Gift Guide

Did you know I love to give gifts? Finding the perfect gift for that hard to shop for person is one of my life's missions. I'm somewhat crazy and obsessive about finding THE PERFECT GIFT. I thought I would put together this little gift guide to help those of you who have difficult to buy for folks in your life. The only category I don't seem to have covered is teenage boys - go buy them a Best Buy gift card and move on with you life. They're impossible to please!! I also don't have kids. Toys. Moving on.

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The Crafty Set

I don't know about you, but there are lots of crafty folk in my sphere. I myself am not crazy crafty (but remember that time I made the pillow for Bestest Friend?), but I like to think I can talk the talk.

The Small Object is one of my favorite places to go to buy unique, fun things for the people in my life who all too often just head to Hobby Lobby and accept whatever is on the shelves there as the entire catalog of available materials. And here's why!!

This collection of little woodland stamps is $18. Look how cute that little acorn is!!


You don't believe me? Look at her dirt stamps!! Dirt stamps!! Ingenious. One of them is lint. Can you guess which one?

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Oh, my God, the man who has no hobbies and buys everything he could possibly want himself (also known as my father)

This one is tough, I'll grant you. Last year I ended up getting him a monkey Christmas ornament. He laughed, but I don't think he understood that I did it because there was nothing else I could buy him, short of a 1960s-era Mustang, which I could ill-afford!!

Oddly, my father is interested in family history. So, this book (available at amazon for about $26 - Super Saver Shipping!!) is perfect for him. It's part of the Our Name in History collection and the awesome part of the whole thing is it is personalized to your last name. Pretty cool.



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Game Lovers

My mom and I are game lovers. I love Out of the Box Games because they create games that are unusual and interesting. I am considering buying this game, Backseat Drawing, for Christmas, and hoping I can convince two people other than my mother and myself to play with us!! Basically, it's trying to get someone else to draw something they can't see and guess what they're drawing. I bet it's hilarious and a good way to improve communication. It's $25 at their web site.



Next up we have a Balancing Tower. This is available from Hable Construction. This looks like Jenga, but way cooler. It's available now for $8. They also have a fabulous wooden domino set for $38. Go look! I'll wait. It's totally awesome and perfect for the gamer on your list.


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Animal Lovers

Have you ever wondered if your dog had some artistic talent? Well, wonder no more!! Here is the perfect way to find out. Art-Casso has Pup-Casso and Kitty-Casso for you to see your pet in action!! $20 of non-toxic adventures to let your true crazy animal loving self out!! (And that dog on the box looks suspiciously like a white boxer I know personally... hmmm... Dexter, you may have some puppy modeling heading your way!)



A while ago, I entered a contest for free greeting cards from funnyernie's shop at Etsy. I won some pretty fantastic cards and then went back and made a purchase of a bunch of other cards, including the one below. $2 for a beautiful card with such a sweet print. I am going to be going back there again soon!! I am resisting from proselytizing too much about the wonders of Etsy on this gift guide, but if you haven't poked around that site, please go. You can get anything and everything there.



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Writers and Dreamers

I have a friend who is so smart and creative that I always puzzle over what to give her. It's always books and this year there are THREE that I am having a tough time choosing among.

The first book is Once Again to Zelda, an in depth look at 50 dedications of popular and/or well-regarded works of literature. I'd say great works of literature, but Charlotte Bronte is on the list and gargh! No more! It's available on amazon for $11.53.



The second potential gift is Fortune-Telling Book of Dreams available at Chronicle Books ($9.95). For those of us who devour all the Nostradamus specials on the History Channel, this is highly important information. Can your dreams tell the future? Let's let this book tell us all about what our dreams are predicting! I think, if nothing more, this book would be a great way to spark story ideas and creative imaginations.



The last book is The Tales of Beedle the Bard. We are both Harry Potter fans and I think I'm going to get her this book no matter what. And I hope she gets it for me!! (Available everywhere. For less than $10. Go get if for your Harry Potter loving friends.


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Moms (or me, really, if I'm being honest)

Moms are really just women and women are easy to buy for. Seriously, guys.

These Sweetest Things Earrings are spectacular. They are $10-15 here. You never knew stud earrings could be so cute, did you? (I want these.)

Every one's talking about the Doodlebook Frame. It's a picture frame, but it's made up of 80 pages that you can doodle on. Or your kids can color on. Make it personal, you know? It's pretty smart, if you ask me. Originally sold here for $16, but sold out. It's available on amazon for $14 if you really want it. I think moms of toddlers and little ones would really like as a stocking stuffer.


