falling for fall

are you enjoying the beautiful fall colors and relishing the coziness that is true fall? the colors  seem to be at their peak over the last few days where i am, and i'm trying to savor every single moment. 

i'm off from work this week, and inside the house i'm burning harvesty scented candles for their scent and their glow,  and i'm boiling whole cinnamon sticks on the stove to squeeze out every drop of their aroma. how do you take your fall? are you loving it?

boot(y)

are you with me on loving the look of cuffed boots?  here are some of the nicest in my humble opinion...

the mrkt bea wedge boot:

the steve madden aspenn wedge boot (can i have these please?):

the adorable zigi soho stroll bootie:

these mid-calf cuffed platform boots:

and oh my god, these uggs:

and these:

and then i also love these legwarmer style things that you can put on existing boots...this is one of the best cheap wardrobe tweaks i've seen! i love these from payless and a faux fur pair i saw in the store but can't find online. i wrote about a bunch of these last year too...remember?

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honey gift files...for those who are freezing

something like these hot headz would be so perfect for a frozen morn like today. the two-packs are a great deal and with two different color schemes in each set, they're sure to go with any winter ensemble, which to me, remains important regardless of where the mercury is. it's just so satisfying to match!

another really easy, warm and cozy gift idea is a pair of these deliciously comfortable slippers from old navy which are $7.50 - $15 for the women's versions and $5 for the mens'. and in-store at old navy, they're carrying super-cozy chenille sleep socks, 2 pairs for $5. a pair or two packed sweetly in a little bag with a note to "have a cozy and warm holiday" can't be beat. similarly amazing sleep socks are $5 a pair at bath and body works too.

wisteria has these great sets of 5 pashmina-style scarves, each a different color story and they're now on sale for under $15 per set - which means $3 per scarf. need i say more? give them all to one person, or divide them among a few (saving one for you, obvi).




tell me you're amazed that gloves come with a "texting slit" on the index finger. tell me. the echo plain glove with texting slit has exactly that.
where have i been? and then there are the echo touch tech savvy gloves which "allow for reactive smart phone use." this whole situation, i was turned on to by my readers just yesterday.
among hundreds of other versions, there are also these which don't seem to have any special padding or slit, they just work with touch screens. are they made of human skin? let's not go there.

these cashmere fingerless mittens which are admittedly less high-tech but sort of the perfect combination of features to my mind, and well, they're cashmere so there's that.

and there's always room for a faux fur vest, and this one's my favorite.

well, aside from this one. but i'd rather have a place to live. sort of.

for more supremely cozy gift ideas, see last year's honey gift files...sweet dreams.

images from linked sites

nighty night

nightstands are kind of like a little apartment within your home, right? they're self-contained, just a lovely little tableau of whatever happens your first and last moments awake each day.

here's what's on mine:

-an alarm clock i've had since high school
-a small crystal bowl my grandpa gave me which holds rubber bands and odds and ends
-a glittery silver box for my rings
-a bottle of lavender and vanilla pillow mist
-a box i painted in mexico to hold my inner child - story for another day
-a face-shaped box from my grandma which holds q-tips
-a book or two and my blackberry
-anywhere between one and four water bottles at varying levels of fullness

i'm curious to know...what's on your nightstand?

image from house beautiful

if you knew suzani

for whatever combination of reasons, i've found myself gravitating towards suzani and ikat prints in a way i never was before (more on ikat later this week, and here. and here.) suzani means needlework, and are defined as "decorative tribal textiles made in tajikistan, uzbekistan, kazakhstan and other central asian countries." and i love them. a lot.

generally, suzanis carry meaning in regards to fertility, household stability, protection and health, so they make a perfect decor item in any home. i love the idea of mixing these patterns in with other patterns and pieces of furniture and art that don't directly correlate.

to me, textiles like these add such warmth and grounding to a space, and contribute to the feeling of a home that has come together over time. of course, there is a great appeal to the real deal, visiting these countries themselves and sourcing your one perfect piece from a local market, but there is also a wealth of access out there to collections of these pieces, including great sources on ebay. here are some of the pieces i love that i found there:






how gorgeous are these? and what's really lovely is that most of the sellers of pieces like these know a great deal about each one, so you have a sense of the provenance of what you're buying, which is so authentic, and really a nice connection to the craftsmanship and culture of the suzani.

a large piece like these is perfect as a wall hanging, a bed cover (on top of a comforter) or a topper over a tablecloth. they even look amazing just draped casually over a great chair or ottoman. wisteria sells some pretty ones which are "inspired" by vintage suzani fabrics, shown here.


for other real-deal suzani pieces, i love jayson home and garden (let's be serious, love them for everything) and i particularly adore these pillows:


and etsy shop material recovery is a mind-blowing sea of vibrant colors and textiles. it's a project put together to "unite antique embroidered textiles.....with furniture salvaged from second hand stores." YES PLEASE. look at this bench and chair:


I DIE. sort of reminds me of this anthro chair i was coveting. and then the pillows:



for some other beautiful "suzani-inspired" pieces, wisteria has a few pillows i love, and an ottoman that's pretty close to perfect. i love the image of it in front of a broken-in leather couch and an oriental rug underneath.



etsy seller eleganttouch makes pillow covers inspired by suzani designs which are a less expensive (around $50 each) step into the suzani world. these are my favorites - i love how they're sort of washed out looking, and think they'd look great in a more subdued, spa-like space, even though they are still vibrant.





even dwell by target has taken on suzani, though i would stick with the throw pillow since it has an embroidered texture which the comforter and shams do not -- so much of the look is about the embroidery, and i'd hate to have it all flattened out and mass-produced looking.



to me, even buying the reproduction versions of suanis supports the tradition of the embroidered art and keeps the place of the important heritage in today's design.

top two images from elle decor and soul pretty; all other images from linked sites