Christmas Wrap Up

I gave my last presentation and took a final exam at 8:30 am on Monday, December 16, so I really didn't get to do much Christmas stuff until then. I was able to put up all our decorations immediately after I got off the plane from Florida on Black Friday and did as much shopping online as I could so I wasn't totally behind by the time school was over. My decorating was very similar to last year since I was on a limited budget and didn't have much time to dedicate to rethinking the process.

I can't even begin to describe the feeling of freedom that I have when school isn't in session. I work part time so I go from basically working/being in class for 12 hours a day, four days a week to having Mondays completely to myself and getting off of work at 3:30 pm during the rest of the week. The Monday school was over I spent the afternoon baking a family favorite: English Muffin Bread. My dad makes it every year at Christmas to give friends and family. I grew up eating it every time we visited my grandparents in New York, so I have a definite sense of pride when I bake up my own batch and give it to friends.

The other thing my dad makes every year is English Butter Toffee. I decided to try my hand at it this year and I actually did a pretty good job if I do say so myself!

Bro Brennan and I went Christmas shopping together to pick up some gifts for the family and spend some quality sibling time together. Here he is lamenting the fact that Lego Bionicles are so much cooler now than when he was a kid. 

The boy and I checked out the National Christmas Tree in President's Park, something we did the first Christmas we were together but haven't done since. A few things have changed since then...

I had most of my wrapping done by Saturday afternoon and finished wrapping some gifts that trickled in the night before Christmas Eve. I used leftover silver and gold wrapping paper and picked up an extra roll from Target to finish things up. 

On Christmas Eve I headed over to my parents' house after picking my dad up from work (my, how times have changed). We went over to my grandma's house like we have done every year since I was a little kid. We also did something new this year: my family went over to the boy's parents' house and we spent the rest of the evening there with a couple other families. Our families haven't really hung out together thus far (kind of crazy considering how long we've dated) so it was nice to get everyone together and have a good time. And I was able to offload some leftover Sweet Clover merchandise during the white elephant gift exchange. 

The boy and I each spent Christmas morning at our parents' homes opening presents with family. In the afternoon my family went over to my grandma's where we had dinner and opened more presents. The boy joined us there which was a lot of fun. My mom picked up some musical Christmas Crackers from the Christmas Attic. I'm not sure what she expected would happen when she gave eight people whistles, but these two certainly had a good time:

Afterwards the boy and I went over to his house to spend the last few hours of Christmas together and exchange our gifts. The boy knows I'm a huge fan of Kate Spade Jewelry so he got me a couple gorgeous necklaces, including this statement necklace. 

via Piperlime

The boy also knows that if I could live on two foods for the rest of my life they would be tacos and macaroni and cheese. Being the thoughtful guy he is, he gave me these silly TacoPropers (microwave safe!) and this awesome mac & cheese cookbook written by the owners of a Homeroom, a Mac & Cheese restaurant in the San Francisco Bay area. I already cooked the most basic recipe, and it was delicious! It's definitely an indulgence, but I'm looking forward to trying more of the recipes. 

via Amazon.com

via Amazon.com

Both of us were off of work between Christmas and New Years. We used the time to lounge around and have a good time with friends and family that were in town. For New Years we decided to forego the expensive parties downtown and instead went out to a nice dinner together followed by wine at home by the fire (there may have even been a couple rounds of Battleship). It was by far the most low-key New Years celebration we've had together to date, but we enjoyed it and saved about $250 (probably closer to $300 with cab fare), so I'd say it was a success. 

Yesterday I dragged the boy to the U.S. Botanic Gardens so I could see their exhibit of DC landmarks and World's Fair structures completely made out of plants. The detail was amazing.

They also had a clever sculptural exhibit that showcased various spices and dried plants that you could lean over and smell. I love a good interactive installation!

Today the boy is back to work and I am trying to get all the things done that I wanted to get done before I have to go back to work and school starts. We'll see how that goes. Tomorrow I'll take down the decorations, but since it snowed overnight I think the outdoor ones will stay up for a little while longer. I kind of hope everyone else decides to keep their lights on in the snow!

