Shopping at Santa Monica’s Museum of Art

We haven’t come across a museum shop that we’d like to plunder for a while, but now Santa Monica’s Museum of Art Shop does it for us. Quirky, amusing, hip.

A bit of a warning, though … the site is slow-loading but be patient. Tip: Check the ‘All’ box.

We know just the right recipients for this Cats Attack scratching post: “Does Fluffy have dreams of grandeur? Our new cardboard cityscape scratcher can help her fulfill those dreams by allowing her to reenact her favorite 1950s horror film. Cat Attack, designed by Mat Lyon for Luckies of London is a natural scratch post designed to keep kitty’s destructive nails from your upholstery.”

A little late for Father’s Day, but perhaps a birthday. Gent’s Deck: 50 Style & Etiquette tips, in your pocket. “Perfect for those situations in life where you need an ace up your sleeve. From proper revolving door etiquette to learning how to tie a Windsor Knot The Gentleman’s Deck will help you become a man of the 21st century.”

In this age of video games, apps and overly expensive toys, blocks still win. Here are four sets of blocks to play with: Hebrew, Chinese, Korean and Japanese. “This Hebrew aleph-bet block set offers a great way to educate a child with family heritage as well as learning a language. This set includes 27 blocks made from sustainable Michigan basswood, featuring Hebrew letters, numerals, and animal pictures.”

 You don’t have to speak the language to appreciate the elegance and beauty of the Japanese characters. This 32 block set “includes a puzzle with the map of Japan, and all of the Hiragana you need to spell your favorite sushi item. Each block features the Katakana equivalent, 
numbers, and animals with their English translation. This set is made from sustainable Michigan basswood, and is perfect for the Japanese learner in your dojo.”

 

The 32 block set features Mandarin simplified Chinese characters, their English equivalent, “a stroke grid to learn how to create the character, numbers, pictures of the pin yin equivalent, and a puzzle featuring a map of China, the Chinese flag and yellow dragon. The entire set is handcrafted from sustainable Michigan basswood. 32 1.75″ cubes (44mm) Ages 2+.”

Korean Blocks Lil’ Genius:   “Learn a new language, or perfect the one you know with this stunning set, made from sustainable Michigan basswood. The Korean character 32 block set includes 22 animals, the numbers 1-10 in English and Korean, a word construction grid, all of the Korean consonants and vowels, and a puzzle. 32 1.75″ cubes (44mm)block set includes 22 animals, the numbers 1-10 in English and Korean, a word construction grid, all of the Korean consonants and vowels, and a puzzle. 32 1.75″ cubes (44mm) Ages 2+.”