Domestic Glam's Holiday Gift Guide

In these troubled economic times it's just not reasonable to ask Santa to bring you a new Louis Vuitton bag for Christmas. But here at Domestic Glam, we believe that you can be just as fabulous on budget. Here are a few suggestions for fantastic, unique, and affordable holiday gifts perfect for giving or receiving.

Lotta Jansdotter 2009 Fabric Calendar

You can purchase this fabulous calendar by designer Lotta Jansdotter at www.designpublic.com. It retails for $28 and is available in orange, blue and green. The calendar is 19" w X 19" l and made of 100% linen. According to the designpublic website these calendars "sell out in lightening speed every year," so start shopping!

The Notebook Set by Thomas Paul

Thomas Paul is one of my favorite home accessories designers, so imagine my delight when I learned he has recently released a line of desktop stationery and accessories. You can find this set of three 100-page notebooks at www.velocityartanddesign.com where it retails for $18. The notebooks' dimensions are 6" x 8" and you'll note that each of the three notebooks included in the set feature a different interior paper: blank, graph, or ruled. The sets come in five fun, graphic color combinations.

The Vinotagz Designed Set by Modern-Twist



This may well be my gift of choice this year for my fellow lovers of wine and chic design. The Vinotagz Designed Set from Modern-Twist combines all the elements of sleek chic that I love best: innovative design; beautiful graphics; and genius packaging. These silicone stemmarkers come in a set of six and are available in either retro prints or solid colors. You can actually write your guests' names on these stemmarkers with ballpoint pen and, when the evening is done, wipe them clean with a damp cloth for use at your next soiree. Even better they are packaged in a convenient plastic box that fits nicely on the neck of a wine bottle. Priced at just $14 for the set, you can purchase this fabulous gift at www.velocityartanddesign.com.

Owl Serving Pitcher

The ceramic Owl Serving Pitcher from Burke Decor is perfect at $38. At 9" high, it's a charming accent for your brunch table. Or, fill with fresh flowers in an unexpected burst of color, tangerine or chartreuse, and place on a bedside table. Visit www.burkedecor.com to order.

Boom - Hive Wine Rack

Inspired by nature, the Hive Wine Rack is made from natural walnut harvested from sustained forests in Thailand. The wine rack will hold six bottles of your favorite varietal and look fabulous while doing so - can be oriented vertically, as shown, or horizontally to fit your design aesthetic. This is a fantastic green gift with a budget-conscious price tag, only $35. To order, check out www.2modern.com.

Nordstrom 2008 Shopping Bag Ornament

Nordstrom's 2008 edition of their holiday Shopping Bag Ornament is perfect for the fashionistas among us. Its whimsical design and sparkly, hand-painted touches are sure to warm hearts everywhere this holiday season. At only $18 you could purchase two: one for you and one for me! www.nordstrom.com

Christmas Under Construction

You should be impressed. I've used remarkable self-restraint and no winter-themed decor has made it out of the attic thus far. Thank you to J and J for both writing that they too were entranced by visions of sugarplums and eagerly counting down the days until snowflakes, nativities, and the big man himself can make an appearance in their homes.

I have been working on a winter themed craft project for my children's playroom and thought I would share a quick pic of my progress. I cannot claim that the inspiration for this project was all my own - I did find outside inspiration in the form of a Land of Nod catalog - but I am thrilled to announce that no new crafting materials were purchased for the construction of this project.

Each of the mittens and trees is approximately 5" tall and constructed from felt, with hand stitched details using embroidery floss. The pieces are deliberately 'rustic' in their finishing. I plan to affix them to black grosgrain ribbon at 5-6" intervals and then string the garland somewhere in the playroom. Accompanying the garland will be two 25' strands of multi-colored ceramic C7 lights, as well as paper chains in coordinating colors. My vision is for something primary, colorful, and playful for my little boys. If it all goes well, I'll post pictures of our winter wonderland. If it doesn't go well, we will never speak of it again ;)

The Final Countdown

Wouldn't you know it? I woke up Saturday morning bright eyed and bushy-tailed, and ready to put up Christmas decorations! I contented myself by working on my mitten and Christmas tree garland, but I wasn't the only member of the family who suggested getting out even a few tinsel-tinged decorations this weekend. We exercised great restraint, however, and instead listened to a few holiday tunes in preparation for the big event. Check out this week's poll and tell me when you think it's safe and sane to start decorating for Christmas.

