My niece has fashioned these one size fits all must have fashion headbands using a variety of colorful new socks. Each headband is finished with a special button or bow. To check out what’s she has in stock, go SockTales and check them out.

Each headband sells for $12.00. Awesome price! I love a one of a kind accessory. As I always say in the interior design biz, accessories are the jewelry that make a room look finished. The same is obviously true for fashion. It’s the shoes and the headband that make an outfit look pulled together.

Take a look at SockTales. These are original and fun.

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.

Let’s start off with the prints shown above. Starting from the upper left we have The Twins ($30.00) from The Black Apple Shop. Moving clockwise, Perfect Laughter offers its Octotree print for $15.00). Another gem from The Black Apple Shop is Two of a Kind ($30.00). I love the 60′s-inspired look of Cindy Tomczykart’s artwork. Her Girl & Guitar print is $20.00. Say hello to Laura George’s prints (at the bottom, center and left). All her work is really beautiful and sell for about $20.00 each).

I don’t think I’d go for the cockroaches, but how about a zombie brain plate to serve up some Swiss cheese? Folded Pigs sells repurposed restaurant plates, cups and bowls screened with rather ingenious designs and sentiments (@ $15.00 each).

Still here in the humor department! I love these note cards from Zeichen Press. Buy five and get the next one free! I adore these. So worth the $4.00 each price.

Okay, this is a bit off the home decor topic, but I couldn’t resist adding SugarKitty’s custom corsets. Just one of these will not only improve your social life, it will do wonders for the muffin top and all your stuffing. You choose the style, the closure in the back and the fabric. SugarKitty will whip it up in no time. Wear your corset under something chic, or with a billowing evening skirt. I really want one of these. Shhh! Don’t tell misterarthur. It’s a surprise.

Could we please get back to more practical things? Wonder Thunder makes these awesome vegetable storage bags. They replace the plastic veggie bags from the grocery store and can go straight to the fridge to prolong the life of your greens. Neat idea, huh? And cute, too. Prices range from $4.00 for a small bag, to $12.00 for extra-large.

While we’re in the kitchen, tea towels seem to be quite the collectible. Here are three hand printed towels from Art Goodies ($15.00 each). I’m not a collector of tea towels. I use plain white ones from IKEA in place of paper towels. So I’m wondering where you hang the decorative ones? Do you put them in a basket? Do you let them get (egads!) dirty?

Finally, another off-topic shop. But they’re really cute. Super cute. Zephyr Woods has a nice collection of earrings and pendants made from wood (duh). They’re hand painted with woodland fauna and are priced from about $12.00 – $20.00. Very affordable.

Hey! If you’re a local artist I’d love to hear from you. Send me some images and the link to your website via the contact page. One of these days I’ll get my own Etsy shop up and running. Maybe when school starts up again and I have a little extra time. Until then, keep supporting our handmade artists. And now I’m off to design a corset…

Through Alyssa’s creative eye, she makes everyday objects new in the form of ceramics. Alyssa’s newest creations are translucent, ceramic lanterns in the shape of bell jars ($39 – $79). Hang them outside, or use them to light a summer  table at your next party.

Got Milk? Alyssa’s lovely milk bottle jars come in a variety of shapes and sizes ($35 – $45, or $100 for a set of three).

You may have seen Alyssa’s famous knitwear vases and bowls before. In fact, I’ve seen a very poor variation sold at Crate & Barrel (boo-hiss). Buy the originals! The bowl sells for $45, and her tall vases come in 2 sizes and are currently on sale for $120.

Finally, here are a variety of her other work currently for sale on her online shop. Coasters, cups, and votives come several colors. Mix them up!

You can find Alyssa Ettinger’s work via her online shop, or in shops. For a current list of retailers, follow this link. If you’re interested in a custom piece, contact her directly. Her email address is also noted on the shop link.

I’m working on the redesign of Design Hole and am fairly excited about the new look. It will launch in a few short weeks. One of the new features is my new Etsy shop, which I’m also excited about. While Etsy is known mostly for all things handmade, they have a growing list of shops selling vintage goodies, like these cobalt bottles ($42.00) from Wiltsie Bridge. And these lovely vintage glasses ($15.00) from South Rose Window.

My Design Hole shop will sell both vintage and handmade home goods. I’m quite excited about it (didn’t I already say that?). Well, I am. I hope you’ll like what you see.

I’m thinking about designing pillows just for sale on Etsy. Do you think that’s a good idea? I’m always designed pillows for specific projects and am wondering what would sell. Have any ideas?

Bored? Here’s a quick and easy project you can do while sitting in your cubicle, like artist Angela Duncan. All you need is a lampshade and a pen. Choose a sharpie, or roller-ball for the best results. Use color, too! Any kind of marker will do. I like the eastern influence in this design. This is actually (and obviously) an excellent idea for anyone with a steady hand and a boring
lampshades. In fact, dressing up a lampshade is a great way to add some zip to a room.

Here are some other ideas to consider:

• Add some grosgrain ribbon around the bottom edge.
• Spice up the ribbon with glass beads hot glued, or pre-sewn onto the ribbon.
• Add some tasteful decals to the inside of the shade. It will create a nice touch when you turn on the lamp.

Those are a few of my ideas. What are yours? Do your prefer a plain shade or a bedazzled style?

This giveaway is like the others. It last all week and I’ll draw the winner at random on Saturday. Leave a comment under any of the posts and you’re in. I ship to the US and Canada.

I’ll run reminder posts, with the final one on Wednesday. Then I’m off for Thanksgiving. But you’ll hear from me on Saturday when I announce the winner. And don’t forget that starting next week I’ll be running two giveaways each week until Christmas.

And now, the winner of the Not Just For Sushi Dishes is….

Liz!

Congratulations to Liz. She gets to choose from the three styles of plates and Terra Home will have them zipping on their way to her. Liz, are you going to give them as a gift, or save them for yourself? It’s a hard decision. My favorite style, by the way, are the fish.

Next week I’ll have another giveaway and then, two giveaways per week up until Christmas. It’s fun! So stay tuned.

And now I’m off to check out the Urban Craft Fair here in Detroit. See you Monday!