In paper crafting, cutting a circle can easily be one of the most annoying tasks to undergo.  When it comes to trying to get a large, perfect circle quickly, some of us resort to tracing everything from coffee mugs to cream buckets, and still don’t manage to pull off the desired result.  Enter: The Martha Stewart Crafts Large Circle Cutter.  At $25.79 it is a bit of an investment for your craft station, but it can be used in such a wide variety of products, you really have to weigh out the benefits.

The unit has measurements right on it, so you don’t have to guess at what size circle you are going to get.  The blades are double edged, which lets you go both clockwise and counterclockwise while cutting, and they dock right in the cutter when you aren’t using it.

Available at EKSuccess and on Amazon.com.

Once upon a time, before digital displays, keeping time was an art form rather then a chore.  Now, in the days when time tends to keep us, having a beautiful reminder of days gone by is a great way to slow things down a little.

This striking bronze hourglass by Authentic Models has exactly a half an hours worth of sand trickling down, we know this, we’ve timed it.  The display base is a rich distressed wood while the timepiece itself has a bronze casing and hand blown glass.   It is around 6″ tall with the base and looks incredible on a desk, bookshelf or displayed proudly inside an antique cabinet.

Take a look on Authentic Models or to buy, take a look on Amazon.com.

So today, we are taking a look at the rough and tumble luggage necessity: the Topo Dopp Kit.  A Dopp Kit is a mans travel and grooming kit.  It is an understated warrior in the land of luggage.  You ladies may not know this, but while you have all of your cosmetic bags, lingerie bags, hand bags, and portable wardrobes, most guys just need a piece of luggage to throw things in and a classy, sturdy dopp kit.   As a matter of fact, he may never tell you this, but chances are good that he wants one as a gift.  His grandfather more than likely had one, where he kept his razor, aftershave, and whatever else.  His father probably had one.  His classy friends probably all have one.  But, through his bachelor years, unless his Mom stepped in, he hasn’t considered buying one for himself.  He probably just uses a plastic baggie to stash his personals.

So why this one?  The Topo Dopp kit is awesome.  It is triangular, which keeps it from rolling off the shelf, doesn’t take up a ton of space, and makes it easy to access exactly what you are looking for.

Our biggest concern with the Topo Dopp kit is durability, and after watching the Topo Cinch Bag hold up to bizarrely heavy loads, sharp snags and tugs, mud blood and chain-grease, we have no doubt that the Topo Dopp is going to survive every drop.  The inside lining is water-resistant.  Not resistant enough that it will save your precious contents if say, thrown into the ocean, but resistant enough that when your shaving cream can accidentally explodes inside, your clothes inside the rest of your luggage might be spared a horrible fate.

Available at Topo Designs.

A geek girl dream.  (And the Geek Guy’s fantasy) This screen printed tee by Impact Merchandise is a cosplay casual shirt that makes an impact.  (See what I did there?)

The tee is a very soft, breathable cotton, with screen-printed details.  The Phoenix logo is emblazoned on the chest of this comic book classic green tee and the belt sash hits just below the waist (on most of us gals).

A must-have for fans of the 90′s cartoon series and X-Men comic series.  Now big kids can be the superheros too.  (Without putting a ton of money into a cosplay costume.)

Available at ImpactMerch.com.

Recently, we’ve been looking for classy gifts for teens and pre-teens.  The Hunger Games has been an absolute sensation for a while now, and finding a good way to introduce the books to your young film fan might be a little difficult.  They’ve seen the first movie, they own and wear the MockingJay Pin with pride, but do they understand where it all comes from?

Scholastic has put together a lovely boxed set of the Suzanne Collins Hunger Games Trilogy.  It comes in an attractive box that looks great on the shelf, and contains The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mocking Jay.

Your young reader will enjoy the series for the colorful characters and settings, the thick emotional story line  and the futuristic look into how things “could be”.  Parents will love the series when they realize that even children who are “non-readers” end up re-reading the books.

Available on Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble and Scholastic.com.

It features two wrap-around staircases coming together in a grand staircase.  Each step looks as though it is waiting for royalty to make a grand entrance into a lavish ballroom and the piece in its entirety tends to set the imagination reeling.

Check them out on the official Authentic Models website or grab yours on Amazon.com.

Many of us Desk Apes grew up loving the “How To Draw” books that came out back in “our day”.  The problem was, even though the instructions were clear and the pictures in the book were REALLY COOL, somehow whatever we were supposed to be drawing never came out quite the same as it looked in the book.  Even when we were given a line for line description of what should be on the page.  Ah well, hopefully the next generation isn’t as creatively stunted.

So now we gift them NEW drawing books with fun characters that they (and we) love.  This book Draw The DC Universe shows how to draw many popular heroes and villains from the DC Comic lineup.  It has instructional pages as well as “Draw this here” translucent overlays, so you can see what you are supposed to be drawing underneath.  It also comes with a sketching pencil, drawing marker, six colored pencils and a big block eraser for fixing your giant oops.

They are recommending it for ages 8 and up, and when it came into our office, “and up” became subjective, because the booklet really is superhero fun for everyone.

Available at Klutz and on Amazon.com.