My Favorite Things...Gift Ideas for the Creative (and the Not-So Creative) People in Your Life
Good morning!
You won't always get 2 of these notes so close together, but my holidays turned into a holly daze, so it's me again--oh, hi there. (I swear, I will give you a break until 2020, but I had promised to send these ...) ;-)
Every year I like to compile my favorite things as sometimes they can help in getting holiday shopping done faster or they might be useful to you in your life.
So below are a few things that inspired me, made my life easier this year, or added something good to it.
(Note: for the purpose of ease & the reviews, I have many of these links going to Amazon, but I do try to include an alternative link when I can for anyone who may think Jeff Bezos is really Seattle's Dr. Evil and would prefer not to support him.)
My Favorite Things 2019:
1) "From the Library of" Embosser: This is one of my very favorite tools and my favorite way to mark all my books so if I loan them out, they get returned. I ordered this as a gift for one of my very best friends this year. There was an error on her last name, so I sent an email and they immediately sent me a new embosser to fix the problem. ($24.99)
Anti-Amazon option: Also available on Etsy! $33.50 (And many other Etsy options!)
2) The Edgar Allan Poe ($8) or Emily Dickinson Patch ($10) and this Langston Hughes Pin ($!2): Make any jean jacket or cotton item a bit more literary. (Also, I someone had ironed Poe onto the Vera Bradley purse, which definitely stepped up the literary style!
3) Stitch-Fix (Clothing from a Stylist Delivered to Your Doorstep): Two poets (a poet laureate & an award-winning good friend poet) recommended this to me. Basically, you fill out a questionnaire, write a short note to your stylist for what you are looking for (if you wish), then about 5 items of clothing are delivered to your home to try on (you pick the date).
Now, I never thought I would like this, I mean, I love to shop at consignment stores & Goodwill. I'm picky and due to having a body type similar to a "praying mantis" (as my daughter once described me as a child), things don't normally fit right. But on my first order, they sent me a pair of jeans that fit me better than any jeans I have ever purchased--that alone was worth me not spending hours in a store crying in a dressing room.
They also expanded my style, in some sort of brave moment, I said, "Send me something that makes a statement, a little edgy" and they sent me this pair of Sam Edelman Stiletto Dark Purple Ankle Coated Jeans--Did I know I wanted a pair of jeans that looks a lot like leather and water brushes off of like a duck? No, I did not. Do I love these pants? Yes, yes, I do. (And in a million years, I would have never tried on these jeans, and yet, now I have them in my closet.)
That said, things have gone terribly and hilariously wrong. My first order also included a stretchy leopard-print jumpsuit that made me look as if I was starring in the middle-age version of Cats. I'm not sure what I wrote to my stylist in that box to get such a unique surprise. However, the best part about this service is anything you don't like gets tossed back into a Priority Mail bag and easily returned--so goodbyw crazy catsuit.
Prices can vary here--some things feel like a bargain and others feel way too much too me. It's been fun though to "up my style game" a bit. Since some things can be a bit more spendy than I like, I probably won't do this more than a few times, but just get a few new items to update my circa 2012 wardrobe (which was a very fine year in fact, full of cardigans, crocs, Birkenstocks, and tunics).
Oh and--StitchFix is also available for men & kids as well.
4) These Reading Glasses ($10.99): While I can't do a full leopard-print jumpsuit, I can do these. These are lightweight, comfortable, available in many colors, and offer a little sumptin-sumptin to a classic style.
5) Breathe the Sky Musical Spoken Word Meditations by Michael Tomlinson: Since my writing residency, I've started meditating every day. I will be honest here, I have struggled for years with wanting to meditate daily, but hating to do it. I have referred to myself as the "haphazard meditator," there are always a thousand things I'd rather do each day then meditate. So what I like about these meditations is they are out-of-the-box. They mix music with words and they don't feel like your standard meditation, but a little happier. My favorites from these are "All Good Things" which was created to bring more good things creatively into your life, "Run Like the River Runs" which mixes spoken word with a song-- (note: I usually fall into that deep place (or sometimes a short nap!) during the chimes) and for an extra bonus, at my writing residency, this meditation inspired a poem. Both these meditations are about 20 minutes, sometimes I start with All Good Things and end on Run Like a River Runs. Oh and there's also a meditation called "Peace in Traffic" which happily surprised me because it reminded me I'm looking for "space" in traffic and not my next exciting move where I try to be the next Mario Andretti trying to get ahead of the slow drivers --and since Michael is a songwriter, it ends with him singing one of his songs which makes it nicer. (CD $30 / Download $35)
P.S. I have noticed a huge drop in my anxiety level recently which has been maintaining itself at an orange alert level for the last few years due to meditation, yoga, naps, and going to bed earlier. Also, I try to remember these things as I go through my day from my yoga teacher: "Draw a line around your body--this is what you can control," "be bold, be brave, be kind," and "Attachment causes fatigue" --my life motto for 2020. Still working on all of these things...
6) 10% Happier by Dan Harris: ($12.99) What's worse than meditating? Reading about meditating. I bought this book because I thought it was about, well, happiness. Had I known it was about meditation, I wouldn't have purchased it, but here's this thing--this was a really fantastic memoir on how Dan Harris, Nightline anchor, whose lifestyle included cocaine, too much alcohol, then had a panic attack on live TV. Afterward, he found meditation. It might sound terribly boring and I went into this book believing I would hate it and I did not. Also, the audio version Dan reads here is excellent as it's in his own voice.
