Day One of ReadyMade’s Gift Guide Extravaganza
Katherine Sharpe
It's the American Way. No sooner are you through digesting your Thanksgiving feast, than it's time to start making your list, checking it twice, and shopping till you drop--or until the major winter holiday of your choice comes and goes.
ReadyMade served up a holiday gift guide in our December/January issue, and a batch of DIY giftables to boot, including chocolate lollipops, tiny terrariums, and the formidable snowball bathbomb. But, true to our American roots, we just can't get enough. Each day this week on our blog, ReadyMade's editors will present their own personal gift guides.
And I'm up to bat first. I'm Katherine Sharpe, ReadyMade's online editor. For what it's worth, I'm a Brooklyn apartment-dweller who likes home cooking, '70s style, '30s style, walking around in the city, tromping around in the woods, is obsessed with tiny houses and dreams of someday owning one to do projects on, and in.
What: Scents from CB I Hate Perfume
Why: Because with names like "Winter 1972," "In the Library," and "Mr. Hulot's Holiday," the scents from the perfumer formerly behind the company Demeter are fragrances for people who love romance and a good story.
Price: $12 and up
Where to get: The CB I Hate Perfume Gallery
What: Beekman 1802 Blaak goat cheese wheel (2 lbs.)
Why: Because you can never go wrong with consumables. And you can divide the wheel, made from the milk of goats on Beekman Farm in upstate New York, for a number of unique hostess gifts.
Price: $45
Where to get: Beekman 1802 Mercantile
What: Woolrich shirt jacket
Why: Because every man looks good in a plaid hunting jacket, and machine-washable wool with a touch of nylon will last for decades.
Price: $85
Where: Woolrich
What: Owl tote from Virginia Johnson
Why: Because the Canadian textile designer's wares always elicit smiles, and a tote bag is another gift that everyone has a use for.
Price: $20
Where to get: Virginia Johnson
What: "Thelma"
Why: Because this 22" long, oxidized sterling silver necklace is delicate and elegant, understated--and a bargain for the price.
Price: $36
Where to get: Elephantine's shop at Supermarket
What: Wooden tape dispenser
Why: Because it can accommodate any tape up to 1" wide, and will lend a touch of class to its recipient's desk forever.
Price: $24
Where to get: DWR
What: Joey Roth ceramic speakers
Why: Because audio equipment doesn't have to look bad to sound good.
Price: $495 for the system
Where to get: Joey Roth website
What: Mobius cowl
Why: Because math can keep you warm! Archicraft's hand-crocheted garment is a neck warmer and a real mobius strip. As the maker writes, "buy one for your out-of-work architect friend or your mom."
Price: $48
Where to get: Archicraft on Etsy
What: Molly Mutt dog bed duvets (and stuff sacks)
Why: Because your favorite dog lover will thank you. Washable dog bed duvet covers and stuff sacks that make an instant dog bed when filled with household rags are just too good of an idea not to share.
Price: $20-40 (duvets); $10-25 (stuff sacks)
Where to get: Molly Mutt
What: Reused yarn socks
Why: Okay, maybe these are more of a stocking stuffer (or the kind of gift you buy yourself), but who doesn't like the feeling of cozy new socks?
Price: $17.25 for five pairs
Where to get: Muji
What: Eames House of Cards
Why: Because the deck of 52 cards, slotted for building structures with, and printed with images of "familiar and nostalgic objects from the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms," is as fun and inspiring now as it was when Ray and Charles Eames first designed it in 1952.
Price: $25-35
Where to get: MoMA Store
What: Super TV-B-Gone Kit
Why: Because this is a gift that keeps on giving. Use a soldering iron to assemble a small, universal remote that will turn off ANY television. Take it to a bar or restaurant to amaze your friends--and liberate unsuspecting patrons.
