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!
Dessert is a big part of the holidays, in fact I think it’s a big part of any successful get together. It’s the time when it’s okay to indulge a little and let the conversation flow. Some of my favorite times have been spent gathered around a table – dining or coffee – with friends and family at the end of a delicious meal. So when Target asked me to share just what makes holiday entertaining special – that sweet finish worth lingering over – I couldn’t resist.
To me dessert isn’t just about what’s on the plates, it’s just as much about the ambiance. You want to create a relaxed atmosphere that makes your guests feel comfortable and happy. In my home that means lowered lights, candles, and quiet music in the background that doesn’t overshadow the conversation.
This is one of my favorite holiday desserts that’s a year round classic doesn’t say “holiday” at all. (But no fear, it can easily be dressed up with some whipped cream and red berries to make it so!) I prefer to serve this Dense Bittersweet Chocolate Cake with a dusting of powdered sugar and coffee. A thin slice is all that’s needed, and it isn’t the sort of sweet that can’t be eaten quickly, it’s meant to be savored – inviting the conversation that makes the holidays so wonderful. . These mercury glass plates spotlight the not too sweet slices quite nicely, while a gold charger easily doubles as a serving plate for the cake itself. My favorite mood lighting continues to be tea lights, they’re so easy and sparkly set in a few small frosted gold mason jars. Hours of talking and memories await!
Dense Bittersweet Chocolate Cake serves 10
Ingredients
• 12 oz fine bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
• 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 C) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 C sugar
• 5 large eggs, separated and brought to room temperature
• 3/4 C flour
Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line bottom with a round of parchment or wax paper, then butter paper.
Melt chocolate and butter in a large (microwave-safe) bowl in the microwave set at 50% power for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring once every 60 seconds. Cool completely. Whisk in vanilla, salt, and 6 tablespoons sugar. Add yolks 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in flour.
Beat whites with a pinch of salt in a bowl using an electric mixer at medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks, then add remaining 6 tablespoons sugar a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until whites hold stiff glossy peaks.
Whisk one fourth of whites into chocolate mixture, then fold in remaining whites gently but thoroughly. Pour batter into springform pan and spread evenly.
Bake until a toothpick or skewer inserted into cake center comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 35 to 40 minutes.
Cool cake in pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then remove side of pan and cool cake completely. Invert cake onto rack and remove bottom of pan, discarding paper, then invert cake onto a plate. Enjoy!
This post is sponsored by Target. Shop Home Décor for modern luxury made easy.
Disclaimer: This post sponsored by Target. All words and opinions are my own as always. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep our 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.)
Rachel Ibarra‘s papier-mâché and canvas vessels radiate color and abstraction all while serving a functional purpose. My favorite design element is the little pointed feet on her bowls, I might just see one holding fruit on my kitchen counter in the near future. Rachel also creates the sweetest brooches – shop her work right here.
I’ve been eyeing bunglo‘s Instagram account for a few weeks now, immediately hearting every photo of the Austin-based company’s hand-painted patterns as it was posted. Each design is inspired by nature, mid-century architecture, and adventures. Artist and designer Shay Spaniel is behind it all, with an understanding of retail merchandise and lots of travel to base bunglo’s business upon. Shop the full collection of accessories, art, cards, furniture, and pillows in their shop.
Lauren Finkelstein’s Self Press shop is full of hand-designed and hand-decorated porcelain pieces that hit the perfect note. Favoring black, white, and indigo, Finkelstein’s creations all have a moody and mysterious feel to them which I love.
