Sweet Treat Jars

My friend, Grace, made these charming treat jars for her son's pre-school teachers.  She used baby food jars and my tutorial on how to "beautify" jar lids.  However, she had to tweak the design a bit because the tiny lids wouldn't be able to screw on with the paper folded under the lid.  So she fringed the paper edges and let them hang over.  She finished it off with a thin piece of raffia wrapped around it. 

I also love how Grace embellished the thank you belly band with eyelets.  I definitely need to add an eyelet punch system to my craft collection!  How adorable would these be for a baby shower favor?  Or filled with jams or butters for a hostess gift?  The possibilities are endless!

NYIGF

This weekend I went to the New York International Gift Fair with my friends Tara and Nathan from Ithaca.  You might remember them from when I blogged about their lovely store, Terra Rosa.  Tara and Nathan were visiting the NYIGF to buy for their spring inventory and I was lucky enough to tag along.  NYIGF is a huge gift trade show held in the Javitts in NYC twice a year that has exhibitors as big as Ralph Lauren Home to small mom and pop stores that make handmade goods.  Let's take a peek at some of the vendors.

My photos do not give you a sense of how massive the show was.  It was literally aisle after aisle of vendors that filled multiple football fields.  I didn't even get to the part of the show that was located in the piers along the Hudson River.

Cavallini & Co. one of my favorite paper goods stores.

 

Jonathan Adler, of course.

 

Dylan's Candy Bar, a NYC staple for children and grown ups alike!

Lilly Pulitzer, pink and peppy.

Loved this store- Two's Company, a home goods accessories wholesaler.  Their booth was impeccably designed and decorated.

I want these mirrors!

This was a great booth, The Joy of Light.  They make custom matchboxes.  And it turns out that they are based out of my hometown of East Hampton, Connecticut!  We joked that everyone thinks that we're from the Hamptons of Long Island.

Loved Emilie Sloan's booth.  She makes tote bags that are beautiful and extremely durable.  She has exquisite taste when it comes to color and pattern.

I recently saw Fringe candles at Gracious Home and fell in love with their beautiful glass containers.

This jewelry store called Dear Swallow had such a unique booth display.  It perfectly fit the look of the jewelry and created a sense of mystique.

I loved these cardboard tassles found at Tinsle Trading.  In fact, I was blown away by the creativity of the booth displays.  

Pistachio Press was one of my favorite letterpress stationery vendors of the day.  Their designs were clean and crisp and full of color. 

Lastly, we visited Voluspa.  I'm a huge fan of their candles (my favorite scent is Japanese Plum Bloom.)  They were exhibiting a new collection of kitchen candles by chef James Boyce.  

As many of you know, my dream is to open my own stationery and gift store in Newburyport, MA.  So one day I hope to be back at NYIGF buying for my own store!

 Thank you so much, Tara and Nathan for letting me tag along for the day.  I had an amazing time!

Holiday Gift Ideas

Here are some of my picks for holiday gift ideas. (Okay, I'm not gonna lie, they're all on my Christmas wish list but I thought I'd share.) One might turn out to be the perfect gift for someone in your life!

Brother P-touch, $40.

This is one of those gifts that I feel like anyone would appreciate. Who doesn't want to be more organized in their life?

Glassy Baby Votive, $40

My friend owns these and I just love the size and shape. These come in every color under the sun and when they're lit they give off such a rich, inviting glow. Each of these glass votives are blown by hand.

Photographs by ISPhotography, $20-$30

Irene Suchoki takes the most gorgeous photographs. They're whimsical and soft and she takes photos of my favorite places in the world. I've been dying over the top photograph for quite some time (I blogged about it here) but I didn't know who the artist was. I'm so glad I found Irene's etsy shop! Do your self a favor and take some time to peruse her shop, each photograph is spectacular.

Woodhouse Chocolates, $8-$30

Woodhouse Chocolates is one of my favorite chocolatiers, partly because they have gorgeous packaging. Each chocolate is exquisite and I love their holiday collection. How adorable are those polar bears and penguins?! These chocolates are perfect for a hostess gift or when you need to ship to someone across the country.

Pocket Posh Books

How cute are these puzzle books by Pocket Posh? This really goes to show you that everything in your life can be pretty and well designed... it just takes a little searching. Now that I'm a New Yorker again, these little puzzle books are perfect for those long subway rides. Just toss one in your purse and you're good to go. And since it's so pretty, I won't look like a total geek. Well...at least I'll be a stylish geek.

Available on Amazon and at the Container Store.

A Sad Story

When Mike and I were in Las Vegas, I visited an Anthropologie. I know what you're thinking, why go all the way to Vegas and shop in Anthropologie? Well I didn't realize that Vegas is basically one big mall... essentially each casino has it's own mall. If you're not a huge gambler there's little else to do except eat and shop (and that's fine by me) plus the nearest Anthro is about 100 miles away from Ithaca. Anyway, I picked up one of these lovelies:

Perfect as a creamer or as a vessel to drizzle salad dressings or hot fudge. And the kicker... it was only $3.95!! The sad part of the story is when I must have left it in a cab or in the casino because when we were packing up to leave that little bag was no where to be found! Such a shame... at least I didn't spend much on it! If you live close to an Anthropologie, you must check out their sales now! I will live vicariously through you.