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In my years of dating the first kiss is one of the hardest and most exciting things to get. The whole: does she fancy me, she touched my arm, yes she does; she didn't laugh at my joke, no she doesn't; she's flicking her hair, yes she does; oh! she was looking at the guy with the big muscles behind me when she did it; no she doesn't thang, is heart wrenching. Jump the queue my friends, when your chatter gets dry whop out your Gummi Tongue and proceed to lick her face. Encourage this wonderous and beautiful damsel or hunk (or both!) to taste your sour apple, blue raspberry or cherry Gummi tongue. Get her or him (or both!) high on an overload of sugary goodness and you may get lucky when that parting moment arrives.
Care to measure the length of your veg or the angle of dangle of your slice? If you do, then you've achieved OCD status and this chopping board gift is right up your alley. Strap it to your hand for quick access in times of culinary need and you'll reach geometrical veggie cutting heaven within a few slices. It's made of strong, hard-wearing Beechwood and it’s naturally anti-bacterial, so no need to go nuts on the scrubbing.
It doesn't matter how far you throw a Dalek they allways seems to come rolling back into fashion.You can get your very own officially-licensed full-size Dalek replica from those gift giants Firebox. The Dalek Replica is hand-built to order, using the original moulds and specifications from the BBC Props Department and stands at a life-sized 5’3” tall. It comes in a range of classic colours, it's arms move and the plunger can be extended into your face dear Doctor. Exterminate all up in ya grill!
C'mon this gift is frikking awesome, camping folk are going to go nuts. I couldn't think of a better gift to bring back the Summer of Love than getting busy in your very own VW camper van tent.
The design is based on a full-size replica of the iconic 1965 VW Camper Van synonymous with 60s counterculture and it'll fit four cavorting bodies. Oo-er missus! Park this up next to your average tent and watch em drool.
The design is based on a full-size replica of the iconic 1965 VW Camper Van synonymous with 60s counterculture and it'll fit four cavorting bodies. Oo-er missus! Park this up next to your average tent and watch em drool.
To jump in straight from the plank I bring you the skull stein gift - yes fair folks it's a beer glass in the shape of a human skull. Arrr, pirates I tells ya - they be all over this fair land swashbuckling their way through our taverns and teefing our women. I'm trying to get in the mood for the new Pirates of the Carribean movie, all though I heard the pundits didn't give it an all together resounding review - fanny fart to them. Who doesn't love a pirate movie, good or bad!
If you're like me and like the grasp of a full pint but fancy gulping down a half pint measure and don't want to hold a dinky half pint (which makes you look a bit like a sissy - especially if you mix your beer with lemonade, urgh!) then reach out for this full pint beer glass disguised as a half pint glass. Thats a mouthfull! It's not just for alcoholic beer, you'll also look all manly sipping on some tea or bucks fizz.
Behold the heat changing Pac Man cup gift. Fill it up with tea, coffee or any other hot bevvie and watch Pac Man's pellet fodda appear with his ghostly pursuers right infront of your eyes. Pac man was invented by Toru Iwatani based in Yokohama (Japan) in 1980. I bet you didn't know that he came up with the idea of Pac Man while eaten a marguerita pizza. He removed a slice and the visual inspiration for Pac-Man’s famous profile was born.
I've seen this floating chain wine bottle gift around town for a quite a while now so I decided to track it's origins and feature it on TicaToca. The original design is by Shahar (from Israel) of Peleg Design. I've featured some of his gifts before and I'm a big fan of Shahar's interpretation (as above) of what a wine holder should look like. The play on design, form and function is great - of which fooled me the first time I saw it.
I say my dear, your tea cup is rather large are we at the Mad Hatters Tea Party or am I just imagining what I'm seeing. Oh no! This Tea Cup plus saucer from Firebox measures a whopping 26.5cm in diameter and comes in two designs. Can't say much more than that, I think the picture tells the story pretty well. I'm off back down the rabbit hole to go find Alice, I need whatever she's on, see ya!
