Mighty Girl » gifts

Top 30 Etsy Shops for Small Business Saturday

Maggeh — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 17:01:00 +0000

When I’m shopping online, Etsy merchants get a lot of my cash. I love the idea of a payment arriving just in time for a seller to afford beers that night (or rent that month). Buying gifts from a small business feels like a present for two people — the person I’m shopping for, and the person who gets my money.

This coming Saturday is Small Business Saturday, and American Express is sponsoring this post in hopes of spreading the word about doing your holiday shopping with the little guys instead of commercial box stores. I’m into that, so I’ve put together this guide of my 30 favorite Etsy shops. Also, for every “like” on theirFacebook page, American Express donates $1 to Girls Inc., which helps foster leadership skills in young girls. I’m into that too, so please click with extreme prejudice. Free money for do-gooders! Yay.

Ready? Let’s go shopping.

Melanie Favreau Jeweller

Still Tree Jewelry

April Scott

Skunkboy Creatures

Something’s Hiding in Here

Alisha Gould Designs

Ilee Papergoods

Satsuma Press

Yee-Haw Industrial Letterpress

That’s it. Please apologize to your wallet for me, and remember that one click of the grey “like” button below is worth a buck to Girls Inc., so let’s rock that out. Please let me know about your favorite small merchants, artists, handmakers, and Etsy sellers in comments. I’d love to do a larger roundup as a shopping guide before the holidays.

Big thanks to American Express for sponsoring this post, and donating cold hard cash to Girls Inc. for every Facebook “like” this campaign garners. Thanks to Mighty Girl readers for raising the funds with your clicks. You guys are stand up sorts.

Winner of the Mighty Summit Necklace and Brooch

Maggeh — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 20:29:02 +0000

Congratulations to commenter number 533, Dawn, who just won a necklace from Feisty Elle and a brooch from Mama’s Little Babies with her comment:

“Dear crazy over extended younger self,

Stop and take a breath every once in a while. It is good for the soul. And for all that is good in this world stop being so hard on yourself. You are doing amazing things with your life and you will continue to and stop calling yourself fat!

Love, your older self who looks at pictures and wonders how I ever thought I was fat.”

Hooray for you, Dawn! Pretty stuff coming your way.

Winner: Mighty Summit Giftbag

Maggeh — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 19:27:58 +0000

The winner of the first giveaway, Mighty Summit gift bag, is number 1268:

So congratulations to, MARIA KREBS! Who is looking to get some poetry published.

If you’re not Maria Krebs, there’s still time to enter the other giveaways. Fingers crossed for you.

Giveaway: Mighty Summit Necklace and Brooch

Maggeh — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 20:07:52 +0000

Today’s giveaway features two California jewelry artists.

Textured Drop Necklace By Feisty Elle

Every time I wear this piece by Leslie Yang, I get compliments. I’ve actually had people stop me in the street to ask where I got it. It’s made of bamboo, so it’s surprisingly lightweight. I don’t even notice I have it on, and I love how effortlessly it elevates an outfit.

Can You Hear Me Now Brooch by Mama’s Little Babies

Mama’s Little Baby brooches are so witty. This guy is my favorite, but I also feel affectionate toward the artichoke and Gunther, the World Famous Lion Tamer.

Cute, right? I know!

To enter, please leave a piece of advice for your younger self. And don’t forget to check back this week for more contests.

Fine print: Please only leave one comment, because it’s the nice thing to do, and also because multiple entries will be disqualified. I’ll use random.org to select the winner, and I’ll announce who won at the top of this post and in a separate post next Wednesday.

Did you win?

Maggeh — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:21:37 +0000

Epiphanie’s Lola Bag

Photojojo’s Fuji Instax Minis

Did you win? You did if your name is Amber and you’re commenter number 202! Please report to the front desk, Amber. You have clearly done some very nice things for people, in this or other lifetimes.

As for the rest of you, holy holy there were a lot of you. Thank you for entering and for reading. And stay tuned for another big giveaway soon. The Mighty Summit is in a few weeks, and we’ll be setting aside one of those gift bags as well.

