Picnics Under the Moon

ho ho ho-prah

I talked to my mom this morning and she said "Hygge & West is in the Oprah magazine!" And I said, "I don't think so, mom" so she pulled her issue out and found the page number and read it to me. I still didn't really believe her until I went to the grocery store and got my own copy...

and there we were! Mentioned along side Wallpaper Projects, and one of my very favorite companies, Rifle Paper Co. (I want to buy these and frame them - so gorgeous). VERY exciting! If you do have a favorite DIY-er on your list, I highly recommend this book as a gift along with either some samples, or some wallpaper by the yard - Lauren and Derek did a great job of putting together a lot of fun projects, both large and small. And, Christiana - we've achieved step one and are on Oprah's radar - it's only a matter of time before we're invited to be guests on the show ;)

We were also very happy to see our Casalinga birds in Real Simple's December issue! Sadly, they are almost completely sold out and we will no longer carry them after our inventory is gone.

While it may come a few days late, it's a good time to express thanks for the incredible support we've received over this past year. Our website launched in November of 2008, which was probably one of the worst times EVER to start a new company. We've definitely had our ups and downs, but we've made it through this year and we have a lot of exciting new projects on our horizon. More importantly, we've had the pleasure of working with a bunch of fantastic, talented people and we've learned so much.

Many, many thanks to everyone who's featured us in their blog or magazine, and thank you also to all of our wonderful customers. We hope you had a happy, delicious Thanksgiving and that the rest of your holiday season is full of joyful moments!

watch it

How gorgeous is this watch? I think very... I first found out about Nixon (a very neat watch brand) a few years ago from my friend Dan. I went to their site recently and noticed they added women's watches (and handbags, knits, jackets, etc.) - or maybe they had them all along, but I just didn't notice before. Regardless, their women's watch collection is worth checking out. It has all sorts of styles - elegant, classic, fun and quirky. The watch above caught my eye first... and then I saw the price...

But they have a bunch of other cute and more wallet friendly options too. Hmmmm, a Christmas gift for myself perhaps?

you're invited!

If you're in the Twin Cities area, come see us tonight at our Holiday Event! Shop lots of great products on sale (including many items from our regular website on sale ONLY at the event), drink champagne and eat desserts, and meet Christiana and I - very exciting, no? :)

 

Visit Pop Fizz Daily to read about a special offer at the event for PFD readers. Thank you for the great write up!

 

And thanks also to Minnesota Monthly for mentioning the sale in their fantastic blog! It's from 6:30-9:30 at Urban Bean coffee shop - hope to see you there!

a very good cause

As a child, I think one of the things I heard most from my parents was, "Can you put that book DOWN already?" Yeah, I was kind of a nerd, or at the very least a hard core bookworm. If left to my own devices, I would have plopped down in my room and stuck my nose in a book all day long. As a mother, I have enjoyed trying to instill my love of reading in my two young boys. It's been harder than I thought it would, but we've finally managed to find a series of books that they LOVE and I think that it's opened their eyes to the charms of reading.

My friend's daughter has started a really great charity called Read Indeed and is trying to get 1,000,000 books to needy kids. Amazing, no? I just got this email this morning:

As many of your know, Maria began Read Indeed, a nonprofit literacy organization in which she wants to collect and distribute 1 million books to needy kids. She is approaching 200,000 books!

Maria/Read Indeed received a request for books for children at a school in Lumberton, New Mexico, which serves children from the Jicarilla Apache tribe and the Hispanic communities. The children at this school have no books at home and the school itself has few books in the classroom.

Maria is trying to raise funds to help pay to ship several thousand books down to these children. The books have been donated, now she just needs help getting the books to the children in need. It costs about $30 to ship a box of 50 books.

Because Read Indeed is now a 501c3, all donations are tax deductible. If you would like to send a check to Read Indeed to the address below, we will send you a charitable contribution letter for your tax files.

I know that there are a lot of good causes out there, but the connection to New Mexico really touched my heart. This area of the state is shockingly poor, and the thought of what these books would mean to those kids inspired me to help get the word out. You can email Read Indeed with questions about how to donate at readindeedforkids@yahoo.com.

