Birthday self-gifting

I have a habit of buying for others things that I want for myself. (Maybe a therapist would call this projection? Whatever.) It's something that I've noticed about my gift-buying habits over the last few years. And it makes sense, too, if "you are your friends" holds true. I get to buy something without the guilt of having been too extravagant, because it's okay to lavish other people with things. Win-win!

This year, however, is the year of being good to myself. So when I found out about the Graphic Image winter sale, I got my click on and picked out a few things. And they arrived just after my birthday!

A beautiful desk-sized address book in a beautiful Robin's Egg blue leather, with gold embossing and edged pages.  My pocket one, which I've had for seven years or something, is not in the best condition.  And I wanted something a bit more substantial, a bit more grown up. Not just as a place to store contact information, but a history of places and friends.  I love my parents' old address books, filled not only with their distinct and beautiful penmanships, but the strikethrus and squeezed-in jottings that reflect home purchases, new jobs, the advent of mobile phone numbers, and all sorts of life changes -- including births and deaths.  I am eager to start my own!

I have set up an online address book through Postable (ironic, I know), which I've emailed and posted to Facebook, for my friends to send me their updated information. Then I'll transcribe it all into my book.  But which pen to use? Or shall I use pencil? And shall I write in block letters or script? The possibilities are endless.

My second self-purchase was a jotter. It's such a classy way to write notes. And easier for me, the slightly scatterbrained overwriting lefty. I don't have to flip through pages, but whatever's on my mind can get shuffled to the top, and additional notes can be written. And when I write (or doodle) I have a nice, compact, flat surface.

So far I love my self gifts! What have you, or would you, buy for yourself?

Tiptoeing @ TJ's

A while ago I picked up a call from a friend while shopping at my local Trader Joe's.

"Oh, you're right on time. I go to my TJ's about this time to check out amy single ladies."

"What do you mean? I always go around this time."

"Exactly. I bet you're holding a single basket, and there's a quart of milk and three bananas in it so far. "

"How'd you know?!"

"Because you're at TJ's now; that's when all the single people go. Just look around you."

Sure enough, lots of other lone shoppers with baskets carrying small quantities of food. I shared the story with some girlfriends and one of them posted to my Facebook wall soon afterwards, "Was at TJ's today; you were right!"

Since then I've been particularly self-conscious about my trips to TJ's. I feel like everything about the endeavor screams, "Hey, I'm single!" Especially when one of the cashiers said, "You shop here a lot, don't you?" Although I'm sure he was trying to be neighborly.

I felt extra self-conscious with tonight's haul:

On top of the quart of milk, there's the single-sized pizza and bottle of wine. "Hi, I'm totally single and have no Friday night plans. I'm just gonna eat and drink wine, at home, all by myself."

Not that I need to explain it here, of all places, but I did so most intentionally. It's the only night I've had to myself all week, and though I considered going out, the introvert in me won. It's been a pleasant and productive night of hanging up some holiday decorations and watching a cute documentary from China called Please Vote For Me, about an election for Class Monitor of a third grade class.

Now it's time for the true winding down: a shower, writing some Christmas cards, and maybe even a manicure. Not a bad night to be single.

Oh, and that pizza was pretty good!

Gift guides galore

No Black Friday or Cyber Monday shopping for me.  But that doesn't mean I don't like a good gift guide.  The good peeps at Apartment Therapy are starting to put up various roundups (I especially like the guide for architecture lovers and the various green guides).  It's a quick way to see what's new and fun.

I am especially intrigued by the post on surprise subscription gifts.  It's not a new idea, of course, but is being taken to a whole new level these days.  From the post, I like the idea and content behind Quarterly the most, though I must confess that I'm not *so* into design that I recognize the contributors by name or face.  I'm curious about the personality test offered by Lost Crates, and may go for it one of these days.  But realistically, I love browsing for stationery too much to relinquish the fun of discovery and curating a set into someone else's hands!  From the comments, I discovered the Craft Coffee subscription, which sounds pretty cool: three coffee samplings from artisan roasters across the country with each mailing.  Good blog and packaging design is a plus +.

Here's a short list of other gift guides I enjoy peeking into each year:

Design Sponge guides

Anthology magazine gift guide

Gifted magazine guide

Treehugger holiday gift guide 2011

More entries are coming in as Christmas approaches, too.  Where are you finding the goods these days?

Been shopping

I broke my resolution against shopping.  Couldn't pass up a good sale at Banana Republic, especially when the salespeople were handing out cards for additional discounts and I get the card for 50%!!  I picked up a little bit of everything: top, jeans, skirt, dress.  The total ended up being something like $78; not bad, right?!  Here's what I got:

[BR buys]

The top is appropriate for work, and can be worn casually, too.  The jeans are a nice, dark wash with a slim, straight leg (I can't do the skinny jeans; they make me look like a tween skater!).  The skirt is silk, which means I'll be wearing it a lot this summer (olive is my new neutral).  And I love the dress because it'll be perfect for MyKo's wedding, it's got pockets, and the final price was 75% off the original tag -- score!  I sure can live with not following through on a resolution if it means adding meaningful and long-lasting pieces to my wardrobe!

Liberty Loot

Even before our London trip, blogland was abuzz with news of the Liberty for Target collection.  There was a lot of anticipation in the air, and sadly -- sadly -- I gave in. 

It was the first weekend after returning from London.  I got up early and hightailed it over to the local Target.  They were still putting up the displays!  But I managed to nab a couple of items.

Later, I went to a couple other Targets, 'just to see what they have.'

[liberty loot]

By the end of the day, here's what I'd collected: a couple of dresses, garden gloves, notebooks, a canister, a couple of girls dresses.  Oh, and a pair of rain boots that I'd asked my brother to pick up, 'just to see.'

[liberty boots]

And when I looked at all that I'd 'scored,' I realized that I didn't need nearly any of it.  I'd just got sucked into the hoopla.  And it really bothered me because I like to think that I'm cool and utilitarian and minimalist and above the hype.  When, really, I'm much more easily influenced.

Which kinda got me thinking how the blog world is incredibly inspiring, but is, simultaneously, incredibly consumer- and collection-driven.  At least for someone like me, who is like a naive little sponge when it comes to all that visual stimulation.  I love looking at it, but it remains a cyber-world that I haven't yet been able to bridge with reality (despite all the 'normal people' photos and home tours).

So... I went back to the reality of my Liberty loot, chose a few items that I knew I'd like and wear, and returned the rest.  I ended up with one dress, one girl's dress (which, in XL, fits me like a tunic, or a very very short dress, if I am so daring), garden gloves, and a tie for DC.  Oh, and a random recent rainy day made me keep those rain boots after all.  And it was delightful to run up to my office, nearly late, without fear of getting wet or slipping.  So: worth it!

These days I have also limited my blog intake, especially as I try to find my voice again as well as my own inspiration.  There's a place for it on the screen that I appreciate greatly, but with SoCal weather and, more importantly, the right attitude, inspiration abounds all over the place.  And I'm out to get me some!