LAST MINUTE CHRISTMAS GIFTS




If you woke up this morning and thought 'Eeek! Christmas is only days away and I still need gifts!' then never fear! Several years ago I did a round up of my favorite things on offer at Amazon that will ship for free in two days with a Prime membership (I have one; it's totally worth it!). Well, I thought that was a pretty fun exercise, so I am back again this year with an expanded list. Here are a bunch of things that will be sure to please all of the nearest and dearest folk in your life this holiday season and arrive on time!

GIFTS FOR BABIES

one | kid o color steps, $6.88






GIFTS FOR KIDDOS


seven | schylling kids accordion, $18.67



ten | 884 piece lego set, $50


GIFTS FOR GUYS

eleven | clark's desert boots, $39.99 - $149



fourteen | the essential bar book, $16.39


GIFTS FOR LADIES



seventeen | kindle paperweight e-reader, $99

eighteen | razzle dazzle amaryllis plant, $23.99


I am signing off today and will be away from the blog until 2015 (feels weird to say that!). I hope you have a fabulous holiday and enjoy the remainder of 2014 to the absolute fullest. Happy Holidays! See you next year!




*This post is not sponsored by Amazon (or anyone)! I just happen to be a big fan!



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70TH BIRTHDAY BONANZA: THE CAKE

the obsessive imagist
the obsessive imagist
the obsessive imagist
the obsessive imagist
the obsessive imagist
I have finally managed to sort through all my photos from this weekend (woo, there are a lot!) and I am very excited to share all the fun DIY projects I have been working on for my Dad's nautical birthday party over the last several weeks. Hope you are ready for some major crafting, because this week is party week!Without further ado let me present the centerpiece of any good party: the cake! My mom and I decided to have the party catered but, being an amateur pastry chef, I wanted to take responsibility for the dessert. I had a vision for a sweet nautical cake and, as you can see, I got pretty into it. Care to make your own version? Let me give you my insider tips!size and shape | I prefer round layer cakes as they can be put on a pretty pedestal (this one was from Crate & Barrel several years ago; similar one here) for an optimally professional display. To make this cake I used three pans each in two different sizes: nine inches (buy here) and six inches (buy here). To prepare the pans butter the bottoms and sides; sprinkle flour all over the buttered sides and tap off the excess; cut a round of parchment paper and place in the pan (trace the bottom of the pan with a pencil and cut just inside those lines; fits perfectly every time!). Another key to making a layer cake is to shave the top of each layer so that they are flat and can stack easily. Also, another insider secret is to stick several wooden dowels down the middle of the cake to anchor the layers to each other and keep everything upright. It works like a charm!recipes | Let me share a dirty little secret: I don't make the cake batter from scratch! Scandalous, I know! You can certainly do that, and I have had good results from a completely homemade cake, but when you are going to be spending a lot of time on the decoration I recommend a quick little shortcut: cake mixes. Specifically I used three boxes of Devil's Food cake mix and folded in a bag and a half of high quality semi-sweet chocolate chips (I prefer Ghiradelli) right before pouring the batter into the pans. The chocolate chips make for a nice change in texture from the rest of the cake and up the chocolate factor exponentially. For the frosting I just made a basic buttercream, doubling this recipe but cutting the proscribed sugar in half. You can use your best judgment for the sugar input, just keep tasting it as you incrementally add the sugar and stop when it's at your desired level of sweetness.decorations | To make the scalloped effect on the side of the cake, I followed this easy instructional. I decorated the sides of the bottom layer with these sugar pieces and then topped it with these signal flag toothpicks. I then topped the whole thing with an array of striped, blue, white and red candles. The overall effect was perfect for a seaside party for a classy man like my Dad.What do you think? Would you try a big party cake like this? Do you have any baking tips to add?




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HELLO YELLOW!






























































Okay, I admit it. I am officially, irreparably obsessed with yellow. How did this happen? For some reason this summer I have discovered that yellow is the sunniest color, perfect to brighten up an outfit and I suddenly can't resist it. Sounds silly and trite, I know, but it's true!

