H&H Blog

make/do: table fun _thanksgiving '11

More Thanksgiving inspiration! Today I have a fun, interactive "centerpiece" idea for you that will get everyone at your dinner table chatting & saying funny things.

In addition to the standard assemblage of dish & silverware, set a cup, bowl or jar (as illustrated in the image above) at each place setting. Fill the jar with word tiles (from a Scrabble or Bananagram game)...allowing some tiles spill over.

Place a little book on each place setting along with a pencil for guests to keep score as mini-games take place around the table between guests. Any riff on the traditional word game would be fun -- but feel free to make up your own rules! My idea: only made up words with definition or slang words are acceptable! Fun, huh?!

Another idea: buy 8-10 feet (depending on the length of your dining table) of black butcher paper (this is available by the foot at your local school supply/learning store). Add chalk to the table & guest can keep score and/or doodle. I love the dramatic look of black on the dining table & the playfulness of the word tiles.

Happy Thanksgiving!

giftable: harry allen pig bank

In my younger years I would purchase cheap dollar store plastic piggy banks & fill them full of cash for friend's birthdays. Obviously a huge hit.

The Harry Allen Pig Bank is, well, a bit more sophisticated. And designer-ish-ly spendy at $125 a pig. But it will surely make your friends squeal with delight which makes the Harry Allen Pig Bank very very giftable.

It's an impressive piggy too, measuring 18" long and large enough to fit $10k in Washingtons....!

While the metallic pink piggy is cute, the Pig Bank is available in 8 colors. My favorite? Matte Black.

H&H guide to successful gifting _holiday '11

Yes! Here it is, the H&H 2011 Short List of Successful Gifting.
Browse! It's really gifty & good, affordable & fun with many design-y gifts under $40!

& inspirational! I am totally loving bright color combinations in contrast with black for the Holidays (more on that later!). DO you like traditional Christmas-y colorways... or do you dare to use neon?

View the SHORT LIST Gift Guide here.

giftable: Singgih Kartono Magno Large Radio

Whoah! Did you ever imagine that the Singgih Kartono Mango (large) Radio was that... gigantic? True!

& that makes it, giftable. Unexpected. Extraordinary. Delightful. And, yes -- that's a RADIO!

Check all Singgih Kartonos here.

food: pies & objects _thanksgiving '11

Dessert is, hands down, my most favorite part of anything. Thanksgiving included.

1 word: Pie.
& lots of it, of course.

Pies:
1. Chocolate & Coconut Pie
2. Spice Kissed Pumpkin Pie
3. Salted Caramel Pie

Objects:
1. Erik Bagger Dessert Wine Glasses
2. Erik Bagger Harmony Dessert Silverware
3. Beehive Laurel Mixing Bowls

What dessert will you be making for this years Thanksgiving Celebration?

images via their respective links.

giftable: Jan Habraken Shovel Birdhouse

One of life's most simple pleasures is feeding birds. I never knew this until recently when I hung a birdfeeder outside of my office. The birds gathering, pecking and enjoying their little birdy cafe.

I love it. A bird house/feeder is a very giftable item, especially this one by Jan Habraken. A Shovel Birdhouse! I am sure the birds (and the squirrels!) would appreciate the wit.

Speaking of which, we have a squirrel that is the resident bird seed thieve. We call him "Mr. Cheater Eater" !!

wishlist look no.2

Add this look to your wishlist! Here is Wishlist Look No. 2.

1. Pendant Light // similar to: & Tradition Spinnging BH2 Pendant Light
2. Lamp // similar to: Design House Stockholm Manana Lamp
3. Gorilla: David Weeks Hanno The Gorilla
4. Sofa // similar to: True Modern Marfa Sofa
5. Mugs on Table // similar to: Design House Stockholm Bono Mugs
6. Credenza // similar to: Eastvold Classic Credenza

Want to start your own wishlist? Click here to create an account. Once signed in, simply click on the Wishlist 'heart' on a product page to add to your House&Hold wishlist.

Image via here.

make/do: little book favors _thanksgiving ’11

Thanksgiving is a party, a celebration of being thankful for all that we are blessed with. I love to give my party guests favors & though it's not traditional at Thanksgiving, I thought: why not?!

As I posted earlier this week, my Thanksgiving inspiration includes bright oranges, gold, black & natural wood & linen. The unexpected addition of the letter tiles (from Scrabble or Bananagram) adds a playful aspect that has inspired my Little Book party favors.

There are many uses for the little books & they are a snap to make. Depending on the size & paper used, possible ideas could include:
- a mini notebook for guest to doodle or jot a joke in
- a spot to keep track of words created using the word tiles
- a place for you to write a note of thankfulness to your guests
- the thanksgiving menu or recipe (this would take a bit more planning...)
- a journal for the kids

I doubled the party favor as a place card by writing the name of the guest on a little flag on the pencil and then placing both the book & pencil on each place setting.

This Little Book making process is overly simple. Here is the general idea:
1. Gather supplies: paper, decorating medium (paint, stamps, markers, pencils. I used craft paint & bubble wrap & drip marks to create a pattern/print), whole punch, scissors, yarn/thread/ribbon, etc.
2. Print & decorate the paper: How much paper you will need will depend on how many books you are making & number of pages per book. I printed on about 24" from a roll of Kraft paper.
3. Assemble: Once the paper is dry/ready, cut, fold, hole punch & assemble your pages as illustrated in the images above. Done!

Happy make/do-ing!

NEW! Ferm Living Copenhagen Poster

I was perusing the always fun NEW section of House&Hold and lo and behold there was a poster of...COPENHAGEN! It perfectly captures the colorful buildings we are lucky to see every day as we walk down the street--such a great color palette! They've even included swans--I am amazed at the amount of swans out on the lakes here. We may not have squirrels, but we have beautiful swans.

For more Danish love, browse Ferm Living products here and follow their blog here.

giftable: adonde modular dishware

Isn't Adonde's collection of ceramic dishware amazing? It's minimal and elegant, yet versatile enough you can totally see yourself using it every day.

Yes! But take another look: Adonde is modular and stackable with so many options! The plate functions as a plate  but also as a lid to the bowl. Every piece neatly and thoughtfully stacks together -- in the cupboard but also in the fridge (take a look at the top left image! Stunning home for leftovers ).

The Adonde Collection includes a 12 piece starter set, salad bowls as well as other lovelies such as tea pots & water pitchers. View the entire Adonde Collction here.