Gift Ideas....that you can get me // Mother's Day

It's been long debated whether I technically count as a mom. (Dude. Stepmoms totally count.) Even this year, I got the sympathetic head tilt when I suggested that I finally officially qualify.

Whatever. If you ask me, even fur baby parents count. Caring for another being is motherhood, dammit!

And so I'm making it easy for a certain someone to get me something perfectly acceptable. I mean, only one of these items really breaks the bank. The rest are beyond affordable at $95 or less!

1 heels // 2 gazelle horns // 3 tote // 4 euro sham // 5 bangle // 6 studs // 7 sectional

I know. I've got a really good chance on that sectional, don't I? A girl can dream.

If you want actual gift ideas, I would definitely check out To and From. Gifts galore!

Type Tuesday // To and From Magazine

If you didn't catch it on twitter, instagram or any other blogs yesterday, Meg Biram and Katie of Modern Eve have teamed up to bring you the gift guide of alllllll gift guides this holiday season. I was pumped to be a part of the line-up amongst so many other creative folk (I'm making type-driven gift suggestions, of course). Definitely check it out if you need inspiration! With over 50 bloggers sharing their favorite gift ideas, you're sure to find exactly what you need. There are also some cool DIYs, free printable gift tags and a seriously chic tabletop feast for your eyes. Don't miss it!

* You can find my picks on pages 76 & 77.

Enjoy!

* Oops. I should say, I've also started a pinboard (here) with more of my favorite gift ideas. These are literally my gift ideas, so don't expect to be overwhelmed with choices. But for what it's worth...We could all use the help from time to time, right??

Type Tuesday // Diptyque

On our first full day in the city, Eric and I wandered the Union Square shopping district and came across several noteworthy shops. When we happened upon the home of the blogger-coveted Diptyque candle, we obviously had to go in (well, I did) and were delighted to get the history of the company from one of the friendly associates.

the coveted Baies candle, delicious 34 Boulevard Saint Germaine candle

A few fun facts:

* The three founders of Diptyque were artists. They originally opened shop to sell their fabric designs (one of which you see above) and treasures found while traveling. Eventually, they began to offer scented candles matching their designs. Not surprisingly, one of them was a painter, illustrator and budding typographer (yay for typographers!). He is responsible for the unique label designs, many of which were inspired by his sketches of their travels.

* And, on that note, rumor has it that the layout of the letters on each candle are representative of the ingredients (i.e. the letters on the Geranium Rosa label hang as -- you guessed it -- geraniums would). Crazy, right? The scents themselves are all deeply thought out, intended to capture the founders' varied experiences.

* Did you know that the proper way to sniff a Diptyque candle is to drop the candle out of the jar? According to our friend, the jar itself holds the truest likeness to the burning candle's scent. Is that always true, I wonder? Why didn't I know this?

I took the liberty of rounding up my favorite holiday/seasonal scents just. for. you.

Thé, Cannelle, Feu De Bois, Holiday Collection (Bois d'Oud, Oliban, Pin), Ambre

And now you know.

someone has an awesome husband

before the holiday gets too far gone, i have to give my mr. some serious props for how adorable he was last week. a certain (joking) demanding someone declared that she wanted an ombre layer cake for valentine's day instead of flowers or any kind of gift this year (we don't generally do gifts for v-day anyway).

i think we can all agree that was a solid request, no?

much to my surprise and total delight, the man came through in spades.

he made that shiz.

that's edible gold glitter in the glaze, friends.

seriously. if you guys knew my husband, you would know that this is confirmation that he can do absolutely anything.

unfortunately for him, this means his honey-do list just got longer.

gentlemen, that's what happens when you give in to your lady's whims.

and, yes, i'm dedicating an entire post to my sweet husband and his cake skillz.

candles for your man are awesome

you heard me. deliciously sexified masculine candles.

they're also hand-poured into recycled glass containers with naturally blended wax straight from the US of A.

even sexier, right?

izola candles via the dieline

if you need more gift ideas for the man in your life, i seem to have a thing for collecting them . . .