Gift & Decorating Ideas: Three French Hens

"On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... Three French Hens". Here are some present suggestions & home decor ideas in keeping with the 3 french hens motif:

For the imbiber on your list these 12 Days of Christmas beers from The Bruery in Orange County are PERFECT. Brewed in French oak barrels, according the The Bruery it is a bold & spicy dark ale.

{ 3 French Hens beer }

It doesn't look like The Bruery beers are available in Canada (YET!), but to see where you can buy them click HERE.

Williams Sonoma & Pottery Barn have a series of tabletop items (plates, glasses, bowls, etc) with images from the 12 days of Christmas:

{ plates from Williams Sonoma }

{ Pottery Barn plates set at the table }

And because I can't get enough of the goodies from petitcollage this sweet little trio of hens for a child's room or a kitchen:

{ red bird trio ~ collage on wood }

There's nothing like fresh eggs for breakfast. I'm sure French hens lay pretty good eggs. I'm not sure if these are from French hens, but these free range eggs look like they'd make a wonderful poached egg or, better yet, an eggs Benny:

{ fresh eggs for Christmas morning }

Mmmmmmm! In Vancouver, you can get wonderful BC eggs (& other foodstuffs) from a number of suppliers listed on get local. A quick google search will provide you with grocers & farms in your area. And how about some yummy cornish game hens for Christmas Eve dinner?

{ cornish game hen with cranberry butter rice }

This recipe can be found online at Fried Chillies & was suggested for Valentine's Day but there's no reason you can't do it for your friends &/or family around Christmas time. How festive is it with the green sage & red cranberries???!!

I've digressed a little into food (can you tell I'm a bit peckish as I write this?) so here are some more suggestions for presents to help you check off your Christmas list.

For the toddler, preschooler or child-at-heart on your list, this darling book:

{ The Little Red Hen }

It's not your typical kid's storyline but I loved the plucky little hen when I was a girl & I think children respond to the moral in the story.

Or for the music lover how about albums (make it three!) from Black Hen Music.

Coco Love Alcorn, Jim Byrnes, Steve Dawson, The Mississippi Sheiks to name a few Black Hen artists.... So hard to choose.

What would you make out of this quirky chicken fabric from Carrie's Fabric on Etsy:

{ Metro Market "Chicks " Fabric }

A pillow for a little boy's reading nook? A tea cosy? Curtains for your henhouse?

Speaking of hen houses, for the ornithologist on your list check out this rustic birdhouse from Bird House Accents:

{ hen house birdhouse }

Three miniature French hens (or any little birdie) would be quite at home here I think.

How goes the Christmas shopping? Are you having fun yet?

Gift & Decor Ideas; Two Turtle Doves

Following in the tradition of the previous post, here are some gift & decorating ideas based on the line from the old Christmas carol:

"On the 2nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me... Two Turtle Doves":

This darling little tree featured on Country Living's website would be an easy project to do with children:

{ Turtle Doves on a Charlie Brown Tree }

You could find a dove pattern online with a quick Google search & trace them onto cardstock. Cut 'em out, thread a ribbon through & hang on requisite Charlie Brown tree. I love the galvanized bucket!!

For a child's bedroom, I am loving these pieces of artwork from petitcollage. (I'm not the only one; Martha thinks petitcollage is pretty fab too & features a how-to link HERE on her website.)

{ love birds }

{ bird love }

For the scrapbooker or font addict on your list, this Two Turtle Doves font is perfect:

{ Two Turtle Doves font }

And, it's *free* for download by clicking HERE.

And how about this darling little dishtowel from Anthropologie that looks as if it was hand stitched by one of the March sisters?

