Nifty Under Fifty: Holiday Decor

Hooray for Christmas! I'm very excited to make our home festive. Here are some holiday decorative items to get you started, all under $50:

~Where to buy~

1. Felt bird ornament, at lesleyfunkyart

2. Wool felt stockings, at Crate & Barrel

3. Yarn cupcake ornament, at Anthropologie

4. Fresh Oregon myrtle wreath, TopNotch Gift

5. Thymes Frasier Fir candle set, at Sue Patrick

6. Martha Stewart Everyday Sugarplum Dreams ornaments, at Kmart

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Happy Friday: Date Goodies

2008 is almost over; time to get a brand spankin' new date planner for 2009. In a world of Blackberrys and PDAs, one may ask the need to own a paper calendar today. I think with the plethora of beautiful calendars and planners, my response is why not? I'm contemplating on getting one of these:

A. Kate Spade
B. Procrastinator's SOS
C. Cath Kidston pocket planner
D. Daily Color
E. Sukie agenda
F. 1950s Children

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No, It Can't Be!

Dear readers, I'm sad to hear that Cottage Living will soon be no more. It's frustrating and scary as you lose one shelter magazine subscription continuously. First it was House and Garden. Then Martha Stewart's Blueprint fell victim late last year. This year, O at Home (yes, Oprah's own shelter publication!) and Home will join Cottage Living in its fate. Darn the horrible economy and lack of ads (although I can personally attest that the latter was not an issue for Cottage Living). Who or what is to blame? More Ways to Waste Time has a very interesting take on the matter; do you agree? It looks like I may be forced to spend more money on foreign shelter magazines if this trend continues.

*Photo above: the final cover

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Small Biz: Sadie Olive

Attention Francophiles: prepare to empty your wallets! Sadie Olive in Tustin, CA is the brainchild of Renaissance woman Sara Duckett (who also happens to be an amazing photographer, designer, and blogger). I just can't stop gushing about her work; so inspiring and beautiful! I need to make a slight detour to Sara's shop the next time I drive to Los Angeles.

Please be sure to check out her creative space--- are you drooling yet?










*All photos are by Sadie Olive*

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Handmade Beauty

Lovely tin birds from RE-found Objects

I received a letter from my mother-in-law today that caused me to pause and think. Out of financial necessity she will be giving only handmade gifts this Christmas. I've always loved the idea of a handmade gift for different reasons--- it's unique, it helps to minimize duplicate presents, and it has way of capturing the creator's love. Now some of you may exclaim, "I don't know how to make things! I'm not creative!" I've been there, done that. I think everyone has a gift (no pun intended) for a creative talent. If you still have cold feet, then fret not. There are numerous talented folks out there whose works you can buy. I realized, though, that I tend to only make gifts due to a dearth in finances. I guess that needs to change, yes? But whatever your motivation is, I encourage you to give a handmade gift or two this year.

Knitware tumblers by Alyssa Ettinger



Ceramic mug with tea infuser; comes beautifully wrapped ready for gifting. You can choose
from one of the five city skylines and personalize it with your message.
Rust Designs

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Nifty Under Fifty: Home Accessories

It's amazing how much accessories can enliven a space. Fortunately, many can be had for not much money. Some decor picks, all under $50:




~Purchase Information~
1. Suitcase trio; perfect for art supplies and other goodies. $32 at Mahar Drygoods
2. Le Palais de Thes fine tea. Expensive for tea, yes. But this beautiful canister can be recycled to store make-up brushes. It would really look awesome on the vanity! $30 at Orange and Pear
3. Melamine dinner plates, $8 each. Perfect for organizing small items. $8 at Elsewares
4. Wetter Indochine cupcake bowl, $16 at Rose & Radish
5. Adorable letterpressed clocks by Sesame Letterpress; $32 at Figments

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Back With Some Inspiration

The election is thankfully over! You win some, you lose some. I will leave it at that...

Now, back to our regularly inspirational program! :) Yours truly has a birthday coming up, and is planning a dessert buffet to celebrate with her friends and family. I've created a mood board to assist in the planning of this event. As you can see I may be going with the robin's egg blue and chocolate brown theme with touches of poppy red. I hope you like it as much as I do; enjoy!

~Information, left to right, top to bottom~

1. Macarons by Paulette of Beverly Hills
2. Tiffany blue cake, pinkcakebox
3. Something blue wedding shower, via Style Me Pretty
4. Delectable desserts from the local Extraordinary Desserts
5. Melamine partyware by French Bull
6. Midwest Mod print by Amy Butler
7. Setting up sweet buffet by Rebecca Thuss
8. My oh-so-versatile cupcake stand from Horchow
9. Robin's egg nest truffle cake by Martha Stewart
10. Kate Spade Gwinnett Lane china
11. Aquamarine ring at Topazery
12. A pretty dress to wear for the party, by Robert Rodriguez

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