gift guide for the last minute gift giver

​Two thousand fifteen, you have been a doozy of a year.  We’ll get into this more later (I know. Get excited.  It’s just what you wanted for Christmas – me harping about the last 365 days) but for now let’s just acknowledge that maybe things didn’t go as planned for you this holiday season.  Perhaps you found yourself a tad bit overwhelmed and a hair underprepared and now you are very close the ‘F it’ stage of holiday cheeriness. Should you find yourself in a similar predicament, here’s a handy gift guide for those of us that are down to the wire.

DIY

Source: knitting

Source: knitting

Chore Coupons

Everyone loves having someone else do the things they would rather not do.  (Ten points if you followed that thought).  Some coupons could be cooking dinner for your takeout junkie, tour guide of a new/infrequently visited neighborhood for your new to the city bud, a night of babysitting for your post-knocked up loved one, and cleaning/organizing a room for your messy bestie.

Dinner + A Show

Two options with this one – you can go all classy and choose a restaurant followed by a show that requires you to sit in a theater (I call dibs as your date if you can manage to find tickets to Hamilton) or you can do my personal favorite of popcorn, favorite candy (if you don’t choose sour patch, you’re dead to me), and some quality streaming.  If you choose the latter, you can spruce it up a bit by wrapping up a jar of popping corn (stove popped > microwave popped) and a bottle of booze. 

Arts + Crafts

Nothing says love like something homemade, right? Right.  For those of us that aren’t too artistically inclined, knitting a scarf is pretty straightforward.  You don’t even need needles.  Also this gives you a reason to plop yourself in front of some Christmas classics all in the name of giving.  If you’re short on time, throw some salt and essential oils in a jar and call it bath salts (1/2 c sea salt + ½ c Epsom salt + ¼ c baking soda + 10 drops of essential oil).   My favorite is lavender - it looks extra pretty if you happen to have some dried lavender to mix in with the salts.  Or if you have a succulent lying around, bedazzle that jar instead and throw a clipping or two in it.  Just be sure to include instructions on how to care for it, i.e. don’t leave it in the closed container.

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

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The Classics

You know that book sitting on your shelf that you’ve read at least seven times?  The one that’s quoted all up on your social media?  That you enlighten others with its wisdom after one too many drinks?  Write a thoughtful note in it, wrap it up, and gift it to someone you think will appreciate it as much as you.  Embrace its worn cover and dog-eared pages.  These are just signs of love.  Also if anyone questions your motive of gifting a hand-me-down book, just explain to him or her that it’s for Mother Nature.  No one can argue with that.

Refined Apparel

We all have those articles of clothing taking up space in our closets that we swore we would wear.  And by we I mean I but maybe you do too?  As I type this, there is a secondhand Rag & Bone sweater that has never left my closet since it arrived here 3 months ago.  Pieces like these are begging to be packaged up and gifted to someone who will love them properly.  You can even call it vintage and then congratulate yourself for cutting out the middleman.  Look at you being thoughtful and thrifty.

FOOD

Christmas Cookies + Hot Cocoa Mix + Marshmallows

Some crowd-pleasing favorites include Dipped + Crisp Peanut Butter Cookies, Gingerbread Folk, Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, and Snickerdoodles.  You can pair your platter with the ready-made, prepackaged hot cocoa or be all fancy pants and put together your own mix.  You can even do the same with the marshmallows - I have holiday date with this recipe.

Tea + Honey + Biscuits

I came across this recipe for infused honey and I now have big plans for a couple of special ladies in my life.  Pair it with your favorite tea and biscuits for a complete treat.  If you have some time to twice-bake, you could even skip the biscuits and made some biscotti instead.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

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Hit the Slopes

If you know of a fellow slalom aficionado, perhaps someone you would even want to snuggle up next to after a day on the slopes, a lift ticket is the perfect gift.  This can be a pricy gift, so consider hitting up smaller mountains.  For example, a day at Killington is $94 but around the corner at Pico it’s only $72 (ha, I know… only).  Be sure to claim your student discount should that apply to you – 15% off is no joke.

