{"id":45190,"date":"2025-11-30T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/?p=45190"},"modified":"2025-12-03T12:26:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T19:26:12","slug":"retro-recomendo-holiday-gifts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/retro-recomendo-holiday-gifts\/","title":{"rendered":"Retro Recomendo: Holiday Gifts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Our subscriber base has grown so much since we first started nine years ago, that most of you have missed all our earliest recommendations. The best of these are still valid and useful, so we\u2019re trying out something new \u2014 Retro Recomendo<\/strong>. Once every 6 weeks, we\u2019ll send out a throwback issue of evergreen recommendations focused on one theme from the past 9 years.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lego portraits<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A cool way to make an unusual gift is to render a portrait in Lego. I used a kit from BrickMe<\/a> that turned a photo of my wife into 5,625 pixels, and then they supplied me with Lego tiles in 50 different colors. Using the map they also supply, I \u201cpainted\u201d the image by applying the tiles in the manner of paint-by-numbers. I glued the final assembly onto plywood to hang in my studio. The procedure is well-designed, fun, with plenty of extra tiles. Mine was the small size at 24 x 24 inches (57 x 57 cm) for $126; they can go much bigger. (This Thanksgiving week they offer 20% off.)<\/strong> \u2014 KK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rubber block printing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Did you ever make a linoleum wood-block print in school? I did, and cutting linoleum was a pain. It took a lot of energy and effort to even make a small design. Recently I returned to making woodcut prints and hand-carved stamps because I discovered the secret: instead of cutting either wood or linoleum, I carve on a sheet of firm rubber, which cuts like butter. Speedball, the legendary company making carving tools, produces their own Speedy-Carve Blocks<\/a> which have the consistency of a pencil eraser. Many other generic manufacturers in China offer these soft carving sheets, too. Now, making a block print is quick and enjoyable. \u2014 KK<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blessing Cards<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I use these Blessing Cards<\/a> as a tool for setting positive intentions for the day. The deck contains 210 two-inch cards, each featuring a unique word that serves as a catalyst to guide or bring meaning to your day. Some recent draws include: Yielding, Synchronicity, Excellence, Delight, Creativity, Openness, Unknown, and Trust. I prefer to draw two cards at a time, which adds an extra layer of meaning. These cards have only benefited my life, inspiring gratitude, courage, closeness, and helping to free me from rigid thinking. \u2014 CD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Infinity Pillow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

My friend gifted me this infinity travel pillow<\/a>, and while I haven\u2019t traveled with it yet, I use it daily. It\u2019s super snuggly and soft, and no matter how I wrap it around myself, I feel supported and comfy. In bed, when I hug it and tangle my arms into it, I drift off to sleep faster. It\u2019s definitely worthy of being called an emotional support pillow. \u2014 CD<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purse hook for tables<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After one too many purses sliding off restaurant chairs onto grimy floors or taking up table space, my wife started carrying this clever folding hook<\/a> in her purse. It magnetically collapses to the size of a silver dollar but unfolds to securely hang bags from any table edge. \u2014 MF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Very lightweight travel umbrella<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I was glad I kept this super-lightweight\u00a0A.Brolly Tube umbrella<\/a>\u00a0in my backpack while I was in rainy New York last week. It was so light (3 ounces) and small (8-inches unopened) that I forgot about having it until I needed it. It uses carbon fiber instead of steel for the ribs. \u2014 MF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

Sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to get Recomendo a week early in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recomendo – issue #490<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13684,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[2323],"tags":[2324],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45190"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13684"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45190"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45190\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":45191,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45190\/revisions\/45191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45190"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45190"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kk.org\/cooltools\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45190"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}