Creative Resources
(Books, Baking TOOLS, Art supplies, camera equipment,
and other hopefully helpful things!)
Writing + Books + Poetry
I collect poems the way some people collect baseball cards. Whenever I feel overwhelmed or disconnected, poetry’s where I return, because I really do think there’s a poem for every life event, and the right poem can solve anything. These are a few of the voices that have shaped the way I see the world: W.H. Auden, Wendell Berry, Yehuda Amichai, Jeffrey McDaniel (he’s amazing), Mary Oliver, Louise Glück, Robert Frost, Marge Piercy, Derek Walcott, Rainer Maria Rilke, Leonard Cohen.
Still Writing: The Perils and Pleasures of a Creative Life — One of my favorite books. A special read for any type of creative (not just writers); so many beautiful insights about the relationship between discipline and inspiration. Prepare to underline every sentence.
Celebrate Everything! Fun Ideas to Bring Your Parties to Life — The most idea-packed, colorful, cheerful entertaining/lifestyle book out there. Doesn’t just teach you how to throw parties; it teaches you to think more creatively.
All the Beauty in the World: The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Me — A beautiful memoir that will remind you of the power of art.
A Poetry Handbook — Leave it to Mary Oliver to turn writing about poetry into, well, poetry.
Diy + Paper Crafts + Embroidery
Embroidery Basics — Explanation of all tools, some basic stitches, and even a few starter projects to check out.
Omoi Life Goods and Atlas Stationers — Two stationery stores I love from a distance: Omoi is a beautifully curated Japanese stationery and lifestyle shop in Philadelphia; Atlas is a legendary Chicago destination for pens, paper, and notebooks.
Embroidery Kits — Love Etsy for these! But you can find them all over the place.
Paper Flower Tutorials — Lia Griffith is the queen of paper flower tutorials (and there are plenty of free ones on the site outside of the membership offerings).
Casey Rubber Stamps — If you love stamps as much as I do, you’ll want to pay this shop on the Lower East Side of Manhattan a visit. Custom stamps available.
Knitty City — Yarn shop on the Upper West Side that’s just fun to walk through and browse. They also host knitting circles.
Photography
Canon EOS 80D — The trusty camera I use to shoot photo and video when I’m not using my iPhone. I’ve owned the camera body since 2016 (writing this in 2026!) and it’s still operating beautifully.
DSLR/iPhone Tripod — I’ve purchased this several times over the past 10 years and used it with both iPhones and DSLRs. There are sturdier models available (the fact that I have “purchased it several times over the past 10 years” is not, in fact, a good thing). But it gets the job done and I like how compact/portable it is.
Sigma 30mm f1.4 Art Lens — An outstanding large aperture lens that I love using for close-up shots. I strongly suggest trying it out or renting before purchasing, though!
Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Wide Angle Lens — The other lens in my kit.
Adorama, Foto Care Rentals, and just for fun, Contax Rental — I love renting camera gear for trips and special occasions instead of buying equipment I won’t use year-round. For both film & digital photography, it’s a good way to experiment without the commitment.
Antiquing + Home Inspiration
Creative, collected home inspiration (personal favorite follows!) — Josh Young, Salina Maria Home, Ashley Kane, Marion Parsons, Sarah’s Haven.
Personal favorite home sources: Terrain, Patina Home & Garden, Fine Day Fair, Shoppe Object (trade show), Elsie Green, Etsy, Chairish, Olive Ateliers, and Facebook Marketplace (of course!).
General Creative Inspiration
The Paris Review interviews — If you love hearing artists/writers talk about their process.
Broadway scores I’ll never tire of — The Sound of Music, Merrily We Roll Along, Annie Get Your Gun, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Light in the Piazza, Hair, Sunday in the Park with George, Les Misérables: The Dream Cast in Concert (1995), A Little Night Music, Company, Fiddler on the Roof.
When in doubt, wander — Whenever I feel creatively stuck, I leave the house. A good wander through one of these places almost always sends me home with fresh ideas: Central Park, art supply/stationery stores, bookstores, museums, any beautifully curated little shop, garden centers and nurseries, farmers markets, Williams-Sonoma and other kitchen/baking supply stores (like NYCake, though I’m no longer nearby!).
Notion — More of a productivity thing, but this is what I use for…everything! Jotting down ideas, daily to-do lists, recipe-remembering and saving, blog-planning, and more.
Gathering Gold Podcast — Biweekly podcast all about embracing sensitivity and creativity; Sheryl Paul, one of the co-hosts, also wrote The Wisdom of Anxiety, which is one of my favorite books.
Painting
Clare Bowen — My mom introduced me to her channel and I love her! She’s so charming and shares helpful techniques alongside the prettiest scenery.
Ian Roberts — All of his tips are so particular and go right to solving specific questions.
Learn to Paint Podcast — Conversations with different artists about learning to paint!
Baking + Cooking
Challah-Making Tools — I’ve linked all of my go-tos here! You don’t need much to get started (and some of these items are “extras”) but if you’re hoping to build out a real at-home arsenal, I’ve got you covered.
NYCake — Linking for the experience that is the brick-and-mortar shop in Manhattan! It’s a veritable baking emporium full of every tool/specialty ingredient you could possibly want. Hundreds of sprinkle colors/mixes, every cookie cutter shape you can imagine, etc. Worth a walk-through just for inspiration.
The Chef’s Garden and Gourmet Sweet Botanicals: My favorite online sources for edible flowers. Perfect for anyone who wants beautiful garnishes year-round, especially if your local market doesn’t carry them.
My Kitchen Year: 136 Recipes That Saved My Life — One of my favorite cookbooks. Special and different.
Peter Callahan’s Party Food — More aspirational, but so inspiring to flip through. If imaginative food makes you happy, you’ll love it. (Peter Callahan is one of Martha Stewart’s go-to caterers and the “inventor” of now-legendary mini hors d’oeuvres.)
Creative food & entertaining inspiration (personal favorite follows!): Laura Kim, Sivan Kobi, Carolina Gelen, Darcy Miller, Julius Roberts, Carina Wolff, Yotam Ottolenghi, Erin French, Adeena Sussman, Isabelle Heikens, Peter Callahan.
Sprinkle Robot — Melissa somehow comes up with the most delightful new designs every season. Every single sprinkle is piped by hand—they’re little edible works of art.
Jewish Inspiration
Favorite places to shop for Judaica: J-Home Malibu, AHYIN Judaica by my friend Micaela Ezra, Yaeli Vogel, Concepts of Art in the Berkshires, Judaica Hungarica (I love her clocks!), The Jewish Museum Shop, Atoof, vintage Judaica finds on Etsy.
Favorite Jewish writers, poets, books —psalms, Marge Piercy (The Art of Blessing the Day), Dani Shapiro, Sheryl Paul, Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, Yehuda Amichai, Leonard Cohen (The Book of Longing), Elie Wiesel (and particularly his acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986), Rabbi Jonathan Sacks (The Great Partnership and his inspiring sermons and speeches), Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (The Sabbath) Anita Diamant (Living a Jewish Life), Abigail Pogrebin (My Jewish Year), Sarah Hurwitz (Here All Along).
Favorite Jewish artists: Chaya Toron, Avraham Vofsi, Isabel Halley.