Thanks, Maria, for all the work you're doing on behalf of other kids!

danish design at a discount

All our Kahler products are on sale for 30% off, and we've added a bunch of new items as well. It's a great opportunity to own stunning, timeless pieces at a really great price. Christiana and I have had to restrain ourselves from seriously depleting the remaining inventory :)

sticky & sweet

This tape by Rob Ryan is seriously too adorable to use! Though, if you HAD to use it, it would make a simple kraft box look pretty darn fantastic. Order on his etsy site. (via Inside Out - thanks, Christiana for emailing this blog to me!)

butterflies

I was poking around online yesterday and was DELIGHTED to discover that fabulous Made Goods has added lighting (and furniture) to their line up. This lovely chandelier caught my eye, and we decided to do today's 3 + Wallpaper around it. I added ferm LIVING's Ribbed in turquoise, Simon Pearce's new Cavendish dinner setting (be sure to check out the Cavendish vases) and Room & Board's simple dining room table. Speaking of dining room tables, we're having friends over on Saturday and I can't decide what to make. Any suggestions?

Take a look at Christiana's picks here!

where did the time go?

 
Seriously? Where did it go? I'm leaving to visit my family for Christmas in one month from Thursday! I'm super excited, because this year I'll be able to go for the whole 18 days. I'll spend the first two weeks in Poland and the last four days in Dublin, Ireland, where my sister lives.

Every year, the closer it gets to my departure, the more excited I get about my mom's cooking. After all, it's the stuff I grew up eating, so I think I will always crave it. Even if Wade thinks some of it is weird... really weird. He loves potato pierogi of course. But who wouldn't love carbs wrapped in more carbs... I personally also really like a sweet version of pierogi with either sweet cheese (sort of like cheese blintzes) or with strawberries. That's and example of what Wade would consider weird. Some dishes I definitely agree are quite disgusting, I can't even stand the smell. I came across this article that describes some of the crazier foods way better than I ever could if you care to read about cow tongues and such (which I've actually eaten when I was younger). 

One thing Wade thought was crazy to eat was pickle soup (ok, I totally see how one would think that might be gross). But we picked up a container of home made pickle soup from Kasia's Deli one day and he loved it! My family always served it hot, but we ate it cold and it was really good that way too. If you're in Chicago, I'd definitely recommend stopping at Kasia's if you're feeling adventurous. If anything, the candy is really good (3bit is our favorite) - can't go wrong with candy.

I know it's still a little early, but I hope everyone will be able to spend this holiday season with their loved ones and enjoy some of their favorite dishes and maybe try some new ones too!

*Image of pierogi via Ordinary Recipes Made Gourmet.

lovely haus

I've been swamped getting the website ready for a really fun sale we're having starting Wednesday (details soon, but it's going to be a good one!), but I just wanted to quickly post these GORGEOUS items from Haus Interior. I especially love the trophy lamp (for exactly the reason you're thinking, Christiana). Check the site out - lots of amazing accessories for every room in your home.

other families' houses

I was catching up on Decorno this morning and came across this GEM of a blog - Dos Family. It features photos of families (albeit very hip and stylish families) in their homes. Sort of a glimpse of everyday life, if you will.

Our house tends to get, well, REALLY messy. Whenever the house gets out of control, my husband likes to point out all the people we know whose houses are even messier, as though this somehow justifies and mitigates our own "slob-iness." And then for a moment, I channel my mother and tell him that I DON'T CARE that so-and-so's basement should be eligible for FEMA disaster funds. Next time he tries to use that line of reasoning, I'll march him over to the computer and show him all the delightful families on this blog who manage to keep their houses from looking like a grenade went off in them.

I also wanted to point out these images in particular, because, first - great wallpaper. Wallpapering a stairway somehow always ends up being stunning. Still don't believe me? When Christiana gets here next week, we'll be wallpapering mine. When we post photos, you'll see :) Second, how amazingly awesome is that I heart TV poster? As much as I would really like to be one of those people who doesn't have a TV (presumably because they have so many more fabulous things to do than waste their very valuable, very interesting time watching TV), my husband and I would cease to function without one. Well, at the very least, we'd have nothing besides the kids to talk about. Similarly addicted to TV? You can order it here.

Hope you have a great weekend!