Celebrate in Style

Have a happy, healthy, safe and fabulous New Year's Eve and restful New Year's Day. We'll be toasting the New Year with New Mexico's own Gruet Brut and an old movie.

The Clock is Ticking

Count down to 2008 with one of these cool clocks from Umbra:

Mystic

Photoart

Matchstick

Teatime

New Year, New Room

Wouldn't it be great to start 2008 with a fabulous room makeover, or $25,000 cash? Visit Metropolitan Home now and enter their Dream Come True Sweepstakes for your chance to win the grand prize, or one of several great runner-up prizes.

Get Cozy

More snow is on the way today, which means cozying up by a crackling fire tonight, egg nog in hand. Wouldn't it be nice to be bundled up in one of these amazing wool blankets by Klippan? Lightweight and chic, these traditional Scandinavian blankets will help keep you warm year after year.

Bookends

One thing we don't have that we need desperately are bookends! I like the simple, graphic elegance of these Urban Library Alpha Bookends. And they're vegan friendly!

The Un-Christmas Cards

What would your fourth grade teacher have said if you had practiced your cursive with these? Probably the same things that these Curse-ive Cards say. The set of eight is perfect to have on hand to express our real-life card giving needs.

Hobknobs

Designed by Amy Adams, her Hobknobs are very useful to have on hand. Use them in the kitchen for cream and sugar, in your office for pens and pencils, on your bedside table for cut flowers- the possibilities are endless.

And Now, Something Cute for Christmas

Etsy seller lletait'l fois creates the cutest needlefelted wool animals. Talk about the most charming stocking stuffers ever. Visit her website to see the full line of her felted bears.

Blue Moon Jar

The cooler, moodier sibling of the Sun Jar by Suck UK. Put the Moon Jar on your Christmas list and watch it glow when the stars come out to shine.

Actually, Yes He Did

Silk soy eggnog, much improved with Meyer's Dark Rum, thanks to my husband. Get the card at Elsewares.

A New Nutcracker

These sleek nutcrackers from Drosselmeyer will add a modern touch to your holiday table. And talk about functional - simply pop the nut into the top of the cylinder and crack away!

West County Design

We were happy to discover West County Design on our coastal drive to Mendocino. Tucked away in the town of Valley Ford, this home store was truly unique. My husband even commented that he liked everything in the place. Of course, it helped to have an adorable McNab puppy named Maggie to greet us. We picked out a gorgeous Manzanita wreath for our hearth, and it should be arriving any day now.

Deco Show

Well, we're back from California and glad to be home again. The Art Deco and Modernism Show was overwhelming! So many vendors, so little time. We had hoped to find a couple of table lamps, but couldn't agree on anything. The only purchase made was a $10 vintage purse for me. I was too distracted by all the goodies to take many photos, but here are a few.

Embellished Bottles

Laura Normandin takes vintage bottles and spruces them up with a little hand painting to create these wonderful embellished bottles.

Art Deco Dreaming

We are packing up and heading to San Francisco on Thursday for the Art Deco and Modernism event this weekend. I'll have lots of photos to share when we get back next week!

Photo of art deco building on Montgomery Street in San Francisco. Photo by Neil Lukas for DK.

MOD Mobiles

From tabletop mobiles to a wide array of hanging mobiles, MOD Mobiles will impress. The company creates mobile sculptures for both residential and corporate environments. There are many models available in their online store.

Fabulous Felt

These laser-cut felt placemats by designer Gabrielle Lewin would make a lovely foundation for your holiday table. Available in red or black.

Holiday Cards

After spending a nice part of the afternoon working on handmade bookmarks, I took a break and selected our holiday cards. The block print Reindeer from Artful Sentiments became the choice this year. Even the envelope has a hand-printed coordinating image. The fact that I looked out my window into the snowy woods really influenced my decision.

Thankful

It was five years ago today that I met my husband on an Internet date in Newburyport, so it is an extra special Thanksgiving for us. I am thankful to be spending a quiet day at home with my husband and dogs. After a hike out our back door we will come back and spend the afternoon making homemade pasta! I think this may become a new Thanksgiving tradition. Snow is coming in later today, so we will stay warm with a roaring fire in the woodstove, fresh ravioli and nice red wine. I hope each of you will enjoy a special day with everyone you love.

Salt & Pepper Orbs

Made from recycled glass, these Salt & Pepper Orbs by Andi Kovel will add a unique touch to your table. A large cork stopper helps make them easy to refill.

A Kinder, Gentler Coat Hook

Just as I was about to order the Eames' Hang It All for our entryway, I discovered the Bach. Winner of the International Housewares Association Product Design Competition, this hook prevents that collar bulge that can stretch and distort fabric and ruin your favorite wool pea coat. And at a price of less than $50 for six electro-polished, solid stainless steel hooks, my winter coat storage worries are over.

Tosai Table

Designed by Peter Maly for Conde House, the Tosai Table is simply elegant. Available in either walnut or white oak, the eye is drawn to the twisted steel legs.

"The Tosai collection connects traditional woodcraft and Japanese interior with the design tradition of the German Bauhaus which Peter Maly, the designer of Tosai, claims to be his main influence."

Into the Night

Slip into the smoky, dark and seductive new collection from Mrs. and Me. The luxurious Into the Night collection features a fabulous array of coverings for the bedroom and living room. Very dramatic, yet restful at the same time.

Favor Boxes

I think these Favor Boxes from Paper Orchid are adorable. They will be perfect for those little stocking stuffer gifts for co-workers and neighbors, or stock up early and save for Valentine's Day candy for your sweetheart.

Red Balloon Lamp

The Balloon Lamp uses a red LED light and two coin batteries to turn a balloon into a beautiful source of light, that lasts over 100 hours. This is of course a cluster of many, but the idea works well in smaller numbers. Also available in white.

Who Needs a Headset?

Forget about a Bluetooth headset when you can go retro! Hulger's Penelope Phone (in a variety of colors) really makes a statement: wannabe Luddite.

Fruit Up Front

For only $1,800 you could elevate your fruit to an art form in Designfenzider's Fruit Bowl 2.5.

Serving Up Style

The collection of serving platters and trays at Violet will help you be the perfect hostess. Or in my case, guests will be so distracted by the beautiful serving ware that they won't notice the undercooked potatoes!

Hummingbird & Scotch Elm Platter
Fabricated Tray in Ginko Leaf

Magnolia & Baby's Breath Platter

Fabricated Tray in Vintage Leaf