Looking for the perfect gift or something to treat yourself? You’re in the right place! In this post, we’ve rounded up a delightful collection of our absolute favorite items that we wear, use, and love in our house. Check out 69 of our favorite things 2024!
our favorite things in 2024
Whether you’re shopping for a beauty lover, a game enthusiast, or a budding plant parent, we’ve got you covered. From our tried and true accessories to indoor gardening must-haves, and everything in between, these picks are handpicked by each member of our family. I hope you find your new favorite thing!
We picked these items based on most used, most frequently bought for gifts, longevity, and more! Some of these items we’ve loved for decades or more, and some are new to us, but loving so far. I also added a variety of buying options, some from small businesses, some handmade, and some are from big stores like Amazon & World Market.
Many, but not all, products shared have affiliate links. You can find my disclosure policy for more information.
- Pill container keychain – A practical little gift for grandparents or people who forget to take their morning medication before they leave the house.
- Guitar pick holder keychain – A great stocking stuffer for the music lover in your life. And even if you don’t play guitar, it’ll make you look cool 🙂
- 2 pack smiley face beanie – I just love these colors and of course, the smiley face. You can never have enough beanies, especially in the PNW.
- Grey beanie – This comes in more colors and has been my husbands favorite for years! It’s super soft and totally washable.
- Leather belt pack – A Portland Leather Co. favorite! These wear so well and it’s my favorite to wear crossbody. I get so many compliments on this bag.
- Cooler backpack – We take this just about everywhere! It’s our day trip favorite. The bottom is a cooler liner and the top is open for everything else. There are multiple compartments and an attached bottle opener.
- Baggu tote – This tote is foldable and comes in a variety of colors and sizes. I love the small one for a snack bag, and the large for shopping trips.
- Bog bag – My husband brought this bag home for me when he won it for guessing how many candy corn were in a jar at work. He picked this out of the prize room, and I’m so glad he did! It’s perfect for the pool, beach, sports meets/games, and more. They also come with attachable accessories.
- Portland Leather Co. circle leather bag – This has been my most trusty shoulder bag for almost a decade. They come in two different sizes and a large variety of colors. They go with any outfit!
- Teva quilted boots – These Tevas are my favorite all purpose boots. They’re like a jacket for your feet. I also have the slip on version as well. I wouldn’t plan on hiking in these, but you can do just about everything else.
- Checkerboard Vans – If you know us well, you know we each have multiple pairs. Tim likes to say that he has his “camping vans”, his “work vans”, his “fancy vans”…
- Birkenstocks – You’re either a fan or not. But, just last year my neighbor bought her first pair after seeing me wear them all the time. Now she wishes she would have been more open to them sooner. They are my most worn spring-summer shoe.
- Crocs – The kids got their first pair at 3 years old and we’ve been buying them ever since.
- Mac eyeshadow brush – #217 has been my every day eye shadow brush for almost 30 years. I bought my first one at about 17 years old and still use it to this day. A must have!
- Jones Road miracle balm – If you have or know someone with aging skin, this could be the answer! Miracle Balm is my every day cheek color, lip color, and often eye highlight. It creates a dewy, bright look and a full size container lasts forever (like well over a year). It comes in a variety of colors, so you can match your best fit.
- Elf eyeshadow pallet – This vegan eyeshadow pallet is my absolute favorite. Just like any pallet, you’ll have your favorites, but I do use every single one of these colors. It’s 100% cruelty free for all you bunny lovers out there like me!
- Guarded razor for hair – You know I’m a bang girlie! This is my favorite hair razor to keeps my bangs looking fresh!
- Boy Smells perfume variety pack – I love this pack of perfume! Not only is it a fun option for testing out different scents, but you can also layer the scents.
- Hellomello body butter – Okay I found out about this butter this year and can not say enough good things about it. It’s avocado mango based butter and essential oils, THAT’S IT! It’s vegan, cruelty free, no water, no fillers, no chemicals, no nothing (except the good stuff). I used it more heavily over the summer, all over my body including my face. It gave me a nice shine. Lots of different mood scents.
- Le Labo Santal perfume – Some might say Santal has overstayed its welcome but I disagree. The first time I smelled it on a friend I literally grabbed her arm, pulled her towards me and stuck my nose in her neck. It’s not my every day scent, but it’s the one I wear the most. It’s woody, genderless and so good.