Not everyone is as crazy about the stationary and greeting cards as I am, but if you know anyone who still thinks that sending cards through the U. S. Postal Service is a patriotic duty, they will LOVE this paper suitcase set from one of my absolute favorite internet shops, Pink Loves Brown. For the bargain basement price of $38 you get a set of stationary (10 sheets), 6 blank cards, the suitcase that you can get personalized, and a bow. I am sold. I am actually not sold, but this was on my Christmas list last year and never materialized under my tree. I'm putting it on my Christmas list AGAIN this year. Oh, wait. I'm not a mom. I realize that I am putting all of my wants and desires on the mom list. Okay, whatever. Moms or twenty-somethings dreaming of puppies and garages.

I feel like if I were on The Price is Right, I'd say, "and how would you like A BRAND NEW BAG?" and the audience would ooh and aah over this bag. Goodmorning, morning! is another one of my faves online. This is labelled as a book bag on her site ($64), but I think it would be a perfect little diaper bag, too. With brown and orange. Yes, indeed. Perfect diaper bag.


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Babies

Okay, whatever. You already know my obsession with Baby Gap. I won't talk too much about what to buy for babies because babies don't understand gifts or the holidays. They don't need much more than an empty box as far as I'm concerned.

But it never hurts to give cute clothes! The junk food onesies at Baby Gap appear to be on clearance now for $10, so run out and buy all those cute smiley faces!


Oh, yeah, and this book from Pipsqueak Boutique ($34 + $5 for a middle name) is a pretty good idea for a baby shower, a baptism, a birthday, or a holiday. You personalize it to spell out the child's name and you can even do your own dedication. It's pretty cool. I will say that I've ordered this book for several children in my life and it's beautiful, but the customer service at Pipsqueak Boutique leaves a lot to be desired. They don't respond to emails and there's not even an invoice in the package when it arrives. The quality of their goods is fantastic, but if you're a stickler for the service, this might not be the place for you.



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Teenage Girls (or, if I'm still being honest, me)

A monkey keychain. Man, when I think about all the keychains I had on my keys when I first got my license, it's a wonder I didn't mess up the ignition in my truck. This is from One Good Bumblebee and I've always had wonderful luck there. At $5, this is the cutest little stocking stuffer ever!! That banana looks delicious.


Hee. An ice cream truck with lip balm in it. If your kid's not quite old enough to enjoy the wonders of Sephora, but is starting to get curious about makeup, this is an ideal in between. $16 here.



This is my favorite, I think. It's a charm bracelet, but perfectly lovely on its own, I think!! It can be purchased at Stella & Dot for $49, which is kind of a lot, but think of how classic this is. It will last forever. The charms are sold separately at that site, but I think you could get charms just about everywhere. Totally rockin' and classic, all at once.

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Music Lovers

This Standing in the Shadow of Motown DVD is less than $5 at amazon. I happened to get the music teacher in the Secret Santa draw at work and I'm totally giving him this. It's all about the background musicians during the era of Motown and when we got it through Netflix, even I, the avowed movie hater, was riveted. Great DVD. Really cheap. Go buy it now!


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The Dapper Gentleman

This pocket square is my friend. I want one in ten different colors for my husband. I'm not going to tell you how much it is because I want you to think of these as mostly "affordable" gifts.



For the dapperiest of men in your life, this wool and cable driving cap would be perfectly appropriate. Particularly if said man is not quite 30 years old, but aspires to wear head garments that a 70 year old man would wear. J Crew for $58, but some colors are on sale!! (Damn it, I just looked and it appears as if these have sold out since I started this about a week ago. Sorry, driving cap seeking folk. I'm sure you can find some other examples of find headwear elsewhere.)

Argyle socks!! You can get these and similar ones for relatively cheap ($14.50) at J Crew.


Or, if you're me, you'll buy that man in your life these cashmere socks from Brooks Brothers that cost $45 A PAIR. Oh, yes, my friends. I have spent that on socks before and I will again. For my husband. His toes deserve comfort.



And that's it for now. As I stumble upon awesome (or do I mean bawesome?) gift ideas, I'll try and post them for your retailing pleasure!

Holiday Gift Guide

Last year I wrote a gift guide and it's been pretty popular. I guess people really care about what neurotic types who put a lot of thought into gifts get others for the holidays. This year I'm going to be just a bit more specific about who is getting what from me this year.

First up, the boy. My husband's hobbies are cycling, photography, and playing guitar. He had several things on his wish list this year: a pocket knife, a grey fedora (right), and a gift card to a local bicycle shop because he's getting a custom frame made and he's going to spend approximately a billion dollars tricking his new bike out.

