Holiday Gift Guide 2015 – For crafters, letterers, watercolorists, & nail polish enthusiasts!

Hello all! Happy Thanksgiving! I know many of us will be starting (or continuing) our holiday shopping very soon, so today I have my 2015 Holiday Gift Guide for you!

I’ve compiled this list to share with you my picks for those who are interested in watercolor, stationary, lettering, and nail polish and beauty. I’ve also included additional picks at the bottom of this post that include my favorite tech gadgets, kitchen or home items, and essential travel products. I hope you all enjoy!

Links to all of the products I mention in the video below are included in this blog post.

NOTE: All prices are accurate as I write this post. But you know the internet–prices can fluctuate. Also, I’ve linked many products to Amazon. I buy a TON of stuff at Amazon, plus you can group everything together for a better price on shipping. Affiliate links used where possible. :)

Watch video below | Watch at YouTube

Watercolor

• Cheap Joe’s Brush Holder – $11.49 (Cheap Joe’s) – I store all of my favorite watercolor brushes in this holder. And I love that I can fold it and zip it up for travel. Just be sure to let your brushes dry completely before closing the holder.
• Silver Black Velvet Brushes (Amazon) – Round 2, Round 4, Round 6, Round 8, Square Wash 3/4-inch, Jumbo Round Brush (small)
• Arches Cold Press Watercolor Pad 9×12 – $11.32 (Blick)- I’m currently having a love affair with this watercolor paper! It’s luscious and perfect for fine art painting or for cards and crafts. If you cut each sheet into four smaller pieces (like for cards), that’s only $0.24 per card.
• 3M Scotch Blue Masking Tape – $3.32 (Amazon) – I used this nearly every time I watercolor. It’s a low-tack tape so it’s easier to pull off of watercolor paper without tearing.
• Hardboard Panel 9×12 – $1.05 (Blick) – Seriously THE best gift for anyone watercoloring, especially since it’s so inexpensive. I use this board for taping down my watercolor paper. It’s small enough not to encroach on precious craft desk space, but large enough to tape down most any size of watercolor paper meant for cardmaking.
• Winsor & Newton Professional Water Color Tube Paints – prices vary depending on color (Amazon) – I really love the vibrancy of Winsor & Newton watercolors. They are an artist favorite and for very good reason. I have and use the following colors (my favorites are marked with an *asterisk, in case you’d like to buy just a few to start): Opera Rose*, Scarlet Lake, Winsor Orange, Brown Ochre, Yellow Ochre*, Winsor Yellow Deep, Winsor Lemon*, Permanent Sap Green*, Cobalt Turquoise*, Manganese Blue Hue*, Prussian Blue, Ultramarine Violet, and Ivory Black.
• American Journey Artist Watercolor Tube Paints – prices vary depending on color (Cheap Joe’s) – These were the first professional watercolor paints that I purchased a couple years ago when I started getting heavily into watercoloring again. I have and use the following colors (my favorites are marked with an *asterisk, in case you’d like to buy just a few to start): Andrew’s Turquoise*, Cobalt Blue*, Gamboge Hue*, Apricot, Peachy Keen, Ultramarine Blue*, Coastal Fog, Joe’s Green (Phthalo)*, Orchid, Poppy*, Rose Madder Quinacridone*, Cadmium Yellow Medium*, Indian Yellow, Permanent Magenta, Skips Green*, Cadmium Orange, Quinacridone Violet*, Titanium White, Reddish Black*, Sour Lemon Hansa*, Yellow Ochre*
• Foldout Watercolor Palette – $7.98 (Amazon) – I use this small palette all the time. It’s currently filled with American Journey Watercolors.
• Pro Art Large Folding Palette Box – $9.74 (Amazon) – This palette is filled with Winsor & Newton watercolors right now. It’s a good inexpensice palette. For something more substantial (that I break out when I’m working on a large panting), I use this palette instead and highly recommend (not shown in video).

Stationery

• Custom Journals – $19.95 (Paper Source) – I think this is such a great gift idea! When I picked out the cover designs for the journals I’m giving to my friends this holiday season, I was able to find covers that fit each of my friends. The ones shown here are (as shown left to right): Wedding Flowers, Mushrooms, Painted Stripe, and Ombré.
• Happy Awesome Sticky Notes – $3.95 (Paper Source) – These sticky notes are so cute and unique! The perfect gift for anyone who’s awesome. :)
• A2 Envelopes (pack of 10) – starting at $3.25 (Paper Source) – I use these envelopes all the time for sending special cards. With the wide variety of colors, you’re sure to find the color you want.
• A2 Vellum Envelopes (pack of 10) – $5.50 (Paper Source) – Sending cards in the mail with the design peeking out is so fun! I love sending cards in vellum envelopes. It’s a different and unique look, too.

