I’m a lover of entertaining during the holiday season, decorating the house with fresh evergreens, adding some sparkle, and filling it with the scents of the season – we love inviting friends in from the cold to enjoy a cup of cheer at this time of year.  

Every year I do a roundup of favorite gifts ideas for a host or hostess and I keep it under $30. If you’re invited to a get together this holiday season, here are my 2012 picks for the cooks, foodies, wine enthusiasts, coffee or tea lovers, gardeners, and hip hosts or hostesses you know! 

Striped Apron, Dean & Deluca, $30; Le Creuset Butter Crock, Pot & Pantry, $30; Spotless Juicer, Anthropologie, $30;  Red Zig Zag Apron, Sur la Table, $20; Equal Tea Towel, Studio Patro, $24; Marble Mortar and Pestle, Overstock, $29.99;  Letter Pressed Cookie Set, World Market, $17.99 

Fig Jam Assortment, the girl and the fig, $28; Vanilla Infused Maple Syrup, Dean & Deluca, $22;  Demi glace (several flavors), Williams-Sonoma, $29.95; Gray Salt Trio, Napa Style, $29;  7” Vanilla Bean Cheesecake, The Cheesecake Factory, $25.95; Royal Riviera Pears, Harry & David, 29.95. 

8 Cork candles, Napa Style, $22;  Red Pedrini Bottle Opener, Target, $19.99; Decanter with Oak Stopper, Wine Enthusiast, $29.99; Wine Purse, Bed Bath & Beyond, $29.99;  Gold Honeycomb white wine glasses, set of four, West Elm, $25

Loose Tea Storage Tins, Teavana, $10.95;  Glass teapot, CB2, $17.95; Graphic Espresso Serving Set; Crate + Barrel, $19.95; Tea for One, Poketo, $29; King & Queen Mugs, Jonathan Adler, $26; Aerolatte Frother, Crate + Barrel, $19.95

Herb Keeper, Amazon, $19.95; Floral Garden Shears, Hayneedle, $24.95; Compost Container, Gardener’s Supply, $29.95; Rosemary Mini Tree; Burpee, $29.95;  Copper Garden Labels, Terrain, $18

Thomas Paul coasters, Orange & Pear, $18; Hobnail Candle, Altogether Home, $28;  Mustache Tray, Z Gallerie, $24.95; Wood Bowl, Wayfair, $24.95; Agate trivet, Leif, $20; Enamel Servers, Macys, $24.99; Maple stick candles, Shop Terrain, $30;  Cheese Knife Set, Crate + Barrel, $24.95

I hope you like the 2012 picks as much as I do.  Perhaps one of them is the perfect gift for someone you know … or for you?! 

Coming up next, the Friday Finds of the week.  :)

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Hello all, I’m so excited to share a fabulous giveaway with you today! I’m such a lover of fabric, it really does have the power to transform a space, to modernize, refresh, uplift!

I mentioned years ago what a big fan I am of Tonic Living, and today I’ve partnered with them to bring you a giveaway!  Remember this fresh fabric by Dwell Studio that I made into a tablecloth for a recent tablescape?   Yep, it’s from Tonic Living!  

Tonic Living has dozens and dozens of the chicest fabrics for all of your home decor needs and in styles ranging from retro to geometric to floral, I just know you’ll become a big fan too.   This week, Tonic Living is giving away two $75 gift certificates to their online shop!

They also carry pillow covers for sprucing up your bedroom, chair, or sofa!

Eligibility to win one of two $75 gift certificates to Tonic Living:

1) Hop on over to Tonic Living and pick a favorite fabric or pillow, then leave a comment naming your favorite! 

2) For a second chance to win, link to this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter, then leave a second comment telling where you linked (FB or Twitter).

Two winners, US and Canada only.  Giveaway ends on Saturday November 10th, 2012 at 8 p.m. PST.   By entering this giveaway you agree to this site’s giveaway policy and Official Rules of Entry.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED.

WINNERS:  #414 Abby and #960 Martha Harris

Winners notified via email.

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So.  IT came.  Last week.  And I’m really exited about it!!  It’s our new trestle dining room table!  You may recall this trestle table post back in August where I shared we were on the hunt for a new one and looking at all the options available out there.  I ended up buying the last one I featured and since I didn’t have a chance to evaluate it in person, I confess I was biting my nails for six weeks it took to arrive.  But here it is!

I really wanted something light but not white to contrast with the dark wood built in buffet, and with a refined rustic feel to it – this table definitely fits the bill!  It’s 7 feet long, seats 6-8 people, and a perfect fit for the space. 

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We made a change in the kitchen last week, something I’ve been wanting to do for months now.  A couple of years ago, I found a free fixture at Habitat ReStore, brought it home, rewired it, and painted it white.  That free fixture hung in our kitchen for two years and it was really great (especially since it was free!) but I’ve been dreaming of something a little more snazzy.  I wanted to mix it up and bring in some lighting that was bigger, bolder, and modern. 

I’ve been fixated on statement pendants over kitchen islands lately, so I finally decided it was time to upgrade ours.  Say hello to the two new polished nickel lantern fixtures that now hang over our kitchen island!

Ba da bling!

We splurged on two polished nickel and linen shade lanterns, purchased from one of my sponsors, Shades of Light.  With a 10% discount, they were $288 each but my oh my what eye candy they are!  

They’re really gorgeous in person but do you notice the slight problem?

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