Alice + Olivia ballet flats in green polka dot print ($30), available exclusively at Payless Shoes.

SeeJackShop.com makes budget fashion-shopping fun, Jenny says.

"Bad Baby Names" by Michael Sherrod and Matthew Rayback.

"Amigurumi Animals," by Annie Obaachan.

Lip service from Fafi

If you are looking for the perfect shade of mint green for your eyes or the hottest sparkly pink, look to MAC's Fafi line. Inspired by the characters created by French graffiti artist Fafi, these lipsticks, glosses, paint pots and nail lacquers come in colors you can't find every day. Lipstick tubes are emblazoned with the charismatic Fafinettes, and are tres cute!

Going dotty for spring

One look at Payless' adorable new polka-dot ballet flats ($30, in green or black dots) and I was sold on the sweet designs the shoe store chain is offering up for spring. A closer look showed me these were not just any polka-dotted flats, they're Alice + Olivia for Payless. That's right -- you might know the line from Barney's or Bloomingdale's, but now you can get the whimsical look, in a shoe, from Payless. Not bad, huh? Along with the Alice + Olivia shoes, check out some of the other mod, mod, mod designs the store has put out for the season. If you're not already excited about spring, these will get you there, and at the right price.

Dude, here's your bargain

Most of the men I know are pretty tightfisted about buying clothing for themselves. My grandpa had shirts that pre-dated me by 20 years, and my dad never seems to buy anything more expensive than a goofily sloganed T-shirt. Gentlemen, I know buying beer is more appealing, but maybe when you check out SeeJackShop.com, you'll find that budget fashion-shopping can be enjoyable, even for dudes. Run by the same blogging group that does BudgetFashionista.com, SeeJackShop.com lists clothing sales, good grooming buys (the Feb. 23 choice was a budget ear-and-nose-hair trimmer) and a weekly splurge -- all to give you an idea of what you could do with your money when you're not spending it on pitchers.

What NOT to call the baby

Pumpkin Rotton. Knife Leona. Napoleon Jelly. I'm not channeling Gertrude Stein for some abstract poetry -- these are just some of the many awful (but real) names featured in "Bad Baby Names," by Michael Sherrod and Matthew Rayback (Ancestry Publishing, $9.95). These two guys with normal names went hunting through census data to bring you the very worst (or at least silliest) names on record. If you're a kind parent-to-be, you will avoid these names. But if you want your kid to be constantly saying, "Uncle, uncle" and crying lots, you've found your baby name book.

First anime, now amigurumi

I wouldn't want to say the name five times fast, but "Amigurumi Animals," by Annie Obaachan (St. Martin's Griffin, $21.95), is making me want to learn to crochet. Amigurumi is the Japanese art of making stuffed crocheted animals. Obaachan's book contains patterns for 15 handmade effigies of cuteness, along with techniques and galleries to inspire your own tiny crocheted zoo.

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Just a reminder

Menagerie, a showcase of local fashion designers, is March 7 at 111 S. Meridian St. The show will feature more than 20 local, regional and international artists and designers. Profits will be given to the local charities with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful. Visit www.myspace.com/artfashionbenefit for more information.