If you’re a social butterfly, your holidays are filled with back to back parties.

And you know it’s rude to show up empty handed.

Here are 5 gift ideas for under $30 that you can give to any hostess this holiday season.

1- Stemmarkers by Modern-Twist, $16 for a set of 6.

Help your hostess keep track of what their guests are drinking with these food-safe stemmarkers. Use a ballpoint pen to scribble your name, initials or the type of wine you’re drinking. These can also be used as napkin rings.

Also available in retro and solid.

2- Normann Copenhagen Rocking Glasses, $25 for a set of 4.

The Rocking Glass features a curved bottom that allows it to rock without spilling over. Perfect for serving drinks and/or desserts. They also make really cool votive holders.

3- Normann Copenhagen True Feelings Tea Light Candle Holder, $26 for set of 2.

Give this gift as a decorative accent and let the cozy atmosphere radiate.

4- FUZ Wine Pocket, $25.

You can’t go wrong with the gift of wine. But you can certainly take it up a notch by presenting your bottle in this wine pocket.

5- Tina Frey Designs Hans Desk/Vanity Tray, $26.

Handmade by artist Tina Frey, these decorative trays are perfect for desks, vanities and bookcases.

* Holiday tip: It’s good to stock up on a few of these items so that you’re prepared for those last minute invites!

Yesterday the premiere issue of Anthology landed in my mailbox and it made me so happy to hold a new glossy in my hands! Meg Mateo Ilasco and Anh-Minh Le are the two wonderwomen behind this new addition to the magazine racks. While some might find the $12 price tag steep, think of it this way: with so few home decor magazines on the scene today, I for one have turned to foreign glossies for inspiration, and their price tags are a lot steeper than this one. It’s the kind of magazine that will not make it to the recycling bin; for me it’s more of a big design book with a soft cover.  I love that these talented and prolific ladies have put together so much great content independent of some huge publishing conglomerate, one that keeps shuttering some of our favorite titles. I highly recommend picking up a copy. For more information on how to order or where to find it, visit anthologymag.com.

Anthology cover image illustrated by Kris Atomic.

It was so exciting to see one of our favorite artists Brian Everett of EVRT Studio and his cleverly decorated Kansas home featured over at Design*Sponge this week. For the full tour, click here. For now, here’s a little teaser:

• first image is a print available here.
• second and third images courtesy of Design*Sponge and Jamie of From Me to You

O.K. now that Halloween is over, the stores are filled with Yuletide tunes, people are buzzing about Black Friday insanity, and the stores are filled with all kinds of Holiday decorations. Here are a few quick tips to decrease your holiday carbon footprint.

1) Consider sending holiday cards over the interwebs. I hate this idea because holiday cards are some of the only good snail mail I receive all year long, but it will save on paper and the energy used to deliver your cards. If you can’t stand the thought, at least use recycled paper, and be sure to recycle the cards you receive.

2) Use reusable or recycled wrapping paper. If you’re like my grandparents, you neatly folded up every piece of wrapping paper you ever used and put it in a drawer, and never used it again. You can use newspaper, recycled paper, cloth bags, or a pretty extra piece of fabric you have around the house to wrap up your gifts. Here’s a fun video with some good ideas if you want to get super-crafy:

3) If you do the tree thing, don’t feel too guilty. Christmas tree farms are not the enemy. Just be sure to leave your tree out for mulch composting after the holidays. You may also consider a live tree to plant later (though honestly, in most parts of this country, January 1st is not exactly prime dig-a-hole-in-the-ground-and-plant time).

4) E-cycle: If you’re expecting to upgrade some of your electronics via some killer gifts, make sure you dispose of your old ones in a recyclable way. If they are not fit for donation or resale, check the EPA’s guidelines for E-cycling them.

5) Buy eco-friendly gifts. I love to shop handmade, and from the green sections of retail websites. I’ll be working up a list of what Design Public has to offer in this arena in the coming weeks.  Here’s one of my many faves, the k studio Birds Pillow:

Guess what, folks…we’ve added a cane/walking stick to our collection of curated products. Yes, a cane. You may be scratching your head thinking “What crazy juice did the peeps at Design Public drink?” Well, I think after you take a look at the beauty of the OMHU cane (pronounced “om-who”) and read our interview with the designers Allen Zadeh and Rie Norregaard you’ll understand. Think beautiful one speed bike paint meets Scandinavian design meets skateboard materials meets walking cane. A great gift for ma or pa or just a dapper dude. Enjoy!

I have to admit, adding a walking stick/cane to our site is quite a departure for us, but after reading about the inspiration behind the canes I totally fell in love. You also all have such an extensive background in so many different arenas with Susy Korb (formerly of Tiffany’s, Chrstie’s and Harry Winston), Rie Norregaard (Smart Design, Arnell Group and frog) and Susan Towers (Kiehl’s 1851, Time Inc., Assouline). Now I must ask, why design a walking stick? From all your different backgrounds what was the catalyst towards designing a cane?

Rie: A couple of years ago I started to have to buy stuff to help my in-laws around the house – like a cane, a bath chair, a bed side table. But I couldn’t find any thing I liked – and I’m a very good shopper! All the stuff looks like it belongs in a hospital – not a home. When it was time to design OMHU’s first product it was natural to ask Allen Zadeh. We had worked together at Smart design and I thought Allen’s sense of materials and performance was perfect for us.

Tell us about the name OMHU (om-who).

Rie: It means something that is done with great care in Danish. That’s where I’m from – but Susy came up with the name.

I can certainly see the reference with your cane to an Italian one speed bike via the bright and perfect colors, I can also see the Scandinavian design influence. Tell us more about what inspired the OMHU Cane design.

Rie: I’m from Copenhagen – and as you may know everyone rides a bike there. It’s just how you get around. So, I think it’s just a natural thing for me to refer to the joy of movement and independence a bike gives you. Both Allen and our engineer Clay Burns have experience with performance sports equipment so that was another important reference for us.

Beyond a walking stick, what other products for an aging population do you think could use a bit more of a design aesthetic?

Rie: There are so many products in the category we need to make better. OMHU focuses on the things that most people need for many different reasons –  like a cane, walker, bath chair and adjustable bed side table –so stay tuned.

How would you describe your design style?

Allen: I don’t really have a specific style. I try to create things that make people feel special or make them smile.

Your dream project?

Allen: Designing an electric super car.

What was the best advice anyone ever gave you?

Allen: Trust your intuition.

What’s your favorite color or material?

Allen: I like natural materials like Read the rest of this entry »