What: I’m Yours postcards, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , call 9884239270 or visit her blog here, Rs 150 for a pack of five, next day delivery.

Why: On these pretty cards, adorably rendered stick figures frolic in the snow, stretch out their arms, shred flowers and hold on tight to runaway hearts. Swoon.

When: You want her to love you pen-fold.

Twenty two year-old Kirtana Krishnan paints guitars. And that's not even the most unusual canvas she works with. A client once asked this "custom painter" - yes, that's what she calls  herself - to sketch on a skull! "A fake one, of course," she says with a straight voice. Skulled labour, indeed!

Under the label Shoeriken (Her Facebook page says: "A shuriken is a small Japanese weapon; a Shoeriken is a shoe painted by a small person), Kirtana started out with providing paint jobs solely for shoes, back when she was a literature student in her final year of college. Then before she knew it, the self-taught artist's stylised figures and Anime-ish sketches found their way on over a hundred pairs. That's when she put her foot down, and moved from pumps to canvases that excited her more - T-shirts, walls, music instruments and anything else your heart desires. Well not anything, now put that poodle away!

bpb loves her master strokes on this guitar and her wall art interpretation of Jack and the Beanstalk.

Getting there: Call Kirtana Krishnan on 9820113025, email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or view the Facebook group here, custom art for a guitar starts at Rs 5,000.

What: Woo Hoo hampers from Gifteria, call Nisha on 9820336502 or view the Facebook group here, personalising requires 4 days, start at Rs 2,500.

Why: The Woo Hoo hamper isn’t a basket filled with Blur’s CDs, nor is it a gift for sorority girls. Instead, launched by new present service Gifteria, this box of goodies can hold anything –personalised thong, engraved iPod, gold coins, wads of cash - you need to woo your squeeze. Other hamper categories include Sporty, Bookworm, Poker, Naughty, which are delivered in reusable vessels like dustbins, pails and box stools.

When: Your courting is in session.  

What: Voyager sheesha service, call Nirbhay on 9930517646/ 9920433493 or visit the Facebook group, starts at Rs 550 for delivery of hookah, 3 chillums and magic coal; last-minute orders entertained but try and call 3 hours in advance.

Why: Because you’re sick of sitting on faded orange cushions in dimly lit bars just for a sweet lungful of smoke. Launched by a former hookah bar owner in London, Voyager lets you self destruct in the comfort of your own home, sending over equipment, coal, flavors (over 30 choices) and even an attendant to do all the running around. You suck!

When: You want to be piper-active.

What: Bespoke corporate wear for men and women by Neha Ahuja, workshops in Worli and Juhu, call 9820279216 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , start at Rs 500.

Why: Trained under Shabina Khan, Gavin Miguel and Satya Paul, Neha Ahuja can stitch you up a storm of stylish work wear, from suits to skirts, within one week. Tailor swift! She also designs casual clothes, but we suggest you skip these and get right down to business.

When: You are in need of a straight jacket.

What: Basil Jewels’ personalised silver guitar picks, call 9819224877 or email Aanchal Tulsiani at mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to order, start at Rs 1,600.

Why: Lennon fans, strum on heartstrings this season with these adorable little guitar picks, made from pure silver and engraved with a personal message. Non-musical types can even use them as pendants or key chains.

When: You’re loco for Yoko.

What: Your own edible garden by Urban Gardener, visit the-urban-gardener.blogspot.com or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , start at Rs 5,000 to set up a patch.

Why: Patch a plan with Sunita Mohan, who’ll build you a customised garden (terrace, balcony or even kitchen), complete with tips on maintenance and sourcing materials. She also sells seeds for hard-to-find plants and trees - passion fruit, red ginger, asparagus fern - as well as seasonal produce. In her basket this January: broccoli, bok choy, dill, sage, thyme and more.

When: Now. Ready, get set, grow!

bpb Contest: Attending a wedding this season? Post your question/tips in the comments section below and win a super discount from WittyGift. Don’t forget to leave your email address!

bpb’s definitive dictionary to surviving marriage madness in Mumbai.

Bachelor/ Bachelorette Parties

Bonobo and Royal Palm Villas: Best bar for drunken bachelorette party games and sweetest pad for bachelor night-out, respectively. Bonobo, Kenilworth Mall, 2nd Floor, off Linking Road, next to KFC, Bandra (W), call 26055353; Royal Palms India,  Aarey Mill Compound, Goregaon (E), call 664570000 / 28795000, villas start at Rs 9,400.

Desiree - The Cake Studio: Naughty parts of anatomy come iced with a whole lot of loving in Desiree’s dirty cakes. Santhal ONGC Colony, shop #19, ground floor, Bandra Reclamation, next to Candies, Bandra (W), call 26458998 / 9820086923, start at Rs 1200 for a kg.

Sex in a bottle by Bottle Up: Great gifts for bachelorette parties, these glass jars contain thongs, condoms, sparklers, handcuffs, bunny outfit and whips. Kim does over 300 other themes as well. To order call 9820481144 or view the Facebook page here, start at Rs 150.

Trio bachelorette supplies: For the most attractive (and cheesiest) equipment - dick of cards, x-rated toothpicks, inflated love dolls - sourced from around the globe. Call Radhika at 9833737095 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , start at Rs 30.

Wanna Party bachelor shindigs: For your last night of freedom, these guys can arrange everything from naughty props and devious decorations to giant cakes and unofficial help with “dancers” who jump out of them. Mansion not! Call Vishal on 9833924717 / 9004646700 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , flexible budget.

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Baraat

Essential playlist: Sheila ki Jawaani (Tees Maar Khaan), Munni (Dabanng), Ainvayi (Band Baaja Baraat), Emotional Atyachar (DevD), Kajrare (Bunty Aur Babli) – just dance today, you can go back to being cool tomorrow.

Sound Spirit baraat band: A Bollywood-obsessed all-Brit brass band (visiting Mumbai from December 19 to February 28) wants to play at your wedding. Call Jigar on 9820746266 or visit www.soundspirit.in, start at Rs 40,000.

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Beauty

Heena mehendiwaali: She comes palmed with herbal and zardosi mehendi, as well as the most efficient helpers. Call 9869046500, start at Rs 6,000 for a bride and Rs 101 per guest.

Mehera Kolah hair and make-up expert: She’ll do a complete consultancy with you well before the wedding day, on which she’ll arrive with a magic bag of tricks, including products from MAC, Bobby Brown and Chanel. Ask nicely, and she’ll drape your sari for you as well. Call Mehera at 9821211237, price on request.

YSL Confidential: Top secret program through which YSL’s artists are sent over to your home for a full bridal (or otherwise) make-up session. The Rs 4,500 you pay is fully redeemable against all YSL fragrances, skin and beauty products. Call Supriya Gurbaxani for details at 9324570270, advance notice advised.

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Booze

What: Tattoo Star, ground floor, Gagangiri Apts, next to Crepe Station, off Carter Road, Bandra (W), call Swapnil on 9892141100, Rs 1,000 per square inch.

Why: The biggest draw at Tattoo star, Mumbai’s newest ink inn is its artists – A JJ School of Arts graduate and a specialised portrait sketcher who insist on creating designs from scratch. We see a pattern here.

When: You’re looking for a win-skin situation.

What: Fat Beds from Chrome Hotel Kolkata, to order email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , available in Fat King, Fat Queen and Fat Solo sizes, start at Rs 35,000, shipped nationally.

Why: Earn some serious bed-cred with these super luxurious cloud-like mattresses especially sourced by a cool Kolkata hotel. On your back, get set, go!

When: You want motee, kapda aur makaan.