Festival of Gifts, Night 8 (the last one!)

Here we are at the end of Chanukah! Just in time, I found this card today which I wish that I had found earlier because I definitely would have sent them out.  Not only is it super adorable, but it's a "gift that gives back" (I'm not really a fan of that phrase, actually, but I can't think of a way to say it better...).

This card are more are available at Goods 4 Good which is both humanitarian and sustainable in its conception, which I think is pretty awesome.

I hope you've all had a wonderful Chanukah, or at least a good week if the miracle of light/oil isn't really your thing.  I'm agonizing over working on my year-end lists and prepping a bunch of playlists, so stay tuned.

Festival of Gifts, Night 7

In roughly 10 days, some friends and I are throwing a little holiday party which we are quite excited for.  In anticipation of this event, I've been trolling the internet to find some inspiration for those things that will turn it from average to awesome.
I think I've hit the nail on the head:

Gnome bowling

I can even make them look a little more like santas or elves I think!

Or, maybe we should just hang this up next to some mistletoe to really set the mood:

 calendar via Fred Flare

...no?

Festival of Gifts: Night 3

Night #3 of Chanukah is upon us, and I'd like to actually talk about (shocker!) gifts.

For once in a blue moon, Chanukah is actually sort of far enough from my birthday that I could conceivably receive a separate Chanukah present from my birthday present (but I'm not holding my breath).  Something that is certain to not change this year, though, is my love of polar bears.  It seems my favorite (though highly aggressive) (and really really endangered) animal has become pretty trendy lately.  I don't know how I feel about this.  On the one hand, I want all of these things.  On the other hand, it fills me with that defensive "but I've always liked ____" feeling that always comes up when your favorite ___ goes mainstream.

Case in point: Urban Outfitters currently sells two polar bear sweaters:

Cooperative Polar Bear Sweater

PJ by Peter Jensen Polar Bear Sweater

There's also some killer polar bear wallpaper in (of course) a young girl's bedroom:

found via Cup of Jo

But really, as any real polar bear enthusiast would tell you, the best way to love a polar bear (aside from raising one from infancy and being able to hug it), is to shoot some of your holiday fund over towards rescuing them from those depressing commercials where a polar bear is standing on a melting icecap.

duly noted (or should I say quoted)

I know, I know, I want lots of things. And, I have lots of things. But... my walls don't have lots of things! In fact, if it weren't for my nice blue and yellow paint, it would be pretty depressing to look at these walls because they're so barren. Something that would really spruce up the empty space would be these vintage quotation mark lights! If only...

1940's Quotation Marks, $195 at Agent Gallery in Chicago (via A Continuous Lean)

More things like this

The problem with starting a list of gift-able items you like, is that it becomes a never-ending side project. Everywhere I go, things of interest get logged into the catalog in my brain until I'm somewhere that I can write them all down. I am overwhelmed by the number of gift guides online--they're all fantastic, but also make the materialistic side of my brain feel like it's going into overdrive.

More Things Like This - a book of drawings and captions by those McSweeney's folks

(via Amazon.com)

Digital camera case (Modcloth)

Jade green bracelet (Modcloth)

Fold-up tote bag (Modcloth)

how cute!! and practical!

Terrarium-ish ornaments (Land-Rich)

(via for me, for you)

I would totally hang them on my wall, if I had this:

Wall-mounted Shelf with hooks

Ok, enough of this nonsense! (for now...)

the holiday spirit

I just watched Love Actually, which is one of my go-to holiday spirit movies. When I was younger, though, I was oddly a huge fan of A Very Brady Christmas and watched it every year when it aired on tv (shh don't tell).

There's only one week until Chanukah, though my parents stopped actually choosing gifts for me years ago and now it's all sort of lumped into a Chanukah+DecemberBirthday go-buy-whatever-you-want-within-reason deal. Though it's nice because I always inevitably get something that I want, I miss the days of actually opening up a present that my parents had taken the time to wrap. Oh well--I guess you can't have it both ways.

If, perchance, they were to give me a wrapped gift this year, I wouldn't mind any of the following things that I've come across lately:

Chainlink knitted scarf (Urban Outfitters)

Gold wildflower necklace (Urban Outfitters)

Vintage rotary phone (Anthropologie)

Hearthside Tights (Modcloth)

Fair Isle knee-high socks (JCrew)
*EDIT: I got these from my friend! Yay!!*

BC "Rainbow" boots in Clay (via Need Supply)

*seriously, I have a huge crush on these boots right now

TOMS Aira Cordones shoes

Other silly things that I want: a cute tape dispenser, 30 mini potted cacti or a train set (for that weird wall ledge between the kitchen and the main space of my apartment)

Big ticket items I can only dream of: a really good dressform/mannequin, a pretty digital SLR camera (because clearly going on vacation with 3 cameras already is not enough), a TV whose screen is larger than this laptop, a more comfortable futon to sit on (and possible a less squeaky one).

Oh, and if the powers that be are listening in: I would really like one of those jobs I interviewed for (you know which ones I mean). I would take one of those in lieu of all of the above. Even the boots.