My Grandma turned 90 this year and has finally agreed to relinquish cookie making duties to me this Christmas. (She’ll still be making her famous-among-hundreds nut rolls, however.) I’ve done a few cookie swaps over the years, and I have to admit they make the cookie task much more interesting. I love trying other peoples’ tried and true family recipes, and I love the variety that comes with a good ‘ol fashioned swap. Do you have a go-to?
It’s not often I write about artists who are no longer creating, but Leon Berkowitz has been gone since 1987. He’s known for filling his canvases with fields of vibrant color, most often inspired by the landscapes of his travels. What attracted me to them is how similar they feel to aura photographs.
Suite One Studio‘s modern handmade tableware is most definitely on my Christmas list. Owner Lindsay Emery uses high quality porcelain, handmade watercolor glazes, and hand-painted genuine gold to create her beautiful collections – I swear the glazes look good enough to eat! You can read more about her process over on Jojotastic.
I’m not feeling very in the holiday spirit this year, but I’m hoping the tree I’ll be putting up soon will kick in like some sort of Christmas upper and get me there fast. I’ve upgraded from a 6-foot tall tree to a 9-foot since my ceilings in this new place are higher. The curved staircase has this perfect little nook that seems tailor-made for a tree (I’ll be sure and Instagram a photo or ten once it’s decked out). I’ve picked up a few new ornaments to make sure I have enough, and I’m wishing these shiny things below were on that list.
Today the 24 Merry Days spotlight is shining right here, and we’re giving away $300 to spend at Anthropologie! As a frequent Anthro shopper this is a perfect match, and I’m already jealous of the future winner. What would you blow it on? The official start of winter being two weeks away, I think I’d opt for some cozy accoutrements to aid me through the year’s chilliest months. Things like hats and scarves, throw blankets, and candles for my home. This giveaway is open worldwide, so scroll down to see a few of my favorites and for 20 chances to enter and win! (PS: Don’t miss out on Saturday and Sunday’s worldwide giveaways to Baba Souk and Artsy Modern!)
Come winter I prefer to layer a super soft scarf under my coat, rather than over it. I’ve found it keeps me warmer, and I can pull as much or as little out of the collar as I want!
I love adding a bright throw to my bedroom to snuggle under with a book or for weekend mornings spent lingering in bed. And I have to admit, the cats don’t seems to mind it one bit either…
My 114 year old fireplace is non-functioning, so I filled it with lots of votive and pillar candles and mercury glass to reflect all of the light. At least as good as a real fire!
This week on Design Crush:
Are you following along with 24 Merry Days? Twenty-four bloggers are doing giveaways for 24 days this month. Drake General Store x Design Crush is giving away a cherry-picked prize pack worth a whopping $1,000! Check out eight art prints I’ve got my eye on this month.
Crushing on the ceramic work of RedRaven Studios.
Time to start fresh with some clean stockings this Christmas?
The wall hangings of artist Heather Levine are stunning.
More holiday cards, just in case you have yet to pick yours out!
This monthly art subscription – Papirmass – is perfect for the art lover on your list.
Showstopping hand-painted wallpaper from Voutsa. 2015 calendars, part 5 to get you ready for January!
Sharing the last room on the first floor of my home, the kitchen.
A bevy of drinks for holiday entertaining and coping – Happy Alcoholidays!
The holidays can be tough, not on everyone but certainly for us introverts out there. And while proper amounts of imbibing and etiquette are preferred, alcohol can definitely be the social lubrication necessary to get through all of those get togethers from November through January. Here’s a slew that I’ve bookmarked for this winter. (See also: Alcoholidays 2011, Alcoholidays 2012, Alcoholidays 2013)
Today I’m sharing the last room on the first floor, the kitchen. (The second floor bedrooms and office will be along come spring when I can get around to doing some more decorating.) We’re also going from my favorite room to the one I fight with most often. The kitchen has more “fast fixes” in it than any other part of the house, at least that I’ve found so far. If you look at the doorway floor above you’ll see that the floor of the entire room has been built up about an inch, and both doors into it require you to physically step up. It’s been missed by many a person, many a time.
So here we are, and that’s alotta tile. Someone must’ve scored a serious deal because half of the kitchen is covered in the stuff. The plan is to tear it down in a year or so – when those painted 1950s cabinets gets replaced – and instead do a half wall of white subway tile.
One of my favorite parts of the room is the Tetra Pendant from Lamps.com that I put in about a month after moving it. With all of the spaces quirks and problems I feel like this pulled a lot of things together and gave it at least a touch of my sensibilities. It’s the first thing that everyone sees when they walk (or trip) into a room that really needed a focal point.
The kitchen in my last house had about twice as much cabinet space, it was the room that sold me the house when it came down to it. Here I had to downgrade to a standard fridge from a double-door as well as bring in some additional open shelving. There’s also a small closet/pantry next to the back door that I plan on adding shelves to after the new year.
My biggest pet peeve might be that there’s no stove, only a separate oven and cooktop. An old cooktop. That someone spray painted black. There actually wasn’t even an oven when the place went on the market, it was a contingency I added during negotiations. The exhaust hood is equally ancient and I can’t stand that the microwave has to be where it is. But at least the oven is brand new and white.
I really like being able to have my cookbooks at arm’s reach, and because there’s not much wall space for art the covers act as just that. I’m also able to display my little vase collection and the ridiculous amount of tea that I rotate through.
There’s definitely a ways to go with this room before I’m satisfied, but I’m also happy with what I’ve been able to do with it on the budget I’ve allowed myself while saving up for bigger renovations.
