BECKY SHER | Hype Bracelets are a real bargain

You just can't get much for four bucks anymore. And a cool piece of jewelry for less than a five-spot? Forget it -- unless you jump on the retro bandwagon and buy an armful of Lucite bracelets at your local Wet Seal store. (OK, you caught us: The bracelets are about $4, so an armful would cost a little more. But still, it's a bargain, right?)
The bracelets (along with some groovy plastic and rhinestone rings and earrings) have a totally old-school, "Charlie's Angels" feel. (And we're talking Farrah Fawcett and Jaclyn Smith, not Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz.) They're translucent plastic in bright colors like blue, pink and orange -- the perfect accessory for the denim mini you've had your eye on. And best of all, at these rock-bottom prices, if you lose one at a friend's beach party, you won't shed a tear.
Visit www.wetseal.com to find a Wet Seal store near you.
Mail call
If you're headed to college this year, you're probably already dreading saying goodbye to your family and friends. But here's something that might make the transition smoother: a cool collection of journals designed to help you stay in touch.
They're called Circle Journey books, and we have to tell you, they're kind of neat. Admittedly, it took us a little while to figure out exactly how it's supposed to work, but here's the gist: For 20 bucks, you get a kit that includes a small journal, a stack of envelopes, stickers and seals and a line guide, in case you're one of those people who insists on writing in a perfectly straight line. What you write in the book is up to you -- it could be tales of bad cafeteria food, details about your latest crush, lines of poetry, song lyrics or pretty much anything else. Use the stickers to attach little things to the pages, like the ticket to a movie you saw or a picture of your dorm room. Then send the book, along with half of the envelopes, to your best friend, your parents, your girlfriend, your grandma or anybody else. They'll write something and send it back in one of the envelopes, and that's where the circle begins. The two of you can send it back and forth until the book is full, and then start another one!
Of course, Circle Journey books aren't just for the college-bound. Give one to your friend when her family moves out of town, or to your boyfriend when he heads off to be a camp counselor for the summer.
Look for Circle Journey journals at Borders stores and other bookstores and gift shops. Or order online at www.circlejourney.com.
Stamps online
First, a confession: I was the kid who couldn't wait for the first day of school because it meant buying new supplies. Fresh crayons and pencils. Reams of flat, smooth notebook paper. Felt-tip markers -- new ones every year.
So it should come as no surprise that paper and all its accouterments still make me giddy -- which is why I love Impress Rubber Stamps (www.impressrubberstamps.com), the online home of a small chain of Washington state-based rubber-stamping stores. If you're a paper geek like me, you'll love browsing through the dozens of rubber stamp designs, card stock in pretty hues, ink in colors like "cupid pink" and "sky mist," tiny paper flowers and tons of other supplies to make your own homemade stationery.
But if you don't have enough cash to drop a significant amount on ink pads in every color of the rainbow, at least check out "Impressive Ideas," a section of very cool ideas for making your own greeting cards. A lot of them you can make with little things you probably already have stashed in a drawer somewhere -- you don't necessarily need fancy supplies. (Though this is certainly a good excuse to buy some!) E-mail? Who needs it when you can make such cool cards on real, old-fashioned paper.
And if you do decide to spend some of your hard-earned money on a few of Impress' cool stamps or other stationery supplies, you won't be sorry -- their stuff is high-quality, and so is their customer service.
XBecky Sher writes for Knight Ridder Tribune.