One of the traditions I like, which we've only had the chance to do once, is Friendsgiving. We all have friends who are like family to us; some friends are more like family than actual family members. Whether you're celebrating the holiday together with friends in advance of a family Thanksgiving, or because you can't get home to see your relatives for various reasons, it's nearly guaranteed to be a memorable good time.
Maybe you can't get home because your family lives too far away for you to go back for just the weekend (or perhaps you don't have Friday off, or worse, Thursday). If your friends all come from different places, you can throw a little healthy rivalry into the revelry with these West and East Coasters from Paper Trail. A couple of years ago, I went to a friend's wedding in California. The bride and groom, both of whom I went to high school with, are from the East coast but live in California. The wedding had a contingent of friends and family from each side of the country and there was a hilarious back-and-forth about which coast was better. It bonded us to some of the other friends we hadn't met before and was just a lot of fun. With these amusing coasters, your friends can call out their loyalties and keep glass rings off your table at the same time.
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When I was younger, I was a voracious reader and tore through several books a week. Oh, to have the time for that again. It helps when you are also an insomniac starting from a young age (although, now that my 4 year old is following this pattern, I'm not sure how great it is). I also loved to make up stories about people and what they did and where they went. For better or worse, I have a vivid imagination.
So when I see the Brownstone Bookcase from The Land of Nod, all I can think is: amazing dollhouse. Yes, it looks great with some books and toys, but how fun would it be to style at least some of this piece as a dollhouse? Decorate some of the shelves, grab some dolls and stuffed friends, and you (or, you know, your child…) could entertain yourself for hours creating lives for the dolls and imagining their interactions. I would have a ton of fun making up stories with my daughters about the apartment dwellers within. At least one shelf would be an Auntie Mame-style penthouse with revolving decor. On the practical side, having the option to close the doors and hide away the toys and books when they're less than neat is a nice plus. The modern design certainly goes with what we have in my house, and I like that it has the natural wood tone as well, so it wouldn't feel overly matchy-matchy with my daughter's white bed and dresser. It is pricier than a simple bookcase, but if your kids are interacting with it on a level beyond organization, it could be worth the additional cost. I love that it could serve more than one function, and of course, I'm partial to anything city-related, so I think it looks super cute. Brownstone Bookcase, $599, landofnod.com Today's regular dental checkup (cavity-free, hooray!) reminded me of a product I learned about a few months ago. I think we can all agree, toothbrushes aren't especially attractive. A few years back, one of the major toothbrush manufacturers had a designer line that was fairly cute and they had several write-ups in magazines, and probably online. That fizzled out but there are alternatives. I love these designer toothbrushes at AlmandersAlley. They're slightly more expensive than the regular type available at the drug store, but there are so many styles available, so you can find a design that matches your personality. The marble design above, and the animal print, below, are my two favorite styles. I have a stash of toiletries on hand in my guest bathroom in case visiting friends and family ever forget something. It would be fun to have a handful of these available for those situations, and I like the idea of having something a little different that would make my guests smile.
There are also abstract, floral, plaid, striped, and tropical styles among others. images via almandersalley Xx a I have a weakness for cute juice glasses. I have some standard workhorse glasses that we use daily, but also a set we received as a bridal shower present from one of my best friends that have a little gas tank at the bottom and say F (for full) at the top. I also have a set from Anthropologie that is about six years old now, with illustrated letters (R is for ring, Q for queen, etc) but unfortunately, we don't have the cupboard space in this house, so they're safely packed away in the basement. Whenever I'm online or shopping, I always catch myself admiring sets of glasses, though, like these super cute Family glasses by Mary and Shelly Klein, of K Studio, exclusively at UncommonGoods. Apparently these came out last year when I was in my pregnant-and-passed-out-on-the-couch phase, so they're new to me. I've always been a big fan of K Studio's products and their sweet illustrations, and the mother-daughter team is so nice in person. If you have a large family, this can get a bit pricey, but I find them to be a much cuter alternative to those stickers on minivans (I'm sorry, I said it.) and I think they have a fairly wide appeal, though I do realize they're not very diverse. This is what I'd order for my family: And they look so cute filled! Of course, then I think, should I buy glasses in the older girl version as well for when my kids grow up? But at the same time, I love the idea of just having these four to show what our family looks like at this point in time. Would you buy these for yourself or for someone as a gift?
Family Glassware, $12 each, uncommongoods.com images via uncommongoods Xx a As soon as I saw this set of watercolor paints (above), I knew I had to feature it. The powdered paints, in gorgeous saturated colors, are derived entirely from natural flowers. The powders have a slightly sandy texture and seem to shimmer in the sunlight. Each set of 20 paints is unique and comes packaged in a handmade thin recycled-metal case, which is small enough to travel with. Put a bit of powdered paint and water in the lid of the desired canister, mix, and create!
A similarly intriguing set is made of crushed natural stone and sand (below). Gypsya, the retail site of artist Rose James, specializes in handmade products crafted from organic and recycled materials. I love the idea of giving someone a gift they can create something beautiful with--especially if they share their work, it sort of perpetuates the gift giving. Please note, these items are not recommended for children; the listings at gypsya's Etsy page has a bit more information on usage. The supply of flower paints is currently limited, but Rose is working on making more. Flower or Stone watercolor paints, $42 each for set of 20, gypsya.com When piles of projects come home from school, it can be a little overwhelming to figure out what to do with them. Save? Toss? Display? Aerin Lauder, of Estée Lauder and Aerin, has a beautiful and simple solution to display the art and really enjoy it every day. This shot from an old Elle Decor story shows how Lauder wonderfully incorporated her children and their creative masterpieces in this cozy kitchen nook at her East Hampton house. I'm kind of dying to jump into this picture to have juice and a parfait at that banquette.
