Happy 2020! I'm super excited about this year and I know it's going to be a great one. I wanted to share with you all some of my favorite things from 2019, and some that are just general favorites that I've loved for a while. 

Favorite Things - Copyright Kimberly Tank Art & Photography

Tea Nation Tea & Do Less by Kate Northrup

If you know me, you know I love my teas, especially herbal teas. A couple of years ago, I discovered a local tea company, Tea Nation, that has a variety of lovely herbal tea blends and will make you a custom blend if needed. These have become some of my favorite teas and I always have several varieties in my tea drawer! (Yes, I have an entire drawer in my pantry full of tea.) 

This past year, I read Do Less by Kate Northrup and it was just so good. I can't even remember how I heard about it but it felt like exactly the book I needed to read so I got it shortly after it was released. I told all of my friends about it because it's one of those books that you want everyone to read after you've read it. It was part of what inspired me to choose the word Simplify as my word of the year for 2020 and I will be working on continuing to implement the approach in the book, with some help from the Do Less Planner, which I also ordered and should arrive soon. I've already noticed a difference in my ability to complete tasks when I schedule them at the most optimal times. This book is for all women, not just moms, and men can learn from the method as well (you don't need to be a business own either). I highly recommend it!

Favorite Things - Copyright Kimberly Tank Art & Photography

Photography Camp for Kids

I have been feeling the pull in the last year or so to do more teaching. I used to be an elementary school teacher and am now homeschooling my son. I don't want to return to the classroom as I love homeschooling, so the question became, how can I teach more, and specifically in the area of photography? I already offer classes to adults wanting to learn how to use manual mode on their cameras but I wanted to reach more people. I thought about maybe brainstorming a class I could teach to other photographers, but then I remembered that I had been wanting to teach a class/camp to kids and that maybe it was time I did it. I found a curriculum and purchased it, only to be disappointed by it. So I put my teacher hat back on and sat down to create lesson plans for a 5 day summer camp for kids about photography. One where they could use any camera or even a phone and learn some basics and have fun taking photographs. I held my first camp session over the summer and it was so much fun! The kids loved it and were all sad at the end of the week that it was over. A colleague of mine suggested that maybe I should think about selling my curriculum since there aren't many out there, and the one I had purchased wasn't all that great. I'm excited to say, that I will be releasing my Photography Camp for Kids curriculum shortly for other photographers to purchase who want to teach a camp for kids! You can pre-order it now and use code camp25 for $25 off!

Favorite Things - Copyright Kimberly Tank Art & Photography

Play 4 Life Moms & Play by Stuart Brown

My word for 2019 was Play. I sought out a few resources to help me with my focus for the year, starting with a texting service created by a dear friend of mine, Christy Thomas, with Play 4 Life Moms. The texts are short, inspirational or reminder messages to be more present with your kids, play more, and remember to take care of yourself too. I have really enjoyed getting these quick little reminders and I highly recommend them for moms with kids of all ages.

I also read the book Play by Stuart Brown. I was pleasantly surprised that this book was not just about play for children but about the different types of play and the importance of play in all stages of our lives. It really went well with my focus for the year and I highly recommend this book.

Favorite Things - Copyright Kimberly Tank Art & Photography

Small Business Branding Sessions & Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller

In 2018, I started offering Small Business Branding Sessions and it's something I have really enjoyed. I love helping small businesses tell their stories and capture imagery they can use on their websites, social media, and print marketing. I heard about Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller from another photographer and immediately knew I wanted to read it. I also started listening to his podcast (which is also really good!) I listened to it via Audible and then realized I probably should have bought the hard copy because it's one of those books I couldn't listen to in the car (where I do a lot of my listening) because I needed to stop and take notes all the time. I'm still working through my own Story Brand framework and I'm excited to use the information to help tell my clients' stories as well. If you are a business owner, I highly recommend this book. 

Favorite Things - Copyright Kimberly Tank Art & Photography

Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman & Audubon Bird Caller

If you haven't noticed by now, I love books! I run a local nature group for homeschoolers and Nature Anatomy by Julia Rothman was one of my favorite books that I added to our nature collection this past year. It is beautifully illustrated and has a lovely variety of info about things you might see out in nature. 

One of the little girl's in our group brought this little Audubon Bird Caller on our bird week and I initially mistook it for an actual bird. Needless to say it ended up being a great stocking stuffer for Christmas! It's easy to use for kids and small enough to fit in their pocket.

Favorite Things - Copyright Kimberly Tank Art & Photography Amber Dreams Jewelry

This is one of my long-time favorites. I have several pieces of my own from Amber Dreams Jewelry that I love. Liz makes beautiful pieces from pure amber as well as other stones. I have a few custom pieces from her as well. The piece pictured above is for teething babies. My son wore one through teething and I could definitely tell a difference when he wasn't wearing it (took it off for sleeping). 

Favorite Things - Copyright Kimberly Tank Art & Photography

Misfits Market

When my son was a toddler, we had this awesome local organic veggie co-op and I've missed it ever since it ended. My favorite grocery store closed down late 2019 (Native Sun in Jacksonville) and now I often have to go to several stores to find what I need. Then I found out about this awesome fruit/veggie delivery box subscription by Misfits Market, and to say I was excited would be an understatement. We go through a lot of veggies in my house, and eat mostly organic when possible. This box is full of "ugly" or surplus organic fruits and veggies and you get them at a discount over the grocery store. All of the food pictured above was in the Madness Box which is just $35. I have mine scheduled to come every week and it has been fantastic. Last week's box had Jerusalem artichokes, which I've never tried before, and they were actually really yummy! I love when something like this gets us to try something new that I wouldn't normally pick at the store. If this is something you would love too (and live in one of the states where they deliver), you can use my referral code to get 25% off your first box: COOKWME-BJ5VOR. You can cancel at anytime.

This month, I am celebrating 7 years in business and I wanted to do something fun so I'm doing 7 days of giveaways and giving away my favorite things! The official giveaway will take place on Instagram (and Facebook) mid-month so be sure you are following me there! 

Official Rules: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. 

1-Follow me on Instagram and/or Facebook.

2-Like the posts for the days you'd like to win.

3-Comment on the post and tag a friend who might like that item as well.

4-For extra entries, tag additional friends in the post, share the posts to your Instagram stories and tag me, and/or sign up for my monthly newsletter 

5-Information collected for this contest will not be sold to third parties and will only be used by me in correlation with this giveaway. 

*All winners will be chosen on January 25, 2020 at midnight and notified by January 29th. This giveaway is not in any way connected, sponsored, or endorsed by Instagram or Facebook. Read eligibility requirements on each individual giveaway post as terms vary - most are open to US residents only (and the Misfits Market box is only available in certain states).