Fun Can Opener

Well, as fun as a can opener can be. The Boston Warehouse Toucan Can Opener. $19.99 at Target.com.

20 Best Food Books of 2006

If you are still shopping for gifts or just need some holiday reading, check out this list of the 20 best food books of 2006. Topping the list is The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollen. I just picked up the runner-up, Arabesque, by Claudia Roden, which covers the cuisines of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon and is beautifully photographed. I'm looking forward to learning a few new tricks for Christmas dinner.

More Cool Alternative Wreaths

Check out more unusual wreaths at Dress Your Nest, including this amazing antler wreath.

Thanks to Celee for the tip.

Holiday Decorating: A Modern Wreath

A very simple evergreen wreath in an unexpected shape. $60 from Jayson Home and Garden.

Via Apartment Therapy Chicago

Hooray for Horses

Perhaps because I'm from Texas, I absolutely love horses. I've never had many horse-themed items in my home because they tend to be Western or Country-Cottage in style. Not so anymore. Here are a few recent online horse-themed finds:


The just-about life-sized resin horse lamp from Front Design for Moooi. Via Apartment Therapy and Shelteriffic. $4,100 (ouch!)


The wild horse candelabrum from Fjorn. On sale for $279. Via Apartment Therapy.


The wilderness lamp from Eric Ginder. $1,024. Ok, so these are actually cast resin caribou hooves. Close enough. Via Apartment Therapy.

Finally, a Photo of Our Christmas Tree

Last week my laptop died a slow painful death, apparently due to a malfunctioning fan, but I have a new computer now so here is the photo of our Christmas tree I have been intending to upload. I couldn't get the lighting quite right (flash was too much, but overhead light wasn't enough), but hopefully it looks ok.

Customize Your Gifts with Old Magazine Photos

I have to admit I'm a magazine hoarder. I have stacks of old magazines in my cabinets and under the bed at my house. The reasons I keep them are varied. Some have a great recipe or ideas I hope to use in the future. Some just have an inspirational image, and to be honest, some I keep because I'm just in the habit of keeping them.

In an effort to avoid walling myself into my home with periodicals, I've devised a way to use old magazines to customize my gift wrap this year. I've simply pulled winter and Christmas themed images out of old and new magazines and cut them out. I then used rubber cement to glue the photos in place on wrapped presents. I haven't finished getting all of my ribbons and bows done, but I really like the way these are turning out so far.