Random Acts of Kindness

Or Random Acts of Knitting?

I spotted this bit of handiwork in Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, knitted right onto the tree. Pretty cool, no?

If you're crafty, a piece of your own handiwork makes a great gift. I think everyone has a bit of creativity they can exercise and Brett Bara's new book, "Sewing in a Straight Line," proves the point. As Brett says, "Anyone can sew a straight line!"

If you're not feeling crafty, though, a copy of "Sewing in a Straight Line" makes an inspired gift.




For more knitting, sewing and other cool things like Jello, follow Brett, my favorite crafty girl, at Manhattan Craft Room.

Special Edition Animal Crackers

JUST SPOTTED:
Lilly Pulitzer Special Edition Animal Crackers. A little bit of happy!

This box of animal crackers - available at the grocery store - is a summer's-coming, no-special-reason gift, already wrapped in a fun Lilly Pulitzer print. Buy a box for you, a box for a friend, a box for your beach bag, your trip to the zoo.

Then log onto Lilly's "Cracker Tracker" to pinpoint the location of your Barnum's Animals. It's all part of the "Lilly Loves the Arts" 2011 initiative in conjunction with Nabisco and Urban Arts Partnership.

Lunch box

My new bento box! (A gift to myself ;-)

Another little something

These little "Cocktails by Jenn" have all the makings of a great gift: they're fun, colorful, celebratory and beautifully packaged. Jenn even includes the matching straws.

A little gift or the 13th beignet

I remember when I was a kid, vacationing out west with my family. I painstakingly selected a turquoise ring at a little shop and as the deal was wrapping up, the shopkeeper plucked a smaller ring from the case and gave it to me as a gift; a "lagniappe." Wikipedia says a lagniappe is " 'a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase' (such as the 13th beignet when buying a dozen), or more broadly, 'something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure.' "

Sure enough.

A fabulous friend introduced me to the term recently -- apparently it's very much of a Louisiana thing -- but I've been the happy recipient of a lagniappe many times!

The honeymoon isn't over

Ms. X wanted a gift, just a token, for her coworker who's getting married. "Maybe a bride made of chocolate?" she joked. So I started to wonder: is there such a thing? I mean, chocolate would make anyone happy, and who cares if it matches her decorating scheme?

Well, I didn't find a chocolate bride, but how about this? The "Marital Bliss Bar" from Bloomsberry & Co. www.bloomsberry.com, with a not-so-even his and hers 50/50 split of premium milk chocolate.

As long as we're clear that this is the way things really are, fellas, the honeymoon is sure to last a long, long time.

Welcome to Bento Box Gifts

I've always secretly wanted a shop with a cute little open/closed sign on the front door. I still don't have a shop, but I do have a studio. And my Bento Box Gifts sign makes me happy every time I open the front door.

There's a rose bush blooming outside right now.
Don't you just love summer?

Visit my virtual shop any time: www.BentoBoxGifts.com.