Andy's Fourth Annual Online Gift Guide
Welcome back to my annual online gift guide, your preeminent source for cool things on the internet you didn't know you needed to buy. Enjoy!
On the surface, these might look like any old pair of sunglasses, but in reality they are one of a kind. Each pair is made with a wooden frame, meaning no two pairs are alike. The company also makes wooden watches (and for some reason dresses, bracelets and a few grooming items). If you're on the fence about spending $80 on sunglasses, maybe this will tip the scales: The company donates 10 percent of its profits to fighting childhood hunger.
Do you have a family member or friend with a cigar box full of old concert tickets? Well now you can turn one of them into a Christmas gift they'll never forget. There are three ways to submit a ticket for door-matting: 1) Mail it to Lakeside Camera Photoworks, 2) Scan it and email it or 3) Stop by Lakeside's shop outside New Orleans (probably not very cost effective). The company highly recommends mailing in the ticket stub for the best quality door mat (don't worry you'll get it back). You can also have your ticket printed on a mug or blanket, or make a mat out of pictures taken at a concert.
If wonder and whimsy are more your style, check out The Mysterious Package Co. It's actually a club, it's 100 percent free to apply, and they'll come up with a unique (perhaps borderline creepy) gift for your loved one for you. The only catch: they can deny your membership application. The website offers very little information about the company, but others who have applied have said the application includes questions like "How well can you keep a secret?" and "What is your blood type?" How could it not get more interesting from there?
This website allows you to create, just about anything you can make with a 3-D printer, like this nifty-looking siphon. Shapeways has a bunch of stuff pre-made and ready to buy, but you can also upload your own 3-D design and print in more than 50 materials. Want something but you don't see it in the shop or have the ability to design in 3-D? Pick from a long list of designers to help you get what you want.
This gift is for the griller in your life. This little device is like a thermometer for your steak, but instead of giving you a temperature reading that you have to then take and compare to a meat cooking chart, it makes it easy for you. If the light blinks red, the steak is medium well. If it blinks yellow, it's medium. If it blinks green, it's medium rare. And as an added touch, the plastic case that houses the device when it's not in use doubles as a grabber to get the thermometer back out of your hot steak.
If pizza is more your thing, then the Uuni might be up your alley. This home-sized pizza oven is perfect for the outdoor patio. It is wood-fired and includes a baking stone. It gets quite hot (see: 932 degrees), so I wouldn't recommend using it indoors. However, because it gets so hot, it can cook a personal-pan sized pie in less than 2 minutes. Sounds like fun for the whole family.
For those of you with a writer in your life, perhaps one who writes a popular blog, there's the Qwerkywriter. I know what you're thinking, that looks ridiculous. But here me out. The Qwerkywriter keyboard connects wirelessly with your tablet of choice, has cool typewriter-style keys and has got to be easier to type with than a tablet touchscreen ... even if it looks a little hipster-y.
But enough with the kids toys, on to the important gifts: sports memorabilia. This artist is a man after my own heart. He has been traveling the country, painting unique manhole covers and transferring them to canvas. This one was made from a manhole cover outside Wrigley Field. He's got other stuff, but I think this one is the coolest.
And what's the best way to stare at your new artwork? By drinking a cup of Joe from your new baseball bat mug, of course. Lumberlend specializes in taking wooden baseball bats, hollowing them out and turning them into useful and fashionable dishware. Buy one of the pre-made mugs or have one custom made. What better gift *cough, cough* for the baseball fan in your life. Perhaps one *cough, cough* whose team just won the World Series.
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