holiday scramble

it's after midnight! the holiday scramble contest officially starts today! karen from kstyle and i have teamed up to create a twelve days of christmas holiday contest we hope you will enjoy. yay! here's how it works ...

starting today and running through december 12, we'll each be posting a single letter on our sites ... two letters each day ... for a grand total of 24. at the end of the 12 days, unscramble them to reveal a holiday phrase. the first person to correctly unscramble the phrase and email karen will win an original pair of her hand-crafted lampwork christmas ball earrings. the first person to unscramble the phrase and email holly will win an original holiday bumbleknees print signed by holly. you must wait to email your guesses until after all the letters have been revealed.

check back soon for the first letter!


the prizes (not to scale). ©hollyallen2006

amy ruppel

the amy ruppel november art sale is going on right now. go! go! go!

image from amy ruppel.

anthropologie thursday

this week's favorite anthropologie find is in honor of my mum. the rosy knob in palace yellow. we were out and about this weekend and popped into the lenox shop. my mum fell instantly in love. i fell in love with something, too, but i can't show it to you because it's a christmas present. i will definitely post after it's been given because i love it so much and can't wait to share. here is what i would have posted this week if not for mum.

image from anthropologie.

magnetic type and ink

these letters from ornamentea pull double duty. on one side they're stamps. on the other side, they're magnets! the letters have magnetic backs designed to work with the metal-plated stamp block. you hover over the letter you want and it clicks into place. this also means you could hang them on the fridge. they'd read backwards, but who cares?!? still super fun.

image from ornamentea. letters also available in uppercase so you can write fun words like lOveLy.

ps ... thanks to karen at kstyle for the introduction to ornamentea. fun site. speaking of kstyle and of letters, tomorrow kicks off our holiday christmas scramble!

magnetic type

how fun are these black and white magnets? a cool, modern take on the alphabet magnets that graced every fridge in the 70s, this set of 64, which includes numbers & symbols, from cb2 looks like a work of art when clustered together. i'm strangely attracted.

image from cb2.

o plus d equals fabulous

i saw these o plus d cards on design*sponge last night and promptly ordered a few for myself. (they are a bit naughty, so i'm posting the pictures after the words in case you have little children in the room and need to ask them to leave.) there is something very pleasing about bad words written in script and surrounded by beautiful filigree. i love a card with a sense of humor. i'm planning to frame both of these and will hang the top one over the "chair" in the master bathroom. the bottom one will perch just above the mirror in our bedroom. so f*ing funny!



images from o plus d.

tick. tick. tick.

working on a tight work deadline. will post around lunch. xox!

llama rescue

i mentioned long ago that my parents are moving. it's the longest move ever. their old house sold in just two weeks and now they're living in an apartment until their new house is ready, which will be around march. because they have the time, my parents have really done a great job of clearing out a lot of stuff. i rescued this little guy from the toss/goodwill/yard sale pile. i can't remember a life before he existed. he used to live in the middle of a square coffee table with some other clay managerie members ... i remember him being friends with a sheep. anyway, he now lives here with us. happy day!

thanksgiving table

my mum and dad came down for thanksgiving dinner this year and since we finally have enough pieces, tripper and i decided to use the fancy plates. i'm so glad we did ... the set table looked beautiful! and the food i cooked (yes, i cooked, and all from scratch i might add, right down to the two kinds of sauces) was actually edible! hooray! tripper and dad ate turkey parmesan (and by turkey, i mean chicken. a word to the wise ... do not go shopping for thanksgiving dinner supplies at 10 p.m. the night before.) and we all had pasta in a tomato cream sauce, caesar salad, super creamy mashed potatoes and bread. i'm so thankful for family and friends and for the fact that it's three days later and nobody has gotten sick.

happy thanksgiving!

have a wonderful holiday!

xox
holly

anthropologie *thursday*

ok, i know it's not thursday, but tomorrow being a holiday and all i thought i'd go ahead a post this today instead of skipping a week. without further ado, here is this week's favorite anthropologie find: the technicolor owl dishtowel. hoot! hoot! if i had one, i'd be using it tomorrow ;)

no runner-up this week, but the coordinating it's a hoot apron is also cute to boot!

image from anthropologie.

d*s gift guide

design*sponge has a fabulous gift guide going on. today she's showcasing gifts under $25. i love the cuckoo clock and this keyring. yesterday was all about affordable art ... all quite beautiful picks. tomorrow will be splurge gifts and a guide devoted to what to get the men in your life. nice! go see!

image of super cute wrapping paper from whimsy press.

naked & angry

love the name, love the pattern! this printed wall covering, called parsley a by kimberly crofts, was hand-screened in chicago for naked & angry. it's part of a fantastic new series, series two, which they think (and i agree) is best viewed in small doses. suggestions? a bedroom door, your kitchen cabinets, a fireplace or your desk's surface ... rather than an entire room. parsley a: think garnish!

