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Now that the holiday season has passed, it’s time to focus on escaping for ski trips or warmer climes. And what will you need to distinguish your bag from all the other black cases at the airport? How about a custom leather tag hand stamped with your name, phone number, and email address? (Skip your address, for safety concerns and/or just in case you move house.) On a personal note, I watched someone receive his very own custom tag on Christmas morning, and that someone (a frequent flyer) looked like Ralphie with a Red Ryder BB gun.
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That’s right, the next time an impromptu celebration is called for, you’ll not be caught unawares. You’ll have this re-usable Make Your Own Banner Kit, which has 100 multicolored letters with spacers, links, and hanging strings, so you will be able to spell out whatever message is appropriate to the occasion, to the delight of all party attendees.
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I’ve seen this in person and it truly is a lovely little stool. Perfect for tight spots, it folds down the middle so that it can be stored easily on the wall and free up valuable floor space. It’s not the least expensive stool, of course, but the craftsmanship is entirely apparent.
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So now that we’re all back at our desks and ready to face the new year, let’s start with making sure we have tabs on the important dates of 2013. This calendar lays out the whole year all at once so you can see at a glance what’s happening when. Do take a look at the other calendars we’ve posted if this one doesn’t fit the bill.
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Happy Holidays! Our thanks goes out to you, dear reader, for visiting us often, and to each of our sponsors that have helped us keep the site up and running. We’re signing off until the New Year, so here’s hoping you have a very happy holiday season. Stay safe and warm, and do try and enjoy yourself.

Shown above: 18″ Unlit Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, $10.48

You might know Michael Mundy from an afternoon with…, as he’s photographed quite a few interesting people and their spaces. Michael’s the last person to share their give/get list for this holiday season. Thanks again to everyone that has participated this year- it’s been great to see each and every point of view.

Here’s Michael’s give /get list:

1. A new Journal from Il Bisonte, $188

2. Small flashlight from Huckberry, $25

3. A Bag from BillyKirk, $350

4. A sweater from North Sea Clothing, ~ £125

5. A Silver Swiss Army Knife, $127.95

6. Coffee from Fika

7. Anything from DiPalos on Grand Street

8. A Silver Compass from Tiffany, $325

9. Lots of Wool Blankets from MacCauslands Woollen Mills, $50 each

If you’ve ever written with Hi-Tec-C Pen, you know it’s amazing and well worth the price. CW&T have designed a stainless steel casing that looks a hundred times better than the original plastic casing, and a stainless steel sleeve for protection. If you missed their Kickstarter campaign, you can now purchase it for the retail price of $150.
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The following post is sponsored by Aether Apparel.

Take a walk in downtown Manhattan in the middle of January and you’ll see a few trends in women’s fashion -most notably, the full-length insulated parka. When it’s freezing cold outside, women dress for the occasion. But while the typical quilted parka does a wonderful job of keeping you warm, it’s not exactly the most flattering of options.

Too frequently women are forced to choose between wearing something warm or wearing something fashionable. Either dress well and die of hypothermia or dress warm and look like the Michelin Man. This dilemma was the inspiration for the Arctic Trench. Designed for women in cold urban environments, it offers some serious insulation, but with a refined modern aesthetic.
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Nice! The Oreflector is a safety reflective badge for when you’re out and about at night. Whether you’re on your bike, walking your dog, or going for a run, its reflective material shines out to let cars and other passers-by know to steer clear of your soft self. Best of all, it’s not as bulky (or obnoxious) as a blinking bike light clipped on to clothing. Comes as a set of two badges- one mini and one maxi size.
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7 days left, and if you’re still running around trying to find the perfect thing, do consider this calendar by Massimo Vignelli. It would be perfect for anyone who leans towards simple/spare graphic design. The large, bold numbers are easy to read across a room and will keep track of the date year after year.

Designed in 1980.
Made of heavyweight paperboard.
Made in Italy.

H 13″ W 13″

Is it crazy to think that the little ones in your life might enjoy this Woodmobiel Starter Kit? Wooden parts and real tools will put their creativity to use, and maybe you’ll even have some fun helping out. With the starter kit, you can build about 9 different life-sized wooden toys (instructions included) with the 25 pieces and fasteners, or if you want to go big, there’s also the standard kit ($265) with 43 pieces (plus fasteners) that will build about 20 toys.
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Add this to the list of possible perfect gifts. This cardboard and paper DIY Combo can use 35mm or 120 film and allows for partial-frame and multiple exposures. Perhaps there will be more than a few soft focused images that quality as ‘art’ when using this puppy… you won’t know until you try it out. Also, not that you need reminding (because you’re so on top of things this year), but time is running short for shipping time, so best do your ordering today.
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Have fun this weekend, and do something nice for someone just for the heck of it.

Lower budgets have the Phrena Lights by Tord Boontje. Mid to higher priced budgets might consider the Folded Light Art of designer Jiangmei Wu. Each light is made from 100 percent recycled cotton paper and is made by using original origami folding techniques that Wu developed. And yes, each shade can be unfolded into flat pieces of paper, though it would be silly to try unless you’re an origami expert.
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Each of these side tables by British designer Gavin Coyle is made from one plank of Douglas fir. Pieces are stacked together in certain sequences to highlight the patterns created by the growth rings, which, as you can see, lends an extra level of refinement to the design. The tables are then are machined on a lathe to create geometric profiles.
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