Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

You'd think that after Thanksgiving and all the dessert-y goodness that goes with it that I'd be tired of sweets. Let's see, there was the Chocolate and Cranberry Cake with Rummy Whipped Cream, the Honey Bun Cake and the award-winning Molasses-Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Icing and Brown Sugar Glaze. Then at work there were the most amazing homemade cinnamon rolls and the best chocolate chip pecan cookies that I've ever tasted. But yeah, I'm not tired of sugar in the least. Maybe at this point I've just built up a Sugar Tolerance to go with my Caffeine Tolerance and need it!

These pumpkin whoopie pies look drool-worthy. Maybe I'll make a batch this weekend while watching Oklahoma beats the crap out of Missouri in the Big XII Championship. Boomer Sooner!

Hat Love.

I accidentally stumbled upon this great khaki hat during lunch and love it. Check out the cheeky upturned brim and great khaki-green color!!! I've been on the hunt for something similar and this would make a great Christmas gift (hint, hint).

Clip-Art Calendar.

Leave it to The Martha to come up with a downloadable (is that even a word?) clip-art desk calendar. Well-designed since we would expect nothing less from her. Tip: Print it at 85% to get it to fit into the jewel case properly.

For those of you who harbor a secret (or not so secret) obsession with desk calendars like me, I've been updating the Round Up: 2008 Calendars as I fall in love with more and more.

Graphic Bowls.

At first I thought these graphic bowls from Urban Outfitters were surely melamine, but they're actually heavy ceramic with graphics applied to the inside. Really fun and cheap at four for $15

:: via Design Happens

Garnish.

Garnish is all about packaging up the moment. Providing those special little touches that make something unforgettable. Their gift packaging products are blank canvases that you customize to fit your personality. And if you're lacking the creative bug no worries, they'll get you started with some inspiration, too. And during the holidays who can't use a little help?

Round Up: Advent Calendars.

Advent calendars are about to be brought out tomorrow for the Official Countdown to commence. Growing up I had one every single year. It was always different, but always hung on the same closet door, gradually being raised higher and higher up each year as I grew. Coming downstairs to head off to school in the mornings was always made a little better during the holidays because of its presence.

My advent calendars were only ever the kind where you popped open a door to reveal some piece of the bigger picture, but these days there's so much more out there. Some are up for grabs, some are projects in themselves, one is even a 12 Days of Christmas Countdown. But all are some of my favorites that I've come across this season.

Advent in a Box


Advent Calendar Box



Perpetual Advent Calendar


Greeting Card Advent Calendar


Paper Advent Box


12 Days of Christmas Countdown Calendar

Mr. Mustache Postcards.

These Mr. Mustache postcards made my afternoon! The six different mustaches were inspired by decorative flourishes. Love 'em. I want one to put next to my computer so I can look at it when I need to smile.

Acrylic Tree.

I'm sort of loving this acrylic tree for the holidays by designer Aaron R. Thomas. I think the almost invisible acrylic would really make your ornaments *pop*. The silver balls they use sort of blend in to me and it seems color would make all the difference in the world. There's a three foot and six foot version of the tree, but they are limited editions, so if you're thinking of snatching one up for the holidays better do it fast!

Lillholmen Triple Hook.

Next time I hit up IKEA I'm definitely grabbing up a few of these Lillholmen triple hooks. I think they may be the answer I've been searching for to organize some of my jewelry. I'd been looking for a necklace tree, but think I like this idea better because some of my necklaces are quite long and the trees tend to not be tall enough. I'm pumped.

Blossa Glogg.

Blossa Glogg (aka vintage mulled wine) launches an annual edition every holiday season with a new flavor and bottle design.The brilliant minds at BVD came up with a fantastic solution to make the product both highly collected and covetable: keep the bottle shape the same while changing up the type and colors to reflect the year's design and flavor. Apparently Blossa has had some excellent results - the past two years it sold out in the first two weeks.

:: via Old Glutton

Urban Picnic.

I'm coveting the Cafe Blanc Urban Picnic from Dansk. It's an all-in-one set where the porcelain tableware actually nestles into recesses of the divided plate which sits on the bamboo tray. The little salt and pepper shakers are adorable. Now this would make an excellent reason for breakfast in bed.

On the Rocks: Dolce Delight.

