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Design Hole Gift Guide to Vases
Vases make great gifts. Everyone needs an assortment. Little ones for the sink or dressing table. Medium vases for centerpieces and side tables. Large ones for the hall table, and kitchen island counter. Then are different styles for different occasions.
Even guys, who may not think they need a vase, will appreciate getting one as a gift. Guys always take to things that are thought of as girly - if only to experiment. Think of cooking. It all started somewhere.
I’ve put together my own gift guide for vases (and snuck in a selection of votives I couldn’t resist). Here goes.
Starting clockwise from the upper right, a Herend Blue Garland Bud Vase, 2.75″ high, at The Herend Store ($55). Marcel Wanders’ Egg Vases, for Moooi. The set of three sells for $146 at Stardust. Next up, the Grass Vase (5″ tall) is $63 from Zwello.
Again, starting from the upper right, Athropologie offers this 6″ Confetti Vase crafted from recycled paper ($9.95). Check out their other sizes and shapes. I adore these Iittala Tris votives ($13 each) at FinnStyle. The iconic Aalto Vase in a tall, 10″ size, is $115 also from FinnStyle.
Finally, a couple of vases to suit the multiple personalities in all of us. Above, the ultra-modern, ceramic Kira Vases ($19.95 - $49.95) are from Target. Below, the classic, one-of-a-kind handmade ceramic Classic Vases ($160 each) from Detroit’s own Pewabic Pottery.
Make Your Own Coffee Table Book at Blurb
Have you heard the Blurb? It’s a wonderful site for custom, hardcover or softcover books. You design the pages and upload the photos. They do the rest. Blurb’s books are very affordable. Prices start at $12.95 for a 40 page soft cover book. Cheap! And they’re speedy. They’re turn-around is 7 to 10 business days.
Do you need a coffee table book to decorate your coffee table? Make your own! Here are a few ideas of the kind of things you can make using Blurb.
As I said, you can turn your photos into a 13″ x 11″ coffee table book.
Make your own wedding album. Or send one to a friend as a gift.
Need a new job? Make your own brag book - AKA - a portfolio.
If you’re after a particular job, or industry it would be worth the money to make up a few of these.
Do I sound like a walking ad? I suppose I do. I just love this idea. iPhoto has a similar product, which is nice because you can upload your photos directly from iPhoto. I’ve made some that way. But Blurb is much more versatile. If you need help designing your book, go to Blurb Nation for professional help. (Maybe they could figure out how to get these danged extra spaces out of this post! Grrr..)
Want more custom-made card making fun? Try Moo.
Personally, I’m making some books featuring some of my floral photography. Friends, now you know what you’re getting for Christmas. You have about 6 months to forget. What kind of book would you make? How about a compilation of your children’s drawings and poetry?
Great Lakes Tea & Spice
I’m currently working on Co-chairing The Holiday Mart, a benefit which raises money for Planned Parenthood’s educational programs. Our team is busy jurying vendors for the show, which takes place in October. The Great Lakes Tea & Spice Company is one of my favorites. I’m happy to say that they have agreed to return this year.
Their flowering teas are lovely and tasty. Many of their spice combinations are uniquely theirs. Check out their teapots, too. I have an orange version. They make great gifts.
Ace Is Not The place
I told Arthur when were started dating never to buy me a gift that needed to be plugged in. I was talking about things like irons and microwaves. For some strange reason, those don’t say gift to me. I will admit that I changed my mind and asked for a fancy sewing machine. Once.
Anyway, I thought this was pretty funny. It’s from an email from Ace Hardware with gift suggestions for Mother’s Day.
Okay, I guess the wind chimes aren’t so bad. The planters are cutting it close because (a) they’re from a hardware store and (b) ugly. But the paint?! What kind of gift is that?
“Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. And make sure you don’t fall off the ladder.”
If the paint comes with the painter, that’s another thing altogether.
Valentine’s Day Gift Suggestions: Gelaskins
Just in case you can’t decide what to get your sweetie for Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d devote a post per day to some unique item that I know Misterarthur would like. First up - Gelaskins. They’re artfully designed covers for your PC or Mac Laptop, iPhone, etc. I personally own a set for my iPod. Love it! Here are a few styles.
Cry Bot for 3rd generation Nano. Designed by Steven Daily. $14.95
Bookshelf for 12″ Powerbook. Designed by Colin Thompson. $29.95
Guitar Hero for iTouch. Designed by Aaron Kraten. $14.95
Great Things from J Schatz
I really adore the designs from J. Schatz. Jim began his business in 2000 with his first prototype Egg Lamp. The kiln was the size of a hat box. Eventually, he moved from Manhattan to the “refuge in the woods” where he now works with a kiln large enough to fire 13 products at a time. Here’s a peek at some of the beautiful things for sale on his site.
Egg-shaped bird houses. So cute. Eight Colors. $125
Interesting Gift of the Day (until it gets too close to Christmas)
Well, it’s too late to order things through regular mail, or so I understand. This will therefore be the last of these posts. Here’s something that would be on everyone’s Wish List if they knew about it. And, you can buy it at the grocery store!
It’s Batter Blaster. It’s also organic! I think that must be some sort of joke. What does it have to do with decorating? Well, I’m thinking body art. I’m thinking “fun at parties!” Made even more fun once you add the maple syrup.
Interesting Gift of the Day (until it gets too close to Christmas)
It’s getting close! But there’s still time to order up a gift. Today’s is a Detroit “must have” from the Detroit Shirt Company. Everyone on your list needs a seatbelt belt. They come with most of your favorite built in America logos and cost $19.50.
Interesting Gift of the Day (until it gets too close to Christmas)
You may not be lucky enough to live in The Motor City, but you can look like you do. And, since the holidays are here, why not include your friends and family? You can make up a story about how you grew up down the street from Kid Rock, Jack White or Aretha Franklin. Take your pick!
You can find the T-shirt pictured on that handsome guy at Pure Detroit.
Interesting Gift of the Day (until it gets too close to Christmas)
Everyone already owns a sweater, so don’t get them one. Everyone needs a messenger bag, or a laptop bag, or a little tote. And one size fits everyone. The perfect gift! Here’s one site to consider. Timbuk2 Sells many versions of bags. You can even design one yourself, but alas, probably not in time for [insert your holiday here]. Take a gander at some things from their inventory. Peace.
Curly Q Sleeve: $35
Original Metro: $75
Interesting Gift of the Day (until it gets too close to Christmas)
These LED cube lights are from Twist Together. They come in sets of four and two colorways. You join them together in an interesting variety of ways. They’re purely decorative, as they don’t provide a lot of light. I think they’d be fun in a child’s room, or used as accent lighting just about anywhere. They’re available at Design Public. The set of four sells for $104.
Interesting Gift of the Day (until it gets too close to Christmas)
These are cool - and they come in Steampunk. Dude! What are they!? Why, they’re skins for all things Apple (and some PC stuff, too). They’re Gelaskins.
Colin Thompson’s Steampunk iTouch Skin: $14.95
Exploding Dog’s Red Robot Skin for 15″ PC Laptop: $29.95