Elsewhere: Mighty Goods

Maggeh — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:24:30 +0000

Easter Baskets for Grownups

The Easter bunny was always so good to you as a child, he would never abandon you just because you got taller.

Elsewhere: Gifts for Geeks

Maggeh — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 00:40:36 +0000

I’ve been posting about some things you’ll want over on Intel’s Lifescoop blog.

Check out Budget Tech Gifts Under $50.

And also this amazing, functional projected keyboard that’s the size of a lighter over at Holiday Gift Guide for Geeks. I cannot tell you how gravely I want a laser keyboard.

Go Somewhere Good

Maggeh — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 13:34:45 +0000

Sandisk slotRadio is sponsoring another present for you. This time I put together a travel comfort kit with some of the things I find useful on trips, which is convenient, because I’m typing this on an airplane right now. If these look familiar, it’s because lots of them are up on Mighty Goods, where I keep all my favorite stuff.

If you win, it’s like God telling you to quit your job and wait tables in Europe. Right? Right.

F1 Two-Zip Dopp

This dopp kit is my very favorite travel thing, and it looks like Flight 001 is discontinuing them. Insanity. The bag is attractive but not twee, well-made, waterproof (so exploding hair goo won’t stain your clothes), and hyper functional. The whole top opens up, so you can see everything at a glance rather than digging around in your bag. Plus, I love how the zippers are attached to the handle, so you can close the bag and throw it in your suitcase in one swoop.

Flight 001 this is madness. Bring back the two-zip dopp, I implore you.

Inside the dopp, I packed a set of nap-anywhere products:

1. Earplugs
2. Eye Shade
3. Travel Pillow

It’s the red-eye trifecta. My preferred eye-shade and neck pillow are also both from Flight 001:

F-1 Night Shade

The one I picked is red, to match your dopp kit. Much more comfy than the crappy ones you pick up at the drugstore.

Comfort Tavel Pillow

I used to travel with one of those cushy neck pillows, but it was impossible to stow conveniently, and a pain to wash. That makes for one filthy pillow, and airplane filth is the reason Purell was invented. Unfortunately, Purell just makes your pillow all sticky.

I switched to inflatable pillows, and have found that the only comfy ones are the ones with knit or fleece covers. This one is fleece, which is a bit bulkier, but more cushy — also, easy to wash.

SlotRadio

As you might expect, our sponsor threw in a Slot Radio, which is an MP3 player that comes pre-loaded with music. It’s tiny, and it’s a time-saver if you want some new music for your trip, but don’t feel like staying up until 3 a.m. downloading stuff.

Travel Candle

For the hotel room, I always like to have a travel candle with me. It dispels funk, and calms you down, but also helps you make scent memories, so the smell of that candle will always remind you of your trip. I love when that happens.

I got you a Botanicus candle in Champagne, because it smelled good. I don’t really have a brand preference when in comes to travel candles, but if you do please tell me in comments. I’m into that stuff.

A Dagoba Organic Chocolate Bar, New Moon

I have to travel with snacks or I get hangry when my blood sugar dips. Dagoba makes satisfying, organic chocolate bars. They’re rich enough that you may actually be satisfied with a few squares. Or you can have it for breakfast. I’m not judging.

Pamela Barsky Luggage Tags

These happy luggage tags have saved me from taking the wrong luggage countless times. The best one reads, “This is not your bag.” Though I keep waiting for someone with the exact same luggage to have the exact same tag.

And that’s it! All right travelers, leave a comment telling me where you would go if you could go anywhere at all, and I’ll use the random number thingie to figure out who gets the goods. I’ll announce the winner this Friday. If you win, you have to go teach English in Vietnam. That’s the deal.

Winner! Plus Father’s Day Gift Ideas

Maggeh — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 22:25:31 +0000

Congratulations, Emma #181! Random.org indicates that you are the chosen one. Enjoy your slotRadio and perfect ice cubes.

