in any color combination, with a lead time of about three weeks. Order now for the Lego-lover on your Christmas list. $1,295

Gallery: LEGO Chess Set

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Tags: board games, chess, games, gifts, holidash, holiday gifts, lego, legos

Harry & David Launches Pop-Up "Orchards"

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Harry & David is a gift-giving tradition around the holidays. This year the company famous for its fruit and other mail-order delectables is opening up "pop-up orchards" in neighborhoods around the country. The stores were inspired by Harry & David's home in Oregon's Rogue River Valley and feature Harry & David's new customizable options, such as the "Create Your Own" Bento Box, in addition to Harry & David favorites including new flavors of Moose Munch snacks. The holiday collections will feature exclusive wines, artisanal cheeses, baked goods and of course, fresh fruit. Harry & David is also offering special pricing at the rate of $19.34 on select holiday items to commemorate their anniversary year.

"We're absolutely thrilled to launch our Pop-Up Orchard concept just in time for the holiday season," says Steve Heyer, who has the title of Chief Happiness Officer. "It's a unique platform for us to share our rich brand heritage and showcase our farm-to-table expertise while engaging with consumers across the country's most bustling cities for the first time."

The stores will be open through January 2011. A store locator is available on the Harry & David website. Locations include the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia; at the Lenox Square Mall in Atlanta, Georgia; at Beachwood Place in Cleveland, Ohio; at Cherry Creek Mall in Denver, Colorado and on Greenwich Ave in Greenwich, Connecticut.

Tags: christmas gifts, harry and david, harry david, holidash, holiday gifts, holidays

Stuff a Stocking with a Zippo Hand Warmer

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

I think this just might be the coolest (and cutest) little gadget if you're looking for the perfect stocking stuffer to round out the usual candy and scratch-off lottery tickets. The Zippo Hand Warmer is fun, useful, and perhaps best of all probably a little unexpected. It's smaller than your average hand warmer (looks like I could easily have one stuffed in each glove while I'm scraping ice off my car's windshield) and is very similar to a Zippo lighter in size and shape with a sleek, smooth chrome finish on the exterior. Fill it with Zippo premium lighter fluid and it will provide heat for up to 24 hours at a time. $29.95

Via Book of Joe

Gallery: Zippo Hand Warmer

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Tags: gadget, gadgets, hand warmer, HandWarmer, holidash, stocking, stocking stuffers, StockingStuffers, zippo, zippo handwarmer, ZippoHandwarmer

...of the Month, Gifts That Last All Year Long

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

We all have one on our lists, the person who seems to have everything. I think it was for exactly these sort of people that gift of the month clubs were invented. Because something small gains new weight and significance when it comes every month for a year. These days you can find a gift of the month for nearly everything. There are hundreds of food clubs as well as enthusiast clubs offering everything from knitting yarn to fishing flies. The classic is of course the wine or beer club. Wine.com offers a couple of excellent clubs such as the Wines of the World Club which costs $595 for two bottles of well-rated wine a month but you can spend far less or far more elsewhere depending on your wine inclination.

For ten more of the month ideas that are a little further off the beaten path check out the gallery below.

Gallery: Gift of the Month Clubs

Tags: gifts, holidash, holidays, luxgifts

Holidash's Season of Schwag

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Give you holiday season a boost by heading over to Holidash. Our sister blog has created the Holidash Season of Schwag. Holi and Dash are the naughtiest (and sexiest!) elves in the North Pole. They are too impatient to wait for Santa to deliver goodies on Christmas, so they're giving away the season's best stuff on Holidash.com. The giveaways include toys, gadgets, shoes, purses and more from brands such as LeapFrog, Motorola, Rebecca Minkoff, AT&T, Adidas and Ralph Lauren. So many prizes make it easy to win so head on over.

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Tags: giveaways, holidash, schwag

Turkey Platters for a Beautiful Thanksgiving Table

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Dining

When it comes to feasting on Thanksgiving day the turkey is the star of the show so it's only natural to display it on something beautiful. And since large serving platters aren't as prone to being broken or worn out by daily use it seems worthwhile to invest in one you'll be proud to show off on special occasions like Thanksgiving and other gatherings for years to come. So what kind of platter will go best with your Turkey Day tabletop decor? Whether you choose one that matches your dinnerware or one that stands out on its own, there's literally thousands of choices out there -- see the gallery below for some ideas!

Gallery: Turkey Platters for the Thanksgiving Holiday

Spode Woodland American Turkey Platter with Well

White Bone China Turkey Platter by Gordon Ramsey

Tags: dinnerware, entertaining, holidash, holidays, platter, platters, Thanksgiving, turkey, turkey platters, TurkeyPlatters

Timmy Woods Santa XV, Handbag of the Day

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags

Is it a handbag or a piece of art? It's both, of course. Impractical and whimsical, who could resist a funky blinged out Santa bag from Timmy Woods? Like all of her bags, this one is bade from acacia wood and crafted by hand. With jeweled spectacles and a flashy star nestled in his beard, Santa gets a break from his usual red attire. His carved white whiskers are set off by a chunky black and silver beaded strap and a furry black cap. This black and white Santa is also green. For every tree felled to create Timmy Woods handbags, two more are planted. $375.