I'm looking forward to trying out the Dolce Delight. It seems like a paired down glass of sangria. And I love red wine during the winter months more than any other time of year.

Ingredients:
- half a lime
- 2 1/2 tsp sugar
- 3 oz Ecco Domani Merlot
Garnish: lime spiral

Muddle half a lime with sugar until all the juice is extracted. Add Merlot and shake with ice. Strain into a lowball glass. Garnish with a lime spiral.

:: image and cocktail via Cocktail Times

Modern Paper Ornaments.

These modern paper ornaments from Design*Sponge's DIY Wednesday remind me of a grown-up version of a kids' craft project. They look like so much fun to make - imagine all the color and pattern combinations you could come up with. I'd love to see them suspended from a light fixture.

K.

Because of my name I have a thing for Ks that I just can't control. If I see a cool one I have to have it. There a rusty metal one at a little shop here in OKC that I have my eye on and yesterday I saw these at Anthropologie - letters constructed out of recycled railroad track ties. The perfect size - 7.5 x 5" - and I must own the K.

Bemi Designs Bookmarks.

I've been really into the idea of sewing on paper lately. I have yet to give it a go myself, but I've found quite a few people who have. My latest favorite is Bemi Designs and their bookmarks. I really like that the sewing is used to compliment the paper and isn't the basis of the design idea.

Everlasting Garland.

Love this Everlasting Garland idea from The Martha. The project seems really easy to complete and the garland can be reused again and again. They show it on a mantel, but I can think of several other places it would work just as well. I would also totally use these for party decorations as opposed to regular, boring crepe paper streamers.

Kake-Kut'r.

The Kake-Kut'r cuts and serves the perfect piece of cake every time. A great idea that will help keep the icing off of your fingers while entertaining - good design at work, my friends. Currently there are servers for sheet cake, round cake and loaves.

Branch Decanters.

Decanters Nº2 and Nº4 from Etienne Maneau are exquisitely beautiful. You can fill either with the liquid of your choice (both hold about a bottle of wine). Might I suggest drinking it right away so that there aren't any wine stains to clean out of the decanter?? Talk about a nightmare.




:: via Core77

Refill Seven.

Refill Seven is a collective of artists who create some pretty sick laserdeck skateboards. The detailing is absolutely amazing, so much so that I can't imagine ever wanting to take one of these out to actually use. They started accepting pre-orders November 9th on boards. Their site design is nice, too.

123 Counting Poster.

The 123 Counting Poster by ISAK UK artist Sandra Isaksson is lovely. What a great educational tool to hang in a child's room. I love the solid shapes and bright colors. And who says you have to be a kid to enjoy it?

Pock-It.

The Pock-It is a brilliant little piece of paper. Basically an updated Post-It, the Pock-It has adhesive on three sides creating a portable little pocket that you can post just about anywhere. Why did no one create these sooner?!

Pretty in Pink.

I would love to see this overly girly Pretty in Pink tree sitting in the corner of my living room! Treetopia has more kinds of trees than you could ever hope to lay eyes upon, so take a look if you're in the market.

Product Designer Crush: Erdem Selek.

I don't think I've ever had a Product Designer Crush before. And then there was Erdem Selek. The young Turkish-born designer pulls upon his own emotions to create designs that establish the multi-faceted qualities of objects. He loves playing with colors, shapes, materials and technology to manipulate everyday objects into something extraordinary.

My favorite of Selek's pieces are his Coffee Cup and Dish Drainer. Coffee Cup's saucer is in the form of a maze which the user can then navigate when coffee drips onto it. The Dish Drainer reuses water that drips off of the washed dishes as they dry by watering the plant underneath.

Martha's Gift Tags.

The Martha has some great gift tags available through her line at Michael's. I wish I had the time to devote to wrapping gifts that this woman supposedly does, but twenty to thirty minutes per gift is not feasible!

Napkin Notebook.

Some of the biggest ideas in the world started as a little sketch on a cocktail napkin.

The business plan for Southwest Airlines. Picasso's earliest sketch of Guernica. The first sentence in A Farewell to Arms. All brilliant ideas that started out on a napkin. Imagine if they'd had a whole napkin notebook.

Now it's your turn.

FLOR Party Dress.

