i rewarded myself after my long week of studying after the GRE with a little shopping/ exploration trip. lately i've been doing a pretty good job of buying mostly used things (minus the occasional trip to target-- but after awhile of bargain shopping, $20 for a tshirt just isn't appealing anymore). and buying second hand doesn't just limit you to goodwills-- at least not in winston-salem or charleston (though the goodwills are above average too, in my opinion). i found a new shop today and the owner (who stayed open an extra half hour late just for me-- another wonderful thing about local businesses) mentioned that she was putting out her christmas display soon.
-- Which got me thinking about gift giving this year. I've always felt pretty grinchy about christmas-- i have trouble seeing past all the piles of discarded gift wrap trash, the pressure to buy your kids the latest video game, and representing sentiments with "stuff". don't get me wrong, i love stuff, but it does take away from more pleasant parts of the holiday.
the very very very worst thing about christmas, however:
is the invention of inflatable yard decor.
and if you're reading this and are the proud owner of one of these monstrosities, tough cookies. i will not apologize for judging you. just be happy knowing i dont keep a pair of scissors handy in the glove box. not yet, anyway.
putting aside (for a moment) my unyielding loathing of tacky brightly colored nylon heinousness, i will say that christmas isn't totally terrible. presents are fun (as long as they don't replace quality time and/or get blown out of proportion).
thus, my goal for this christmas: buy local, handmade, and/or charity-benefitting gifts. pretty much a list of things i've been eyeing lately and solemnly promise not to buy for myself (at least until after christmas). people tell me i'm hard to shop for, so i'll help y'all out here. plus, there may be some ideas on the list below that may hit a few other people on your list as well.
(side note: this list is just meant to reflect things that make me feel warm and fuzzy. if i sound a bit crazed, please forgive me.)
top of my list: water bottle awesomeness.
www.gift.water.org
i also love shops like ten thousand villages, which sells fair trade items from all over the world.. i can just see the little home grown herb garden now! (my roommate has a set similar to this, it works great and keeps things nice and tidy)
i love overlooked.com! proceeds from their goods benefit different charities all over the world. and they're having a 20% off sale this week ("gift" at register). doesn't really get much better!
always liked passport covers; here's a great one:
(there's also a similarly patterned journal on there than looks wonderful. they've just added a ton of new items and they're all pretty much fantastic)
if you're so inclined, i'd encourage you to think about how important using disposable or over-the-top gift wrap really is. and perhaps recognize the fact that 99% of it will go straight to the landfill. this blog gives a nice summation of how to make gift wrapping easy, meaningful, and earth friendly:
over the years i've started getting & giving gifts wrapped in vintage/retro fabric (i collect anything with a good pattern for various projects), repurposed paper/art (skirt magazine is perfect for this), and, my personal fav, reusable bags. so much easier to tie a big bow on a bag with the present inside, and that way your gift wrap becomes part of the present. you can do this with canvas bags, totes, bags made from recycled materials, etc.. they're everywhere these days, and available at any price (roomie and i recently scored half a dozen canvas totes to wash and paint at a flea market for less than $1 altogether). the best and most practical that i've come across for everyday use: the flip n' tumble.
it wads up into a nice neat little bag (no folding or careful rolling or any of that junk) within seconds, and flip (and tumbles) open with even more ease. it's pretty much the best thing since sliced bread.
the following may not adhere too strictly to my criteria, but are just too cool not to put on my wish list..
set of 50 vintage stamps from anthropologie. i was shocked to see they're $6. SIX. usually anthropologie gives me the opposite kind of sticker shock...
this at least promotes handmade things.. i've never tried crewel, but i've been mulling over it for awhile now and just discovered these fantastic kits! call me a grandma, but i think i could do some really cool things with these..
and i may need this to help learn some techniques:
really random... but a bias tape maker would be really super (so many projects in mind, and i'm so awful at making bias tape!):
this is just lovely..
this is too cute..
awesome idea..
grow crystals in a jar.. so cool. (i'm an air sign, btw)
and this was just too bizarre to leave out:
that's all for now! time to finally post this thing and hope all the pictures work..
