Rue Magazine Gift Guide

Every blog, magazine, and website seem to be putting out their gift guides for the holidays. Most of these don't do it for me but I was impressed with the guide Rue Magazine put together. It strikes me as creative and well curated and possibly, well, useful. You can check out the full issue here. Bonus: articles on Nate Berkus and Tom Delavan. Not bad for one little issue. Go read it. 

Here are a few of the gift guide pages:

Thanksgiving 2012

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I love that the kids get the whole week off now. It really lets us enjoy time together as a family which is what I am always most thankful for when it comes down to it. We hosted at our house this year but outsourced most of the cooking so I got to focus  my (minimal) efforts on making things pretty.

Our hydrangea turned this deep red color just in time for Thanksgiving. Perfect!

My daughter made the painting for the mantel. (It reads "Happy Thanksgiving Everyone" and that's a turkey painted in the middle.)

We also set up a craft table in the kitchen to keep the kids - and grandpa - occupied during cocktail hour. I used branches I found in the park to create our "Thankfulness Tree" and the kids added tags throughout the week noting things that they are thankful for.

And yet another idea I stole from the Internet, we made apple turkeys using toothpicks and candy. Unfortunately I forgot to snap photos of our finished products. You'll have to use your imagination for that.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Robyn Mizrach McClelland

I was just reading the current issue of Matchbook and was impressed with the style of Robyn Mizrach McClelland. And she isn't even a decorator! She's a writer with wonderful, interesting taste. I'm smitten.

(All images via November 2012 issue of Matchbook Magazine)

Isn't it all so gorgeous? Feminine and luxe with plenty of personality and quirk. Hats off to you, Robyn!

Litographs

I just discovered a very cool art source. Litographs makes prints using the text of classic books and reverses out an image representing that book. Take a look-see:

Moby Dick

Peter Pan

Wizard of Oz

Alice in Wonderland

Aren't they cool? I think they would make an amazing gallery wall in a child's room.

Litographs also has more adult fare that could work alone or as an addition to a mixed media gallery wall.

Walden

And they also come in black and white.

Ulysses

AND, for every print purchased a book is donated to a community in need. So you get to do a good deed while decorating your walls. All images from the Litographs site. Go check it out.

Modern White Kitchen

I'm working with a client who has very modern tastes. Lots of white, black, and grey with glossy finishes. It's a more pop-art modern though, with hits of red or other bright colors, art deco influences, a white baby grand piano - and absolutely no wood tones, which are a fixture of most modern settings these days to bring in warmth.

She is renovating the whole place with grey concrete floors downstairs, a new metal and concrete stairway - you get the idea. We're trying to plan out the kitchen and I have been pulling inspiration photos for her. Take a look:

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This is going to be fun! You can follow me on Pinterest to see more photos.