- VanMan’s Tallow & Honey Balm – I’ve been using this on my face, neck, and top of hands for about 3 months now and I’m loving it! It’s giving dewy without greasy.
- Poppy & Pout lip balm – A perfect stocking stuffer. I love the texture and size of these lip balms. They’re my go-to balm!
- Customizable initial tag necklace by Caitlyn Minimalist – I’ve bought these multiple times for gifts. Mom, grandma, sister, aunts, whoever. They make a great gift, but also super affordable for a stocking stuffer.
- Glossier exfoliating bar – For smooth skin all the time! I love this bar to exfoliate my arms and legs, especially in the winter.
- Birkenstock socks – They perfected the slip on, and now the sock. They’re warm, comfortable, and my absolute favorite socks!
- Skims high waisted thong – okay, okay, I know…Kim K.(for many reasons) but for years I really struggled to find underwear that didn’t look weird under workout pants & stayed in place the entire workout. I would have to leave classes at least once in the middle to adjust. Then I found these. They’re so good! I call they my “gym underwear”.
- Ceramic match holder/striker – These are super cute and a perfect add on to a beautiful candle.
- Jo Malone wIld bluebell candle – This candle is my spring/summer favorite! It’s a splurge, but scents like these are hard to find. I first came across the the scent when a coworker of mine was wearing the perfume. It smelled so fresh and floral. I’m normally a woody gal so it was a surprise that I loved it. I bought the perfume (which I still wear in the summer mostly) and then saw that they made it in a candle as well. I had to get it. It did not disappoint. And if you’re looking for some amazing nature scented candles, check out my favorite here.
- How To Raise A Plant book – For anyone who loves plants. This is a cute book to throw on the coffee table too! How To Raise A Plant takes you through how to pick out plants, how to care for the most common kinds, and a few plant projects. This book is a best seller and a fun gift to give a plant lover. Oh, and I wrote it so I’m a tad bias.
- How To Plant A Room book – The second in the series. This book is great for people who want to take their plant game up a notch. This book is full of plant projects for all ages and abilities.
- Round wooden tray – I love having this on the coffee table. It keeps my candles, matches, and other things all tidy.
- Ribbed fleece blanket – We’ve had this blanket for over a year. Everyone in the family loves it! It keeps you warm but not too warm. The ribbed gives texture to any bedding situation.
- Pink clip on lamp – We actually use this this lamp with a grow light for our plants. We’ve had so many compliments on it! It would be super cute for an office or a kids room as well.
- Ace & Jig quilt – This is my second A&J quilt. They are by far, our favorite quilts. The whole family fights over them (luckily we have more than one now). Just like their clothes, the quality of these quilts are fantastic. They are made out of fabric scraps, so as to reduce waste. They are on the spendy side, but worth every penny, in my opinion.
- Foldable crate – We use these for everything! Organizing the kids’ room, work papers, displays at market, etc. I love the colors they come in!
- Pumice stone – These are a must have for our feet. I just leave it there 🙂
- Checkered hand towels – I got these recently for the kids. It’s about time hand towel were cute…am I right?
- Dirty Labs laundry detergent – I absolutely love the smell of this laundry detergent! I try to preserve it by only using it for our blankets and bedding. It’s cruelty free, biodegradable, and has the Green Seal of approval.
- Metal plant lattice – These are best used with a 6″-10″ pot. I like that they’re modern and not super cheesy looking. Perfect for trailing plants!
- Plant mount kit from Pistils – This is the cutest plant kit! Perfect for someone who wants to create a living wall piece but doesn’t have all of the supplies needed.
- Plant delivery subscription by Hey Horti – This is such a fun idea! A plant subscription where you get get plants delivered monthly (or you pick the timeline) to your door with pots and/or accessories. Super cute idea for beginner plant lovers.
- Round terracotta pots with drip tray – I like these because they’re different than the regular terracotta pot shape. They’re not tapered, they’re a modern, cylindrical shape.
- Garden gloves with long sleeves – These are great for outdoor gardening especially if you have to pull up or clean up long grasses or anything with thorns. Great gift for someone who spends a lot of time in the garden.
- Coir plant poles from Classy Casita – I love these plant poles because you can use them individually or you can stack them to make a bigger pole. They’re on Amazon but made by a small, female owned business!
- Tiny dish from Garden Club Ceramics – I use these tiny dishes for so many things! Bunny snack plate, ring dish, salt pinch dish, sauces, and more. The maker lives in Portland and I love everything they do.
