Category Archives: Holiday

12.23.10

Tags, Tags and More Tags.




I was introduced to Courtney Fernan through Kristen Krason at 6th Street Design School. Courtney is the author of A Thoughtful Place blog where she dishes out creative ways to make your house a home on a budget. I hopped over there last week and saw this post on gift labels, which inherently brought me over to Jones Design Company. Check out these labels that Emily created for all of her readers as a holiday gift. What a great idea! I of course printed some out and slapped them on the wine bottles that I will be giving my co-workers.

Happy downloading…. Thanks Emily!

12.23.10

Those Flowers.

Remember those flowers from this post? Want to learn how to make them? They were super easy, and inexpensive too!

Every year for Christmas the Ya’s (minus our dear Claudia who lives in North Carolina) and I get together and try to do something fun together rather than getting each other gifts. This year, it was a floral design class at Helen Olivia. Located in Old Town, Alexandria, Helen Olivia is offers premier floral design to many clients and just recently outfitted the Residence of the Vice President for Christmas.

MJ and I hard at work on our mantle pieces.

Danielle and Lissy showcasing their carnations.

Arranging my mantle piece….There are so many things wrong about this picture (like the sprouting of my double chin)… I cannot wait to cleanse!


Marianne Raub, the owner offers many classes to meet the desires and skill sets of many aspiring floral designers. This week’s class was focused on Christmas. We made a mantle piece as well as the pomanders that you saw on my green console.


I must admit, when we walked up and saw the collection of carnations and mums, I was quite skeptical. But how adorable did these turn out?


Here’s how to do it:

1.) Buy 24 of each flower, three oasis balls and 3 vases of your choice. I found that the carnations worked far better than the mums. I would also suggest roses, however, it will be much more expensive.
2.) Soak Oasis Balls in water for 30 minutes.
3.) Cut each stem about 1/4 of an inch from the base. Always cut stems at an angle to maximize water absorption.
4. )Starting at the top of the oasis ball, push stem into oasis, making sure that the base of the flower is touching the foam.
5.) Continue to fill oasis ball with flowers tightly. You will have about a 2 inch portion of oasis that is uncovered, but that will be where you rest the pomander on the vase. It will not be seen.
5.) Fill vase with objects that you have chosen- Christmas balls, winter berries, candy canes– you name it.
6.) Place pomander on vase and enjoy– these should last up to a week.

12.21.10

A Beautiful Mistake.


I love the look and texture that boxwood provides during the holidays. Every year when we go to pick out our tree, I buy boxwood garland for our banisters and doorways. This year, however, I somehow picked up two boxwood wreaths rather than garland, as illustrated by my hula hooping models below.


CRAP, I thought….When am I going to find the time to return that? Well, I made the time a few days later, and unfortunately, all of our local nurseries were sold out of boxwood roping. So, I decided to take my wreaths and make the best of it. In a 15 minute dash, I ran into my local Michael’s and grabbed whatever I thought could work. Inspired by my Blue Christmas post, I went to town. A mix of butterflies, wicker stars, jingle bells and Christmas balls… I think it turned out pretty cute. The whole thing took me 30 minutes to put together. It’s as easy as 1-2-3… just attach all objects with floral wire and wrap it tightly to make sure your ornaments don’t blow away with the cold winter’s wind!

Because I had two wreaths, I made another one for our friends Will and Aimee and gave it to them when they had us over for dinner. I am still super bummed about the lack of garland on our banisters this year, but I guess if I look at the glass as half full, that’s one less thing that I need to cross of my holiday to do list!

12.20.10

Tis The Season: Teachers.


Last Friday, we hosted a luncheon for all of the teachers at the girls’ school. Because collectively they have been touched by every teacher there, I thought it would be nice to honor all of them rather than just giving the average gift card to their current teachers. Honestly, the luncheon equated to only a little more than I would have spent on the smaller group of teachers. The teachers were so appreciative– I think everyone really enjoyed it.


It is always so hard to make sure that you take care of everyone on your list, and for some reason, teachers always seem to be the hardest to shop for. I cannot thank my girls’ teachers enough for the love and care that they give my babies. They truly make a difference in my children’s lives’ everyday.

There are so many options for so many budgets; last year we gave them personalized CD’s wrapped up with a Christmas Candle– I still hear from some of them how much they love listening to our play list. Fresh flowers and potted plants are a great surprise, and something that they can use on their holiday table. And if you run out of creativity– gift cards are always welcome; Starbucks, Michaels, Paper Source- the possibilities are endless!

