I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Aside from Sunshine getting a nasty stomach bug that lasted several days (and has now passed, fingers crossed), we had a great (fattening) holiday and lots of fun giving and playing with presents. 

There's nothing like setting the table for all the elaborate meals during the holidays to make you re-evaluate the types of table linens you have. And certainly the holidays are the time to bring out special pieces, though of course I don't think you need to limit yourself to special occasions at all. Any occasion where you get together with loved ones is special enough to use the "good stuff." I love using fancy tabletop and linens; why else register for these things, right?

My table linens situation is a little sad. My dining table is a large oval and I find it so difficult to find an interesting tablecloth that is the appropriate size and isn't rectangular. Napkins are a bit easier: I have a set of four cloth napkins with metallic thread I picked up at HomeGoods and another set that goes with a tablecloth purchased to fit our old dining table. I would like to buy a new set of at least 12 napkins that can be mixed and matched (and will coordinate with a future tablecloth) and brought out when we have gatherings. 

Aside from being more sophisticated than paper napkins, I like cloth for the environmental angle--less trash!   

I really like the new line of table linens designed by Elson & Company. The napkins are the brand's first venture into tabletop products and are currently available exclusively through Elson & Company’s new online shop. 

I've been familiar with the company for several years, since I saw their second Fashion Underfoot collection—the company is best known for their stylish carpets and collaborations with well-known designers such as Lulu DK, Kathryn Ireland, and Oscar de la Renta.

The debut collection of napkins offers a really fun mix of patterns and colors. You can easily create a traditional look, a more ethnic look, something that's a bit laid back, and there are designs that feel more formal, plus a couple that are distinctly holiday patterns, if you're thinking ahead for next year. 

I'm partial to the Petals Coral, Hatch, John, and India patterns for both everyday use and special occasions. 

The hand-dyed napkins are 100% cotton and made in India. 

gif via giphy.com

Xx a

We had a great weekend getting in the Christmas spirit, even though I still can't believe Christmas Eve is today. All our snow had melted over the weekend and now, like magic, it's back this morning. And it is still hard to fathom how this year went by so quickly. 

The fun part is that we get to stretch out all the celebrations: tonight we'll have dinner with my mother-in-law and her husband, then I'm taking Cupcake (my four year old) to midnight mass with me. It's at 10p and she's normally awake anyway (inherited insomnia from me, oops), so I thought she would really enjoy hearing all the beautiful music and seeing mass in a different way. I've been wanting to bring her for years; when she was first born, mass was actually at midnight, but they've backed it off to 10p.

Then tomorrow morning, my mother-in-law and her husband are coming back for brunch and to open presents. I found some really fun gifts (including the kinetic sand!) so I'm excited for the kids to open them so we can all play with them. And we'll see what Cupcake says when she sees Santa got her the pink dollhouse she's been begging for. My baby (Sunshine) is so much harder to shop for because we have so much already, but we're doing our best to make it special for her. I got her her own version of a dollhouse that I think she'll enjoy. And of course lots of books for both. It's getting exciting because, even though she isn't walking yet, Sunshine is starting to talk and "book" is one of her words. She's a really good communicator and already has opinions about what she likes and doesn't like and isn't afraid to let you know, with firm headshakes and nods and "yeah" or "nah." Love this age!

Later this week, we'll celebrate more when my brother-in-law and his family come into town, and again with my family on Saturday when my sister, aunt and uncle are in town. Lots of fun! Lots of food!

We also made our first family gingerbread house over the weekend. You probably guessed that the gingerbread house above is not ours. But I'm sure we'll tackle that next year now that we have one under our belts. 

My husband had never made a gingerbread house before and I realized I haven't made one since home ec class in eighth grade. It was fun to do together and Cupcake really liked decorating it. Though I think, for her sake, next year I might need to get my own because I was a too little anal retentive about the decorating. The decorating ideas were mostly hers, but I made her let me do a lot of the candy placement. I feel a bit guilty, but she said she had a lot of fun, so I guess this won't come up in therapy in a couple decades. (I hope.)

Before we get the kids from daycare, we're going to make buckeyes, a family favorite. Actually a favorite of almost everyone we know (except poor Cupcake, allergic to peanuts). It's actually the best buckeye recipe I've ever tasted, so in the spirit of Christmas, here it is.

As you and your families get ready to celebrate, we hope you are having fun and making lots of memories! 

As family members and friends visit (or descend, as the case may be), it's important to remember that a little preparation can make a guest's stay more enjoyable for everyone involved. I spoke to three entertaining experts for my recent piece in Redbook magazine's December issue, which highlights easy and inexpensive ways to ensure your guests feel most welcome. Check out the article for product ideas and advice!


image via redbook, photograph by jonny valiant


Xx a

Now that we're just under a week away from Christmas (what?!), the holiday cards are starting to roll in. I'm grateful I got the bulk of mine out a few days ago, but I still have a few I want to send. I enjoy receiving holiday cards, seeing the pictures of everyone and hearing how people from our past and present are doing. I like to keep the cards out during the holidays so we can enjoy them and think of the people who thought of us, but sometimes it's hard to find a nice way to display them. 

Of course, I've seen them placed along the mantel and I've seen them tied with string or ribbon and hung on a stairway bannister, or randomly pinned up everywhere, but I like something a little more put together.

So, in a throwback of sorts--for Thursday, naturally--I wanted to share this idea I've always liked from David Stark. He, being the genius event planner/producer, put this together for O at Home magazine (may it rest in peace) back in 2007 when I worked there; though much to my dismay, I did not get to work on this story.

