Style Lush

Black Lacquer Rings

By Leah

I woke up this morning with the phrase "black lacquer ring" in my head. I have no idea what that was about, but when I thought about it for a second I realized what a cool accessory that would be; you (or maybe just I) don't see a lot of black rings out there these days. I love that they can take on different looks--classic to funky--and go with a range of trends, from neutral or neon. I especially love the idea of a black ring in spring and summer. 

Forever 21, for less than five dollahs!

Vintage, from Elephant Caravan on Etsy ($25)

Vintage bakelite bubble ring, from Anciennes on Etsy ($35)

Crazy-Affordable Chevron Rugs

By Leah

A million years later, I'm finally catching up with the rest of the world and have bought my first piece of chevron decor. I don't even care if this makes me sooooo 2000 and LATE; I LOVE IT.

Listen, I know I wrote about a rug last week, but I have to share this great deal: I saw this rug on the Urban Outfitters website and couldn't believe they were selling a (cute!) 5x7 rug for under $100. I bought it partly just to see if it was too good to be true.

It showed up within a week, and you guys, it's awesome. The design is printed on only one side (not woven through with different colored material, if you care about such things), but otherwise the quality seems pretty top-notch to this non-afficianado rug purchaser.

It comes in two sizes (5x7 and 3x5, the latter of which is only $39, if you can believe that), and you have your choice of a bunch of cute colors--so many it was really hard to decide which one to get, especially since I'm using it in my craft room, which currently has a design aesthetic called Cardboard Boxes Everywhere, meaning it's basically a blank slate.

Now that I've done a quality check on one, I'm seriously thinking about getting another for the front porch just so I can buy a different color. ZIGZAGS EVERYWHERE. (Hey, is anyone still wearing their Missoni for Target stuff? Just wondering.)

Anyway, get yours now, before the rugs go out of stock/go out of style/get all bought up by meeeee. 

Update: I couldn't stand it and totally just bought one for the front porch. 

Reminder Rug

By Leah

Every time my husband leaves the house, he pats all his pockets while chanting to himself, "Keys, phone, wallet. Keys, phone, wallet."

He so needs this doormat.

Just $18 at Urban Outfitters.

Or with a $10 rug, a can of spraypaint, and some alphabet stencils, I (he) (you?) could even make (y)our own.

{Image: Damn Good Doormats on Zibbet}

Chic Ring Holders

By Leah

I don't take my rings off very often, but now that I'm the owner of a brand new fancy bread machine (hooray, technology! you make me a better domestician), I need somewhere to put my jewelry that's safe and routine (so I don't forget where I put stuff) and also cuter than an upcycled lid from a old pickle jar.

I bought myself this little sweetie from Bed, Bath and Beyond (they had a display of about ten different animals at the cash registers) and I love how it looks perched behind the kitchen sink:

Here are some other pretty options:

Lotus bowl from dgordon on Etsy

Skultuna brass for only $122 (OMG, NO, but it is beautiful)

Handcarved oak cat from Boxnmor on Etsy

Vintage-looking circus-style animals from Luggage and Leather (I can't pick a favorite)

Tree branch from good ol' CB2

 

Leak-Proof Travel on the Cheap

By Leah

I apologize for posting this after you've completed all your holiday travel, but stick this tip in your back pocket for later, and maybe plan a trip for spring just so you can try it out:

One thing remains constant in my air-travel experience: my container of moisturizer gets jacked up on the plane. Since I pack it in my checked luggage with my other toiletries, it gets thrown around a lot between Points A and B, and whenever I take my first peek at it once I've arrived at my destination, the only unknown is which brand of jacked up it will be. Squeeze bottles explode with the change in air pressure, pumps leak, and containers with lids become covered with goo both inside and out. Just to save everything around the moisturizer, I'd taken to sealing each individual problem container in its own plastic bag so I could at least scrape out the leaked contents and use them instead of just wash them down the sink. 

Lightbulb!

Last time I flew I took a spoon to my jar of moisturizer and scooped out the perfect amount directly into a zippered baggie. Nothing leaked and it took up a fraction of the space of an entire jar.

From now on I'm doing this with moisturizer, sunscreen, and even shampoo and conditioner. I'm a changed woman. A changed woman who needs to book a flight somewhere fun.

Paint Chip Gift Tags for Any Occasion

By Leah

My family has always been mega into wrapping gifts (often the presentation is better than the present), so growing up we always had a huge selection of paper, boxes, bags, bows, tissue paper, and gift tags to fuel our creativity. (My dad has made bows out of tape from a busted VHS cassette; my mom likes wrapping clothes in carboard tubes.)

Since moving out on my own, I've never had the space or funds to get a real wrapping station together, and although I usually manage to pull it all off, more or less, the one thing I never have on hand for Christmas is cute tags to put on the gifts. I of course only realize this at the last minute (albeit the last minute every year) and end up making tags out of scrap paper or, in a pinch, writing directly on the wrapping with Sharpie. My parents must be so disappointed.

Here's a cute idea for DIY gift tags that takes a little prep but not much, and the result is really sweet:

Liz at Say Yes to Hoboken turned these free paint chip cards into tree ornaments, but I think they'd be darling as gift tags (for any occasion, actually, depending on the shapes you cut out and the colors you pick). If you're setting the table for a big meal, paint chips could also be transformed into nice little place cards. And they're free free free!