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Gift Guide 2013: Gifts for Him

With Christmas a week away, we're really down to the wire for Christmas shopping. Struggling to find a present for that special boyfriend, husband, brother, or dad? Here's a quick list I've compiled. As far as I can tell, they're all still available, and ship from places that can overnight stuff before Christmas.

1. Cardboard Safari Buck Cardboard Animal Trophy - I especially like the Micro Buck. At $13, he would look great on a gallery wall accompanied by another micro animal trophy friend like Micro Fred the Moose or Micro Tex the Longhorn. Just make sure the gift receiver doesn't mind a puzzle because these guys can be a little challenging to put together. Although if you're like me and you love puzzles, you can absolutely put it together for him. I got one for the boy a while ago, and he had his friends convinced for a bit that I made it myself out of a pizza box.

2. Patagonia Men's Bivy Down Vest - I absolutely love my down vest, and the boy wears the one I bought him last year all the time. This one is a little retro in the best of ways. It's a bit pricey at $179, so if you're looking to get the man in your life some winterwear on a discount, check out websites like 6pm.com or Nordstrom Rack for quality brands at a discount. 

3. Stag Bookend Set - This set of stag bookends from Target are both manly and stylish, and at $14.99, they're reasonably priced enough to give to just about anyone on your list. Not so into the bookends? Check out the rest of Target Threshold Decorative Stag collection and see if there's something he might like.

4. Abingdon Weekender - The boy has been eyeing this canvas and leather duffle for a while as an upgrade to his usual weekend travel solution which is the backpack he carried in college. It's a classic travel piece that will last for a while, and it easily suits anyone from your college-aged son to your dad.  It's a bit out of my range at $198, but J.Crew is currently running a 30% sale with free shipping, so it's definitely the right time to snag it if you can afford it!

5. Grand Taxonomy of Rap Names Poster - I bought Pop Chart Lab's Many Varieties of Beer poster a couple years ago when my dad was into brewing, but I really love the merge of dork and cool that this one exhibits. Quite honestly, any one of Pop Chart Lab's posters would make an excellent gift. They've got one for guitar lovers, baseball fans, throwback TV show fans, and many, many others. Their tag line is "Data + Design = Delight" and I basically want to be their best friends. This specific print is $28. Order by December 19 if you want it framed, and December 20 if you are just ordering a print. If you're in NYC, these guys are at the Union Square Holiday market booth C18 through Christmas Eve.

6. Embroidered Belt - If you've stepped foot into a gift shop at the beach, you have very likely seen these belts. Leather Man Ltd., the same company that manufactures Eliza B., offers these leather and canvas embroidered belts for an affordable $35., and the entire site is 20% off until December 19. You can custom design an option from the many different embroidered motifs they offer, and you also get to pick the canvas color.

7. Crockpot - Three of the four guys that live in the boy's house have their own crockpot, and the boy loves "crocking", especially in the winter. It's definitely one of the easiest ways for a guy to make sure he has meals for a week, and it might even prompt them to cook for you!

8. Minimalist Ballparks Art Prints - This minimalist art print by S. Preston that gives a nod to the Washington Nationals is also on the boy's list this year. S. Preston's series of prints that feature baseball stadiums around the country were featured on Deadspin and in Sports Illustrated (where the boy first saw them), and are pretty reasonably priced. $25 will buy you an 8.5" x 11", but if you feel like splurging, you can buy a 24" x 30" for $175. If you want one, order it today to get it by Christmas!

9. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls - David Sedaris always delivers hilarious books, and his latest collection of essays is sure to be great. It seems that our family always lays around naps/rests after opening Christmas gifts, so it's nice to have a book to read or thumb through during that time.

10. USB Phone Charger - When I first saw these on-the-go phone chargers, I thought they were a little silly. And then I found myself tailgating at a concert or working the Lucketts Spring Market and wishing I had one to give my phone some extra juice. This would be especially practical for someone who loves hiking and camping (even without cell service, some of those apps come in handy), or your frequent tailgater. They're not exactly something he probably wants to carry around in his pocket, so don't be surprised if it ends up in your purse (am I the only person that happens to?).

11. Mason Jar Shaker - Good ol' boys and hipster dudes alike will appreciate the vintage twist on this classic bar tool offered up by West Elm for $29.

