Holiday gift guide: Got a long list? Here are places to find something for flip-flop wearers to foodies to people who want to help others
For her
Feminine in form, modern in design, Lugano Diamonds’ oval Padparadscha sapphire ring features a 9.07 oval sapphire, two .41-carat diamonds, 182 pink diamonds and 84 round colored diamonds. Jewelers consider the sapphire a traditional symbol of truth, sincerity and faithfulness, and its hardness makes the gemstone suitable for everyday wear. Price upon request.
Lugano Diamonds is at 620 Newport Center Drive, Suite 100, Newport Beach, and at Lugano’s Montage Laguna Beach Jewelry Salon within the resort, 30801 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach. For more information, call (949) 720-1258 or visit luganodiamonds.com.
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Beach lovers have the opportunity to design their own pair of sandals with shimmering Swarovski crystals, metal charms and their favorite color combination of soles and straps on the rubber-made Havaianas. Flip-flops may be designed in-store at “embellish your own” and “make your own” stations. Prices vary.
Havaianas is at 160 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach. For more information, call (949) 715-7712 or visit havaianas.com.
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Wear your heart on your sleeve this winter. Aqua’s patch moto leather jacket, decorated in emoji symbols like roses, lipstick and cherries, may not be a new idea — punk icons like Johnny Rotten and early biker gangs patched and pinned symbols on clothing — but the trend continues for people who strive to be individuals. $348; available exclusively at Bloomingdale’s.
Bloomingdale’s is at Fashion Island, 401 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach and at South Coast Plaza, 3333 S. Bristol St., Costa Mesa. Call (949) 729-6600 and (714) 824-4600, respectively.
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It’s been described as “a fresh blend of California verbena and white freesia, where the gentle Santa Ana winds that pull warm desert air to meet the Pacific.” Voluspa’s Maison Blanc Laguna candle is poured with a coconut wax blend into a decorated tin or glass case. All products are produced in a manufacturing facility in Irvine.
For more information, visit voluspa.com.
The handbag she slings over her shoulder every day says a lot about her. For the girl on the go wanting something small, the Hermosa Beach-based Hammitt handbag line makes a reversible cross body bag in a luxury reversible design that comes in a variety of tones. The Corey bag features a top zipper pocket, a cellphone pocket and a credit card slot. The brand will be available at some Orange County stores, including Marmi in Corona del Mar. $485.
Marmi is at Corona del Mar Plaza, 964 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach. For more information, call (949) 721-1325.
For him
High-quality, elegant and crafted with a refined attention to detail, the Tiffany & Co.’s CT60 Dual Time 40MM watch on a black alligator strap is set in 18k rose gold. Its white dial features gold poudre numerals. The Swiss-made heirloom has a 40-hour power reserve and is water resistant to 330 feet. $14,500.
Tiffany & Co. is at South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., Costa Mesa. For more information, call (714) 540-5330 or visit tiffany.com.
Rodd & Gunn’s classic sneaker profile gets taken up a notch with 100% leather uppers and a side-stitched rubber outsole in its Portsmouth Road lace-up sport shoe. The 70-year-old brand, which first opened in Auckland, New Zealand, has dressed the country’s 2012 Olympic team. Its pieces are backed by a two-year worksmanship guarantee. $178.
Rodd & Gunn is at Fashion Island, 401 Newport Center Drive, Newport Beach. For more information, call (949) 706-2677 or visit roddandgunn.com.
San Juan Capistrano-based artist Robert Redding demonstates that diamonds are forever with his detailed blueprints of Major League Baseball stadiums. The blueprints are printed on museum-grade archival paper and framed, and they come with an official Major League Baseball seal of approval.
Not interested in baseball? Opt for a blueprint of a college football stadium or Redding’s new line of college basketball arenas. He also added color this year, so prints may be ordered in signature blue or in a school’s color. Customers may also order from his Animal Blueprint Company, which now offers 140 breeds of dogs, cats and horses.
For pricing and information, visit stadiumblueprintcompany.com or animalblueprintcompany.com.
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Men reviewed it as the Sugar Ray Robinson of aftershaves. Created by Parisian perfumer Edouard Pinaud in 1801, the Clubman aftershave lotion includes notes of orange, bergamont, lemon and a hint of musk. Barbers use it to soothe tender skin and help heal razor nicks.
Aliso Viejo barbershop and shaving saloon Logan Bros. Shaving Co. carries the product along with mustache wax, grooming combs, pre-shave and beard oils and a natural leather dopp kit that are free of parabens, synthetics and dyes.