image from naked & angry.

holiday scramble and contest

in honor of the season, karen from kstyle and holly from holly's plate (that's me!) have teamed up to bring you the twelve days of christmas holiday contest. starting december 1st and running for 12 days thereafter, karen and holly will be posting a single letter on their sites for a total of two letters each day. collect these letters, 24 in all, and at the end of the 12 days, unscramble them to reveal a holiday phrase. the first person to correctly unscramble the phrase and email karen at troyajijic@yahoo.com will win a pair of karen's hand-crafted lampwork earrings. the first person to unscramble the phrase and email holly at hollyloo@gmail.com will win a holiday bumbleknees print made by holly. good luck and happy holidays!

ps: here's a hint (you're only going to get this one!) ... the phrase is made up of seven words.

apple pandowdy?

not in this precious pink pie plate! it doesn't really go with a table set for fall, but i don't care. it's marvelous and would make any old tart look like million dollar pie.

image from neiman marcus.

ps ... apple pandowdy and million dollar pie. yum.

nana's plates

i decided to unpack and put away my nana's fine china, which if the past is any indicator means we will be moving soon. i've been carrying her lovely china with me from place to place over the years. there is so much of it ... service for 12 plus an extra 10 dinner plates, two tureens, two platters, a creamer and then some ... that it takes forever to pack and unpack. whenever i finally give in and unpack it, we end up moving. i really shouldn't complain. all that wrapping and unwrapping is a chance to hold a piece of my nana and think about all the great meals that were enjoyed on those plates. miss you, nana!

sketchy

a few weeks ago, tripper made me watch a documentary on the architect frank gehry. i'm not really a fan, well i can't decide, but i was amazed to see how his scribbly little sketches, which took him no more than 10 seconds to create, turned into buildings that looked quite like them. anyway, i've been on a 10-second sketch kick lately and thought i'd share. today's topic: dresses. i couldn't figure out the feet so i hid them with flowers.

christmas card copy

i may be going the route of the photograph-turned-christmas card this year. (the amys will have to wait 'til next year if i do.) i love this picture of ed in his antlers ... it's perfect for a holiday card, but what should it say? i'm thinking funny is best. any ideas?

anthropologie thursday

here is my favorite anthropologie pick this week: the poetry in nature print, queen anne's lace. i saw it in person and it is stunning. sepia-toned tranquility by nyc artist, allan baillie. baillie uses a large format camera, strobe lights and polaroid film to capture this wistful, finely detailed image.

image from anthropologie.

ps ... this week's runner up was the gorgeous effervescent chandelier in bubbly blue. the reason it didn't make first? my beer bottle budget.

pipe cleaner chic

who knew pipe cleaners could look this cute? martha did. i like the idea of making these for hanging on the tree. take a look at how to make the lovely deer, but also iguanas, tigers, squirrels and monkeys holding a banana. that iguana would look cute as a button donning a santa hat, don't you think?

image from martha stewart kids.

ps ... has anyone made the switch to the new blogger? i'm scared.

spade on sale

i think this is precious! a cute little green spade keyfob, by none other than kate spade. it's part of the exclusive online sample sale. hurry. go!

image from kate spade.

painted possibility?

ok, so in order to get the new dresser from the previous post, i mentioned i'd have to get rid of my beloved bombay chest. out with the old, in with the new, right? but then i saw this painted tango chest at mackenzie-childs. for $5,000. gulp! so i started thinking maybe there is a little painting to do in my future.

six delightful drawers

i mentioned a while back that i was about to embark on a dresser-hunting mission. well, after searching high and low, i found it. it actually came to me in the form of a west elm catalog. yesterday, i went to see it in person. it's wonderful! it's exactly like the dresser above, except in the chocolate finsh instead of the acorn. (you can see it in this picture, squeezed there into the upper right corner.) it's truly perfect. not too big, not too small. unfortunately, west elm is out of stock. they are getting more in this week, so this weekend i'll have a new member in my furniture family.

image from west elm.

ps ... while at west elm, i stumbled upon a new open-air market. each weekend from 9am to 3pm they'll be setting up the tents at the atlantic station market. fun! and for all you crafters and artists, a tent for the day is only $50! details are on their site.

pass the pigs

a trotter, a snouter and a leaning jowler? all part of the crazy fun party game ... called pass the pigs ... we learned this weekend at the sky lounge. instead of rolling dice, you roll two incredibly cute little pink pigs. you win or lose points (and drinks) depending on how they land. get some (they'd be the perfect stocking stuffer) and go, um, hog wild!

images from the cambridge university tiddlywinks club.

lotus bowls

eight gorgeous bowls by whitney smith for zanisa nestle together to form one beautiful flower. useful and pretty.

image from zanisa.