Georgetown Jingle 2013

Since 2006, local designers have worked together to produce the Georgetown Jingle, an event which auctions off Christmas trees created by local designers to raise money for the Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program at Georgetown University Hospital. The 2013 Georgetown Jingle trees have been on display at the Four Seasons in Georgetown since November 27, and last night they were sold at an auction during the 2013 Georgetown Jingle Gala event.

Another amazing tree by Corcoran Students Whitney Osterhout + Ramzah Khan

I learned of the Georgetown Jingle through the student ASID chapter at the Corcoran last year. Corcoran students participate in the Jingle by building a tree, and in the past the student tree has been extremely popular. I follow the Jingle on facebook and saw last week that they needed volunteers to help out with some last minute stuff over the weekend. Now that classes are over and I actually have time to do things at my leisure on the weekends, I sent an email volunteering to help out. Selfishly, I also wanted to head over to Georgetown and check out the trees.

Saturday I spent a couple hours stuffing gift bags for the event, along with a bunch of other volunteers from Junior League of Washington and a sorority at GW...kind of awkward that I was the only person to show up unaffiliated, but whatever, I had a good time. After I was done volunteering, I headed over to the lobby of the Four Seasons and checked out the trees.

Some designers did traditional trees, basically decorating regular green artificial trees with unusual ornaments. Others like to think outside of the box a little and reinterpret the traditional Christmas tree. My favorites trees were those that weren't constructed like a traditional artificial tree, which is also the type of thing the Corcoran students do each year.

I snapped some pictures of my favorites with my iPhone and tried to get the detail since I hadn't seen a ton of pictures of them online. Hopefully one day I'll get to participate in the event!

Darlene Molnar's tree was built from cones of paper and lit from the inside. It's inspired by the chocolate truffles that her partner vendor makes and sells in their restaurant. We can call this little area the Corcoran floor since Darlene is a Corcoran alum and professor.

I really appreciated the simplicity of Michael Roberson's design, but the coolest part about it is that it's constructed of your generic, builder-grade, brass chandelier.

Camille Saum, who has done the Jingle previously and had a room in the 2013 DC Design House, did a traditional tree packed with color and texture. It was beautifully done, but I scoffed at it a little because was a traditional tree. And then I got closer to it. I've seen a lot of...interesting..DIY can-related Christmas decorations (Mom - Tuna can angel? Diehl family - crushed can santa care of Pack 'O Fun magazine?), but these ornaments made from soda cans were amazing. Seriously, I want her to sell them, unattached from the tree.

Bill Enright, a floral event designer, created this silvery "Gatsby" tree, and I found myself completely drawn to it. I love the way the light plays on the silver and peeks out through the white feathers. This is also a great demonstration that all artificial trees are not created equal. Check out the number of lights on this tree. Most artificial trees have about half as many lights, and this tree would look very different if that were the case. 

I wish I had been able to snap a full picture of Elizabeth Krial's tree, but there was a group of people sitting by it so I didn't want to be obtrusive. Instead I tried to get a close up of the tree-topper made of book pages. We've seen a lot of things made out of rolled book pages lately, but I definitely haven't seen that trend in this form. 

If you want to see larger pictures and full descriptions of each tree, check out the Georgetown Jingle feature on DC by Design. 

Barn Sale This Weekend

Hi friends! If you haven't seen already on my facebook page, the Sweet Clover Vintage Market is open today - Sunday, 10am - 5pm!

I really love all the pieces in my space right now, even though I know that they don't necessarily all quite fit together. That's OK...they're all representative of my personal style, which I'll tell you a bit more about next week.

I styled this really cool navy blue campaign chest as a sexy mid-century bar, complete with vintage whiskey bottles, champagne glasses with gold trim, brass swans and a shiny trophy-style champagne bucket. 

This Duck Egg blue dresser is actually quite old. You can tell because it has pin and crescent drawer joinery, a style that was used as an alternative to hand-cut dovetails before dovetailed joinery was mechanized. It likely dates to the late 1800s, and I bought it from someone who pulled it out of the original owner's estate in New Hampshire. I'm pretty sure the hardware isn't original, but I kind of like the way that it breaks the lines down the front of the drawers. 