Logan Bros. Shaving Co. is at 45 Vantis Drive, Aliso Viejo. For more information, call (949) 305-2991 or visit loganbros.com.
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Customize frames from the Oakley O Store to give him a personalized gift. The Foothill Ranch-based company’s Fuel Cell sunglasses were conceptualized for originality and a smooth look. Every custom order is hand-built to specifications and can come in five different lens options and an icon symbolizing a number of nations’ flags, including the U.S., Japan, Ireland and Argentina. $140.
Oakley O Store is at Irvine Spectrum Center, 654 Spectrum Center Drive. For more information, call (949) 788-0255 or visit oakley.com.
For the socially conscious
Health 2 Humanity is a nonprofit founded in 2013 by Newport Beach resident John Cefalu, a Chapman University student who wanted to sell soap helping people in developing nations. Health 2 Humanity officials teach people in the various communities how to make and sell the soap. To date, the organization has created 12 soap businesses in Kenya, Uganda and Ghana, donated more than 17,000 bars of soap to seven orphanages and won the Kenyan government’s agreement to invest in building a factory in the country.
The soaps are offered in lavender, lemon, peppermint and unscented. $8.99.
For more information, visit h2hsoap.com.
Husband and wife Tom Gordon and Cris Petersen’s the Pepper Project promotes the U.S. importation of Kampot pepper as a way to support Cambodians and the country’s economy. The nonprofit brings Kampot peppers, organically grown by about 135 families, and other goods to Orange County as a way to support Cambodian workers and charities.
The Pepper Project carries three varieties of Kampot peppercorns — black, the spiciest, a sweet red and a mild white. Starting at $7.95.
Pepper Project is in the Citrus Building, 940 W. Chapman Ave., Suite 106, Orange. For more information, call (714) 271-9987 or visit pepperproject.org.
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“Live in the Moment,” “This Too Shall Pass” and “All I Need is Within Me” are just some of the positive messages stamped on MantraBand bracelets. The Monarch Beach-based company offers phrases suggestive of happiness, peace, love, strength and journey, written in silver, yellow gold and rose gold. The company also makes a thicker bracelet for men.
MantraBand is a member of the 1% For the Planet and donates at least 1% of annual sales to non-profit organizations that protect, preserve and restore the natural environment. $25 to $35.
MantraBand is carried at Nordstrom and online. For more information, visit mantraband.com.
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Laguna Beach’s nonprofit Pacific Marine Mammal Center rescues and rehabilitates and then releases marine mammals back to the ocean. One of four frequently rescued animal species can be symbolically adopted, and the tax-deductible gift will help current animal patients. $50.
The Pacific Marine Mammal Center is at 20612 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. For more information, call (949) 494-3050 or visit pacificmmc.org.
Gift shop Share & Do Good carries goods — like a barbed wire bracelet reminding the wearer of human trafficking in India. With every purchase, a bar of soap and clean water is provided to a child in a developing country.
Share & Do Good is at 114 E. Amerige Ave., Fullerton. For more information, call (714) 305-5582 or visit shareanddogood.com.
For the sweet tooth
Founded by Betsy Thagard in Newport Beach, B. toffee specializes in the hand-crafted chocolate and pecan-topped confection that was awarded the Official Toffee title at the Golden Foodie Awards in Orange County. The hard candy is packaged in the company’s signature canisters, boxes or individually. $3.95 to $7.95
B. toffee is carried at Whole Foods, Bristol Farms, Roger’s Gardens, A Market and more. For more information, visit btoffee.com.
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Kelley’s Kookies makes a custom gourmet cookie gift box. Shoppers may choose from over 25 varieties, including lemon, oatmeal and the popular shortbread cookie, which is made with chopped macadamia nuts and dipped in milk chocolate.
Founder Marcella Onishi started in 1988 selling handmade cookies to friends, family and co-workers. Soon she had outgrown her kitchen and opened the first Kelley’s Kookies store in Cypress. Today, the company is headquartered in a larger kitchen in Stanton. Its couple dozen cookie flavors can be found in three retail locations and specialty markets across Southern California. $25.
Kelley’s Kookies is available at Gelson’s, Mitsuwa Market, Marukai Market and Brea Mall. For more information, call (888) 404-1999 or visit kelleyskookies.com.
Pop’s Kettle Korn uses Midwest popcorn kernels, a specialty blend kettle oil, pure cane sugar and salt in making its old-fashioned caramel, cheddar cheese, cinnamon and dark chocolate drizzle.
The hand-popped flavor varieties have been serving fans since 1995 in the company’s Tustin shop. The popcorn is packaged in packs, gallon tins and samplers. $19.99 to $80.99.
