into the woods

 

i love the whole woodland christmas theme i've seen emerge over the last couple of years in the stores and catalogs -- it seems like everyone got the memo. the whole look makes me feel like i could be curled up in a lodge next to a fire with a piping cup of hot chocolate (or coffee if we're being real), listening to wonderful christmas crooning and just more or less living the christmas dream. you too?

i love this wonderful collection of ornaments from anthropologie which are, like everything at anthropologie, a little on the pricy side. still, though, not too bad if you're purchasing just a few special ones for a gift for yourself or a loved one.

and then these from crate and barrel:

and i love how west elm has gone the more plush, playful route, with several of them under $5:

pier 1 also has incredibly affordable ones, which is especially nice - most are under $2!

do you love? so cozy, right? i love the idea of combining these little textural critters with mercury glass, shimmery pine cones and lots of candlelight for a cozy, christmasy night in.

caffeine and inspiration

i found starbucks to be full of inspiration this morning...maybe i'm lightheaded from lack of nutrition, or maybe it just was that inspiring...first, isn't the color story of the christmas blend packaging beautiful?

and don't you know people who get such joy from the red holiday cups? i know i do. get the joy, i mean, though i also know other people who do. it's a sure sign that the holidays are here, and so i love the idea of getting someone an ornament of that very cup! it's as perennial reminder of the holidays for some as the idea of a christmas tree, so why not go for synergy? they come in a set that includes the plain old white cups, or individually as the red ones. paired with a starbucks gift card, this makes the perfect stocking stuffer or thank you gift.

 

i also love the new selection of mugs, including the classic line which are clean and graphic with the starbucks sizes emblazoned on them (clearly the venti would be my choice) and even include a teeny, tiny, totally adorable tasting cup at 3 ounces, known as a demi in barista land. this one is so cute for when you just want a sip...or to serve at the end of an evening with mini biscotti and chocolate covered spoons. or if you want to feel like alice in wonderland. 

i also love the ones with the sort of freestyle mug designs inspired by their italian roast. aren't they pretty? i like that they're so unbranded, so they'd look fine in anyone's home.

and how about this starbucks reserve mug that seems to be made just for me...at first, i was thinking "why would you buy this unless your last name starts with an R?" and then i realized, it doesn't matter, because mine DOES START WITH AN R!

p.s. did you know you could buy the starbucks flavored syrups? who knew?

wrapping in bold and brassy style

so yesterday, we talked about the cleanest, most classic papers i love from the container store for holiday wrapping, and today, i'm going in the other direction. as much as i love the festive and warm styling of yesterday's papers, i love the bold and brass of these too. i love how they engage some classic hints of christmas cheer, but they do it through a psychedelic, neon filter. do you love?

wrapping in clean and classic style

i know i've been atrociously bad about blogging recently, and it isn't that i haven't been thinking and dreaming about things to share - i have! i've just been pulled in many directions and my writing has fallen by the wayside for the last couple weeks.  i am promising here and now to be better. it's funny the things that move us to action, and in today's case, it's the simply beautiful wrapping papers at the container store. not that i've ever been a stranger to giftwrap porn.

first, i love the idea of mixing a few different striped papers. it's such a great way to be festive and add a little contained chaos, but in the most orderly of ways.

 

and i'm always a sucker for really clean, classic prints that are christmasy and festive in an old-timey way. with just the right combination of reds and greens and graphic christmas imagery, it's like the christmas fantasy i've always dreamed of (pay no attention to the latke grease on my apron).

i envision buying a few prints and wrapping all the gifts under the tree (read: menorah) in just those few papers. 

it's a fantasy, but an attainable one, don't you agree?

a green table

are you at your limit with holiday plans and clever ideas? i have such an easy centerpiece or general decor idea for you. wherever you're shopping for your last minute chestnuts or cheesecloth or cider, look out for the cute little rosemary trees that seem to be everywhere these days (definitely at trader joe's and whole foods, i know for sure). if you can't find those, just go for mini pine trees. if they come in cute pots or bowls, perfect. if not, wrap them in a pretty tissue paper and secure with a raffia ribbon or any old ribbon you have leftover in your junk drawer. 

to take the idea in a slightly different direction, but a few bunches of herbs at the grocery store, snip the bottoms like fresh cut flowers and stick them in glasses filled with water. how bountiful and harvesty and earthy.

either option would look perfect dotting a long table or adorning different surfaces around the house, wouldn't they?

image, image

bird is the word

 

let's all take a few moments (between planning your menu, dreaming up table settings and designing thanksgiving day decor) to think about pretty ways to display the turkey (or tofurkey or turducken) itself next thursday...most of us have some version of this enormous turkey platter and if you don't, make a quick stop at bed bath and beyond and use this coupon or one of the many you probably have in your glove compartment to save 20%...

but aside from the platter, what will you put on it? last year, i set our platter with thyme sprigs and whole cranberries...simple, but pretty. here are some other thoughts, courtesy of ms. martha...i love the idea of sliced or whole fruits, sprigs of all kinds of herbs, nuts, berries...anything emblematic of the season. also, though, i like the idea of using items whose flavors appear in your feast...there's something nice about people being able to visually identify the flavors they're experiencing...so if you're using walnuts or figs in your stuffing, slap some of those babies on the platter and call it a day.

decorating the platter that bears a delicious meal is an almost effortless way of elevating the meal to something more than that. at least i think so. what do you think?