We were taken with these capsules of mossy green from our first squint to peer inside. From afar, Twig Terrariums are… cute—your garden variety mini ecosystem in a jar. But get up-close, and you see the detail worth straining your eyes for: the hand-crafted fisherman by the aqua-pebble stream, or the half-inch high couple tending to their mossy front yard. These tiny scenes (and many others) are the work of two Brooklyn gals, and we found the terrariums at one of our favorite spots from last year’s holiday gift list, Cog & Pearl (190 Fifth Ave. at Sackett St.) in Park Slope. The store’s got them in all shapes and sizes, but perfect for our list are the terrariums-in-light-bulbs ($20 and $25) and the $25 DIY-in-a-jar version (for the more dexterous).

The B-side is just a book of tracings

By now you’re probably used to seeing Brooklynites with the musical tastes of a 20-something and the entertainment pursuits of your average 5th grader. And why not? There’s a wholesome old-time charm to skee-ball and pillow fights that beats most other things any night of the week. So here, to start our $25-and-under holiday gift list, is one for all the kids in your circle: The Indie Rock Coloring Book ($10) from the Yellow Bird Project. You’re encouraged to color outside the lines of 25 of today’s grooviest bands including Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, MGMT, The National, Rilo Kiley and a bunch more. (more…)

Everything tastes sweeter in a Brokelyn t-shirt. Looking sharp, Mike!

If you’ve ever confronted that age-old fashion dilemma — Whatever do I wear to a casserole party? — Mike of the blog Brooklynauts has the answer for you. That’s him at left, rocking our newest Brokelyn t-shirt style at a fun-looking potluck we’ll forgive him for not inviting us to because he’s doing such a fine job repping the Brokelyn colors. If you have a casserole party / pie bakeoff  / other reason to wear a shirt / in your near future, why not make like Mike and proudly don your own Brokelyn t-shirt? They also make great holiday gifts because the out-of-towners love ‘em as much as locals do.

Wouldn't your mom love her very own avatar?

So it’s kind of a Hallmark holiday—you want a card with that perfect “thank you” that puts a tear in your mom’s eye and lets her know you love her, and you didn’t mean to not call her back for a month. Gifts are good too, and the show-your-love clock is ticking, so you need something good, fast. And not too expensive. We’ve all gone the last-minute, impersonal route—the candle, the soaps the Amazon gift card. But just because it’s, like Thursday, doesn’t mean it’s too late to do something more interesting. Here are 10 suggestions: (more…)

BKLYN Larder isn’t Brokelyn’s usual hang, but believe me, we get it. So what’s the most worthwhile splurge amid the $50 olive oils and $18 cookies at this Park Slope gourmet shop? We’re going with the $22-a-pound G. Cravero Parmigiano Reggiano because 1) there really is a difference between the supermarket kind and the good stuff and 2) the recipient will recall your generosity as he sprinkles and shaves his way through a season’s worth of wintry soups and pastas. Get there quick—the Larder, at 228 Flatbush Ave., is only open today until 6, and it’s closed tomorrow. Go for broke (literally) and buy a pound, or get half that and you’ll have enough left over for a sexy carbon steel picnic knife: (more…)

Brokelyn is officially in favor of splurgy little pick-me-ups (cause we can’t afford big ones), and a current addiction is stopping into Sacred Vibes Apothecary for a couple ounces of custom-blended tea. The chamomile/peppermint/licorice is a soothing balm for what ails us (being awake at 3 a.m.) and rest assured shop owner Karen Rose has a leafy blend for what afflicts anyone on your list too. Yes there are teas for eczema, arthritis and high blood pressure, but if you don’t think Constipation Relief Tea is an appealing stocking stuffer, how about one that promises beautiful skin? The cocktail of calendula, red clover, chickweed, burdock root and cleavers makes for pleasant winter sipping, and Karen says it’s like a facial in a teacup. Or maybe we said that. Beautiful Skin Tea is $10 a 2-ounce bag at Sacred Vibes, 376 Argyle Rd. between Cortelyou and Dorchester, 718-284-2890.

We’re gonna catch all kinds of crap for posting a gift from Target, since it isn’t exactly a homespun mom-and-pop enterprise, but here goes anyway. For at least the last couple of years, Target has been selling ladies mitts, two pairs for $1.50. That means you can put a pair in your pocket, on your nightstand, in your backpack, in your glove compartment (it’s called that for a reason) hanging from the mantle in place of a stocking, dangling from your belt for a chic winter look etc. etc. etc. You will never have cold hands, nor especially warm ones, but what do you want for less than a buck? We love them, evil retailer, one-ply acrylic and all. You probably already know this, but here are the Brooklyn Targets.

photo from zibbet.com/Frankenkitty

There are loads of iconic Brooklyn shots on sale around town, but this cotton-candy-colored take on a Coney Island landmark called to us with its dreamy, almost toy-like look. It’s one of the photos Brooklyn’s Mari Lowery is selling under the name Frankenkitty on the new Etsy rival site, Zibbet. As her handle suggests, Lowery has a sardonic eye, but she does the creepy doll thing without making you cringe, venturing into the established genre of spooky mannequins and bunny-costume photos with refreshing grace. The richly toned yet under-saturated images, coupled with animated compositions, make the pictures more compelling than the run-of-the-mill, was-your-childhood-that-awful shots.

Photos are $25 for an 8-by-8-inch print. Act fast if you want to get your photo-loving friend a print in time for the 25th—your last day to order is Wednesday, and the photographer will ship it next day or priority (you will have to email her at mari@marilowery.com and pay the extra charges).

Back in our day, just about every sexually confused undergrad had at least one Georgia O’Keeffe poster on her wall, but who knew that the great painter of NSFW flowers also captured the Brooklyn Bridge on canvas? (If the answer is “Like, everyone, you idiot” you can totally keep that to yourself.) According to the Brooklyn Museum’s web site, this is one of the last paintings O’Keeffe made in New York before moving to New Mexico in 1949, and it’s considered “her farewell to the city where she had lived or worked and many years.”

Tell the recipient that you like how the Gothic style arches “proclaim this vast utilitarian structure a kind of American cathedral” (a goodie lifted from the Brooklyn Museum web site). Incidentally, the Whitney, which we heard is somewhere in… Manhattan?… is having an O’Keeffe show until Jan. 17 and for more choice lines here’s a mucho eleganté review written by our friend Barb. The 24-by-36-inch poster is $20 at the Brooklyn Museum gift shop.

Before all you practical types start grousing that junk-mail envelopes and magazines make perfectly good coasters, remember that the whole point of presents is that they’re little luxuries that the recipient might not buy for him or herself. And so should you be invited to any stylish holiday parties, these reusable, hand-letterpressed coasters—with goldfish, butterflies or flowers—are a better-than-wine hostess gift that will ensure invitations for years to come. Made in Brooklyn by Breck Hostetter and Matt Heindl of Sesame Letterpress, they’re $17 for eight at Lion in the Sun, 232 7th Ave., (718) 369-4006