Rack 'em, stack 'em, plug 'em into your computer. The big kid in me is very excited because I now have an excuse to play with my most fond of childhood toy. Alongside USB gift loveliness Lego have been busy cooking up some impressive gadgets that'll make you ooooo! and aaarrr! I'm chuffed to bits to be able to show you some of their wizardry in future posts.
TODAYS GIFT
Bin men & women get it hard, you've got to be up at the crack of dawn gun slinging our rubbish into (possible) dismembering garbage crushers, time and time again. Imagine how they'd react if they saw these rubbish bags - in London, they'd probably refuse to pick them up because of our anal council regulations but I wreckon it'll bring a smile or two to our garbage men & women all over the land.
Kempler & Strauss's Slim Data USB card has everything pretty much going for it in the world of data storage. It's as thin as a credit card and it can fit in your wallet storing up to 4GB of data. I for one hate lugging around my USB dongle on my keyring because it's bulky. This is a great gadget alternative gift to keep your data with you at all times.
TreepeeŽ is something of a novelty in the world of tents because it's got a bit of a split personality. Once inside, kids can bounce in it like a trampoline, swing in it or just hang out with friends prodding slugs or playing Barbie. For added protection for your little ones it can be harnessed still and it's made from UV protected (50+) fabric that allows children to play safely in the sun away from harmful rays.
Us brits love a good cuppa and we can get pretty anal about its taste and strength so it's pretty important to let the tea brew before pouring. Apart from good old fashioned China pots I went in search of something a little more modern and Sorapot came highly recommended for it's beauty, style & it's awesome tea brewing prowess par excellence. It's made from 304 stainless steel, borosilicate glass (Pyrex) and food-grade silicone.
The inside scoop on EcoSphereŽ is that it came from technology developed by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA was researching self-contained communities for space explorers to live in during long-term space flights.
Out of this research came the EcoSphereŽ gift, unlike a fish tank it's a fully enclosed ecosystem of animal & plant life in perfect balance. The little shrimp only need light and life shall thrive.
Out of this research came the EcoSphereŽ gift, unlike a fish tank it's a fully enclosed ecosystem of animal & plant life in perfect balance. The little shrimp only need light and life shall thrive.
I've got a couple of guitars and both cases have let me down. My Yamaha's got a dent the size of the grand canyon in it and my other ones been warped by beer spill. These guitar case gifts on the other hand are 100% full grain leather that's been hand sewn with marine grade threading and has a 1 inch high density foam padding. The strap works as a backpack or shoulder strap and comes with a lifetime warranty. I've got case envy!
I am very excited because I have been searching high & low for a retailer to be able to bring you Masashi Tentaku's awesome interpretation of the humble sticky note. This creation hails from D-Bros (Japan) and its a unique gift that I assure you will impress. It's just out in the market so get your hands on an apple or pear or two before it becomes globally recognised.
Tell me your sick of clutter and I, my dear friend, shall give you the treatment and cure. Tada! Pop a Vita-pin gift and all your messy woes shall vanish in a puff. Each one of these grey and white plastic pill gifts break apart (just like a pill) to become two separate push pins, and the glass bottle keeps them safely stored until they're needed. Who needs an apple, I remember the days when doctors encouraged you to drink Guiness and smoke cigarrettes.
Glen Liberman from Livingston, NJ (USA) is the man behind the Gear Ring of which is made from high quality matte stainless steel.
The cool thing about this piece of jewellery is that the six micro-precision gears turn in unison when the outer rims are spun. Top marks for design and innovation Glen, I look forward to seeing more gifts from you.
The cool thing about this piece of jewellery is that the six micro-precision gears turn in unison when the outer rims are spun. Top marks for design and innovation Glen, I look forward to seeing more gifts from you.
To commemorate the unveiling of Apples iPad (frigging awesome!) today I give you the handmade BookBook leather protective case for Macs only. If you're a PC I'm afraid this novel gift isn't for you. It's made by TwelveSouth based in Charleston (USA) who bring each hardback leather case to life with hand craftsmanship and distressing, ensuring no two are exactly alike. What a great way to disguise your lappy,... big fan!
