The Perfect Gift For All The Outdoorsy Guys In Your Life... (+ The Minted Giveaway Winner)

My father is a creative being in every possible sense. A professional musician since age 13, he's always dreaming and conjuring and making -- music, art, you name it. At 68, he's still playing his sax every chance he gets, but the chances aren't always as plentiful as he'd like (the plight of all professional artist, yes?). So for the past year several months, in every. single. free moment, he's been meticulously crafting fishing lures. And I have to say, they're rather stellar.

Inspired by vintage lures from the late 1880s-the early 1940s, he sands and shapes found and repurposed pieces of wood and then painstakingly paints and finishes each one before adding eyes and hooks. He's been doing it for fun, for a creative outlet...and, frankly, he's become a bit obsessed. So I proposed that he dub the whole enterprise Poisson (French for "fish") and sell a few. They are so lovely and so special that I thought they'd make the perfect gift.

You can buy one over here, if you are so inclined.

Ok, now that we've covered shopping, how about the winner of our Minted giveaway? Congrats Shelley! I will most definitely be taking your advice to and stock up on wine and candy before next year's family snap.