People, I still buy stuff. I buy stuff from Target and I buy stuff from local shops and I buy stuff online and I buy stuff from those ads on Instagram that have obviously been listening to my innermost thoughts about organic pillow cases. Sometimes, I regret buying the thing. But SOMETIMES, I absolutely love the thing. And I want to tell you about a couple of those things. Someone else should benefit from my internet searching into supply chains and employee wage structure and ingredients and blah blah blah.
These are some things that I actually own, and have purchased or been gifted within the last year or so. I love and use every single one.
I just bought these lovely ear hugs from ABLE when we were in Nashville this weekend, and I love 'em. I love the brand, I love their mission, and today is the last day for their big Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale, so get that discount! I hear great things about their leather totes and purses, too.
Speaking of totes, I have two of these beautiful canvas totes from Mery Bradley and I have used one of them (depending on my outfit, of course) every day since they arrived. I've had the black one for about three years, and Les got me the map convertible tote/backpack for my birthday last year. I usually avoid buying any new leather, but when I recalled my previous purses that met the landfill, the pleather or cloth handles were usually what did them in. So I found these lightweight canvas totes with durable leather handles and I love them. It is on the splurge-y side, but if you can use it every day for years, I think it's worth it. I have not bought another purse since these arrived. My trial and error for the "perfect every day bag" is over! Inside pockets, perfect size to stash my stuff and not look like I'm carrying an overnight bag, and random strangers frequently ask me where I got them. Shipping from Argentina is surprisingly fast, but not Prime fast.
While you're on Etsy, consider finding a maker who can make you The Thing You Want but you cannot find in stores. I love the idea of a cozy turtleneck sweater, but I actually hate sweater material anywhere near my face. And I wanted something tunic length, and, you know, organic cotton and ethically made and something that actually fit my shape and didn't look like pajamas. Surprise, surprise, I hadn't found that thing after years of searching in stores and online. But a stroke of inspiration lead me to find a maker on Etsy who crafts clothing with organic cotton and had something similar in her shop. And you know what? I sent her my ideas for a "dream" top, and she made it for me. And I want to wear it every day. I loved it so much, I ordered a second one in a different color when I saw she was having a sale this weekend.
This is true "slow fashion" - she makes each item to your specifications - so if you order from her or another made to order artist, your items won't arrive in time for Christmas. It took about 5 weeks to get the first shirt. But that anticipation was a novel delight in the age of instant gratification.
Adult Stocking Stuffers? Yes, that's a thing. Here are a couple of things I'd love to see at the bottom of a sock.
Little Seed Farm elasticity serum gets smeared on my parched face every morning. Winter is brutal on my skin, and I use this in the morning and a thick-as-paste moisturizer from Juice Beauty at night, and it does the trick. This is also where I get my favorite glass jar/metal lid natural deodorant, if you want to give anyone the gift of clean smelling pits without the plastic waste.
Shampoo Bars! Yessssssss! My favorite change of 2019 has been ditching the bottles for shampoo and conditioner bars. I've even gotten Les on board. You can find a zillion varieties online now, but for simplicity's sake, I have been using the shampoo bars I can find in local brick-and-mortar stores. I've seen these J. R. Liggetts bars at Whole Foods and Target, and pretty much any natural/health food store. Or you can buy online.
They smell great, work beautifully, last about as long as a bottle of shampoo. Longer if you use them and then let them dry between showers (we keep ours in a basket on top of the toilet), rather then leaving them wet in the shower soap dish.
I buy conditioner bars from the Package Free Shop, but there are lots of other options out there. I honestly find that when I use the shampoo bar and wash my hair every other day, I rarely need a conditioner bar. Especially with my ultra short hair now.
B O O K S
Gift some great books from your favorite independent book seller! We love Anderson's Bookshop out here in the burbs, and they have a Cyber Monday sale going on today, plus a 12 Days of Christmas discount on specific types of items every day for the next 12 days.
My favorite books of the past year-ish, in no particular order:
This is the book I have needed my whole life. I ugly cried through parts of it, just knowing that RHE will never write any more books. She was a treasure. All of her books have added something to my life, and breathed oxygen into my faith. I also read Searching for Sunday this year, and I could write the same description for my experience of that book.
Oof. What a book. Who doesn't wrestle with the gut punch of Bad Things happening to Good People? I'm eager to read her newest book, too.
I rarely read fiction, but I loved this book. Weird, funny, mysterious, and really well written.
You must read this book. Read it now, before the movie comes out. It reads like a mystery novel, but it is a non fiction cold shower about the racism and injustice baked into our legal system.
I was browsing in Anderson's one day and the shop keeper walked up to me and asked me if I was looking for anything in particular. I told her that I needed a laugh, but it had to be excellent writing. And non fiction. And preferably something portable that could be read in snippets while my kid is distracted or playing happily for 5 minutes. She had just the book. I loved this book. It's set in Chicago in neighborhoods where I lived, the author is roughly my age, and it was like we lived parallel lives in the same city at the same time. Hers was packed with way more romantic entanglement and alcohol, so maybe don't get this book for someone who would clutch their pearls at descriptions of casual sex or the like. But it is as well written and funny as the shop keeper promised.
I said this list was in no particular order, but that was a lie, because I saved the best for last. This is the best book I have read in a long time. If you have any interest whatsoever in the environment, in the plants and animals of North America, in the Native American world view, in botany, or if you just love evocative, intensely beautiful writing, read this stunning book.
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If you are looking for something particular and you'd like some help finding it from a small business or sustainability-minded company, let me know! I love the thrill of the hunt, and love to find new outside the Big Box businesses to support.
BONUS IDEA: Gift a year of MommaStrong! For just $5 per month, you get a new 15 minute interval workout every day. This has been the best thing I've done for my body this year. It is not a weight loss workout. It's a damage repair and strengthening routine. The scale hasn't moved, but my posture, core strength, upper body strength, flexibility, stamina, and even sleep have all improved. And I no longer pee when I sneeze! You don't have to be a mom to benefit from this workout, but it does focus on the parts that tend to need some extra attention after pregnancy and birth/c-section. There are options for mommas-to-be, new moms, and moms who are not so new. I can almost always find 15 minutes to do the workout, and you don't need special equipment.
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