Snow and Graham

What are you doing NYE?

It has been a whirlwind of activity this Holiday season….at home, on the blog and in the studio. It seems the Holiday HOW-TO series was a hit and I have really loved seeing these tutorials go do good use. Here at HQ we are getting deliveries of our new designs for 2013 and it looks so good, I can’t wait to share it with you. Somehow in the midst of all of this I have been able to indulge in all my favorite Christmas traditions with friends and family.

We have one last tradition to fit in before 2012 comes to a close and it is a favorite. Each New Year’s Eve Tyler and I make cheese fondue. We do it if it is just the two of us or if we are hosting a crowd. Here is a peek at our NYE last year. It will be hard to beat.

Fondue really is an event and makes a quiet evening in feel luxurious and indulgent. READ MORE

No Comments

Category: Eat & Drink, Holidays Tags: Christmas, food & wine, instagram

HOW TO: Folded Paper Tree

One last Holiday HOW-TO before Christmas that you truly could accomplish in time to deck out your mantle or dress your tabletop. All you need is paper and a pair of nice sharp scissors. Of course I recommend using Snow & Graham wrap (it really is just the right weight for this project) but you should grab whatever you have and get folding. Looking for a last minute gift for the person who has everything? I bet they don’t have a set of these darling decorations hand crafted by the one and only you. Merry Christmas!

There are a lot of steps, but don’t be discouraged. I suggest making a smaller one first to learn the steps, then give larger and tiny versions a try. This project is great because you can really make them as big or small as you like. READ MORE

No Comments

Category: Holidays, Make & Do Tags: Christmas, Crafts, wrapping paper

Be Sociable, Share!

Christmas Party 2012

Christmas is my holiday. I love it and so does my husband and we are doing our best to pass on this enthusiasm to our boys. Yesterday we hosted an open house and it was everything we could have hoped for. I couldn’t wait to share these photos. I will post more details of how and what later this week.

This bow wall came to me in a vision. I don’t ever want to take it down. READ MORE

3 Comments

Category: Eat & Drink, Holidays, Make & Do Tags: Candy, Chocolate, Christmas, Cupcakes, food & wine, party ideas

HOW TO: wrapping with scraps

As you might imagine we have a good amount of scraps around the studio….and it truly pains me to let any of our paper go to waste. We put together a little round up of some of the clever things you can do with the small bits of paper that are an inevitable part of wrapping lots and lots of gifts.

No Comments

Category: Holidays, Make & Do Tags: Christmas, Crafts, wrapping paper

Gift Pairings

Adding a little something extra can elevate a nice present to an oh-so thoughtful gift. Even if you are giving a gift off their list, a complimentary surprise will have them oohing and ahhing. Here are a few things I think would be greatly enhanced by the addition of a little paper to the presentation.

For your sister-in-law who makes the best brownies:
a cake knife from Leif Shop is pretty sweet with these recipe cards.

For your best friend who lives far away:
a set of walnut birds from Gretel Home with Tweets notecards for keeping in touch.

For your design savvy sister:
an annual subscription to Anthology magazine and our mini desk calendar will remind her how great you are – every single day.

1 Comment

Category: Give & Get, Holidays Tags: Snow & Graham

Wrap Pairings + a giveaway

I vowed to get a head start on wrapping last year….and the year before that, come to think of it. Even though the collecting and sourcing of different ribbons and gift toppers begins months before Christmas, it always seems that I am up into the wee hours on December 24th making magic happen. With most of my shopping out of the way, it is time to start cutting, folding and tying all those bows. How about you? Are you ready to wrap?

GIVEAWAY: Tell me which pattern paring you like best in the comments below and you may win a bundle of those very same wraps. Let me know by ~~Monday, December 17th at noon CST~~ so that we can ship them out in plenty of time.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Barbara T!

22 Comments

Category: Holidays, Look & See Tags: Christmas, giveaway, wrapping paper

Gift Guide 2012: all that glitters

Consider this my “Santa Baby” wish list. A collection of extravagant tidbits that would surely add some sparkle to the holiday.

1. benjamins pouch from Rebecca Minkoff 2. Encrusted pumps from Christian Louboutin 3. Jeweled headband from Ban.do 4. Eros ring from Nora Kogan 5. iPhone case from Kate Spade 6. Daisy Lamé Clutch from Fendi

No Comments

Category: Give & Get, Holidays Tags: Christmas

HOW TO: Single Serving Cocoa Cups

We continue our Holiday HOW-TO series with this simple and unique way to give homemade hot cocoa mix. This video makes me so happy and I hope it inspires you to get crafty, too.

I like to give handmade gifts at the holidays. It is one way to ensure that my gift will be truly unique and I get to share my creativity in a new form. My dear friend and frequent conspirator, Caroline and I wanted to scheme up a gift idea that combined our unique talents and was easy enough for two working moms to get done at the most wonderful time of the year. Homemade hot cocoa mix made with couverture chocolate is something special, and Caroline’s easy to scale up or down recipe is super delicious. While packing it up in pretty jars is an easy and nice way to present it, I wanted something unexpected. This single-serving idea was inspired by my love of individual anything and the flexibility to enjoy a cozy cup as a crowd or in a stolen moment alone.

No Comments

Category: Eat & Drink, Holidays, Make & Do Tags: Chocolate, Christmas, Recipes, wrapping paper

nicely paired: cards & ornaments

We finally trimmed the tree last night and I loved the rush of memories that is attached to so many of the ornaments we have collected over the years. We started the tradition of giving the boys one ornament each year that is symbolic of the Chinese calendar year they were born. Buck is year of the dragon….so I may have my work cutout for me there! Do you have any strategy to collecting your ornaments? READ MORE

No Comments

Category: Holidays, Look & See Tags: Christmas, Snow & Graham

California Treats

They say the first step is admitting you have a problem…..and it occurred to me that I might have a little issue when my list of places to visit in California was predominately sweet shops of one kind or another. I managed to get to most of the spots on my wishlist and my boys, who were traveling with me, couldn’t believe their luck for those two sweet weeks.

No Comments

Category: Eat & Drink Tags: Chocolate, Cupcakes, food & wine