If you haven’t guessed yet from the shortage of posts, my life has been super busy. But not too busy to wrap Christmas presents in a new way (for me). I decided that this year I would wrap everything with materials I already had on hand. I started with newspaper, and embellished each package with decorations I cut out of wallpaper samples, left-over wrapping paper, etc. I also used rubber stamps and markers (particularly silver and gold).

Every package was unique. I also used a couple of Japanese techniques – origami and kirigami – to make snowflakes out of the left-over gift wrap.

I wrapped some odd-sized things using clear wrap (left-over of course) and the shreds from our paper shredder as a cushion. I also made my own gift cards. A glue stick is a must. I ran out at the last minute. So I suggest buying extra.

I had a few boxes that looked fairly nice on their own. So I embellished them with the wallpaper samples.

I actually had some blank cards in the closet. (I swear I didn’t buy them)! I needed them for my teenaged nieces and nephews who like cash. So I made little pockets and tied the check into the fold with ribbon. The front is my perhaps lame attempt at being cool. I’ll let you know after the New Year if it worked.
Sometimes I found a particularly interesting image on the newspaper. I also liked the contrast between the news and the spirit of Christmas. Most of all, I like Christmas being as much about the thought that goes into the wrapping as the gift contained therein.

So if you run out of gift wrap at the last minute, put these ideas to good use. Let me know if you have a recycled item you use for gifts. I’ve got birthdays coming up!

Have a wonderful holiday and a splendid New Year. I’ll see you then.

If you’re going to spend Christmas with unruly family members, you need to buy yourself a box of chocolates from Olive and Cocoa. Hide it under the bed. This assortment starts at $44.00. When you’re finished with the goodies you can use the beautiful box for socks, or whatever.

Scoot over to Etsy’s Love The Day shop for cute stuff like their holiday-inspired popcorn boxes, bell jar stickers, and lots of other neat printed things.

After you’ve spent all night putting together a doll house, swing set, or bedroom set from IKEA, you’re going to need coffee. The best ever, ever, ever are Nespresso’s coffee makers. Another must-have coffee accessory is their milk frother. It works like magic and is worth the $89.00. Nespresso’s site is just about as annoying as putting together a swing set, but it’s worth the struggle. Once you’ve bought the coffee maker you can buy the coffee pods from Amazon. Misterarthur LOVES his.

I’m loving these food themed pillows from Barney’s. Best of all, you don’t have to put them away after the holidays. Lordy knows I’m a fruitcake 365 days a year ($135.00). Barney’s gets major points for having the coolest online gift guide. I need that web designer.

I’m buying this Cuisinart Smart-Stick immersion blender for someone on my list ($29.95 from Sur la Table). I love mine, so I figure I should share the love with…. shhhh!

Everyone needs calories, so why not brag about it? We all know we’re going on diets after the New Year, right? I’m filling my Jonathan Adler Calorie Canisters ($38.00) with candy.

Michigan’s Great Lakes Tea & Spice Co. has the most amazing teas and spices. Their packaging is lovely, too. My favorite thing are these little tea pots. They come in different colors and are the cutest tea-thing on Earth. And they’re only $30.00. That’s chump change for the cutest thing on the planet.

Is this gift guide helpful? I always try to choose things I’d like to have, or own already and love. My best tip is, if you’re totally stumped just buy chocolate and wrap it up nicely.

Finally, I’d like the thank my beloved husband, Arthur, for helping me out with some excellent posts while I was out of town last month. And thanks to you guys for the great comments on his man-gift guide post. He deserves a very large riding mower, don’t you think?

This being an interior design site, you might expect me, the man decorator, to have some interior design-y gift ideas for Christmas.  I think it’s important to point out that in most homes, the manly parts are limited to the garage and/or the basement. Hence, while this gift giving guide may not appear to be directed towards improving the look of your home, it might make for a happier home life overall.

In general, follow these tips:

1) Bigger is better than smaller. (Size, volume, weight – it doesn’t matter. When in doubt, go for the larger option).

2) Louder is better than quieter. (Applies to everything from home theatre systems to tools).

3) Dangerous is better than safe. Always.  (If there’s a risk of injury in the use of the gift, so much the better).

