Holiday Gift Guide: Under 25

Friends, it's that time of year again -- time to open your hearts (and wallets) to the magic of the holiday spirit. It's easy to get caught up the in the whirlwind of Cabbage Patch Kids, Tickle Me Elmos and Zhu Zhu pets, but let's all agree on something: giving gifts should feel good, and getting your post holiday bank statement shouldn't induce an aneurysm. So, kick back and celebrate with a variety of fiscally fun gifts that will have everyone singing joy to the world  -- all you boys and girls.

Gifts for everyone! Clockwise from top left: Marie Gardeski hand soap $20 | Gracia + Selena gold leafed soup bowl $15 | 35mm pinhole camera kit $27 | Stephen Crowhurst playing cards $14.

Groovy expandable vinyl bags made from recycled billboards collapse into flat discs for easy packing. Stretch Bag $16.

Stay warm Cyndi Lauper style: recycled cashmere and angora arm warmers by cashmeredejavu on Etsy $10.

Shirts for the lovable nerd in your life: My Blood Is Rich In Irony shirt, $12 | Heavy Metal shirt $16.

Statement jewelry that won't break the bank: Diamond Ring in red acrylic $12.

Rock out with your bling out. Ear buds $10.

Part Francis Bacon, part intergalactic apocalypse, 100% awesome. Disco Peak print by Ricky Allman $20.

All they want to do is dance. Critters Windup $12.

Find out if cats really always land on their feet. Cat-a-pult $10.

Streamlined design makes cooking fun tolerable. Sagaform stainless steel and wood cake serving set $22 | Sagaform self watering herb pot $20

Ahoy matey! These napkin rings can be custom made with your initials. From Brooklynrehab on Etsy. Set of six $24.

High style shakers will add pep to your prep. Icosa by Tai Design $29.

Clean your plate and uncover a colorful surprise. Eating brussel sprouts has never been so fun! Poketo's The Middletons series, set of two $24.

You know you want to. Fisticup $15.

Have some Mondrian with your Lichtenstein. I want these tumblers so badly... $8 each.

Drinking makes learning fun. Coastermaths, set of five $22.

I know what Karly wants for Christmas... Wild Horses kitchen towel $12.

Shall I admit that I kind of despise Christmas? Whenever December rolls around I get antsy and Grinchy, and I start cursing a lot under (and over) my breath. But this little dude has melted my icy, two sizes too small heart.

Happy lil' Christmas gnome, handmade by Stephanie of Even Cleveland. Tie him to presents or hang him from your tree. For $7, that's a whole lot of love.

Tomorrow Karly will be back with a deluge of great gifts under $50, so come on back and bring your checkbook.

I promise it won't hurt a bit.

Checkmate!

Hey dudes, I'm not here. Well, I am... but I'm not. Come find me over at From the Right Bank, where I'm guest posting for Ally while she moves cross country to Hotlanta. Did I just type that? Speaking of hotness, my guest post is about yummy checkerboard floors, like those found in this gorgeous restaurant designed by Jaime Hayon:

And speaking of yummy gorgeous hotness, I don't think Raina would let me live without posting a picture of Senor Hayon, hisself:

Not too shabby babes, not too shabby.

Monday marks the start of our annual gift guide, so ya'll come back now, you hear?

Happy weekend!

The Lichtenstein Look

Finally! It seems there's a home design trend that matches my unwanted yet rapidly growing Fisher Price menagerie (note to Kartell: please make stylish baby toys. Hurry). Collectors and art enthusiasts have long appreciated the pop paintings of heavyweight Roy Lichtenstein, but now it seems that Lichtenstein's style is increasingly interpreted through textiles, patterns and paint. Yep. Primary colors are back in funky fresh force, along with a cartoonish panoply of stripes, ben-day dots and blocky solids.

Lichtenstein himself did a series of interiors in his trademark style, hinting at the shape of things to come. Funny that he even anticipated the avalanche of Warhol's Mao paintings that covered the walls of bazillions of featured homes this past year.

This room styled by Jeffrey Miller owes more than a wink and a nod to the piece above. But you don't have to be so literal to reference the look.

Of course, having a polka dotted ceiling like this room designed by Christopher Coleman helps.

And a glut of seizure inducing stripes can't hurt, right? Cafeteria designed by Tobias Rehberger.

Obviously, what you really need is a giant stylized glamazon in the manner of Lichtenstein's famously blond heroines.

The top half of this India Mahdavi designed restaurant is no less comic book chic.

Not to worry -- you don't have to have a towering Barbie in your house (but what girl doesn't secretly want one?). Playful elements scattered here and there create major impact, as in this room in fashion designer Max Azria's home.

Just try and stop me from swathing my next couch in these Lichtenstein inspired Missoni prints.

And I wouldn't be mad if my next house had a Missoni colorblock shower in it, either.

If you're feeling a bit overstimulated by all this crazy bizness, consider limiting the look to a simple painting by the man himself.

No, not like this hostel, which feels more tragic than comic. Although, note how easy it would be to paint a simple, similar mural in chic black and white...

I was thinking more like this room designed by Vicente Wolf, where traditional furnishings are seriously lightened up by the addition of one of Lichtenstein's mod paintings.

The flowers are killing me, but you get the idea.

Personally, I like the pop look best when it's paired with contrasting elements. The Calder mobile in similar style and colors competes with the painting in Patsy Tarr's home.

On the other hand, there's nothing wrong with going full frontal on a small space, like this quirky vignette styled by Jeffrey Miller.

And what better than a Lichtenstein bust to make a popping fresh statement. Yet another idea for the reinvention of Beethoven?