Looking for a little luxury? These socks definitely fit the bill. Woven from a soft cashmere-wool blend, the socks are colorful and cozy, warm but not itchy, and 100 percent luxurious.

$24.95 (women’s) or $29.95 (men’s) per pair via the Herrington Catalog.

These are a staple in my gift closet. Inexpensive (so I can pair them with another gift if I need to), portable (so parents can pack them up for a car ride if they need to), and perfect for plenty of imaginative play. Themed magnets and a book in which to set up scene after scene — what’s not to like? There are many different ones from which to choose; my kindergartener is partial to princesses right now, but this doll-house set is right up her alley. My 4-year-old boy, though, would probably get a kick out of this space-themed set. Sets vary, from as few as 11 to as many as 30 or more magnets.

$8.95 for a 30-piece set, at Amazon.com.

Turns out that you can be a slave to fashion and still stay comfortable, even when it comes to your feet. Instead of sadly giving up those killer heels, slip a set of these foldable ballet flats in your bag. City Slips fold in half to fit inside your purse, and they come with their own carrying case as well as a soft bag in which you can tote your stillettos while you’re walking through the airport or from meeting to meeting. Available in black, gold, and silver, and in leather and non-leather versions.

$24.95 (non-leather) at Cityslips.com; all-leather versions ($58, in black, gold, or leopard print) available at Neiman Marcus stores.

Children of the 1980s, do you remember Alphie? Well, he’s been updated by the folks at Playskool for today’s preschool set. An LCD screen shows his facial expressions, a friendly voice and playful personality helps teach kids about the alphabet, colors, counting, shape recognition, matching, music, and more. The toy robot comes with 30 double-sided cards with more than 350 questions and challenges (they store in his built-in backpack), and runs on three AA batteries. A carrying handle makes it easy to take Alphie on the road — just don’t leave him at grandma’s house.

$39.99 at Toys r Us.

Playmobil toys are timeless; even the new stuff has a tried-and-true aura. This portable puppet theater comes with six figures, two changeable scenes, and plenty of accessories with which to act out the best play ever — whatever your child decides that is on any given day. It even has music, applause, and laugh tracks to bring the production to life. And if your preschooler wants to take his or her show on the road — to grandma’s house, perhaps, or on a play-date — everything stores right inside the playset, which makes it a snap to take along.

$49.99 at Toys R Us.

Kids love toys that they can twist, turn, and interact with; Twisterz capitalizes on this love of manipulation with their new line of educational toys. They’re ideal for keeping kids occupied in the car — no noisy electronics, no batteries to replace — and they develop kids’problem-solving, reading, and spelling skills as well as their hand-eye coordination. The colorful, durable plastic cylinders have removable rings that kids can twist and turn and line up to create stories, match pictures to letters, or make up words. My nearly 6-year-old loves the Story Starter (she lines up the cylinders and then reads them all, one after the other, to create a complete story, instead of using the sentences as a springboard), and both she and my not-quite-4-year-old got a kick out of the Word Builder, which lets kids string letters together to create their own two- to six-letter-long words (it’s great for practicing phonics). The Alphabet Matcher was also a hit, and would be fun for even younger kids as well.

$12.99 (Story Starter, Word Builder) and $18.99 (Alphabet Matcher) at Oompa.

I’ve never been a big make-up person; the foundations I tried never matched my skin tone, I never felt natural, and I always ended up with bronze powder coating everything in my make-up bag. I tried Brush2Go recently, and was surprised to find that they were perfect on all counts. Their 100-percent pure mineral foundations go on lightly and easily, and their refillable brushes are 100-percent pure genius — twist the container of powder onto the brush, and sweep the stuff over your face (when you’re done, a built-in sleeve protects the puff as you put on the lid and chuck the whole thing into your bag). The mineral makeup is SPF 20, never tested on animals, and free of talc, oil, fillers, perfumes, and dyes. And they actually matched my skin tone. Fabulous!

Foundations and bronzers with brushes are $55 each (refills are $30); pre-filled brushes of blush are $40 at Beauty Cosmetics.

Need a backpack to be ready for back-to-school? Craving a new purse for Fall? Your favorite suitcase finally bit the dust? No matter what kind of bag you need, eBags is the place to find the perfect replacement.

And right now, you can take 20% off of almost anything (certain brand exclusions apply) with coupon code EMCATASM2A. That’ll give you free shipping, too, so you can enjoy a great deal, shipped free, which means it can be guilt-free, too.

Campers and lovers of the great outdoors rejoice: The latest in insect-repelling technology is built right into your clothes. Insect Shield’s products are treated with permethrin (a man-made version of a natural insect repellant) and protects the wearer against a variety of pesky critters, including flies, chiggers, ants, mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas. You can wash the clothes about 70 times before protection starts to wane — more than long enough to get you through camping season. Unlike most sprays and transdermal patches, Insect Shield’s EPA-registered clothing is safe for babies and pregnant and nursing women. And unlike candles and foggers, the repelling powers of Insect Sheild keeps bugs away from you in particular, instead of the area around you in general.

Bandannas cost $12, adult-size clothing $36-$90 at REI stores and online at REI. (You can find the children’s line ($26-$34) at Buggiesclothing.com)

I love my music, but I hate my earbuds. They’re fine for a few minutes, but after a CDs worth of songs my ears are ringing — and not from the sound. These lightweight headphones by iFrogz are comfortable enough for my kids to wear; they sit on the ears, rather than in them or around them, and the band is so flexible that they fit securely on every one in my family, from parents to preschoolers. (They come in five colors, too, so everyone could pick their own pair.) My better half spends 85% of his workday wearing headphones, and even he thought this lightweight set was comfortable and had great sound quality.

$39.99 at Buy.com.