A Few of Her Favorite Things: Laura Fenton

Posted in Shop/Book Reviews on November 15 2010, by Plant Talk

Laura Fenton is one crafty lady! We first ran across her work when she wrote about the giant pumpkins for AOL’s home and garden blog ShelterPop. We immediately loved her sense of humor (we thought about charging rent inside the pumpkins, too), and the more we looked, we realized we also loved her sensibility. Laura loves cooking and crafting with in-season, locally sourced veggies, fruits, and flowers (just like we do).

So, when we had the chance to ask her about her “Favorite Things” for holiday gift giving, we knew it would be a lovely, inspiring list full of hidden gems from the Shop in the Garden.  See for yourself!

For the Gardener
These small bypass pruners inlaid with maple wood are just the kind of thing most gardeners would never splurge on for themselves, but would be so pleased to receive.

For Kids
So many parents I know complain about the crush of toys their kids receive, so I love to give children books. Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree is a classic — every child (and every parent) should have a copy of this lovely tale.

For the Host or Hostess
I’ve long-admired the concept behind Outstanding in the Field (and often drooled over photos of Jim Denevan’s al fresco dinners), even city-dwelling hostesses like myself would feel inspired by the photos and recipes in this cookbook.

For Me
I never treat myself to fancy candles, so I’d be thrilled to receive one of the fruit-scented winter garden candles, especially since they come packaged in simple and chic milk glass vessels.

For Him
Man Ray’s photos of trees and flowers are both masculine and elegant depictions of flora — a perfect way to give the gift of flowers to “him.” (My boyfriend, who is a photographer, would be thrilled to receive this book!)

For the Writer
A firm believer in hand-written thank you notes, I know that a lover of pen and ink correspondence would treasure these handsome tree note cards based on the plates from a 19th-century children’s botany textbook.

Want more gift suggestions from your favorite bloggers? Then watch this space! We’ll be featuring many more in the upcoming weeks.