Board No. 131 - Hanukkah's Almost Here!

I just realized that Hanukkah is super early this year! Thankfully it is right days so I still have time to do my shopping and mail cards/presents before it looks "late." Here's some festive Hanukkah items if you haven't bought them yet because, like me, you didn't look at a calendar.

Top row: Hanukkah Menorah Judaic Candleholder from celestewelch; Mod Menorah Happy Hanukkah Cards from manvsgeorge; Happy whatever you celebrate Print from guydeckerstudio
Middle row: Dreidel Girl Hanukkah Cards from ReuseFirst; Il Veliero Green Candelabrum from StilNovoDesign; Hanukkah Garland Felt Dreidels and Stars of David from hilarysarobot
Bottom row: So Much Funakka Hanukkah Card from MerciBlehBleh; Hanukkah Festival Of Lights Printable Cupcake Topper and Wrapper Set from PaperScissorsCake; Hannukah Menorah from EchoLine

Board No. 129 - Cyber Monday Holiday Edition

Here are some great holiday decor and clothing finds for sale this Cyber Monday. Have fun and go shopping!

Top row: Peppermint Candy Silkscreened Holiday Pillow from sewluckygirl; Blown Glass Ornaments from wolfartglass; Vintage Gnome Porcelain Bell from TidBitz
Middle row: Santa Hello Kitty Christmas Hat from PrettyKiddy; Frankincense Vegan Body Soap from daisycakessoap; Pixie Stocking Cap from BrairRoseCraftyThing
Bottom row: Moose Heart Bird Infant Bodysuit from thebirdandelephant; Berry Peacock Eye Peep Toe Pleated Pumps from LaPlumeEthere; Jolly Christmas Decoupaged Ornaments from retropage

Board No. 126 - MICA Art Market

My favorite times in the annual school cycle at MICA is when the students sell their art -- because it's fun, innovative and, best of all, cheap! One of those times is coming up soon, an annual holiday sale called Art Market. (Information here.) Anyway, if you aren't fortunate enough to be in the Baltimore area Dec. 8-11 to come to the event, here are some of the items from students/alumni available on Etsy.
Top row: Ziegfeld Girl Print from ybryksenkova; Henrieta and Ida Hand-Embroidered Doll from hilleryrebe; Radial Pillow from smalltalkstudio; Paon Necklace from PlumeInFlight
Second row: Handmade Cake Necklace from SimplyAesthetics; Delightful Foxes Card Set from smalltalkstudio; Avenir Font Soap from Soletta
Third row: Eco Felt Block Print Pin from greenstarstudio; Hot Air Balloon (and others) Birch Necklace from sonho; Thank You Woodcut Card from bowerbox; Agripinna Silhouette Necklace from Notoire
Bottom row: Coffee Cozy Wool Felt with Long Nose from greenstarstudio; Gold Key Under Mat Hand-Painted Doormat from damngooddoormats; Graphic Pillow Picto Cube from sonya1358

Here is a cell phone picture of some amazing pillows Alyssa Nassner (aka smalltalkstudio) made last year, the fabric she designed is amazing!

Board No. 125 - A Formal Thanksgiving

There's nothing more I love than hosting people for dinner or cocktails, which is probably why I love creating concepts for dinner tables. This year I am cooking for my family at my mom's house and will be limited on decor options, so this may just be my fantasy. If you like something, buy quick, though, because Thanksgiving is only a week and a half away! (Click here to see my board from last year.)
Top row: Vintage 1960s Shenango Dinerware Gravy Boat from Luncheonettevintage; Silver Plated Flower Basket from simplyobjekts; Thankful Towel from mrspurvis
Second row: Red-Birds Buttons from PipingHotPapers; Midcentury Glasses from shipshapevintage; The Original Tres Chic Silver Menu/Memo Board from HerMajestysPug
Third row: Autumn Dogwood Inspired Bunting Banner from FabricorFiction; Autumn Dried Seed Pod and Cone Wreath from BeacheryDesigns; Vintage 1960s Modern Gravy Boat from Luncheonettevintage
Bottom row: Autumn Leaves Appetizer Plates from marywibis; Decorative Balls - Delicious Woodland Citrus from GreenRoseDesigns; Beeswax Acorn Cap Floating Candles from greenbaboondesigns


And as a final thought, I wanted to share this post-Thanksgiving treasure:



This Vintage Leftovers Ball Jar with Lid is from DoNotDestroy, but there are others available with this search.