Archive 10.25.08 - 10.31.08

Poll Results

The Halloween Costume Poll has come a close with the following results: It's a Tie! Your favorite childhood costumes were Princess and Witch.

*Archived Recipe*
Delicious Dish of the Week: Autumn Mac & Cheese

Thanks to some fabulous friends for sharing this delicious dish and inspiring me to make it again... Autumn Mac & Cheese
Step 1: Toss diced Butternut Squash with olive oil, sage, garlic, and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, or until tender, at 450 degrees.
Step 2: Cook up as much bacon as you can handle in one dish. Make sure it's not too limp, but not completely crisp. Crumble and set aside.
Step 3: Prepare 3/4 box of Piccolini (mini Penne pasta) per box directions.
Step 4: Prepare a white sauce. Just as the sauce begins to thicken, add a generous portion of your favorite shredded Italian cheese, ie Parmesan or Romano...or both!
Step 5: Toss cooked pasta, roasted squash, crumbled bacon, and white sauce until completed mixed together. Transfer to your most glamourous casserole dish and sprinkle with a little extra cheese. Heat in oven at 350 until heated through.

Serve this delicious dish with a beautiful green salad tossed with homemade dressing and a bottle of 2005 merlot. Make it extra special by having a candlelight picnic with your sweetie or better yet, include the whole family.

PHD Rears Its Glorious Head

I am pleased to announce that I have stayed true to my pledge to repress my Christmas compulsion and my family's 15 massive boxes of Christmas decor remain safely tucked away in my attic. Similarly, I have exhibited immense willpower with regard to shopping for Christmas decor and/or gifts, and purchased nothing. Although I will confess, I did have a weak moment a week and a half ago and began the design work and initial construction on a mitten and tree garland for my children's playroom, BUT used materials I already had on hand. And then, today, I walked through the doors of my local Target.
I realized this afternoon that Halloween is tomorrow...Friday...and 1 big bag of candy from Costco is not going to be nearly enough. After unsuccessfully navigating the parking lot version of Frogger at Costco, I decided to pop into my favorite one-stop-shop, Target, for a couple bags of candy. As I walked to the back corner of the store, I sensed something different. Was that....Could it be...YES! The faint strains of Christmas music playing in the background. I started walking faster until I rounded the corner and there it was: Five halfway completed aisles of Target Christmasy delights. My mood was instantly lifted and I wandered in a happy haze through those five aisles for a solid 15 minutes. What's new? What's different? What are their design themes going to be this year? Did I purchase anything? No! Did I want to? Absolutely YES!
I couldn't help smiling as I slowly wandered away from the Christmas aisles, on to my more urgent candy buying task...I even found myself merrily humming a Christmas tune. Three hours later I still feel cheerful and a little giddy inside, with visions of sugarplums dancing in my head. And I ask you, is that so bad?

No More Granola For Me, Thank You.

Have you heard the one about the nicely dressed woman who got the evil eye from the granolas at Trader Joe's? No? Allow me to share.
This is how bizarre my existence is. I've shared previously how much I love the area that I live in. It's beautiful, just the right size, and there is very little traffic. It is also, how shall I say...a little earthy. And you know what? For the most part that doesn't bother me. I merrily go about my business, happy to be attired in the clean preppy clothing that is my preference, a smile on my face, and my Chanel sunglasses perched atop my head. I don't comment on or disparage the dreadlocked, hemp-wearing, or slightly odorous folks I frequently come in contact with in the downtown core of our community. I'm sure they're lovely people on the inside, and are merely in a phase in which personal appearance and/or hygiene is not at the top of their list of priorities. In the 16 years I've called this gorgeous place my home, I have, however, come to the realization that if I am planning to spend time downtown, say, grocery shopping, it might be more enjoyable if I downplayed the glam.