The hat I'm going to get at a store in St. Paul called Heimie's Haberdashery. I'm estimating its cost at about $50, but I'll update that after I've actually purchased it. I am too late to order a knife, but I'd really like to get him a Boker knife. Maybe for his birthday. Inevitably, the boy is also going to get some argyle socks and some tshirts. Don't say I'm not romantic!!! (Most of my present will be in the form of the gift card to the bike shop, though. I think it's what he wants the most.)

Plus, I really want to start our own Christmas traditions, even though we are never "home" during the actual day. I'm going to buy a leather journal and every major event in our lives, I want to write in the journal where we were, what happened, and maybe stick a picture in it. That journal is going under the tree and we'll do our first entry when we open it. Also, I want to get a special ornament for our tree each year. This year I also ordered an ornament from RockCandyVintage that is personalized with our initials on it. I haven't yet gotten it in the mail, but I'm expecting it any day. ($15)


I got a relatively easy pick for my Secret Santa draw at work this year. Last year I had the music teacher and that was absurdly easy. This took just a bit more thought. I have the following gifts for her (one each day): a four pack of Godiva chocolates ($7) I picked up at the Mall of America yesterday (yes, I am crazy), a six pack of notecards I picked up at 75% off when a store was going out of business earlier this yet, a chat pack of conversation starters I picked up at that same store, a pocket mirror I got as a free gift from BeeDazzleGifts when I ordered some cards earlier this year, and some wall art. It's actually similar to the one below, but instead of saying LOVE it says ART. (I work at a performing arts high school - it totally makes sense in context). ($35 at The Afternoon)
My mother has everything on the planet. My sister told me that she had purchased season two of an old television series for her and if I could purchase the third and final season, that would be great. So I did. ($36.49 at amazon)

My sister is a fan of scary books and movies. I went ahead and got her this book at The Afternoon, too. It's an "interactive" mystery solving book. I'm a bit in love with it myself. ($24.95)
My sister is also crafty. I got her a rubber stamp with her name and address on it from RubberStampPress, another etsy shop. I stopped by a craft store and picked up three ink pads to put in the box with it. ($20.95 for this design - the prices range from $19.95 all the way up to $29.95)
I drew my seven month old niece in the kid's draw this year. (Ha ha. It's the first time there's been more than one niece. So it's the first time we've ever done a draw. That's why it's funny.) Anyway, her adjusted age is about four months old, so I just did an amazon search for what the best gifts are for babies her adjusted age, put in my price range, and picked the two top toys (her parents specifically requested toys - they just don't have a lot, I guess).

Voila! The Soothe and Glow Seahorse ($9.99 at amazon, although I paid $14.87 for it last week) gets five stars from reviewers. It does look pretty awesome.
The Baby Einstein Bendy Ball got 4 and a half stars from amazon reviewers. It doesn't look as cool, but the $5.99 price suckered me in (I had a $20 limit for the baby draw.)
In addition, I purchased a book for each of our nieces and nephews.

For the almost three year old girl, I got a hardcover Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner with pictures by Mark Buehner. The pictures are beautiful.

For the just turned two year old boy, I got a softcover of Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner. I went with a softcover because chances are pretty good the little guy's just gonna rip the pages.

For the 14 month old boy, I went with Big Building Site, part of a John Deere series by Parachute Press. He lives in Iowa. It's a sturdy board book, but has some fun tabs he can play with. I think it's a good fit. (I do have gift receipts for all of these books in case the parents already have them, of course!)

For all three of the seven month old babies, I just went with little board books. I'm convinced one of the sets of parents doesn't read to their baby, so these books are mostly "please read to them!" hints. I got The Napping House by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Don Wood, The Mitten by Jan Brett, and The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

My father is by far the most difficult person on my list. I ended up getting him a watch box from Fossil. Brace yourself because this is a hefty $95 price tag. I just did it because I had no other ideas. The man has no hobbies and he's just kind of a grumpapottamus, so there you have it. It's really awesome and I hope he likes it, but if he doesn't, I'm stealing it and taking it back and using it as my own jewelry box (nope, I'm totally not kidding - if he's not using it by the time we leave, I'm just going to take it back - it's too much money to go unused, or worse yet, destroyed by one of their four legged pets).
There you have it. I also have two very good friends who I shop for and, I might add, have some awesome presents for, but since one of them reads this, I don't want to give it away to her what she's going to be getting!! My shopping is nearly finished!! Whoo hoo!! Tomorrow, if I have time, I'm going to put up a list of things on my own personal wish list!!