Board No. 122 - A White Christmas

Continuing on with my home decor posts, I am removing all color and showcasing a white Christmas - one of my favorite options for the holiday season (with a little silver and gold, of course).

Top row: Swan Lake Silver Cone Ornament from amadalebel; Whirl Ornament from kimwestad; Winter White Paper Bauble Set from TanyaMac
Middle row: Vintage Bead White Angel Ornament from variation; Icy Snowball Ornaments from botanicaltheatre; Handmade 'Fancy Cane' Glass Ornament from Cloudcapglass
Bottom row: Winter Day Wreath from Stylishstems; Glass Candle Holders, Engraved With 'Floating Flakes' from daydreemdesigns; Ivory Cream Christmas Stocking in Felt from rikrak

Board No. 121 - Shifting the Color Wheel

Sometimes green, red and gold are just too, um, boisterous for the message you're trying to get across. If I was decorating a home for the holidays, I really love non-traditional colors like peach and powder blue, just a slight shift on the color wheel and toned down to about 10%.
Top row: Reindeer Bells Gift Tags from PaperUlixis; Peach and Powder Blue Yarn Wreath from KnockKnocking; Vintage Mercury Bulbs from AMradio
Middle row: Hand Blown Glass Ornament from inthelightglassworks; An Odd Encounter Christmas Encounter from thelittlefox; Pom Pom Set from orangekisses
Bottom row: Cottage Holiday Hugs Little Deer Ornament from pinkbuttercreme; Twistar Origami Kusudama Ornament from magiccarpetbag; Salt and Pepper Christmas Trees from dbabcock

Board No. 120 - Don't Take it so Seriously

With all the stress that comes from buying presents, dealing with crazy in-laws and cleaning, cooking, wrapping, sometimes you just need to let it all go. Here's a few seasonal laughs for you:

Top row: Folk Art Creche from Phillustrations; Orna-meat from zaennabanana; Useful Soap Coal From Santa from sunbasilgarden
Middle row: Yule Shoot Your Eye Out Cross Stitch from youheartus; Bah Humbug Cat Card from LizzyClara; Ornament Hand-printed Letterpress Card from rollandtumblepress
Bottom row: Naughty or Nice Recycled Felt Pillow from alexandraferguson; Christmas Tree Mini Soaps on a Rope from SherisSoapOpera; Upcycled Crayons for Christmas from bluefoxcrafts

Board No. 119 - Christmas Tradition

This week marks the famed Rockefeller tree lighting as well as many others around the world, and that doesn't discount the thousands and thousands of people who light their homes in holiday spirit. Even though I'm Jewish, I just love all the holiday decorations this time of year, especially lights people put in trees. (Just like the abstract print at right by Etsy artist TRMACKSTUDIO.) Living in the city for nearly five years now (Fun fact: I actually moved into the District on Christmas Day), I miss a lot of the outdoor decorations you expect to see in the suburbs -- renters and condo owners just don't celebrate in the same over-the-top, blow-the-electric-bill way.

Anyway, here's my way of decorating my home away from home, my blog page. I am doing a pretty extensive series of themed holiday decor -- mostly Christmas, but will include other seasonal festivities as well. The first: traditional...

Top row: Peach Nutcracker Constable from KnockKnocking; Candy Cane Stripe Stocking from elizabethburritt; Shimmering Snow Covered Pine Cone Ornaments from BBsForBabies
Middle row: Top Hat Snowman from lindasilverthorne; Christmas Lights Ornament Set from merritthyde; Ornament Wreath from wreaths4allseasons
Bottom row: Jingle All the Way Ornament from palomasnest; Swirls and Flowers Ornament from ornamentsbydeb; Gingerbread Man Felt Christmas Ornament from OhByJingo

Board No. 118 - Black Friday Sales

Happy day after Thanksgiving everyone! I hope your meals were delicious and the leftovers today just as good. Since it's Black Friday and I'm sure everyone was in line at Kohl's at 4 a.m. ... just kidding, who does that?!?! I actually had a couple sales in my Etsy shop today, so maybe Black Friday and Cyber Monday are converging? Anyway, I thought I do a post on fun holiday gifts from Etsy stores doing Black Friday and weekend sales*. I'm going to do a ton more gift guides coming up, but here's some completely random highlights to start:

