Important notice from the Bureau of Communications

I just found my favorite new way to send e-greetings thanks to How About Orange's blog. Bureau of Communications allows you to send most-official looking documents when you just have to get something off your chest. The site is provided by Magnetism, who makes all kinds of cool widgets like the Idea Generator. They even have a "Declaration of Romantic Intent"---be sure to send one to your sweetie on Thurs!

Read my Declaration of Gratitude below. I mean every word of it!

V-Day: The anti-gift

Tired of gifting/getting candy hearts with sweet sayings, boxes of chocolates, and flowers that are way overpriced and die within days? Why not give an anti-valentine gift this year instead? The Inventorspot posted a list of the 10 hottest anti-valentine's day gifts. My favorite? Duh! the Sarcastic Candy Hearts, available at ThinkGeek.com ($9.99). "He fit, u fat." 'Nuff said.

Holy Flying Monkeys!

If you know me, you'll know why I think this is an awesome gift. Flying monkeys rock.

Get this ($4.95), or an assortment of other flying catapults at Archie McPhee. This site is perfect for office gifts, secret santas, and stocking stuffers.

First there were Cat Butts, now there's Penguin Poop!

For those of you who enjoyed Cat Butts (there was at least one, right?), now there's Penguin Poop! Penguin Poops are completely edible chocolate candies, and I think the description on the Penguin Gift Shop says it all: "Are you struggling to find a penguin gift for the person that has everything? How about one of our famous jars of "Penguin Poop"? Besides being a fantastic penguin conversation piece, the chocolate rock candy really tastes great. Why not buy a case and stock up for that long hard penguin winter?" Just when you thought you'd seen it all...($6.95, found via Neatorama.)

New gift wrap at shopsins

Shopsin's is an ode to simpler times. One page, a few products, and a catalog-esque order form. Recently added to their list of goods is "Jokewrap" - double-sided wrapping paper with a joke on one side and the punch line on the other. One question: Will your giftee be more interested in what's inside or the punch line? I think you can learn a lot about a person from using this gift wrap...

Etsy Highlights

Okay, I know this whole subject is kind of tired out, but I just wanted to highlight some great Etsy shops that caught my eye this morning. . .and besides, Esty really is one of the best sites around to get one-of-a-kind gifts in one-stop shopping, so why shouldn't I give a shout out every now and then?

Pearl & Marmalade

This stationary is totally my style. The designers behind this shop really have an eye for detail and each card is like it's own piece of art. Personal favorites are the "I'm Sorry" card, the "Peek-a-boo Gnome" noteset (gnomes rock!), and the "Foxy Salutations" card (all pictured above).

something's hiding in here

Nothing's cooler than a crazy mustache - and these gals know it. If you've ever been envious of someone else's stache - they might be able to help you out. Oh, and they also have other cool stuff too.

I always wondered what I'd look like with antlers...

If you are just too lazy to dress up for Halloween, these mirrors from the Design Can might put you in the holiday spirit. Perfect for the friend who thinks it'd be cool to be a pirate. (What?! I'm the only one who knows someone like that?) Also just a fun mirror to give in general. The mirrors (don't worry, pirate isn't the only style) are available at Unica Home for $48.00 (found via Apartment Therapy).

Bacon, Bacon, Bacon!!!!

Speaking of salt, who doesn't love bacon? (Okay, maybe that wasn't the best segue, but moving on...) Shelterrific posted this link about a BLT-scented candle trio that was featured in Rachel Ray's mag, and as weird as it sounds, I bet I know some people who would absolutely love it! And if you know someone who would like a bacon-inspired gift, here are a few suggestions:
The BLT candle trio (mentioned above), $33.95 at the Grateful Palate.

Bacon Salt, because "everything should taste like bacon." Don't ask me how these guys did it, they actually invented a seasoning that tastes like bacon, but doesn't actually have bacon as an ingredient (some things are better left unknown). Bacon salt also boasts no fat and no calories. What's not to love? Available in Original, Peppered, and Hickory ($12.99 for the sampler).

The only thing I can think of that's better than smelling or eating bacon taste is wearing it! Well, not really, but this bacon scarf looks mighty tasty to me! ($39.95 at Shopsin's General Store, via Ohgizmo.com).

Now that you have all these bacon products, what do you wrap them in? Why, bacon gift wrap of course! $3.95 for 2 20''x30'' sheets, available at Merch-bot.com.

Cat Butts?! Is this a new trend?

Yesterday, I was in Grand Central Station trying to kill time before a train, so I went into Papyrus to look at their giftwrap/cards. While they have great paper and gifts, they also had some, ahem, unique stuff. For example, while I was looking, I noticed a lot of "cat butt" paraphernalia---cat butt magnets, cat butt gum, cat butt stickers, cat butt car air fresheners.

Did I miss this trend or am I just not getting it? They don't have any cat butt products on their website, but if you are interested, I found them at The Cat Connection (they also have a cat butt bag and cat butt posters).