4) Not needed = Better

5) Warning labels are good.

Here’s what I mean. Men work in the yard. They rake leaves. You might think a beautiful, hand-crafted rake would make a nice gift. (And look nice, to boot). Like this beauty, from Coppice Crafts of New Zealand.

In a word, no. A leaf blower would be more appreciated. But remember the tips above. You might be tempted to get an electric leaf blower. Like this dainty Toro® model.

Or a small gas-powered model. This Poulan item is gas powered, hence noisier, hence better.

But not loud enough, or big enough. What you want to spring for is a Commercial Grade, Backpack model. Like so: A Shindaiwa EB630RT from Equipment for Construction Pros: Big, loud. Overkill.

The same rules hold true for “hand tools”  Hedge clippers are cute.

Gas powered hedge shredders are a much better choice. Note the gas tank. Not that you’d really need gas powered hedge rippers, but that’s exactly the point.

Now that you understand the basics, here are some gifts you may not have considered.  TV remotes are a necessary coffee-table irritant. Think of the genius who combined a Clicker with a bottle opener!

My friend, Joe Godard, put it best: “I want one for every television in the house”.

He also suggested an acetylene torch. “I don’t even know what to do with one, but it involves explosive tanks, fire, and I want one.”

He’d also like a nail gun.  ”Part tool. Part weapon. All dangerous“, which is a nice summary of the kinds of things men want.

(That nail gun is pneumatic, so you’ll have to get him a compressor as well.  Added bonus points for a gas-powered model, of course.)

I thought a nice gift would be one of those forced air heaters they use on the sidelines at football games. I found an excellent model at Masterheaters.com

You can run this model on Kerosene, Diesel Fuel Oil, and (if you can find it), Jet Fuel! Yay!  Wrapping it might be an issue.

I hope this helps get you started. Best wishes for the man in your life this Christmas!

Traditional Christmas

Owning a set of Christmas dishes is a wonderful thing. It adds to the traditional atmosphere of the day. A special set, like Grenadiers (Bernardaud, $67.00 dinner plate) becomes a family heirloom.

For this place setting I started with a cotton place mat with holiday embroidery (C&W Imports, $7.00). To show off the dinner¬† plate I placed a burgundy charger underneath to create contrast (Picard, $99.00). The salad plate (Decor Or from JL Coquet Limoges, $124.00) in a style that complements the plate. I’m not a master napkin folder, I made a simple fold using a matching embroidered napkin (C&W Imports, $7.00) to finish the setting.

For accents, keep things traditional with cut crystal stemware. Candles candles should match the plates. Different heights are nice.

Vintage Simplicity

Sometimes the best things in life come from garage sales. That’s where I found these napkins. They make great placemats. Because they’re not a traditional size, I’d start with a white tablecloth with the placemats on top. The dishes are vintage Lenox – the Cretin pattern from the 1960′s.

I kept this simple, with stainless flatware and a vintage, handmade wine glass I bought on a trip to Venice. The “focal point” is a handmade Christmas ornament.

A Sophisticated Table

I wrote about the nxt two place setting last week, but decided to put them all together in one post. Hope you don’t mind! I wanted to show how you can dress a place setting by creating a focal point. A small dish in the center of the dinner plate focuses the eye on the center. I added a matching glass ornament, tied with a satin ribbon to finish the look.

The dishes are a charger (Anciennes Manufacture Royale, $150) topped with one of the most beautiful dishes in the world – Herend’s Elizabeth ($250.00). The focal point dish is Gold Leaf by Bernardaud, $79.00. I used a contrasting napkin at set it above the plate just to be different. A snowflake napkin ring is a nice touch.

Casual Christmas

IF you own a nice set of everyday dishes, you can dress them up for the holidays with linens. At yet another estate sale I found this handmade lace tablecloth. That adds some nice texture. Christmas colors set the holiday mood. I used a green placemat (Bodrum, $15.00) with a country-style red and white napkin (Williamsburg, $5.50). The beautiful dishes are from Juliska. I centered the look with a cutting from the garden, tied with a red satin ribbon.