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Tags: carved handbag, CarvedHandbag, holidash, holiday handbag, HolidayHandbag, luxe handbag, LuxeHandbag, luxury handbag, LuxuryHandbag, purse, santa, santa handbag, SantaHandbag, timmy woods, timmy woods santa xv, TimmyWoods, TimmyWoodsSantaXv

David Beckham Buys Victoria A Book For Christmas

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping

A few weeks ago, we learned that Victoria Beckham had bought her kids a Neiman Marcus treehouse for Christmas, now The Sun reports that David Beckham has bought his wife a book for Christmas. Now a book may not sound like much of a present, especially for Victoria, who, although she has authored a couple of books, famously claimed in 2005 never to have read one, but this is no ordinary book. David bought Victoria Una Grande Storia Italiana - Valentino Garavani, a fabulous new book from Taschen which celebrates the designer. The book comes in a silk-covered clamshell box that is tinted in Valentino red. Inside, the 738-page book includes drawings, magazine shoots, advertisements, portraits of Valentino, and documentary photographs. The text includes Vanity Fair writer Matt Tyrnauer's interviews with twenty of Valentino's collaborators and friends and a tribute to Valentino by fashion writer Suzy Menkes. The Collector's Edition is limited to 2,000 individually numbered copies, each signed by Valentino and sells for $1,000. At least if Victoria doesn't read it she can check out the pretty pictures.

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Tags: book, christmas presents, ChristmasPresents, david beckham, holidash, valentino, victoria beckham, VictoriaBeckham

Fountain and Ballpoint All in One!

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Writing Instruments

Ever wanted to purchase a fountain pen but prefer to have the easy option of using a ballpoint when need be? Look no further. The Hammacher Schlemmer dual-tipped brass pen combines a fountain pen and ballpoint in one calf leather package for $69.95. Complete with a gift box and fourteen combined refills for the respective ends of the pen this package would make a great gift for that hard-to-buy-for person. Now you can go from a formal note home to your Grandmother to the ideas that pop into your head at a coffee shop with one sleek instrument.

[via bookofjoe]

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Tags: ballpoint-pen, fountain-pen, Hammacher-Schlemmer, holidash

Sting's Christmas Hamper

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Celebrity Shopping

Sting's wife Trudie put together a few Christmas hampers (well, 100 of them actually) filled with hand-selected items from the couple's country estate in Wiltshire, England and they've become insanely popular. Available in London at Selfridges, the hampers included a variety of organic goodies including a bottle of champagne, a Christmas cake, beetroot chutney, a couple of beeswax candles, and a chocolate coin. There were 9 treats total in the $300 hampers, and they must have be good because they've already sold out -- with "a number" of them going to Sharon Osbourne.

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Tags: Christmas, Christmas hamper, ChristmasHamper, hamper, holidash, holiday, holidays, osbourne, sharon osbourne, SharonOsbourne, sting, Trudie Styler, TrudieStyler

What Did Katie Get Tom For Christmas?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping

One of the perks of being married to Tom Cruise has to be the shopping. Since Katie Holmes met and married the diminutive action star she's logged so much time at Barney's they should thank her in their annual business report. Recently though, it was the Beverly HIlls Neiman Marcus that got the Katie touch. In Touch reports that she had a $300 lunch with friends there on December 15 and then went on a massive shopping adventure that totaled around $100,000. Katie's picks includes a $30,000 rose-gold Cartier wristwatch, a black Giorgio Armani suit for $5,400, Gucci snakeskin sneakers for $990, a Prada ski coat for $1,395 and four pairs of Barker Black handmade English shoes at $825 each all for her hubby.

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Tags: christmas, holidash, katie holmes, tom cruise, TomCruise

Charles Hollander Collection Dazzles

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Jewelry

Black and white is always a classic combination especially when we are talking about diamonds. Charles Hollander's jeweled designs of 2007 could be the perfect gift item for that hard-to-buy-for-lux-living individual in your life. From the gorgeous diamond encrusted pen to the glittery golf ball these items will surely grab your attention. Peruse the gallery and see for yourself ... and then try to stop drooling.

Gallery: Charles Hollander Collection

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Tags: black-diamonds, charles-hollander, diamond-gifts, holidash, white-diamonds

Snow Globes by Walter Martin & Paloma Munoz

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor

I love snow globes, but although these are really interesting I can't help but think they look a little cold and creepy. I really like the idea of a snow globe that's more mature and artistic (and therefore less cheesy) than the average design we see all around this time of year, and I'd be interested to hear the designers' take on what is going on in each of these scenes...is that a pair of outrageously large rabbits or just a miniature man? Definitely lots of room for creativity! Created by Walter Martin and Paloma Munoz, each globe measures 4.75" x 6" and goes for $750.

Gallery: Snow Globes by Walter Martin & Paloma Munoz

Via Wists

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Tags: globe, holidash, paloma munoz, PalomaMunoz, snow globe, snow globes, SnowGlobe, SnowGlobes, unica, walter martin, WalterMartin

Designer Fly Swatters

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Gadgets

If you're looking for a unique and humorous stocking stuffer gift for a loved one that's still somewhat useful, perhaps a designer fly swatter would fit the bill? These swatters available from Charles & Marie are pretty basic in material (being made of typical plastic) but the unique angle is noticed when you look closer: the design of the swatter is modeled after a mini street map of Milan, Italy. Created by designer Nicoletta as part of her Pandora Design line these would make a great gift for someone crazy into fashion, crazy into European travel, or just crazy into killing flies. $15

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Tags: fly, holidash, italian, italy, milan, Nicoletta, swat, swatter, swatters

25 Wine Gifts Worth Celebrating

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine, Holiday Guides

Wine can be the perfect item for any occasion. Whether as a housewarming package, a thank you present or a hostess gift, it is appreciated and can be shared by many. So why not for the holidays! If you are still searching for some last minute gift inspiration or New Year's accessories, these 25 wine gifts are sure to give you a few ideas -- even for those that have it all.