happy almost anniv., p!

In ‘06, I moved my stuff into Paige’s fully furnished + decorated home.  Not a bad deal for me at all – I only had my bedroom and bathroom to handle.  We have very different personal style regarding home furnishings, but it’s never bothered me.  However, one day, I definitely look forward to decorating a condo or house of my own, and when I do, I hope that this vendor I found at the Inman Park Festival is still going strong.  (Yikes, there were a lot of commas in that sentence…)

Of the hundreds of vendors at the Inman Park Festival this year, Go Jump In The Lake was my favorite.  Their rustic, cedar signs can be custom made or you can browse their online selection here:  http://www.mapledriveworkshop.com/

slick liked them, too...

Love!  The signs are perfect for a lake, mountain or beach house, an urban cottage or a rustic patio.  (Also, they’d make a fun housewarming gift!)  Sadly, I have no free space or actual need for any of their adorable signs at the moment, but I’m definitely stocking GJITL away in my trusty mental filing cabinet for when I do!

So cute! 

xx, L

"i solemnly swear we are up to no good..."

ALSO, it was a total giveaway if we were trying to conceal the shopping spree from him – until his CC statement appeared and sold us out…  In the meantime, we had to be strategic!!

Not my dad. But, Noel Roberts looks like a cross between Mister Rogers and...

The Clint

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that my dad passed along his sensitivity to me.  Although I am just mildly scent sensitive, I’d rather not test it out too much and end up with a migrane – so I tend to stick with simple vanilla scents.  I use vanilla scented lotion and I love vanilla candles!  In fact, I burn vanilla candles exclusively.

I recently received the most amazing candle and I’ve decided it’s totally blogworthy.  I love it!  It’s made by Archipelago Botanicals and it’s part of their Private Reserve Collection. 

After its maiden burning, I did a little bit of research on it to figure out why it was so awesome – and why it didn’t give me a pounding headache.  Well, here’s the scoop on Archipelago’s Private Reserve Collection: Each of the high-end, soy candles’ scents is a personal favorite of the owners.  The candles are labeled with the fragrance name and the original lab number.  Mine is Lust No. 83.  Yowza!

My roommate walked into my bedroom when I was burning it the other day and she said, “it smells like a sexy man in here.”  I have to admit that it kind of did – but it was just me, Big Red and the candle…  We all, including Big Red, absolutely love the way it smells!  According to the website, Lust No. 83 is a mix of ”bourbon vanilla (key point for me!), sultry vetiver, warm amber and shocking bergamont.”  I guess the vanilla was my initial attraction, but it’s much more than just a simple vanilla candle.  The candle’s blend is so unique! 

All the candles in the Private Reserve Collection come in really nice, sleek black packaging - a perfect housewarming or host gift for either gender! 

Find Lust No. 83 + other candles in Archipelago’s Private Reserve Collection for $29.50 here: http://www.candleluxury.com/archipelago-private-reserve-lust-candle.html

Enjoy!  (And, a PSA from Smokey himself:  PLEASE don’t play with matches…)

xx, L

Bonus! As I am prone to gross excess, of course I made way too many…but waste not want not – they’ve been just perfect for hostess gifts and holiday remembrances for my dry cleaner, doggie daycare, etc.!

I can do this, you can too.  It was very easy.

Here’s the Q+DD on making 2lbs worth of candied pecans:

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1tbsp water
1tbsp vanilla extract
2lbs pecan halves
2 c. white sugar
1.5 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 250.  Be sure you are not storing shoes or sweaters in oven before doing so. Grease 2 baking sheets.

In one big bowl whip the wet stuff (egg whites, water, vanilla) with a fork until it’s frothy.  In another big bowl mix the dry stuff (everything else)

Then, it’s easy-peasy. Dump the pecans into the egg mixture and use a fork to stir to coat them completely.  Then transfer them into the bowl with the sugar mixture and use a fork to stir to coat completely in the sugar.  Spread them onto your greased cookie sheets and pop those suckers in the oven.

Bake for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes and bada-bing bada-boom!  You’re done.  Let them cool and transfer them to Tupperware or whatever you’re giving them in.  My mom suggested long cellophane bags with colorful ribbon, and that would have been lovely, but since we have the Container Store here in the A, I opted for these little windowed gift boxes:

I used white raffia and black magic marker for my holiday greeting, but if you prefer something a little more festive you could use whatever you want.  Obviously.

