quotabilitee :: thank you and happy new year

Wishing you a very safe and VERY happy New Year! Thanks for your support and readership this year. It has meant the world to me. On to 2011!

@ urban outfitters

merry christmas, everybody!

anthropologie holiday windows

Window display designer for Anthropologie. How on earth does someone score this job?

See more on the Anthropologie facebook page.

new amy butler handbags

I think I need one of these in my life.

throwing a holiday party on the cheap

I always love to throw parties for the holidays. This Christmas season has been particularly crazy for me and my husband. Nonetheless, we decided to host a last minute Christmas party this year. Fortunately I'm a pro at throwing together easy and affordable shindigs. Here are some pictures from our party, along with a couple of tips for saving money if throwing your own last minute celebration.

Festive Touches:: I made this garland last year out of ribbon, cut felt and tiny clothes pins. Sheets of felt will run you about 23 cents and most people have ribbon and clothes pins hanging around the house. It makes for a rather thrifty, yet impactful banner.

Pops of Cuteness:: I snagged this hot pink stocking at the thrift store a couple of years ago for a few bucks. It adds a little punch of holiday cheer to any corner.

Get Your Guests Involved:: If it's a casual affair, there's no shame in requesting that your guests bring a snack or treat to share. Most people are eager to share a family recipe or recommend a favorite wine.

Set the Table:: This was our table spread. I kept the color scheme loose so I could use an array of cups and dishes in different colors. There's no need to invest in expensive holiday pieces. If you're open to a little bit of quirkiness, mix and match for a unique look.
Get Sentimental with Your Snacks:: I used all my favorite mugs for serving candy and treats.

Splurge Strategically:: Decorative paper plates can be really pricey—like $4 for a quantity of 12. So I bought 60 solid plates for around half that price and splurged on the decorative napkins, which cost around $1.50 a package. Or, go even more eco-friendly and use your own dishes. Unfortunately I don't have enough reusable wares to do so.

Get Crafty:: Cut paper snowflakes out of scrap or computer paper and tape them together for a table runner that costs pennies. There's an excellent tutorial for handmade flakes here.

Think Outside the (Gift) Box:: Brainstorm unconventional ideas for gift swaps that won't cost you or your guests a pretty penny—for instance, our Merry Mixmas CD Exchange that I wrote about yesterday.

Scrap it:: Instead of forking over $5 per 25 ft roll of generic Santa Claus-covered wrapping paper, consider using papers you already have around your house. Leftover scrapbook papers, kraft rolls, newspapers and magazine pages make for interesting and artistic gift coverings.

May all your celebrations this year be filled with love, family, smiles and tons of happiness. Happy Holidays, friends!

Merry Mixmas 2010!

We took a very unique approach to gift exchanging with our friends this year. Since we're lucky to be blessed with such a large group of awesome people in our lives, the husband and I hosted a different sort of "White Elephant" exchange.

I have to confess, this was the original brainchild of my friend, Maria, and not entirely my idea. Thanks, Lady!

So we invited our favorite peeps over and suggested they bring a a mix cd for the gift exchange. We also included a contest for everyone's favorite cd. Guests were encouraged to name and decorate their cd's in a creative way. The theme was open to anything—and anything is what we got. We saw favorite song compilations, a disc wrapped with duct tape, "Guitarmonies", two separate cat mixes, and a cd that was decorated with blinking LED bulbs! It definitely brought out the creativity in everyone!

I was a little nervous about proposing this in leu of a typical gift exchange, but I was pleasantly surprised. I don't think anyone was disappointed, and it turned out to be a great way to get to know people even better than you thought you did. I'd definitely suggest this for tight budgets during the holidays, or just as a fun party to throw any time.

Just for fun, click here to sample my own mix in iTunes. It's sort of an ode to a good friend, with a couple of sentimental favorites thrown in.

what a guy wants

Well, what my guy wants anyway. I really wanted to do this post a long time ago, so it'd actually be somewhat helpful for someone who might be mystified by what that special dude in their life might like for the holidays this year. However things got really busy.

Instead, this is a last minute gift guide! You know how it goes. This little style board is taken directly from the Pinterest Wishlist of my very own hubbs, Rodger! He has such fun taste—some clothes, but mostly in cool guy toys. So here are some gift suggestions for the hip, musical guy in your life.... okay, so I might have added those shoes in there myself, they were just too cool to pass up!

(click on image to view larger)
1. Chuck Taylor suede All Stars :: 2. Korg Kaossilator :: 3. Star Trek Enterprise pizza cutter ::
4. Air-powered keyboard :: 5. Fossil tee :: 6. Klein Tools bottle opener 7. Fossil tweed wallet

the christmas gig

It's a well known fact that Target has some of the quirkiest and catchiest commercials ever. It's true. I know I've found more than one super catchy song from their commercials stuck in my head. The only cure for this, of course is to search out those songs and listen to them. over and over.

Target is making this easy for you because they have compiled a Christmas album of ultra-hip songs from their Christmas commercials this season. Oh, and it gets better. It's FREE!

My favorite is the Coconut Records song (which is actually Jason Schwartzman). I think it's kind of magical, anyway.

Click here, and I dare you not to feel a little bit merry.

Because it's way more practical than having a snowball fight

I've always been pretty lousy at making paper snowflakes—that is, until this year. Go ahead, gaze upon this sweet specimen of paper craft!
I owe my success to this awesome tutorial on How About Orange that details exactly how to make the illusive five-pointed snowflake. Since then, I've been a snowflake makin' machine. So much so that my fingers are randomly going numb due to all the scissor usage.

Enjoy and have a happy weekend!

Stocking up!

I'm excited to be hosting a Make-Your-Own Stocking project for craft night this evening. I've pulled a little bit of inspiration for myself and my crafty friends. I thought it'd be fun to share.

Happy Holiday crafting, my friends!

free people

martha stewart

martha stewart

mr. button on etsy

30 years ago today...

When I was thirteen and all the kids in my class were listening to Hanson, I could be found scrawling the names of the four Beatles on my notebooks and book covers. I watched all their movies, memorized every song I could get my little mitts on, and even read their biographies. You could say I had Beatlemania over 30 years too late!

Today is the 30th anniversary of the passing of John Lennon. He died before I was born, so a world that is devoid of Mr. Lennon has always been a fact of life for me. Lately, though, as I reflect on the way he was taken from us so early, I am deeply saddened. I mean, all he wanted was a little love and peace for us all...

I adore this wonderful print by Max Dalton.