I saw this gift on the gadget show and it looked awesome. Co-presenter Pollyanna Woodward took it for a spin and remarkably rode it solo after a few attempts.
Chris (the creator) designed the Ryno to compete against the scooter in our urban areas. It's electric and as you can see has one self balancing wheel. Bruce Willis is apparently going to be hopping on one in his latest movie,... yippee-ki-yay!
Chris (the creator) designed the Ryno to compete against the scooter in our urban areas. It's electric and as you can see has one self balancing wheel. Bruce Willis is apparently going to be hopping on one in his latest movie,... yippee-ki-yay!
Super! So cute and functional, they'd be the darling starlings (couldn't think of a word to ryhm with hummingbird) to grace your fridge. The Humming bird magnet gift is made from 100% recyclable material and is printed by Soy ink.
Do you print something with 'by Soy ink' of 'with Soy Ink?' me-no-know! Anyways, plonk up your messages under the wings of each bird and watch your to-dos take flight.
Do you print something with 'by Soy ink' of 'with Soy Ink?' me-no-know! Anyways, plonk up your messages under the wings of each bird and watch your to-dos take flight.
Vinyl Village are mad about recycling all things vinyl into cool new gifts, like these vintage LP bowls made from recycled vinyls. I wreckon they'd make quite a table statement for the music buff. I just wander if you'd actually put anything in it or leave it out to marvel at,... whatever you decide me thinks it's a cool and unique gift even if you do use it as a fruit bowl.
Mawok is developed by a Swedish entrepreneurial company called Mony Inc who create innovative products like this baby cradle gift that helps improve the well being of babies and mums and dads alike. Mawok is a flexible soft hammock that can be suspended permanently or hung over a door with a spring loaded suspension system that gently rocks the baby up and down aswell as side to side. And yes,.. it has a safety chord.
Poo, is all I've got to say. I say 'poo' not because I need one but because this is another classic example of a gift I wish I had come up with. Take an everyday object and flip its use, this is a visual feast for anyones desk and it's useful too. Another great product from those London based lads Jamie & Mark, more to come from them soon.
The water Bobble is an ingenious water purifier gift because it's a specially designed bottle with an integrated carbon filter that filtrates water from the tap. If we all bought one we wouldn't need to buy bottled water of which takes 1.5 billion barrels of oil in the US alone to produce. It also saves you cash and cuts waste from discarded bottles that end up in landfills. It's a winner of a gift in my book unless you're happy to drink directly from the tap.
Squashing things in bookmarks takes me back to my childhood when my Grandma and I used to press flowers. Squashing people in books is just not acceptable until now that is. These paperclips aren't exactly people but i3 Labs have cleverly created the illusion that a tiny stainless steel man has been squished between your literary masterpiece. You get 5 in a pack and they're pretty cool gifts for bookworms.
Binders are so boring, period! However I do like Russell + Hazel's stationary collection because they've actually managed to breathe individuality into what is essentially folded bits of cardboard and plastic. I don't think R+H from Minneapolis (USA) would approve of me describing their funky looking binders as cardboard & plastic because they've got reinforced metal corners to nut someone with and a dry erase interior to wipe away the tears!
These coat hooks by Anthony Chrisp of Keep it Council are made of chromed steel with a screw-in wall fixing at the tip. I can't say much about them that the picture already hasn't conveyed but I can say that I like the idea of walking past a set of darts stuck in the wall and wandering what they're for. I've had these in my hand and they're well built but I wouldn't try to swing yourself from one to the other like Tarzan.
No copying peeps this cool zipper 2 in1 system that turns these sneakers into flip flops is patented by the fashion powerhouse Nat-2. They've got a pretty cool collection of all weather and season ready footwear to match your individual style. 2 for the price of 1 makes me giddy with sneaker envy.