I’m psyched that they are so easy to make because they’ve been a total crowd-pleaser and I think they’d be really cute in a bowl for guests in your home!  The hardest part is keeping your hands off them. Fact.

Happy holidays, y’all!

xx, L

catalog junkie

Brookstone is the perfect store to find a great holiday gift for that special someone who has everything.  Gifts from Brookstone are always a hit, because no one really needs anything from there – the catalog or a stroll into a local Brookstone store just convinces you that you do.  “How have I have possibly been living this long without a paperless notepad!?”  Since I spent some time in Phipps over the weekend and my mail has been kind of inconsistent this winter, I just had to pop into Brookstone to see what the hot holiday items are this year. 

Here are my top five favorite Brookstone gifts for the holidays:

5 – Electric Wine Opener

Electric Wine Opener: $39.95

“The electric wine opener with one touch operation provides effortless cork removal every time.”  I love this item because I broke my rabbit wine opener last year and I’m terrible with the old school ones.  It’s a good thing that my roommate is a bartender…

4 – i-Need Neck + Shoulder Massager

i-Need Neck + Shoulder Massager: $99.95

“Deep relief for hard-to-reach neck, shoulder and back muscles.”  I tried it in the store and it was ah-may-zinggggg!

3 – u-Control Silver Bullet Mini RC Helicopter

u-Control Silver Bullet Mini RC Helicopter: $29.95

“Reach new heights with the easy-to-fly, indoor mini RC helicopter.”  It can fly up to 100 feet away from the remote control.  THAT is awesome.  It’s back-ordered online, so get it in the store ASAP.  It’s a fun gift for children and adults – I bought one for Slick and he loves it.   

2 – iDesign Tower Stereo System for iPod

iDesign Tower Stereo System for iPod: $249.95

“Concert hall sound and striking modern design for your iPod.”  The sound this thing gives off is truly incredible.  And, it’s pretty sleek-looking, too. 

1 – Frog-O-Sphere Ecosystem w/ 2 Aquatic Frogs

Frog-O-Sphere Ecosystem w/ 2 Aquatic Frogs: $39.95

“It’s alive!  A self-contained, self-cleaning ecosystem w/ 2 mini frogs.”  This bad boy is the hot item at Brookstone for the holidays.  We spent about 15 minutes looking at the frogs in the store and got a big kick out of them.  It’s a great idea for a totally random gift – maybe even a Yankee Swap party.

Hanukkah is halfway over and Christmas will be here before we know it.  There isn’t any time to waste.  So, stop by Brookstone ASAP to pick up a few impersonal but useful holiday gifts that are sure to be a hit! 

xx, L

Brookstone – Phipps Mall
404.262.1930
www.brookstone.com

American Apparel in Buckhead, situated in the strip beside Lenox Mall next to Tootsies and Fab’rik, is enormous compared to the smaller version I frequent in Little Five Points.  AA has the world’s softest t-shirts (fact.) and they are excellent quality.  I hate when t-shirts lose their shape or pill after only a few washes, but I’ve never had trouble with my AAs. 

Not only does American Apparel carry excellent, versatile t-shirts, but they also have an impressive variety of mostly solid colored leggings, hoodies, tights, belts, dresses and skirts that are perfect to spice up a tired winter wardrobe.  I am big on layering shirts, so I was in heaven at the massive AA in Buckhead.  I did some serious damage. 

(Happy Hanukkah to me! )

Below are a few of my favorite purchases from my spree at American Apparel yesterday:

Ribbed Nylon Spandex Leggings: $36

Stripe Thigh-High Sock: $15

The Shiny Sash: $24

Unisex Organic Fine Jersey Short Sleeve V-Neck: $19

Opaque Pantyhose in "Cement:" $14

Faux Denim High-Waist Skirt: $38

If you are looking for creative gift ideas or for fashionable basics to add to your cold-weather-armor, American Apparel has a lot of great stuff in store for the holidays.  Also, don’t forget to check out their hip vintage eyewear collection.  I have such a weakness for large sunglasses…   Happy holiday shopping! 

(P.S. Do everything you can to avoid Lenox Mall’s parking garage and lots = nightmare.)

xx, L

American Apparel – Buckhead
3400 Around Lenox Road NE
404.812.0010
www.americanapparel.com