Everything You Want to Gift (and Get) Gift Guide

You all know I love sharing my favorite products with you. I started out just sharing my favorite and most used kitchen tools but over the last few years I've enjoyed sharing all kinds of things with you, from clothes, to chocolate, to kid's toys and underware. I try to recommend products that are well made by ethical companies, but as a busy mom with two young kids, in a pandemic, I occasionally rely on Amazon. Here's a compilation of my favorite products this year that I think are perfect for gifting and receiving!

Disclosure: this post contains some affiliate links meaning I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through those links, at no cost to you.

Kitchen Gifts:

I got my first Butcher Box delivery and I love it. It’s a subscription that delivers 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef, free range, organic chicken, heritage breed pork and wild caught seafood directly to your door. It’s always humanely raised and with zero antibiotics. Plans start at $129/month and the meat is delivered in an eco friendly EASILY recyclable, insulated box. It’s free shipping and you can cancel any time. Honestly it has made my grocery shopping so much easier. 

Amazing deal on great steak knives!

I have heard SO MANY GOOD THINGS about The Always Pan from Our Place. I’ve heard it’s “life changing” from people I actually know, not just from reading their very hyped and well done marketing. It’s definitely a good looking pan and goes from stove to table with lots of functions. Definitely worth checking out...

It’s too late to have Rancho Gordo beans shipped in time for the holidays, but a gift card is the next best thing. These are the best heirloom beans you can buy, from a small business run out of Napa, California. These are the beans top restaurants who care about sustainable farming buy. They’re  worlds away from the mass produced, industrial supermarket beans most of us know. 

I definitely believe that a cast iron pan is a must have in the kitchen:

Lodge 12" skillet only  $24.99 at Target (big enough to roast a big chicken)

Lodge reversible griddle/grill is great for pancakes, pancakes, or getting beautiful grill marks on meat and veggies.  

If you want to splurge on a pan, Smithey Iron Works makes a beautiful, family heirloom type skillet that will run you $100 - $200. We have the no. 12 and she's a beauty.

This beautiful lasagna pan so you can go from oven to table with grace is only $22.95 at Crate & Barrel. I’d also use it for baked Mac n Cheese, stuffing, etc. 

I’ve had my eye out for a new electric kettle and this one from Bodum looks so nice and is on sale. They also make a great bread box with a bamboo cutting board.

A dutch oven is another must for the kitchen. Le Creuset of course makes the fancy ones but in my experience, Lodge makes a 6 qt enamel Dutch Oven that is just as good for only $69.00 and a 7.5 qt one for $99.99 that comes in different colors. 

I love my Japanese chefs life. The Miyabi 8" is my favorite and most used knife. It’s a splurge but worth it if you love to cook 

This sleek marble wine cooler is great. My parents have had a similar one since I can remember. They keep it in the freezer and when they’re having white wine at dinner, Just put it on the table and keep the wine in it to stay cold without a messy ice bucket. Doubles as a vase!

Shun also makes a beautiful blonde wood one that's a little less expensive and available at William-Sonoma for $149.95

An instant read thermometer is a must for me. You can get by with a $10 digital one from any kitchen store, but if you want a really great, instant one that will last forever and you don't need to constantly replace batteries, get a Thermapen for $79. This is a great gift for someone that loves to cook. We've had ours 10 years, never replaced a battery. Case closed.

These wooden spoons and paddles are handmade in Los Angeles. Contact Chef Brock to purchase. Mostly made out of cherry wood, they’re beautiful and will get so much use over the years. Great stocking stuffer too! 

If a Kitchen Aid standing mixers is out of your price range, consider getting a refurbished one for $199. They come in tons of colors and you buy it from the Kitchen Aid website so it’s legit. I actually got mine on Craigslist but I bought my Vitamix refurbished (and my MacBook!) They felt like new and were new...to me ;)

I love gifting a box of chocolates from Sonoma Chocolatiers. It’s a small, (lovely) family owned business in the Sonoma Wine Country that makes outstanding and beautiful chocolates with quality ingredients and amazing flavors. Great way to support small businesses. 

Small businesses on Etsy:

Someone turned me onto these gorgeous Kantha quilts from Etsy. They’re traditional Indian patched quilts made of beautiful fabrics (many vintage) and come in all different sizes. You can throw them on a couch, use them as bed spreads, picnic blankets, wall hangings, etc. They sell them in sizes twin through king and might be my new obsession. The Frida Khalo one is 😍👌🏼.

