I’m loopy-goopy with COVID at the moment, so here are some things I’ve enjoyed immensely this year. These are not in any way linked up to maximize my personal benefit, but some have referral links you can click if you wanna. Mostly I just want you to also enjoy nice things. My brain is melting so you have to be nice to me.
Candles
As a wise woman once said, “I’m fine with my spite and my tears and my beers and my candles.” I like these candles for how they smell. I like these candles for how they look. Both are made by small, woman-owned companies.
Cozy robe that your tits (probably) won’t fall out of
I really like this Lunya robe. The brand definitely isn’t super size inclusive; I generally wear a size 18 in US pants and their biggest size barely fits me. But by “barely fits,” I mean that it doesn’t fit the way it does on the model, with such complete coverage one could practically run errands in the thing. Let me be clear: I would not answer the door in this without pants on. I do, however, frequently take video calls in it. The coverage at the top is extensive and stretchy and secure enough that I think someone a couple sizes bigger than me could get away with the same. Here’s a link for $20 off. For something roomier, I love this robe from Foxblood, but your tits will absolutely fall out of it, no question.
Spooky writing lessons
A few months back I took an Atlas Obscura course on horror writing taught by Nino Cipri. Nino is just generally fucking fantastic at writing spooky shit, which is what drew me to their class in the first place, and it was a good and productive time. They’re teaching a couple more modules of it in the coming weeks. Sign up for yourself or give the gift of slow-creeping dread to someone you love.
Damn good coffee
I don’t recommend Cometeer to many people, because for most people it solves a nonexistent problem. Making coffee is not that hard for most people. Buying coffee beans is generally fine. I am the only coffee drinker in my house and find the act of using and cleaning a coffee-making device too arduous for just my own self, so these flash-frozen coffee pods in aluminum packaging keep me from getting a Nespresso. Is this actually better? I don’t know, man. But it does mean I get to play with a block of dry ice every month. Here’s a link for $25 off.
My book
Bath bombs
This is my favorite bath bomb company. You can also google how to make your own and an article I wrote will pop up, but I’m here to tell you that The Witch’s Bath will do it better than you can, and you should just buy some of her bath bombs, unless you really want to make your own, in which case, okay, that will probably be fun and fine.
Audiobooks baby!!!!!
Since getting COVID for the first time in July, and especially since getting it for the third time since then, I’ve been very into audiobooks. You don’t have to strain your eyeballs to be an intellectual, and anyone who tells you otherwise is a feckless thug.
There’s no better place to buy audiobooks than at Libro.fm, which shares profits with your favorite indie bookstore of choice. Here’s a link you can use to sign up that gets this humble person a free audiobook. My recent favorites include Gideon the Ninth and its sequels, The Iron Widow (!!!!!!! truly blew me away), and this weird sex book. They let the author narrate it herself, for some reason, but it’s still pretty good.
Just a minor mending
I decided to get into visible mending recently, and went looking for a speed loom to help me out. Speed looms are the secret to weaving patches and darning holes like a pro, and most of the ones available for sale online are disposable little pieces of crap. So I talked myself into splurging on a little loom from Worth Mending, a small maker in Canada. It’s made of reclaimed wood and it’s well constructed as heck, and I adore it. It’s made the process of learning to patch up clothes a total delight. Also: I can patch up clothes now!!!!
Personal style
In the lead-up to my book launch in May, I decided to work with a personal stylist. I was supposedly about to have a lot of media spots and book events, and I was significantly fatter than I’d been the last time I trotted myself out professionally, so I was anxious about my ability to dress myself. It was also beginning to dawn on me that most of my “fashion sense” up until this point had boiled down to “looking as skinny as possible,” so I figured it was time to develop something more artful. Well, the book tour didn’t really happen, but I’m still glad I worked with Kat, and I highly recommend her if you care about sustainability, ethical clothing production, and fat liberation. She’s also the reason I got my first custom-made dress this year! And all of this cost less than I usually spend on clothes that make me feel like crap! I promise!
Graphic design is my passion
“This is my new self-soothing activity,” I told my husband last week as I posted a “tis the sneezin’” t-shirt to my teepublic shop. I think there’s a sale on at the moment.
Silly expensive face object
Theraface is a really bad name and no one needs this, okay? But if you have the kind of jaw tension that has made you stare at a hardcore percussive massage gun and think “could I put that on my face?” then this will genuinely improve your life. It also includes attachments for, like, everything you could possibly want to make a gadget do to your face. Except shaving. It doesn’t shave.
Flavor
Penzey’s is a great place to buy salts and spices for all your salting and spicing needs. I would be remiss if I did not recommend Krakow Nights, which is a put-it-on-everything blend that I keep giant bags of next to my stovetop. If you don’t tend to season the stuff you cook, this is a great starter spice blend. You will say, “wow, this has depth” and then you will dive headfirst into the world of food that tastes like stuff.
Surrealist accessories
Fashion Brand Company is primarily a place to buy clothing for lizards, but it’s also where I bought my new favorite skirt. I also got this little keychain that’s probably meant to hold something other than aspirin, which is what I keep in it. It makes me happy.
If you want to buy me COVID ramen, my Venmo is @RachelFeltman. See you on the other side!