Daytripper

There are numerous hiking trails within an hour or two train ride of NYC that are practically begging to be explored.  Create an itinerary complete with trail map and  mix.  If you need some trail suggestions, check out our previous trips or pretty much anything from this dude

Boulders + Booze

Ideally, you would have your own gear and head out into the woods to scramble up some rocks and follow it up with some congratulatory drinks at a local bar or at the very least a swig from your flask.   In case the cooler temps and damp weather have you wishing for something indoors, there are a multitude of climbing gyms to visit with gear to rent.  Chances are beer can be found nearby.  I recommend Brooklyn Boulders followed by a cold one at Threes Brewing.

Merry Christmas, folks! 

notes:

you may notice an abundance of jars being used throughout this post.  maybe you have a collection of weck/ball/mason jars in your home or you can be savvy and pull that tomato sauce jar out of your recycling.  give it a good scrubbing before gifting it though – no one likes the tacky glue residue.  no one.

need more gift ideas? check out last year’s guide here.  or check out our pinterest if you prefer to visually peruse.

diy christmas project

I finally got around last week to completing a Christmas project that I intended on making last year. Better late than never, right? It made for a good surprise and it was a lovely distraction while I procrastinated packing and purging my old apartment.

I present to you: our girly getaway!

girly getawayy
girlygetaway

Two summers ago, the three of us took a #girlygetaway for 36 hours. All Caitlyn said she wanted for her birthday was to escape somewhere (!!!don't we all!!!), and we were all like fine. Sign me up. It's stupid that you have to pick a date 6 weeks into the future to plan 36 hours out of the city! Our lives get a hold of our calendars and we wanted to be intentional about getting some time together and seeing the ocean that heals all! We headed to Ocean Beach on Fire Island and had quite a lot of adventures in 36 hours including: getting a flat tire in the middle of the queensboro bridge in 98 degree heat, witnessing the preparations for a beach wedding proposal, getting caught in an island blackout, running into the same newly engaged couple in a bar in that blackout... oh, and getting sunburned. In the middle of all of that somewhere, we had a freeing superhero moment on the beach; an impromptu iPhone photo shoot where we acted the only kind of crazy you can be around the best of friends. We were so free.

I took a screenshot of some of these crazy photos and put it on Instagram (see above), and these two have always said they wished they had a big version of this to walk by in their homes to make them instantly smile on a gray day. (Sign me up again!) 

I knew I couldn't blow the Instagram image up, because the quality would be too low. Instead, I got each individual image and printed it. I ordered minisquares from Social Print Studio; it was $15 for a set of 48, which worked out perfectly for me, as I needed 16 for each frame! (They delivered unbelievably quick too!)  I picked up some square picture frames at a Christmas Tree Shop (like a JoAnn's for us Southern folk) that had a canvas of a golfer inside. They were on clearance for about under $5 each, so I swiped up three of them, one for each of us. I couldn't make one for them and not for me too! I knew if I went to buy picture frames, I'd have to pay wayyyy more, which is silly. I'd either take Mr. Golfer out and lay him to rest or figure out something to do with him.

First, I organized the prints into the order they would appear in the frame. I may have put numbers on the back of them, because I'm a nerd and it could get confusing. I took apart the frames, weaseled my way inside, and realized I needed something to mount all these photos on. So, I removed the canvas, painted it white (Bye Mr. Golfer! It's true, I used you for your house), and stuck the photos on top! You could use heavy tape to do this or decoupage, depending on the frame you find and what you're mounting your photos on. I made sure the seal the back of the frame securely so we wouldn't lose anyone. 

diy 1
diy golfer
diy 2
diy 3
diy 4
diy 5
diy 6
diy 7

Voila! The girls loved them. I hope they continue to make us smile throughout the winter, that giddy sort of smile, and remember our next DIY summer getaway could be right around the corner!

