Budget Giving

For the host(ess) with the most(ess), here are some fabulous (and frugal) gifts you can give to the entertainer in your life... or yourself!

3-bottle wooden wine rack, perfect size for a small space. World Market, $15 bucks!

Pirate-y ice cubes for an instant ice breaker, Z Gallerie, $10 bucks!

Selma champagne flute, CB2, $7 bucks!

Charmer- a practitioner of folk magic

This holiday season a couple of girlfriends and I decided to see if we could put our gift-wrapping and design experience to the test (Dillard's holiday '05, what what!) and make some sweet moolah.

Along with chic and precision wrapping, we'll personally shop for those last-minute gifters (with their sweet moolah, of course), help any procrastinators plan their holiday party, and also decorate the same procrastinator's home or office for the season.

Sounds like a fun idea, hope we see something from it this year, and if so you'll be seeing CHARM again next year!

Hope you can read the above, for more information go to charm.sensecharleston.com.

Spirit Hands

I find the holidays a lil' stressful, what with all the different colors you're supposed to decorate with, and cookie recipes out the --s! This year, as I'm decorating my new-ish first home and looking for party decor ideas, I'll keep the word "festive" in mind. It doesn't discriminate; "festive" is just exactly that, and here's my idea of fun (you know I have to say, "and festive") holiday entertaining--

Fabulousstationery.com will personalize your party invitations AND make you look cooler than you feel.

I SO want these Illusion wine glasses. They would totally be the perfect ice breaker for a "jingle mingle" because they have an interestingly clever design... and they will most likely contain WINE!
Cast a cool shadow with the lumen candle, which projects flickering wintry wonderlands of cedar, magnolia, or pine trees on your wall. These were designed by Adam Frank, a Brooklyn based artist and inventor.

... And back to the alcohol, overindulge the ever present holiday sweet tooth by toasting to good times with chocolate shot cups. The price makes them sweeter than boring ol' shotglasses any day.

If I were ambitious enough, I would try to make this Spiced Hot Chocolate Recipe, but I'm not... so I won't.

photos: Domino Magazine, Fabulousstationery.com, Uncommon Goods, Red Envelope, Urban Outfitters