Anyway, he took a piece of solid insulation material, which seems to be available for relatively cheap at the hardware store, and covered it in a beautiful pink dupioni silk. Then he pinned holiday cards to the board in the shape of a tree, adding ornaments, garland, and other fun elements creating something really special and festive.  

I love this and it's quite customizable because you can choose a fabric that coordinates with a certain room, or if your holiday decor has a specific theme or color scheme, you can match that, as David did here with the palette shown in this part of the story. Here, coordinating packages and ornaments on the bannister and chandelier also speak to the overall theme. I also love this scheme because it uses black, which most people don't think to use at Christmas, but I always endorse a little drama, contrast, and sophistication. My husband didn't understand when I bought black ornaments last year, but ha! If it's good enough for David Stark, it's good enough for me. 

You can copy the tree design or try a star or any other sort of pattern to hang the cards. And during the off-season, you could select a different fabric and display your children's art or other personal ephemera on it.  

Do you display your holiday cards in a special way?
  

Whenever I am putting up the ornaments on our tree, I vacillate between loving a crazy mix of ornaments collected over the years (what we have) and wanting some sort of theme or specific color scheme like the gorgeous and sophisticated ones you see in magazines. 

I'm fairly certain, though, that if I went all in on a theme or specific color, that would last for one year or two and then I'd want something new and have to start over. Anyway, I've mentioned I'm pretty nostalgic and I like the memories or feelings the ornaments we have conjure up. 

Much like with wrapping paper, I tend to stay away from super Christmas-specific ornaments like Santas, reindeer, gifts, and the like. I like quirky, I like a mix of materials. We have wood, metal, glass, porcelain, fabric, and paper ornaments. I'm pretty sure growing up in a half-Jewish household where we didn't make a huge deal of Christmas has a lot to do with it. With my own children, we do a little more than I grew up with, and we're building our own traditions. We try not to go overboard and we purchase the "big gift" and let Santa take care of the fun extras, so that the girls will always know the real point of the holiday. They're both really into the tree and Cupcake was able to help decorate again. I'm really looking forward to next year when Sunshine can help put up the unbreakable ornaments and hang the candy canes with us.

I know they look the least Christmassy of all, but I really love these totem ornaments. And a tree full of the white pine cones and white and gold mini ornaments would be stunning. The feathers and botanicals in jars are interesting (and something that you could probably DIY) and matched with the clip on butterflies and maybe some deep green and blue ornaments could make for an enchanted forest kind of tree. Also - cat ladies (and gentlemen): paper poinsettias not poisonous to felines! ;)

How do you decorate your tree?

Yesterday I was going to share some beautiful ornaments I've come across over the last couple weeks, but then I got about one hour of sleep because I was up all night with a sick kiddo, so I readjusted my goals for the day. My designation of productivity was avoiding the stomach bug or whatever was at work that night. My daughter is better and as for me, so far so good. So, please look for the ornaments post tomorrow!

I am, however, interested in sharing this extremely DIY project because I am in awe of this architect and her Tiny House (found via My Modern Metropolis). Architectural intern Macy Miller of Boise, Idaho, designed and built a house on a 24-foot flatbed trailer (didn't they have something like this on that one random episode of the NCIS: LA spinoff with the special team?). But in all seriousness, she lives in this small space--small being an understatement, as the entire living space is around 200 square feet.

Miller had always dreamed of designing and building her own space, and living with only what she truly needed and jettisoning everything else. She also wanted to see if she could build her entire house for a year's worth of rent--about $10,000-$12,000--and teach herself about construction in the process.  She was able to save enough money and pay for everything in cash, so she has no mortgage. She has been working on the house for two years, and though nearly complete, still has plans to do a bit more work. 

As I said, I'm in awe, mostly because I don't think I'm disciplined enough to be able to live in such a small space, though I absolutely would love to able to reduce the amount of stuff I have that isn't meaningful or useful. Maybe if I were single, but somehow I think I'm too sentimental to be able to pare it down to this level. And like anyone who has owned a house in the last several years, in particular, it would be nice to not be beholden to a mortgage payment!

Check out her process and other really interesting images at her own blog. She explains the technical choices she made and the challenges she's faced. The house is really cute, modern, and minimal, as it would have to be, but it doesn't seem claustrophobic or too stark.  

When I wrap holiday gifts, I try to choose a different color scheme or pattern each year and I pick two coordinating papers. My theme this year is candy; one paper is a multi-colored diagonal stripe and the other is a candy/bon bon pattern in a similar palette. I sometimes hand-make the gift tags, though they're not very fancy (a cute cookie cutter and patterned or construction paper can go a long way).

I choose papers that are bold, bright, and graphic. Basically, really cheerful patterns that are seasonally relevant, but not too traditional or juvenile, and I usually stay away from papers that are strictly red and green (though I did make an exception for the ugly sweater paper). I think it looks more sophisticated and interesting. If you like your gifts to stand out, here are ten wrapping papers and four gift tags/labels I think are a lot of fun.
  

Fun little extras to add to the stockings!

My favorite part of giving gifts is that moment when the person opens the package, sees what the item is, and you can tell from their expression that you nailed it. I spend a lot of time carefully thinking about the right gifts for each person we give to, and even when I go a little over budget, it's usually worth it to achieve that perfect fit.  

I still have a lot of shopping to do for my own family, but I put together a few things that I hope can help you as you shop for yours. Let me know what you like!