misosouper, a shopping blog

Today at Urban Outfitters, I bought two more pairs of these shoes.  (Yes, they were featured in Lucky this month, but I had them first!  Dibs!  I’m an original style spotter!)  You should buy them too.  The low heel is perfect for running around after two kids; the round toe is perfect for looking pulled-together Parisian.

But this post is not about shoes.  It’s about the extra $4 I needed to spend to get 20% off the shoes.  (In case you’re wondering, enter GIFTED as your coupon code, then FREEBIRD for free shipping.)

Because it’s the holidays, and I really should be buying things for others, I ended up choosing three gifts for three very different kids.  For $34.95 (before 20% off, natch), here’s what I bought:

1.  Polaroid Notes, for our babysitter by day, artiste by night; 2.  WTF Snowglobe, for my defeatist 17-year-old cousin; 3.  Ouija Board Keychain, for his superstitious 13-year-old sister.

I’m a sucker for any shop that calls themselves a “general store,” because they’re usually treasuries of mishmash, glorious depots of unusual finds jumbled together by their owners.  The Ruck Rover General Store, located in Perth, Australia, is just such a place:  run by sisters Claire and Isabelle, they’ve curated a shop filled with small, indie designers from around the globe.  They feature a rotating cast of things that they love:  today’s finds are Lomo t-shirts by Heavy Rotation, and oh so hard-to-find Polaroid film.  For lazy summer days, I’m in love with this crabby Supermaggie tee, and for beachy nights I want to pull on a  Tomorrow Never Knows hoodie.  Their collection of Moe Moe jewelry is a shop bestseller, and they even carry a sweet little wooden Maru kookaburra brooch.  Of course, the girls at Ruck Rover ship to the US, and they’re offering us 10% off any order through the month of March with the code misosouper, which makes their already good deals (hello, exchange rate!) even better.

Wondering what to do with all those foolish pictures of you and your drunken friends/mother/cubiclemate decked in Santa hats that are left over from this year’s holiday festivities?  You could just press delete on your digi cam, and let the evidence of your asshattery disappear into the ether; or, you could print them out, snap them in this faux Polaroid frame, and call them art.

And speaking of asshattery, there were over 100 ridiculously funny entries in last week’s Sin in Linen giveaway, which we narrowed down to one eloquent winner.  Congrats to Erica, whose comment is here;  for having the moxie to use the word “starch,” she gets to sleep on new sheets.  (Oh, don’t be sad.  I told you witty, not pity.)

Check back tomorrow for this week’s giveaway, from the fantastic Madras 641; you won’t be disappointed.

Not in the mood for love?  These gifts will bring out your cheeky side.

These animals will keep that library in line.

Mix your Mexican beverage metaphors and serve her up with a tray full of Negra Modelos.

My favorite martian.

Way creepier than playing poker with mirrored glasses.  A true objet d’art.

Why should Radiohead get all the rainbows?

A satisfyingly dramatic way to pass the days.

Now that the election is over, you need someone else to root for.

Lover, you should have come over.

My teenage cousin is obsessed with phone charms.  Here’s one (a miniature terrarium!) that doesn’t involve pink beads.

Perhaps my favorite item in the whole gift guide.  Perhaps the cheapest, too.

Do these derby critters remind anyone else of the Hummer soapbox derby kids?

Portable iPod karaoke sets bring joy to the world.

A daschund bag needs no commentary.

I warned you that I like small things writ large.

Yo to the yo.

This koi pitcher makes a lovely gurgling sound when it pours.

I’m thinking this tape isn’t fireproof.

Parrots are the new Rabbits.

Cleaning toilets probably isn’t what Pinocchio signed up for.

Unwrap it.  You know you want to.

What this sleek white instant camera lacks in vintage charm, it makes up for in features, like autofocus.  Plus, it hasn’t been discontinued, which is always a plus.  RIP, Polaroid.

And to think you were going to get them a Jawbone.