#christmasgifts

Weekend Meanderings- Cool Xmas Stockings, Men’s Holiday Gift Ideas, and Faux Trees

December 2, 2022 By kimwheeler 24 Comments

On this weekend’s meander..men’s holiday gift ideas, some fresh ideas in Christmas stockings, my new faux tree, a wonderful local floral design studio and more..

Well it’s been a busy week and I kind of hit the ground running this month getting two trees up, which is not the norm for me, but I was in a holiday home tour this week (more below) so I was motivated..unlike my usual procrastinating self! I did manage to make a decision and buy a faux (not fake- per Juliet) Christmas tree.

I had been coming around to the idea as real trees have been getting pricier, less nice, and harder to come by..and I had mentioned before often become a stick in our dry climate here by Christmas..which is worrying. I ended up getting this flocked Fraser Fir tree ( I know also shocking I got white ) at Home Depot. I kind of fell in love with this one as soon as I walked in. It had soft dot lights and some brown and green bits which made it look more natural to me!

white flocked fraser fir tree from Home Depot with seagrass tree collar.

I haven’t decorated it.. but I’m trying some of what we have and not use ALL the ornaments and keep it to the ones I really love and the sentimental kid ones.. I also am adding branches and greens to give it a less uniform look..

It’s also my first year using a tree collar! Similar tree collar here and here and I recently saw this collar in woven black on someone’s tree and it looks great.

Let’s talk stockings..

How’s your stocking game? I always like to add one new one each year that catches my eye. We don’t do matched, rather coordinated. I like arty looking stockings (aka socks to my family), and everyone has something different.

Our mudroom right now with a few cute stockings and some greens.. I will add some to the fireplace area later this week.

mud room with stockings and holiday decor.

I had to share a few stockings that I am loving.. these by Marimekko at West Elm are ADORABLE!

These faux fur stockings are on sale and can be personalized..and this linen white and gold bead stocking has a fun modern feel.

faux fur christmas stockings from pottery barn

You can have a custom made Liberty fabric stocking if you order by December 4 on Etsy..(more prints available…and These stockings in mixed fabrics are also beautiful.

I love these mod Jonathan Adler stockings..

Then there are these sweet block printed stockings with bells..and this collection is good if you want neutrals..There are also William Morris stockings, and these in mud cloth on Etsy.

Beautiful Holiday Wrap

I recently came across this cute and whimsical shop RubyStripe, on Etsy making darling wrap and tags. This is a small, women owned business and their tags and wrap are next level pretty. The shop says ships from San Jose, so they came up as a local seller for me.. This is just a snippet of their holiday collection. They have so much more if you like handpainted and feminine.

Gifts for the Guys

I know a few people asked for suggestions for the guys, and since men make up most of my family..I have a few ideas for you.

These Ugg slip-ons are a great gift for anyone… and they have outside soles so they can wear them on a coffee run or something too. They come in black also.

This cozy sweater is great for a younger guys. I know my 24 year old son who likes fun sweaters would love it.

I bought all the men in our family these four way stretch 7 Diamond plaids last year. When I felt them at Nordstrom, I knew they’d love them. They are a bit more pricey, so I opted for one of these in place of a sweater. I even got my dad one. They are soft and super stretchy and very warm and come in many colors.. They are their favorite shirts and like outerwear they are so cozy.

men's stretchy plaid shirt by 7 Diamonds in red and blue

men's stretchy plaid shirt by 7 Diamonds in rust and navy

I bought my college son this Rumpl Puffy blanket last year that comes with a cool stuff sack. It has extreme warmth and he takes it camping, to tailgates and always has it in his car. A fun idea for anyone who camps or loves the outside. Comes in nine different designs.

This half zip fleece in a fun patterns is also popular with young guys and this is a good price. Especially for the kid who always ‘loses’ his every year! Griffin, I’m talking about you..

This RVCA Crewneck , below in grey, has a classic fit and feels so soft inside and out. I bought one for my dad who likes old school sweatshirt style, but appreciates the warmth. I’m thinking of getting one for the Utah son too.

And this zip up fleece hoodie on right, has a cool pattern both my sons would love.

This sweater by Marine Layer is a bit pricier, but super nicely made and a classic for those ski guys or just like that retro style like my oldest does. This sweater is heavy cotton and so nicely made.

Two years ago I got Max this Ugg robe and he still loves it!

The other thing the boys always want is socks… like this 3 pack from UGG are so, so soft…and these Bombas sport socks hug your arches and you never want to wear any others for sports once you have a pair.

Lastly..This Hatch alarm clock/sound machine/reading light was a hit last year, so I am including it again. A great gift for anyone -and for those who want the phone out of the bedroom.

I just bought this for my sons.. Joshua Weisman’s, An Unapologetic Cookbook, is supposed to help you find your cooking intuition. The recipes were absolutely delicious looking dishes my guys would want to eat and could make.

I got these packing cubes for both the guys as they are traveling more now and a good price for a really useful gift! I bought these two options, but there are also black and other simpler designs available.

This UGG sweatshirt is nice and comes in four colors..

I will try to add to this list as we move through the season and update it if things run out..

A few other good things to share...

Blooms by Tara

My friend Tara is a talented local floral designer that does events and even subscriptions so you can always have beautiful flowers in house. I asked her If I could share on the weekend post as I often get inquiries about local flower designers. Tara is your go-to and she has a beautiful aesthetic!

Blooms by Tara is a bespoke floral design studio located in Los Gatos that specializes in floral design and styling for private events, birthdays, small businesses, retail, open houses, and also offer monthly subscription services. – A great idea for holidays! Follow Tara on Instagram to see her latest work. To inquire about services, contact her via Instagram direct message, or by phone 408-234-2173.

