Fill Those Stockings with Care

 

 

It's hard to believe that there's only a couple weeks left to 2013. Time seems to speed way up when we all have so much going on around the holidays, doesn't it? This is my tree this year. I really love how the soft needles droop and lift, its height and shape perfectly fitting into the corner.

Surprisingly, I planned ahead and have taken care of most of my gift list. Stocking stuffers, however, are treasures I like to find at the last minute – nice smelling soaps and lotions, lots of chocolate, sparkly trinkets and jewelry, warm slippers. If you still have a few stockings to fill or looking for a last minute gift, check out some of my favorite budget-friendly gifts below.

Happy holidays everyone – keep safe, happy and warm!

1. Thai Woven Textile Pillow $19 on sale
2. Anything Dot Towel $35 on sale
3. San Juan Marabella Fold-Over Clutch $49 on sale
4. Hand-Painted Moroccan Soap Dish $21
5. Small Cobra Stapler $39
6. Chilote House Shoes $59
7. Felt Standing Bird $9/each on sale, available in three colors
8. Batik Bone Salt Cellar and Spoon $12 on sale

Holiday House Guests

The best thing about the holidays is being able to catch up and celebrate with friends and family. We're all so busy that it's hard to get together, even with good intentions! How many times have you caught yourself saying, "we need to do this more often" and then another whole year passes by?

Our guests travel from across the country and sometimes across the world to be here. When they get into town, I throw my door wide open, fluff my pillows and hope they stay for a long while.

Here are some of my favorite tips to make house guests feel warm and welcome when they're staying with me:

1. Nothing beats a freshly made bed with soft sheets and warm blankets. Plus a throw and comfy pair of slippers.

2. Plenty of clean guest towels in the bathroom.

3. Stacks of books and magazines.

4. Leave a little note if your schedules part for a while. Just a welcoming message, your wi-fi code and maybe a list of fun things to do while they're in town.

5. Feed and water your guests! A water carafe for the bedside table. Water bottles for them to grab on the go. Plenty of wine and liquor for evening night caps. Pastries, coffee and juice to get them going in the morning.

6. Inevitably, you forget something or another when you pack for a trip. Leave a basket of toiletries in your guest room just in case. My basket is stocked with toothbrushes, toothpaste, floss, mouthwash, tampons, razors, bar soap, lotion, a sewing kit, cotton swabs, band-aids and make up wipes.

All these little extras will help them feel right at home. I'll be traveling in Morocco with my daughter over Christmas so we'll be the guests. But I hope you enjoy your holiday visitors this season – treasure every moment you have with them!

Top: Mexican Coverlets // Left: Handblown Water Carafe with Glass // Right: Granada Serving Trays

Dazzling Ornaments

 

This week's Pinterest finds had me obsessing over ornaments for this driftwood deer head, which can be found in our shop. Follow our Dazzling Ornaments! board for links to these and more fun and fancy ornaments.

Turkey Meze

For another look at Thanksgiving, we asked Catherine Bayar of Bazaar Bayar, how she celebrates as an expat living in Istanbul and married to a Turk. Catherine and her husband Abit are vintage textile historians and experts. Their mission is about "Saving ‘endangered’ handmade textiles, reviving + reinterpreting disappearing handcrafts, employing local women artisans, and promoting cultural exchange between Turkey + our global visitors." You can read more about Catherine and Abit, their travel stories, find out about workshops and check out the textiles here.

About Thanksgiving, Catherine says:

"We do celebrate Thanksgiving, either in California with family, or here with American friends in Istanbul. Not sure what I'm taking this year, but the big hit with family when we're stateside are Turkish meze. Since most of my family has never been here, I like to share what we're thankful for eating here. I make 3 or 4 of the basic meze –hummus, saksuka (eggplant), pancar ezme (beetroot), but the favorite is muhammara (acuka, ah-ju-ka, in Turkish). What I love about this is the mix of vegetables, nuts and fruit - roasted peppers are of North American origin, walnuts bring prosperity, and pomegranates denote abundance. Pomegranate molasses is an essential ingredient in our house - it also makes the best salad dressing ever with lemon and olive oil.

I love Binnur's Turkish Cookbook – good versions of all mezes mentioned above can found in it. I use this recipe but add a healthy tablespoon of the molasses and chopped fresh mint as a garnish."

 



MUHAMMARA
1 tablespoon red pepper paste,  or 2 roasted red peppers
 3/4 cup walnuts
4-5 tablespoons breadcrumbs
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 tbsp crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon molasses

Directions for this recipe and others can be found here.

On the Side

Thanksgiving is my favorite U.S. holiday. I love to cook, entertain and like most of us,  see the look of pleasure on the faces of family and friends around the table when the conversation, food, wine and company are just right.

The sides dishes are the stars for me because they often reflect the image of multiple generations. Our family curveball side dish has always been coleslaw. My grandmother, Minette, whom I barely met, made coleslaw every Thanksgiving. She had four sons – my dad was one of them – and all of their wives ended up incorporating Minette's coleslaw into their own holiday celebrations. Everyone made it a bit differently and everyone thought theirs was the best. Of course.

My Thanksgiving memories are not about how this ever-present coleslaw worked with the turkey and stuffing for dinner. Like my mom says, the coleslaw is really for the day after Thansgiving. With crispy, New York deli rye, mayo, delicious leftover turkey, coleslaw, and even some heated stuffing smushed in, it's an East Coast delight. And by all means, make enough for your deli sandwich that night or for day two!

COLE SLAW

2 cups green cabbage finely shredded
1 cup red cabbage finely shredded
2 medium carrots peeled with veggie peeler
4 scallions sliced – save some of the tops for garnish
1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard (I sometimes leave this out)
1/2 cup or more Hellmann's Mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp sugar

DIRECTIONS
Whisk together mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, mayonnaise, and sour cream in a small bowl. Refrigerate dressing, covered, until ready to use, or up to 2 days.
Put cabbage, carrots, and onion (if desired) in a large bowl. Pour in dressing, and toss thoroughly. Refrigerate, covered, until slaw begins to soften, 1 to 2 hours. If not using immediately, refrigerate, covered, up to 2 days. Just before serving, toss coleslaw again.

 

Preparing for the Hunt-First Stop Thailand

The holidays bring as much stress as they do joy. Each day as a business owner I am filled with fear! Fear of not selling enough, fear of selling too much, fear of no one showing up to a trunk show. Am I blogging enough? Too much? Have I overused Facebook?  Fear can be crippling and I lean on the side of drama.

Instead of allowing myself to drown in these all too real scenarios.....I begin flipping through photographs of places I have traveled and called on the memories of the personal bonds I have made while abroad. I realize that my next journey is around the corner and voila, the fear subsides and instead is replaced by textures, sounds, smells and the realization that the adventure will soon begin again. I do this so I can feed my addiction for street food, fresh exotic fruits, vintage textiles, beaches, antiques and shopping to create and sustain bonds with both my suppliers and customers!

I can feel the stress melting away. Near Phuket, Thailand

The inside of a Durian. A stinky, creamy fruit found in SE Asia.

Best described as having a succulent, creamy filling but smelling like stinky socks, ahh Durian

Rambutan, native to Indonesia, Thailand + the Philippines

Luscious

Burmese Puppets Heads from a favorite spot in Chiang Mai
(Photo's from Roni + Ryan)

Be sure to check out my website for new items. Happy Holidays!

Roni