ac and i are settling in down south to celebrate the holidays so i’m it’s about time to close up shop here at d*s for the holiday break. each year i give our hard-working editors a week-long break between christmas and new year’s eve, so we’ll be taking a winter blogging break between today and january. we’ll return on january 4th with regular posting and a brand new d*s desktop calendar for january from artist julia rothman!
there’s so much excitement going on for 2010 (a layout redesign for d*s, the d*s book, new columns, biz ladies tours, and more!) that i can’t wait to hit the ground running. until then, i wanted to take a moment to thank each and every one of you for your support this year. you guys are the reason we get to do what we love each day, and all of us here at d*s are truly thankful for your readership. thank you and happy holidays. best wishes for a wonderful new year- we’ll see you on monday, january 4th!
*ps: this beautiful holiday fireplace before and after comes from danielle thompson. click here to check out more on her makeover.
*if you’re looking for more d*s over the break, don’t forget to check out some of the great content our editors have produced in the archives below:
The shopping’s done, the table is set, now it’s time to finally devote some time to you this holiday season. Remember you? It’s easy to lose yourself between driving, parking, shopping, wrapping, mailing, traveling, cooking, and all the other ridiculous expectations we heap upon ourselves this time of year. We decided to do something to make ourselves look and feel fabulous this week, and we’re planning on doing it again next week for a New Year’s Eve showstopper, too. Our hair fascinators are a little bit of wearable wildness that will add instant awe to your holiday ensemble.
With a few pieces from the garden (or the grocery store) and a stopover in the hair goods aisle, you can quickly whip up a fascinator of your own. We’re giving you four looks for a variety of possible holiday events and range from easy to complicated.
The Peacock and the Headband are the easiest to master. Both make the most of all the leftover holiday bits you may have lying around. A peacock feather and some poinsettia leaves was all it took to make the Peacock: wrap the pieces together with floral tape for a simple behind-the-ear look for any holiday event. Use a bobby pin to keep in place.
CLICK HERE for the full hair fascinator how-tos after the jump!
Yesterday the extraordinary photographer and stylist Karen Mordechai from Sunday Suppers went all out to share an amazingly butternut squash and pomegranate galette recipe with us and today she’s back with a delicious recipe for Olive Oil Loaf Cake + Citrus Rosemary Compote. If you haven’t decided on your holiday dinner yet, these two dishes together would make for an elegant and tasty meal. Thank you again to Karen and Sunday Suppers for sharing amazing sweet and savory recipes with us this week!
Best wishes for the holidays for everyone -holidays past, present, and future – and a happy entry into 2010! See you in early January! -Kristina
Credits: Styling + Photography by Karen Mordechai for Sunday Suppers, Amazing intern/helper in the kitchen/hand model Lizzy Sall
last week we learned how to make a beautiful indoor and outdoor birch wreath with the team from terrain at styer’s and today the terrain team is back with a beautiful twig how-to! kat bruni will be walking us through the steps of creating your own natural twig armature (like a support/cage) to surround your favorite holiday flowers and vases. this is a seriously fun and easy (!) project to tackle in just a few minutes- with such striking results. all you need are a few twigs, some wire and you’re good to go! so, if you’re ready to start crafting, just click “play” above. or click here to watch the video (and 15 other d*s videos) on youtube.
thank you so much again to everyone at terrain: melissa bartley, steve olszewski, kat bruni, melissa kissler-hoy, and lacey soslow for their help with this video. stay tuned next wednesday for the second project (a twig armature to go around your holiday flowers and vases). in the meantime you can visit (and shop) terrain right here.
Christmas is in 3 days and I hardly have time to properly feed and bathe myself, let alone write a thoughtful and complicated DIY project. So instead, I’m taking you home with me to wrap some presents. True fact- I have never purchased wrapping paper in my life, it seems so unnecessary when my scrap paper pile is always sky high. I have a proven 3 step method for wrapping presents, a simple paper found at home, a creative ribbon substitute with a tied on embellishment, easy and guaranteed cute every time! -amy m.
here’s a last minute idea for your gifts- wrapping them or making them! these log slices take mere minutes to complete if you have a saw and drill handy. you could also ask your local lumberyard to cut them for you if you don’t have a saw, because it’s just a few quick slices. you can add these to gifts or cards as extra decoration, or add them to sweaters, scarves or hats for a nice organic touch. i hope you have safe, relaxing, and happy holidays everyone! see you in january!! – kate
note: the screen printed faux bois wrapping paper is available from blankspace gallery in oakand.
my favorite part of gift giving is the packaging- sometimes i almost like the wrapping better than the gift itself. so i was happy to see this cute downloadable gift wrapping template from karen at maggie makes. just download your cute little branch sleeve, print, fold and customize the name for your recipient. you could even embroider the name on with thread for a little something extra. click here for the download.
also, if you’re loving those little felt acorns above as i much as i am, you can order them right here on etsy from artist reya veltman. thanks, karen!
i really miss the days when i checked out library books on a regular occasion. i remember my mom dropping me off at the library and i would pour over the teen section until i’d found the perfect books to take home. those days are sadly long gone, but after design by the book i’ve felt more inspired to get myself back into a library and take advantage of what they have to offer. so when i saw this fun new “overdue book calendar” from lauren hunt i couldn’t resist sharing. in a world of digital everything, it’s sort of fun to embrace the idea of real books (rather than digital ones read on your phone or a kindle) and keeping track of due dates on real paper, rather than a blackberry reminder. you can pick up lauren’s design right here, as a re-printable pdf for $4. thanks, lauren!
this diy project is part diy, part before & after inspiration, but since we’re closing up shop tomorrow for the holidays i wanted to share this today.
d*s reader and blogger maria jones came across a “drop dead gorgeous nailhead zebra console table” at horchow for $3000 and fell in love. unable to manage the hefty price tag, maria’s “handy dandy” sister helped her create her own version, by crafting the wood herself and having maria contact paper it in zebra print. the final touch, nailheads, were added my maria’s husband for a total cost of $100. great work, you guys!
CLICK HERE for maria’s full how-to details after the jump!
i’ve really enjoyed the way e-books have allowed blogs and other crafters to release fun content that might not have otherwise been published. the team at curbly just released a great ebook called “make it! mid-century modern” that’s full of mid-century inspired projects. i personally love the napkins above the best, but there are lots of great ideas that let you put your own personal spin on this particular style. want to download a copy? just click here to buy ($9.90 – $18) and download/print your own.
*i’d love to go ahead and put a request out for a second book called make it: vintage/flea market chic. i’d love to see the curbly spin on working with vintage or found items. please?