I LOVE coming across dressers like this because they always look amazing painted. I try to be very careful not to put the paint on too thick in the details so that they stand out. I painted this one ASCP Paris Grey, which looks especially cool since this piece comes with a mirror and it amplifies the silver mirrored effect beautifully.

Cassie pulled a bunch of prints from my space to decorate the Cottage behind the barn, which is decorated in a "Bohemian Christmas" theme for this month's sale. It showcases an assortment of architectural prints, a couple paint-by-numbers landscapes, and a needlepoint peacock. I try to have an assortment of artwork at each sale since gallery walls are one of my favorite ways to make a space feel collected and lived-in.  

My little herringbone table has gone completely retro. I have refrigerator boxes, vintage Nestle promotional gift boxes, and a junior marksman handbook. I'm not really much into guns and none of my immediate family hunts, but I have an appreciation for this little book that teaches children how to use their guns safely, namely by not pointing and shooting your gun at other people. Let's just say that if Ralphie had this little book, his mom might not have been so worried that he'd shoot his eye out.

Vintage Shiny Brite in original boxes...**swoon**. This is the Christmas Attic employee in me coming out in full color. I get so excited when I find vintage Christmas goods at estate sales. A quick education in Shiny Brite: Prior to World War II, a significant portion of glass in the US was imported from Europe, especially hand-blown ornaments. During the War, a lot of those glass imports came to a halt so American manufacturers were quick to fill the void. Shiny Brite was one of those brands that emerged at that point in time. It continued to be the most popular blown glass ornament manufacturer in the US through the rest of the 1940s and 1950s. Christopher Radko bought the rights to the Shiny Brite name in more recent years, so you can still buy fun reproductions at places like The Christmas Attic, but you can't beat the old stuff. Vintage American-made ornament goodness! 

This little book stand has come in handy for displaying my architectural prints and other knick-knacks. I have no clue where it came from, but I imagine it in a Sunday school classroom for some reason.

I gave my rattan lamps a bit of an upgrade with a fresh coat of gloss black paint and new shades. I have a pair of them if you're interested!

I bought this chair a while ago with the intention of keeping it for myself, but I just don't have a place for it. When you lift the seat off you can see that it originally had a hand-caned, which leads me to believe that it's pretty old. It also makes me miss my dear Grandpa quite a bit (explanation here). I thought about reupholstering it, but I think I like the needlepoint seat for now. It would add a hand-made, aged look to an eclectic living room.

This pretty gold mirror would also make a great tray for greenery and mercury glass in the center of your Thanksgiving table!

Vintage Christmas bulbs, 3 large or 4 small for $2. I love all the colors. I also have a few strands of vintage lights that work and are so fun and colorful. Just be careful, those bulbs get hot!

Can you believe I found this cool, painted pallet on the side of the road near my house? It was perfect for an ornament Christmas tree.

 The bottom table is a vintage Lane table with two felt-lined drawers. I am such a sucker for brass hardware. And you can see my grey and gold love in both my paper pinwheels which can be used as ornaments or gift tags, and my French Linen table with gold accents.

I'll be at the barn on Sunday. Definitely come say hi if you're there!!

Decorating for Christmas a Week before Halloween

This weekend, November 1 -3 is the Holiday Market at the Sweet Clover Barn. It coincides with the Holiday Market at Chartreuse & Co. (another awesome barn a few miles down the road), and I know a bunch of places are having holiday open houses this weekend too. It seems early, but for a place that will only be open a handful of times before Christmas, we want to give you as much time as possible to prepare for the holiday season!

The Christmas season starting early is no foreign concept for me. Even though I enjoyed Halloween candy as a kid, I was never super into a holiday that centered around scary stuff--to this day I'm not a fan of scary movies and you definitely won't catch me at a haunted house. I was known to play a Christmas song or two on a rainy day in September when I was "in the mood" and always kind of saw Halloween as a hurdle to clear so I could get into the warmth and coziness of the Thanksgiving - Christmas - New Years season. When I started working at the Christmas Attic when I was 14, I learned very quickly that in the (Christmas) retail world, you hit the ground running November 1st.