Pop’s Kettle Korn is at 13681 Newport Ave., Tustin. For more information, call (714) 838-7677 or visit ocfunfoods.com/popskettlekorn.
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In 1987, Anthony Clemente’s parents opened an Italian restaurant in Orange and served a cheesecake topped with raspberry sauce. Since the restaurant closed 20 years ago, Clemente has carried on the art of the sweet dessert with his business, Above All Cheesecakes. The handed-down recipes feature made-to-order cheesecakes in flavors like Irish Cream souffle, lemon biscotti, holiday cranberry-orange, and a gluten-free option. $35 to $55.
Local delivery only. For more information, call (714) 856-3607 or visit aboveallcheesecakes.com.
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For that taste of California, orange and lemon pound cakes bring out the best of the state’s natural citrus flavors. Orange Clementine, founded in 2011 by friends and Fullerton residents Clementina Eley and Diane Parent, creates cakes, cookies and other confections using oranges and lemons from the women’s backyards. Cakes arrive in a wooden crate with a label reading “Made in California.” $8.95 to $189.95.
Orange Clementine is at 431 Commercial Way, Suite E, La Habra. For more information, call (714) 449-1823 or visit orangeclementine.com.
For the experience
The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation will offer a holiday gift package called Smartie Member, allowing guests may meet and listen to Pulitzer Prize-winning authors, journalists and filmmakers. The limited membership comes with a card offering discounts with local merchants, two tickets to a foundation program of choice, discounted tickets to all other foundation events, a subscription to the foundation’s quarterly publication and two gift items from a choice of notebooks, tote bags, mouse pads and coffee mugs. $60.
The Newport Beach Public Library Foundation is at 1000 Avocado Ave. For more information, call (949) 717-3890 or visit nbplfoundation.org.
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The Segerstrom Center for the Arts allows patrons to dedicate a performance to friends and loved ones. The special tribute includes a dedication on lobby signage, a framed show poster or artist photo signed by the cast, a card and gift for the honoree, access to concierge service to purchase the best available tickets for the performance and a private Champagne toast at intermission. $2,500; $2,430 is tax-deductible.
The Segerstrom Center for the Arts is at 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. For more information, call (714) 556-2122, Ext. 4367, or visit scfta.org.
The Farm School on Los Rios Street offers hands-on cooking classes in a historical cottage setting — a restored 1903 home in the oldest residential neighborhood in California. Classes are available for groups, couples and individuals, ranging in how to make hors d’oeuvres and desserts to roast chicken and an Italian date night. $55 to $140.
Farm School on Los Rios Street is at 31600 Los Rios St., San Juan Capistrano. For more information, call (949) 459-0199 or visit farmschoolonlosrios.com.
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South Coast Repertory will present Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick,” a Lookingglass Theatre production that has won four Jeff Awards, including Best Production. The critically acclaimed stage show of revenge, obsession and destiny has been hailed as physically daring, eye-popping and provocative. Performances are Jan. 20 to Feb. 19. A $100 gift certificate would enable buyers to get two tickets to a preview performance in good seating.
South Coast Repertory is at 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. For more information, call (714) 708-5555 or visit scr.org.
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Dana Point Jet Ski and Kayak Center offers guests views of the Dana Point coastline on a kayak, venturing from a dock in Dana Point Harbor that continues up and down the coastline. Try a Hobie Dura Glide SUP surfboard that is suitable for beginning to intermediate paddlers or a jet ski that is quiet yet powerful. Rental prices vary.
Dana Point Jet Ski & Kayak Center is at 34671 Puerto Place. For more information, call (949) 661-4947 or visit danapointjetski.com.
When you’ve finished shopping
Boxfli, a creative shipping and mailbox shop with locations in Newport Beach and Mission Viejo, have staff who will help a shopper customize a package. Send out-of-state gifts in cardboard boxes decorated with Santa’s portrait, reindeer, snowmen or a string of lights. They’ll even spritz a shipment with perfume.
The boxes come in various sizes and may also be used to store holiday decorations, clothing and Christmas tree embellishments.
Boxfli is at 1904 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa, and 23981 Alicia Pkwy., Suite 180, Mission Viejo. For more information, call (949) 642-4269 or visit boxfli.com.
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To restore order to the garage after getting out boxes of holiday decorations, Meathead Movers, a local moving company with an office in Santa Ana, provides organization services, while it’s Princess Packers will help with closet organization.
Two Meatheads or Packers will come to the home, lift boxes and organize for $128 an hour. For more information, call (866) 843-6328 or visit meatheadmovers.com.
Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
