
apple reindeer, Canon Digital Rebel
Superhero Holiday Gift Guide
Books
Succulent Wild Woman by SARK. Although you should own every SARK book on the shelf, this one might always be my favorite. Every woman you know should own a copy of this book!
Spilling Open – inspiring artwork and words for young creative souls.
Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott. The perfect book when you need a little faith.
Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott. Hilarious and poignant. A perfect gift for a mom to be.
The Dot by Peter Reynolds. My husband gave me this last year and I cried right there under the tree as I read it. The perfect children’s book.
Jane Wattenberg’s Mrs. Mustard’s Baby Faces and Beastly Babies are for baby-preschool age kids, but I think I might be even more entertained by them. Another great gift for the youngins.
Harem by Dora Levy Mossanen.. Sensual, sexy story! woo woo!
My Grandfather’s Blessings by Rachel Naomi Remen: One of my favorite books of all time. Wear your waterproof mascara for this one folks.
Everyday Matters by Danny Gregory. How much do we love Danny Gregory? I love everything about this book.
Living Out Loud by Keri Smith. Another amazing book by a friend and artist I admire to bits. A great book for your friends who are feeling shy to explore their creative parts.
Scarred For Life by Keith Hamm. For lovers of skateboarding or anyone who is skate-curious. Written by my dear childhood friend who is a brilliant journalist and has been skateboarding his entire life.
How to Breathe Underwater by Julie Orringer. Dark, beautiful little stories about adolescence that had me completely transfixed. This book seeped in and took me somewhere far away in my psyche.
Photo treats
Canon Digital Rebel: the best give I ever gave myself.
50mm portrait lens: yummy lens for the digital rebel.
the best flash in the history of flashes.
Lomo: creates mysteriously beautiful hypersaturated images.
85mm great portrait lens for a 35mm film camera
Action Sampler: shoots 4 images in one second! this one is a blast to use.
Polaroid Holga: haven’t used it but I am very intrigued.
Holga: the ultimate toy camera. Light as popcorn, looks like a fake camera (not intimidating to point at people) and creates unexpected and antique looking results. It’s also cheap!
Crafty Chicks
Superhero jewelry
Superhero tees: Short-sleeved tees are now in black and brown with capped sleeves. Very girly and cute!
Blissen
Good Together
Superfantastico
Booty Boutique
Sugar Paper letterpress cards
Omondieu flower rings
Other delights
Cucina ginger soap
Buy a URL for a friend or loved one and set them up with a simple website or blog
Timbuktu yoga bag
Mighty Goods! a shopping blog by Mighty Girl
Moleskin journals
Creativity Explored art
Cabinet Magazine:a beautiful art and culture magazine out of Brooklyn. My husband Matt Passmore built an art installation in the desert of New Mexico last summer that will be featured in the upcoming issue of the magazine. Go Matt!
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And because we loved them so much last year, I am reprinting the DIY gift-giving ideas again. Maybe you can add to the list?
DIY Gift Giving
Sometimes the most generous expressions of the heart are in the form of gifts that don’t cost a cent. Here are some ideas to get the creative juices flowing:
1. Thirty things I love about you
For my 30th birthday, my friend Jeff gave me a list of the 30 things he loves most about me. I swear, this one melted me instantly.
2. Stone poetry
When this gift arrived in the mail from my friend Jen, I literally gasped. Imagine a heavy round box with a woman painted on the top. Inside are hundreds of smooth, irregular shaped rocks with gorgeous words written on each one-hope, radiate, simplicity… I had a friend close her eyes and choose a few rocks the other day. She chose “home, electric, home” This gift is full of magic.
3. Love letters
The first birthday gift my husband ever gave me was a poem he had written on beautiful paper, scrolled and placed inside a genie bottle. We weren’t dating yet, and it was his way of letting me know that he thought I was the bees’ knees. Even though it took me a year to come around, he got me in the end!
4. Performance art
My other favorite gift from my husband was performed for me at the San Francisco airport. I was leaving for Mexico, and as a going away gift, Matt wanted to give me a strip of photobooth pictures. As it turned out, the machine broke and the pictures never emerged, so he performed each cell of the photo booth strip for me. {One of the more hilarious and endearing moments of my life}.
5. Postal art
During the first few months that Matt and I were dating, I painted a large painting on heavy card stock. When I was finished, I cut it into approximately 30 postcard size rectangles. One by one, I decorated the back of these with a message or drawing or just Matt?s name, and mailed them to him one by one. Each day he received a piece of the puzzle.
6. Wish containers
I love putting wishes, lists, worries, and things I’d like to manifest in a cigar box. Some call it a “God box.” I call it the pneumatic tube (like the old fashioned bank deposit containers) Sasha made me a portable tube in the form of a hand bound book. She painted on several pages, and glued tiny envelopes inside to place wishes. This book is my portable wish container for the most tender things.
7. Tribute books
The best gift I have ever given was a book that I made for my mom for mother’s day. I asked each of our family members and several of her old friends to answer three important questions: 1. How did you meet my mom? 2. Choose one word to describe her. 3. What do you love most about her?
What I got back were incredible stories (things I had never known about my mom), gorgeous old photographs, and poignant declarations of love from family and friends. It was truly one of those presents that was a gift not only to her, but to everyone who contributed to it.
8. Gratitude Journal
After my post about Gratitude last week, Jennifer Higgins wrote to me about a “gratitude journal” she received as a gift. She started slow, writing a few things each day that she was grateful for (some as simple as someone smiling on the elevator.) She says, “When I look back through the pages, I am instantly overwhelmed at the blessings in my life. It’s helped me recognize the wonderful things all around me.”
9. Tributes to your friends
Are you a blogger? Write a tribute to your friend/sister/parents on your web site. They will flush with pride and joy. Someone did this for me once and I will never forget it.
WHAT ARE THE BEST GIFTS YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?