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Pig out on arty gifts like this guy at the BASE mini-store at the Delano. Photo courtesy of the Delano.

Gift shops go glam

By Vanessa Garcia

Once upon a time, museum and hotel shops carried postcards and key chains. Today, the fare is much more global and the mementos more memorable.

From folk art to fancy, these shops and boutiques run from the wild (the Delano's BASE mini-mart) to elegant-chic (meet the Mandarin's Shanghai Tang). There are luxurious gifts for pampering (hello, Ritz Carlton, Key Biscayne), fun-educational finds (the Fort Lauderdale Museum of Science and Discovery's Explore Store) and eclectic-meets-kitsch collector's items (The Wolfsonian-FIU).

With specialty buyers that travel the world and delve into the local mélange for art, jewelry, books and homewares, these stores are for more than just souvenirs.

* The Dynamo Museum Shop at The Wolfsonian-FIU, 1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach, 305-531-1001; www.wolfsonian.org.

Find original Gaetano Pesce Vases in gold/green to blue/red to translucent hues ($660 and up); a Mao Bust Piggy Bank keeps it all in the "red" with plaster covered in red velvet ($34); iconic (hard to find) films like The Fritz Lang Epic Collection ($99.95), German Horror Classics ($69.95), Avant Garde: Experimental Cinema from the 1920s and '30s ($29.95) and The Movies Begin: A Treasury of Early Cinema ($99.95); an Instant Curator Kit ($10) designed by Crispin Porter + Bogusky comes with stickers you can adhere to everyday objects; a vast collection of books on politics, history, graphic design and typography ($25 and up); artsy accessories from clocks to chess sets and frames ($30 and up) and exclusive Wolfsonian T-shirts ($20) emblazened with slogans like "100% Propaganda."

* The Miami Children's Museum Shop, 980 MacArthur Causeway, Miami, 305-373-5437; www.miamichildrensmuseum.org.

Home to Fancy Pals, which are cuddly pink poodles, bears, dogs, cats and other animals with their own ribbons, jewels and purse carriers ($11, ages 4-7); a Gourmet Cooking Set with eight pieces of enamel cookware for the little chef ($25, ages 5 and up); BLA BLA handknit animal backpacks ($40, ages 4-7); solar-powered calculator cash resisters ($32.95); crafty crayon markers and Play-Doh($7-$15); musical instruments, from whistles and drums to maracas ($4-$15) and exquisite puppets ($60).

* The Shop at Fairchild, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, 305-667-1651.

Art Giclees ($90-$176) by Veronica Fascie, a Miami-based artist originally from Argentina; Etched Landscape Art Vase ($192) by Tozai made with glass-making techniques from the 1940s; Candy Wrapper Handbags by Ecoist ($25- $110); Caldrea lotions, soaps and sprays in new scents for the holidays like cognac vanilla limon and ginger pomelo ($12.50-$15.50); books on orchids, Florida history, birds, insects, tropical cooking and gardens of the world ($8-$100); kitchen goodies like Key Lime Mango Relish ($8-$30) and botanical posters ($5-$40).

* The Explore Store at The Museum of Science and Discovery, 401 SW Second St., Fort Lauderdale, 954-467-6637; www.mods.org.

Space Age Crystal Growing Kit ($15, ages 12 and up), an easy step-by-step guide for growing your own colorful crystals; other science kits on making kaleidoscopes and talking clocks or learning about the human body ($10-20); Imax Films on DVD ($30), such as Michael Jordon and Destiny In Space; Astronaut Freeze-Dried Ice Cream ($2.50); Stained Glass Lamps ($35-$70); toys like gyroscopes, gears and pulleys, and pin sculpting gadgets ($7 and up); puzzles and posters of everything from dinosaurs to Einstein ($5 and up); trinkets and charms of Nefertiti, Ankhs and other Egyptian wonders ($10 and up) and Ty & Kookeys plush animals ($2-$30).

* Lowe Museum Store, Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami, 1301 Stanford Dr., Coral Gables, 305-284-3535; www6.miami.edu/lowe.

Ndebele Dolls handcrafted in South Africa ($26-$99); limited edition Patricia Breen Holiday Ornaments ($50-$300); Carved Gourd Art Boxes made by Andean village master carvers ($15-$90); original artist works ($60 and up), with recent one-of-a-kind artist books and ornamental boxes by Margarita Cano, a Cuban-born painter; stationery ($14.95 and up); ethnic jewelry and gifts from Asian to Zulu ($30 and up); children's books and toys ($6.99 and up) and music ($14.99 and up).

* The Ivy Shop at The Stranahan House, 335 SE 6th Ave., Fort Lauderdale, 954-524-4736; www.stranahanhouse.org.

Holiday ornaments like pigs, pickles and spiders representative of turn-of-the-century traditions, as well as handcrafted Victorian ornaments ($5 and up); local interest books, such as Mystic Sweet Communion, a novel by Jane Kirkpatrick based on the Stranahan story ($12.95), Seminole cookbooks and a series of children's novels by William Sydnor, who weaves local history and the Stranahans into his stories ($9.95 each); vintage hankies and linens, and turn-of-the-century toys and candies.

* BASS Museum Shop, Bass Museum of Art, 2121 Park Ave., Miami Beach, 305-673-7530, ext. 1011; www.bassmuseum.org.

Books like The Essential Series, a series of art books based on the "essentials of arts" ($12), as well as others on everything from Botticelli to Warhol, fashion and photography ($10-$475); necklace and bracelet sets; silver arm cuffs with odd-ball ornamentation like pieces of school rulers or coral ($7-$450); fun, decorative home items made by local and international artisans ($15 and up); educational toys that run the gamut from erasers to teaching-tool gizmos ($12-$45). HOTELS

* The Ritz-Carlton Key Biscayne Signature Boutique, 455 Grand Bay Dr., Key Biscayne, 305-365-4500; www.ritzcarlton.com.

Pacific Coast Comfort Essentials, such as all-cotton Frette sheets, pillows, comforters and feather beds ($75 and up); mango-scented candles ($18), the same ones that permeate the hallways of the Ritz's spa; the hard-to-find Bond No. 9 perfume for men ($160 and up); other scents like Bulgari ($51 and up); designer clothing from the likes of Trina Turk, Rebecca Taylor and Nanette Lepore, as well as designer-brand sunglasses, such as Gucci, D&G, and Bulgari ($200 and up).

* Shanghai Tang at The Mandarin Oriental, 500 Brickell Key Dr., Miami, 305-913-8288; www.mandarinoriental.com.

A Chinese black silk embroidered coat ($640); coasters with ornate Chinese emperors in yellow and gold ($40 for box set); translucent champagne flutes and whisky tumblers ($140 for four) in red, orange, blue and green with Chinese symbols and motifs; apparel made of Chinese silk and Mongolian cashmere ($40 and up); glass and housewares with whimsical themes like birds and branches with colorful accents ($40 and up); household fragrances like ginger lily ($40); pashminas ($130 and up); watches ($110 and up) and handbags of leather and silk ($395 and up).

* BASE at The Delano, 1685 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, 305-672-2000; www.delano-hotel.com.

Piggy banks by Areaware that are 100 percent resin in several colors, including a limited edition red metallic designed by Harry Allen for ($120-$315); gold, gaudy and Brazilian Luis Morais jewelry (averaging $1,500); BASE's own line of fragrances, such as Sea, Sand, Wood and Life ($22-$48) and silk print dresses by Issa of London ($500-$600).