Gift Guide for Her (or Me, However You Interpret It)

The promised gift guide for what to get a borderline crazy 30ish woman for Christmas. Namely, me. If I was buying stuff for myself, here's what I'd get.

First, this lovely 7 Bracelet from Twisted Silver. I have been not so secretly coveting this bracelet for months. At $50, it's a bit pricey, but, hey, you do what you have to do for the bangle. I have been stalking this piece for months and it's yet to go on sale, so I'm thinking it might never. So as a Christmas present, this would be divine because I'm never going to pony up that much money.

A cheaper option would be to send me this, the World's Smallest Letter, from Leafcutter Designs. Each letter is only $8! Wax seal and magnifying glass included in the price! A bargain in my mind, but again, it's sort of a crazy mind, so what do I know?
But, enough frivolity, let's talk clothes. I don't know about the rest of the girls in your life, but I lust after Shabby Apple dresses, especially the entire Carousel line. Shabby Apple has dresses with sleeves with no low-plunging v-necks that require more layering than a novitiate on Easter (two of my biggest complaints about most of the dresses I find at malls these days).

This dress, Cotton Candy, I would probably sacrifice my oldest niece for. Okay, maybe not, but it would be a hard decision. At $93 I probably won't be getting it, but see, that's what the Christmas list is all about. Things I would never pay for.
Seriously, NGS? Pink paisley? That's your idea of beauty. Hell yeah. But if you don't like it, what do you think of this one? The Carnival, from the selfsame Carousel line, is also to die for. Don't you think I'd look hot, albeit a bit chunkier than this lady whose legs I would kill to have, in this color?

Enough with that. No one's going to buy you a dress for Christmas. It's cold outside and whatnot. (For the record, today - high of 4 above - I wore a dress with leg warmers. I'm stylin', baby.) So what else?

Maybe a Bicycle Paper Suitcase Set from Pink Loves Brown. Dudes, this was on my list last year. I really want it. $38 and you get a set of 10 stationery, 6 blank notecards, and a paper suitcase in the color of your choice (brown, if anyone cares). The stationery could be personalized, if you're into that kind of thing, but frankly I'm not. Look how pretty! It comes with a bow!!

Well, I'm sick of your independent stores, bitch. I want something I can order from that behemoth called amazon. Fine. I'm interested in the second season of the Gilmore Girls. I have season one and I'd like to add to my collection. ($27.60 at that superstore of the Interwebs.)
That's too much for your budget? Do this girl a favor and consider the soulful crooning of 25 Number Ones from the man with the hair, Conway Twitty. My love for Conway is deep. (There are two lyrics I sing to my husband almost every day - "I've gotta party in my pocket and you know I just got paid" from Bon Jovi's 99 in the Shade and "That's my job/That's what I do/Everything I do I do for you/To keep you here with me/That's my job, you see" from Conway Twitty's That's My Job. I'm so predictable the boy just looks at me when there's an opening for one of those songs. I sing them. That's my job you see.) Oh, yeah, this CD is an awesome $10.38 at that giant place of music and books.

But, see, I spend most of my time trolling independent stores. I couldn't leave some of my bookmarked favorited items from Etsy off this list. First up, this awesome amber safety pin necklace from MysticLilly. All right, fine, it's been sold. But it's pretty and I bet it jingle jangles which is my number one criteria for bracelets. She has tons more in different colors (I like the brown and gold, what can I say?) and they run about $22. Go buy some.

No, you're sick of my requests for bracelets? Well, how about this awesome Owl Bag? It's from Deadworry's shop. I love it and I bet my husband would even ask to borrow it. No, you think the owl is too feminine? Well, maybe. But how cute! And such a handy size. At $25, I should have snatched one up for every woman on my Christmas list. I didn't do that, but I'm going to seriously consider it for next year.
And, last buy not least, a necklace from A Fine Distraction. It's cute with a little acorn and I'm absolutely digging on the copper chain. I think copper and brass are going to be my new obsession. I love the way they aren't really gold or silver and they can be mixed and matched without violating all the crazy rules I have about mixing metallics.


In addition to these fine items, I believe I sent my father an email in October requesting a slow cooker, a Joy of Cooking cookbook, and a set of herbs for our windowsill. What I was thinking about getting herbs to grow in Minnesota in the middle of winter is beyond my understanding, but it was October!! I didn't have a list then!! Shop well my friends!!

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher

A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking is the tale of Mona, a fourteen-year-old girl who has a magical way with dough and baked goods. She finds a dead body in her aunt's bakery, is accused of the murder, and then proceeds to become an integral part of defending her government against an attempted coup.  But Mona never asked to be a hero.

