Willamette Week | Gift Guide 3

small things
BY BYRON BECK

Fairy Tailin' It
What's smaller than a thimble, but the right size for a king or queen? Pint-sized fairy furniture from floral artist Elaine Falbo ($35 and up, Bella Flora Studio, 4439 NE Fremont St., 493-2330). These puckish space savers--made from bits of nature's bounty like mossy twigs, gossamer-thin leaves, and teeny weeny shells--take you out of this world and into another dimension of naughty nymphs and spirited sprites. They also make a fine centerpiece for any holiday table.

Numbers Game
Make the rich kid on your street pee his drawers in envy when you flash some fancy-schmancy toys from Portland's new Tiffany & Co. boutique. The "1837" collection ($135 each, Tiffany & Co., 330 SW Yamhill St., 221-5565) is a cool little package that comes with a Swiss Army knife-style slide belt buckle, yo-yo and pool chalk holder. While you might expect the numbers to denote how much each item costs, they actually reflect the year of Tiffany's founding.

Rock the House
Want to give your house a VH-1 Behind the Music vibe, but don't know where to begin? Start with lots of candles. Cathedral candles ($39.50 and up, ZED Zone, 3590 SW Troy St., 768-4967), a hefty 4 by 12 inches or larger, can transform any room into a Stevie Nicks-worthy lair and make your humble abode a more inviting space for guests or ghostly visitors.

She Who Gets Watched
One of the many indigenous-people-inspired items available at the Oregon History Center's store is a horse harness necklace by Robert Walker ($240, Oregon History Center Museum Store, 1200 SW Park Ave., 306-5230). This jeweled item features a thick chain made with several hundred purple, green, and gold accent beads. The large medallion sports a multicolored, abstract pattern. While it may not make you an Indian princess, at least you can look like Cher.

Tick Tocky
It's difficult to find something to place on your desk that looks good and still does its job. That's why the perfect office accessory this season could be a miniature desk clock in the shape of a ship, robot or flying saucer. The Tokyo Bay mini-desk clocks ($35-$39, Bee & Thistle, 2328 NW Westover Road, 222-3397) don't actually come from Tokyo Bay, but that doesn't stop them from sporting the wit and whimsy of hi-tech Japanese design.

A Trippy Sip
Pottery Barn ain't got nothin' on China when it comes to supplying just the right repository for tea and other frothy or brothy pours. Antique iron or clay teapots ($45-$100, Cargo, 1301 NW Glisan St., 827-7377, and various locations), created in China's Yingxing Province, are unique vessels for your brewing needs. After several uses, courtesy of their unusual patina, each one begins to show off its age.