A holiday Gift Guide... on December 23rd?
I promised you a holiday gift guide, and you are going to GET a holiday gift guide… Even if it is the day before Christmas Eve…. OK, so if we’re being realistic, then this gift guide is really for Christmas 2012, but it’s good to get a jump on your shopping, right? Be honest; didn’t you almost run out of time this year? Aren’t you at the mall this very instant, reading this blog on your iPhone? Well, then hop to it, plan ahead and pick up some of the goodies on my list for NEXT year…Here’s what I’m gifting…
#1. For my sister:
I love this natural-fiber diorama from the Etsy shop Mary’s Granddaughter. All of her work is really interesting and graphic and organic and even slightly creepy. I really love it!
#2 For my brother-in-law:
Vintage cufflinks depicting tandem bike riders from Cuff & Collar on Etsy are perfect for my sister’s stylish new husband!
#3. For my mom:
Blue agate leaf earrings from Marcia Moran. I discovered this designer over the weekend in one of my favorite jewelry stores in Vancouver, Blue Ruby. She also makes awesome cocktail rings… I think my mom will love these.
#4. For my dad:
Screen-print art from Etsy. (I’m super-into buying art from Etsy this year—support small business owners!) The piece above is ‘Boy With Headphones’ and it’s a screenprint from Flatland Kitchen.
#5. for my husband
A fantastic steel leaf bottle opener from HandForgeMetal—I LOVE this metalwork shop; it’s all done by hand by one super-talented artisan and the attention to detail is unparalleled. I order a lot of great jewelry through this site, too.
#6. For my son:
An adorable orange and teal knit robot from the Etsy shop Emma & Nate.
#7. For my friends:
...Design Sponge at Home—a girlfriend gave me a copy of Grace Bonney‘s book for my birthday and I’m hooked. The photos and style showcased are beautiful and the color of the cover looks beautiful even when it’s just sitting on your shelf. I love it and I know a bunch of my girlfriends who will, too…...and “homemade” jam. jams & jellies seem to be a big food trend lately, and I’m afraid I’ve fallen victim, perhaps because I grew up eating jar upon jar of my gramma’s homemade raspberry jam. So I’m not ashamed to say that I love this trend and the small-business owners that it supports! A couple of the tastiest ones out there are:Laura Ann’s Jams. These are great-tasting and adorably packaged. So far my favorite has to be the perfectly spicy raspberry-habernero (served with a bit of goat cheese)... yum.The Curious Palate—This is an adorable little cafe on the westside that has a strong focus on local food, and that hand-makes all their own preserves. I discovered the restaurant in April because it was located across the street from the birth classes we were taking to prepare for Finn’s arrival—I ate there every weekend and quickly became addicted. Their apricot is my absolute favorite jam right now!! I already gave a jar as a gift to this pretty lady...
#8. for my friend’s kids:
Tegu Blocks
These little blocks are not only pleasing to the eye, but they’re also magnetic, so there’s an extra element of building fun to them for budding architects. I absolutely love the look of these, and I already have a set for Finn to play with when he gets a little older. You can pick them up in a great array of pastel hues, too!
This is such an insanely beautiful little gem of a coat, and its so sad that the little girls will just outgrow it. Sigh. From handmade charlotte’s collaboration with Anthropologie…
Mr. Mustache Booties (from pleasantlyplumpknits on Etsy)
Yes, the mustache trend is well on it’s way out, but these are so stupid-cute, and let’s be honest, they’ll outgrow them before the trend completely fades away, anyway. They’re available in a bunch of colors, the kid will wear them once for a cute photo, and then they’ll be a silly pop-culture reminder that your kid was born in 2011. I super-love these.
****And oh, did someone ask what’s on MY little wish list? Well, let me just tell you!
#1. vintage Nancy Drew books. I’ve been collecting these for years and every now and then I come across a little treasure trove of them at a used book shop. I hope someone else comes across the same thing and gives me a couple to add to my collection!
I’ve been collecting these for years and every now and then I come across a little treasure trove of them at a used book shop. I hope someone else comes across the same thing and gives me a couple to add to my collection!
#2. great art books.
Any beautiful book about design, fashion, art, architecture or history is welcome in my house!
#3. a Hudson Bay blanket.
are suddenly super hot, and I’m loving the vintage-modern look of the Hudson Bay blankets…
#4. A recycled wood art piece from modern textures.
I stumbled across these on Etsy and fell in love with the shop’s graphic simplicity and beautiful color palettes…
#5. Surprise little treasures like printed Japanese wrapping tape, pretty stationary, mini moleskin notebooks…
I hope you get all sorts of little treasures under your tree, as well, but mostly I wish you and your loved ones health.
I had an interesting encounter at a coffee shop in Vancouver a few days ago—I ended up in a conversation with a lovely and vibrant woman named Stacy who was anxiously trying to take her mind off the fact that her husband was at that moment in a hospital around the corner undergoing a quadruple bypass. I hope our conversation helped distract her for a bit and I hope that her husband came through the surgery with flying colors. She doesn’t know it, but she really helped me as well—I’ve been feeling a bit down, and our conversation helped put everything in perspective—the number one thing on everyone’s wish list is the health and safety of their loved ones. I am so grateful for my dear little family and our health!!
I wish that for each and every one of you…
Happy holidays.
xoxo
