Journal

Meet Eva Carrillo: Scissor superstar, social dragonfly, and a devoted, loving, radical mother. We asked Eva to shop around for what a cutting edge mama like herself might enjoy this season. Everything she grabbed was something she could share with her kids. They're always with her, she said, so she always has them in mind. See what she picked below!

Meet Eva Carrillo!

Q: What do you do by day, what do you by night?
A: By day I'm a barber and after 4 o'clock I'm a full time mom slash basketball player. :D

Q: What's a recent mom moment you had? Maybe a precious one or a lesson you learned?
Oooh I've had a lot lately. This morning I had an argument with my three year old about the liquid leaking out of his pull up. He was trying to convince me that it was water because he had drank water the night before. But it was. not. water.

Q: What's one of your guilty pleasures?
A: Chocolate. But I always end up sharing. I don't hide any of it, I'm not an "I'm-in-the-closet-eating-a-snickers-bar" mom; my kids are always eating sweets with me because I'm eating sweets. I'll always share as much as I can with them. I try to teach them to share, too.

"If I got these, they would be my fourth pair [from this artist]. I share them with my daughter, Nixie. We both love them. They're hip. They make us both cool."

Pineapple studs by Kris Nations, $35

I run around so busy all the time so if someone got this for me I'd think it was a really thoughtful gift because I could just write one line a day and be done! I could do it with my kids and I could do five years of memories. Plus it just looks cool; you can't go wrong with turquoise and gold!

One Line a Day journal, $16.95

I just like chocolate and I always share with my kids because I know they like chocolate too. And this is GOOD chocolate.

Compartes Chocolate Bar in The Drive In, $9.95

"I always buy these here, too, because I like to have them as little gifts for the kids - at the barber shop or whoever, wherever. The kids always see my tattoos and wonder about them. I try to normalize tattoos."

Temporary Tattoos, $7.95

"I try to be more earth-conscious and eco-friendly. I'm always looking for a bag to put my kids clothes in or their lunch. And it's just so portable and cute!"

Baggu Reusable Tote in black swan, $9

"I'm always looking for a screwdriver and what better way to look for a screwdriver than attached to a knife. Seriously. Multi-use!"

Opinel DIY Folding Knife in yellow, $31

"Could put in my purse or in my stocking or in the car for restaurants that might not have kid friendly toys. Could keep it in my wallet and it would keep me and my kids busy. And it has a sharpener!"

Mini Colored Pencil Case, $12

"I like that it's locally made here in Southeast and it just smells really good. I feel like I always need to clean my kids. Could be decorative or could be functional."

Great Alaska Soap Company, $8

"I saw that they have these at my son's school! It's just beautiful. It's aesthetically pleasing and the fact that it was designed with kids in mind means I can use it, the kids can use it, and it looks great."

Kujira Whale Knife, $60

Meet Diego a.k.a. SunWoo: seven year old explorer of the neighborhood, household lip sync champion, young foodie - and also my son. Here's his picks for other tiny hipsters this season.

"They're really cool and I like to shape them and make them do all sorts of different poses.""

Cubebot, $7.90 - $15

"They're really cool looking and they're really cool bubble guns because they really shoot a lot of bubbles instead of a lot of hard work having to ...*blowwwwwws* "

Bubble Gun, $9.50

"These erasers mean a lot to me because I know my mom knows I love sushi and I think you guys might like sushi. So take any eraser you want!"

Sushi Erasers, $9

"Tattoos are awesome!"

Temporary Tattoos, pack of 12, $7.95

"They're really fun to look through."

Wooden Binoculars, $50

"OHHHHHH! I WANT SOME! To draw with or to color with."

Mini Colored Pencil Set, $12

Meet Veronica Rose Buness - crafter, doodler, and pen pal extraordinaire. See her picks for snail mail fans this holiday season!

"I thought I knew how to make cool mail. But this is full of endless ideas and I'm really getting back into the etiquette of sending mail. It talks about some of the traditions, bringing back the thank you note, the love letter, the sympathy note, and even if you're not so comfortable sharing your feelings in writing and just like sharing pretty mail, they give you templates for how to share those sentiments. And how to make your own paper! Which is pretty cool."

Snail Mail, $19.95

"Because somewhere in the world there is a pin to show what you like and we have found the one for the snail mailers. And it's hand stamped! Bringing the analog of writing a letter onto the pin that you wear."

Snail Mail Fan Club pin, $4

"Pretty nifty because A) it is a ruler, in case you're meticulous about your crafting, and B) it'll open all your wonderful letters that people will write back to you after you've written them!"

Brass ruled letter opener, $19

"I'm a big fan of the fountain pen. It's the funnest kind of pen to write with! And these are a really great beginner pen because they're not the dip kind; they're really easy to use. A really good price for a quality pen and we've got all the refills at KP to last you forever."

Fountain Pen, $27

"I will always vote for the instant camera. It's a really great addition to your mail writing arsenal because adding an instant photo is another one-of-a-kind way to share a moment, just like that handwritten letter."

Lomo Instant Camera, $119

"Stamps make a great gift because they're literally little tiny works of art that cost money. So they are always valuable, always appreciated."

Wonder Woman stamps, sheet of 20, $9.80

"Out of our various letter writing kits at Kindred Post, this one is my favorite. It's got your note card and your envelope, matching but not the same. Real high quatliy, almost too fancy to mail. The materials you're using just add another layer of love to your letter."

Leopard Lily Stationery Set, $35