Things I Loved and Used in 2024

A gift guide of sorts!

Hello friends,

I hope December has greeted you like a soft snowflake. I’ve been in a little funk the last couple of weeks but I think it’s just because one half of my body wants to hibernate and the other half is dying to cross off as much as I can before the new year. Because of this, I have a couple of half-started essays that I’m not ready to share quite yet. So lieu of that, I’ve decided to put together a little gift guide / round-up of things I’ve been enjoying this past year.

Hold That Thought

I truly think one of the best gifts you can give is a good reccomendation. I think we all have those things that have our certified stamp of approval.

We live in a world where most of what we buy is decided by influencers, hyper-specific algorithms and ads that ambush us wherever we go. This adds to the very present paradox of choice that can feel debilitating. So I’ve been trying to tell myself that sometimes the best gift to give and receive is an honest-to-god, “You’ve got to try this!”

So here are my reccs to you — what I loved and used in 2024!

Life & leisure

• 2024 was the year I tried to do more daily Tarot pulls to help ground and inspire me. Jessica Dore’s “The Change Tarot” tarot deck, which blends tarot readings and insightful psychology, has become a fast favorite.

• These Baggu pouches are my ride or die — ever since I started using them to organize my purse items I feel so much more sane. And as someone who switches between different purses, it’s become so easy to just transfer everyrthing with one swoop.

  

  My paper republic pocket journal + a spiral charm from this Etsy shop.

• I discovered one of my favorite ingredients for evening mocktails this year: Kin’s “Dream Light” mocktail mix that has the perfect amount of melatonin and a bit of bitterness that pairs will with the blood orange syrup I use.

• Okay, I’ve technically had this for less than a month, but I’m already obessed with my Paper Republic leather journal. The quality of the leather is soooo good. And the idea of a three-in-one notebook is something I’m very excited to try out in the new year.

• Another stationary-related recc: Midori notebooks. They are just as good as people say; easy to write in, clean and customizable.

• Stabillo Boss has become my go-to highlighter brand — I always pick up a new color when I go to a stationary store.

Thrifts & finds

• I’ll never stop raving about how the majority of the coffee table book collection in our home is secondhand…