A little shopping inspiration can be found in New York City when jewelry designer and fashion blogger Wendy Brandes will open a popup store in the West Village for two days this holiday season. The Wendy Brandes popup store will be open on November 20th and 21st from 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at 48 Greenwich Avenue near Perry Street. Wendy will be on hand both days to showcase her detailed handcrafted pieces. Hear straight from Wendy about the rich and witty inspirations for each unique piece. In addition to being a talented designer Brandes has an abiding love of history which manifests in unique pieces like a tiny sarcophagus that opens to reveal a mummy with diamond eyes or her popular poison rings which have secret compartments. Her collections have been inspired by a variety of historical figures including an Anglo-Saxon Queen, an Empress of Rome and the Queen of Scots.

The Wendy Brandes Popup Store will also have styles from her friend Zang Toi's collection available for shoppers interested in clothing to go along with their jewels. Zang Toi established the "House of Toi" collection in New York in 1989, and was awarded the 1990 Mouton Cadet Young Designer of the Year award, which recognizes the top young US designer of the year. Over the years, his design has evolved from the bright and decadent of the 1990s to the timeless yet modern lines of the turn of the country.

For some people Thanksgiving is just a prelude to Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year. For shoppers who want to get started right at midnight, one Boston hotel has a little help. The Fairmont Copley Plaza has partnered with Wrentham Village Premium Outlets for a midnight shopping extravaganza. The Midnight Madness Shopping Adventure includes elegant overnight accommodations and private transportation to and from the Wrentham Village Premium Outlets. The hotel will also provide a special midnight picnic featuring turkey sandwiches and energy drinks. After returning to the Fairmont Copley Plaza, guests get a relaxing breakfast before a late check out. Rates start at $279.

For more Black Friday coverage, check out Black Friday Deals and other Black Friday 2009 stories today from Walletpop.com.

Despite theories that it would be consumers who were in short supply this holiday season, it seems that Apple is having trouble keeping up with demand.

After a highly successful limited-release of its iPod Touch earlier this year, the company is now running short of other models, notably the formerly-ubiquitous iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle at mass-retailers like Target and Best Buy.

Analysts estimate Apple will sell close to 21 million iPods in the December quarter, up 90% since the fall.

[via AppleInsider]

More bad news for the U.S. luxury department stores. WWD has the list of sales figures for December and they aren't pretty. Same-store sales declined 5.4 percent on average for the department store sector with a total of 6.5 percent lost year over year. The luxury retailers were hit hardest, Nordstrom, down 4 percent, Neiman Marcus down 2.9 percent, Macy's fell 7.9 percent and Sak's eked out a .08 percent gain. Out of the 40 retailers WWD tracked, 27 reported negative same-stores sales for the month. The mid-range departments stores were hit too, J.C. Penney fell 7.9 percent and Kohl's declined 0.7 percent. Discount stores did better with Wal-Mart up 2.6 percent and Target up 5 percent. Specialty stores dipped too (3 percent) but overall it was the department stores that suffered the most with a 6.3 percent decline overall. I wonder if the fact that the Christmas holiday season has turned into more of a gadget frenzy and less of a clothing holiday is partly behind this or if this is just more fall out as the masstige market, once fueled by the aspirational shopper, continues to decline.

Every year since 1984, the clever folks at PNC Wealth Management figure out just how much it would cost to present one's true love with the items mentioned in the song The Twelve Days of Christmas. While the list is intended to be humorous, PNC claims the tally does mirror actual economic trends.

This year's grand total, from a partridge in a pear tree to 12 drummers drumming, purchased repeatedly as indicated in the song, is $78,100. The total for those 364 items is up 4% from last year. If you choose to shop online, the price is quite a bit more - $128,886.

The hike in minimum wage is to blame for some of the increase over last year. Those eight maids a milking now fetch $47 compared to $41 last year. That only seems fair since the ladies haven't had a wage increase since 1997. Higher food and gold costs are also reflected in the increased total. But not every item has gone up over last year. The cost for partridges, turtle doves and French hens has remained steady over the past year as have swans and ladies dancing.

Our own version of the 12 Days of Christmas can be had for far less money and requires absolutely no care and feeding.

