2007 Gift Guide: Stocking Stuffers

by Ami Kealoha

We love the idea of hiding something extravagant like jewelry or an iPhone in a stocking, but the more typical fare—knick-knacks, chocolate—will do too. If you're of the non-gentile persuasion, these gifts will work for any (or all) of the eight days of Hanukkah. Check them all out in our gift guide.

Chocolate Cat and Dog Truffles
Hand made by Oregon-based chocolatier Moonstuck, these dog and cat truffles are enrobed in fine chocolate and filled with white chocolate-toffee and milk chocolate ganache filling.

Emoticon Magnet Set
For some, emoticons are a way of life. This set is geek-chic for the fridge.

CH x Furni Farmer Watch
We're a little bit in love with the cheesy retro styling of our all-white, "Casio-inspired" watch. Called the Farmer, it's the result of a collabo between CH and Furni.

Little Lamp
Cute and practical, the battery powers the LED light and acts as a stand.

Bacon and Eggs Cufflinks
A whole new way to say, "Wakey, wakey! Eggs and Bacey!" we're fans of most breakfast-themed items and these cufflinks are no exception.

Preserve Toothbrush
Getting a toothbrush in your stocking kind of sucks, unless its this one with an ergonomically angled handle and made from recycled plastic.

Yoshimoto Cube
A silver-and-gold mathematical plaything, this cube is endlessly entertaining and looks pretty good sitting around too.

Penhaligon’s Miniature Scent Library
For the dandy in your life, this Penhaligon's set is a great way to introduce someone to the ultimate in men's grooming.

Digby and Iona Emerald Cut Cocktail Ring
Cast from an antique ring, this bronze and silver cocktail ring is "on-trend" and already on the wishlist of a few girls we know.

Stacks x Marc Jacobs x Arkitip Playing Cards
From Arkitip's 27th issue, these playing cards are the result of a collaboration between Marc Jacobs, Stacks and Arkitip and come in a die-cut package.

Bing Bang Box Locket
A modern take on a locket, this vermeil box is way less precious and comes filled with seeds. A portion of the proceeds go to the Climate Project.

Leatherman Squirt
The go-to multitool, a Leatherman is maybe even more useful when it can be easily carried on a keychain.

Bijules Golden Serpent Nail Rings

by Letizia Rossi

These golden serpent nail rings are the latest creation from New York-based jewelry designer Bijules. Part of the "Serpensive" collection the nail rings are available as a set or individually and can be adjusted for a custom fit. To get grillz for your nailz visit Bijules NYC

Also on Cool Hunting: Bijules Black Diamond Bar Ring and Format Magazine #12

Urs Fischer: You

by Letizia Rossi

This weekend Ami and I got to check out You, Urs Fischer's installation at Gavin Brown's Enterprise. (Click images for detail.) The piece is an eight-foot deep crater measuring about 38x30 feet dug within the pristine white walls of the gallery.

According to New York Magazine the pit took a ten days to build and cost about $250,000 using a jackhammer to remove the concrete floor and a backhoe to excavate tons of debris.

Literally breaking down the traditional art show and gallery as commercial space, Fischer also references the rich history of land artists before him, including Walter de Maria's famous Earth Room which is housed just 10 blocks away.

After ducking through a small door, visitors find themselves walking over an uneven mix of dirt and concrete debris down a short hallway (pictured after the jump) to the large gallery.

Within the pit itself or teetering around the perimeter, we felt mischievously giddy, like teenagers hopping a fence. While joking about how the installation was "profound, edgy and gritty," we were impressed by the experience of scale, our dirty shoes and the rare glimpse under the layers of a New York gallery's aesthetic order.

Also on Cool Hunting: Urs Fischer at Cockatoo Island, Gelitin

You
Through 22 December 2007
Gavin Brown's Enterprise
620 Greenwich Street
New York, NY 10014 map
tel. +1 212 627 5258

Photos by Keren Richter

Guanni After the Fire Chocolates

by Letizia Rossi

After losing her home and business in the October 2007 fires, San Diego-based chocolatier Mariella Balbi of Guanni Chocolates created the "After the Fire" collection featuring exotic flavors from her native Peru. Made from organic cacao, natural ingredients and free of any preservatives, chemicals or waxes, the collection includes chocolates flavored with pumpkin, Pisco (Brandy), Aruma (hot pepper), Bukare (a dark chocolate), Cusco with Aji Amarillo (yellow hot pepper), candied citrus peels and muña(Andean herb), Maca, Goji berries and more. Guanni also makes several varieties of chocolate bars, vegan and sugar free truffles and pastries which are all rolled and decorated by hand.

The After the Fire Collection is available in sets of nine chocolates for $24 and twelve for $32 from Guanni Chocolates.

David Capra: Nativity

by Lost At E Minor

Australian artist David Capra has an exhibition kicking off at Sydney's Mori Gallery this week . Titled Nativity, the show will feature "a garden of pom poms, rainbow paper towers, lakes of melted wax, caves of crinkled-up paper and Barbie dolls dressed as Catholic saints." It was inspired by a recent year long excursion Capra took through Europe: "I came across many nativity scenes along the way and it was only a matter of time before I made one of my own."

See more of David Capra's collage work on Lost at E Minor.

Nativity
Opening Reception: 5 December 2007, 6-8pm
5 December-22 December 2007
Mori Gallery
168 Day Street
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia map
tel. +61 292 83 29 03

Pinar Yolacan: Maria

by Phuong-Cac Nguyen

Poignant, compelling and startling, artist Pinar Yolacan's photographs of Afro-Brazilian women living on the northern Brazilian island of Ithaparica and dressed in clothing she created from animal insides and fabric are the focus of her 22-piece show at Rivington Arms, which just opened in New York last week.

Yolacan cast women from the ages of 27 to 90 as her subjects after being inspired by the culture and people on the island, which sits almost 45 minutes away from Salvador, a major northern Brazilian city. Salvador's pained history as the biggest port for the slave trade during Portuguese colonial times has given it an unexpected, wonderful result: it's become one of the country's most culturally rich and fascinating areas, giving rise to a population whose individual faces show the long stories behind them.

Yolacan bought her materials, of which animal placenta most interested her for its symbol of birth, from Salvador's São Joaquim market. She constructed the Baroque- and Portuguese-colonial style dresses and overlaid animal parts on top. It takes a second look to realize the shiny accoutrements are flesh —they look like natural parts of the outfits adding a strange beauty.

This isn't the first time Yolacan has dealt in this raw medium. Her first show at the gallery featured photos of elderly women wearing apparel made from chicken skin. Beginning 14 December in Helsinki, her work will be on display at the Finnish Museum of Photography too.

Maria
29 November 2007-2 January 2008
Rivington Arms
4 East 2nd Street, 1st Floor
New York, NY 10003 map
tel. +1 646 654 3213