Hi everyone

I'm so frustrated and embarrassed

Hi my wonderful readers,

Today something super weird happened, and I’m trying not to cry about it, because know this is just a newsletter, but it’s hours of work down the drain.

While trying to publish today’s newsletter, I have no idea how, but I managed to erase last week’s newsletter and re-populate it with everything I meant to send you today. Full disclosure, it’s been an incredibly tough week, and this might be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

I’m going to just copy and paste it all in here so you can read it today, and hopefully I can restore everything later on.

Hoping you enjoy today’s newsletter (fingers crossed) glitch-free.

xo, Alex

[Updated 12/15/23: All is well and appears to be restored to its original order. Thanks for your grace in this awkward technical/ personal issue!]

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Hi hi! Happy Taylor Swift’s birthday to all who celebrate.

Lovely bunch of links for y’all today, but first, I have an apology:

I just discovered nearly 100 reader replies in my inbox from March 2021 – June 2023 that I never saw, due to nothing more than my deep incompetence with SMTP… I am SO EMBARRASSED. What am I always saying? “I love hearing from you guys, respond anytime!” Well, turns out you were and your girl is profoundly Not Good at Computer so all your kind notes went ignored for months. I’m so sorry. I’ve untangled the problem and am responding to each note AQAP. Now I’ll never miss a reply.

Here is a sparkly Christmas tree as a token of my contrition.

kodak portra 400 // san clemente, ca

Another (less idiotic) item of business: this is the last regular Handpicked of the year! Next week will be a special Best Of edition (plus a Getting to Know You questionnaire!), and then I will be back to your inbox in 2024 with more guest curators, Deep Dives, and photographs.

today’s bouquet

• My dad lost most of his hearing as a young man. He only has a little time left before he’ll be 100% deaf, so I’ve been looking for ways our family can connect without sound. Hues and Cues looked like the perfect present for Dad: a game we can play as a family, including grandkids, that doesn’t require a lot of talking/ hearing.

• Started a rag rug this week! Cutting up baby clothes my kids wore so many times makes me cry, but I’m energized by the prospect of creating something beautiful and useful from clothes that otherwise would have gone to a landfill.

• Third-grade Alex’s favorite book report assignment, the diorama, gets a majorly arty upgrade

• My sister Emily and I were texting at 6:45 this morning, and when we finished our conversation she said, “why are we awake” to which I replied, “can’t wait to sleep in my entire 50s” and here is a preview of how I intend to adorn myself throughout that decade.

cashmere sweats, blanket as scarf, Costco slippers

• Drooling over this English cottage (via Ali LaBelle)

• Stop and play with words.

• One of my favorite photo series ever, Eyes as Big as Plates, just became a book (again!). Saving my pennies for it! The photos are totally bananas and unforgettable.

• Copied the mayor of the internet, Joanna Goddard, and baked Dan Pelosi’s peanut butter blossoms… y’all – they. were. perfect. Next up: world peace cookies.

• Found: a perfectly beautiful, useful gift I just might give myself for Christmas

“Influencing society always seems to be the job of someone else — someone with more power, more money, more time. Perhaps we expect some program or sponsor to take the lead. But when it comes to taking care of people, there is no ‘someone else.’ There is only us.”
– Patrick Kearon

happy holiday

As promised last week, here’s our 2023 Christmas card!

Special thanks to my sisters: Sarah, for putting up with my snobbery for film photography and shooting a roll for us during our family picnic, and Emily, for styling and creative direction (read: fixing my hair and getting the kids to stop speaking and smile).

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Southern CA readers, it’s not too late for family pictures! Message me alex@alexsteele.co for dates and pricing. You can see my portfolio of families on film here.

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three gifts

One favorite from each gift guide. Psst, here’s $40, 100% free.

• Your sister: monogrammed stationery

• Your dearly beloved: cornhole set and a case of his favorite soda

• Your kid: special photo paper that turns blue in the sun

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last thing

• Most clicked link from last week: transformed fruit

• Readers today: 1,371

• A couple people said the “donate $2 for this issue” button below wasn’t working, but I think it’s fixed now. Just to be clear, if you choose to pay, you’re simply donating. There’s no exclusive paywalled content, more info on that here. Thank you so much for reading and supporting Handpicked.

“Every day is a lesson in love, learning how not to bind up ourselves and our neighbors, but in fact, to free ourselves and others.”
—Richard Rohr