Cool Stuff: Gifts for Bloggers

Last night, my blogging buddies Porcelain and Cardboard from the awesome Design Boner tagged me with a virtual holiday gift. Isn't the Erich Ginder Ghost Tree Rack, $1,700 from Design Public, just perfect? Thanks, guys -- I love it!

Now it's my turn to gift some of the blogging friends I've made this past year. I've never met any of these ladies (or gents) in person, but I feel they're all kindred spirits. More importantly, they inspire me, educate me, entertain me, and make me laugh every single day. (And it's thanks to them that I can never seem to get any work done.)

Please note that the relative price of these items has nothing to do with my affection for each these bloggers.

First up, of course, has to be my Design Boner peeps:

For Porcelain:
Porcelain Golden Honey Bowls With Woven Rocks, $225 for three from White Forest Pottery (duh)

For Cardboard:
Cardboard Deer Trophy Puzzles, $12 to $44 from Cardboard Safari (duh again)

For Holly at decor8:
Morrissey Silhouette Pillow from Etsy seller Olive, as soon as she makes some more (because Holly loves her some Mozza)

For mom-to-be Angela at Shelterrific:
My Mom is e-Famous Baby Tee, $16 from Miss Domestic

For Nicole at Pink Loves Brown and Making It Lovely:
Cocobola Print, $25 from Etsy seller Melissa Moss (for obvious reasons)

For Laure of At Home at Home and Apartment Therapy: Los Angeles:
Poolside Drinks at the Figueroa Hotel

For Kate at Girl Meets Glamour:
A $100,000 gift certificate for 1stDibs (because girlfriend has seriously good, champagne-and-caviar decorating taste)

For Katie at Katiedid:
"Save Katie" print, $10 from The Poster List

For Hannah at Printer & Piemaker:
Cathrineholm Blue Lotus Plate, $37 from eBay seller nantiques20 (because this would be perfect for her new turquoise kitchen)

For Catherine at Scrappy Girl Decorates:
A $1,000 gift certificate to the Rug Company (so she can just go ahead and get a living room rug, already)

For Victoria at sfgirlbybay:
The $1,000 Reader's Choice Award in the Domino Decorating Contest

For Megan at BeachBungalow8:
Martha Stewart: Just Desserts, The Unauthorized Biography, 1 cent at Amazon (because we all know how much Megan love/hates Our Lord and Savior)

For Your Mama at The Real Estalker:
The "Metallica Mansion" in Pacific Heights, $10.5M (because Kirk Hammett's on-the-block Gold Coast dowager is probably the closest thing we have to celebrity real estate in these parts)

For Tom and Lorenzo at Tom & Lorenzo and Project RunGay:

Random guys who are NOT Tom and Lorenzo: Ed Salvato for Gay.com

All-Gay New Year's Caribbean Cruise, $5,950 at Travelpride (because these guys deserve a break from all that hilariously catty blogging they do)

And finally, for all of you:

Bouquet of Roses, by flickr member Welshlady

A dozen red roses and my undying gratitude. Thanks so much for reading!

P.S. What virtual gifts would you give to your favorite bloggers? Post your ideas in the comments box and let us all know!

eBay Find of the Day: Sunburst Wall Sculpture

I can barely process the utter fabulousity of this circa-1970 sunburst wall sculpture.

Crafted from copper with gold brazing and an unusual red enamel center, it measures two feet in diameter.

Current bid: $1 (plus $45 shipping to the U.S. from Quebec)

Etsy Find of the Day: Papaver Vert

My obsession with all things felted shows no sign of abating, and my latest felt fetish centers on the lovely wares of Alameda's own Patty Benson, aka Papaver Vert.

Her felted wool bowls and other goods are sold at the ever-popular Rose and Radish in San Francisco's Hayes Valley as well as at Berkeley's Relish at Home. Luckily for those not in the Bay Area, Benson also offers her items on Etsy.

Some of the Papaver Vert goodness I'm craving:

Felted Wool and Mohair Bowls, $25 each

Hand Felted Apple, Lollipop, Oak, and Fall Trees, $60 each

Felted Alpaca and Merino Two-Square Pillows, $120 each

See all the items in the Papaver Vert Etsy shop right here -- and check out Benson's beautiful blog here.

