My Current Favorites [November 2021]: Christmas Gift Ideas
We’re spending Christmas in France this year, so I took advantage of our trip to buy myself some gifts, ones I can only find or receive in France or Europe.
As usual, this post is not NOT sponsored. I bought everything with my own money
Paper cutouts by Emi Hazlett
This year, I decided to focus on the work of artisans and artists. For a long time, since I enjoy making things myself, I supported them only by buying their books, courses, DIY kits… but never the actual artwork. This year, for the first time, I decided to buy a piece by artist Emi Hazlett
I discovered her work on Instagram (Instagram link, Etsy shop), the day she decided to share, through two very detailed videos, her creative process (those videos are no longer available), showing how she manages to recreate the colorful, detailed houses of Amsterdam.
I found her sharing so generous that I kept following her for months, until she decided to sell her paper houses.
Here’s a little glimpse of the time and energy it takes to bring each window to life. It’s incredible!
She found a very simple way to make these 3D houses foldable. The houses come with electric candles (battery-operated), each house has 4 completely different sides, so by buying 3 houses, you get 12 different display options. It’s ingenious, it’s beautiful, and above all, it’s handmade!
At first, I hesitated to buy just one house, but then I had a hard time deciding, so I bought the set of 3 houses (Etsy link), which is a bit cheaper too. And honestly, I’m glad I did because they are just too beautiful! They look lovely next to the lit Christmas tree. Christmas spirit guaranteed! I’m sharing the official photos as well as the ones my sister took. Look at the little details: the windows that open, the cats strolling around… This is one of the best purchases of the year! Plus, I can take them on the go with me since they fold flat.
The set of 3 houses costs €124.22 (Etsy link). It includes 3 electric candles, 3 3D paper houses. Shipping is free. Honestly, given the effort involved, it’s not expensive at all! She really should have charged twice as much for the time she spends on them.
You can also buy just one house; in that case, it costs €46.62 (Etsy shop), still with an electric candle, and free shipping.
And she sells one last version, without window details, just cutouts, a foldable landscape for €25.27, still with free shipping (Etsy link).
So, I highly encourage you to support artists like her. If the Amsterdam houses aren’t your style, she also takes custom commissions, not too pricey either (think €300-400) to get your house or the facade of your house in paper cutout.
Books by Benjamin Lacombe
Benjamin Lacombe (Instagram account) is incredibly talented! He has illustrated so many books that it’s hard to choose among his masterpieces.
So I decided to buy two books:
- the complete Notre-Dame de Paris (Victor Hugo’s text, of course, in a beautiful edition, with incredible illustrations tucked here and there) (Amazon link, Fnac link)
- Curiosities : a compilation of the artist’s best illustrations, with sketches, drafts, and the story behind certain works (Amazon link, Fnac link). Note: you need to choose the 2019 edition, which includes new drawings.
If I could, I would have bought absolutely all of his books, but I need to restrain myself at some point 😀
Birds by Zack Mclaughlin
Remember how I started making wings for the owl below by following instructions during lockdown? Now you can buy DIY kits to make the same owl (website) for £69. He has other kits for butterflies, birds… (link) to keep you busy if another lockdown comes.
When I’m back to a settled life, I’ll order the bird below from him (link). The bird’s body is made of metal, then completed with paper. The feathers are cut one by one and then hand-painted. If I order it, I’ll ask him to put it under a glass dome.
Sapiens in illustrated version
Sold in millions of copies and translated into 65 languages, Sapiens has become a worldwide phenomenon, telling the story of humanity, not only from a historical perspective but also biological, philosophical, religious, psychological – a succinct but complete summary of why we became what we are, and what we will become. The book talks about the evolution of agriculture, and the importance of myths to bring people together on earth, how we continue to believe in myths, and have become slaves to myths (the myth of money, the myth of power…), even though they are just tools created at the outset to serve us.
I found the written version very hard to read and follow, so when I heard about the graphic novel versions (2 volumes out of 4 so far), I bought them all. I devoured both volumes in a few days. The graphic novel version is very easy to follow and extremely funny, with lots of hidden details to look at carefully.
I read it in English, but the French version also exists. It’s a book accessible to both children and adults. However, parents are passing the word that after reading these books, kids might turn vegan 😀
Here are the purchase links:
- Sapiens – volume 1 (graphic novel): The Birth of Humankind €22.9 (Amazon link, Fnac link)
- Sapiens – volume 2 (graphic novel): The Pillars of Civilization €22.9 (Amazon link, Fnac link)
Apart from that, I treated myself to other handcrafted items:
- organic orange blossom soaps from Melchior & Balthazar (which I mentioned here). Use code SONIA10 to get -10% (neither Sonia nor I get any commission from this code)
- the perfume Une Nuit Magnétique from The Different Company (discovered at JOVOY)
- a pashmina scarf from Dubai (I tell you all about it here)
I hope this article gave you some gift ideas. For more ideas, check out my book summaries on my Instagram account & other gift ideas on my Instagram account
