Happy New Year's Eve! For such a significant night of the year I've collected some festive silver goodies fit for celebrating with. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, and see you in 2011!

A girl after my own heart, Tortoise Loves Donkey is into paper, loves ice cream, plays the violin, and most importantly, has a passion for plants. Inventive, fresh, and nearly impossible to kill, Tortoise Loves Donkey creates terrariums, cups, bottles, vases, concrete and even hanging ornaments full of air plants, succulents and moss.

Although the idea of gift-giving plants may seem commonplace and cliche, there is nothing usual about these stylish, living creations by Tortoise Loves Donkey. Almost as fascinating as their images are their product descriptions - truly spunky and humorous to read. I know where my next housewarming gift will be coming from!

2010 was a great year to try out different shops and artists. Although it was difficult, I've put together a list of my top ten favorite Etsy purchases of 2010:

This necklace was my absolute favorite - I wear it every day, dressed up or down.

I just got this sweet little brooch right before we left for the holidays. I love the colors

I got the pink banner for my daughter's first birthday cake and it was just perfect! I wiped off the sticks and it is definitely re-usable

This stuffed rabbit is so high quality and absolutely baby-proof (no buttons, eyes, or small parts). So soft and cuddly, my daughter loves it.

I've always wanted a piece of art work from Hare and Drum, and I finally got the one that I wanted. It is so pretty in person, I love having it on my wall.

This necklace earned me lots of compliments. I bought it to wear at a wedding, and it's fun to wear it for dressing up to go to the bar or parties.

This calendar literally made my entire year. Each month was a new, laugh-worthy surprise - although, maybe I'm just biased having been a black cat owner. Either way, this artist and her cat have a real talent.

Urban Cheesecraft has done a great thing - they have made cheese making a simple, non-threatening process. I knew cheese making was totally do-able before, but with all of the ingredients and directions right in the box - including the cheesecloth and thermometer - it's an efficient, comfortable process.

Corduroy Starfish is my favorite graphic artist on Etsy, and after seeing this card in shop last year and not going for it, I was glad to see it back this year, and I quickly snatched it up. I used it in my holiday card swap, and it's the perfect holiday message to send out with holiday orders.

I bought this mug as a birthday gift for my husband - it's especially nice since it came personalized with his name on the inside, since he keeps it at work.

Happy Tuesday, all! I hope you had a fantastic holiday weekend. I know we did - lots of family and sweets. One of the best treats I had was some homemade "Mounds" bars that my mom made.

People who know me well enough know that I have a slight obsession with peppermint, and I go a little crazy in December. My freezer stocks peppermint stick ice cream, my cupboard as candy cane Oreos (and I NEVER buy oreos), I stock up on boxed candy canes, and the peppermint mocha is a staple. So this year, I decided to try this peppermint pattie recipe I found on Creature Comforts/Carrying On, who found it on Thoughts and Ideas.

Imagine if you were able to visit Santa's own house as a child. That is what we did as children in our hometown, and what we were able to do for our own kids last night.

Unfortunately this is quite a popular attraction, and although we got there early, we were still pretty far back in the line to get into the house to see Santa and the babies couldn't wait in the cold any longer. Luckily, we still got to see some fun stuff:

Prancer

peeking inside Santa's house

with Mama

with Grandma

with Daddy

Even if you can't get inside, it's fun to look at the lights and all of the incredible decor. The Santa House in Midland, MI, is also home to the most prestigious Santa school in the world. The whole attraction certainly makes for a memorable holiday season!

Forget to check someone off your Christmas list? Or perhaps you got a last-minute invite to a party? Here are five quick and printable gift ideas that look good, too!

printable calendar and gift tags by Little Paper Dog

printable recipe cards and dividers by alabouffe - with free holiday gift tags (below)

printable book mark calendar from Download

printable chandelier poster by Penny Jane Designs

printable stationery set by UpUp

cupcake soap - birthday cake scent

 Just opened on November 21st, Aubrey Elizabeth Apothecary looks like a sweet treat shop - but not to eat. Full of deliciousness for the body, Aubrey Elizabeth has filled her shop with cupcake soaps, sugar scrubs, whipped shea butters, and more.

Sampler Set

Aubrey Elizabeth has a very long list of scents to customize the shea butter whips, from peppermint stick to cranberry fig, and orange clove to sweet pea. The customizable scents along with her attractive packaging make Aubrey Elizabeth's bath and body products a great find for gift-giving.


Visit Aubrey Elizabeth Apothecary on Etsy.

Lattice print pillows at Decor Pad

Chevron is still my favorite print at the moment, but latticework prints have been growing on me. I really love subdued lattice prints complimented by bright accents, but sometimes a very bright lattice print against nothing but white can be stunning as well.

Lattice wall paper by Candice Olson for York Wall

lattice wedding stickers by Sweet Sanity

Lattice address labels by Imbue You DIY

lattice work designer pillow by Willa Skye Home

Mad Men certainly isn't doing anything to hurt the vintage cocktail dress market - any one of these dresses would be perfect for a holiday party this season. What I love most about vintage dresses is that they're usually cut to accommodate someone with shape - something that I had a hard time finding in stores this year.

1: 1950s RUBY JUBILEE Designer Party Dress by SUZY Perette Holiday Perfection from fabgabs
2: 60s Black Cocktail Vintage Mad Men Style Dress by pintuckstyle
3: Vintage Mad Men style Cocktail dress by DiscoDolls
4: Mad Avenue Wiggle Dress 1950s by gogovintage
5: 1960s Mad Men Style Black Sequin Cocktail Dress by redrobinvintage
6: 1950's Lace Chiffon Cocktail Dress by Coldfish

holiday gift wrap idea via Style Files

pink christmas decor via now-extinct Blueprint Magazine

Christmas dinner party scene via Country Living

originally for an Orange Bowl party, but perfectly applicable for Christmas dinner - via Tammy Mitchell Photography

black and white gift wrap via ThisNext

black and white feather ornaments via design-decor-staging

colorful, kitschy Christmas via Natty Michelle

Green Apple Paperie (see end of post)

 I am way too excited (or I drank way too much coffee...) to have found and printed these amazingly creative DIY printables. If you took the handmade pledge, these are not only great resources for yourself, but also for holiday gift giving:

FREE printables from West Elm

That's right - you can actually get freebies from ever-so-stylish West Elm. This year they are offering printable recipe cards, gift tags, labels, holiday cards, and stationery for entertaining in not one, but FOUR different designs.

FREE printable 2011 owl calendars - over 30 designs to choose from, or mix and match months

My Owl Barn has put together a resource for printing your own 2011 owl calendar with the help of 30 different artists - just select the month and design and print!

and finally, this printable isn't free, but I had to share: look at this rustic holiday party .pdf set from Etsy shop Green Apple Paperie:

it includes:
Candy Buffet Tags - 2.5" x 2.5" (12 to a page)
Circle Tags - 2" (12 to a page)
Gift Tags - 3.5" x 2.5" (9 to a page)
Candy bar wrappers (fits 1.55 oz Hersey Bars; 2 to a page)
Paper Sheets - 8.5" x 11" sheets (3 designs)
Tented Food Cards - 3.5" x 2.5" (4 to a page)
Recipe Cards - 3.5" x 5" (4 to a page)

... happy printing! xoxo