I’ll be sharing my holiday cards for the year with you in a few weeks, but have you started to think about yours? We’ll be picking and choosing our favorites from the absolutely huge selection available out there as the holiday season amps up and kicks off. Check out Part 1 here and now!
Advent calendars are one of my favorite parts of the holiday season. My mom started the tradition with me early and I’ve rarely missed a year. The paper variety that have the little door flaps that open to reveal a bit of a larger image or have a tiny piece of chocolate have always been my favorite, but I also love the idea of something more grand. Most of the ones I’ve included here are DIYs with a few for purchase thrown in for good measure. If you’d like to peek at roundups from years past – 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013.
Click on each image to go to the project. All photos copyright of their respective sites unless otherwise noted.
This girl right here is my 15-year-old, essentially a high school freshman. She came into my life during an especially tough time, my sophomore year of college when I was going through difficult bouts of anxiety and depression. Roxy was like liquid Xanax for my life, she was six weeks old and weighed 1.1 lbs when I adopted her and we’ve been through so much. (Right down to a big surgery she had two Decembers ago for a chronic issue called megacolon.) She’s feisty to the core and loves me unconditionally as only a pet can.
Just over a year later this big love muffin came along. Peanut had been found abandoned, trapped inside a covered litter box with the opening taped shut and no hope for escape. When I heard that my vet was looking for a home for him I signed on, sight unseen. He had the biggest pink nose, the tip of his tail was broken, and patches of fur were missing from his fight to escape the litter box he’d been trapped in. And it was love at first sight! Peanut is the biggest teddybear (20 lbs at one point, now down to 15 lbs) and the guy I cuddle with every night before bed. As I always whisper in his ear, we were meant to be!
After the May 2013 tornadoes in Oklahoma I signed up to foster eight 2-month old kittens. (One of the two litters was actually discovered in a collapsed elementary school under piles of debris.) It took a few months to get them all healthy and adopted, and this girl – Rainey – was the last in my home. She was nearly feral when we began our journey and still prefers lots of alone time, but has also learned the joys of a good cuddle session. And after all she’d been through, and how comfortable she eventually became in my home, I knew there was no way she was going anywhere anytime soon.
I’m a believer in spoiling my pets, but when the holidays roll around there’s all the more reason to spread the love. Fancy Feast likes to refer to this time of year as Feastivities and this year they’re teaming up with Refinery29 to curate their 2014 Gift Guide, a collection of wow-worthy items to dazzles cats and their owners alike. The star item is the 31st annual Fancy Feast ornament, each one is crafted by hand from the folks at JJ Potts and all proceeds go directly to AdoptAPet.com. I can’t wait to order one for myself and all of the other cat lovers in my life!
If you’re in New York City you can visit Fancy Feast at Refinery29’s Tinseltownholiday bazaar December 13th and 14th and see the gift guide come to life. From the real ingredients in Fancy Feast Broth, to the carefully-crafted holiday ornament and the hand-picked items in this year’s Feastivities Gift Guide, Feastivities is the perfect way to wow cats and cat lovers alike this holiday season!
Disclaimer: I received compensation for this post, however all words and opinions are my own as always. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Design Crush’s content fresh!
Pulling together our daydream Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s get togethers is one of my favorite sets of recurring posts all year. It’s so much fun to imagine the ideal holiday, food, and festivities surrounding each. This November I’m imagining lots of natural elements – wood, clay, DIYs, etc – and a few touches of metallic to add some interest to the Thanksgiving decor. Take a look at our version of the holiday from warm welcomes to full-bellied goodbyes, and let us know what you’re planning for your table too! (If you’d like to see our Thanksgivings past, here’s 2012 and 2013.)
This week on Design Crush: Nick Frank deconstructs the most colorful building with photography.
Bold and bright geometric scarves combine with tropical birds to show off Blazon.
Beautifully intricate and detailed reclaimed paper insects.
Statement-making textiles for the home from Avril Loreti.
Exposed Seams make this centerpiece collection a showstopper.
If you’re looking for a change, you’ll love zucchini noodles 10 ways. Nicolo Sertorio documents the rest stops of the U.S. Interstate system.
My office is still in boxes, but Grovemade desk accessories are keeping me in line.
Pretty astrological rings and necklaces in the Supernova collection. (Heeeyyy, fellow Scorpios!)
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Nope, not Christmas – autumn, October, and Halloween. October 31st has long been a big deal in my family, from great aunts and uncles creating haunted houses in their basements to massive trick or treating, it’s given me some of my best memories. This year feels a bit out of whack since I’m still trying to get my house together post move and figuring out where the movers put everything (and yes, where I put everything while unpacking). I have pumpkins and mums decorating my front porch and a few favorite spooky pieces indoors, but the majority is in the basement. I’m hoping to dig a few more decorations out before hundreds of trick or treaters descend on my neighborhood (from the realtor’s lips to my ears) the night of the 31st. But if you’re more together than I am here are twenty-two of Halloween best ideas for you to tackle!
As the United States celebrates her 238 birthday I’d say she still looks pretty damn good. So we’ll all celebrate here in the U.S. by firing up the grill and cooking everything in sight, hanging out in blazing temperatures while pretending not to sweat, and watching fireworks light up the night sky being extra thankful that the holiday falls on a Friday this year. Happy Birthday, America!
It’s Memorial Day here in the States, so I’m taking some time to reflect. Even with its many faults this is a pretty amazing country to live in, and a huge part of that is thanks to the military that protects us at home and abroad. Much of my own family has served and yes, there were lives lost along the way. Many say giving your life for your country is the ultimate patriotic sacrifice, but I prefer the idea of selflessness. Whatever you want to call it, thank you.