Winter Bulbs

By Leah

I married into a family of expert gift-givers, and this one comes from my mother-in-law, who chose this for the members of her book club, who've hosted a gift exchange at their December meeting for TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. That's a lot of lotions and scented candles and Moleskine journals, people.

This year she gave each of the ladies an amaryllis bulb in a pretty pot they can reuse for whatever after the flower's run its course.

There's a wide range of amaryllis bulb kits out there: single bulbs or multiples, in a range of colors, and you have your pick of cheap plastic pots or nicer copper pails, ceramic vases, or wicker baskets. If you're already ordering a ton of stuff from Amazon like I am, they have a good selection.

If you can't find an amaryllis you like, paperwhites are another easy-to-grow indoor bulb flower. Amazon has them, and I've seen them at Pottery Barn too.

I love this as a hostess gift, a neighbor gift, or a birthday gift instead of a bottle of wine or another box of chocolates.

(Amaryllis bulbs were on the first Style Lush Gift Guide, way back in 2009. Some of the links might be obsolete by now, but the ideas are as good as ever.)

Peacock!

By Leah

About a month ago I bought a shirt at Target that had tiny little peacock feathers over a navy background. It's not the sort of thing I'd normally pick out, but it was on sale, and the peacock motif made me feel like I was getting away with something--maybe because it's animal print without being, you know...animal print.

While looking for a link to the shirt, I found almost nothing else peacock-patterned at major retailers that wasn't completely hideous (these rain boots from Target are pushing it), but there was a ton of great stuff to be found from--who else?--our friends at Etsy. Here's small sampling:

Peacock pendant ($8.95) from The Pendant Emporium.

Smoky crystal peacock ring ($15.65) from Angeltodora98.

Peacock feather earrings ($4.99) from I Am Superstar.

Wooden peacock necklace ($16.00) from Juniper Rush.

Custom painted peacock Toms shoes ($149.00) from Blake Barash.

Peacock pumps with crystal ($60.00) from Paris XOX.

Custom printed peacock feather dress ($24.00) from Wear Yeti.

Handprinted peacock shirtdress ($40.00) from Seal Maiden.

Peacock tie ($30.00) from Cyberoptix.

Reclaimed redwood peacock clock ($65.00) from Nica and the Newfie.

Henna-inspired burned wood peacock spoons (3 for $38.00) from Greenwood Creations.

Peacock pillow cover ($45.00) from Pop O Color.

Peacock hip flask ($16.00) from Lezlee Elliott.

Countdown Advent Candle

By Leah

I just unpacked all our Christmas decorations and found something I've been waiting to use for years: advent taper candles.

I bought ours at the Bath Abbey gift shop while visiting inlaws in England for Thanksgiving several years ago (yes, I know celebrating Thanksgiving in JOE makes no sense), and I've been waiting and waiting and waiting to use them until I (1) had a kid and (2) had a kid old enough to appreciate the concept of a Christmas countdown. My son turns three in a few weeks and I think we're there.

If you celebrated Candletime this month and loved it, you could use an advent candle to continue the ritual into December (unless anticipating Christmas is antithetical to the spirit of Candletime? I don't know; do what feels good for your family, I guess). It's pretty straight-forward: every night you light the candle and let it burn down to the next number. You could use the time to sing carols, read a Christmas story, or just sit quietly and drink some hot chocolate.

Here are some advent candles you might like:

(NB: I searched Google and then Amazon, and most of what I saw was pretty traditional (read: resplendant rococo angels), so if that's your style you'll have lots of luck on your own, but otherwise, I've thrown in a few more modern interpretations as well.)

A quick and easy DIY advent candle from Mammajam (whose post includes notes on the religious origin of the tradition).

This is simple and gorgeous and comes in a variety of colors, but I can't even tell what country and language it's being sold from and in, or how much 35,00 zt is in American dollars, but it's just lovely, isn't it?

From I've Been Looking for That. (It's cheesy, yes, but you can't beat two for $2.)

Lego Countdown Candle. (I do not know why this is listed as $89.95 + $5.99 for shipping, but if you want it, there it is.)

Buy a box of 12 of this tree design for hostess/neighbor/teacher gifts (or a single for yourself).

I got your seraphim and cherubim right here: nativity scene candle.

If anyone knows where to find more advent candles of the modern variety, I'd love to know. Anyone seen a simple red and white horizontally striped candle? Or do I need to just make my own, maybe carve twenty-four marks into the wax of a plain taper? Stencil on some numbers with craft paint?  

(For more advent ideas, see Lauren's advent wreaths roundup, Lawyerish's advent for a toddler, Elizabeth's handmade advent calendar, Jennie's activity advent calendar, Christina's advent tree (maybe inspired by Elisabeth's post?), and of course the beloved Lego advent calendars. December starts this week! Happy counting-downing!) 

USB Heated Blanket

By Leah

Do you live in a hundred-year-old uninsulated house, where you spend 8+ hours freezing at your computer desk every weekday? Do you know someone who does? Have I got a gift for you/that other person!

Have you seen the electric blankets powered by your computer via USB connector? Use one plug for "warm" and both plugs for "hot."

{Image from Think Geek}

When I tweeted my amazement at this brilliant marriage of survival and science, Laura replied that she had pair of USB-heated gloves, "so I can blog without chilly fingers."

{Image from Amazon}

So I guess this is a thing. Did you know this was a thing? I did not know this was a thing.

Space heaters rack up power bills like crazy, and don't get me wrong, I love my Snuggie, but listen: there's no law that says I can't use all four of these modern miracles at the same time. Cheers to working warm this winter!