{ chirps & chats dishtowel }

This list is a little light on suggestions for the boys on your list, so what about stretching the theme a little bit & getting him Turtle & the latest Entourage season on DVD (available at Chapters or Amazon):

{ Turtle & the Entourage }

And if we're stretching the theme, why not go for the dove grey concrete bangle & ring designed by Canada's own Frank Gehry for Tiffany:

{ torque concrete bangle & ring }

For the tween or teen on your list these dove grey & orange Nikes:

{ dunk low SB Peace sneaks }

To finish... look at this girl's room painted in dove grey:

{ pagoda room }

It was featured at Decor8 & designed by Martenson Jones Interiors. A perfect example of sophistication in a child's room without being too grown up!

Happy 2nd Day of Christmas, blogworld!

Gift & Decorating Ideas ~ Partridge In A Pear Tree

'Tis the season...

My next few blog posts will be a series of gift & decor ideas; each post loosely based on the blog's theme as suggested by the Christmas Carol "The 12 Days of Christmas"... & I DO MEAN loosely based!)

So we start off with " On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me... A Partridge In A Pear Tree...

How about some pear tea from T on Broadway:

{ Pear Tree Green from T }

or, for that manner, any kind of tea from Murchies or Urban Tea Co. My faves are vanilla black from T or Murchies & Prince Charles blend from Murchies. Brewed up in a lovely teapot like this antique from Sur La Table:

{ antique Hotel du Louvre teapot }

or for a more casual feel, served in these darling bird nest mugs from Pottery Barn (even though I'm sure they are intended to be robins' nests):

But I digress a bit. I saw this lovely pear ornament at West Elm:

{ mercury glass ornament }

But they are no longer available.... so perhaps a few others like these from Pier 1:

{ Gilded Forest Collection }

or these chirpy bird ornaments for more home-spun appeal:

{ from The Nutmeg Tree on Etsy }

to create displays like these:

{ photo from West Elm's website }

{ photo from Country Living }

A partridge in a pear tree leads me to think of my Grandpa & Granny Clark, who were master bee keepers & gardeners. Grandpa's "plant pears, plant for your heirs" saying indicates that a pear tree given to your beloved would take a very long time to grow. Perhaps a lovely little topiary tree like the ones below would be a perfect alternative gift for your true love:

{ citrus kumquat }

{ pre-lit bay tree }

Or, what about following the 'prickly pear' theme & getting a minimalist arrangement as envisioned by Kermodi:

{ midnight water garden }

I love these sweet lockets from Freshy Fig:

{ centre locket is a sweet little partridge }

And a blog post about partridges wouldn't be complete without some vintage Partridge Family kitsch. iTunes carries their music & I saw dvds, books & music online Amazon & Chapters/Indigo:

{ vintage Partridge Family books }

Might suit that retro-boy or -girl in your life!

And to top off your present this partridge pocket card from Pikake Press adds the perfect festive touch:

Happy shopping!

ELLE Decor Night

Can't wait to crack my December 2010/January 2011 edition of ELLE Decor tonight:

{ get cozy is RIGHT!! }

Decorative Branches

It's very chilly here in Vancouver. We have -10 degrees Celcius predicted for tonight!! I've been out & about these past few days and I have been noticing the stark beauty of bare branches, frost-laden & architectural against the backdrop of blue sky.

What do you think about these branches brought in for fall & winter decoration?

{ featured in: Apartment Therapy }

{ driftwood & cranberries from now-defunct Domino }

Initially I was a bit put off by these stick centrepieces from Rachael Ray, but their contemporary lines have grown on me & I have to add them:

{ alder branches }

Here is a traditional take on the branch centrepiece for Christmas from Country Living; however I find the table a little cluttered. What do you think? I'd have eliminated some of the excess decorations and focused on the jugs filled with branches & the lovely grey colour of the table:

{ stars & snowflakes in branches }

Here are branches put to use as pictured in Desire to Inspire:

{ minimalist clothes rod }

Or as envisioned by Christine Rudolph:

{ salt cellars & clothes rods made from branches }

What about this DIY woodtable from 101Woonideeen:

{ satisfying weekend project }

I never thought I'd say that a twig chandelier would be elegant but here it is, as featured in The Adventures of Tartanscot's blog:

{ delicate & aristocratic }

And to finish off: a few of my favourite minimalist wreaths from Emily Thompson featured recently on design*sponge:

New York State of Mind

I must admit this post is a bit daunting to write. What is there to say (that hasn't already been said) of NYC, the Big Apple, Zoo York, Gotham, The City That Doesn't Sleep??? I went for an extra-long weekend trip to New York to shop, eat, & best of all, spend a few days (kid-free) with my littlest sister, Leah. She is great at details & her posts on our trip can be read by clicking HERE.

