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Personally, I think the Mustache Napkin Rings have a bit more flair to them, but these chalkboard(ish) rings are simple enough to grace a streamlined tabletop. Might be a fun gift for a someone that loves throwing dinner parties.

set of 4 wood napkin rings with black matte surface, white pencil and sponge included.

Whoa. Though these are terribly expensive, they’re also completely spectacular. Part lighting and part sculpture, either of these lights are sure to become a treasured piece in your collection. I don’t mean ‘your collection’ in the home-is-a-museum sort of way, just that if you spend the money on one of these lights, you should love it enough to keep it forever.

MR. 2 (H 104.9″ x W 77.7″ x D 36.7″): $4,000.00
MR. 5 (H 49.7″ x W 88.8″ x D 31.9″): $4,000.00

Materials: Powder Coated Steel Tube, Ash, T8 LED Tube, Cork
Designer: Tomas Alonso

Whoa, these stainless steel bookends weigh nearly 4 lbs. a piece, which makes them absolutely perfect for your big art and design books. Simple hefty bookends are rather hard to find for some reason, so it’s lovely to find this perfect pair.

Design: Stefan Long, USA
Dimensions: 8″L x 7.75″W x 8″H

If you’re in need of a small step ladder to reach those upper shelves in your kitchen or closet, this retractable solid oak one might be a perfect fit.

“Two-level retractable step ladder in solid oak. A practical design that functions as a compact 3-step ladder with the lower pedestal pushed in. Alternatively, the lower pedestal slides out along safety runners to create a 2-level version for a surer footing. Handmade in Småland (Sweden).”

(Link and price updated March 21, 2011.)

Looking for something different this year to wrap your special gifts in? Well, look no further than Megan Herbert’s wrapping paper designs. My favorites are the two shown above (Snowflakes and Circulation), but the Skeletal and Respiration ones are equally intriguing and appropriate year round.

Each design represents elements we all as human beings share – the blood coursing through our veins (‘Circulation’), the bones helping us to stand strong (‘Skeletal’), the food that nourishes us (‘Digestion’), the air filling our lungs (‘Respiration’), and the traditions that shape our history (‘Snowflakes’). This limited edition collection is designed and printed in Iceland on reclaimed deadstock.

Two size options: Standard – 50 x 70 cm and Large – 70 x 100 cm
€12.00 – €15.00 for 3 to 4 sheets

Nice. With this timer you simply turn it to the number you want and it starts ticking down. Might not seem like the most genius thing, but when your hands are covered in cooking ingredients, you don’t really want to mess around with tiny buttons or switches.

Keeping time in the kitchen is no longer a crap shoot with this dice-like timer by Japanese design collective IDEA. Want a 3-minute egg? Simply turn the timer so the number 3 faces up, and instantly time starts ticking down. Beep! C’est fini. Or count down from 10, 30 or 60 minutes.

Size: 2.4″ x 2.4″ x 2.4″

I love this simple wooden block light with its vintage style bulb. It’s a nice study in contrasts. Keep in mind that it doesn’t come with hanging hardware, but that’s easy to get (a small hook or something from the hardware store would work).

Made from a solid piece of olive wood, this light is stunningly simple in form and function. Featuring a vintage style Edison carbon filament bulb that gives off a warm orange-ish glow and allows you to see its beautiful glowing filament. This light will plug into any standard wall outlet, and comes with a 13ft black or white cord attached for easy hanging anywhere in your home.

Olive or Walnut wood.
Dimensions are: Approx. 5″ long – 2 1/4″ wide without light bulb. Bulb adds another approx. 4-5″ in length.

[via svpply]

These handmade glass icicle candleholders are an elegant way to celebrate the winter holidays, especially if you’re not the deck-the-halls-and-bring-out-the-dancing-santa type.

Designer: Mehtap Obuz
Dimension: 5.5 in. Diam.
Price shown is for set of 2.

Either of these two rugs certainly have enough character to carry a room. The texture, color and pattern all combine into a quirky rug that (in my opinion) further proves Patricia Urquiola’s ability to stretch creativity within the home. These two rugs sort of remind me of woolen scarves, but in the absolute best possible way.

Designer: Patricia Urquiola
Materials: Yarn composition: 100% new wool.

Magnas Rectangular 5×10 MR2 Rug (left): $3125.00
Magnas Rectangular 6×8 MR1 Rug (right): $2910.00

With this desk accessory collection, maybe tidying up your workspace wouldn’t be such a chore. I like how it’s a modular sort of thing, so you can add on the extra parts you need.
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I swear by my graph paper composition notebooks for all my sketches, brainstorming and notetaking. I must admit that I think I’m ready for a change after seeing Behance’s Dot Grid Book.

Favored by free-thinking graphic designers among other creative professionals, Behance’s Dot Grid was developed as an alternative to traditional lines and boxes. The light geometric dot matrix serves as a subtle guide for your notations and sketches. The Dot Grid Book’s cover is a unique suede-to-the-touch hard cover. The pages are made of 80lb Premium Blend paper with a subtle texture (30% post-consumer recycled), double perforated, and three-hole punched between both perforations for maximum flexibility.

COVERS: Semi-Hard Suede-touch Cover
SIZE: 9″ x 10.5″
PAPER: 80lb Premium Blend
PAGES: 50
BINDING: Double spiral (black)

Whoa, talk about a steal of a deal. Snap this 6-piece wine set up as a thoughtful gift for that friend or family member that loves playing host, or maybe for yourself if you plan on throwing some holiday get-togethers. If you or the giftee prefer something of the stronger sort, consider the 5-piece shot glass set or 4-piece martini set.

6-piece set: four 9 oz.; 4″H wine glasses, one 52 oz.; 3.75″dia.x16.25″H decanter and one 3.5″dia.x3.75″H funnel.

If you ever run into the who’s-going-to-water-my-plants-while-I’m-gone conundrum, check out these Plant Nanny Stakes. Most plastic bottles will fit (reusable points), ensuring that your plants get just the right amount of water while you’re away. There’s also stakes to fit wine bottles if you have more of those to use/reuse. Or, even better, take a look at the Self-Watering Probes (5 pack for $23.95), which sound strange but would work well for long term holidays since they work with a larger water reservoir.

Put those plastic bottles to use, they should do more than just come from an evil plastic factory, hold water, and get tossed into a landfill. Keep it around, and put it to work. Just connect the Plant Nanny Stake to the bottle, shove the stake deep into the soil of your ever thirsty plant, and watch the water level slowly lessen as the the plant takes only the water it needs to be happy.

$4.95 price quoted is for one stake.

Three 4 packs for $41.95 available through Amazon.

I like the idea of grouping a few of these cups together as a birthday or anniversary present, or, as the retailer also recommends, as a house warming gift with numbers of the new address.

Numbers 0 through 9 available.

Material: Chinaware
Designer: Takuya Hoshiko
W 4″ x D 2.75″ x H 2.75″

Also available: £13.60

Don’t feel bad about forgetting your grocery tote at home, just remember to ask for paper bags. Materriashop’s Recycling Frame utilizes standard grocery bags to create an incredibly simple and environmentally friendly trash/recycling bin. The frame itself is made from 30% recycled steel and is of course recyclable itself.

Recycling made easy! Here’s an everyday product made functional and stylish. Recycle your paper, plastics and metals using these clever recycling frames. Style your own frame with your favorite bag. Great for the office and at home. Use 2 frames to create a recycling center for 3 collectables and use 3 frames for 5 collectables.

Material: Steel (30% recycled) and is 100% recyclable
Colors: white, red, black, steel gray.

[via Re-Nest]