Our Wish Lists & Gift Ideas
The holidays are quickly approaching and like many of you all we’re scrambling to figure out how and when we’ll be able to tackle these crazy to do lists: shopping, planning for holiday parties, upcoming travel, hosting family and friends, planting bulbs (yes that has been an added layer of stress at the studio 😣) and closing out the year with our financials (both personal and business related). The list goes on!
With all that going on I’m shocked any of us are able to function plus sending out holiday cards?! Honestly, who has the time for that!
I want to be a bit honest here and admit that gift guides make me cringe a little. I personally feel guilty about my consumerism and sometimes even more guilty for encouraging others to buy, but at the same time I can relate to the fact that we all want to shop and partake in gift giving in some form or another.
So without further ado, here’s our gift and wish lists. Maybe our partners will read this and get the hint, or maybe we’ll be able to inspire some of you to ask for some of these small luxuries for yourselves.
Jen’s Gift Ideas
Jen is hosting a winter solstice party this year and plans to deck the halls with lots of candles [like these]. One of the ceremonial traditions is to light taper candles that burn all day. As one lights a candle they’re supposed to set intentions for the upcoming year. And what better joy to add to that solstice party than a selection of cheeses with a beautiful faux tortoise shell cheese knife.
For the masculine energy in your life, Jen recommends these button down long sleeve flannels from Roark. There’s a number of colors to choose from (some great plaids too, btw) and the quality is great.
Jen is a die hard Claire Thomson fan with her reliable recipes, often vegetarian but with the occasional roast as well (she’s British after all). For the food lover in your life, or for literally anyone who cooks, this book breaks down how a well organized, methodically planned pantry can be life-changing. From being able to have a number of easy recipes at your fingertips, to slimming your grocery budget.
It’s also important to know that we should only cook with certain salts (that’s a hill that Jen is ready to die on). A chic and easy way to store your various salts, olives, or little bites is with these charming pinch bowls from Eastfork pottery. We also love to use small bowls like these for jewelry catch-alls (while cooking or bedside). Jen’s been collecting pinch bowls as souvenirs from her travels, too!
Lastly, one can never go wrong with gifting a nice skin creme and the Weleda brand is known for its quality as well as clean ingredients.
Lauren’s Gift Ideas
1. Cloth Napkins / 2. Tool Kit / 3. Garden Book / 4. Pizza Cutter / 5. Lampshade / 6. Bar Soap
I love to give beautiful linens to friends who enjoy entertaining and hosting. These charming block printed napkins and tea towels, with the lace edging just pulls at my heartstrings.
An all purpose, compact (and attractive) tool kit is something everyone of us needs to have on hand. How many times have you said in your life “where’s the darn —- hammer, screw driver?!” That’s shouted weekly in our home.
This summer, I traveled to England and had the pleasure of visiting Kiftsgate Gardens. It was one of my favorite gardens on our trip. The property has been tended by three generations of women gardeners making it all the more special. This book has gorgeous photos and intimately tells the history of the property through archival documents as well as first person letters from gardening friends and family. Lastly, it shares a list of the garden’s signature plants. This book is a MUST for the English garden lover.
Several times a year the mood strikes to make pizza and we often find ourselves without the proper cutting tools for homemade delicacies (that’s a joke). I can imagine that the gift of the heirloom hand forged pizza cutter would really make my husband happy along with a lot of other pizza aficionados out there!
We love the whimsy of a ruffle lamp shade these days, so the discovery of this Etsy shop seller who crafts these by hand made me very excited.
Lastly, I’ve recently become a dedicated bar soap person and encourage others to do the same. Loofas are not only kind of gross (read about that here), they’re also not great for the environment. Reusing washcloths and utilizing nice bar soap will NOT dry your skin out! I promise it’s nothing like the Irish Spring of our youth! It will bring you joy with the darling packaging and beautiful smells which you can further enjoy by storing wonderfully scented bar soaps in your linen drawers. Every time you open up your drawers you’ll get a waft of delicate scents!
Lauren’s Wish List
1. Scented Tassel / 2. Boots / 3. Laptop Case / 4. Art Classes / 5. Cashmere Throw Blanket / 6. Doorstop
I’m going to be quick with our want’s lists! Jen and I both agree that gifts are the types of items or experiences that we’d love to have but feel they’re just a bit too frivolous to buy for ourselves. I don’t find myself wanting many nonfunctional things in this world, so everything serves at least a slight purpose or function.
The scented tassel would be a great addition to our new bathrooms (hung on the inside of the doorknob) or in my dressing room, hung in the same way.
Tabi boots are quite controversial in the fashion world; they’re what I’d like to call a divisive shoe. Either you’re on the Tabi side, or you're not. I’ve been a Tabi fan for YEARS and could never justify buying them, until now, I’m turning 40. I think I can justify it now.
This darling laptop case seems like the perfect everyday accessory for carrying my laptop that never seems to leave my side.
This year I have an intention to be 1. More social 2. Be more artistic. One thing I’ve been dying to do for a while is to take drop-in figure drawing classes. I loved figure drawing in college. I recently discovered the Seattle Artist League. They not only host in person classes, but online ones as well. They also have sculpture, pottery, painting, etc. If you have the desire to be more creative or artistic this may be the perfect gift request. If you are not local and want to do in person classes, I’m sure there’s a center or community college nearby that offers continuing education classes that you could take!
I’ve been a fan of SAVED NY for years and their cashmere throws are always on the top of my [luxury] gift wish list. This one in particular was a collaboration with the British artist Fee Greening.
Lastly, this bulky animal foot doorstop would be so fun to have in our entryway where the door to our stairwell is open most of the time. I mean how fun and whimsical is this!
Jen’s Wish List
Jen is an avid gardener and loves arranging flowers, so this highend pair of ergonomic pruners is on the top of her wish list! Also, this foraging bag not only is the best thing ever for those summertime meadow walks, it’s also a great gift for all these mushroom hunters in the PNW.
Jen is a fan of leopard print and has always desired an oversized leopard print faux fur coat. This one from Sezane with its 70s vibe certainly fits the bill.
These mittens, while not subtle, Jen will be proudly wearing, including to school pick-ups.
Slippers are a necessity in any cold climate and they are a must in the damp chilly PNW. These attractive and 100% French made wool slippers have somehow made their way onto my wishlist too….
Last but not least, for all you floral enthusiasts out there, these Frances Palmer vases are certainly wish list worthy. These beautiful vases live in the IYKYK realm. Yes, they’re pricey but an heirloom treasure. We can justify that, right?!
We would love to hear if you have any gift ideas to add that we can share as well? Drop us a comment below. And Happy Holidays if this is the last journal entry we make before the new year!
Cheers! Lauren