Item 2:
In middle school and high school my best friend was a boy.

I'm not talking Joey and Dawson (i.e., Dawson's Creek) kind of best friends, or even Jo and Laurie from Little Women. There was never a time when we looked into each other's eyes and hearts pitter pattered. GROSS!

At first no one believed we could be best friends. That's just weird. We slept over at each other's house and we couldn't help but be attached at the hip. He made me laugh like no one else and understood me in a way no girl friend had. But we had to cover our tracks because we still wanted to be available to the opposite sex, so we announced we were cousins. We called each other's parents Aunt and Uncle and still do to this day.

He went to another high school half way through. After we graduated he left for LA and now resides in NY. I miss him.

All the time.

Item 3:
I was a secret Thespian.

Well, that was never a secret, but I didn't advertise it.

I am a weird mix of a person. I am sometimes baffled by the perplexities of me. Naturally, I am an introvert. I reenergize while spending time alone. But I always liked to show off my reading skills as a kid and would always have my hand raised to read the passage for class. Of COURSE with emphasis in all the right places. One thing lead to another and in 5th grade I was cast as the Scarecrow in our school play Oz.

It was awesome. It was a life changer. I could be anything I wanted to be! The only problem was my mediocre singing and on a scale of one to ten I was a negative two at dancing. So that usually landed me character roles. But alas, I loved it. I continued through middle and high school, and while I don't do it anymore, it gave me the confidence for grown up life that was invaluable.

Item 4:
My dreams as a third grader:

1. Live in a house with an attic that had a ghost living in it. The ghost would become my best friend.

2. Own a double decker motor home and travel the world.

3. Become a writer, artist, and teacher.

4. Have my dead dog come back to life.


I still hope and wish for these things. Except for number 4. That would be weird.

Don't hate me.

I'm just helping you get prepared for the holiday season! I promise!

I always want to give someone a thoughtful gift. Because isn't receiving one such a wonderful feeling?

So I might not be able to tell you what your husband would like for Christmas, his birthday, or Father's Day (because Heaven knows I don't know what to get mine!! I am stumped every year! I keep on giving him FOOD because that's the only thing I know he likes and that I know I can afford...)...

But I CAN tell you what that book-loving, feminine girl might want.


I would now like to introduce you to...

THE Official Gift Guide for the Smart Girl:

1. A gift certificate to Barnes & Noble or Amazon (to buy MORE BOOKS, of course).

2. An old edition of one of their favorite books on Etsy.

3. A personal Library Kit. I kid you not. AMAZING.

4. A Jane Austen greeting card set. Because all smart girls read Austen. Duh.

5. A calligraphy set. It is all the rage right now. Pretty lettering and getting to pretend that you are Austen, but with a lot more access to showers and Bath&Body Works.

6. My art! Ha! No, really. Smart girls are PROUD that they verge on nerd. But we tend to think of ourselves in a much more romantic sense.

Exhibit A: (above) In our imagination we are not typing on our irreplaceable laptops but on cute colored typewriters. Elegant and poised, we are in a pretty outfit with our makeup done and stacks of color coordinated books surrounding us.

Pipe dreams, I know.

Exhibit B: We read glamorously amongst flowers. There are no bugs and the temperature is perfect.  

Exhibit C: Our typewriter includes script fonts. Whaaaat.

Exhibit D: Ideal weather and floral conditions. Always. 

Exhibit E: We wear heels while shopping for books. So we can reach the top shelf, of course.

Exhibit F: Books are our BEST FRIENDS. Sorry BFFs. But realistically, our best friends read books too, so they get it.


These are all available in my shop.


So, I hope that helped you out if you were stumped on what to buy the book lover girl, woman, mother, sister, friend in you life. If none of these are available or will ship in time, remember that a girl ALWAYS appreciates flowers and chocolate.

And if you are a Smart Girl reading this, I hope you think that Library Kit is as enchanting as I think it is!!