Below, Laneia shares some of her favorite things, which would be great gifts for anyone in pursuit of a casually elegant lifestyle. For more gift recommendations of things the Autostraddle + For Them team already owns and loves, check out Drew’s, Motti’s, and Kayla’s Favorite Things.
Urban Anna Coloring Book: Enchanting Shopfronts from Around the World + Colored Pencils ($14 and $30)
Ok listen up, this year I developed a new parasocial friendship with someone named Kennedy in southern California who is perfectly lovely and makes me want to don a matching loungewear set and trot off to HomeGoods. She colors in coloring books, something until very recently I found tedious and uninspiring, but that’s because I was using crayons! I prefer colored pencils, it turns out! This is a new thing I’ve learned about myself at age 43, so never give up on your dreams of personal growth etc. This specific book is so fun and these pencils are BLENDY AS HELL and this is what I did while Amanda and I watched horror films every weekend in October, so yes thank you I have finally seen that scene in It Follows and yes I loosed a feral scream and then continued coloring.
Nutcracker + Enormous Bowl of Nuts ($30 and $21)
When I was small so, so long ago, my grandparents kept raw, in-shell pecans and walnuts in this exact bowl, along with this Henry Quackenbush nut cracker (feel free to call it a nut vise, I do), which is superior to all other nut crackers. This Autumn I said HEY I also want a bowl of nuts and a Quackenbush vise! And so I got all of those things and it’s improved my life by 40%.
Cloth Books + Pens ($20 and $5)
Sometimes having a ~fancy notebook means you’ll never write in it because wow it’s so perfect and intimidating! But these Danica notebooks manage to be ~fancy and chill simultaneously. They feel nice in the hand, look perfect on the nightstand, and are fun to write in! These Pilot pens are the only pens I acknowledge.
Dried Flowers ($119)
Full disclosure, these smell fierce upon opening, but smells don’t last forever! You know what does? Dried flowers.
Measuring Beaker + Many Tiny Tongs and Tiny Whisks ($10, $9, and $9)
I often need to combine one ingredient with another, but in a tiny way. Or else pluck one small thing from a sea of similarly small things. Or, hear me out, I need to measure smallish amounts of liquid things into a vessel whose measurement lines won’t deteriorate in the dishwasher. So these are the things I do those things with!
Cosrx Blackhead Power Liquid + Reusable Cotton Rounds ($25 and $18)
Oh here we GO ok yes, this is truly the only thing that’s ever worked for me. I actually went most of my life thinking this issue would just… fix itself? Baby no! It doesn’t. You’ll need something to apply the liquid and that’s where the cotton rounds come in, obviously.
Laneige Lip Mask ($25)
It’s all I use and don’t ever talk to me about using anything else!
Pure Breu Incense + Non-Wood Holder ($20 and $39)
This incense started off as a stocking stuffer splurge in 2023, but then smelled so fucking incredible that oops, now I have to keep it on hand at all times. We’re not out here burning a stick a day, though. More like once a month. And do not use that wooden incense holder for these — they’ll simply burn right through it. Technically I don’t have this exact concrete holder, but I have something similar that’s no longer listed and I love it!
Marcella Beans + Bay Leaves ($8 and $2)
Some nice beans! Some really nice beans. Also Rancho Gordo’s bay leaves are, I think, what bay leaves are supposed to be? Like I get it now. Combine the two and then move on to make a perfect pot of Marcella Hazan’s white bean soup. What a sweet little day you’re having now! Top it with a drizzle of olive oil and some Wildbrine sauerkraut and don’t think about the US government’s downfall for like seven minutes.