The rest of you may have some shopping to do, but fortunately your Father’s Day ideas are inspired. Freddy made Moo Cards from photos her dad has taken, so he can share his Flickr address with photo subjects when he travels. Evil Science Chick would love to replace the powder blue Mustang her father sold when she was born so he could buy a family car. Adel says, “My dad loves bouncy balls for some reason, so a big bag of bouncy balls would probably be his ideal fatherâ€™s day gift.” And when Melissa was six, she picked a all the dandelions from the yard and left them in the mailbox for her father. He was on his way to punish her for shattering yet another pair of glasses when he found the bouquet, and decided against it. Awww.

Congratulations again, Emma! And for everyone else, here are the rest of your Father’s Day ideas:

Handmade and/or Sentimental
Big batches of homemade soup for the freezer
Transferring all his photo slides to digital
Homemade cards
Homemade book on the theme of “I love you more than…”
Repay college tuition
A card I made in college with a picture of us and words cut out of
baking
a macaroni encrusted picture frame of me
Baseball game scrapbook

Personalized

A brick engraved with his name and the details of his service to the USMC. The personalized brick is now among the many on the path at the Marine Corps Memorial here in DC.
Framed Photos
Portraits of the kids in their â€œMy Dad Rocksâ€ t-shirts
stepping stone imprint of our daughterâ€™s feet
Mug with daughter’s handprints
Photo mousepad

Booze and Food
Beer of the month
Hot Sauce of the Month
Single malt Scotch
Tequila
Mr. Beer Homebrew Kit
A carton of cigarettes and a twelve pack of beer
Six-pack of PBR and a can of mixed nuts
Vintage Bourbon
A bag of â€œgoodiesâ€ from the Sierra Nut House

Hobbies
Hiking Walking Stick
LA Times Sunday Crossword books
A Small Orchard
Anything from Lee Valley, a mail-order catalogue for woodworkers and gardeners
Painting lessons
Golf bag, shirts, jackets, pants, clubs, shoes, balls
Sunrise fishing trip
Tickets to the US Open golf championship for him and his favorite golf partner, my husband
Golds Gym for Wii
Enertia Electric Motorcycle
New Train Set
Chrome for his Harley
Afternoon of hang gliding
Gardening supplies
Ashtray
Kayaking
Sailing trip
adult tricycle

Family Time
A bag of circus peanuts and a road trip to Gettysburg
A nice meal
Child seat for his bike, helmet for the kiddo
2 copies of a book on a subject we are both interested in- one for each of us- so we can talk about them as we both read them
Extend our satellite TV channels
Day off from parenting
Disney World with his 3 grandkids
Hammock
I flew home one year as a complete surprise
A weekend without a schedule
A trip to Kansas City to cruise around all the places he liked to go as a kid with stops at his favorite BBQ and burger joints.
A day of antiquing together

Gadgets
Wireless headphones
GPS
Flip video recorder

Handyman Enablers
Chainsaw
Ladder
Manure fork
The Nail Jack

Tickets, Gift Cards, Donations

Opera tickets
Circus tickets
Movie tickets
Concert tickets
Sports tickets
eBay gift certificate
Borders card
Best Buy card
Gift certificates for rounds of golf, and a series of Sunday mornings where no one asks him to do anything, so he can play guilt-free
In-N-Out gift card
Heifer International donation

Practical

New bumper for the pickup
Travel toiletry kit
Underwear
Detail his car
A puppy
Tractor attachment

Media

Magazine subscriptions
Best-of This American Life
Stupid American History: Tales of Stupidity, Strangeness, and Mythconceptions
Louis Lâ€™Amour book
I renew my Dadâ€™s subscription to Smithsonian Magazine.
Great Professors lectures on DVD from The Teaching Company

Ask Maggie: Nine Toddler Things I Can’t Live Without

Maggeh — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:38:57 +0000

Hi team. I’m having trouble keeping up with email, but I’ve been getting a lot questions from you guys that I feel bad ignoring. I figured I’d start answering some of them on Fridays, so this is the first one.

If you don’t care about toddler gear, here’s a video of a guy doing an entirely a cappella version of Thriller, using only his voice in place of all the instruments. It is rad. (Thanks, Kottke):

Awesome, right? I know! Now, on to the toddler question.