I'm loving this alternative to a traditional tree skirt - the FLOR Party Dress. The leafy cut tiles, available in Chartreuse or Brick, give trees a modern foundation of recycled felt. And I'm pretty sure I could find another use for it throughout the year to justify the purchase. Lovely.

Monday Goodness: Some Things.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday! Mine was filled with way too much food, some shopping and family. And now the real Holiday Madness begins. Just a little reminder to keep it all in perspective.

:: image via Keri Smith's flickr photostream

Happy Thanksgiving.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

I won't be posting again until Monday, but then the Christmas Madness is on.

:: image via Veer

Sorapot.

The Sorapot by Joey Roth is eye-catching with its design of stainless steel and glass. My only question is how to clean the inside cylinder? My guess is that's why Roth says to only use it for green and white teas. Black is much more likely to stain and discolor. It doesn't officially launch until February 2008, but you can guarantee yourself one of the first 300 with a deposit.

:: via Core77

On the Rocks: Pomegranate Toddy.

The pomegranate toddy is a perfect drink for the post-Turkey Dinner triptophane-induced slugfest that is Thanksgiving night.

Ingredients:
- 3 oz brandy
- 1 1/2 oz Pama pomegranate liqueur (or substitute with 2 oz pomegranate juice and 1/4 oz simple syrup)
- 3 oz Darjeeling tea with cloven
Garnish: cinnamon stick and orange peel

Brew tea first. In an Irish coffee mug, pour brandy and pomegranate liqueur. Pour hot tea and stir. Garnish with cinnamon stick and orange peel.

:: via Cocktail Times

Gravy Boat Parade.

I have absolutely no use for a gravy boat and yet I desperately want one. I've never served gravy with anything in my life. Any sauce I use goes on before the presentation. And I have way too much in my kitchen cabinets as it is. I spotted these three recently. (Maybe it's the word "boat" that makes them so fun...)

Gordon Ramsey for Royal Douilton

IKEA

Pottery Barn

Unstashed Noteboard.

The Unstashed Noteboard looks great with out without notes stuck in its spokes. In use: bulletin board. Not in use: graphic art. Everything should hope to be this functional.

Tea Code Mugs.

Double-walled cups and mugs seem to be a current trend amongst designers, but that's not what makes Tea Code mugs ingenious. That, my friend, would be the silicone "button" of the side that allows you to secure the string of your tea bag and keep it from slipping into the mug. The buttons come in three colors, which means that even if you aren't drinking tea they'll help with ownership issues. Check out all four styles of the mug: small rounded, small fared, tall rounded and tall flare.

Equation Bookshelf.

The premise behind the design of the Equation Bookshelf is to provide a simple way of organizing according to importance. I love that the focal point can change by just moving a few objects around. The fact that the shelf represents something you may or may not immediately notice (an equation) just makes it that much more interesting.

:: via BB-Blog

Hotel Boxes.

The hotel box is genius. You purchase the boxes collapsed and after folding in a few choice places and adding a pair of rubberbands - voila! - instant box that sort of resembles an enlarged bag of popped microwave popcorn. The thing is they're not only boxes. Stack them up to ten high for stackable shelves or use joint supporters and hang them as wall shelves. End table. Bathroom caddy. You name it. The dust lid that snaps onto the front makes them perfect for display purposes. So choose one of the sixteen available patterns and go at it.

:: via LawofAttraction

Cranberry Eggnog Tart.

I've already chosen the dessert I'll be making for my family's Fourth Annual Thanksgiving Dessert Contest. That's right, complete with score cards and everything. So far I've whipped up the likes of Pumpkin Cheesecake, Chocolate Bread Pudding (a winner) and Cranberry Trifle. This year's entry will be the Molasses-Spice Cake with cream cheese icing and brown sugar glaze I mentioned in September.

While searching for the perfect dessert I found this Cranberry Eggnog Tart which was a close contender and will probably be made during the course of the holidays. It looks delicious and got wonderful reviews.

:: via epicurious

UPDATE! My molasses-spice cake came in with an unprecedented perfect score! (cue 'We Are the Champions')

Buddha Bowls.

As of last Sunday I am the proud owner of two shiny white Buddha Bowls. I fell in love with their ergonomic design and dual functionality - is it a bowl or a cup? The answer is both. I can't wait to use them for some soup or hot chocolate.