Top row: Chunky Taupe Cowl from crazyjaneknits; Custom Calligraphy Mug from winemakerssister; Monet's Garden Necklace from JenniferCasady
Middle row: Tiger Lily Moccasin Teal from darlingtonia; Butterfly Vintage Silk Swarovski Rhinestones Bib Necklace from kirevi8; Vintage Holiday Plaid Suitcase from GetReadySetGO
Bottom row: Needle Felted Gourds from cozycottagecreations; Embellished Bag - Frill from showpony; Joy Earrings from AliciaWalsh

* Be weary because a lot of people are using the tag "EtsyHolidaySale" and the items are NOT actually a sale price.

Board No. 112 - Pyrex Love

Wandering around town the other day, I ended up near one of my favorite places in D.C.: the Renwick Gallery. It's one of the Smithsonian museums, but because it's not on the Mall, it doesn't get crowded with tourists. It's not very large, and I don't usually like most of the exhibits, but there is one room, the Grand Salon, that has floor to ceiling art on the walls and comfy couches and chairs in the middle, making it a great place to just sit back and think or read a book.

While there, I decided to take a stroll around the rest of the museum, and I found one statue that made me fall in love with Pyrex all over again. Now, if this was made of any other material, I don't think I'd be as intrigued, but you've all seen my avatar, and my store, and if you could only see my cabinets... This statue, appropriately titled "Amphora....Save," must have weighed a ton, and somehow the whole center vase-like section was just being held up by the glass outer shell. It just shows how strong Pyrex is - and it boggled my mind! Well, to honor this statue by Brent Kee Young, I thought I'd do a post of all Pyrex glass!

Top row: Art Deco Carafe from HappyDashery; Small Flameworked Hand Blown Glass Ornament from JennGoodale; Glass Pen Blush Pink and Amber from 101northglass; Green Glass Soup Cereal Bowls from vintageandnew
Second row: Sol Flower Promotional Casserole Dish from RustBeltThreads; Vintage Pyrex Pitcher from WeThinkWeCan; Green Diamond Harlequin Fire King Bowls from ArtZodiac
Third row: Vintage Salt and Pepper Shakers from JennyHopscotch; Boro Glass Sea Turtle Pendant from glassaddictbeads
Bottom row: Eco Glass Straws from strawsbycarli; Handmade Glass Beads from liquidphoenixbeads; Glass Wine Bottle Stopper from saylesjodi; Vintage Pyrex Labware from Shabbylull

Board No. 110 - Fall Table

I know it's a little early to start thinking about Thanksgiving, but it's so hard for me since it's one of my ultimate favorite holidays. The nice thing, though, is that all of my favorite holidays are right around now — probably because I just love fall so much: Sukkot, the Jewish autumnal hut celebration, and Columbus Day, the most random holiday that I get an entire week of recess off for!

Top row: Vintage Turkey Salt and Pepper Shakers from honey22; Fall Inspired Napkin Rings from ReeseShop; Fall Leaf Place Card from JenniferAitchison; Antique Leaf Napkin Holders from CherryBerryVintage
Middle row: Handpainted and Woodburned Gourd Bowl With Fall Leaves from natskreations; Autumn's Glow Beaded Wine Glasses from BonzaiBeadwear; Set of 8 - 1960s Smoke Glass Wine Goblets from JollyPollyPickins; Set of 5 Wee Needle Felted Pumpkins from moondogfarm
Bottom row: Oak and Acorn Paper Garland from paperacorn; Town and Country Pattern Orange Pyrex 1 Pint Casserole from kitschkitch; Turkey Salt and Pepper Shakers U Paint Ceramics from moonlitefantasies; Vintage Glasbake Milk Glass Divided Serving Dish from MachoMachismo

Board No. 82 - Christmas in July

The Etsy Bloggers team (which I am part of) is having a Christmas in July sale (which I am not part of, out of pure laziness of course - it also started last week and I'm just getting this up...). Click here for the complete list of stores participating, but here are some highlights:

