Mother’s Day Gift Ideas: Just In the Nick of Time

This is my idea of the perfect Mother’s Day gift. If your children are small, why not give Mom a beautiful, one of a kind gift she’ll keep forever? After all, this is supposed to be a day when children (not husbands!!!) celebrate their mom.

I know Hallmark and Tiffany’s would disagree with me, but that how I feel. Therefore, if you’re too old, or don’t feel in an artistic mood, here are a few ideas from sites that can ship in time for the big day. Don’t forget breakfast in bed (are you reading this Spencer?).

I’m choosing gifts that I would like to have. My son could afford any of these, starting with this red Marimekko umbrella from FinnStyle.  If you live in Seattle, or The D, you need one of these. It has been raining cats and dogs here. I wish I had a stylin’ $30 unbrella like this to go with my raincoat.

Next is this collection of square vases. A square vase is very versatile and , since I keep breaking mine, I’m thinking just about any mom would love one of these from Pottery Barn ($12 – $44).

I LOVE these. Okay? I’ve seen them in real life at Restoration Hardware. These real boxwood balls look great. You can buy just the ball, but online they’re teamed with a cute pot. Prices for the balls are $15 – $179. The topiaries are $39 – $59).

And that’s it! Photoshop quit on me, so my ideas from Tiffany’s and Henri Bendel’s will have to wait until next year. But they have lots of great things there, especially if you’re the dad.

I’dd leave you with this thought. I really think that a holiday invented by a card company shouldn’t go beyond the card (homemade would be best). You can include breakfast in bed, but I don’t think my husband should have to buy me a gift. I was given the best gift ever when my child was born. What’s your opinion?

Design Hole’s Fourth Anniversary (and a little more news)

Thank you.

To all of the people who’ve read, liked, linked to, and commented on my blog, I thank you.

Today marks Design Hole’s fourth anniversary. Writing Design Hole is one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.  It has helped me make friends from all over the world, put me into contact with designers I’ve always admired, even helped me become a better interior designer (and writer) myself.

Along the way, I hope that you’ve found the posts I’ve written informative, useful, or inspiring.

My design business is also a great source of inspiration and fun. I’m happy to say that it’s busier than ever. Much more important is the fact that my son, an extremely intelligent teen with Asperger’s, is facing some struggles that I need to attend to.

I’ve been really torn (very, extremely, ever-so) making this decision. But the truth is, for the next few months, my life will be too busy to devote the time to my site that I think you, as readers, deserve. So I’ve made the decision to take some time off.

When my life calms down, and I’ve got some extra help sorted out, I’ll be back. I expect that will be later this Spring. If you’re interested in being notified when I’m writing again, please email me with your address and I’ll let you know. Also, if you’ve got a quick question about a design problem, don’t hesitate to drop me a line (and a photo). I’ll be happy to help you out.

You can email me at: designholeonline [at] gmail [dot] com.

In the meantime, keep up your passion for great design. Don’t settle for something ordinary. Challenge yourself to create something great. Your home is your heart; not just the decoration, but the people living there with you. Create an environment that embraces and celebrates both yourself and your loved ones.

I’ll see you in a few months.

Y Living gift picks – I’m a guest editor!

Thanks to Y Living for inviting me to help curate their gift picks for the holiday season. I’m very flattered. You can see my gift picks at the Guest Editors’ Gift Picks Page. I won’t give away exactly what I selected (you should check out the page for yourself), but my choices involve a baby, flowers, and a swimming pool. Thanks again to Y Living for the invite. I had a lot of fun.

A Little Design Hole News

a

My son is in the hospital. He will be okay, and will be home in about a week. I wanted you to know in case you start wondering where I’ve gone. I will be posting this week, as visiting hours are in the evening. I think it will be sporadically. Life isn’t so organized right now. There are things to do to prepare for him coming home. So I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. And some stress, as I’m sure you can imagine. We’re all okay. Please don’t worry. I’m still here.

Changes!

Hey everyone! I thought I’d write a quick note about some design changes to Design Hole. First, I’ve removed the Chair of the Day from the sidebar. Turns out I didn’t have time to add a new chair every day. So, it became more of a “chair of the moment” thing. Plus, I thought it looked too much like an ad, don’t you think? So, my chair posts will be in the body of the blog where it should be.

I’ve also added some “further reading” posts to each post. But I have to learn how to use it! My tutorial on that and other things is set for this afternoon. I’m looking forward to that.

You’ll now find my portfolio in the sidebar. Right now it’s showing only a few images. That will change as well. I’ve also moved the RSS feed, Twitter and Facebook to the header where it’s easier to access.

Thanks to everyone for your patience over the last couple of weeks while I updated the site and got my son settled back into school. For those of you who don’t know, he has Asperger’s. So these sorts of changes are a little stressful for him.

I’ll see you tomorrow with regular posts about interior design and getting your home ready for the holidays.

Have a happy Monday!