Filtered by Category: holidays

Valentineā€™s Day gifts to self

Lavender notebook, red cardinal (bird) patch, and Tussie Mussie game, atop a red and white checkered tablecloth

Iā€™ve always loved Valentineā€™s Day, thanks to its indomitable color palette, embrace of kitsch, and overall message: Let someone know you care about them! While it might be a a little late to buy something for your Valentine (though I do have a list of last-minute Valentine's Day gift ideas for the discerning but procrastinating drugstore shopper if thatā€™s where you are this year), itā€™s absolutely not too late to buy a little treat for yourself.

Here are some recs, based on things Iā€™ve bought/loved recently.

Until Weā€™re All Free sweatshirt

Prison Abolition is Trans Liberation pink sweatshirt

This is part of a fundraiser for Trans Lifeline, and proceeds ā€œgo directly toward life-saving commissary & bail funds for trans people in prison.ā€ Available in four shirt styles and four colors, sizes Sā€“4XL, ranging from $25ā€“$35. Get it from Bonfire.

Leuchtturm1917 Smooth Colours notebook

Leuchtturm1917 lavender softcover notebook

Leuchtturm is finally ā€” FINALLY ā€” making my beloved dot grid notebook in beautiful pastels. Available in four colors, four page styles, and either hard or softcover. Get it for $21 from Leuchtturm or Amazon.

Cardinal patch

red cardinal (bird) fabric patch

I received this cardinal as part of the bird patch monthly subscription, but you can buy it ā€” and several other cute bird patches ā€” individually. Get it from Bird Collective for $8.

Tussie Mussie

Tussie Mussie game

This game, which was designed by Wingspan designer Elizabeth Hargrave, is based on the Victorian tradition of giving flowers to friends and romantic loves. There are only 18 cards, so itā€™s super portable (and easy to learn), and the cards themselves are so cute IRL. While itā€™s currently sold out (thereā€™s a waiting list though!), itā€™s absolutely worth poking around Button Shy, which has a lot more of these extremely cute ā€œwallet games.ā€ (I also have Insurmountable, which is a one-player game ā€” always nice to come across those.)

Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey

I am so excited that the author of my beloved Nature Fix is back with a new book! You can read an excerpt, and get a copy from Bookshop ($27.60) or Amazon ($21.05).

This was actually one of my girlfriendā€™s Valentineā€™s gifts to me and I love it! The tube is just a little bigger than a tube of chapstick (perfect for a knitting bag or fanny pack) and the product itself is really good ā€” non-greasy, with a no-fragrance version (along with several scented options). Get it from The Knitting Hole for $11. šŸ’

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Just a bunch of good Thanksgiving shit

fall flowers from farmers market

U.S. Thanksgiving is right around the corner (as are a bunch of other cooking + family holidays), so I thought it would be a good time to share a bunch of resources and tips that might be helpful as you think about how youā€™ll spend your holiday!

Education

pumpkin pie with a star-shaped piece of crust in the center

Making cooking more pleasant and less stressful

Generally speaking

Recipes

This is the Thanksgiving menu Iā€™m working with this year, all of which I made last yer and loved.

  • Beef tenderloin with homemade horseradish sauce from Joy of Cooking

Also, it is my sincerely-held belief that the most important thing you will eat on any big holiday is actually breakfast. I feel like people often overlook it because they want to get started cooking (or they donā€™t know what to have because theyā€™re in someone elseā€™s home) and think itā€™ll be fine because they are going to eat a big meal laterā€¦and then they are starving and extremely cranky by noon. So plan ahead! When hosting, Iā€™m a huge fan of a make-ahead breakfast casserole. And if youā€™re not the one hostingā€¦maybe offer to make a make-ahead breakfast casserole?

Food-related bonus reads

Having people over

Generally speaking

Family stuff

Decorations

Pre-dinner readings

Thanksgiving spread in a Brooklyn apartment

Entertainment and games


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