Wild Kingdom

For a truly elegant walk on the wild side, try these animal glasses that let you strut in style.

The pewter bases for the 4-inch-high glasses ($140 each, plus $9.95 shipping and handling) are designed to stand as a piece of sculpture when not in use.

Frank Friedman, a renowned jeweler from South Africa, came up with the idea for the glasses. While in the Okavango delta in Botswana, he fell in love with the animals and wanted a way to preserve the creatures’ beauty.

After returning to South Africa, he expressed his desire to Trevor George Lewis, a designer at F. Friedman Jewellers who came up with the designs, which now number more than 40.

The collection--which is sold in the United States through Friedman’s subsidiary, Frankli Wild--includes African, American and Australian animals.

In the United States, only five designs are available now--a lion, elephant, wart hog, zebra and eagle.

To order, call (800) 990-4331 or send to Frankli Wild, Box 2181, Holtsville, N.Y. 11742.

Pottery Shacks

When the new holiday toys have lost their magic, and the kids don’t want to play outside, Color Me Mine, a paint-it-yourself ceramics shop, might be the way to regain some sanity.

The premise of the shop is simple; choose a piece of unfinished pottery, then finish it off to your liking. With more than 400 pieces to choose from, there’s plenty of pottery to please any palette.

Color Me Mine shops feature natural wood furniture and shelves, big picture windows for gazing and contemporary music to keep the creative juices bopping.

The costs cover the price of the ceramics and a $6-per-hour painting fee. However, the clock doesn’t start until the paints are picked up. So if it takes all day for you to design your piece, you won’t be penalized for being slow. Typically, an average cost for painting time is 1 1/2 hours. If your want your piece glazed, that’s an additional $3.

If you can’t find inspiration, the shop’s staff can help, using their design computer, which has more than 25,000 stored images.

There are two Color Me Mine shops in Orange County, with two more--in Aliso Viejo and Laguna Hills--scheduled to open this year.

Call the shops--in Costa Mesa at Triangle Square, 1870 A212 Harbor Blvd., (714) 515-8612, and Laguna Niguel, 32411 Golden Lantern, F, (714) 240-6884--for hours, classes and events.

No Reflection

Tru Vue Inc., a leading maker of specialty picture-framing glass, has cut the glare with its AR Reflection-Free glass product.

Now, when you look at your pictures in certain lighting conditions, such as sunshine, or when your turn on an overhead light, there is no mirror effect or shadows to spoil your view.

The reflection-free glass is available at custom-framing shops throughout the county. Contact the nearest retailer for prices.