candle, snowflake, gingerbread, angel

Clara Peeters, "Stilleben mit Façon-de-Venise-Glas, Römer und einer Kerze (Still life with dainties, rosemary, wine, jewels and a burning candle)," 1607.

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Cecelia Glasher's sketches of snowflakes, ca. 1855.

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A tree in winter, photographed by Dr. S.B. Ward ca. 1889, via Anonymous Works.

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Fruit bowl carved by Robert "Mouseman" Thompson, ca. 1950s.

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From Listen and Hear by Kathleen Shoesmith, 1973, via stopping off place.

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Metalwork by Erin Jackson Raynes.

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Barbara Cooney illustration for American Folk Songs for Christmas, via Honey and Wax Books.

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A recipe for gingerbread ca. 1395 and gilded gingerbread and mold. The Fitzwilliam Museum.

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Peter Doig, untitled watercolor, 1999, via le jardin robo.

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Antonia Pinter, "Szélanya," 2024. A History of Frogs.

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Wilson Alwyn Bentley, snow crystal ca. 1910.

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Merry everything, friends.

gifts of repair

A collection of vintage glass buttons, for holding things together with strength and delicacy.

Reclaimed Cashmere mending kit for saving sweaters, complete with darning mushroom, snips, and reclaimed yarns in colors of your choosing.

Cozy one-of-a-kind knits from the Waste Yarn Project, using fibers that would otherwise be thrown away.

A hand-painted teacup, with a stapled-together saucer.

Celia Pym's On Mending: Stories of Damage and Repair: 

"... [A] collection of ten stories of damaged garments–plus a rug and two backpacks–Celia mended in the last fifteen years. The stories record who the item belonged to, how it was damaged, how it was mended and where it is now. ... Not a ‘how-to’ book, this is rather an in-depth look into the damage that we do, as manifested by our outer layers, our clothes."

Old Mill Candles beeswax and mineral oil wood polish, for giving wooden objects new life.

The Speedy Stitcher sewing awl, for dealing with busted straps and bags (or Patagonia's Expedition Awl, for in-the-field repairs of tents, backpacks, or boots). 

Kelly Swanson x NOSO cyanotype-print stick-on patches, for quicker fixes.

Lineco Book Repair kit, for rescuing well-loved reads.

Professional help by hour, from expert mender Donna Lynch. 

10 trees planted for future generations, with a vintage postcard as a keepsake.

Nature's hand-carved locket, as a testament to love strong enough to bear a little damage.

gifts for somewhat practical aesthetes

An efficient all-in-one hat and scarf by Xenia Telunts, available at Folk. 

A tree curtain by random clichés, for greenery that never needs watering.

Fleurs D'Hiver herbal tea lollipops, for a particularly lovely cup of tea.

An aluminum coffee pot by knindustrie, to add flourish to a daily ritual.

Kumihimo silk-braided eyewear straps by Noriko Yuki, for keeping readers close.

A minimalist cookie zine with just four recipes, each inspired by an artist: Halva af Klint, Sonia Dough-lanay, Anise Albers, and Almond Thomas.

A paper fan that recalls a sunlit forest canopy, for lo-fi a/c.

A spiraled basket made of coppiced willow by Rachel Bower Baskets, for corralling a collection of handmade wooden spoons.

A hand-drawn custom lampshade (or café curtains) by Swordbreaker Garments, for an artful glow.

An easy-to-find-at-the-bottom-of-bags Caro pen by Craighill, and an Ina Seifert lanyard to keep it (and keys) handy.

A chair by Cultivation Objects that recalls telephone seats, for texting and word games.

A cherry wood cable wrap by Naoto Yoshida, for keeping cords neat.

Miriam Murri's dog-waste bag dispenser for Alessi, for putting a little shine on a most unpleasant chore. 

A cheery and sturdy Hender Scheme tissue case, because tissue manufacturers seem driven to choose THE WORST patterns for tissue boxes. Why?!!!!

a scattering of leaves and petals and sharp and shiny objects / gifts for mothers

A globe for keeping flowers in water, by Jamjar Edit x Skye Corjewin.

Safety pins bedecked with bells, by Fog Linen.

A book that is like a walk in the woods: On Listening to Trees, by Albarrán Cabrera, via C4 Journal.

Gleamy barrettes by Lelet.

Mary janes with grass-green stripes by Vibi Venezia.

Cuff covers, for reaching into thickets, and Tajika scissors (for flowers or branches) to make strategic cuts.

A suit scattered with blossoms, by Alder & Co.

A card both funny and true, alongside a gift to help mothers and children around the world.

Pencils that smell like evergreens, or Moro Dabron's Vita perfume, meant to conjure "the Elizabethan tower of Sissinghurst Castle in the 1930s, where writer and poet Vita Sackville-West spent a great deal of her time writing surrounded by old books, period wood, fresh flowers and cuttings from the magnificent gardens which the room overlooked ..."

A key ring from Ark that says it all.

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Other gifts some mothers may enjoy: 2017 / 2018 / 2019 / 2020 / 2021 / 2022 / 2023