Price: $21 for the kit; an assembled version sells for $20
Where to get: The Maker Shed
What: The 2010 Slingshot Organizer
Why: Every year, my sister and I exchange Slingshot organizers. By now, we do it because it's just what we do. They come in colors like "Smash the Pumpkin State" and "Bourgeois Blues," they list what happened each day in radical/anarchist history, and the proceeds benefit Berkeley's Slingshot Collective. And because the idea of anarchism meeting a day planner makes me smile all year long.
Price: $6 (small size); $12 (large size)
Where to get: Microcosm Publishing
What: Scents from CB I Hate Perfume
Why: Because with names like "Winter 1972," "In the Library," and "Mr. Hulot's Holiday," the scents from the perfumer formerly behind the company Demeter are fragrances for people who love romance and a good story.
Price: $12 and up
Where to get: The CB I Hate Perfume Gallery
What: Beekman 1802 Blaak goat cheese wheel (2 lbs.)
Why: Because you can never go wrong with consumables. And you can divide the wheel, made from the milk of goats on Beekman Farm in upstate New York, for a number of unique hostess gifts.
Price: $45
Where to get: Beekman 1802 Mercantile
What: Woolrich shirt jacket
Why: Because every man looks good in a plaid hunting jacket, and machine-washable wool with a touch of nylon will last for decades.
Price: $85
Where: Woolrich
What: Owl tote from Virginia Johnson
Why: Because the Canadian textile designer's wares always elicit smiles, and a tote bag is another gift that everyone has a use for.
Price: $20
Where to get: Virginia Johnson
What: "Thelma"
Why: Because this 22" long, oxidized sterling silver necklace is delicate and elegant, understated--and a bargain for the price.
Price: $36
Where to get: Elephantine's shop at Supermarket
What: Wooden tape dispenser
Why: Because it can accommodate any tape up to 1" wide, and will lend a touch of class to its recipient's desk forever.
Price: $24
Where to get: DWR
What: Joey Roth ceramic speakers
Why: Because audio equipment doesn't have to look bad to sound good.
Price: $495 for the system
Where to get: Joey Roth website
What: Mobius cowl
Why: Because math can keep you warm! Archicraft's hand-crocheted garment is a neck warmer and a real mobius strip. As the maker writes, "buy one for your out-of-work architect friend or your mom."
Price: $48
Where to get: Archicraft on Etsy
What: Molly Mutt dog bed duvets (and stuff sacks)
Why: Because your favorite dog lover will thank you. Washable dog bed duvet covers and stuff sacks that make an instant dog bed when filled with household rags are just too good of an idea not to share.
Price: $20-40 (duvets); $10-25 (stuff sacks)
Where to get: Molly Mutt
What: Reused yarn socks
Why: Okay, maybe these are more of a stocking stuffer (or the kind of gift you buy yourself), but who doesn't like the feeling of cozy new socks?
Price: $17.25 for five pairs
Where to get: Muji
What: Eames House of Cards
Why: Because the deck of 52 cards, slotted for building structures with, and printed with images of "familiar and nostalgic objects from the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms," is as fun and inspiring now as it was when Ray and Charles Eames first designed it in 1952.
Price: $25-35
Where to get: MoMA Store
What: Super TV-B-Gone Kit
Why: Because this is a gift that keeps on giving. Use a soldering iron to assemble a small, universal remote that will turn off ANY television. Take it to a bar or restaurant to amaze your friends--and liberate unsuspecting patrons.
Price: $21 for the kit; an assembled version sells for $20
Where to get: The Maker Shed
What: The 2010 Slingshot Organizer
Why: Every year, my sister and I exchange Slingshot organizers. By now, we do it because it's just what we do. They come in colors like "Smash the Pumpkin State" and "Bourgeois Blues," they list what happened each day in radical/anarchist history, and the proceeds benefit Berkeley's Slingshot Collective. And because the idea of anarchism meeting a day planner makes me smile all year long.
Price: $6 (small size); $12 (large size)
Where to get: Microcosm Publishing
