Still shopping around for gift ideas? Here’s our second installment of suggestions for perfect presents for the home. And if you need still more gift-giving ideas and inspiration, check out this space over the next four Sundays. We’ll be back with more great finds.
Tea service with a smile
If you want to take the gray out of a winter day, a cup of darjeeling and “Te o” should do the trick. Te o, a dishwasher-safe stainless steel and plastic strainer, is one of the newest “friends” in Milanese designer Stefano Pirovano’s Peppino and Friends line for Alessi. It’s dishwasher safe and comes in cobalt blue, bright green, red and white. So new that it’s expected to arrive at stores by week’s end, Te o will sell for $24 at Chiasso, Water Tower Place, 835 N. Michigan Ave., 312-280-1249, and Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, 630-928-1169, or visit the Web site at chiasso.com; and Adesso, Port Clinton Square, 600 Central Ave., Highland Park, 847-433-8525.
— Elaine Matsushita
A patch of green
Give a friend some grass and flowers that will stay bright all winter. This bulletin board from City Yard, covered with artificial turf and decked with faux posy pushpins, is the perfect place to accumulate notes and photos. The 12-inch-square board is $24; 18-inch-square, $36. Push pins, in a variety of blooms, are $5.50 for a set of four or five at The Planter’s Palette Garden & Gift Shop, 28W571 Roosevelt Rd., Winfield, 630-293-1140; French Country Market, 14N630 Illinois Highway 25 (Dundee Avenue), East Dundee, 847-742-5770; and Scents & Sensibility, Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave., South Arcade No. 9, 312-595-5467. For other stores, call 800-580-1211 or visit www.cityyard.com.
— Beth Botts
Pets-to-go
Traveling with your pet just got easier with this backpack on wheels. The 16-by-20-by-9-inch RollerPet Rolling Backpack is recommended for small dogs and cats under 16 pounds. A mesh hatch window lets Tiger keep an eye on his surroundings while safely stowed inside. It’s available in red, green, blue and black for $125, plus shipping and handling; order by calling 718-361-8773, or from the Web site, Rollerpet.com.
— Marjorie David
Gothic romance
If you want your child to grow up aesthetically privileged, one of Stephen Pannell’s architecturally correct playhouses should qualify. The mini-palaces, which have made their way to the homes of Christie Brinkley and a Spanish duke, are made of handcrafted wood, with cedar shingles, roof flashing, Plexiglas windows, an adult-size side door (for pizza delivery?) and exteriors in five historically correct color schemes. Even the interiors are exquisite, with showhouse-quality murals. Prices range from $3,500, plus shipping, for the 8-by-6-foot Gothic Cottage to $8,500 for the 8-by-10-foot Italianate Villa or Gothic Villa. Mansions take about three weeks to build; Pannell will send a note and an 8-by-10-inch matted photo of the little mansion. To order, call 610-444-5754,or visit www.little-mansions.com.
— Mary Daniels