These custom family portraits are the cutest:

If you have any old family heirloom hand written recipes, this Etsy business will print it up for you on a tea towel. I LOVE this idea.

This whole page of DIY craft projects is perfect for a holiday season spent mainly at home

Love these hand crafted polymer clay earrings and 20% of proceeds go to Armenian refugees 

For the dog lover, a custom engraved paw print ring

A personalized wooden name puzzle as a baby or toddler gift

Personalized leather Dopp kit, great for a college student or traveler 

For Women:

Gorgeous raw gem and mineral jewelry from LA artist, small business owner and mom, Miranda Hope. She has insanely beautiful rings, necklaces and more on her website. 

This layering necklace set from Gorjana is under $100 with their site’s coupon and who wouldn’t love it?! (Hint hint Znegin if you read this 😂)

If you want to splurge a little, these gold, rose gold or white gold pyramid studs (they’re actually on sale right now). I have worn these for years and love them. They go with EVERYTHING and are timeless.

I saw someone wearing these star drop earrings from Draper James and I fell in love with them. So fun for the holidays, even if you’re at home just with the family this year. Might as well dress up for yourself! They’re under $50 with the coupon on the site. (Ahem another hint Znegin!)

Anything from this under $50 page from Rose Gypsy, a local LA brand of ethical jewelry. I love the little gold hoops - they're inexpensive and I wear them a lot. They also have beautiful bracelets and a lot more on line, as well as a cute shop in Atwater Village if you live in LA.

My favorite sweats in the world come from Lou & Grey for LOFT . They are the ultimate in soft, cozy and flattering. I was never a sweat pants  in public person until I found these sweats. Now I have them in 3 colors. BONUS they are having a HUGE sale right now on most things, including sweats!

And if you know a pie lover, I feel like these holiday Pie sweats they have would be an amazing gift!

These Wide leg black jeans from Madewell are 30% off (along with almost everything) and so comfy I wear them a few times a week.

I am fairly obsessed with my Cuyana Crossbody sadle bag. It’s the softest leather and has held up so well. Brings any outfit some polish. It comes in 3 colors and the embossed snake one is kind of amazing. They’re having a sale on all their classic bags. 

Their leather totes are also stunning. 

Who doesn’t need a velvet blazer??? I think a cozy housedress and this blazer while sipping something delicious by the fire at home over the holidays sounds like heaven. And then when we're all going out again, it's a no brainer. This one from Draper James is on my want list.

I got some Knix period underware recently and love it. The material is so soft I’d be happy to wear them everyday. My favorite style is the leakproof high rise and I’d say size up. Great for women and teen girls and more sustainable than tampons and pads.

Their sports bra is a little pricey but SO comfortable and supportive (I’m DD and have a hard time finding sports bras supportive enough.)

These machine washable Rothy’s sneakers have such a great classic look and are so comfy. They come out of the washing machine looking brand new, I promise. They’re also made out of recycled marine plastic and old water bottles. Win win!

Black Owned Businesses:

Cocoacentric makes GORGEOUS earrings and jewelry out of San Francisco. I have a pair of earrings that I love.

If you like za'atar, this bottle from Healthy on You is a must. It's hands down the best za'atar I've ever had and we put it on everything! Hummus, eggs, avocado toast, chicken, its SO GOOD. She also makes all kinds of other delicious spice blends with musical names - great gift for the musical food lover.

Thrifty Upenyu makes beautiful printed zippered bags in different sizes. Perfect for makeup brushes, reusable utensils, straws, pencils, coins, makeup, etc. 

I know EVERYONE is doing extra hand washing right now. The handmade soaps and creams  from Milked would make a great gift.

Table Made has beautifully curated items for the table like these cutlery sets (plus dishes and glassware) and will ship from their Atlanta headquarters. 

This bubble bath for kids from Alaffia smells awesome and is made with ethically traded virgin coconut oil. They also have tons of other great bath products for men and women. 

Any books from this black owned, beautifully curated children’s bookstore called Brave and Kind Books

Stocking Stuffers

I love the smell and feel of this hand balm, perfect for over washed and dry hands

The CBD bath bomb from Prima turns a bath into the most calming spa session. Leaves your skin super soft and your whole body relaxed. Use code EMILY20 for 20% off. I also love the CBD soft gel and elixirs to help calm and give mental clarity (they have really helped me through 2020 and I'm happy to answer any questions in a DM.) I'm also into the CBD R&R cream for sore muscles.  

The preppie in me loves anything monogrammed like these trinket dishes on sale from Anthropology. They also have an amazing assortment of fun mugs for the coffee/tea lover (dozens of different styles of you search the site.

