Thursday, December 29, 2011

Sparkly Cocktails

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Do you have big New Year's plans? I think I'm keeping it low key this year with a girly slumber party with a few close friends. Even though I'm staying in, I'd love to toast the New Year with a sparkly cocktail. These are some cherry bellinis (prosecco + cherry juice and a maraschino cherry) I made for a friend's birthday party, and I think the sparkly rim would be perfect for a New Year's Eve party.

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You'd just need some edible gliter (I got mine at a local baking supply store) to rim the glass with the way you would with salt on a margarita. Voila! Instant party sparkle.

Original idea via Pinterest, of course.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Miracle on 22nd St.



Just one last little bit of Christmas cheer before I sign off for the holiday weekend. What would you do if you suddenly started getting hundreds of letters addressed to Santa? It happened to a couple in Chelsea and I love that they reacted with generosity instead of cynicism. Merry Christmas, indeed!

12 Days of Christmas: A Recap & Day 12

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On the 12th day of Christmas my roommate gave to me...

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Some delicious molasses cookies, that I ate right away with my coffee. And...

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An I.O.U. for pretty brass earrings, that didn't quite arrive in time. Pretty sure I'll love them. Thanks, Megan!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

12 Days of Christmas: Day 11

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On the 11th day of Christmas my roommate gave to me...

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These pretty measuring cups that stack to look like a milk bottle. I love them! Thanks, Kaylie :)

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

A Tale of Two Christmases

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Before a flight home for Christmas a few years ago, I downloaded the audiobook of David Sedaris' Holidays on Ice. (I love his writing, but I love it even more when he reads it aloud.) It was definitely the best/most hilarious flight home I've ever had. I laughed out loud! By myself! On an airplane! Anyway, two of Sedaris' Santa-related stories have stuck with me and I wanted to share some of my favorite bits. Like I said, they're better when he reads them, so I've included audio links as well.

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From SantaLand Diaries, when Sedaris worked as an elf at Macy's SantaLand:

Again this morning I got stuck at the Magic Window, which is really boring. I'm supposed to stand around and say, "Step on the Magic Star and you can see Santa!" I said that for awhile and then I started saying, "Step on the Magic Star and you can see Cher!"

And people got excited. So I said, "Step on the Magic Star and you can see Mike Tyson!"

Some people in the other line, the line to sit on Santa's lap, got excited and cut through the gates so that they could stand on my Magic Star. Then they got angry when they looked through the Magic Window and saw Santa rather than Cher or Mike Tyson. What did they honestly expect? Is Cher so hard up for money that she'd agree to stand behind a two-way mirror at Macy's?


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From Six to Eight Black Men, recalling a conversation with a Dutch man about the Saint Nicholas celebrated in the Netherlands:

Unlike the jolly, obese American Santa, Saint Nicholas is painfully thin and dresses not unlike the pope, topping his robes with a tall hat resembling an embroidered tea cozy. The outfit, I was told, is a carryover from his former career, when he served as a bishop in Turkey.

One doesn't want to be too much of a cultural chauvinist, but this seemed completely wrong to me. For starters, Santa didn't use to do anything. He's not retired, and, more important, he has nothing to do with Turkey. The climate's all wrong, and people wouldn't appreciate him. When asked how he got from Turkey to the North Pole, Oscar told me with complete conviction that Saint Nicholas currently resides in Spain, which again is simply not true.


If you have 15 minutes to kill, listen to him read Six To Eight Black Men, it's worth the time.

Images via the Google Life collection.

12 Days of Christmas: Day 10

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The tenth day of Christmas is my final day to give my roommates a present, and traditionally on our last day we each do slightly "bigger" presents. So, on the tenth day of Christmas I gave my roommates...

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Gift Certificates to Pinhole Press! Both Megan and Kaylie are getting married this year, so I thought this would give them lots of options to make something wedding related, like a guest book or a photo book with pictures from their honeymoon. Merry Christmas, roomies!

12 Days of Christmas: Day 9

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On the ninth day of Christmas my roommate gave to me...

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Teeny monogrammed notecards! They're from In Haus Press and I think they're just perfect for a quick hello or thank you note. Thanks, Megan!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Washi Tape Candy Boxes

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For my candy boxes this year, I wanted to do something a little different. I usually wrap the boxes and decorate with ribbon, but I thought it might be more fun to decorate the actual box with (every blogger's fav) washi tape. I just used the tape to create the designs I wanted and voila! Pretty boxes with no need to wrap.

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I really like how they turned out! And it doesn't hurt that they're filled with lots of sugar :)

12 Days of Christmas: Day 8

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On the eighth day of Christmas, my roommate gave to me...

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A gift card for a Saturday movie (in NYC, matinee-price movies are only on the weekends and only before noon) and movie snacks! Maybe I'll use it to go see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (one of my favorite books ever that's now a movie) sometime soon. Thanks, Kaylie!

Monday, December 19, 2011

12 Days of Christmas: Day 7

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On the seventh day of Christmas, I gave my roommates some pretty mercury glass votive holders (from here) for a little glimmer on their bedside tables.

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I was photographing at dusk (which here in the Northeast is about 4 p.m. these days), so my pictures of the wrapping turned out awful and I'm not bothering to post them. But the waning daylight worked out really well for photographing lit candles :)

12 Days of Christmas: Day 6

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On the sixth day of Christmas my roommate gave to me...

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Coveted smokey-blue nail polish (Essie Bobbing for Baubles) and the best peppermint lip gloss ever. Thanks, Megan!

Friday, December 16, 2011

12 Days of Christmas: Day 5

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On the 12th day of Christmas, my roommate gave to me...

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Cute, cozy mittens, perfect for throwing snowballs. Thanks, Kaylie! (And have a happy weekend, everyone!)

12 Days of Christmas: Day 4

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It's my turn again, so the ol' "on the fourth day of Christmas my roommate gave to me..." thing doesn't work when I'm the one doing the giving! So, on the fourth day of Christmas, I gave to my roommates...

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Sparkly star socks! (They're from Gap, but appear to be sold out on their website.)

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

12 Days of Christmas: Day 3

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On the third day of Christmas, my roommate gave to me...

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A sweet ornament and cash towards a cupcake at our local fav. Thanks, Megan!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

12 Days of Christmas: Day 2

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On the second day of Christmas my roommate gave to me...

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A pretty soy candle, made locally! Thanks, Kaylie.
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