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Elise
lamp
Contents
Gift
Guide 2
party!
Women's
Fashions
Men's
Fashions
Where's
the Party
Party
People Gifts
Entertain
your Brain
Essentials
Mood
Music
Boy's
Fashion
Girl's
Fashion
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goodies
Padded Sells
Made in China as part of the Big Red Bullseye's Ready-to-Inflate
furniture collection, these metallic vinyl cushions are
ideal for the cigarette-, solvent- and sharp-object-free
household (13-by-13-inch inflatable silver pillow $1.99,
Target, 9009 SW Hall Blvd., 624-0273, various locations).
Get creative lashing these babies together and you could
furnish an entire live-work loft for less than $25. No,
you don't need them. That's why you're buying them as a
gift.
Feel the Burn
The olfactory sense, our most ancient and powerful, enabled
our progenitors to detect predators. Among the evolved,
it triggers memory and salivation, contributes to sexual
arousal and conveys crucial messages about the nature of
one's environment. Ergo, the difference between your two-room
walk-up and a Sonoma chateau could be mere vapor. Ignite
your fragrance fantasy and close those eyes--if life smells
better, your other senses have to catch up eventually.
Burnsticks and candles by Seattle-based Votivo ($12.50-$18,
Greg's, 3707 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 235-1257) come in inviting
scents: Red Currant, Minted Pomegranate, Vanilla Grapefruit,
and the holiday-ish Joie de Noël.
Squeak Toys Sold Separately
SakèOne, the makers of Moonstone, vow that
bathing in saké is excellent for skin and health.
Of course, some might consider the indulgence of epidermal
vanity to be a waste of fine spirits. Available in four
varieties and four infused flavors, including Asian pear,
hazelnut, raspberry and yuzu, this premium saké,
because of its starch purity, is utterly hangover-free ($7-$9
a bottle, Fred Meyer, 3030 NE Weidler St., 280-1300, various
locations). If that doesn't convince you, consider that
the rice wine is concocted locally in the nation's only
American-owned kura. Serve chilled for drinking, warmer
for bathing.
Process of Illumination
Empirical fact: The percentage of party failures not caused
by bad music and bad company (or bad music by Bad Company)
can be attributed to bad lighting. Head off host anxiety
with a slim cylinder Elise lamp (pictured) designed
by Pablo San Francisco, featuring a finely machined aluminum
base, frosted resin shade and full-range dimmer switch (12-inch
lamp $89, 18-inch lamp $129, Lux Lighting, 1109 NW Glisan
St., 299-6754). Want to create mood effects for pennies
on the dollar? Clear acrylic candlesticks work wonders
($6-$8, Urban Outfitters, 2320 NW Westover Road, 248-0020).
NAFTA Dinner Entertainment
Cost Plus is a 21st-century company. It trades on the NASDAQ
and supplies drawing-room design at root-cellar rates by
taking advantage of (are you ready?) globalization. And
why not? At this homey hot spot, graceful presentation hits
the hands of the ramen generation--revolutions have launched
on less. Help the world's economy and pick up an army's
worth of white stoneware dishes (rectangular
platter $3.99, saké vessel $5.99, cups $1.99 each,
rice bowl $2.99, Cost Plus World Market, 2315 NW Westover
Road, 916-1606, various locations).
Smells Like Holiday Spirit
Looking for a smell that will cast a bewitching spell on
your holiday lover? Pick up some aromatherapy pillows at
P. Flynn Designs Seconds Sale ($5-$35, 1920 N Kilpatrick
St., 240-0802. 1-6 pm Saturday, Dec. 9). A one-day-only
sale, it will feature all sorts of cool goodies for the
home, bar or boudoir, plus the debut of P. Flynn's Lady
From Shanghai line of pillows. (Byron Beck)
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