Buys - And You Thought You Had To Go Overseas To Buy Stuff Like This…..

The closer it gets to Christmas, the more ferocious the Orchard Road crowds become. Thanks to cyberspace, we can shop online. Here are some lovely online stores which offer gorgeous stuff at pretty good value. (And you probably thought you had to go overseas to get your hands on stuff like this!) So turn on your computer and shop local!

Girly Treats – I came across The Little Happy Shop when they were doing a ‘roadshow’ at my suburban haunt a while ago. They bring in the most delightful little dinkies which make perfect little gifts for girls both big and small. They’ve got a lovely range of Shinzi Katoh items such as tote bags, notebooks, pens, card holders, mugsets, aluminium bottles and schedule planners.

They’ve also got cute Elmer and Maisy Mouse lunch boxes by a French company called Petit Jour, which also does The Little Prince (le petit prince) cardboard suitcases, nad plenty of other luxe stocking stuffers for the season. You can either get them delivered or pick them up in Holland Village. Shop and get more details at www.thelittlehappyshop.com

Quality Games & Toys – If you’re looking for wholesome, good quality games for the kids, The Beehive stocks plenty of award winning board and card games for kids 3 years and up from good U.S. brands like Gamewright, Discovery Bay, Gambit, etc, mostly from the USA. These are not the usual suspects you’ll find in Toys R Us. Instead, they are unique, quality stuff that you can select according to age or even learning value, and at very reasonable prices too. Delivers within 3-7 working days. Shop at http://www.thebeehive.com.sg/

Funky Decals & Decor - I was hunting around for some wall decals lately and stumbled upon a number of local online shops selling and even customizing these things. Apart from going crazy and buying them up to refresh you room, I figure they make nice gifts too, especially if you know your giftee’s taste well enough.

For elegant wall decals with lots of nature and birds and flowers, you’ll like www.decorettestore.com – very ID and ‘atas’ looking. Their patterns come in lots of colours for you to choose from and you can get quotes customized too. They even have Christmas themed decals too for the season. ('It's Xmas Time decal pictured left, S$45.)

But if you like something more playful and bold, I’d go to www.winkplay.com for more lighthearted decals – great for kids and the young at heart. Yes, they also have the elegant floral decals, but I like the fun ones better – like coloured bookshelves, a treehouse with quirky characters, aliens and odd creatures (for the kids of course!). Shops like Ameba, Anthropology and Epitome carry some of their decals, but the online store would be the place for the widest range. Winkplay also customizes decals, and can turn your favourite photo into a huge decal too, if that’s your thing.

- Ee Waun