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Cate's favorites
Lego robots
Remember when you were a kid and used to put together robots made of Legos? The colorful little building blocks have gone high-tech. Lego Mindstorms Robotic Invention System, available at the Computer Museum, includes 727 Lego pieces, motors, touch sensors, light sensors, gears and pulleys. Even better, it comes with equipment and software to allow your little inventor (or your inner inventor) to program whatever robot you build. The robot's built-in microchip receives infrared signals from a "downloading tower" that connects to a serial port in your PC. Once programmed, you can make the robot dance and move anywhere; if you buy more than one, you can program them to interact as well. $199.
Look but don't eat
At the Store @ DeCordova, handblown glass pears (and olives) let you create your own still life. They are made by a Rhode Island design company Pean, Doubulyu, a.k.a. artists Elizabeth Pannell and James Watkins. The pair got into fruit after finding that a bottle-stopper in the shape of an olive was a best-seller in their line of functional glassware. During the heating process, the artisans roll clear glass in granules of color to make the right shades for Bosc and Bartlett pears. Then they blow out the pear shape and add a stem. $48.
Cubist bowls
At the Museum of Fine Arts Shop, nested bowls by South Boston artist Lawrence McRae will add a funky, modernist zest to any kitchen. The bright, squarish bowls combine Cubism and art deco elements in their design. McRae and his wife, ceramicist Jill Rosenwald, launched their design company Dish three years ago, and the nested bowls, his "Cubic" line (designed with artist Sand Tan) became top sellers right off. "Ceramics is all round bowls." McRae says, "I liked the idea of different shapes." With contrasting colors and smart forms, the bowls are catchy enough on their own, but nestle them together and they're eye-popping. $18-$78, depending on size.
Curl up with Miro
Get cozy with throw pillows and tapestries hand-creweled in India. Harvard Collections sells the pillows, which reflect works in the Fogg and Busch-Reisinger museums. On hand for the holidays are seven variations in the style of Klimt, nine inspired by Kandinsky, and 10 after Miro. The woolen stitchwork follows the lines in each of the designs, giving every curve and angle added dimension. Tapestries are 3 by 5 feet ($350) and 4 by 6 feet ($550); pillows, 18 inches ($59) and 24 inches ($118).
Eye-catching earrings
Necklaces, earrings, and brooches by New York designer Michal Golan give a modern twist to the ornate style of jewelry made in the Victorian era. Golan's designs were also inspired by Byzantine jewelry, making plentiful use of gemstones and pearls - in the case of the items pictured, garnets. You can see influences of Middle Eastern art in the mosaic style and lavish decoration. You'll find them at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Shop, where they range from $32 for a pair of earrings to $135 for a necklace.
The comeback kid
Raggedy Ann and Andy are making a giant comeback this year. Back in 1880, writer Johnny Gruelle was casting about for something to keep his bedridden little daughter, Marcella, entertained when his imagination lit on her rag doll with shoe-button eyes and red yarn hair. Gruelle named the doll Raggedy Ann, gave her a brother named Andy, and introduced them to the world in a series of books. More than 100 years later, the two cuddly siblings are still going strong, in both African-American and Caucasian editions. The Children's Museum carries dolls ranging from 8 inches ($15.95) to 3 1/2 feet ($100), including a large one children can strap to their feet and make into dance partners.
Bugs in glass
Butterflies, beetles, and insects encased in glass can be had at both Harvard Collections and the Agassiz Museum Shop at Harvard University. Made by a company called Them, these creatures come from all over the world. None of them are endangered, and they were all allowed to grow to adulthood and lay eggs before being turned into art. An African beetle bigger than your hand, Goliath Orientalis, runs for $175. The Morpho butterflies are of a blue more vibrant than turquoise; a double set of Morphos costs $112. Prices range from $42 to $225.
Pop goes the wizard (and lawyer, doctor...)
Jack-in-the-box, or in this case, wizard-in-the-box, or a fairy godmother, or Shakespeare, Einstein, a golfer, or a painter are made by Allan and Jane Ross's cottage company, Jax, in Lincolnville, Maine, and are also available at the DeCordova. The idea came when the Rosses were living in Omaha, trying to sell handmade art. Jane's father, a retired engineer, was casting about for something to do and, at his daughter's urging, designed a jack-in-the-box. "We took over and it took over us," Jane says. The couple moved to Maine and became the only full-time jack-in-the-box makers in the country. Allan makes the boxes; Jane designs the fanciful Jacks. "We used to sell a lot of lawyers and doctors, and now we're selling more animals," Jane reports. "We're putting stranger and stranger things in the boxes." $84.
Sash with flash
Put a little pizazz in your man's formal wear with hand-dyed and -painted silk cummerbund sets, designed by Melrose artist Lisa Micheels. They'll add accent to any tuxedo with their shifting, kaleidoscopic tones, soft and luminous as watercolors. "Most wearable artists design ties and have them made. It's cheaper than to actually make them," says Micheels, "but I don't like the quality, so I do my own." They're available at The Store @ DeCordova in a variety of colors and styles. "You have to get them for the right kind of man," Micheels says. "One who has a strong enough personality, and wants to be noticed." $125.
The Wright stuff
Developed for the Museum of Science, the Inventor's Workshop Flight is a follow-up to the popular Inventor's Workshop kit. It includes materials to make small-scale flying machines, such as gliders, kites, and parachutes, but its most important component is a manual aimed at helping your child think creatively about how to build something that will stay in the air. After putting together the models in the kit, budding aviators will have the know-how to build larger gliders and kites to take outside and test on the winds. $18.95.
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