What can you make the celebrate a travel memory that will also inspire  you to plan your next adventure? I think what I loved about this project was that it wasn't perfect- there isn't a perfect DIY formula, lo siento. Truly do-it-yourself. I didn't even paint properly in the lines. Find a vision, and find a way to blow it up and frame it. Happy Holidays!

holiday gift guide for the wanderluster

In case you're still in need of some holiday gifts after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday... (So many opportunities to buy people! How American) here are some ideas we've come up with for those adventure seekers out there!

1. PASS TO BROOKLYN BOULDERS. This may be our new happy place. Since we're in the city the majority of the winter instead of out on the open road hiking huge rocks, this indoor rock climbing community was a great find. We signed up for the Rope Course last week and have since been hooked. (It all starts with trust falls...what a team-building venture...) It's got an amazing vibe with colorful graffiti and lots of nooks and crannies to explore, so you never feel like it was crowded (although we were warned it would be different on Saturday/Sundays). With the Lumineers and Jose Gonzalez lingering in the background, I never thought I would feel so zen dangling by one hand from the ceiling with a rope hooked to me. 

bk boulders ropes

PS we found all the hot males in the city of new york. SSSHhhhhhh. For multiple reasons, this experience would be a great gift for your wanderlusty-but-stuck-in-the-city friend. They are having a HOLIDAY SALE too. 

bk boulders sale

2. A WARM HANDMADE ITEM FROM THE MARKET. Something warm, cuddly, handmade, and Fair Trade from a holiday market is always a great gift. My mom got me this Nirvana Designs hat from The Union Square Holiday Market over Thanksgiving. It's not only unique and VERY WARM, but the purchase of this hat supports women in Nepal. (kissy face for free.)

warm lupiney hat

3. HIKING GEAR. There's all sorts of accessories needed for upcoming adventures, whether it's new boots, ice cleats, water bottles, warm light-weight layers, or an actual tent. We'd suggest this REI backpack and this. It's lightweight and perfect for hiking, running, and staying hydrated. Meg's gotten a lot of use out of it in a few short months, as you can see in one of our last days of summer on Bear Mountain

4. WANDERLUSTY DREAMY BOOKS. Let's face it- reading about other people's adventures is escapism at it's BEST. (When you're not hanging out with us here of course.) These are some of our favorite reads this year during those drudgingly cold morning commute rides to work when you'd rather have a backpack with sunscreen in it than your computer and work notes. You may not be able to splurge on flights just yet (hint: keep reading), but these will give you the time to dream up where you want to go next and inspiration to start saving those pennies! 

lost girls book

The Lost Girls. Three friends quitting their workaholic jobs in NYC around their 28th birthdays to travel the world for a year...not relatable. At all.

wild book

WILD. Cheryl Strayed's memoir of impulsively leaving everything she knows at 26 to hike the Pacific Coast Trail solo without much training or experience. Women foraging their own trail & feeling their feelings...also completely unrelatable. 

5. GOPRO. I'm obsessed with mine. Not a prime filmmaker YET, but it's a fun toy to be able to take with you on ANY adventure and not have to worry about dropping it or getting it wet. 

go pro canyon
gopro waterproof

6. DIY DAY OUT OF THE CITY. We are alllll about this. And this gift can be on ANY budget! Exploring a small town on the coast like Isle au Haute, Maine or a new place in the city (how very lupine of you) or that massive roadtrip in the Southwest... (we've got ya there too) to somewhere unseen and unheard of (please share!). The uncharted territory is the best. Experiences should not be bound by a price tag! Check out how far you can get on public transit, where the local campsites are, and pack up that backpack! 

bear mountain planning

7. PLANE TICKETS. And of course this is the ultimate gift for any globetrotting wanderluster if you're ready for the big one!! Plane tickets to a bucket-list destination would be AMAZING. You can get us a pair for Iceland, thank you. (So thoughtful!) 

plane wings

So, what's it going to be? What are you asking for for the holidays? And more importantly, what are you GIVING?