Looking for that out-of-the-ordinary gift? Try online

By Metro Creative Services

If friends and family tell you they don’t know what they want for the holidays (again!) or they just seem to have everything, think of it as an opportunity rather than a brick wall. With a little creative shopping, you can find a present they never knew they wanted. Check out these little-known Web shopping sites and wander through worlds of affordable, quirky, fun items for all the hard-to-shop-for people in your life:

Buyolympia.com From bracelets made of Bingo tiles to handmade Punk Rock Sock Monkeys, this site offers style courtesy of products made in or related to Olympia, Washington, for every generation in your family.

Shawnimals.com Teddy bears are cute and stuffed bunnies are cuddly, but give the kids in your life (or the adults) an original, one-of-a-kind stuffed animal this year. Each odd-shaped colorful guy is handmade by art student Shawn Smith.

Bandcamptees.com For the kids in the band or the adults who yearn to be, this site offers a toot with its merchandise, ranging from lunch boxes to baseball tees to messenger bags, all with the slogan “Clarinet Power!®”

Pout.co.uk/ap.htm Stay a step ahead of the world travelers (or the trendy teens) in your life by plugging into the site of London beauty queens. Pick up lip polish or blush in a flowery tube.

Cutxpaste.com A consignment site for original designers, Cut + Paste hosts fabulous fashion finds from polka-dot purses to dangly dice earrings.

Redflowerworld.com For the stressed-out friends or your overworked spouse, tune into super-powered scented candles in Spanish Gardenia and Himalayan Larch, or shop for round soaps in porcelain dishes.

Pearlriver.com A bastion of cheap chic in New York City’s Chinatown, Pearl River has gone online, and its stock of ceramics, beauty booty, stationery, home decor and silk shoes ensures that you’ll find something for everyone. The best part? These unique Chinese gifts are dirt cheap. Look for rice paper wallets, beaded satin slippers, bamboo placemats and more.

Reprodepotfabrics.com If someone in your life loves do-it-yourself clothing, they’ll adore a kit of vintage fabrics, themed button sets, patches, appliques or ribbon trim. You can also get inspired and craft a tee or skirt yourself — nothing says love like handmade fashion.

Girasoledesigns.com What better way to (subtly) ask a friend to keep in touch than by giving her a stationery set? Girasole has just what you need. Get a set of six Italian-inspired notecards with a touch of childlike whimsicalness in their designs of sailboats, cupcakes and falling stars.

Catalog.heifer.org Everyone gets a gift when you give something through the Heifer Project. The project sponsors a family in poor villages around the world and gives them a few animals (ducks, bees, rabbits and heifers, to name a few). Villagers receive instructions on how to care for and breed the animals. The offspring go to another needy family, bringing hope and new life to impoverished areas. You can give a “share” in an animal purchase or buy the whole hog, so to speak. The recipient receives a card explaining the unique gift.