Holiday gift guide 2016: my favorite things
Are you STILL SHOPPING? Don't fret. I am too.
Just in case you need some inspiration, I have a few unsolicited ideas for you. None of these companies paid me to recommend them, so this is my purely-out-of-love list.
1) First, I met James Oliver at BlogHer a couple of years ago, and I was impressed with his passion and drive. He is a dad, entrepreneur, and writer, and his company WeMontage has been featured on the Today Show. Essentially, you can upload one or several personal photos to the intuitive web site, and James' company turns it into removable wallpaper you can place just about anywhere. I have one in my son's room that includes several of my favorite family memories and I love to look at it every day.
2) A couple of months ago, I received an email from a mom I had never met, and her plea appealed to me. I liked the personal, kind approach in her communication to me, and I was happy to look into her new brain-building entrepreneur kit for kids. Venture Kits is a step up from the typical lemonade stand rite of passage, and it's cleverly put together with a great deal of thought from Leslie, who happens to be MBA from Harvard Business School and a BSc from the London School of Economics. And she is a new mom. Please check out the new Art Auction kit for future art gallery owners. Either kid is the perfect gift for kids between 7 and 13, and reminds me of the teachings of Junior Achievement back in the day.
3) Do you know anyone who needs a funny luggage tag? This one makes me laugh every time I see it.
4) Jewelry company Noonday Collection is based in Austin, Texas, and the founder, Jessica Honneger, started this company when she was working toward funding the adoption of her son from Rwanda. If you were to visit the Noonday Collection offices in central Austin, you’d see a shop bursting at the seams with both products and an intangible hum that drives each employee. There is a spirit that comes from creating a community that was created to support others. Jessica’s designers are paid almost 100% in advance, and about 80% of the employees are mothers.
“I don’t like to use the word ‘help’, because it implies a position of power,” Jessica said. “Our desire is to work with people with potential and allow them to work in a dignified trade. We are all in this together.”
5) I met Christine Messina several years ago, when our children were toddlers, and she is the kind of person who radiates energy and style. She is smart and savvy and being around her elevates my fashion game, and I will never forget the day we were having coffee and she said, "I'm planning to open up a candy shop!" Her excitement was infectious. Now, her store The Candy Jar in the Hill Country Galleria is this beautiful place with candy, gifts, and a party room.
6) These holiday t-shirts are so fun. I may have ordered a few.
Just in case you need some inspiration, I have a few unsolicited ideas for you. None of these companies paid me to recommend them, so this is my purely-out-of-love list.
1) First, I met James Oliver at BlogHer a couple of years ago, and I was impressed with his passion and drive. He is a dad, entrepreneur, and writer, and his company WeMontage has been featured on the Today Show. Essentially, you can upload one or several personal photos to the intuitive web site, and James' company turns it into removable wallpaper you can place just about anywhere. I have one in my son's room that includes several of my favorite family memories and I love to look at it every day.
2) A couple of months ago, I received an email from a mom I had never met, and her plea appealed to me. I liked the personal, kind approach in her communication to me, and I was happy to look into her new brain-building entrepreneur kit for kids. Venture Kits is a step up from the typical lemonade stand rite of passage, and it's cleverly put together with a great deal of thought from Leslie, who happens to be MBA from Harvard Business School and a BSc from the London School of Economics. And she is a new mom. Please check out the new Art Auction kit for future art gallery owners. Either kid is the perfect gift for kids between 7 and 13, and reminds me of the teachings of Junior Achievement back in the day.
3) Do you know anyone who needs a funny luggage tag? This one makes me laugh every time I see it.
4) Jewelry company Noonday Collection is based in Austin, Texas, and the founder, Jessica Honneger, started this company when she was working toward funding the adoption of her son from Rwanda. If you were to visit the Noonday Collection offices in central Austin, you’d see a shop bursting at the seams with both products and an intangible hum that drives each employee. There is a spirit that comes from creating a community that was created to support others. Jessica’s designers are paid almost 100% in advance, and about 80% of the employees are mothers.
“I don’t like to use the word ‘help’, because it implies a position of power,” Jessica said. “Our desire is to work with people with potential and allow them to work in a dignified trade. We are all in this together.”
5) I met Christine Messina several years ago, when our children were toddlers, and she is the kind of person who radiates energy and style. She is smart and savvy and being around her elevates my fashion game, and I will never forget the day we were having coffee and she said, "I'm planning to open up a candy shop!" Her excitement was infectious. Now, her store The Candy Jar in the Hill Country Galleria is this beautiful place with candy, gifts, and a party room.
6) These holiday t-shirts are so fun. I may have ordered a few.
7) The first time I want to the Meditation Bar, I was skeptical, but curious. They were offering free classes for the whole month of December of last year as a response to the bombings in Paris, and I wanted to give it a try. One year later, it's no exaggeration to say this place has changed my life. Learning how to slow down is something that doesn't come easily to me, and Lauren and Krista, especially, have taught me a lot.
8) Do you have a spouse who loves the outdoors? I stumbled upon this site for Fayette Chill and it's right up my husband's alley.
9) A'Driane Nieves blew me away with her reading of her BlogHer Voice of the Year piece the same year I was on stage to read my "More Than Words" essay. Her delivery was strong and powerful and it made me think. It made me uncomfortable with the ideas she presented on racism, in a good way. They were words I needed to hear. Now, A'Driane lives out on the west coast, and she is creating art in her own way and I can see her blossoming from across the country. Check her out at AddyeB.
10) Simply put, these Old Navy micro fleece sleep pants are one of my favorite things in my wardrobe. Cozy, comfy, inexpensive.
11) I fell in love with Penzeys spices many years ago, and their cinnamon and their vanilla changed my baking game. And I love to bake. Not only that, but Penzeys is committed to diversity and love and they're standing strongly against hate speech and division. I love them even more for it.
12) If you love your skin, treat yourself to Sabbatical Beauty. The ingredients are all natural and carefully sourced. My personal favorites are the Rose Foaming Cleanser and the Camellia Gold Beauty Oil. It's a process that seems daunting, at first, but your skin really wakes up and looks gorgeous.
13) Last, but not least, when I received the TinyPrints catalog in the mail, I was impressed by the way they featured families of every color, type, and size. They were intentionally and lovingly inclusive, and as a result, I ordered all of our Christmas cards from them.
13) Last, but not least, when I received the TinyPrints catalog in the mail, I was impressed by the way they featured families of every color, type, and size. They were intentionally and lovingly inclusive, and as a result, I ordered all of our Christmas cards from them.
I picked up this book on a recommendation from my friend Arnebya, and I could not put it down from start to finish. This book is violent and difficult to read, at times, but it's also exquisitely written and I can't imagine why anyone would pass it up. It's masterfully done and has won numerous awards already. The Underground Railroad.
BOOKS, Part II
If you or someone you love likes to watch movies like The Bourne Identity or read Tom Clancy, you'll love books by Brad Thor. I have often disagreed with Brad on his Twitter stream, but we also have found common ground. And above all else, he is an excellent writer with well-developed characters you will miss at the end of every book. I really like this kind of CIA Black Ops counterterrorism story, because it's gripping and it makes me think.
Merry Christmas!
Much love, Kristin