Christmas gift idea for only the most fabulous of my readers.

In days long gone by, people used to carry calling cards. These were small cards not unlike a business card used for social networking, printed with the owner's name and possibly their contact information. Ladies would give them to gentlemen looking for their name and address (in order to come calling--hence the name), or to friends they met at social occasions, etc. In the Little House on the Prairie series, Laura Ingalls exchanges cards with Almanzo Wilder when he gives her a carriage ride. (If I remember right.) They were also used to announce someone's presence: say someone stopped by an acquaintance's house and the acquaintance wasn't there. They would leave their calling card (or "visiting card") behind, maybe with a little "sorry I missed you note" on the back. This is a picture of Kaiser Wilhelm's calling card:



Today, they aren't used too much. Some might consider them unnecessary since it's so easy to just punch someone's cell phone number in, but those people have no style. One of these will "evoke a sense of uncommon style and social grace" (Crane's). They ooze class. OOZE IT.

Today, they are used frequently by mommies to exchange information with the other mommies at the park or preschool, or to record play dates, like those nifty little appointment cards the doctor gives you.





$16 for 22 and matching tin case, Etsy



$12 for 30, A Touch of Whimsy Shoppe

What if you're not a yummy mummy? What if you're just plain awesome? Or, like me, so retro you can't resist? Well, you can go the very traditional route:


These are $78 for 50, from Crane's.

Or something more modern and trendy, from Etsy:


$28 for 100, Etsy


These are a great gift for the impeccably cool person, the social butterfly, or the mom on the go. The ones featured on top are also from Etsy.

Christmas gift idea for the fashion lover/people watcher/wannabe hipster.

Here's another Christmas gift idea for ya. Again, it's a book. This one is for the style lover/photography lover. I think it would appeal to most ladies.



If you've seen Scott Schuman's blog The Sartorialist at least once, you're probably addicted. A self taught photographer and fashion voyeur, he basically stalks people on the street with a unique look or style and takes their picture. In doing so, he has created some of the most beautiful portraits. Though his subjects are always people, the end product is not just a portrait of a person, but a portrait of a place and time as well.

I bought the book when it came out, and I've tried to take pictures of the inside to give you an idea of the variety of looks he captures, but they just look pretty rough, so just try and look past all that.



(Good thing I painted my nails last night huh?! Whew!)


I suppose I would call it a book of style first, but it reads more richly than a fashion spread because these are real people wearing their own clothes, and they don't have to be designer or anything, what's special is how the person wears them.
It's a very plain book, but it's less expensive than most books of photography because it's a small (but thick) paperback.

Available here: The Sartorialist by Scott Shuman, Amazon, $16.50

Christmas gift idea for the kids.

Got young kids to buy for? You're welcome. I found this book when I was in Trinity College with my friends Hannah and Stan came to visit me. (Okay, they weren't here to visit me, they were here to travel. But they did stay with me.) Trinity College is the famous university here in Dublin that houses the Book of Kells.

Book of Kells? Anyone? Look it up.

Anyway, Hannah was looking for a children's book to buy for her mother, who is an elementary school librarian, and we stumbled across this one. I can't tell you how cute it is. It's called The Comical Celtic Cat by Norah Golden. It's the story of a fat cat who belongs to a monk named Matt. Who lives in Kells, the town of the bells. As you might have guessed, it's written in a simple, catchy rhyme.

Matt happens to be one of the monks working on the Book of Kells, which famously used animals as inspiration in its beautiful and intricate letterings and illustrations. Example:



The illustrations in this book are brighter, simplified versions of these originals in the Book of Kells, making a beautiful piece of western culture accessible to kids. I couldn't find any online pictures of the inside, sadly.

You will love this book. You will love to tell your kids about the monks hundreds and hundreds of years ago who made a beautiful book by hand, now one of the most famous books in the world. More than that, you will love reading it to them because of the chirpy pace and the adorably funny story. Hannah and I giggled and giggled in the library gift shop as we read it--aloud. You can't help but read it aloud! It's as addictive to adults as it is for littl'uns. It's like when you buy your kids a Fun Dip and can't resist a lick yourself.
The Comical Celtic Cat, by Norah Golden. Amazon, $16.95

Maybe you noticed...the holidays are coming.

Now that my posting has been somewhat limited due to the fact that my computer is crazy, (if your computer was like, a kindergarten teacher--helpful, prompt, wears holiday sweaters--mine is like the crackhead in the alley wearing five jackets. And talking to itself.) So I had a great idea. I can still get pictures off the internet, so let's start there. And the first thing that I loove to look at pictures of is HOLIDAY STUFF. A good housewife always needs to know how to do the holidays right.

So just go here: www.marthastewart.com

Just kidding! Don't go there. That's a last resort. You can come up with something better! And I'll help. You don't even have to be married to be a housewife. You can be like I was six months ago, bunking with my mom and a crackhead computer. And a cat. Whether your family is huge and you have eight kids (are you reading this, Kate Gosselin? Thought so!) or it's just you and your goldfish Bubbles, you have presents to buy. So now and then I'm going to be spending some of my considerable free time posting Christmas gift ideas and stocking stuffers. With a little home decor thrown in, let's be honest. I can't resist it. And maybe just a liiiiiittttle Martha Stewart. If it's really good.

Today's gift idea is soooo good for the whole family, because they're fun, hip for males and females, and amazingly comfortable. They're TOMS shoes.



I know a lot of people like to make charitable donations and things around the holidays (side story: we saw someone on TV the other day say "Happy Holidays" and Edmund shouts, "That's MERRY CHRISTMAS to you, you f-ing heathen!") and this will knock out two birds with one stone. For every pair of TOMS you buy, they provide one pair to a child in a developing country. I have had a pair for a little over a year, and I have worn them so much Edmund groans when he sees me putting them on, but I can't help it. They are LITERALLY the most comfortable pair of shoes I have ever owned, and they look cool with skirts, jeans, leggings, whatever. Here are some examples:

They range from the hippie:


To preppy:



To young and trendy:


And even for baby:


I love this gift idea. Cute, comfy, and charitable. Find them at www.tomsshoes.com
They range in price from $34 for a children's shoe to $98 for boots, and everything in between. Well worth it.