A Few Of Our Favorite Things...Last Minute Gifts

One of my favorite candles...ever!  $25

Another of my favorite candles.  Noticeable and clean, not too feminine. $28

Smells just like a fresh cut Christmas tree.  There is nothing fake about this scent.
The entire line is amazing!  I have the multipurpose cleaner that I use on my counter tops, and
I tell you, cleaning has never been so rewarding!  The candles are strong, yet not overpowering, just like
a real tree. From $10-$48.

This blouse is beautiful and for only $19 it is a great gift.

Vintage flour sac, days- of -the- week, dishtowels, set of 7 $28

I love my magazines.  Subscriptions make great gifts.  $12 for 12 months.

Adorable bottle opener. $12

Beautiful frames, matted in burlap $29-39

At the top of my "want" list: super soft cable knit throw, on sale for $99.

     

If my guy had the tablet he wants, I would get him this to go with it! $69

I saw this the other day and it is so beautiful, I wanted it! $23

If you know anyone who is interested in decorating, they would love this book, by the legendary Bunny Williams. $24

This would be such a great gift for the book lover in your life!  
The goal is to collect the most literary sets.  Each set consists of three cards:
the Author card, the Library card, and the Bio card.
Not only is it a fun card game for the avid reader,
it could also be a great introduction to literature for kids.  Like my kid.
I want to buy this and then play it with my kid so that she will inadvertently learn about
great authors while we are playing a game.
Buy it here.

I think this is so fun for the budding artist on your list!
 It's available at fredflare.com and is full of ideas to  inspire your artistic side.

Robot Tea Infuser- tea is delicious!  And now it can be pretty cool.
I think this would be such a great gift paired
with your favorite loose tea.  Darjeeling, anyone?
I originally saw and fell in love with this months and months ago,
and apparently so did everyone else, because it is out of stock here,
 but will soon be available here.

~Lori

Sarah Richardson's Holiday Homes

hgtv

I know, I know.  I am obsessed with Sarah Richardson.  I can't help it, her decorating is current yet timeless.  Here are a few different homes she has prepared for holiday celebrations.  I wish there were more pictures available (I may have to take my own).  Which party would you like to attend?

Sarah Richard and husband Alexander Younger's house in Toronto Canada

Preparing for guests in her fabulous dining room. Check out those striped silk drapes!

Sarah's decorates her Christmas tree in her Toronto home, 

Sarah and Tommy decorate a cute little tree at the entry of her house with advent gifts for her daughter.

Sarah made these pecan puffs for her party. I want to try these, they sound really good and they are pretty.

While Sarah's city house is amazing, I would want to spend Christmas at her farmhouse.

The massive tree is placed between the living room and dining room and can be seen from the kitchen as well.

A simple boxwood garland adorns the kitchen stairwell.

The warm and lovely dining room has blooming narcissus as the only decoration.

An outside view of the farm during the holidays.

     

Glitter and Mold

Rebecca has been really good about posting things for Christmas.  I have not been good about that at all.  My excuse is that the battery in my camera is dead, and my other camera is m.i.a.  And I decorated late.  And I am lazy, people.  So here is my Christmas decorations post.  I would have more pictures, which may or may not be a good thing, but the camera I borrowed from my sister went dead and I can't find the charger.  I am so pessimistic today.  I really should be in a more joyful mood, considering this is the season for it.  Anyway, here is my family room, all decked out for Christmas.

The fireplace, with a paper banner that I made the other night while
Alli and I watched the Fred Astaire movie Daddy Long Legs.

Close up of the fireplace

I decided the fireplace needed a little bit o' color, so I added some fresh greens. 
My fireplace mantle is really on the thin side, so I can't add too much stuff to it.

The whole shebang.  There's my man David, dressed and ready for the season. 
See the pinwheels on the wall?  I made those while we were watching the movie.
I like them, but they kind of remind me of mold spores.  Pretty paper pinwheel mold spores.  Nothing says "Christmas" like a little paper mold.

David wishes you a Merry Christmas.

My pretty little glittery reindeer. 
Now he feels more at home, since I added the greenery.

This is our tree.  In case you weren't sure.  I need to snap a couple pictures of it at night. 
I haven't done that yet.

Glitter!

I have a few of these that all have different postcard
pictures in them scattered throughout the tree.

I love these bulbs.  I think they are beautiful.

Little feathery birdy on the tree.
 There are also some birds without feathery tails. 
There are also some butterflies.
And some hydrangea, blue clusters and brown clusters. 
I would have taken a picture, but that pesky battery died.

 So that is my living room, all decked out for Christmas.  I usually put up another tree in the formal living room, and a small Jack Skellington/Nightmare Before Christmas tree in the office/den, but I just didn't have the time or energy this year.  I did manage to put up Alli's little tree in her room, though, but only because it is pre-decorated (by my very talented Aunt) and ready to go.  Anyway, Happy Holidays!

~Lori

Christmas Vignette

From Pinterest

I saw this really cute vignette on Pinterest.com and it inspired me to scour my cupboard for things I already had to see what I could come up with.  It just goes to show that sometimes all it takes is a little inspiration to see the potential in what you already have.

My silver platter from my dining room was perfect for this.  I then collected a few votive holders, a pillar candle, two sparkly bird figurines, and a vintage Santa tin.  I then added the gold sprayed leaves that were left over from a few arrangements I had made that day.

My mom gave me the Santa tin last year; It had been in my family for a long time, but I didn't know what to do with it.

It isn't exactly like the inspiration centerpiece, but I like mine too!

Online Gift Guides

A little while ago, I did a post on the Lovely Clusters blog and the online magazine that she puts out periodically.  There is a site called Issuu where pretty much anybody can create an online magazine.  Luckily, some pretty talented people like to spend their time putting together some pretty awesome gift guides and/or magazines.  Right now there are some great gift guides on there that you can look at to get ideas for gift giving (whether the gift is for you or for someone else), decorating, and crafting.  One of them is called The Holiday Guide by Emily Henderson.  The globe snowmen are featured in there.  Thanks to Rebecca's friend Ali, we got to go to the Long Beach Antique Show on Sunday where I scored an extra large globe for 25 bucks!  It is going to be the bottom of my very own snow-globe guy.  I looked on Henderson's blog later that day and discovered that Henderson herself was at the antique show the same day/time we were.  We didn't see her (maybe we did and didn't recognize her), but I am glad I snatched up that globe before she did!  Here is her online guide (just click on the pic for the link).

Here is another great online magazine available at issuu called adore.  And they have a pretty little blog here.

Gifted also has a pretty little online issue over at issuu.  This comes from the blog Creature Comforts, which is also fun to look at as well.

Not enough time wasting eye candy for you?  Have you checked out Lonny Mag yet?  I love looking through this one; they introduced me to the great Parisian Chic by Ines de la Fressange.   

Have fun looking!

~Lori