So this one’s for all of you teachers out there… Check out the holiday gift items that made it onto Kiki’s List:

1. Custom CD Labels– $26 for 20
5. Monogrammed Compact– $29.95
6. Cupco Cup + Starbucks Gift card– $7.99 + Gift card amount
11. Mani and Pedi– Varies
12. Potted Paperwhites- $19.95

12.14.10

Oh Yes, I Did.

Yes, this will be making it’s way to the Salmon household from the North Pole this Christmas… although, I am still not entirely sure of who it is for… (I would put my chips on me.)

 
Jonathan Adler has teamed up with Barbie on a various projects. Besides the Jonathan Adler Barbie Doll, to commemorate Barbie’s 50th Anniversary, JA designed Barbie’s Malibu dream house- a life-size barbie mecca located in, you guessed it, Malibu.

 

“Of all my work, bringing to life Barbie’s famous Malibu Dream House has been one of the most fun design projects yet,” said Jonathan Adler. “Barbie was a dream client because she doesn’t have a husband to rein in the fantasy or tone down the glamour.”


You said it.

12.13.10

Tis the Season: Hostess Gifts.



Looking for that perfect gift for your next holiday party? My favorite hostess gift to give is a bouquet of fresh flowers, arranged by yours truly. It’s something beautiful, thoughtful and can work within any budget. If you are not into arranging flowers, paper whites are my favorite potted plant to give. A step up from your average poinsettia, and they smell amazing. You can pick up bulbs at Lowes and grow yourself, or swing by your local Trader Joe’s- they always seem to have them around the holidays.

Looking for something more? No problem. I’ve got the answer for all budgets. Check out the hostess gifts that made it onto Kiki’s List:

1. Monogrammed Wine Stoppers– $34.95

2. Ikat Mini Bowl– $8.00 each
4. Nest Holiday Candles– $15- $30
6. Holiday Bouquet– $65
8. Bisol Prosecco– $22.99
11. Hello Cupcake Cookbook– $7.84 Pair it with a spatula and this.. wrap it in cellophane and tie it with a red grosgrain ribbon.
12. Stormy Nut Bowl– $3.95 each

12.06.10

Tis The Season: My Christmas List.

Mike and I never really do big gifts for each other for Christmas. We tell the girls at every holiday (Christmas, birthdays, Thanksgiving, etc.) that the only thing we want is peace and quiet. It has become a Salmon family joke…

K: “What’s the one thing that Mommy wants for Christmas?”
E: “Peace and quiet. But you’re not going to get it!”

We are also saving for our trip to Turks and Caicos in January, so that is Santa’s major gift to all of us. That being said, for all of his strengths, my husband does not have the best track record in the gift giving department. Generally on Christmas Eve I get the “Hey, I need to go run and errand” line. This year I am going to help him out.. and I know that he is a daily Kiki’s List reader, so there are no excuses, Michael Salmon. Here is a list of 12 things for you to select from, my love. I certainly don’t expect all of them, but I sure could use a few. A plethora of items to choose from! And truth be told, if I could get a clean and well-organized garage, I would forgo them all!


4. Red Door Gift Card– Price varies
9. Miz Mooz Amelia Boot- $219.95


All of the beauty items are refills on my daily supplies.

Love these earrings. 1.) My birthstone is amethyst. 2.) They match an amethyst necklace that I picked up at a consignment shop in Venice perfectly!
Every year I ask for the same thing (besides peace and quiet) and that is a spa gift certificate so that I can get a massage and facial.

I have been waiting for Christmas to get new coffee table books… A great (easy) gift.


We are in desperate need of new towels, and I found these amazing bamboo towels at Valerianne made by a green company named Nandina. Nandina does not use chemical dye for coloring, their manufacturing plant is powered by wind and bamboo is considered a sustainable plant– very eco smart!



The bamboo towels are VERY absorbent, dry quickly and launder beautifully. The best part– no mold, mildew or bacteria can grow on bamboo so the towels will never get a musty smell to them.

I broke my magic wand mashing potatoes. In desperate need of a new one.


We received 12 red wine and 12 white wine glasses from Pottery Barn for our wedding. I think we are down to 4 white and 6 red. Not sure what happened there…..


I saw these boots on a coworker in California. I hunted her down and asked who made them.. Love.