Buy Outside the Box: November 2006

Speaking of Artist Andrew Pollack...

I forgot to mention these wonderful new sake sets available by artist Andrew Jackson Pollack, who has recently been able to return to his hometown of New Orleans and is setting up a new studio. Take advantage of these great prices just in time for Christmas and choose between a number of attractive colors.--Ruth Mitchell

Labels: art, art glass, sake sets, saki cups

Get a Little Bling-Bling

Dichroic Glass & Silver Pendant

I don't know what is is about the long winter nights that makes us want to put a little bling-bling in our life. You see it everywhere; holiday fashions are all a glitter with shiny sequins, beads and sparkle. I personally own a little bling-bling that I would never consider wearing in the warmer months. No one ever told me--unlike wearing white patent leather after Labor Day--that a lady couldn't enjoy a little bling-bling all year round. This artsy pendant made with fused dichroic glass and then artfully wrapped in silver, by artist Andrew Pollack in collaboration with Tiffany Khars comes with its own satin cord. Happy Holidays!--Ruth Mitchell

Labels: gift ideas

Has the Grinch gotten hold of you yet?

"Coral and Hot Pink" Hand painted Silk Camisole

Someone told me yesterday that they didn’t like Santa Claus. To me that’s kind of like saying you are adamantly opposed to chocolate chip cookies.

I completely understand the resistance to fight the mobs at the mall, sit in stalled traffic and spend late nights wrapping presents, if you’re not into those things. Thankfully we have the internet for shopping. Remember just a few short years ago when you couldn’t purchase a BMW online? Now the sky is the limit, and you can shop in your pajamas, for things such as unique and unusual stemware, sculptural frogs or jewelry handcrafted by an artist. If you haven’t purchased one of Kathy Davis' hand painted silk tunics or camisoles for your honey, then you are missing out.

Testerday it was brought to my attention on two different occasions that the human being is the only animal that can conjure up its own fear, based totally on conjecture. Are we fearful when we don’t embrace the practice of giving and receiving presents, a concept that is personified in the iconic image of Santa Claus, or a nativity scene demonstrating the gift-giving of the three wise men? I may be waxing just a tad bit philosophical, but isn’t giving gifts just a warm-up for some of the more important gifts we need to share like the gift of listening, the gift of compassion, the gift of empathy, the gift of consideration, the gift of understanding or the gift of kindness?

This holiday season we hope you are bold enough to enjoy the season of gratitude and giving with an open heart, we wish you all a joyous holiday season, and may you evade the clutches of the Grinch.

Labels: gift ideas, gifts

Turn your Favorite Photo into a Puzzle

Many of you may not realize that in addition to the beautiful art and handmade things we have presented for you created by many talented and creative artists, we do have some supplementary shopping venues. These are represented by the logos on our blog page. You can click on these icons and go directly to another website. These are complimentary to our unique offering. One of the things we think is especially fun for the holidays is the Jigsaw2Order. You can download a favorite picture and have then make a puzzle out of it. Find the icon at the bottom right and enjoy!--Ruth Mitchell

Labels: gift ideas, gifts

Surprise Link

Before we began this odyssey to create Buyoutsidethebox.com I had already come to use the internet for shopping. It is such an efficient use of my energy, that I can’t resist utilizing it. Yes, I still enjoy physical shopping where I can touch and feel, and respond to my urge for instant gratification, but at this time of year in particular online shopping is essential to my time schedule.

If you love beautiful things I think you'll really like this.

The Secret to Gift-giving

Some of us struggle with gift-giving while others thrive on it. As a child, like other children, I anticipated receiving gifts from Santa Claus, and as I grew older came to have expectations about what might be under the tree. Today, exchanging gifts is about picking something out the other person will cherish, and if it is something they might use a lot, or it fills some desire or unmet need, then I am all the more happy when I see their expression as they open it. I have one daughter that has always anticipated her birthday 6 to 9 months in advance, and she is almost always the first one taken care of on my holiday list. That's because she is open and honest about what she wants. I have other family members that it is like pulling teeth to get them to tell me anything, so they are a lot trickier to please. Listening is the key element to gift giving. People will give you cues about their interests in a simple conversation. I get a leg up on what to buy my loved ones for gifts by listening, and occasionally even taking notes throughout the year. The tricky part is finding those notes later on, but that' a whole other blog topic. Some of us are fussy gift recipients, while others of us are delighted to find out someone was just thinking about them. Myself, I like something unusual, and you guessed it, I like to receive art, jewelry and anything made by hand with the passion of an artist.
What about this beautiful necklace created by artists Andrew Pollack and Tiffany Khars? Do you know someone that would cherish this item and think of you everytime they wore it?