My Grandma and I have a theory about time flying – the older you are, the faster it goes. Think back to how as a kid it took for-ev-er for Christmas to roll around, and now as an adult it’s like HOLY CRAP Christmas is three weeks away! Because when you’re under 10 you don’t have that many years under your belt and time feels incredibly spread out, but the older you get the shorter those yearly chapters become. Basically, that’s a long-winded way to say that there are only 29 days until the new year so you’d better start looking for a planner.
I’ve mentioned before just how elusive a good watercolor technique has been for me, but I don’t think I’ve told you that it’s also my favorite kind of painting. Longtime internet friend and designer Sarah Zero creates fun, colorful, lively watercolor abstracts and patterns in her shop – Jackalope Heart.
I love gifting art for any reason, and Jackalope Heart is ridiculously affordable. Sarah offers both original paintings as well as digital downloads for sale. And here comes the crazy/amazing part, so brace yourself. With the coupon code TURKELOPE13 you get $10 off a purchase of $20. That boils down to four digital downloads for only $10 or one original for $15 (limited supply). Take advantage for prettying up any bare walls in your own home, or crossing some names off of your gift list!
This week on Design Crush:
Modern, timeless jewelry from Isobell. (And a 15% discount!)
Plenty of holiday cards in part 2 and part 3 of our roundups.
Perfect gifts from Baba Souk! (And another 15% discount!)
Forty-eight cocktails to get you through Alcoholidays 2013. Giving thanks with photographer Jessie Askinazi. 24 Merry Days is back this year! 24 days, 24 bloggers, 24 giveaways beginning December 1st!
I hope all of our U.S. readers had a Happy Thanksgiving!
See how my month went via Insta November.
I feel like I say this every month, but how in the world is it the end of November already?! (Aside from the Earth continuing to rotate on its axis I mean.) I rung in my 34th birthday on the 4th with plenty of flowers and cake. And beers. It only took me 5+ years, but I finally had the pilot light in my fireplace lit. I’ve been using it for a few hours every few days and I’m kicking myself for taking so long! The fluffiest pumpkin spice pancakes happened, as did a new and much needed pair of Warby Parker glasses. I decorated a little for Thanksgiving with pumpkins, foliage, and a strand of edison bulbs. And then a few days later I put up the tree because I had an itch and scratched it. (And because when you’re 34 you can do whatever you want!) The weather has been unseasonable cold, which means the dogs have already been wearing their sweaters. One of them does not appreciate my mothering, obviously. Speaking of animals, my menagerie as expanded by one! Meet Rainey, the last of the kittens I fostered after the Moore tornadoes in May. (I’m well on track to being a Crazy Animal Lady by 35.) I managed to write out my holiday cards and get them in the mail the day before Thanksgiving, a first. This French Apple Cake with homemade caramel sauce and fresh whipped cream is my new go-to. Trust me on this one and make it immediately. We had some sleet, snow, and freezing rain last weekend, and I love any reason to pull out my Sorels! So warm and cozy. I also made some Apple Dumplings that didn’t last long after coming out of the oven. So now we’re in the homestretch of 2013, can you believe it? Let’s make December count.
Today seems like the perfect time to tell you all how thankful I am for you. Because whether you realize it or not, you’re responsible for making this dream that I didn’t even know I had come true just by reading Design Crush.
If you’re in the U.S. I hope you’re having the best Thanksgiving. One filled with lots of food, lots of love, and lots of leftovers. Back to regularly scheduled programing tomorrow!
Do you remember 24 Merry Days last December? Well, this year it’s back and about a million times better than ever. In case you’re not familiar, 24 Merry Days is an advent calendar of giveaways – one a day from December 1st through the 24th featuring 24 bloggers. Audrey of A Little Street has completely outdone herself pulling the entire project together with gifts from Public Bikes to Max Wanger to Mud Australia – times 24. (I can hear your jaw dropping over here. It’s okay.)
I’m not allowed to spill who’s giving away what when, but I can tell you that it’s going to be amazing. And that you can check in on the 24 Merry Days site each day starting December 1st to find out where to go to enter that day’s giveaway. You can also follow me on Twitter at @designcrush where I’ll be sharing the same info each day. Get ready to click guys, cause it’s gonna be AWESOME.