Hi Maggie,

I built my baby registry around your product recommendations on Mighty Girl. I have never regretted purchasing a single thing you recommended, and consider my registry, and the fact that none of my baby products went unused, to be one of my major parenting achievements. Is this weird?

…Please, please post your recommendations for toddler buys, esp. strollers.

Much appreciated,
Ainsley

Hi Ainsley,

Here you go.

1. The BOB Stroller

We have two strollers. A little umbrella one that I kind of hate, and the Bob, which is so good that I’d like to hold it close and whisper naughty things to it in the night.

It’s a little heavy when it’s folded, but the wheels are so big that I just drive it up and down our stairs while Hank walks, so I rarely have occasion to carry it any distance. You can also order an infant car seat adapter bar and make it your primary stroller from the beginning, but it’s kind of big for restaurants. Our Bob is excellent because it:

Moves like hot butter in a frying pan. (I could drive it with one finger.)

Is easy to fold and unfold.

Fits though airport security scanners.

Is crazy durable.

Can be driven easily on dirt and grass.

Is big enough that your kid won’t outgrow it instantly.

Serves as an outdoor bed.

Let me reiterate that last point. The Bob is so comfortable, that we can recline the seat fully and Hank will sleep in it. This means we can put him down for a nap or bedtime while we’re out on a walk and go for lunch dinner at an outdoor cafe (the stroller is kind of big for indoor dining). It doesn’t always work, but it works enough of the time that the stroller has paid for itself in saved babysitter fees. It also comes in a double stroller version if you have two kiddos.

2. Playtex Coolster Tumblers

One thing I wish I’d done from the beginning was buy a bunch of the same sippy cups, so the parts could be interchangeable. I love these BPA-free toddler cups, because they’re like travel coffee mugs, but with a restricted flow valve inside. They’re great for teaching kids how to use a cup. I just ordered a bunch of them in the same color, so I can just use whatever lid I come across. Also, you can order new lids and valves without replacing the whole cup.

3. Water Shoes instead of Sneakers

If you get a cute pair of water shoes, they often look a lot cooler than designer kids sneakers, and they’re way, way cheaper. Easier to pull on, they don’t get all gross when they get wet, and they last a little longer because they’re stretchy. Bonus, they’re comfortable without socks if laundry day comes a little late that week.

4. Phil and Ted’s Me Too Chair and the Handysitt Child Chair

We’ve never owned a high chair. The Phil and Ted’s was small enough to throw in the stroller basket and take out with us to dinner where we could easily attach it to a table ledge. When he outgrew that, we bought a Handysitt, which sits on a dining room chair most of the time. We throw in the car for dinner at a friend’s house, and it also stows easily if you’re having company and it’s not mealtime. Bonus, no tantrums about not getting to sit in a grownup chair.

5. iPhone

Bless you, iPhone video. So ludicrously useful for preempting tantrums, we call it the neglect-a-tron. Download a few of the kid’s favorite videos, and the most exhausted toddler can be dissuaded from throwing himself on the floor at the DMV. These stands are pretty great too.

6. Apple Slicer

It’s gonna come up.

7. Circle Wooden Train Set

If you have a little boy, this set is likely to be a hit.

8. Hanna Andersson Floppy Sun Hat

I don’t own one of these yet, so this is risky, but I’ve been searching high and low for a decent sunhat with a chin strap, and I just placed an order for one of these on the recommendation of mom-of-three Margaret Stewart. She says, “My kids wore these for years. I handed the same hats down through three kids and they were still in good enough shape to give away to another family after 8+ years of use!” Good enough for me.

Margaret also recommends this for the beach. It’s the cutest mullet hat I’ve seen, and yet it remains a mullet hat. I can’t do it.

9. Flashlight with Click Button

If you’d like to finish a novel start to finish? Hand the kid a flashlight for the first time. Enjoy.

That’s it. What can’t you live without? Tell us. Do!

And if you want to ask me a question about whatever, send it to maggie at mighty girl dot com.