We’re heading into the holiday home stretch here, friends. Tonight is the midway point of Hanukkah, the winter solstice is a week from Friday and, as they say, there are just 12 shopping/cooking/crafting/making days before Christmas. The gifting season is upon us. If you’re still stumped for ideas, here are a few more things I like (I’ll have a fresh good gifting recipe up tomorrow as well).
Since first discovering them, I’ve been entirely charmed by these mugs. The one with the knit print is double walled, so that you can hold it even when its filled with steaming liquid. The one on the right is from a line called Mugtails and is available in rabbit, cat, and fawn styles in addition to the squirrel one pictured above. They’re sold by Korin.
For morning caffeination efforts, I regular turn towards two tools. A hand-cranked coffee grinder that fits onto a wide mouth mason jar (I like having to work a little for coffee) and a Teastick (fill with loose leaf tea and swish through a mug of hot water. It’s perfect for a quick cup). My particular model is currently sold out, but I hear good things about this one
I’ve long been obsessed with wooden tools and since last year, Earlywood Design has been my favorite purveyor of all things useful, handmade, and satisfyingly tactile. I particularly like their slant-edged scraper, but I’m slowly amassing a well-rounded collection of their utensils (next on my personal list of wants from Earlywood is their short server). They also have awesome customer service. One of the scrapers I bought started to split along the grain and they were happy to replace it. Many thanks to Nici of Dig This Chick for turning me on to them.
You’re all familiar with my inability to resist any mason jar accessory. Well, from the moment I saw the Mason Shaker, I knew I had to have it. I’m not a huge cocktail drinker (simply because I have a lousy tolerance for booze), but I love this shaker lid for batches of homemade lemonade. Must like the Teastick above, it appears to be sold out. However, I spotted a bunch at my local West Elm about a week ago, so check your bricks and mortar stores if you want to get one before the holidays.
Last February I visited Korin, a store in New York that specializes in fine knives and tableware and they gave me a Petty knife to use and review. I rapidly shot up my list of favorite kitchen tools. Having a knife that exists in the space between a small paring knife and a larger chef’s knife is a boon for tasks like quartering apples, cutting carrots into sticks, and opening avocados (things I do a whole heck of a lot). It would make a really great gift for a cutlery lover.
All good gift guides come with a giveaway and this one is no different. Thanks for Korin, I have the mugs pictured at the top of this post and the petty knife pictured just above to give away to one lucky winner.
Here’s how to get in on the giveaway:
- Leave a comment on this post and tell me one thing you’re hoping to get done before the new year
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- Comments will close at 11:59 pm on Saturday, December 15, 2012. Winners will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog on Sunday.
- Giveaway open US residents only.
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left via the comment form on the blog at the bottom of this post. I cannot accept submissions via email.
Disclosure: Korin has provided the mugs and knife for this giveaway. They did not pay for placement. All opinions remain mine.
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well, seeing as I finally finished a quarter more onerous than usual which included sadly little cooking/baking for fun, my goal is to read trashy sci-fi and cook every day.
Get a variety of candies made to share with friends and family, near and far. I have some yummy sounding new recipes to try, plus my old standbys.
New Year’s cards. Here’s hopin’!
I would love to actually make the homemade candle gifts I’ve been planning since August and have yet to start!
I’ve some frozen blueberries, thawed, in the fridge that need to be done something with.
Holiday sugar cookie baking and last minute canning for gift giving!
I’m hoping to finish up all my little projects!
I hope to get some cookies baked before the cookie swap I am going to on Sunday!
Making apple butter!
So many things, so little time. I would especially like to get my basement organized and cleaned up. (it won’t happen.)
Clean and organize my basement! (Fun huh?)
And maybe build a smoker from a wine barrel!
I would like to reorganize my scrapbook area and all my scrapbooks
I would like to get all the Christmas decorations put away. Start the new year all fresh and clean.
I hope to get into a regular exercise routine before the new year starts.
I’m hoping to get a chance to work on craft projects that have been sitting in the closet for far too long. And make/eat some pumpkin bread. And sleep in, past 6:30 AM!
I’ve not baked for my Daring Baker’s group in two months… and I’m hoping for the energy to get it done in December for sure! Lately, I sure identify with Mark Twain who said something like “why procrastinate til tomorrow what you can procrastinate til the day after tomorrow”? Happy Holidays to you!!
