Teen abstinance (or the lack thereof) has been fodder for a bit of national conversation lately. Most recently, there was a little dust-up at the MTV Video Music Awards about the Jonas Brothers’ proudly displayed “purity rings” (they talk about them in a YouTube video).

The rings signify the pop-star siblings’ goal to remain chaste until they are married. American Idol winner Jordin Sparks defended the J. Bros from a comedian’s attack (as did Britney Spears, but we’re not sure her vote is all that helpful). Sparks says she, too, wears a purity ring that her parents gave her.

Joe Jonas, 18, has a silver one with a cross. Fifteen-year-old Nick had his made at Disney World. And Kevin, 20, sports a punk-rock Tiffany ring covered with studs.

Want one for yourself (or your teen?).

Go straight to the source at Purity Rings and choose from a wide assortment for guys and girls. You can get a protected heart for a girl: the simple silver with a yellow diamond is $75, or the upscale diamond-encrusted one is $350 (pictured). A guy’s “One Life, One Love” runs from $40 to $350.  True Love Waits is a popular line, or you can shop at Generations of Virtue, Jewelry 4 Christians (they have a wristband, too), Factory 79 or Cornerstone Jewelry Designs.

It’s August, it’s vacation time, and we’re hot and bothered everywhere except in the air conditioning, where we freeze. You, too? Then let us help with that oh-so-torturous million-hour flight to Beijing, if you’re fortunate enough to go to the Olympics, or that even-more-torturous million-hour drive to Mount Rushmore, if you’re fortunate enough to be the miserable teenager in the back of the minivan. Here’s a fabulous inflatable Eagle Creek Comfort neck pillow to cushion the bumps, in charcoal gray, cherry red, Neptune blue or tree frog (tree frog?) for $18.50; a Magellan’s Lights Out sleep mask of even more colors to darken your world and help with any nasty time-zone changes ($10); a fancy leather Levenger Airport Escort passport pocket to keep those personal items secure ($44); and a super-cool MP3-friendly Scottevest microfleece hoodie (we are salivating over the 11 pockets) so you can zone out to your tunes in private ($70). If you’re really into the cocooning thing, forget the al a carte method and go for the amazing Burton Sleeper Hoodie (pictured), which has a removable inflatable pillow, a snap-out light shield, a removable eye mask, a zippered passport pocket and a hidden sound pocket with an earphone cable path sewn in. Heck, they even throw in a travel toothbrush. Tuck your thumbs through the cuff thumb holes, turn up the music, zip the pockets and you’re in travel oblivion. It’d be worth it at its regular price of $100, but right now it’s $60, so you’ll wake up even happier. Now, please excuse us. We need a nap.

We women have a little secret for staying freshed and attractive during a trip: the makeup case/travel bag. British accessories designer Zoe Phayre-Mudge counts actresses Minnie Driver and Dame Helen Mirren among her fans. Her ZPM Zinnia make-up roll has four pockets and is small enough to slip into your purse ($41.50). The ZPM Leopard Day Tripper ($47) is larger, with a clear pouch for lotions, hairbrushes and clips and a smaller clear zippered pocket for items like hairpins and eyeshadows. Makeup artists and celebrities often use train cases for their cosmetics. The Solia train case from Folica is a rich red color and has tiered metal fold-out trays; it comes in three sizes: the Jet-Setter ($60; pictured), Can’t Makeup Your Mind ($70) and Tote-L Diva ($90). For the sleek look of aluminum, try the industrial-size aluminum Metro train case ($90), which has four tiers of trays and an adjustable shoulder strap, or the aluminum train case in either black ($50) or silver ($56) with reinforced steel corners and plastic-lined trays. If you’re on a budget, the simplest approach might be to zip up those crucial toiletries in several clear Sephora makeup bags ($4 each). But if you need a purse-sized cosmetics case for that black-tie event or red-carpet appearance, go for the small Greta Glitter Bag ($28) from Stephanie Johnson’s Sunset Boulevard.

There’s an art to giving the gag gift, so necessary at those over-the-hill-themed birthday parties. Aside from eliciting at least a chuckle, the item must be impractical, not offend, fit that particular person and show how much you really care. For the boy who never grew up — and that may include a few people you know — anything that shoots will do. No one will get hurt with the Marshmallow Blaster ($25). For the man who’s watched too many episodes of The X-Files or UFO Hunters, the mini remote-controlled UFO flying saucer can glide and hover and even light up (on sale for $25). For the book lover, this set of temporary tattoos ($8) proclaim, “Read or Die,” “I [heart] Dewey Decimal System” and “Book Lust.” The Homer Simpson Chia Pet is a hoot, even without donuts ($20; pictured). The Elvis Pez Dispenser set comes with a gold Elvis record — er, CD ($20). For the Star Wars geek, there’s the Storm Trooper bobblehead ($13). Inspire a little therapeutic fun with the Freudian Slip Post-it Notes ($6.50) or the Freud and Couch finger puppets, which handily double as refrigerator magnets ($13). Or for the Type A person, Despair’s line of Demotivator merchandise might make the perfect, well, demotivator. Finally, you can breathe some life into that party by passing out boxes of AtoneMints for Each of Your Sins, EnlightenMints or Sin-o-Mints ($3).