ps ... other zanisa lovelies: nature push pins, squirrel opener, butterfly garden seeds, olive branch graphite. what's your favorite?

giving tree

twirl and bounce. that's what this spiral metal christmas tree does when hanging from the ceiling. measuring in at 70 inches tall when fully extended, this tree, made by haitian artisan thenor evenson as part of the aid to artisans program, would look gorgeous alone or adorned with ornaments and other holiday bits.

learn more about the aid to artisans program, an organization that helps artisan groups in developing countries become self-sustaining, and see other great holiday items here.

fa-la-la-la-latte

i'm not sure why i'm so excited about this ... i get a tall, decaf, skim peppermint mocha every time i go to starbucks. but, now it's in a red cup! let the holidays begin.

image from starbucks.

anthropologie thursday

i've decided to have a feature and i will call it anthropologie thursday! each thursday i will pick my favorite piece of fabulousness from anthropologie and post about it. simple, right? not really. you try picking just one! this week, it's ... oh gosh, this is hard. ok, it's:


ta-dah! the oh-so beautiful slender leaf plates. delicate porcelain plays host to a modern arrangement of victorian annuals and black frieze decals. wow. they would make the perfect accent plates to liven up my fine china and would make for a lovely table all on their own. gorgeous.

image from anthropologie.

ps ... anthropologie lovers must check out this site: craving anthropologie. so well done!

pps ... here was this week's runner up. come back next thursday to see if it makes the cover shot!

love pearl

one almost naked boston terrier + endless clothing options = something i most definitely want. i spotted these egg press pearl paper doll prints on oh my gooshness, a site which i just learned about today via kstyle. fantastic!

images from egg press.

ps ... today is a great day for new finds. check out these lovely links:

• lee hansen tiles and cursive new york via design*sponge.
• mayfair avenue via hostess with the mostess.

dangerously chic

a kate spade favorite, and also one of mine, this pretty metal scorpion hairclip adds style, sass and just the right finishing touch to any updo. i wonder how i could make it work with my new *short* jaw-length bob.

image from kate spade.

oh boy, joy!

great news! joy of oh joy! has just launched her own business site, oh joy!studio. it's every bit as spectacular as her blog. congratulations, joy!

image from oh joy!.

election hang over

still recovering from a long, crazy election night. sleepy girl! i'll be back later today (after a little nap) with some new posts.

porch pup

tripper, eddie and i spent some time vacationing in the south of georgia over the weekend. we went down to visit tripp's parents and celebrate his dad's birthday. (happy birthday, papa ger!) this was the first time we'd seen their new house in americus and it was gorgeous! they bought a very old bungalow (1920s?) and have the. best. front. porch. ever! ed was in heaven. tripper took all the pictures with the fancy camera, so he'll have to help me upload them. when he does, i promise to share.

image of ed courtesy of tripper.

sugar songbirds

i just spotted these sweet little birds, made entirely of sugar, over at oh joy! beautiful. each bird is handcrafted and delicately painted with food color. available at wendy kromer confections. wow.

pig out

i'm sure they were designed with something else in mind, but i can't think of a better way to serve ice cream than in these terracotta pig dishes from what on earth. can't you just picture them piled high with scoop after scoop after scoop? yum. yes, please.

image from what on earth.

strapcouture

this is clever. file under i wish i'd thought of that. is it a necklace? nope. bracelet? no. handbag handle? not. even. close.

strapcouture is a line of super fancy bra straps designed to be seen. if it's going to show, it should be pretty, right? these straps connect to your pre-existing strapless bra and sit there looking gorgeous. take a look. thanks to the atlanta edition of daily candy for the tip.

image from strapcouture.

bye, bye bombay

something happened the other day that has never happened before. i caught up on the laundry. every single thing we owned, with the exception of the tennis clothes we had on our backs, was clean. yay, right? wrong. i had no place to put it all. after staring at the stacks of neatly folded shirts piled up on the dryer, i came to the realization that we needed a bigger dresser. i am going to have to part with one of my favorite pieces, my beloved bombay chest.


i bought this piece for my very first apartment sans roommates in washington dc. i loved it so much at the home depot expo showroom, i bought it right off the floor. (plus it was cheaper that way.) i finally felt as though i'd made something of myself because i purchased a piece of furniture that did not have to be put together with an allen wrench. and now, i've outgrown it. i wish there was another place for it in our condo, but nope. there isn't. so as soon as the new dresser comes (i haven't started looking yet), this little guy will be up on craigslist and hopefully will find a nice, new home. *sniff*

pillow bliss

remember a long time ago when i was tea cup swap shopping with my mum? we ran across this pillow at paper affair. would you believe she actually bought it for me, well me and tripper, without me knowing?!?! ok. i kinda knew. but i had totally forgotten about it and then last week she sprung it on me for our anniversary! you're the best mum! you, too, dad! thank you! xox.

:(

computer issues.