Today on weekend meanderings, a fun-for-kids cookie candy turkey craft, my cousin Lydia Makes Art and you’ll want to order her beautiful holiday gift tags now, a Serena & Lily soiree showcasing a Scottish-influenced holiday space by designer Kari McIntosh.
Happy Saturday, friends!
It’s time for the weekend post with Kim and Elizabeth. Our weekly roundup of inspirations and goings on.
We’re officially in Thanksgiving week. Thanksgiving shopping is in full swing and I can barely find a parking spot at the grocery store.
This week is also the calm before the post-Thanksgiving shopping storm. No sooner will we put away the leftovers when it’s off to the races for 1) Black Friday, followed by 2) Small Business Saturday, 3) Cyber Monday and 4) giving Tuesday. Did I get that right? May I smugly tell you that I skip straight to two and four, bypassing one and three altogether. Not because I’m super organized and have already done my shopping, but because our life is in a new stage.
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Back in the day I collected holiday wish lists from the littles over Thanksgiving weekend. And the first Friday in December I made an annual pilgrimage to Toys R Us with those lists in hand. My strategy was to arrive at 8pm – they stayed open until midnight which was a big deal back then – and get my shopping done in a couple of hours. Then, over the next few weekends, gifts were wrapped and put under the tree. Some were wrapped, packed, and shipped to cousins in Washington which involved a dreaded trip to the UPS store.
Flash forward to present day and all our littles live far away. Most of our shopping involves sending gift cards for their favorite stores. Not nearly as fun, but looking on the bright side, we avoid all the holiday crazy. And that’s not nothing. But, you probably have a different situation and I wish you the best as you run the gauntlet over the next month.
Speaking of the littles, niece Shelby and I met up with niece Sophie and her littles in Auburn this week. I’m happy to report that grand-niece Haddie loves hot chocolate. Like auntie like niecie.
I don’t miss holiday shopping but I do miss all the pretty packages spilling out from under the tree. My mother was big on beautiful wrapped presents. If she had her druthers no gift would ever be opened. If it must be opened, it should be done carefully with paper, ribbon and bows neatly saved. Tearing into gifts was frowned upon. I’m not fanatical like that but I do love pretty paper, ribbons and gift tags. And those are a few of the topics we’ll discuss today. There’s a lot to cover, and I’ll be on vacation next Saturday, so let’s consider this a double issue.
Cookie Candy Turkey’s for Thanksgiving
When my mother was still with us I was the Thanksgiving host for our family. I loved to make these turkey cookie candies for the kids places at the table. They got a kick out of them and I did too. They’re a fun edible craft to make with kids to get them excited about helping out and setting the table.
I decided to resurrect the cookie candy turkey tradition and to my dismay the chocolate stars and scalloped cookies are no longer easy to come by. No local stores carry the chocolate stars but I was able to find them online. I didn’t have the same luck with the scalloped cookies … nowhere to be found, locally or online. Reluctantly I settled for Keebler Fudge Stripes. A reasonable facsimile, but not the same.
What you’ll need: milk chocolate stars, caramels, harvest candy corn, fudge stripe cookies
Here’s an Instagram Reel on how to put them together. It’s pretty self explanatory, the only real direction is that the caramel needs to be softened slightly – until it’s pliable enough to ahere to the caramel, cookie and candy corn. 10-15 seconds in the microwave will do it … place the caramels on microwave-safe wax paper first.
Hunter Rain Boots
It’s officially rainy season, it’s storming now, and I took my Hunter rain boots to ReChic to consign.
Why would I do that in the midst of a rainstorm? Well, I meant to do it a month ago. I love the boots and I wanted them forever before finally buying them, but they’re not comfortable on me. They’re the classic tall style, and the top hits me in an awkward spot on my less-than-statuesque legs. That said, I love Hunter boots – and I need rain boots (like right now) – so I’ve been debating between the original short rain boot (mid-calf) – I kind of like the glossy version too – and the short rain boot (ankle-ish). I also like this waterproof slip on shoe. I’m a sucker for a platform. And then there’s the color choice … there are a lot of options.
While I was debating this major life decision, Hunter’s Duck Boot style appeared in my Instagram feed. The algorithm always knows. I swooned, hit purchase, and they’re winging their way to me.
Hunter Sutton Chelsea Duck Boot
Since I was headed to ReChic to consign my boots, I did a quick scan of my closet and grabbed a few other pieces to take as well. I didn’t have time to shop while I was there, but several things caught my eye including a gorgeous Chanel wool coat. The shop is brimming with wonderful pieces for fall, winter … holiday party season, etc. They also carry wonderful gift items … it’s my go-to spot for girlfriend and hostess gifts.
In addition to doing more consignment selling – and shopping – in the last few years I’ve made an effort to be more intentional about how I dispose of no-longer-needed clothing so it doesn’t end up in a landfill. Most of the clothing that leaves my house is either consigned, given away or donated. But some things don’t fit neatly into these buckets … maybe they’re stained, torn or for some other reason not acceptable for resale or donation and its tempting to put them in the trash. This week I listened to a podcast interview with Kristy Caylor, founder and CEO of Trashie, a clothing and tech recycling platform. I’ve ordered their ‘take back bag 3-pak’ and I’ll say more after I’ve given it a whirl. In the meantime, you can learn more here.
