It’s been a while since I did a buying guide. I actually don’t like gift giving for the holidays and my friends who know me best can attest to this. I’d rather just buy someone something when I think of them and give it to them immediately. But since my lovely friends like gifts on special occasions I’ve made the following compromises:
- I will get them a gift of things that I have found useful throughout the year and would like to share with them. It’s a human curated recommendations engine for my cohort of friends. (Oh yes, I can make even present giving nerdy).
- I will hoard these things as I discover them throughout the year to give them at a holiday.
With this method that I’ve been using for the past 5 years I am always finished with holiday shopping well before the holidays. Process makes my heart sing, truly.
Here’s my list of recommendations for 2016:
For Your Photographer ~ Shiner Photos
I have always wanted a photo wall. You know those awesome creations on Pinterest that you can never seem to get right when you do them at home? Shiner Photos is a solution for this. They are these great 4×4 inch square photo blocks made of wood that are awesome for Instagram prints (of which they have integration with). They also come with a grid system and push pins, so that you have everything you need to be able to install immediately on your walls. Friends of mine who I’ve shared these with have been impressed with how low effort it is to install, but what a great artistic value they add to their homes. Also printing individuals have been great as gifts.
For Your Home Chef ~ Sous Vide at Home
I love love love sous vide. Earlier this year I even made some recipe tutorials for an online course on it. This book by my favorite purveyors of the at home sous vide device Nomiku is the perfect companion piece to my device that has delicious recipes and gorgeous photos.
For Your Traveling Friends ~ Luna Play 2
As I get older I’m starting to realize more and more the importance of skincare, even though I’m terribly lazy about it. I was one of those children that played endlessly in the sun without sunblock, but now that I’ve noticed it catching up to me I try to do a better job of reining my lack of process in this area in. Also being that I travel a lot, I wanted a way to bring some of my cleansing tools with me when I don’t necessarily have a lot of space in my luggage. The Luna Play is perfect for that and is what I got each of my girlfriends this year. It has a limited travel use, but afterwards can be used as a brush cleaner. Another thing I love about the Luna Play is that the bristles are made of silicon, dry quickly, and will have less bacteria.
For Your Outdoor Adventurer or Home Goods Aficionado ~ Huckberry
Named loosely after Huckleberry Finn, this San Francisco based site has curated a lot of cool gear for the outdoor adventurer. It is by far one of my favorite places to shop at. I’ve bought my bedding here, slippers, shoes, gifts for friends, outdoor blankets.
I have been wanting these moscow mule mugs for forever and a day.