Lettering

• Tombow Dual Brush Pens – prices vary depending on set (Amazon) – When anyone asks what markers they should try first when learning brush lettering, I always recommend these. Besides the fact that come is nearly 100 colors (YES!!), they are great fairly inexpensive and are great for learning the thicks and thins for brush lettering. Plus, you can use them in everyday crafting, too. They are available in the “big momma” set of 96 colors or in smaller packs.
• FineTec Mica Watercolor Palette – $29.99 (Simon Says Stamp) – The golds and pearlescent colors in this palette are dreamy! Whenever I need gold for lettering or for cards, I turn to this palette.
• Rhodia Dot Pad – $10.34 (Amazon) – I use this pad of paper for practicing lettering. The paper is super smooth and doesn’t catch when using scratchy pointed pen nibs and allows markers to glide across the page. Highly recommended.
• Huion Tracing Light Box (14.17″ x 10.63″) – $45.76 (Amazon) – Not only is this light box super thin, but it’s USB powered and light-adjusting. This is a great tool for tracing and I use it often.

Nail Polish & Beauty

• Dior Nail Polishes – $27.00 (Sephora) – Dior is one of my absolute favorite nail polish brands. A bit pricey, but in my opinion worth it! I’ve been collecting Dior polishes for nearly four years and I’ve loved every single one. The formula is creamy and so easy to apply. My favorite color has always been Rouge 999. It’s the perfect red.
• ILNP Nail Polishes – starting at $10 (ILNP.com) – For anything holographic or shimmery, I turn to ILNP. The formulation of their polishes is spot on and easy to work with. Plus, the price is somewhat reasonable. For a neutral but shimmery color, try Long Walks.
• Color Clutch Nail Polish Storage Boxes – starting at $24.95 (Color Clutch) – I recently moved all of my nail polish to Color Clutch boxes and I’m loving it! I posted a detailed review on my nail blog a few days ago, too. Check out my Instagram for a chance to win two Color Clutches!
• Uber Mat – $13.99 (Uber Chic Beauty) – I LOVE THIS MAT! I don’t know how many times it’s saved my desktop from nail polish and acetone spills! Not only is it awesome as a protection for your work surface while painting your nails, you can plan out manicures, test colors, and even create your own nail decals on it. Just awesome! This is a great gift for any person who loves nail polish.
• InStyler Max 2-Way Rotating Iron – $97.99 (Amazon) – I’ve been really loving my InStyler for the past year or so. It’s an easy way to smooth and style my hair without the fuss. In fact, a few of my friends have purchased an InStyler after using mine. For more info, I recommend searching for “InStyler” on YouTube to see others using it.

Now, here are a few tech, travel, and home picks that didn’t make it into the video. :)

Tech

• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite – $99.99 (Amazon) – I’ve been a Kindle lover since the very first Kindle! I know many love to read on their phones or tablets, but I find I can read easier and for a longer period of time using the Kindle because of it’s easy-on-the-eyes screen. Love it!
• Wacom Cintiq 13 Pen and Touch Tablet – $999.95 (Amazon) I recently purchased this as an upgrade from a Intuos tablet and it’s been fantastic! It’s taken a bit of time to get used to it, but I’ve been loving it. For anyone who illustrates digitally, it’s a great tool. I considered getting the new iPad Pro, but since I can’t use any of my usual design programs on it, it didn’t make sense. Instead, I spent the same amount of money and got something I can use professionally.
• Blue Yeti Microphone – $111.90 (Amazon) – This is the micophone that I use for voiceovers in my videos. I’ve used it for years and it’s still kicking! I highly recommend it for anyone who is recording digital sound.

Travel

• Cabeau Evolution Travel Pillow – $39.99 (Amazon) – LOVE! This is the best travel pillow ever! It can be squished down into a relatively small size, plus the design of it is brilliant!
• Bose QuietComfort 20 Acoustic Noise Cancelling Headphones – $299.00 (Amazon) I used to carry around the larger over the ear noise cancelling headphone, but switched to these over a year ago. They are wonderful. I love that even when the battery is dead, I can still use them like regular headphones. I got the Apple devices version so that the buttons work with my iPhone and iPad.

Home

• Prepworks by Progressive Ultimate 19-Piece Measuring Cup and Spoon Set – $12.90 (Amazon) – I recommended these last year and they are still the gift that I love to give over and over!
• Malouf 600 Thread Count Egyptian Cotton Bed Sheets – $129.99 for queen size (Amazon) – I think I’ve bought four set of these sheets now–one as a gift, one for my bed, and two for my two guest rooms. They are so super smooth, soft, and amazing! I bought the set for my own bed over two years ago and they’re still going strong and look just as great as the first day I bought them. They’re washed weekly and have held up spectacularly! I highly recommend them.
• di Oro Silicone Spatula Set – $21.97 (Amazon) – Have you ever had a spatula come apart while you’re using it? Or had trouble cleaning it because the flexible part slides off the handle? So frustrating! I picked these spatulas up this year because they are one continues pieces of silicone. They’ve held up well and wash beautifully in the dishwasher.

Thanks for checking out my gift guide list! I hope you found some items to cross off your shopping list (or wish list!). :)