 

We use this plastic onion saver constantly. Sometimes buying one piece of plastic is a great idea if it can save you from using thousands of pieces of plastic! Same goes with this avocado keeper. 

Another mug, this one for the Dolly Parton lover (aren’t we all?)

For the Home:

A lot of people ask where I got our living room rug. It was VERY inexpensive and came from Rugs USA. They have amazing prices, especially if you have kids who put some wear and tear on them and you don’t want to be precious with your carpets. Tons of styles, sizes, fabrics, etc. 

Absolutely ANYTHING from The Arc, a beautifully curated shop in Los Feliz next to our wine bar. It’s a small, woman (mom) owned business and everything is gorgeous - home goods, clothes and beauty products. 

This portable speaker from Bose is what we use in our living room so we can move our family dance parties all over the house. Honestly a great investment. You can even bring it on picnics, camping trips, etc. You can sync it with your phone, and it’s so easy I even got one for my parents a couple years ago - I love it that much. 

We got a weighted blanket from Bearaby this fall and it’s the best for napping. It’s supposed to help with anxiety and sleep. All I know is it feels amazing and I love the chunky look of it. We got the small napper but they have much larger ones too.

I love this decorative wall mirror from Bed Bath & Beyond and it’s on sale!

These little porcelain zebra dishes from Jonathan Adler are great for rings, keys, etc. and so fun. 

Handmade pottery from a local LA pottery studio. This is where most of our ceramic plates and bowls are from.

For Men:

Most of Zach’s clothes come from Buck Mason. It’s an LA based store that now has stores scattered over the US. It’s high quality menswear staples and everything is made in the USA. I never fail finding him a gift here. I’m a big fan of the Oxford shirts, tees, sweaters and long sleeved shirts (which I love to borrow.)

I love this Inverness wool scarf from Bloomingdale’s as well as this cashmere beanie that’s on sale for a great price and comes in different colors. 

If he loves coffee, a subscription to Blue Bottle is a brilliant idea. Zach did this for me (definitely not unisex!) and now we never run out of coffee!! Also, GREAT COFFEE!

These Oscar the Grouch socks from Bombas  are a fun gift for any grouch in your life. 

They also have Cookie Monster if that’s more appropriate. Or is he a Grover?? And they have matching father/child socks in the Sesame Street series, which is pretty freaking adorable. 

New Vuori joggers sweat pants or Ugg slippers for the man that works from home and appreciates a little hygge. 

For Kids:

This portable speaker  from Bose is on super sale, comes in fun colors and it’s from Bose so you know it’s high quality and won’t break when your kid tries to destroy it. 

This art set with a carrying case has gotten a lot of mileage in our house and the markers are washable. It also comes with a big pad of paper which is nice. 

These super hero costumes get so much play at our house. They’re well made and only $21.99 for the entire set!

The Micro Mini Scooters are favorites of our kids. Well made, smooth riding and easy to learn.

This silly alligator game is loads of fun and under $10 

This two pack of kites is under $20 and they work great. Good for multiple kids or sharing with friends so each kid can hold their own kites. Because it feels awesome. 

This book is Camila and Wolfie’s favorite bedtime story. Linked to a local bookstore that needs support!

I’m pretty sure every kid likes classic Converse shoes or these ones for the holidays, which I think are the cutest! 

A subscription to Highlights Magazine or any of their learning books. I LOVED these a kid.

Support your local small toy store!! We love The Reckless Unicorn and they will happily ship gifts. They also have a great selection of vintage kid's clothing. 

This girl’s llama sweater for under $30 

If you need coats, The Gap is having a huge 50% off sale and they have great kids coats and jackets like this one:

Old Navy is also having a massive sale. They’ve got adorable PJ’s and slippers for your kids to stay cozy all winter. 

My daughter is in to all things unicorn so I'm looking at this unicorn hat and gloves set for $20 

We call these inexpensive serrated butter knives “big kid knives” and they’re great for letting your little ones practice/help in the kitchen. Camila makes her own fruit salad at age 4.5 with these!

Lastly, I’ve bought a bunch of second hand clothes, toys and shoes for my kids at Swap.com and Facebook Market Place. I love buying second hand when I can and we all know so many kid’s clothes/shoes/toys get barely used. I would say about 80% of my kid's clothes are hand me downs and thrifted. I'm giving Camila a Cinderella dress for Christmas this year that someone was giving away in a mom's group I'm in. It had a big rip in it that I had sewn up and I know she'll love it.