A Post-Turkey Return

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Didn't get the chance to post last week, since I was running around prepping for (and ultimately enjoying!) the holiday. Lots of fun crammed into the last 5 days or so... I'm still trying to recover! Not only did I have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, I played hostess for our 5th annual "friendsgiving" on Saturday, aptly titled Thanksgiving 2 (or T-Givs 2 for short). Flaming marshmallow drama aside, it was a wonderful time spent with my favorite people, sharing my favorite foods.

The photo above is of a little arrangement I put together for the celebration, inspired by found items from the Fall. Shadow boxes and floating frames were used to display various nuts, cinnamon sticks, leafs, feathers and a few fabric scraps that tied in with my palette. Glass bottles wrapped in twine held branches and floral stems, while pine cones and mason jar votives punctuated the display. For the focal point, I affixed unfinished wooden letters (custom made by woodenletters.net) to a 24" x 36" canvas and propped up the number 2 in front for added dimensionality.

I didn't document my work in progress, but everything here is easily DIY-able! The bottles did take a while to wrap, but I love the way they turned out. Super cheap to make, and the end result is something that I'll get a lot of use from! All of the frames will also be recycled for other projects, or become a part of everyday décor.

Did you host your own holiday get together? What are some of the things you did to dress up the room or table? Feel free to share pictures if you have them!

One for the Forest

This happy little guy is a creation from Bosque, as seen on the bosque photostream.  Bosque is a particularly awesome new design studio based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that works with a wide range of media. From graffiti murals and print designs to 3D installations, tote bags and commissioned designs for Vans, the Bosque team applies their street art-inspired style in some pretty unique ways.

I loved this sticker design for its muted colors and its trees-make-me-smile message. Trees do happen to make me smile, and with the lovely fall leaves outside my window, I've been thinking a lot lately about applying this inspiration to an eco-friendly fall event.

The natural linen table runner below would look great with the Japanese Maple bonsai landscape, or any other bonsais you might find to match your style! I prefer a lot of the deciduous trees, but indoor bonsais would be a great takeaway for guests to keep in their own homes. Check out bonsai rental services in your area for the same look at a lower cost.

Photo-realistic forest wallpaper murals and votives wrapped in birch bark take things one step further in transforming your space into a woodsy sanctuary. Throw in some branches and other rustic details and you're well on your way..

Screenprinted leaf table runner in natural/cream linen by elisabethbentz on Etsy ($68)

Manzanita candelabra branch from West Elm  ($99)

Hand-engraved pint glasses with branches and leaves by daydreemdesigns on Etsy ($28.50)

Screenprinted fig leaf napkin, also by Elisabeth Bentz ($18)

Sunrise dahlia, photo from Eiseman Color Blog

Woodgrain fabric in Chocolate from Aviary by Joel Dewberry ($9.50/yd at Quilt Home )

Birch votives with natural bark from Crate & Barrel  ($3.95-$9.95)

"Misty Forest" photo mural wallpaper by Murals Your Way ($5.57/sq ft for vinyl print)

Japanese Maple bonsai penjing landscape by Qingquan Zhao via Art of Bonsai

Natural pine cone garland from Wisteria via Remodelista

Rustic floral arrangements by Stephanie Elhayani of Seed Floral for Kevin & Paige on Once Wed

Fowl Friends

Even though the fall is creeping in and the mornings are freezing in my apartment, an (seemingly) invisible bird outside my window insists on waking me up instead of letting my usual alarm clock do its job. Don't birds migrate south in cold weather? What happened to this guy and why did he get left behind? Maybe I'll try to catch him and domesticate him. OR I'll just look at these lovely curiosities on boxes from Lyndie Dourthe! Amazing!


Clockwise from left
Rotulos Roura company owl in Barcelona via Whorange
Paper mobile from Sandra Juto
Owl Plushie from Night Owl Papergoods
Birdhouse dolls from Tamar Morgendorff
Owl painting from Andrew Holder
Owl Book End from Chatchada
Godzilla Grows Feathers matte print from Charmine Olivia's Etsy
WAWAYA owls from Gnip
Bird Sketches paper print from dolangeiman's Etsy
Owl candlesticks from Laura Walls Taylor's Etsy
Cardinal garden bell from The Gardener
Bird Mobile from Grayhood
Lacy Bird bowls from Prince Design UK's Etsy
Amma maternity stationary from Beastpieces
A Simple Bird from BROOKLYNrehab's Etsy

Fall Fruits

This wooden block set from notNeutral may be listed as a kids toy, but I could definitely imagine it having a place on my desk. Each side of the 12 blocks is printed with something to love: letters and numbers in classic and contemporary fonts, two-tone flora and fauna graphics (think leaves, bird, flowers, butterfly, etc.), a tree puzzle and the apple puzzle featured above.


When I saw this photo in If it's Hip it's Here's feature on designer blocks, my mind drifted to apples and Fall. One of my favorite parts of Fall is being able to (comfortably) bake again in my small kitchen. Another would definitely have to be the delicious fruits that come into season as the Summer comes to an end. What better way to combine these two things than to bake some wonderfully fruity desserts? I'm drawing a blank. If you are too, why not try some of the recipes below?

Clockwise from top left:
Baked apples with walnut raisin filling by Meghan Telpner
Fried apple pies on The Prepared Pantry
Vanilla pomegranate pot-de-creme from Sass & Veracity
Anise-scented fig and date swirls from Gourmet.com's favorite cookies list
Clementine cake adapted from Nigella Lawson by Smitten Kitchen
Upside-down pear tartlets on Country Living
Honey rosemary ice cream recipe from Pastry Studio
Pumpkin cranberry oatmeal cookies on Sugarcrafter
Ginger and pink grapefruit cheesecake from Bon Appetit on Epicurious
Oven-baked apple cider donuts by Diana's Desserts

Dressing Fall

I love the idea of simplifying your wardrobe, especially now when the weather is tricky to dress for. One day it's 80 and sunny and the next it's 60 and hurricane winds are knocking you around the avenue.

The Uniform Project takes the simplification process to the extreme, in a good way. Sheena Matheiken wears one dress for one year as an exercise in sustainable fashion and to create awareness for the Akanksha Foundation. It's a fascinating exercise in accessorizing and layering and basically stretching what you have. She's really got a knack for it.

This particular photo reminds me of fall (is it the orange against the green?) in the city. The little "1" in the corner is especially endearing!


TCHO Chocolate bars from The Lovely Package
Bottle lighting from Zero
Hidden Hamlet Plates from Anthropologie
Honey Dipped Booties from Anthropologie
Tin Can Lids from Twig and Thistle
Brooks Brothers Black Fleece Fragrance from "Fashion's Night Out"
Soap packaging from Pan tu nie stal