Design & Decor Blog

Flipping through the pages of Canadian Living’s Holiday Celebrations 2009, I realized I had started to drool. Just, you know, a little. Sure, it’s a little early to get into the holiday spirit but I admit, I like getting ideas early. And anyway, isn’t a Coconut Lime Pie Martini suitable anytime of year?

Canadian Living’s Holiday Celebrations 2009 hit newsstands on Monday (and is available for purchase online, too) and I thought you might want to take a sneak peek. Here’s what you’ll find inside:

Cool features:
A Dessert Martini Bar with 8 not-to-miss sweet martini recipes
Tastefully elegant tiny hors d’oeuvres: Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Cool vegetarian section: A sensational pan-global assortment of meatless morsels
AND a tasteful cocktail party menu on a budget

Holiday Celebrations 2009
Price: $5.95

The recipes that caught my eye:

Kate Spade sells gorgeous Christmas ornaments, too! Shocking! My sister is pining over a gorgeous Kate Spade bag (she likes the white; I like the black) and while I was checking out its specs online, I came across these pretty ornaments. The candy-coloured ceramic ornaments come packaged in a beautiful hatbox and will look stunning on your tree. Or, if you’re hosting a dinner party, put one on each guest’s plate with their name and let them keep it. (This means, of course, that you’ll have to buy extra for yourself!)

Price: $75 for a set of 5
For more information: visit katespade.com

I don’t know about you but it can be tough to be original year after year, holiday after holiday. I mean, I’m buying gifts for the same people every year (you know, minus maybe an ex-boyfriend or plus a new colleague I really like) … but for the most part, the list of family and friends remains the same. So each year I, like you I’m sure, am faced with the challenge of coming up with something new and special. Same goes for the Christmas cards I send out each year. Who wants to send out the same cards year after year after year? That’s why I was so excited when I came across the Canadian company Jonesy. Not only are their stationery designs super-cute, fresh and original, according to the website: “Jonesy is dedicated to supporting the highest social and environmental standards. All products are printed with soy based inks on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper.”

Cards can be purchased individually or in boxed sets and you can also buy gift tags. Plus, I love that you can also purchase select boxed sets of cards from which 100% of the net proceeds are donated to the Sick Kids Foundation.

For more information:
Shop online at jonesy.ca. Customers won’t pay more than $5 for shipments within Canada, and for orders of $75 or more, orders will be shipped for free!

Fresh, contemporary and fun, these colourful ceramic bowls are the perfect thing to put you in the holiday spirit. The multi-sized bowls will dress up any table with a burst of Christmas colour and are not only practical but left out on the table, make a lovely decoration for the season. The bowls are dishwasher safe and stack neatly when it’s time to put them away until next year.
Available at: patinastores.com
Price: 19.95 for the set

I’m sure I’ve bemoaned this fact before but it really distresses me. OK, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration – there are dozens of things that distress me more than this. But what I’m talking about right now is the lost art of handwritten letters. In this age of technology, how often do you sit down to write a thoughtful letter to a friend? If you’re like me, you tend to communicate via email and Facebook or send quick text messages from your cell phone when you’re on the go, go, go. These methods have certainly helped me to increase the quantity of my communications with friends and family but I can’t say they’ve increased the quality of that communication. There’s something about sitting down and carefully thinking about what it is you want to say (there’s no delete button when you’re handwriting a letter) and on the flipside, there’s something special about receiving a letter or card in the mail. I don’t know about you but my mailbox is chock full of flyers and bills, neither of which I have much interest in. But as soon as I see something personal sitting there, with my name written by the hand of a friend, I toss everything aside and tear the envelope open.

Need some motivation? Beautiful stationery always works for me. Pretty papers and patterned envelopes seem to do the trick! New stationery makes me want to sit down and tell a friend I’m thinking about them. These designs (pictured above) from Chronicle Books are fun and whimsical and someone you know will be thrilled to see a note from you sitting in their mailbox. I guarantee it. Oh, and they make a great gift for someone on your Christmas shopping list.

For more information, visit chroniclebooks.com.

Delight your guests with a table that looks perfectly pulled together. It’s really not that hard. Pretty placemats, tablecloths and table runners instantly dress up a table and at trendexhome.com, you’ll find a huge assortment of styles, colours and patterns to choose from. The simple gesture of dressing your table will let your guests know that you care enough to go to a bit of trouble for them (though it’s really no trouble at all!).  Or if you’re dining solo, it’s nice to do something special for yourself and set a pretty table before you sit down to eat. Boldly patterned pieces, like the ones pictured here, are a whimsical way to liven up stark white dishware. If your crockery is bold enough on its own, choose from simple but elegant solid colours – trendexhome.com has a wide assortment; you’re sure to find something that’ll suit your table just right!

These products also make a great Christmas present. Order by December 1 for delivery by December 22 in Canada and the United States.

For more information, visit trendexhome.com. For inspiring ideas for dressing your table in style, check out Style at Home’s tabletop section.

You just can’t go wrong with the gift of food. Well … okay, maybe that’s not true. I mean, I wouldn’t exactly be thrilled if someone showed up at my house with a cabbage casserole. They say it’s the thought that counts but I’d just be thinking, Wow. This person really doesn’t like me. So let me rephrase. You just can’t go wrong with the gift of baked goodies. And if you don’t have time to whip up some tasty treats yourself, then just leave it to the professionals. Frostineedibles.com is an online Canadian bakery that makes a vast assortment of cookies and other baked treats and offers overnight shipping to anywhere in Canada and the United States. So next time you’re looking for a hostess gift or housewarming present, a birthday gift or just something to satisfy your own sweet tooth, then consider Frostines Edibles. My favourite part is how they’re packaged – beautiful, re-useable boxes that come in a variety of colours and truly look like something special. Here at my office, we sampled the cookies and here’s what my colleagues had to say:

“Soft and crumbly. It dissolves in your mouth - delicious!”
Alaina Chapman

“These yummy cookies were truly delightful, melting away in my mouth. The butterscotch ripple was my fave — a simply sweet treat to cap off my lunch. If this is the way the cookie crumbles, I want more!”
Lauren McPhillips

“I had the chocolate brownie cookie … very chocolate brownie like! It was really rich and quite tasty, but somewhat dry. Would be perfect with a cold glass of milk. I imagine a serious chocolate lover would be very grateful to receive some of these to feed their craving.”
Daniela Payne

“This cookie makes a valiant effort to be all things to all people - it’s got shortbread, it has a modest filling, it has cranberries and who knows what else. That said, the holiday hubris pays off: In several sweetly satisfying bites, you get an essential taste of Christmases past, updated for the present. The verdict:  A-. The minus is for leaving out the chocolate. Now, can I have another one?”
John Kuipers

Good to know: All flavours of Frostines Edibles cookies are nut- and peanut-free.

For more information, visit: frostinesedibles.com