T. Kingfisher is the pen name for Ursula Vernon, who writes children's books and comics. When she writes something that's a little unusual or a little dark or just doesn't fit the idea of what her Vernon persona would write, she publishes under the Kingfisher name. 

From the author's note at the end: Ultimately the problem was that it [A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking] was a fairly dark children's book and I, under the name Ursula Vernon, was a write of whimsical upbeat books. If a publisher bought it, they would need me to write about four other books first before they could slip it into the line-up, or else my brand would be in limbo.

I understand that this book has a bit of an edge to it, but I honestly would put this in my pile of sci-fi/fantasy books that make you feel good, like Murderbot and The Wayfarers series. Sure, there are scenes of violence and war, but the main takeaway is that everyone has a gift and everyone's gift is useful.  

Plus, there is a homicidal sourdough starter, killer gingerbread men, and an animate horse corpse.  I mean, what else could you possibly ask for?  I found this book to be extremely entertaining, the worldbuilding was top-notch, and there was plenty of humor. Huge thumbs up from me.  5/5 stars

Lines of note:

Problem was that, like yeast, the thoughts were growing. Pretty soon they'd overflow the edges of my skull, and I wouldn't be able to ignore them any longer. (page 67)

This is exactly how I feel 90% of the time.

Molly understood, though. When you spend most of your time with a dead horse, you learn to respect other people's weird pets. (page 82)

Don't question me about my pets' eccentricities. They're both weird little creatures.

It seemed like once you agreed that the government could put you on a list because of something you were born with, you were asking for trouble. (page 128)

This cuts too close to home.

If you have ever prepared for a siege in two days, than you know what the next few days were like. If you haven't, then you probably don't. (page 212)

I like this way to handwave doing exposition.  The author clearly wanted to show time had passed, but didn't want to go into excruciating detail about preparations. This was done with humor and I liked it. 

It is nearly impossible to be sad when eating a blueberry muffin. I'm pretty sure that's a scientific fact. (page 238)

True fact.

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Crafty Sort

I'm going to do a series of gift guides, mostly because I need to start thinking about what I'm going to buy people.  The criteria to make the lists is that everything on the list will be $50 or less and I will love it all.

Address stamp (above, $25.95 + $6.00 shipping from Rubber Stamp Press): I not so secretly want one of these for myself. I think it adds just a touch of fun to sending out mail.

Make Your Own Lip Balm Kit ($40 from Uncommon Goods): I poked around looking for other kits online, but this one seems to have pretty good reviews. I think that if someone wants to start making some of their own beauty products, this is a fairly safe toe to dip in that pool!

Needle Felting Kits ($15 + $6 shipping from Fancy Tiger): Fancy Tiger has these adorable owls, but the shop also has robins, whales, sheep, and all sorts of other adorable felt balls.  Apparently it's relatively easy and fun to make. I might be buying some of these for my oldest niece for Christmas!

Watercolor Postcards: A Portable Studio ($19.95 from Chronicle Books): I found this little gem at an independent bookstore and I'm in love.  I still haven't opened by box, but knowing that someday I'm going to spend a delightful Saturday morning playing with this is exciting. It combines DIY with mail and that makes me happier than you will ever know.

Make Your Own Beeswax Candle Kit ($6.50 + $4.95 shipping from Swarm Naturals): Apparently some households don't have naughty kitties with super fuzzy tails and can burn candles.  Have at it, my friends.

Anything from Subversive Cross Stitch: I want to buy this bookmark kit ($12) for my sister so she will make it for me and then give it back to me.  Because, seriously, how many times have you wanted to say this to someone? 

Fingerless gloves:  I know that it's sometimes hard to keep your hands warm when you're sewing, stitching, or otherwise crafting in the cold months.  Fingerless gloves are super helpful in maintaining some use of your fingers!!  Just search for fingerless gloves on Etsy and you'll get many cute, affordable options.  (The ones pictured are $29.00 + $7.00 shipping for these fun merino wool gloves from Lyra Lyra.)

Ruler bracelet: There are plenty of them out there and they're totally fun.   The one pictured above is from Lizzy Bleu's Etsy shop ($20 plus $2.50 shipping).

Tiny things in a bottle:  Have you been to the Tiny World in a Bottle Etsy shop?  I want everything there!! The Seahorses in a Tiny Bottle pictured above is $26.50 plus $3.50 shipping from Japan. I think that is the best shipping deal in Etsyland.

Tattoo It Yourself Cards ($18 for a 5-pack from The Neat Shop): I love this idea.  There's a card that set up just for your doodles and tattoos.  Your creative friends will love it and you will love getting their art mailed to you!

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