On the Rocks: Coquito.

A coquito is the Puerto Rican equivalent of a really good, creamy eggnog. If eggnog tasted tropical and coconutty that is. Feliz Navidad!

Ingredients:
– 2 egg yolks, beaten
– 1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
– 1 (14 ounce) can cream of coconut
– 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
– 1/2 cup white rum
– 1/2 cup water
– 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
– 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In the top of a double boiler, combine egg yolks and evaporated milk. Stirring constantly, cook over lightly simmering water until mixture reaches a temperature of 160 degrees F (71 degrees C). The mixture should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer mixture to a blender, and add cream of coconut, sweetened condensed milk, rum, water, cloves, cinnamon, and vanilla. Blend for about 30 seconds. Pour into glass bottles, and chill overnight.

:: cocktail via Allrecipes

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ftf design studio Trays.

The simplicity and sterile feel of these ftf design studio trays is really nice. The four available styles can take on anyone’s style and personality and fit right in thanks to designers West Chin and Roseann Repetti. The trays are made out of corian, which is incredibly durable and easy to clean, as well as resistant to burns, scratches, mildew and mold (ew). They’re perfect for the kitchen, but are very multi-purpose and can work in other rooms as well.

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Ceremony Flower Sticks.

Ceremony flower sticks are “flowers” made out of Pyrex tubes that are meant to be used with or without real buds. You can even place them inside one another. I love that designer Arik Levy makes the flower stem a major part of the piece as well as the bloom itself. It’s also a great solution for long-stemmed flowers that need extra support.

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Bad Gift Emporium.

The Bad Gift Emporium is genius for this time of year when Christmas sweaters and porcelain figurines seem to run rampant. The Emporium thrives on the thought that one man’s bad gift is another’s treasure. So add your own horrendous acquisitions and peruse the others – some of which could be yours if they’re available and you strike a sweet deal with the current owner.

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Helvetica and Swatch.

Today I was reminded once again of what an awesome design shop I’m a part of. This afternoon we had our holiday gift exchange and I have to say how floored I am. My awesome co-worker, Chris, gave me Helvetica the movie which I’ve been pining over since it’s release. And my incredible boss, Jeff, gave us each a Swatch that matched our individual personality. An incredible shop and great people. I really do have it good.

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Candle Lanterns.

One of my favorite holiday traditions is placing candle lanterns up the front walkway of my grandmother’s house every Christmas Eve at sunset. The bonus of this set from Cox & Cox is that they’re not flammable, which I’ve found to be very important upon waking to the charred remains of paper bags after a windy night.

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HD in 3D.

HD is Hester Designs, the design shop where I work. And 3D is our holiday card this year which extends to a specially designed 3D web site. No worries, if you don’t own 3D glasses you can request a pair from the site and we’ll send them your way. Cheers!

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Nina Clough.

UK artist Nina Clough is my newest crush. I like her work so much that I have trouble describing just what it is about it that I’m in love with. I feel like I’m in junior high. Maybe it’s the contrast between dark black lines and pale, filmy color washes. Or maybe it’s the two sides of her work: dark and dreary versus bright and cheery. Or maybe it’s just that she has the ability to make the mundane oh so interesting. Regardless, owning a piece of her work is a new addition to my ever growing list.



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Round Up: Holiday GIft Tags.

Besides the actual buying of gifts my favorite part of getting prepared for the holidays isn’t wrapping paper or bows. It’s not even the cards in the mail. It’s gift tags. I can’t get enough of them and this year is no exception. Here’s a round up of my favorites from around the web-o-sphere this season.

Happy Holidays tags from Pictures of Lily

Holiday Gocco gift tags by things are better with a parrot

Partridge gift tags by Sycamore Street Press

Graphic number gift tags by Sugarcube Design

Joy tags from Jane Says

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Gingerbread Pancakes.

I’m not crazy about maple syrup – the only thing I’ll really eat it on is french toast. So anytime I can get some pancake-y goodness with enough of another flavor besides batter I’m all about it. These gingerbread pancakes are a perfect example and look oh so drool-worthy.

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