Wrapping paper is awesome, ribbons and bows are grand, but for me the gift tag is where it’s really at. It’s the icing on the cake. That special, personalized touch that takes a gift above and beyond in my opinion. I used a variety of metallics, kraft paper, and label-shaped stickers this holiday and I find myself wishing I’d spied some of these sooner! (Psst… there are a few free download gems in there!)
In a normal year my Christmas tree goes up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year it went up the Friday before, I had the itch to decorate and scratched. I blame it on the perfectly chilly day full of sleet that that Friday was, but think it had just as much to do with the abbreviated holiday season we’re experiencing in the U.S. this year.
I love pulling out all of the ornaments I’ve collected over the past ten or so years. All pink, blue, silver, and white for the most part. For 2013 I changed things up a bit by adding silver garland to the mix, a first ever for any tree I’ve ever decorated. (If I’m too crazy for you, I totally understand.)
When I decorate for the holidays I don’t like to disrupt everything, but rather add here and there to enhance. A few ceramic faux bois platters on the cocktail table, a bunch of eucalyptus in a hippo vase, and of course some seasonal candies. A metallic snowflake hanging from a lamp, a few pomanders, and a candle on the credenza… we’re getting there!
The fireplace and mantel were strung with Edison bulbs and a banner begging for snow, as well as a few mercury glass and bottle brush trees. A set of silver finials and some woodland creatures help round it all out.
A few bits on the kitchen cabinets and a bauble on the hall closet door, a favorite card over there in the guest bath, and some gold tinsel hanging around a frame. That’s how we do Christmas at Design Crush!
Each December I make the effort to take on at least one holiday craft project. Because it’s true what they say – homemade/handmade really does mean more. I can look back at past projects and know just what was going on in my life the years that I made them, almost like a timeline. I haven’t decided on my project for 2013 just yet, but these 25 (yeah, that number is no coincidence) are for sure in the running!
Click on each image to go to the project. All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.
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.
Because Thanksgiving is falling so close to the end of November this year, it really feels (to me) like I’m rolling out holiday coverage early. I’m so thrown off, it seems like we’re going to carve the turkey and Christmas is going to be the very next week! Which is also why I wrote out my holiday cards last week. There are so many incredibly designed/illustrated/written creations that I thought it was high time to start passing them your way.
I was really excited when Bing asked me to partner with them to share the new Smart Search for Windows 8.1. I’ve always been a really visual person, which probably helps to explain why I’ve always worked in creative fields among other (more nerdy) things. It’s also why I love my job as an art and design blogger, but sometimes the internet doesn’t translate well for my type of folk. Smart Search is an entirely visual search that shows you a clean, graphic view of information from across the web – right up my alley. You can use it to check out the weather, get directions, or like me… find the perfect Christmas cookies!
One of my pet peeves about recipes in general is when no photo is attached. How do I know what the end result is supposed to look like?! Is this chocolatey blob accurate? Well, Smart Search eliminates that problem completely. I can now find the cookies that I’ll make to take home with me to my Grandma’s for the holidays by what looks most delicious. (All of them, obviously.)
It was no easy task, but after a major search I narrowed down the results to these eight. And I still need to take that down further, because my 89-year-old Grandma and I have an agreement that we’ll each make two kinds. (Though she’s such a cheater.) Which two get your votes?
This post was created in partnership with Bing. With a type or a swipe you can search the web, the cloud, apps, and your PC or tablet, all in one place using Bing Smart Search on Windows 8.1.
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Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Design Crush going!