A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

I refuse to shop for the holidays before December 1st. Black Friday shopping just isn’t for me, there isn’t anything I want, or can think of, that I would wait in line for 5 hours to buy. Don’t even get me started on those stories you hear about people getting in fights over the last _____ (fill in the blank). I like to shop small whenever I can, although I have to admit sometimes I do shop at the mall because with young ones at home, you need to be all about the one stop shopping. This year, cyber Monday was big for me. Having everything delivered to my house is so convenient! No dealing with the mall and crowds and parking spaces!

So here are my picks for bags and babies, not a huge list, but just products I love. For the bags, starting top left and going clockwise: STATE bags,  Long Wharf Supply Company, Sea Bags and Ame and Lulu.

So let’s start with STATE bags, I love what they’re company stands for. For each bag purchased, one fully-stocked backpack is hand-delivered to an American child in need. How good does that make you feel? The company was founded by Scot and Jacq Tatelman and they have partnered with some big names, ahem: Beyonce and Jessica Alba. They have a really nice variety of bags and backpacks, I love the Graham tote bag, shown above in “olive multi”. The bag goes for $70 and for an extra $20 you can personalize it. Check out their videos on their about us page, I dare you to watch and not want to go out and buy a dozen bags after watching!

Long Wharf Supply Co. is a local company, founded in 2015. They have some great looking nautical bags that I am going gaga over. This Ipswich weekender bag goes for $275 and is perfect for a weekend getaway. It’s made of waxed canvas and bridle leather  – sturdy and fashionable.

I may have a (small) addiction to Sea Bags. I have half a dozen tote bags. Here’s what I love about them, they are locally made in Portland, Maine. They are made from recycled sails. You can buy bags from the collection (like the anchor tote on the bottom left) or you can have one personalized with anything you can dream up. I love the extra large totes, I have some with zippers and some without. They are great for travel, when I go away with the kids I just throw all of their stuff in their Sea Bag (those two on the right are ones I monogrammed with their initials) and go. Another thing I love about them, I don’t have to worry about them getting dirty, if they do, just wipe them off! They carry “bucket bags” which I use at the holiday time instead of stockings.

I love the cosmetic brush bag from Ame and Lulu. For $18 it is a steal and if perfect for anyone on your list. It’s canvas with a vinyl interior so you can wipe it down easily. It comes in a half a dozen cute patterns but I’m partial to the elephants!

Gifts for babies. There are so many things out there it’s hard not to buy everything I see. Here are a few of my favorites: Milkbarn swaddle blankets, Slumberkins, Haptic Lab blankets and I love all toys that are wooden.

Milkbarn makes swaddles, stroller blankets, onesies, hooded towels, loveys, and burpies in a bunch of adorable patterns. I’m partial to the hedgehogs, the elephants and the whales. They are super soft right out of the box but get even softer after you wash them a few times. I like these because they are a little different, you don’t see everyone using these at your music class or at daycare.

I’m not a huge fan of stuffed animals in general, but bought a slumberkins for my son a while back. I love the Yeti – it comes in two different weights (medium and ultra plush) and two different face colors (ice blue and snow white). They are a bit on the pricier side but my son adores his. The slumberkins are hand stitched by two moms in the Pacific Northwest. I love anything personalized, so for an additional $10 you can get your child’s name sewn on the back.

Haptic Lab is based out of Brooklyn, NY and they make these awesome quilts. They are city quilts and the stitching on it is a map of Brookline, Somerville and Cambridge. You can have up to three locations personalized (the red stars on our quilt). I had our house and where my son was born added for an additional $25. They also put his initials and his date of birth in the corner. This is a great heirloom gift that I know he will treasure when he grows up. Prices start at $219 for this design.

I really like wooden toys, they give me a sense of nostalgia – plus they encourage imaginative play which I love. You can pick up a set on Amazon for under $20.

Stay tuned for more gift guides this week! Leave me a comment and let me know what your favorite bags and baby gifts are for this season.

 

Tags: gift guide, gifts, holiday, shop small