American Express has created some limited-time luxury travel deals for gifting (or keeping all to yourself) on their My WishList website that will be up and running later this week. The site offers all cardmembers the opportunity to buy some of the season's most wished-for items at discounts of 24 to 80 percent starting on November 27. The packages include:

Virgin Atlantic London Experience (on My WishList: November 28th): The trip includes an Upper Class Suite on Virgin Atlantic to London with limo service, treats from the onboard bar, in-flight spa treatments and three nights at the Metropolitan London. WishList Price: $3,000 (Retail Price: $19,622)

The Great Debaters Premiere & Meet Oprah Winfrey (Available on My WishList: November 29th): This includes a private meet and greet with Oprah Winfrey, seating at the premiere of the film with Denzel Washington and Forest Whitaker and an invitation to the after-party. Roundtrip flight to Los Angeles and hotel stay included. WishList Price: $2,800 (Retail Price: $8,300)

A shopping spree at the New York Saks Fifth Avenue Shoe Floor, the shoe department so big it has its own zip code. WishList Price: $2,300 (Retail Price: $7,800)

The Westin Beijing Heavenly Spa Retreat (Available on My WishList: December 7th): The trip includes four nights at The Westin Beijing and round-trip airfare for two, daily treatments at the new Heavenly Spa by Westin, tours of the "Forbidden City" and dining at one of the Westin Beijing's seven world-class restaurants. WishList Price: $2,000 (Retail Price: $8,000)

There is also an Ultimate Wish Giveaway that lets you try for a chance to win a Volvo C70, a Jet Blue charter flight for 150 gifts and a variety of other prizes.

The Neiman Marcus 2006 Christmas book has been released. It's 101 pages of holiday shopping but it's really on those last pages, the Fantasy Gifts that we rush to see each year. Last year's book offered a chance to buy the Skycar, an adult treehouse and a red piano from Elton John. This year's offerings are the usual collection of things to drive, places to visit and one-of-a-kind treasures for your home:

2007 Fantasy Gifts

Virgin Galactic charter to space: $1.764 million
Buy now, head to space in 2009
Seven-foot tall pencil skyscraper: $40,000
His and Hers Twike: $40,000
A luxury version of the gas-free, guilt-free commuter vehicle
GG Quad: $56,465
part motorcycle, part exotic car, this beauty is fast, it can achieve a top speed of 115 mph
Sports Dream Package: bidding starts at $250,000
The Sports Dream Package includes VIP travel, accommodations, and tickets to six incredible pro sports events: the 2007 NHL All-Star Game in Dallas; Super Bowl XLI in South Florida; the 2007 NBA All-Star Game in Las Vegas; the 2007 Major League Baseball All-Star Game in San Francisco; the 2007 US Open Tennis Championships Women's Final in Queens, NY; and a bonus surprise event. At each event, your group will have the chance to share a private meal with a living legend from that sport. Including Wayne Gretzky, Troy Aikman, Magic Johnson and Chris Evert. 100% of the gross proceeds from the online auction will benefit the Joe Torre Safe At Home Foundation.
Membership in Perpetuity to The Club at Castiglion Del Bosco: $3,800,000
Become part of one of Tuscany's oldest working wine estates while transforming it into a world-class luxury resort. This club built in an area of medieval ruins has 21 villas and a working winery. The villas are each being renovated and the club is also home to a spa, boutique hotel, restaurants, golf courses and more. Each member also gets a case of the winery's vintage each year.
House of Jacques Fath Couture Archives: $3,500,000
Buy a piece of fashion history. The entire archival record of the House of Fath including original sketchbooks with couture designs as well as three Fath haute couture dresses.
Two luxury pet homes from Italian designer Marco Morosini: $5,000 and $7,500
One is a minimalist crystal case with a leather armchair and the other is a little wood trailer with an interior rug and coordinating wallpaper.
Your own backyard waterpark: $100,000
A park built on your level site includes 26 interactive water columns, maneuverable cannons, spray faces, water games, and ground sprays that encourage creative play and has a programmable control panel to optimize water usage.
2007 NM Limited Edition BMW M6 Convertible: $139,000
This special NM Limited Edition has Ruby Black exterior paint, accented with Piano Black trim elements. The16-way power sports seats wrapped in a custom Gold Brown shade of supple BMW Individual merino leather. The car comes with the chance to fly to Europe and meet your car in Munich. These cars always sell out. It goes on sale Wednesday, October 18 and you can call 1-866-303-2696 to buy.

Still getting your shopping done? Neiman Marcus can help. They are offering upgraded shipping and can get your presents to you in time for Christmas as long as you order by noon tomorrow CST and spend more than $150. We like these fashion fortune cookies which namedrop brands like Baccarat, Roberto Cavalli, DKNY, Fabergé  and, of course, Neiman Marcus. A container of two dozen cookies sells for $30 and would make adorable party favors.