So here are some of my favorite picks for adding pops of yellow to your life.

one
Kate Spade Saturday Corded Bracelet, $25

 two
iLikeMaps Paris Map Print, $20

 three
bkr Bottle in Canary, $28

 four
Anthropologie Sun Stripes Napkin, $12

 five
Anthropologie Color Pop Juice Glass, $8

 six
Crocs Adrina Flat II, $40.99

 seven
Claire Vivier Grand Pochette Clutch, $173

 eight
Tubtrug 6.5 Gallon Bucket Size, $14.93


Do you have any yellow finds to add to the mix? Let me know in the comments!


p.s. I thinking that the flats (#6) will be just the comfy thing for walking around Paris. Has anyone bought them who can give me a review?


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CHRONICLES OF A BIBLIOPHILE

Reading List


I don't know what it is about fall, but recently I have been daydreaming about cuddling up with a good book. Of course because of school I read for hours and hours everyday, but I am talking about fun reading. Here's a quick rundown of the best books in my Amazon cart right now.


(left to right, by category)


FICTION + POETRY
Billy Collins, Horoscopes for the Dead
Elizabeth Hun Schmidt, Poets Laureate Anthology
Maira Kalman, And the Pursuit of Happiness
Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything (technically not fiction or poetry, but fun like it anyway!)


DECOR
Christiane Limieux and Rumaan Alam, Undecorate
Grace Bonney, Design*Sponge At Home


ART
Johan Kugelberg, Beauty Is In the Street
Scott Ropthkof, Glenn Ligon: AMERICA
John Elderfield and Jim Coddington, Willem de Kooning: A Retrospective
Douglas Eklund, The Pictures Generation: 1974-1984


DESIGN
Alston Purvis, A Visual History of Typefaces & Graphic Styles, 1901-1938
Rudy VanderLans, Emigre No. 70, The Look Back Issue
Ellen Lupton, Thinking With Type, Revised Edition
Steven Heller, Merz to Emigre and Beyond: Avant-Garde Magazine Design of the Twentieth Century


What books are you dying to read or own?



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SEEING GREEN

PRATO UMBRELLA STANDLEAF TRAY
PINCH AND POUR PREP BOWLS DOUBLE DISH
FEET FIRST FINISH LINE
LOOSE LEAF


In case you didn't know, it's St. Patrick's Day today here in the states. I don't particularly celebrate St. Patrick's Day (being of Swedish, German, and French descent), but I thought it would be appropriate to share some cool green products I have come across recently to mark the occasion.

Without further ado, from left to right, top to bottom:










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BROWN BAG IT

WRAP N MAT

MELON BALL NAPKINSLUNCH CONTAINERS

ZELCO MANGIA PORTABLE SILVERWARENALGENE ON THE FLY

SLIMLINE QUAD LUNCHBOXBABY BAGGU


Because I am a graduate student and because I like to, I pack my lunch every day. So I am always on the look out for new products that will make my 'brown bag' a little bit more colorful, practical or fun. These are a couple of things that I can't live without and a couple more that I think have potential.


top to bottom, left to right:

Red Dot Baby Baggu, Baggu, $6


(Need more lunch-alicious inspiration? Check out this post here.)


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HOLIDAY INSPIRATION

SWISS MISS SHOP

I am headed home to my parents' house today to start the Thanksgiving holiday early. I can't wait!

I thought I would leave you with some newly-discovered shopping inspiration to hold you off through Black Friday until Cyber Monday when I return. Yesterday swissmiss announced she was teaming up with Amazon to bring an online holiday shop full of her favorite things. Since I am constantly referring you to the cool stuff over on swissmiss, this promises to be a-mazing.

Arranged in different categories:



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IDEAL BOOKSHELF



I have been wanting to do a book wishlist post for a while, but I was having trouble finding a widget that made my picks look cool enough (and not like a long boring list!). Well, not surprisingly, Amazon had just the thing: the carousel!

You can use the arrows below each carousel to scroll through my choices (click and hold) and you can click on the book cover to get its price and information. You can obviously find all of these books in many, many other bookstores, but it was easiest to send you to one place. So, without further ado, I present to you my Ideal Bookshelf . . . just in time for the start of the holiday season! Perhaps there's something you might like to find under the tree (or menorah, or whatever you use to celebrate . . . ) yourself? Let me know in the comments!

left to right:

Art & Design Wishlist

Fiction & Nonfiction Wishlist

Gift Guide (standby favorites to give to friends & family)


p.s. Can I add this, this and this to the wishlist too?



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