Top row: Peter the Dancing Panda Onesie from twozanyzebras; Blue Sky Cloe Cloisonne Earrings from lindab142; Fancy Christmas Dangles from roseworksjewelry; PlayTime Potholder Set from veryverdant
Middle row: Poppy the Pipette Garden Fairy from beckykazana; Snowman Howlite Earrings from AKeepersJackpot; Curly Cute - Hand Knit Ruffled Holiday Scarves from FoxyGknits; Rainbow Sorbet Jade Necklace from FabulousChic
Bottom row: Angel Dust - Moonstone and Copper Angel Earrings from BeadedTail; Mollie Clutch In Alexander Henry's Red Carolina from TiLTcreations; Gingerbread Whipped Sugar Scrub from spottedcowsoaps; Vegas Strip - Rainbow Striped Bead Dangle Earrings from BeadedTail

★★★ And, here's the lazy man's out: If you mention this blog post when ordering from my store through July 31, I'll refund you 15% of your purchase (not including shipping). Just remember, you have to mention the post!

Board No. 73 - Aretha-Inspired

I have been contemplating what to post here all day and I was stumped as to what would be relevant all weekend. Well, what finally came to me — in my completely random train of thoughts — is a post full of fun hats. They not only keep the sun out of your eyes, but it is also the fashion accessory of choice for Miss Aretha Franklin, who will be singing the National Anthem at "A Capitol Fourth" celebration on the National Mall Saturday. (For a colorful history of the event, click here!)

Top row: Vintage Plaid Tartan Wool Beret from midnightflight; 1920s Cloche - Vintage Wool with Wooden Buckle from bonniesknitting; Vintage 20's 30's Red Flappers Hat from TheEnchantedAttic; Navy Blue Summer Straw Hat from YESTERDAYTRUNK
Middle row: Original Indiana Jones Hat from opendoorstudio; Rust Orange Felt Wide Brimmed Hat from jmunlimited; Mini Top Hat from ERBDBELLYWARE; Black Mesh Fabric Hat from set2wear
Bottom row: 1930s Vintage Garden Cap from allencompanyinc; Vintage Olive Dobbs Fedora from MariesVintage; Renzo Piano Cocktail Hat from jasminzorlu; Tara Grey Striped Velvet Over Shimmery Mauve from GypsyLadyHats

Board No. 48 - Cocktails and Steaks, Oh My!

So, I was also busy this week writing a review of Morton's the Steakhouse's newest book, "Morton's the Cookbook" (creative name...). The book is full of not only steak recipes, but also some amazing cocktails, salads, desserts and entrees that were all over the culinary spectrum. So, that inspired this post even though my items are a lot more kitschy than the always-classy Morton's would ever serve up — also look at it for some interesting Father's Day ideas:

Top row: Crabby Cakes Doggy Treats from MyPooperScooper; Vintage Hazel Atlas Cocktail Shaker from BazarBcuz; Vintage Celluloid Simmons Steak Knives from blogbloglog
Middle row: Hand-Painted Martini Glasses from KatsFabricsnMore; Meat and Potatoes Twin Onsie Set from bambinamia; Father's Day Blue Light Special Card from JillKinLA
Bottom row: Organic Heirloom Tomato Seeds from EcoOasis; Swordfish Notecard Stationary Set from reBloom; Cajun Steak Rub from chickenscratchllc

P.S. The swordfish joke is as follows (from my article): "Larry King 'likes' to dine at booth 10 [at the downtown D.C. location], where a painting of him hangs directly overhead, and orders the Morton’s Chopped Salad, 'chopped fine,' along with breaded swordfish, which is no longer on the menu..."

Board No. 35 - Cinco de Mayo

You can celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a margarita, or you can celebrate it by buying an item from an Etsy seller — or you can do lots of both!

Top row: Vintage Tin Litho Noise Makers from calloohcallay; Margarita Glasses Hand Painted from GlitznGlass; Senorita Flor Painted Gourd from aymujer; Mexican Cut-Paper Banners from aymujer
Second row: Mexican Folk Art Animal Pillow from missbutler; 80s Vintage Oaxacan Embroidered Tunic Dress from decades; Corn Tortilla Press/ Tortilladora Cherry Wood from kooymandesigns; Blanket Bag Happy Cinco de Mayo from alkdesigns
Third row: Spring Flowers Original Drawing from rgurney; Sunny Mexican Days Sunglasses Case from OhByJingo; Paper Flowers Cinco de Mayo Clutch from LoveAlisa; Mexican Folk Art Gourd Maracas from nocarnations