i’ve been getting a lot of emails lately about coasters for holiday parties. it’s that time of year when we’re all shuffling off to office parties, neighborhood gatherings and holiday cocktail celebrations so what better way to bring a little color to the room than with some festive coasters. i thought i’d do a roundup of my favorite designs in the market so click here for a full round up of 30 coasters styles for everyone’s budget and style. the full post with links and sourcing (and more coasters) is right here at d*s on h&g. enjoy!

[i'm off to pick up my framed pictures at sky art and grab lunch with scott from the sartorialist. i don't think i've ever worried about what to wear to lunch this much in my life]

i stopped by the dwr modernmart last night and picked up this adorable set of votive/sake cups by brooklyn ceramicist alyssa ettinger. i’m obsessed with her knitware series and they were even cuter in person. after chatting with joy i said hello to minhee and truman from paper + cup (stay tuned next week for a podcast with them), third drawer down and a few others. definitely a fun event if you’re in town for the next one. for more info on alyssa’s work click here (the pair of two cups/votives is $50).

i’m a big judy ross fan so i was thrilled to hear about their upcoming sample sale. on december 14-16 prices will be up to 60% off and will include pillows ($60-$100), scarves ($100), throws ($100) and rugs ($500-$3,000). if you’re a judy ross fan you know these discounts are good so be sure to stop stop on by. the sale is located at 41 union square west #907 on the ninth floor (corner of 17th st. and broadway). amex, visa, mastercard and checks will be accepted. times: dec 14 (1-7 pm), dec 15 (11-6 pm), dec 16 (12-5 pm).

d*s reader karim cherif of sent over this beautiful custom table that was designed for his firm, united 135. karim explains,

“It was designed by Tessa Kuyvenhoven, a graduate in Interior Design. And the illustration was done by Bobby Pola (a.k.a. Simon Buijs). What I wanted was a table that could fit into my new office, that reflected the creative flow that we have going here. Tessa came up with a couple of designs, and we sat down to merge some elements into a new design. The only thing I told the illustrator was that I want the illustration and the table to be one piece. I didn’t just want an illustration on top of the table… but they needed to be dependent on each other. So he came up with a Jellyfish design: Cassiopeia. When you look closely you will see all kinds of elements that are part of what we do.”

very cool. i love an inspirational table design…makes me want to paint on my old ikea pieces. also, check out the striped fridge in the back of the photos. so cool.

i’m on my way to the modernmart show in a few hours so i just wanted to remind anyone in the nyc area to stop by tonight if you have time. held at the tribeca dwr showroom (6-8 pm), modernmart is a, “celebration of local designers and artisans…featuring the creative talents of independent artisans working in ceramics, linens, paper goods and more.” cash or check only- don’t forget! see you there…[click here for more info]

sheraton at pop ink just sent over a link to their new plate designs. they made a splash with the wood grain plates this spring and now they’ve added matching gift wrap. i loved all the gift wrap options, so if you like pop ink’s plates check out their great wrapping collection. available for $6.50 each right here.

chow.com just posted a very cool feature on designer table settings. they invited some people in the design community to create table settings that updated the traditional “fork on the left, knife on the right” idea and the results are really fun. lena and i were going to contribute our own take together but ended up not having time bc of the holidays. we’ll definitely have to make time next year, because the results looks so fun. i especially like jason miller’s table. click here for the full feature.[ps: chow is a fantastic site so i highly suggest clicking around for a while. there's even some top chef talk...]

it’s that time of year- presents, wrapping paper, ribbon, the whole nine yards. so when you sit down to deal with holiday gifts this year consider grabbing a roll of funnel paper goods‘ newest wrapping paper. there are 7 patterns to choose from that say “holiday” in a tasteful, modern way. they retail for $12 each and are available right here. enjoy! [i love the deer, so cute]

d*s reader elizabeth sent over the work of her friend, artist laura cooperman. laura recently graduated from the maryland institute college of art baltimore and showed this beautiful collection of paper art. her intricate creations look like gears but have such an eery, ethereal quality to them that i wish i could reach out and touch them. she lit some of the sculptural pieces so they would cast a beautiful shadow on the wall- it’s a must see. click here to check out her work and get more info. [thanks, elizabeth!