The Artful Home: Peepshow Prints

More cool stuff from the UK, these limited edition prints are from the members of East London's Peepshow Collective. Above: Flowers by Jenny Bowers, 75 pounds (about $150)

Vessels by Jenny Bowers, 75 pounds ($150)

Woodland by Chrissie Macdonald, 50 pounds ($100)

Triangles by Chrissie Macdonald, 50 pounds ($100)

Set Sail by Luke Best, 50 pounds ($100)

House by Lucy Vigrass, 50 pounds ($100)

Brain by Andrew Rae, 50 pounds ($100)

Each signed and numbered Giclee prints is part of a limited edition of just 30. See all the Peepshow prints right here.

(Via Made by Them.)

eBay Find of the Day: Retro Enamel Bowl

Never mind Christmas -- are you ready for your New Year's Eve festivities?

Just think how great those cocktail nuts will look in this midcentury silver-and-enamel bowl, made by MEKA of Denmark.

Current bid: $10 (hurry -- the auction ends Wednesday evening).

Cool Stuff: Inke Wallpaper Trees

Given my irrational and out-of-control obsession with tree silhouettes, I would love nothing more than to have a tree mural somewhere in my home.

I'm a bit intimidated about the idea of painting it freehand, though -- so these wallpaper trees from Dutch designer Inke Heiland might just be the perfect solution.

The trees come in spring, summer, and fall palettes -- each sporting colorful vintage-wallpaper leaves appropriate to the season, and each with several choices for a patterned or solid-colored trunk. The trees arrive in five parts (mounting instructions and glue are included) and cost 195 euros (about $283).

To complete the effect, Inke also offers wall-mounted birdhouse lamps (145 euros, or $210 each) and flocks of patterned avians (16 euros a pair, or $24) to add to the wallpaper mural.


See all of Inke's creations -- including the wildly popular wallpaper wildlife (perfect for kids' rooms) and the new interior series -- right here.

Shameless Plugs: Part 2 of My Holiday Wish List on Shelterrific

See everything that my covetous little heart desires -- and get some splurge-worthy gift ideas of your own -- right here.

(Oh, and if you missed Part 1 of my ginormous "Gimme List," it's here.)

Etsy Find of the Day: Jen Renninger Painted Ladies Prints

Birdcage

According to the Reader Survey, your favorite blog category, by far, is Etsy Finds.

And while a few of you think I feature too much Etsy stuff, I'm going to go with the overwhelming majority -- and my own instincts -- and continue to showcase the amazing handcrafted items available on Etsy. If Etsy's not your thing -- well, just go ahead and skip these posts.

I'm continually awestruck by the talent on display at this virtual arts and crafts fair, which features wares from some 70,000 sellers worldwide. I'm also amazed by the sheer variety of wonderful and unique items you can find there -- from art to textiles to housewares to handcrafted furniture -- often for amazingly little money.

I think it's incredible, too, that Etsy has given creative women all over the world a place to showcase their wares without requiring the cash and infrastructure necessary to rent booths at the big gift shows, to launch fancy websites, or to get their products distributed by a third party. Sure, that means there's also an awful lot of "Crafty Cathy" crapola to dig through, but the treasures are so worth digging for. (If you haven't already seen it, check out the fascinating article about Etsy and the whole handmade movement from yesterday's New York Times Magazine.)

Momentary Dream

Take these "Painted Ladies" prints from illustrator Jen Renninger. I love their moodiness and enigmatic nature, the fact that they're beautiful without being cute, and the sense of exquisite melancholy that they impart (and in my book, melancholy art is always a good thing).

Woman in Patterned Jacket

Each signed and numbered print is part of a limited edition of 250, and costs just $25. And right now, Renninger is donating $1 for each one sold to Metropolitan Ministries to help families in need during the holidays.

Modern Geisha

See all of the prints (her "Modern Design" and "Between These Walls" series are pretty great, too) in Renninger's Etsy shop.