Serena & Lily Palo Alto Holiday House
Tuesday night I met up with Kim to attend a soiree at Serena & Lily’s Palo Alto Design Shop.
The event showcased Serena & Lily’s Holiday House inspiration space, A Love Letter to Scotland, designed by Kari McIntosh.
Over yummy hors-d’oeuvres and cocktails Kari shared how her recent travels to Scotland informed and inspired the design. I’m going to share a few photos from Kari’s Instagram because with so many people milling about it wasn’t possible to get a full shot of the room.
A vision in green and blue, the space is a master class in layering patterns and textures, and mixing old with new. Antique and vintage pieces from Kari’s Burlingame shop KMD Antiques & Design Atelier intermingled with Serena & Lily’s new pieces create an old world, yet contemporary feel.
Kari, right, wore a beautiful plaid gown
Speaking of feel, the space is incredibly warm and inviting. Once we settled into the green velvet sofa we were in no hurry to leave. And with an attentive catering staff filling our glasses and passing trays of yummy nibbles … I mean they practically had to throw us out and lock the door behind.
The first thing I noticed is the Wisley wallpaper in Vintage Indigo. If you look closely you can see tiny lady bugs and fireflies sprinkled about. And the fabrics and trims throughout the room are swoon worthy. I particularly love the two sided – floral and pinstripe – drapery panels.
Wallpaper | Floral Fabric | Pinstripe Fabric
A pair of antique iron sconces from France are from Kari’s antique shop are true statement pieces. A boar on one side and owl (not pictured) on the other.
A set of four Guy Buffet golf prints caught my eye and I snapped a picture to send to Jim … who loves Scotland and golf. Preferably together.
On the opposite side of the room against the backdrop of green clover print wallpaper, a woven sideboard is perfection styled with a gilded bamboo mirror and antique Staffordshire wally dogs.
Wallpaper | Sideboard | Mirror | Lamps
The chartreuse velvet sofa sitting area are comfortable and cozy and I love the artichoke print pillow fabric … and fringe trims.
Sofa Fabric | Coffee Table | Rug | Artichoke Fabric
Kari’s vintage blue and white Spode plates along an antique washbasin and pitcher, and Scottish horn mugs are all available in her antique shop.
Table | Chairs | Chair Fabric Front & Back | Raffia Tassels | Lantern
Christmas decorations make the space feel all the more magical. And their holiday gift wrap is exactly what’s needed for packages under this tree.
Shop the look ~
The antique and vintage pieces throughout the space can be found at Kari McIntosh Design.
It was a lovely evening and I might make the trek back to Palo Alto to see it again, and do a little shopping. I forgot to tell you the best part … I won the drawing for a $500 gift card! No one was more surprised or delighted than me to win and everyone kept asking what I was going to buy. Well, I can’t spend money under pressure (Jim begs to differ) so I decided to wait and think it over. I adore the Wisley wallpaper and wonder if it might work in the powder room of our Little House on 4th?
I’ve run out of time and space for today, but I’ll have more to say about Serena & Lily’s Palo Alto location another day. In addition to the Holiday House space, the rest of the store is fabulous too and Kim and I did a couple of laps around oohing and awing over just about everything. More to come, but in the meantime, Kim made a Reel of our enchanted evening.
The Cutest Holiday Gift Tags from Lydia Makes Art
I am so excited to share this with you today! Lydia, my third cousin (Lydia’s grandmother and my mom were first cousins), is a senior in high school and wonderful artist. She’s also an entrepreneurial young woman who has created an online business, Lydia Makes Art. Recently her mom posted her work to social media and I was enchanted so I asked Lydia if I could share her work with you … and she said yes!
Lydia’s Holiday Gift Tag Collection ~
In addition to these three adorable prints, Lydia also makes customized tags!
Each tag comes in a set of 20.
Lydia and her family live in Memphis. Her older sister, Merrill, is a junior at the University of Georgia. And Lydia will be headed to Wake Forest University next fall. She plans to major in English and entrepreneurship. Way to go, Lydia!
Lydia with her parents in front of Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University
Lydia tells me she’s always loved being crafty and creative. During the pandemic she started making gift tags for family members and her mom encouraged her to expand her reach to a wider audience.
In addition to holiday tags, Lydia offers personalized stationery, as well as occasion gift tags and cards.
She also takes commissions and says her favorite things to paint are houses, pets, and quotes. I’m going to commission a house portrait of Snowberry.
A few particulars ~
- To order tags and stationery, direct message Lydia via her Instagram page. You can also visit her website.
- To inquire about commissions for the holidays (hurry!) or beyond, direct message Lydia via Instagram or email lydiafrances5@icloud.com.
- Lydia fulfills printed orders within two weeks.
I placed my order last night!
Lydia – Lydia Makes Art
Current Favorites ~
And that’s what I have for you this week. Let’s see what’s inspiring Kim and Elizabeth.
In case you missed last week’s post we talked about what to eat, drink and wear for Thanksgiving … catch up here.
I’ll be on vacation next week, Weekend Meanderings will return on December 7th.
Wishing you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
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