Harajuku is Tokyo’s trend-setting style district, where hundreds of teenagers dressed in elaborate anime-inspired and avant-garde fashions congregate. They’re often photographed by tourists and featured in fashion magazines. So it’s no surprise that pop fashion icon Gwen Stefani has launched the Harajuku Lovers line of accessories and stationery (at the World of Harajuku, we’re told, “Let the Cuteness Begin!”). A little background on the name: Stefani’s four Japanese backup dancers are known as the Harajuku Girls, which is also a name of a song on Stefani’s album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (and Love, Angel, Music and Baby just happen to be the nicknames of the four dancers). The Harajuku Lovers Candy tote sets the tone with its cheerful cartoon drawings of the Harajuku Girls ($68). The Gwen striped tee ($42) is a bright look for girls while the Yummy Cones tee is a whimsical look for women, with four ice cream cones on the front and “Don’t Get Twisted” on the back ($44). Teens will be all about the Faders Kanji tube ($48), a red fleece take on the tube top but with side pockets. It’s always Harajuku time with the pink striped Twisted watch ($75). Coming this fall to Macys is the Harajuku Lovers fragrances. Each of the five scents — Love, Lil Angel, Music, Baby and G — comes in a bottle made up of a glass base and a doll stopper (pictured). Four of the dolls are styled to resemble the Harajuku Girls and the fifth one is meant to look like Stefani herself ($45).

One frustration of vacationing in faraway lands is the desire to bring back way more souvenirs than you can carry — not the made-for-tourists junk, but the countless everyday items that are different enough from our own household wares to capture the flavor of a place, or simply to feel like the perfect tool for a certain job. The folks behind Kiosk appear to have felt this pain intently enough to invent a solution: They bring back enough of these goods that they can sell them to others and finance the shipping costs. The NYC-based retailer is a bit like a fashion boutique, in that most of its stock only lasts a few months: one month they’re featuring Glitter Girl Whistles (pictured) and plastic rope from Mexico, the next they could have booze and fishing lures from Finland. This is both the charm and the frustration of exploring the store’s online catalog: Once yesterday’s import is gone, it’s gone. The exceptions are those items Kiosk has decided to stock permanently, which range from the utilitarian (Japanese metal clips) to the totally whimsical (colorful plastic bird-shaped whistles from Mexico). The unifying factor, according to the store’s curators, is that they seek objects that are “humble, straightforward and beautiful for their simplicity and directness.”

Step aside, ladies of the sizzling summer hit Sex and the City. Another long-awaited summer chick flick opens nationwide this week, and this one’s for the tweens — girls 7 to 12 years old. Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, is the first theatrical release connected to the American Girl phenomenon. American Girl is a hugely popular line of products that center around fairly pricey dolls of various ethnicities who come of age at turning points in U.S. history. Each doll comes with period-specific clothes and some accessories, and there is a book about her life that involves triumph over adversity with humor, grace and loyal friendships. Though the tone is gentle, American Girl tales touch on child abuse, child labor, slavery, war, and much more. Beyond the dolls and the books, the wildly successful line comes with more clothing, accessories and furniture for additional dollars. The movie, produced by Julia Roberts, revolves around the American Girl character Kit, who lives in Cincinnati at the dawn of the Great Depression, and wants to be a “girl reporter.” Get Kit and her best friend Ruthie (on sale for $205) and the tree house ($250) where they spend much of their time. Kit pounds furiously on a typewriter ($22), that “dings” like the real thing when she gets to the end of a line. Her roll top desk ($70) has a pullout writing board. The top rolls down to hide clutter, and the set includes a swivel chair so she can take a little spin to get her ideas moving. Like all the other American Girl dolls, Kit has her own online games and downloadable computer wallpaper. American Girl also has its own magazine, line of custom Just Like You dolls, Bitty Baby for ages 3 and older, and Doll Hospital. The dolls have become such popular collectibles on eBay.com that the site offers a buyer’s guide. American Girl does have its naysayers, but most film critics, such as Roger Ebert, give Kit and her cohorts a big thumbs up. This much I know: American Girl – I was a Julie — is an improvement over the Barbie of my youth.

This week, millions of Americans will eat apple pie as part of their Fourth of July festivities. But apples are available in so many other yummy food products we wanted to share some of those online options with you. A truly indulgent gift from Wisconsinmade is the Gourmet Caramel Apple Gift Basket ($75), created by Amy’s Candy Kitchen. The basket holds one Belgian chocolate dipped caramel apple, one classic peanut caramel apple, a turtle caramel apple, three truffles, chocolate sandwich cookies and more. Less over-the-top, but also fun, is the “An Apple A Day Gift Basket,” ($42, pictured) from Designer Gifts, which contains apple cider, apple crisp, apple bread mix, and a magnetic notepad decorated with apples. Apple butter is a delicious and relatively healthy spread, which goes well with nut breads, banana bread and zucchini bread (certainly your neighbors have inflicted some zucchini on you this summer). Windy Hill Orchard and Cider Mill in York, S.C., sells pints of apple butter (with sugar, or sugar free) as well as pumpkin butter and strawberry butter (each jar is about $6). A butter box ($16.95) contains three pint jars of different flavored fruit butters. A 2-pound box of dried apples is $10. A bottle of dry apple cider, or of apple wine, goes well with many summer dishes, and Wandering Aengus Ciderworks of Salem, Ore. produces a variety of ciders for sale online. Pommeau, their apple dessert wine, is $40 a bottle, while the dry cider is $16 a bottle. One of the more unusual apple-related items we found is the giant apple strudel sold by Naegelins Bakery in New Braunfels, Texas (scroll down on the page to find it). This family-run bakery has been operating since 1868. Their strudel ($65.95) is more than 2 feet long and weighs 4½ pounds. Its apple filling is flavored with cinnamon, coconut and cherries. (Allow a week for delivery.) With a giant apple strudel and a bottle of apple dessert wine, you could be picnicking for a long time.