Color Obsession: Why Red Rocks

Photo from CB2

I think it was the uber-stylish Margaret Russell, editor of Elle Décor, who once said that every room looks better with some red in it.

And she's right. Red adds drama, glamor, sexiness, and sophistication to any space. This bold, hot hue is especially welcome during the winter months, when the world outside our doors is cold, bleak, and color-drained. Plus, as you can see from the photos above and below, red is equally at home in a modern or traditional setting.

Photo from House Beautiful

From cerise to garnet to vermilion, the color pairs exceptionally well with a variety of other hues -- from basic black and white to warm camels and taupes to cool silvers and grays to neutral sages and sky blues to poppy yellows and aquas to rich, royal blues and greens. Because red is such a stimulating and potentially overpowering shade, though, remember that a little bit goes a long way.

A look at current accessories, textiles, and furnishing that will help you bring a touch of red's signature verve your own abode:

Diamond Pillow, $99 from Room+Board; Jonathan Adler Apple Pillow, $95; Thomas Paul Dervish Pillow, $96 from Velocity; Raspberry Mu and Zig Zag Pillows, from Madeline Weinrib; Leather Pouf, $75 at Authentic Morocco; Judy Ross Spray Pillow, $190, and Japanese Floral Pillow, $90, from Weego Home

Tube Top Table Lamp, $99 at Room+Board; Murano Glass Chandelier, $2,900 at Design Within Reach; Stout Pot Table Lamp, $177 at Bellacor; Kulla Lamp, $50 at IKEA

Katrin Fabric, $6 a yard at IKEA; Acorn Filigree Fabric, $14 a yard from Lewis & Sharon Textiles; Marimekko Lumimarja Fabric, $38 a yard at Kiitos

notNeutral Letters Napkin Set, $28 at Design Public; Vine Ripe Tablecloth, $30 to $50; Hemp Tea Towel, $24 at French General

Red Mohair Throw, $98 from Graham & Green; Reversible Bamboo/Cotton Throw, $39 from West Elm; Red Squared Blanket, $325 from Sweetfeltgoods

Hable Construction Ruby Mum Stretched Canvas, $45; Round Scalloped Tray, $32 at Decorative Things; Floral Square Salad Plates, $26 for four, and Lacquer Nesting Boxes, $20 for three, from West Elm; IKEA Stockholm Vase, $35

Party Girl Wallpaper, $150 per roll at Flavor Paper; Flower Field Wall Stickers, $60 from Ferm Living; Orla Kiely Stem Wallpaper, $88 a roll at Anthropologie; Florence Broadhurst Circles & Squares Wallpaper and Moulin Rouge Wallpaper, each $448 a roll at Woodson & Rummerfield

Mandala Rug, from Madeline Weinrib; Diamond Indoor/Outdoor Rug, $34 to $495 from Dash & Albert; Angela Adams Kenga Rug, $70 to $1,550 at Design Public; Hedda Rug, $249 at IKEA; Coqo Floral Rug, $78 to $898 at Anthropologie

Hippie Dining Chair, $119 from CB2; Emile Chair, $198 at Anthropologie; Philippe Starck Victoria Ghost Chair, $279 at Unica Home; Truss Cafe Chair, $279 at Design Public; Midcentury Sofa, $480 from Urban Outfitters

Ukiyo Table, $598 at Anthropologie; Chunky Console Table and Curved Leg Coffee Table, both $299 at West Elm; Offi Magazine Table, $149 at 2Modern

Philippe Starck La Boheme 3 Stool, $182 at Hive Modern; Spool Stool, $270 from House Eclectic; Fiberglass Coffee Table, $200 from White on White

Kartell Componibili Modular Units, $105 to $145 at Hive Modern; Linnarp Bookcase, $349 at IKEA; Olauf Cabinet, $698 at Anthropologie

Floral Bed Cover, $450 at French General; Suzani Quilt, $120 from Urban Outfitters; Gova Curtain, $50, and Chinoiserie Bed, $1,898 to $1,998, both from Anthropologie

P.S. Red not revving your engine? Check out my posts on Yellow, Black, Lime, and Turquoise.