Jennifer’s Tips

• Use natural fibers. All cotton, linen and satin are the key to a perfect table setting. Synthetic fabrics don’t have the same look or feel. Satin or grosgrain ribbon are good choices because they don’t look like gift wrap.
• Create a focal point with a small dish and a napkin or Christmas ornament. A dreidel is another perfect choice.
• Buy a set of matching wine glasses. You can find stemware at the grocery store!

I’d like the thank The League Shop for lending me all the pieces for my place settings. They sell things both contemporary and traditional. If you live in Detroit, pay them a visit. We all need to buy locally. If you live elsewhere, you can still call the shop – they’ll be happy to place an order over the phone.

Do you have a favorite place setting idea?

My current favorite are these glass nests created by Heather Palmer. They come in four sizes and three colors. The small size retails for $60.00 at Maxwell Silver.

Here are a few other suggestions. First, the always wonderful Hable Construction. Check out their pillows and this photo frame ($65.00). They also make great Christmas stockings.

Next up are these glasses from Cat Studio. They make vacation-themed pillows and glasses that are lots of fun. These are from Tabula Tua. A set of four sells for $48.00.

Finally, a classic Mediterraneo bowl designed by Emma Silvestri for Alessi. Find it at Unica Home ($75.00 for the small size).

Iris!

Iris write a blog all about her wacky family. If I had time, I write one, too. But hers fills the bill to perfection, so we don’t need another. Dysfunctional Bungalow can be found by following this link.

Congratulations to Iris! Stay tuned for TWO giveaways starting next week.

Here some more tips (see yesterday’s post) on how to take what you have and make the most of it.

Start with your everyday china. What color is it? I’m using Herend’s spectacular Elizabeth pattern. It’s super pricey ($250 per dinner plate), but it’s too beautiful not to play with. Really, any plate will do. Work with the main color and choose colors that will match, or coordinate. Gold and silver are usually good choices for holidays. There’s no law that says you can’t use any color you like because we’re going to make it say “Holiday” with a focal point.

Since the color I’m working is raspberry with gold accents, I’ve set a matching charger underneath. This gold banded style is from Ancienne Manufacture Royale ($150.00). Ouch?! I agree. Just scoot over to Target where you’ll find a wide variety of choices for about $15.00 each. Just make sure your charger complements the plate. Gold or silver are festive choices.

Now we need a plate for our focal point. I’m continuing with my raspberry and gold color palette by using a gold butter dish ($79.00 from Bernardaud). You can use gold, silver or a color than matches your dish. A small butter dish is nice because its size focuses the eye on the center. Here is another example, using a larger plate from the same Gold Leaf pattern, which makes the point that smaller is better.

Top the small dish with an ornament of the season. Keep in mind that you want to use something that complements your color palette. Here are some ideas.

• Christmas: an ornament tied with a satin ribbon
• Thanksgiving: a leaf, pine cone, berries, gourd. Tie a satin ribbon at the stem.
• Hanukkah: A dreidel, a little box tied with ribbon

Now that we have our focal point, we’re going to round out the place setting with stainless, flatware from Waterford ($89.00 5 piece setting). A little gold accent is nice with our setting. For a less expensive option, try this one from Target.

I’m not one for fancy napkin folding, so I used a simple snowflake ring and a jewel-toned green napkin. Jewel tones go together. Blue goes with red, silver, orange. Not everything has to match.

Finally, make sure you have enough wine glasses. Drinking glasses are not allowed! If you use proper wine glasses you can buy less expensive wine and it will taste better. These are from Juliska and Simon Pearce.

My centerpiece are simple flowers in a coordinating color. Actually, these flowers were awful – sprayed! The stuff got all over everything. They look pretty, though.

Jennifer’s Tips

1. Use your regular china and choose a matching or coordinating color palette. Gold and silver are good holiday choices

2. Create a focal point by using a small plate topped with an ornament of the season.

3. Use real wine glasses

4. Linens should be natural fibers and ribbons should be satin or grosgrain – no giftwrap.

Thanks to The League Shop, Grosse Pointe’s best tabletop shop, for allowing me to borrow their beautiful dishes and tableware. They will be happy to take orders over the phone and ship the Herend china directly to my door (LOL)!

Do you have some holiday tips? Share!

It’s nice to see choices that aren’t the typical red and green. To read the post and see all the fun images, follow this link.