I like that the art and her children's super adorable portraits, offset by pale blue walls above the shelf, are mixed with a Jeff Koons vase. Even though the vase is high end, its shaggy puppy shape is fun and feels right in this room. Don't be afraid to have adult and kid things in the same space. As someone currently living in a house where four generations of my family have now lived, I'm a fan of how Lauder carried on (but updated) the house's blue-and-white palette—honoring her grandmother Estée, whose house and favorite color combo these were. Speaking of this house and kids, our double-header birthday parties for the girls are tomorrow so we're off to pick up supplies, treats, clean the house, and decorate. It should be a lot of fun and we're looking forward to it. Hope everyone has a great weekend! Today is my older daughter's fourth birthday and I don't think it has fully sunk in yet. I still have a bunch to do before her party this weekend. Actually, two parties: My baby turned one exactly a week ago and we're ambitiously trying to have both birthday parties in the same day—one right after the other—since there is so much guest overlap. We've shortened the parties to two hours instead of our usual three and will have a half-hour "intermission" in between where we'll switch the decor from sunshine and rainbows (for our one year old, because she's our Sunshine) to pink princess (four year old). Cupcake is fully enamored with all things princess, though thankfully, she still likes trains, building towers, coloring, and is getting into the idea of sports. But design-wise it's queens, rather than princesses, who seem to have the better style reputation. Case in point: these gorgeous illustrated cards from Rifle Paper Co. Four iconic queens get the royal treatment, each with her own coordinating floral background drawn in Anna Bond's signature whimsical style. I love the saturated colors, the details on all of the dresses, and how regal each woman looks, even though Bond's drawing style is so sweet. I think I would choose Nefertiti for myself, how about you? The cards are available as boxed sets of 8, single cards, or as an assorted set of 8 (2 of each design).
images via rifle paper co. Xx a Now that Halloween has passed (barely, and when I was at A.C. Moore yesterday, all the Christmas decor was already out), everyone seems to be going into full holiday mode. The December issues of magazines will be out soon, which means gift guides. Even though I generally don't start shopping this early, I can't wait to see the guides. That being said, I will be sharing a few of my favorite gift ideas over the next several weeks. First up is a recently-released luxe gift for the outdoorsy wine-loving type. Picture this*: A sunny day, a light breeze, two people biking casually down a path. They choose a place to stop and set up a light picnic—complete with bottle of wine—and have a peaceful, intimate moment to themselves. If indulging, even briefly, in the wine country life of leisure is your idea of a good time, owning the Clos Cruiser might be the first step. This limited edition bicycle is available through a partnership between home and fashion boutique C. Wonder and Sonoma-based winery Clos du Bois. The bicycles are a fancy version of C. Wonder's existing City Bike with a few special extras: Exclusive to the Clos Cruiser is a navy and white chevron-lined wicker basket outfitted to hold two GoVino reusable wine glasses, and a corkscrew, which are included, and a bottle of Clos du Bois wine. If you purchase the Clos Cruiser—available in fuchsia or navy—from Clos du Bois's site, the wine is included automatically. The options are a Chardonnay or a Cabernet Sauvignon. If you choose to purchase through C. Wonder's site or select C. Wonder stores, in addition to the glasses and corkscrew, they'll throw in a monogrammed wine stopper instead and a discount for use at closdubois.com to choose any varietal of your liking. The limited-edition Clos Cruiser by C. Wonder will be available through the Spring, $350. Cheers! images via clos du bois and c. wonder
*Sicily , 1922. Don't you automatically think of that whenever someone says, "Picture this"? Xx a Happy Halloween! This morning I had my older daughter's preschool parade and party. It's raining here, so the parade moved indoors but it was still adorable and rambunctious. They were extremely excited about all the treats they were getting. Speaking of treats, today I'm excited about candy, too, and not just the kind I not-so-secretly hope there will be leftovers of: Some fun artwork inspired by candy and literally made out of gum, candy, and chocolate. Look at that crazy gum logo I made (above) using yournameingum.com! So fun! Now I'm doing some last minute decorating and handing out candy. I am going to try to add a few more images to this tonight if I can! images via junkculture, artjetset, yournameingum.com (first image and in slideshow), redesign revolution, ann's journals collection
Xx a In middle school and high school, I realized that though I was weird, quirky, creative, and some of my closest friends were art kids, I was not an art kid. There was some overlap, and I tried to take more art classes in college, when I could fit them in. But as much as I love visual arts, images, and design, I am better with words.
Similarly, as an adult, I am not an artist, stylist, or designer, but I work with them, write about them, and get to be partially immersed in that world. I'm trying to learn more from them. The creativity is always inspiring me to look at things differently and sparks my own ideas. When this image from Vintage Revivals (above) happened to pop up in my stream on Pinterest, I was very intrigued. |
#checkout this blog with shop-themed puns
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