So, the other day I decide I need to journey into 'the big city' to search for a few ingredients the grocery stores in my little cow town just don't have. I'm planning to peruse the Co-op and Trader Joe's. I love the Co-op, they have great stuff there, but as I don't generally roll up on a bicycle pulling a trailer behind me with my organic cotton-clad off-spring nestled inside, I honestly feel like I don't get the best reception from the other shoppers. Not to worry, my plan is to hit Trader Joe's first and then the Co-op as a last resort. I take a quick inventory of my appearance before exiting the car: Clogs - check; Natural fiber, chunky knit cardigan - check; Basic make-up, no sparkly lip gloss - check! I'm all set!
The doors to Trader Joe's slide open and I'm assaulted by the smell of exotic flowers and...wait, is that wet dog? No, no, just one of my more earthy fellow citizens. I found what I was looking for very quickly (Israeli couscous, thank you), but I did have a strange experience. You see, I never expected that my earth-first, all natural, organic brethren would resort to guerilla shopping tactics. It was as though it was 8 am on the first day of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, and the doors had just opened. Uh huh, that's right, it was showdown time between me and the freshman from Western who was busy sowing her earthy oats. The objective: The last box of Pumpkin Bread & Muffin mix. The result: Victory, for me. And the evil eye from a hemp clad, petulant, patchouli-laced young woman, who stalked off muttering something rude about yuppies. I couldn't believe it.
I concluded my shopping trip after the Trader Joe's experience, grateful that I had found everything I needed on my list, and certain that I'd had my share of granola for one day.

Table for One, Please

Two afternoons each week, I have four uninterrupted hours of child-free grown up time while my little darlings enjoy an afternoon at preschool. To top that off, the school my children attend is just far enough away from our home that journeying back after dropping them off is not the most convenient thing to do and, frankly, a tremendous waste of time and fuel. So, for the past few months I have taken advantage of this time by scheduling various appointments, grocery shopping, and just catching my breath - by myself. It's been wonderful. Silly me, I also assumed that it would be a great time to catch up with my girlfriends, many of whom are also domestic goddesses with small children. Small children who don't attend school the same days and times as my small children. Result: I don't actually see my friends any more than I did prior to preschool, although, any phone conversations we have are blessed with far less background noise on my end.
Now, I make a valiant effort at using my time wisely during these four hour chunks, but even the most dedicated meal-planner can only spend so much time at the grocery store. And who would have thought that you could actually get tired of wandering the aisles at Target, alone, with no tiny voices pleading for pretzels, water, or a bathroom break? Certainly not me, but alas, it's happened. So, now what? I'm alone, too far away from home to drive back and watch the latest DVR'd episode of Mad Men, and, (confession time) pretty much terrified of going into a restaurant or coffee shop by myself. I know it's ridiculous, but that's the truth. I've always felt that way and have always been embarrassed by it, so then my anxiety is doubled - I'm too nervous to go in and annoyed by my nervousness. I decided to tackle my issues by starting off small: a coffee here and there, then ordering a coffee and sitting down with a book or magazine. Feeling like I'd conquered the coffee shop, I decided the other day to have lunch by myself. Knowing that given the chance I'd over analyze the entire situation and wind up starving and sitting pathetically in my car, I pulled into the nearest restaurant, grabbed my book, and headed in for lunch.
Things are proceeding well; no one gave me any weird looks as I was seated and there were several other people dining by themselves. Okay, this is great! I order, take my time enjoying lunch and my book, and, really, am feeling pretty fabulous about the whole situation! Wow! I can really do this without turning twelve shades of red and feeling like a complete idiot! WooHoo! All until this: "Excuse me, MAM, are you...," and then I tuned out. And turned twelve shades of red. Oh no she di-n't. "Mam?" "MAM!?" REALLY?! Am I that old that I need to be addressed as 'Mam'?
So, I keep reevaluating my place in life as compared to the last time I did anything by myself, which was four years ago, before my little guys were here. Four years ago, I was still a twenty-something woman...and now, I'm not. According to one doctor, I'm now 'middle-aged' and, by the way, you can suck it, Dr. Gilbert, for that stunning revelation. But here's the thing, if being 'middle-aged' means being comfortable with who you are, then I'll take it. The twenty-something me still cared if the grown-up versions of the mean girls from high school liked me. The twenty-something me worried about a lot of things that don't need to be worried about. The woman I am now doesn't worry about those same things, at least not as much. I'm grateful for the twenty-something experience, and know that that time contributed a great deal to the path I'm now privleged to travel. Maybe my thirties will teach me how to enjoy time in a restaurant by myself. The point is, for the most part I know who I am and I feel good about it. No compromises, no excuses. No energy to be anything different! But, please, don't call me 'Mam.'