{ Leah on her cell phone on Park Ave }

So, deep breath, here goes... my highlights of New York (in no particular order):

*Visiting the massive interior design showrooms (DD Building and AD Building) & discovering the eclectic mix that is Andrew Martin (friendly & warm, Linet Martin who runs the NYC show room is an added bonus. Thanks for the sushi recommendation, Linet!).

*Wandering the various neighbourhoods... Soho, Nolita, West Village, Upper East Side & our "own" stomping grounds of Brooklyn.

{ I'd love to live in this Upper East Side building }

{ me in the streets of Soho }

{ The Bloomies that is featured in The Godfather }

{ rows upon rows of buildings in Soho }

{ me & a knight outside jewellery shops }

*Taking the tube everywhere. Subway travel is awesome.

{ Leah at the Grand Central subway stop }

*Ballato's Restaurant for post-dinner Venetian spritzes (& a non-alcoholic version for me). This place looks unassuming from the front but is wonderful once inside. Plus, if it was good enough for Andy Warhol & his posse it's good enough for me:

{ check out the rusticated lathe & plaster walls }

{ warm & inviting }

We visited Ballato's after a great dinner at...

*Oficina Latina:

We had intended to go into Cafe Habana for dinner but there was a 45 minute wait. So we opted out & stumbled (HAPPILY!) upon newly opened Oficina. Their website is under construction but there are photos & a review here. I had fresh lime-y ceviche & a salad plus these amazing plantain chips & a dipping sauce similar to Argentinian chimichurri.

{ Leah outside Oficina }

*The Brooklyn Flea Market

{ US Flag at Brooklyn Flea }

We loved this place with it's ever changing list of vendors. We wandered for at least a few hours here on Leah's birthday finding a wonderful assortment of odds & sods...

{ the Gifted Putterer's booth }

{ Leah trying on gogs at the Flea }

Kings Country Salvage had a set of tub armchairs in warm leather that were so comfy we overheard one man threatening his wife that he would get rid of their current fashionable couch & replace it with the armchairs. The chairs were still there when we left but he sat in them for a long, LOOOONG time.

There was one booth with some amazing jewellery (earrings, cuff links & pendants) made from scrabble letters & old typewriter keys. Brilliant!

{ typewriter keys made into pendants }

{ Scrabble letters as cuff links }

* Oysters on the half shell & Manhattan clam chowder in the Grand Central Oyster Bar.

{ Happy Birthday, Tinz!! }

{ check out all the Canadian oysters listed! }

* Rue 29, Julie Anne Mann's installation at the Ise Cultural Foundation on Broadway. Leah & I stumbled upon "Another Roadside Attraction (The Exploration of the Neo-Grotesque)" while shopping. We were kindly invited to the opening reception but had to decline due to growling tummies. The project is an eerie peek into a dollhouse inhabited by delicate skeleton creatures. Slightly macabre but incredibly fascinating.

{ skeletons at home }

{ bones in bed }

{ curiouser & curiouser }

* ABC Carpet & Home was floor upon floor of fantastic. I was in heaven.

{ main floor of ABC Carpet }

And more great finds:

{ John Derian plates }

{ sweet little deer ornaments for Christmas }

{ darling organza tutus }

All in all a wonderful trip but I was very glad to return home to my two sweet children & my handsome husband. Our reunion was a happy one & I enjoyed returning to the green of Vancouver. The concrete jungle is wonderful to visit but I do love Vancouver. Until next time, New York...