Lydia Likes It

Giant jigsaws for little fingers

If you happen to have a 3-year-old grandchild (or one a few years older) who loves construction vehicles, this Jiggy Junior Construction Alphabet is the perfect jigsaw puzzle for the two of you to work on together. Designed by Lisa Perry, a British artist living in the south of England, this 100-piece puzzle features the cute, fun, quirky, colorful designs she loves. Each puzzle comes in a reusable cardboard tube and includes adhesive sheets to preserve the masterpiece when your little one has completed it. $29.00, and worth every penny. 

We see (Ouisi)

By now, if you're more organized that I am, you've been making your holiday gift list, and checking it twice. If you've still got a few holes on your list, it's hard to imagine any family or friends of any age who won't like the card game Ouisi ("we see"). Mix, match, create and illustrate stories: the possibilities are endless. Ouisi comes in two variations, the original card set and a nature set; each comes with an instruction book to get you started. We've just sent Ouisi to friends in Japan for a December gift.

Collage kits for all ages

When it comes to art, sometimes it takes an artist to convince a nonartist to, well, give art a chance. My friend Laura Laramie, who graduated from Rhode Island School of Design, showed me a bit about the world of collage, and now she's found a great way to help you get started. Just in time for the holidays, Laura's offering wonderful collage kits on her eBay site. For $18, you get scissors, a glue stick, a frame, instructions, and a bag full of mix-and-match papers to cut up and create images, or extracts, or anything you'd like. These kits make wonderful gifts, or help you style wonderful gifts for your family and friends. No two kits are the same. The official name is Kitchen Table Collage Art Kit Journal Making Scrapbooking Junk Journal Ephemera; that should get you in the right frame of mind!