- Oven glove – I really like the color of these oven mitts and their sleek, modern look.
- Frother – This gadget is totally unnecessary…but just do me a favor and froth up some heavy cream with a dash of vanilla and a pinch of sugar and put it over your coffee. YUM!
- Nalgene water bottle – We’ve been using these for years. They come in a ton of fun colors and they’re easy to clean (which is my favorite part). No small areas to try to clean, which means no risk of moldy areas, yuck!
- Electric kettle – When I asked Tim to contribute to “Our Favorite Things” post, this was the first thing he wanted to add. We use this multiple times per day, and the size is perfect for 2 cups of tea.
- Aero Bar – We had to add some yummy things to this list. Tim and I met working at World Market many, many years ago and found some unique candy, that now the whole family loves. Aero bars come in different flavors but we love the original! The texture and bubbly goodness is amazing.
- Harney & Sons Paris tea – I learned about this tea when I was pregnant with my oldest. I had it as iced tea at a local cafe and it was SO GOOD! But it’s just as good hot! It’s black tea, vanilla, black currant, bergamot, and caramel flavored.
- Milka strawberry chocolate bar – The combination you didn’t know you needed. Milk chocolate with strawberry cream. SO SO GOOD!
- Violet Crumble – This is by far MY favorite candy. My youngest loves it too. It’s chocolate covered honeycomb and it’s so decadent.
- Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 camera – These cameras are just so fun for the kids. We pull this camera out when friends come over. A fun gift idea for just about everyone.
- LEGO Creator 3 in 1 Retro Roller Skate Building Kit – This roller skate is so adorable, but this set is also a skateboard, and a boom box! All super cute and fun gift for a gen-xer, millennial, or kids.
- Little Ark wooden sling shot – This local maker has been making these for over a decade. I bought one for my oldest when he was 3. Admittedly, it was probably too early. They really started liking it around 5 years old. Since, I’ve bought it for gifts a few times. Such a cute, quality gift.
- Metal cash box with money slots – I like having a box for cash in the house (for those times when the kids loose teeth 30 minutes before bed time, or when kids come to the door selling chocolate bars for the baseball team). It’s come in handy for my market days, but really the kids just love playing with it.
- DIY dinosaur head – I absolutely LOVE this dino head! We got one for the kids at Woonwinkle for Christmas a few years ago. They loved putting it together and wearing it, but you can also put it on the wall for a fun decoration.
- DIY beetle wall art – This cutie is also from Woonwinkle. It’s a great stocking stuffer that kids can put together and display on their wall.
- 5 lb. weights – We have a few of these sets around the house, for those days when we can’t get to the gym.
- Exercise bands – Some of my favorite exercises involve bands. I like having them for lower impact workouts when I can’t get to the gym.
- Speks magnets for fidget – These magnets get used a lot around here. Our oldest uses them as a fidget toy, and our youngest uses them to spell out/practice spelling words. So many uses!
- Cell phone stand – Everyone in the house uses this thing. Whether we’re watching homework videos, binging Gilmore Girls, or working, this stand come in major handy.
- Air dry clay – We started using clay a lot during the pandemic. It’s a fun rainy day project for the whole family. We made air plant hangers, trinket plates, and Tim made a self bust. haha!
- Speed cube – For anyone who is serious about cubing. This brand is great for speed and can be used in competition. A great teen gift!
- Sharpie ultra fine 24 ct. – Our oldest is obsessed with drawing right now. All he wanted for his birthday were Sharpies. These have been heavily used in our home.
- Guitar pick punch – This is a must have for any musician. We have one at our house, and have bought so many for gifts. This would be fun to give with they keychain I mentioned at the top.
- One Night Werewolf – This has been our favorite family game for a few years now. It’s best with 6 or more people, but fun nevertheless. The game is strategic, but easy enough for 9+.
- Things game – We laugh so hard when we play this game. There are some cards that are more adult friendly, but you can just pull those out if you’re playing with kids. This game makes an appearance every game night!
Some other things we don’t own yet, but are on our wish list…
- Smart bird feeder with camera
- Hobonichi Techo 2025 Weeks planner
- Blackstone pizza oven
- Stillwater floral quilt
- Schoolhouse utility stool
Thank you for being here and taking a look through our favorite things. Let me know if you find something you love!