Barneys is a usually a great place to find a parking place at North Park mall so I've been passing through the store quite often on my holiday shopping trips. The store has a great selection of unique housewares that are relatively affordable. Yesterday I saw these gum drop and lollipop topiaries at Barneys for $88 - $125!
They're cute, but that's a little pricey. If you're feeling crafty, these are pretty easy to put together with materials from your local craft and grocery stores. For the gumdrops, simply use toothpicks to attach the candies to the form. For the lollipops, the sticks will do the job. I made a gumdrop wreath a few years ago. I had to buy 7 bags of gumdrops to get enough white ones to make a 8" wreath, but it was a fun distraction for a do-nothing Thanksgiving weekend.
The cone-shaped topiary will be simpler to put together
Supplies (almost all available at a local craft store such as Michaels, Hobby Lobby or Joann's):
Foam forms
A base
Various ribbons (if desired)
Craft glue
Candies of choice (may need to stop by the grocery for these)
Craft paint (if desired)
For the base of the cone, a painted wood disc or a large, flat glass candle holder would work. Simply glue the cone to the base.
For the ball-shaped topiary, a small pot with stones for weight and craft foam glued inside for support of the wooden dowel would work. This one will be harder to support because of the weight of the upper ball and may require some experimentation. I found more detailed instructions on this version
here.
Here are a few more gift ideas under $50 for the guys on your list:
A little refresher from Apartment Therapy NY. Once you get into their post, click the Farmer's Almanac link for a key to decipher the diagram.
Barneys is a usually a great place to find a parking place at North Park mall so I've been passing through the store quite often on my holiday shopping trips. The store has a great selection of unique housewares that are relatively affordable. Yesterday I saw these gum drop and lollipop topiaries at Barneys for $88 - $125!
For that matter, do I? Answer: Probably not.
The Tate's online store is offering a modernist paint-by-numbers kit for £25. Sounds like a fun way to keep yourself busy this winter and a cheap way to add a little art to your home.
Sometimes it's hard to come up with good small gifts for guys. I know that most guys want electronics, but I can't wedge that big-screen plasma into the shopping budget. This is especially true of single guys, who tend to be minimalist homemakers and maximalist mess-makers (sorry clean guys, but this has been true for 80% of single guys I know). My solution: something that holds chips. Guys like chips, right?
Meet Rakku, the future of shoe storage. This almost makes me wish I had a selection of rainbow colored pumps. Regardless, this would go a long way towards cleaning up anyone's cluttered little pre-1950's-era closet.
I received my copy of Lucky magazine last week, but just got around to reading it. The December issue has a great gift guide which includes deals on several nice finds. The Lucky editorial staff pulled the list together based on things they've seen and loved this year. The list is a wonderful resource if you are lost on what to give this season. The cakestand shown here is on the list and available at a discounted price with the Lucky Breaks code.
While in Turkey, we had a fabulous Greek salad at a tiny restaurant on the Mediterranean. I know it seems odd to take a Greek recipe from a Turkish restaurant, but if you talk to a Turk they will inform you that Greek food is Turkish. I don't know who came up with this salad, but it is wonderful, light, and easy to make:
Design Sponge recently wrote about Modhaus, a mid-century furnishings store in Boston, which happens to have a great Web site. The site features lots of cool art and housewares at reasonable prices. 
Monograms, monograms, monograms. The iconic letters are popping up everywhere from towels to planters. Not a bad thought for those tough-to-buy for folks on your list this season.
