Lauren and I are taking a holiday blogging break and will be returning on January 4th to resume our regular postings plus lots of exciting features for the month of January including fun and informative field trips to the prestigious and beautiful Winter Antiques Show at the Park Avenue Armory (January 22-31st), our favorite Americana & Antiques Show at the Pier 92 (January 23-24th), and the New York International Gift Fair, showcasing the very best lines across the home, lifestyle and gift spectrum (January 30th -February 4th). Below a Pennsylvania Dower Chest from Olde Hope Antiques, Inc, which will be featured at the Winter Antiques Show. And for our fellow fashionistas, we’ve got exciting fashion news for you throughout the month of January with new insider fashion deals, plus a BIG event on February 6th with our friends at The Carlisle Group…more on that when we get back to you on the 4th. Best wishes and thanks to our loyal readers for a terrific experience this year. We hope you’ve had as much fun reading as we’ve had sharing. – S & L

With the second to last day of Christmas shopping upon us, I’ve got one last idea for all you last-minute shoppers: give the gift of Rodarte! The highly anticipated GO International line by the Los Angeles-based designer sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy hit stores and the web this week. We rushed to Target as soon as we could (the pickings already slim) to get our hands on a couple of pieces. Just in case you’re not familiar with Rodarte, here are a few runway looks from the past couple seasons. Pretty amazing, right?
I was really hoping for the leopard-print dress or one of the lace cardigans, but alas, all of the small sizes were gone by the time we got to the store. Instead, I opted for this navy blue tulle blouse (above, $39.99) with a really beautiful lace camisole ($19.99 and available in an array of really pretty colors) to go underneath. I like this piece because it doesn’t scream “Rodarte for Target,” but still embodies the romantic essence of the brand. Classic and chic, this is something any woman could wear for years to come.  So many great pieces here for holiday parties. – L

Last week, my dear friend and “fashion mentor”, Mary Kate (fashion market editor at Teen Vogue) sent me an early Christmas present: an ultra chic erinkleinberggrey jersey “grandpa-style” cardigan. I’ve been coveting Ms. Kleinberg’s second-skin, embellished tees for some time now (her pieces are made out of Lyocell, the sustainable, 100% natural cotton), so you can imagine how excited I was when I pulled her military-inspired zip up out of the box. Barney’s New York was the first to pick up her collection in 2008, and since then her pieces have been selling at stores like Intermix, Madison LA, and Planet Blue. Check out Theodora Richards modeling the Fall 2009 collextion, below.And here I am in my new erinkleinberg, worn with my favorite Theory black cropped pants and Miu Miu booties. This cardigan has adorable black velvet patches at the elbows. Thanks, MK!

During these final days before friends and family descend upon our home, we try and find time to make some homemade decorations. Decorating with ribbon is such an easy and inexpensive way of crafting, especially for me, since I’ve been collecting/hoarding ribbons for years. I’m one of those nuts who saves a special ribbon I receive on a gift to re-gift (and re-wrap) in the future. This week, I took a trip to Michael’s Craft store to replenish our holiday ribbon inventory. Michael’s had so many to choose from, and, at only about a  dollar per unit, I couldn’t resist. While I was there I came across these unusually colored round ornaments that were more muted in tone than the traditional bright green and cherry red. The green is almost celery-like, and the red is almost brown. I thought they would look pretty in our dining room, painted Benjamin Moore Hancock Green. This took about an hour to put together–the perfect weekend project that adds a little holiday cheer to an entrance or dining room chandelier.

Because I am an absolute glitter freak, I of course glittered some of the ornaments hanging from the center of the chandelier with some gold glitter from Martha Stewart’s Glitter collection.  Let me just say, her glitters are AMAZING! Pretty simple crafting, and what a beautiful reward. These will really sparkle in the evening with candlelight, don’t you think? Happy Holidays! – S

In our house, the inventory of wine glasses is at a low by December. You know how it goes, the long stems crack when they’re forced too aggressively into the dishwasher by large hands (not that I don’t appreciate help with the washing up, Patrick , then there are the casualties from the summer barbecue season, and of course, some fall into what we in our household call “drama”. Anyhow, we need to replenish our cupboard to prep for our holiday entertaining. And we’re guessing you might be in the same boat. If the wine is good, show it some respect with decent glassware. Make an investment in wine glasses that will wear well, feel right, and look pretty on the table. Here are our personal favorites at the moment. In the spirit of the season, keep in mind that a pair of wine glasses can also make a lovely gift.

1. Crate and Barrel Marcel Wine Glasses, $11.95 each.
2. Williams Sonoma Riedel “O” Trio, Bordeaux, $29.95 for set of three.
3. Target Riedel Vivant Red Wine Glasses, $30 for a set of four
4. Williams and Sonoma Edward Wine Glasses, $80. for a sets of four.
The red wine glasses at the top of the post are from Martha Stewart’s Holiday Collection at Macys. They are a wonderful, vibrant red and will make any holiday table-setting explode with color. – S

So sorry if you’ve had trouble viewing our site over the past few days–our blog fell prey to a vicious hacker! Huge thanks to our wonderful web designer Elizabeth Kilroy for getting us back up and running. Happy weekend, everyone! – S & L