The boy was out of town this weekend when most of the Halloween celebrations were happenin' around town, so I took it as an opportunity to forego celebrations altogether, save some money by staying in, and focus on getting stuff together for my space at Sweet Clover.

Over the past few months I've hit tons of estate sales, which means I have a whole host of cool "smalls" in my space right now. I hit the jackpot on architectural prints, which are always a great addition to an eclectic gallery wall or leaning against a bookcase. As for my Christmas decorating, I picked up cool Christmas decor when I saw it, but I mostly focused on buying up lots of vintage ornaments and vintage C7 and C9 bulbs. I love decorating with bulbs and ornaments because you can scatter them all over your house in little bowls, on cake plates, and in cloches and feel Christmassy without the decor being too in your face.

I think my favorite part of the space is the tree I made out of ornaments on a palette that I picked up on the side of the road. The palette isn't for sale since I think it'll be useful in displaying art and such in other seasons, but all the ornaments are available for $1 each. You can check out more pictures of the space on my facebook page.

You can tell it was dark by the time I finished up and shot photos. I stayed wayyyy longer than I planned but I'm pretty happy with the way the space turned out. Hope to see you there this weekend! We'll be open 10am - 5pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Check out the Sweet Clover website for more information and directions.

Gift Exchange 2012

I meant to write a gift-giving roundup shortly after Christmas, but never got around to it. Since I'm a little strapped for time these days, I decided I could still feature just my gift exchange with the boy. If you hate coupley posts, then skip your read today and please forgive me. If you are a girl/boy who has a lot of conversations with friends and colleagues along the lines of, "I have no idea what to get my girlfriend/boyfriend for Christmas/a birthday/Valentine's Day/Our anniversary", or you want to see some cool stuff that is now on sale, then you may want to keep reading.

The boy and I don't spend a whole ton of money on each other for Christmas—about $100 each—but it's our style not to go over the top when it comes to spending. I know people who spend a ton more and people who limit their budgets for creative purposes, so I know our habit doesn't work for everyone. We always manage to find a few great things for each other, and I look forward to the exchange every year because it's fun to see what we've each come up with.

For the boy, I picked up a few items related to his new interest in cooking that sparked over the last year. He started by getting into slow cooking, so I got him an awesome T-Rex apron and a slow cooker cookbook (can't wait for him to cook me one of the amazing recipes in it). I also picked up a down vest he had been eyeing from Lands' End Canvas and a shirt that screamed "him". 

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The boy did a great job with my gifts. He got me some gorgeous Kate Spade earrings, which he learned a while ago is always a good move (and he may have had been tipped off by my good friend, Pinterest). He also got me Jonathan Adler's new book, which meant he inadvertently received the "gift" of me reading it out loud to him while he attempted to watch some post-gift giving TV. 

His most thoughtful gift was a Jonathan Adler Christmas ornament to commemorate my start of interior design school this year. He even had a great line - "It's a Christmas ornament by one of your favorite designers for my favorite designer." He's a cheeseball and a keeper. I'm going to find a spot to have that little ornament out all year. 

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So much of this stuff is still available and on sale now, so if you're not participating in No Shop January, check it out!

Last Minute Gift Idea: Framed Holiday Prints

Picture frames are always a nice gift, but they seem a little lame without a photo in them. For Christmas, treat your party host or friend to a picture frame, complete with some affordable holiday artwork that they can easily switch out when the season is over.

Given that Christmas is 5 days away, you'll want something you can pick up and put together quickly. Target's Threshold line has some really great frames right now, and Rifle Paper Co.'s holiday post cards fit perfectly into a 4" x 6" frame. Their beautiful folding cards also work with a little snip here and there. You can find Rifle Paper Co.'s products at many small businesses nationwide (buy local!), and others places like Paper Source. Here are some of my favorite combinations:

Brass + Festive Flora

Via Target

+

Via Rifle Paper Co.

Mirror + Peaceful Blue

Via Target

+

Via Rifle Paper Co.

Marble + Snowy Holiday

Via Target

+ 

Via Rifle Paper Co.

I may have even made a couple of these for myself. Both are cards I've sent to family and friends this year and last. Sorry about the crummy iPhone pics! 

Hope you are enjoying the holiday season!