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.

The Bargainist: Keep Track of Deals and Sales

Just ran across a link to this site on the D Home Blog. Now you can keep up with sales and deals via RSS feed.

Stocking Stuffer for Guys

Peter Holmblad bottle opener, $32.44.

A Better Wine Gift

A 12-piece set of wine tools to which you add your own bottle of wine.

Available here for $60.00

Via Product Dose

Martha's Tree Trimming Advice Tested and Approved

Last night I decorated our tree. Now that I think about it, I should probably post a photo of said tree, but I wasn't that organized last night.

We have a 5' artificial tree that is pre-lit. I know, blasphemy, but we live in Texas. It's usually warm here during the winter, which I think makes for more rapid wilting of the fresh evergreens. Plus, I can't stand my furry dogs tracking pine needles all over the house in their fur.

I did try out Martha's ornament separating advice to great success. I have traditional glass bulbs only, no figural ornaments. I started by sorting the ornaments by color: green, white/silver, gold, red, blue, and "other." I put the green ornaments on first since they blend with the foliage and make a better backdrop, being careful to cover the tree evenly. I then added the white/silver ornaments, followed by gold, then red, then blue, then "other," which included orange, hot-pink, purple, and glittery ornaments. The result was that the tree was decorated more quickly with less agonizing and moving ornaments around after the fact. My husband came in and said it looked professionally done. He might be exaggerating, but I was happy with the results.

Target Watch: Cool Stuff on Sale

Bowling on Brown Art Box, $14.99 at Target.com


Thomas O'Brien Round Leather Serving Tray, $7.49 at Target.com


Thomas O'Brien Vintage Modern Mosaic Table with Chairs, $ 146.98 at Target.com


Thomas O'Brien Modern Bi-Fold Shelf, $239.99 at Target.com and in stores.

Ikea's Alta Bike is Pretty Enough for the Wall

If I lived in a city where I actually could ride my bike to work, this is a bike I would love to have, at least for the looks. I don't know what the ride is like as this is a fixed-wheel model, but the Alta is certainly refined enough to hang as art. The two-wheeler is already being called an affordable design classic by the bloggers of "This Next." Read more here.

Click here for the Alta Bikes Site.

Hostess Gifts: Books for Cooks

'Tis the season to party, and all that party attending leads to the question of giving an appropriate host/hostess gift. The easiest gift is always a nice bottle of wine or bubbly, but how about a great cook book for the chef? Here are a few suggestions:


If you're not sure what books they already have, you can't go too wrong with the 75th anniversary edition of The Joy of Cooking. Available at Amazon.com for $18.


For those who refuse to be a slave to the recipe, The Improvisational Cook gives ingredient-driven recipes and teaches you how to improvise based on what you have on-hand in your kitchen. $23.07 at Amazon.com.


For the adventurous chef, one of my personal favorites, The Sultan's Kitchen. Of the Turkish cookbooks I have, which are many, this is the most beautiful. The recipes are a little complicated and labor intensive, but well worth the work. $13.57 at Amazon.com.

Tree Trimming How-To

So Martha isn't known for her mod decorating tastes. The woman knows how to decorate a tree and the advice is good regardless of what the ornaments look like.

From the Martha Stewart Living Web site:

Our Secrets for Trimming the Tree

There's no wrong way to decorate a tree, but if you want to emulate our style, follow these steps.

1. Place tree stand in a watertight planter (ours measures 18 inches square) to yield a more tailored look than a tree skirt—and create extra room for presents.

2. String up the lights first, running them around individual branches to create a sense of depth.

3. Lay out ornaments, and consider a palette. Hang dominant colors to establish a rhythm, and then intersperse them with accents in other hues.

4. Use simple ornaments to create a backdrop for more ornate antiques as well as homemade, sentimental favorites.

5. Take a step back while decorating to see which areas need filling. Hang ornaments inside the tree—not just near its edges—for added dimension, and don't neglect the back of the tree.

6. Hang fragile ornaments near the top, where they will be less likely to get knocked off by pets and passersby.

7. Emphasize the vertical shape of the tree by hanging long, dangling ornaments—for example, icicles and teardrops. Suspend icicles at branch ends so that they look as they do in nature.

8. Keep lightweight clip-on ornaments (such as birds) on hand; they're useful fillers at branch ends.

9. Turn the lights off (or down if you are using a dimmer switch) when photographing, because excessive glare will make the tree look flat.

10. When taking down ornaments, organize them by color in boxes. Keep them in a cool, dry location, such as on the top shelf of a spare closet.

Are You Ready for See-Through Appliances

I'd rather the sins of my moldy leftovers be left unseen, but this is very cool to look at. In someone else's house.

Via Apartment Therapy

Feliz Navi Mod - Cool Stuff at Pier One

Feliz Navi Mod is Pier One's holiday slogan and they mean it. I was searching away for a more modern take on the holiday decor, and I honestly didn't even consider the Pier One site. Thanks to Modern Cottage for the tip.

Pier One even has their holiday stuff divided by color and I was pleased to see that the site has finally gotten a much needed make-over. Finds include wrapping paper, ornaments, and decor. I will definitely be making a visit to the store this weekend for the first time in years.

My favorite: the glass cone trees above. $11.25-$15 on sale through 12/24/06.



Also, this bird ornament on sale for $4.50 through 12/24/06.

Off Topic: Light a Candle and Donate to AIDS Causes

Bristol-Myers Squibb is donating $1 for every virtual candle lit on their Light to Unite site in honor of World AIDS Day. Please take a few minutes to make a visit and spread the word. Over 300,000 candles have been lit so far.

Alternative Holiday Decor: Whimsical Tree Pillows

These hand-made tree pillows are decorated with ribbon, beadwork, and applique. Available at Garnet Hill for $18 a piece. Each has a hanging loop on the back and could be used in place of a wreath or hung on the wall inside for the season.

Plant Sale at the Texas Discovery Gardens

Also from the Shop Better Here blog:

Sprucing up your casa for the in-laws this season? Don't forget the curb appeal.

Shop the holiday plant sale, now through December 31 at Texas Discovery Garden at Fair Park.

What's growing? How about trees, shrubs and a variety of gorgeous flowering plants. Perfect gift option for the "Green" peeps in your life as well.

Get special treatment by calling ahead and making an appointment: Beverly Hayes, Director of Horticulture, 214-428-7476, option 5.

3601 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.