The holidays are upon us, and it’s time to sass up your home for the impending family gatherings and sugar-fueled gift opening extravaganzas that await. We’re here to help.
Let’s start at the table. There is no easier way to dress up the dinner table than by adding a table runner, and at $21, there may not be a less expensive way either. Top it off with brushed nickel tea light holders by Kenneth Wingard, and you’ll be feeling festive in no time.
If you want to receive good stocking stuffers, you’d better have a good stocking. Read Frances’s post from last week on these sweet, modern stockings from Simplemente Blanco. Handmade in Boston by Argentina-born Fernanda Bourlot, these have a simple beauty. And for hanging by the fire with care, try using our purse hangers as stocking hangers. We have new designs for the season that would work perfectly to hang from the mantle.
Sometimes stockings are small, and hang from the tree. Sometimes they have sweet little mittens to hang with them. I’m just saying.
Speaking of ornaments, we had a great idea from a customer recently who bought several of these wooden ornaments, with the idea of using them as gift tags. You could even do that with our ever-popular wood snowflake ornaments, if we haven’t sold out of them yet.
You’ll undoubtedly be wrapping some gifts, and will appreciate the top quality wrapping paper we’re carrying, by Denise Lynn Studios. Don’t be surprised when the recipient ignores the gift and frames the paper. No really, we know a lamp maker who has made gorgeous shades from this line of paper… but more on that in the new year.
BOOK DARTS • $8.50 Not just the page, mark the actual line that you want to get back to. It’s no longer necessary to beat up the poor book by bending page corners and marking it all up with those hideous highlighter colors. A nice little tin of 50 archivally correct 
DOG AND CAT MAGNETS • $9.00/set of four There are Dog people and there are Cat people. We have Dog magnets and Cat magnets by local designers Three by Three. Any gift that takes care of a category is useful around the holidays. We hope this “themed” gift idea helps you check a few people off your list. (FYI, we also carry lots of 3 x 3 magnet boards, hooks and picture frames. They are all reasonably priced and really cool.)
TEA LIGHTS • TAPERS • $8.50 Really a catch all gift around this time of year. We get our beeswax candles from our friends at Bluecorn Naturals in Colorado. They burn clean, come in yummy colors; Pistachio, Ruby and Creme.
There will be more handy lists to come…it’s that time of year.