Anti-Amazon Option: IndieBound or your local indie bookstore!
7) Microfiber Hair Towel: Okay, why is a *towel* on my favorites list you might be asking? This is a bit odd, but every morning I was feeling cranky after showers because my towel was so heavy on my head or falling off. I became so annoyed with it, I bought this on a whim. Changed my morning from oh-no-I-have-to-put-that-big-heavy-towel-on-my-head to life-is-easy! (Okay, perhaps, life was just slightly easier, but it was easier!) I have purchased these for family members and friends, they all think I've lost any sense on gift-giving until they try it (because it's useful and pretty fantastic).
Anti-Amazon Option: Nordstrom ($30)
8) A Little Bit of Poetry in Your Life: Of course, what favorite things list would not be complete without a few literary items: These Brooklyn Poet t-shirts (I have 2, Lorde & Whitman) ($32) and love them both (flattering cut & soft), plus you support an important organization.
This PLATH t-shirt on Etsy ($26.)
I am, I am. I am. Bracelet $12.99 (Currently on my wishlist!)
9) Travel Scarf with Hidden Pocket for Passport or Cellphone, plus Hat!: I just bought this for an upcoming trip and I love it. I tried several before I found this one. This is pretty lightweight, so good for airplane travel and several types of climates. The hat is light and reminded me of something I might wear to a Pearl Jam concert in 1990, but it's actually pretty cute on and it's not tight, so I haven't had bad hat hair (oh these small victories in life!) But yes, good for travel and keeping your important things close to you.
Anti-Amazon Option: Here are a whole group of them on Etsy with different patterns and colors ($20 - $49)
10) A Tiara /Crown: Perfect for the person in your life who has everything. Also great for birthdays, book publications, or if you want to really make your driver license photo stand out this year (yes, you can wear a tiara/crown in your photo, and I know this from the personal experience of trying it myself). Tiara $7.99
Anti-Amazon Option on Etsy: Gold Lace Crown Version! ($20)
So those were my favorite things this year! I have a couple other below, but they are the old standbys--my favorite things expanded version.
So if you are ending reading this here, let me wish you some love and light into the new year! Thank you all for being a part of my community and wishing you all the best in 2020,
xo,
Kells
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Other gifts that keep on giving:
The Poet Tarot & Guidebook from Two Sylvias Press (this item came from a dream my co-editor had and she asked me if I'd do all the graphics for the cards--I said yes.)
The Daily Poet: Day-By-Day Prompts for Your Writing Practice ($16.99): Martha Silano and I wrote this book accidentally because someone asked if we'd share the prompts we used on our writing dates with them. Who knew we'd get a book. We're currently working on The Daily Poet 2: More Prompts for Your Writing Practice. Anti-Amazon Option: Buy directly from Two Sylvias Press ($18.00)
A donation Copper Canyon Press or buy one of their books. As I've learned more about this nonprofit press, I realize the amount of work that goes into fundraising. It is so much work. (Behind-the-Scenes Note: Many thanks to all who congratulated me and asked about my book--My current title is Dialogues with Rising Tides, and I have to turn in my final draft February 2020, which means I'm scheduled for publication spring 2021
Donation to Westsound Wildlife Shelter: Every hurt animal or bird I have found has been brought here and taken care of by the kind staff of this center and released back into the wild. I am amazed with the work they are doing in the Pacific Northwest. You can make donations here.
Raices, The Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services: One way I can try to help and support families staying together in these darker times.
And a Final Idea to Share:
Three Good Things: This is a tradition my family started several years ago. From Thanksgiving to Christmas, we each have to do "three good things" then report back to everyone on Christmas dinner. I might pay for the car behind me at the ferry line, one of my nephews may stand up for a friend who is being teased at school, maybe you donate food to your local food shelter, you can do big or little things, whatever you're sparked to do.
Sometimes they result in funny stories, like the time a friend and I found a dog running in the middle of a busy street and put it back into the truck we believed it jumped from only to learn later, it had not jumped from that truck and the owner of *that* truck did not own a dog. Oops. (We did eventually find the owner, the dog was a long way from home and had been let out by her father with Alzheimer's. All were reunited--including the truck owner who ended up being happy to help find the owners.
I think the challenge is for this tradition is to keep it going throughout the year. I'm trying to find ways to be helpful, kind, and generous when it's not the holidays. To see where people are struggling and offer a hand. It does not have to be financial or grand, sometimes just a sweet hello to a person who looks as if they're having a tough day might be the one thing that helps their day on track. So if you're up for it, maybe let your 2020 be the year of offering good things to those who need them. And also, offer some goodness to yourself, as you may be one of the people who needs a little light--that's important too.
May your 2020 be exactly what you need and full of love, light, and kindness where all your best dreams come true--if I could send you a wish, that would be it. (And maybe I just did--wish away, friend!) Hope to see you in the new year! xo
much love,
Kelli
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Kelli Russell Agodon
Poet/Writer/Editor, Two Sylvias Press kelli@agodon.com Website: www.agodon.com Keep in touch: The A-List Newsletter for Poets & Writers