For me it’s been a bittersweet year. I’m thankful for the time I got to spend with my step-grandfather, Pete, as he battled the end stages of Alzheimer’s. I’m thankful for a big decision that was just made, one that should lead to great things (Sorry to be vague – more to come on that front!). And I’m also extremely thankful that I’m able to earn a living doing what I love.
Today I’m happy to share the work and words of friend and (killer) photographer Jessie Askinazi. A few weeks ago we were chatting and I thought it would be interesting/awesome to see what she’s is most thankful for because if nothing else Jessie is always beautifully honest.
So, what are the three things you’re most thankful for this year?
COMRADES. When I say comrades, I mean more than friends. These are my beloved, the people I’d take with me to a desert island because I couldn’t imagine a life without them. These are the sort of nut jobs I can make morbid and distasteful jokes with; things we could never say to most people, our dirtiest thoughts that expose character flaws and perversions. The real stuff. The good stuff. The bad stuff, too. The faces that have seen me after I’ve been hospitalized for an intestinal migraine, and came equipped with a bottle of Pedialite in the middle of the night; or made me dinner with what little money they had left. They don’t judge me for my essence – they know that I will always exist outside of conventional perimeters, and I know that they will too. They’ll say the truth, especially when I’m terrible – and call me out.
FASHION DESIGN. I’m thankful for fashion design, for style being a means to protective armor, an illustrative palette that says it all and says it proudly. I’m grateful for the heavy-knit sweaters I want to burrow under so I can pretend I’m nestling in a cavern by a seaside during the winter. I love fighting the bigotry, the confines and the tar pits of the big picture by wearing a dress splashed with colors of the rainbows. I time travel through the decades by browsing my closet and issues of Harper’s Bazar from the 60’s. I outline my femininity, I imitate architectural blueprints, I mirror historian findings and I conjoin with textures. I fight the good fight, and I’m proactive through what I put on. Fashion takes me outside of the flatlands and transports me to a sky full of stars.
MORTIMER. When I lived in Los Angeles, I worked at a great shop called Polka Dots and Moon Beams. During my lunch breaks, I’d wander into the pet store next door and play with the puppies. One day I met a teeny tiny chihuahua about the size of a newly hatched duckling. He was so much calmer and sweeter than all of the other pups and there was something special about his disposition that kept calling me back. I guess it’s that thing pet owners talk about when they said “he chose me.” Even Penelope Cruz told me to buy him (she was in the store at the same time). I wasn’t planning on getting a pet, but everything in my gut told me I couldn’t stand to see him go to someone else. I’ve had Mortimer for about six years now and he’s lived with me in LA, NYC and FL. He has been by side through every crashing point over the past several years. He burrows under the blanket and sleeps wrapped up in my legs. He knows when I’m sad or sick and fills up my loneliness. He doesn’t question my antics or judge me if I’m broken out and wearing a face mask. I’m convinced he loves more than any creature can love, and his eyes look up at me with pure devotion. I miss him if I’m gone for an hour and I see how much he’s missed me when I return. Sometimes it feels like he’s the only thing I need in the whole world, like that’s enough.
Jessie Askinazi is a photographer and journalist that has contributed her work to Purple Diary, Whitewall, Bullett, Vogue Italia, Filter, Artinfo and others. She does her own styling and art direction, and runs an art/fashion/design blog called Morning Passages. She also writes poetry and personal essays. Jessie studied theater in New York and continues to act in independent films and theater. You can follow her on Twitter at @jessieaskinazi.
Happy Alcoholidays! Whether it’s for hostess duties, a little stress relief, or a Wednesday night in front o the fire we’ve got you covered this holiday season. Fruity, creamy, warm, fizzy? Yup, yup, yup, and yup. Forty-eight concoctions for you to test, tweak, and savor. (Two a day December 21st through the 24th if you’re the goal-oriented type.)
Sometimes you find that perfect shop – let’s call it the sweet spot – that not only fits your own taste and style, but where you can also find the perfect gift for just about everyone on your list. That’s Baba Souk. Full of color, pattern, and inspiration, all under the online roof of an indie boutique.
And they’re helping to make your holiday shopping that much easier by offering a 15% discount with the code designcrush through November 30th! (Thanks, Baba Souk. You’re definitely on Santa’s Nice List this year!)
This post is sponsored by Baba Souk. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Design Crush going!
