My 2012 Holiday Gift Guide

If you're like me, you often leave some of your most important holiday shopping until the last minute. Do you still have a few people on your list? You know who I'm talking about - those hard to buy for people that you'd really like to acknowledge this year?

Today, I'm sharing my own La Maison Boheme gift guide.  I love reading the gift guides in magazines and on popular blogs, but I often feel like everything is a little out of my range.  For instance, while I'd love to bring "the hostess" a set of German porcelain egg cups as one such magazine suggested or luxury shearling ear muffs for "the girlfriend" as suggested by another fashion blog I enjoy reading, it's just not in my budget.

So here is my budget-friendly gift guide for some very specific people on my Christmas list. Who knows... you may have these very same people on your list!

Here's a little something for those wonderful family friends with little ones.  You know - they're the family that cloth diapers, and showed you how to stake your tomatoes properly. And then they brought you that meal when your husband was having surgery.  Give them a year's subscription to Taproot.  Cost: $30

This is for your chill brother who likes to accompany himself on guitar while singing a classic Neil Young song after dinner and a few beers. You know - he's the brother who wears mala beads, kindly takes his cigarettes outside so as not to expose your kids and has that wonderful full-throated laugh. He'll enjoy THIS guitar pick punch. Cost: $25

This gift requires a little planning, but doesn't have to cost a lot. Pack an overnight bag for your lover - you know, hes the one who listens to you whine about the Christian Right and rocks your babies to sleep. He's also the man who stood up in front of you, the officiant, your family and the entire Pacific Ocean and announced he would love and cherish you forever and ever. Your man deserves a little of your time. Grab his overnight bag out of the closet and pack it with the following items:

Towel

Shower Gel

Shampoo

Deodorant

Tissues

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

And maybe a book... maybe

Whisk him away for a few hours this holiday season.  You both need a little break away from the hubub of the holidays. Take time for each other. Cost: depends on where you go. But whatever you spend, it's worth it.

 

Here's a lovely little something for your girl crew.  You know - these are the awesome ladies you met and bonded with at the early childhood PTA. They're the same ones who meet every month for margaritas at the neighborhood taco bar and watch your kids when you're in a pinch. They will love THESE gorgeous beaded necklaces. Cost: usually $39 for all three, but currently on sale 65% off at $13.95 for the trio.

Here's something for the maternal figure in your life. You know - she's the one who sent you care packages in college and slipped you a hundred dollars just when you needed it most. She's also the one who doesn't want you to get her anything extravagant for Christmas because she worries about your precarious finances. Here's a little tip: do what she tells you to do (mothers love that) and don't spend a lot. Instead, write a poem for her about how she has nurtured and comforted you. Then take her out for a cup of coffee and a conversation. Present her with the poem and hug her.  Cost: 7 dollars for two lattes.  Or $8 if it's my mama because she loves a mocha during the holidays.

Hold On

I'm a mess today. Yesterday's events in Newtown, Connecticut have left me heartbroken and grasping for my babies.  Today, my heart and mind is with the families who lost their precious never-to-be-held-again children in the massacre. There will be no making sense of this except to hold on to what is good in this world.

My Living Room is Finished!

I painted my living room blue last weekend and the results are in!  I snapped photos yesterday morning while fixing oatmeal for my 5-year-old and intermittently picking up a crying 2-year-old. So while they're not top notch photos, you'll get an idea of what I've done!  Presenting my very blue living room:

And just for fun, here's a before shot:

I painted with Benjamin Moore's Symphony Blue, which took four coats.  It was crazy but worth it.  Most of the room is comprised of furniture I already had on hand. However, there are a few new things in place.  The primary purchase was a set of red ikat curtain panels from Castle Creek Designs on Etsy.  They are beautiful and I'm in love with these curtains.  The other new piece is the red tripod table pictured above from West Elm - an early Christmas gift from my husband.  It was on sale!

Where did everything else come from?  Here's the breakdown:

Everything below came from Craigslist:

pair of yellow Midcentury chairs

pair of blue barrel back chairs

brown sofa

both sofa side tables

coffee table

circular table between blue chairs

Thrift Store

all four table lamps, each lamp was 5 dollars or less
(I spray painted two of them in turquoise)

Etsy

red ikat curtains from Castle Creek Designs

grey chevron pouf by Aleta Fae - I won from a blog giveaway at Head Over Heels

Joss & Main

blue Ikat pillows on sofa

lumbar ikat pillow I won from a blog giveaway at Deliciously Organized

Pottery Barn

red paisley throw pillow and blanket

area rug

Stuff I made:

yellow suzani pillows on sofa

red art above hearth

And just for fun... here are photos of our eat-in kitchen and dining room, both of which share space with our new living room... 

P.S.  All of the art in the photos below were painted by my son, Walker. 

Our dining room is like his little gallery.

Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to go bold and paint my living room dark indigo blue.  I love the look of it, as does my family.  It's warm, dramatic, energizing and just plain fun.  Have a GREAT weekend!

Holiday Art

My son is always painting or crafting or gluing or constructing something. These days, his mind is bent on an inexorable path towards Christmas day.  Let's just say he's very excited.  So we've been making some holiday crafts... the first is my son's wreath made from a paper plate.  The second was a quick painting I did on a Christmas card.  Hope you have some time this week to craft a little Christmas something. 

Living Room Peek

I spent the weekend painting my living room and after four - yes, FOUR - coats, it's finally done. I'm not sharing all of the photos yet, but here is a little peek at the wall behind the sofa area. The color is Symphony Blue by Benjamin Moore.

I also thought it would be fun to share the design photos that have inspired my latest living room update. These were pulled from a file called "Make this happen in my house".  Do you have a dream file too? 

source

source

source

source

source

Be sure to check back on Friday when I'll share LOTS of photos of the new room and treat you to a little "state of the house" tour. 

The Art of Aaron Smith

I just happened upon the incredible art of Aaron Smith.  His portraits are of gentlemen from a bygone era, but his technique and treatment of his subjects makes them startlingly current.  When I view these men in their black and white photographs they seem austere and impenetrable.  But Aaron Smith disarms these men and renders them vulnerable, proud and achingly pensive. See more of Aaron Smith's work at www.aaronsmithart.com.

Also find Aaron at one of his numerous blogs:

Mandrakes & Mucksnipes

Bearded Blokes of the Belle Epoque

Good Lords

Studio Time

Happy Monday! Yesterday, I spent the day painting my living room! For those of you who were wondering, the hubs and I finally decided on Symphony Blue by Benjamin Moore. I'm not quite finished, but I will be posting a full tour of the newly revamped space on Friday - so make sure to check back. This week, in addition the usual schedule, I'll be writing and painting in my studio... 

Painting on the easel for sale HERE

Have a great day!