!–paging_filter–pPersonally, I love candles as gifts. I think they’re special treats—and often something people won’t buy for themselves. Picking a scent can be tricky, but chances are if it’s a high quality candle, especially one made with pure essential oils (rather than overpowering synthetic fragrances), you’re more likely to delight than disappoint. Here are a…

!–paging_filter–pLocal outdoor outfitter brand a href=”http://www.filson.com/” target=”_blank”Filson/a has collaborated with the newly spiffed-up a href=”http://www.shinola.com/#shinola=BPd_dsDJapr” target=”_blank”Shinola/a (once a shoe polish company, now a watch and bike maker out of Detroit), on a limited-edition Bixby bicycle, $2,300, complete with American-made frame, bamboo fenders and custom-designed Filson panniers, $320. Perfect for the cyclist who thought they had…

!–paging_filter–pa href=”http://famseattle.wordpress.com/” target=”_blank”Fatto a Mano/a (Italian for “made by hand”) is a stellar holiday gift show marking its 10th year in 2013 and features a gorgeous cadre of work by some of the city’s most talented jewelers and artists./ppSwing by Roberta Torgerson’s Laurelhurst home (3935 51st AVE NE) from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on…

!–paging_filter–pFor the holidays, local skincare maven a href=”http://\/\/seattlemag.com/kari-gran“Kari Gran/a, is offering a four-pack of her popular lip whips in a cute jute cosmetic bag at a screaming deal ($40, regularly $70). A perfect gift for the person in your life who can never find their lip stuff when they need it most./p  

!–paging_filter–pa href=”http://rainglobes.com/” target=”_blank”RainGlobes/a: tip them over and watch it drizzle. nbsp;/pp style=”text-align: center;”img src=”/sites/default/files/newfiles/rainglobe_washington-571×960.jpg” alt=”rain” width=”500″ height=”841″/p  

!–paging_filter–pYou’ll be downtown shopping anyway in the next few weeks, why not schedule in a little “me time” at the spa to ease any holiday stress? a href=”http://olive8.hyatt.com/hyatt/pure/spas/” target=”_blank”Elaia/a is offering 12 deals for each of the 12 days of Christmas./ppThursday, December 12: The perfect stocking stuffer!br /Schedule a 60-minute or greater spa treatment and…

!–paging_filter–pTacky sweaters are the reason for the season. When else do you have sartorial sanction to pull out your ugliest, gaudiest, green and reddest, most fabulous ugly holiday sweater? We know you wear them because we see you doing it all over Facebook and Instagram, there’s no denying it. So send those pics of your…

!–paging_filter–pa href=”http://porchlightcoffee.com/” target=”_blank”Porchlight Coffee and Records/a owner Zack Bolotin has a new project, an online store called a href=”http://www.closebyshop.com/” target=”_blank”Close By/a, that you should know about. Bolotin lauched Close By over the summer, as a love story to his home state of Washington, filling it with “items that are well made, good looking and that…

!–paging_filter–pThree things: Christmas is less than two weeks away. (How did that happen?). The US Post Office needs your support. (Buy stamps.) And New Year’s cards are a lovely option if Christmas isn’t your jam./ppFollowing is a very brief selection of the cool cards from Pacific Northwest designers for your holiday communication needs./pp style=”text-align: center;”img…

!–paging_filter–pI have a very chic friend who wears her a href=”http://melindamaria.com/” target=”_blank”Melinda Maria/a a href=”http://melindamaria.com/goddess-of-love.html” target=”_blank”Goddess of Love necklace/a everyday, layering it with her other posh pieces and looking amazing like it’s no big thing at all. Granted she has great taste and a keen eye, but I really think that it’s her Melinda Maria…

!–paging_filter–pTuck a gift card into a canoe pencil case, $23, with pencils, $10, both from Fleurt (West Seattle, 4536 California Ave. SW; 206.937.1103; a href=”http://www.fleurtseattle.com” target=”_blank”fleurtseattle.com/a). Everyone needs a place to jot down their deep thoughts: Compendium journals, $6.95, at Fireworks (multiple locations including Westlake Center, 400 Pine St.; 206.682.6462; a href=”http://www.fireworksgallery.net” target=”_blank”fireworksgallery.net/a) are just…

!–paging_filter–pManscaping is easy, given the right tools. A rose gold Mühle shaving brush, $140, straight edge Dovo razor crafted out of yew wood, $237, andnbsp; Mühle chrome razor, $65; em(all pictured above)/em all from WardCo. (downtown, 1304 Fourth Ave; 206.971.0951; a href=”http://www.wardmensgrooming.com” target=”_blank”wardmensgrooming.com/a). brbrPair that new razor with Pirouette Essential’s Wild Spruce cologne and shaving…