Press

01/01/2004

In Space

Austin Chronicle
By: MARRIT INGMAN

HOME: DECEMBER 5, 2003: SCREENS: IN SPACE

In Space

Handmade holidays
BY MARRIT INGMAN



from the top: Tramp Lamps, Shizknits, glamajama, Metal Babies


There's a chill in the air, there's static in your hair, and cash registers are jinglin' all over town. But the real miracle of the post-Thanksgiving shoptacular is the ability to score handmade goodies from hither and yon via the Santa's little helper we call the World Wide Web. These handicrafted artifacts are a little kooky, but they're certainly unforgettable.

Illuminate the boudoir with vintage girdles, teddies, and bloomers that glow. Literally. Because they're on lamps. Kelly Butler makes them out of underwear from yesteryear and sells them at Tramp Lamps, her online-only boutique. Kind of like the "leg lamp" from A Christmas Story, but kind of not. Most designs are 25 watts and run $125-145 at www.tramplamps.com. And yes, Virginia, you can custom order a lamp hewn from your own special unmentionables.

Could it be the most dubious achievement since Saturday Night Live's "love toilet"? Smittens are for lovebirds whose winter gloves keep coming between them. A Polartec pouch keeps digits warm while permitting true hand-holding. If that's not sweet enough, Smittens are available with a topstitched heart pattern. Sigh. $32-36 at www.smittens.biz.

Beer cozies from Shizknits.com. Hand knit from merino wool, naturally insulating, and available monogrammed (his and hers, his and his, or hers and hers), these beverage sleeves are a slam dunk for tippling sweethearts. Twenty dollars for most designs.

Austinite Heather Nolte gets busy with her Bedazzler on T-shirts, caps, and clothes for glam kids, misses, and pooches. Silver studs spell "killa" on one doggie shirt. Most items around $30. www.glamajama.shoppingcartsplus.com.

Meanwhile, Mark DeVito offers clothes for little headbangers on his Metal Babies site (www.metalbabies.com). Original designs adorn lap shirts and snappies -- one proclaims "Nappeth Baby Nappeth"; another shows a teddy bear in flames -- but I like the "Metal Baby on Board" auto placard.


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