I am hoping to get through 2 sons birthdays, 1 husbands birthday, hosting Christmas Eve for 20, a post-Christmas luncheon for my 4 cousins and their kids, New Year’s Eve with a few good friends and successful Christmas and birthday shopping for all four small kids (AND my mother-in-laws shopping for my 4 kids done and wrapped and transferred to her for her to transfer right back to my boys) with finesse and the illusion that I have my sh*t together.
Lots of writing!
I know exactly the person for the squirrel mug! She’s raised kits and has an eclectic squirrel collection.
We have dozens of wine corks from our wedding. I’m hoping to make trivets for all of our wedding party and mail them before Christmas.
I need to make a special pair of earrings for a friend, in time to mail them to her for Christmas!
would love to tackle my pantry before the new year!
What I hope to get done before the New Year? Un/Fortunately, mostly work related stuff. Nothing exciting.
We just moved into a new house, so I’m hoping to get fully “in” and settled somewhat so I can focus on enjoying the brand new year there.
I’m hoping to finish seeing a curtain for my bathroom.
I am hoping to get more canning done so I can give away homemade gifts to some special friends.
Oh dear. That would be the quilt I’m making for my son. First it was to be a graduation present (last June), then a Christmas gift. I have my doubts that it will be finished before then. Here’s hoping it will be a New Year’s present!
How tad. I really love all your gifting ideas. My hubbs is a big tea guy and I think the tea stick is so neat! I will be on the stalk for that item!
Before the end of this year, I want to write a song that I’m actually happy with.
If the weather holds, I’d love to get the garden cleaned up! And finish mulching, but we’ll see.
Great contest, I may never stop laughing at the squirrel mug!
Making gingerbread cookies and homemade pralines to send out in gift boxes with my cute little jams!
Getting a birthday gift for my husband. It’s as tough on the giver as on the birthday boy when Christmas and birthday are close together.
I hope to finish canning my dried beans.
I’m hoping to make lime curd before the new year, I have the limes, just need to do it before we travel for holidays.
This is totally not food related, but we MUST get the side yard fence back up before the end of the year!
The bathroom. We’ve been in a seemingly unending remodeling project. Every time we have something done, we discover why it didn’t work. Walls that aren’t square, plumbing that should have been updated 20 years ago, etc. I just want a bath. (We have a 2nd full bathroom, but it only has a shower stall.)
I’m hoping to make some fruit jellies, but the outlook isn’t too good at this point.
Hoping to slow down and enjoy some vacation time with my family!!
Not entering (live in Canada) but wondering — is the grind on the burr grinder adjustable?
Am hoping to get well enough from a recent illness to actually do some canning for gifts! Have all the ingredients on hand to make several batches of pineapple jam and sassafras jelly as the special things to go with the more ordinary usual things in jars.
Would also like to finally get the meatloaf patties sitting in the freezer cooked and canned!
I’d like to finish the Christmas ornaments I’m making as gifts, and do the baking I’ve got planned. I love doing these things but they still have to get done, right?
Spend lots of time with granddaughters and family!
Hoping to get all my notes and file edits done at work before heading out for vacation. Would love to start the new year with zero paperwork back up:-)
Still planning to make up a variety of candy barks – they were such a big hit last year. Also, want to make up some seasoning mixes; taco, pumpkin pie, salad dressing.
Love those mugs. Thank you for being here and sharing these great giveaways.
I would love to get my fiber room reorganized.
I’d like to finish all my Christmas preparations, like getting all the cards in the mail, and finish reading the books I started in November.
I would like to learn how to make rugelach
I want to get my stuff organized so I can start to look for a place to move and give the stuff I don’t need to Goodwill.
I keep hoping I’ll get to the bottom of the newspaper stack, but new books from the library keep getting in the way.
I seriously am hoping to get the teacher gifts done. I am baking small loaves of banana or zucchini bread for them and giving them each a jar o’ preserves to go with it. But I’m busy at work, the kids have crap to do, yadda yadda. I may manage, I may not – they may just get jars o’ preserves, or in some cases, soap or something. Too many teachers, too little time.