Holiday Home Tour 2022

I was lucky to be invited to join a Holiday Home Tour this week. There were five days of fantastic and creative holiday decor ideas and Juliet and I were part of Wednesday’s tour which was living rooms/ dens. If you missed it, I shared my little pink Christmas tree I have in my little office/den area!

Juliet shared her beautiful and cozy blue library and all her pretty and festive decor..I loved her mantel!

Links also to Cindy, Mary Ann and Annie’s homes along with all the talented ladies and their homes from all over the country is at the end of this post..

Juliet and I also did our first LIVE on Instagram. Though we were a little shaky in the technical parts at first, it was a lot of fun sort of like coffee hour-and great to chat with those who popped by and left comments! Hopefully this might be a regular thing, so if you aren’t following along on Instagram, please do. We love to interact with you all. You can watch our chat here!

DO you make a December bucket list? There are so many holiday activities. The best part of the holiday are the rituals I think! For us, it’s always baking cookies, going to San Francisco for lunch and shopping, and one night to drive by the lights of Willow Glen and a few others. I just alwasys hope to squeeze it all in..If you need ideas for fun things to do, Elizabeth had a great post this week chock full of ideas! I’m printing it out and trying to add a few more.

Tomorrow is another one of those special December things- our town of Los Gatos has it’s annual holiday parade. It’s the biggest holiday parade west of the Rockies! I’ll share and write more about it next week on a post with a few other on hometown holidays. Plus festive outfit ideas are coming on Tuesday for December’s Signature Style…

And that is my weekend meanderings for this week. Please stop over at Elizabeth and Juliet’s blogs to see what fun they are sharing..

MAKE MINE A SPRITZER

PINECONES AND ACORNS

Have a lovely weekend,

Kim

If you missed last weekend’s meander..I shared a recipe for persimmon bread, my Thanksgiving table, and a gift ideas for women.

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A Granola to Gift and Other Easy Presents

December 20, 2021 By kimwheeler 9 Comments

Well we are in the home stretch to Christmas and this is the week I try and get to all the neighbors and others who I’d like to give a little holiday treat to. For those people, I usually bake cookies or we give something made locally that we buy multiples of.

I’m trying very hard to think of things that aren’t wasteful, that are useful, as we all have so much already. Every year I try to buy less.

This year, my husband Max was experimenting making his own granola and it came out so good we decided to send it to a friend group he bikes with and also all our neighbors.

Our version of granola is all the nuts we love and coconut. We didn’t add any dried fruit. You could add what you like to make your own version, but this mix works well so together. I’ve already had a few rave reviews from neighbors. We love it with plain yogurt, a drizzle of honey and this on top. It’s also just super yummy as a snack if you leave it in the chunks that form as it comes out of the oven.

We used cellophane bags and wired gingham ribbon and printed the ingrediants on card stock, in case anyone has allergies they will know exactly what is in it.

I had some juniper branches and clipped a little bit for each package and tucked it in the ribbon.

I think anything you gift looks extra special when you wrap it pretty.

Wheeler Family Granola

4 Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (gluten-free) most are, but check
1 1/2 Cups of nuts -( we used a mix of halved walnuts, pepitas, sliced almonds and whole roasted almonds.)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of maple syrup
1/2 cup of melted coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup of coconut flakes
Preheat oven to 350, prepare a baking sheet with parchment. Mix all dry ingredients except coconut flakes, together in a large bowl. Pour over apple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla. Mix until all are well coated and spread on prepared pan with a wooden spoon. Cool 20-22 minutes, stopping to stir at the 11 minute mark and add coconut flakes, so they do not burn. Let stand and cool about 30 minutes before touching. For chunkier granola, press down the mix in the pan more at the halfway point of baking. Recipe adapted and changed from this one on Cookie + Kate.

I hope you try it if you like granola. We are hooked and will never buy granola again. It’s just that much better!

Another cute gift you could easily pull together for a hostess, friend or neighbor is this adorable succulent mix made festive by the addition of a bottle brush tree and some holiday baubles.

My talented friend Jeanne saw something similar and much pricier at Terrain and made her own version for a friend. I loved this so much- and after the holidays it’s a cool plant for the home that can last years by just removing the little decorations!

Plants are such a good idea and aren’t more plastic. I was reading this great article from a friend about how much of Christmas involves plastic and it’s making me think a lot more about my choices this year.

Cindy Hattersley also had a this great post with the prettiest paper whites in a galvinized tin to give.

I also wanted to mention a great book to give..I am especially crazy about this new one, Apres All Day which has some delicious recipes and ski and mountain living ideas. You don’t need a cabin to appreciate this darling book. I literally want to try every recipe and that is rare.

Max and I made the cheddar breakfast muffins while at the cabin and they taste as good as they look. This book would make a nice gift wrapped with a pair of mittens or a knit hat for a friend going to the mountains or who lives there, or who appreciates winter foods and fun.

Just a few things on my radar, that might help with your gifting. Hope you are having a chance to enjoy the season too.

Kim

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Gift Ideas for Her

December 5, 2021 By kimwheeler 11 Comments

Well December is here and I wanted to get a gifts for the gals post out as soon as I could. Honestly this was a lot of fun, and I could have written ten more of these, but it’s been a busy time and it takes a lot of hours to sit and pull it all together. I know many who are concerned with things running out have already done their shopping! I’m not there at all, but I have gotten a few good things from the Gifts for Guys post. One thing that helped me this time was to think of some of my favorite things, not unlike Oprah, and what would I love to receive too…

I am a Johnny Was fan and this California company never disappoints with their beautiful designs and quality. Their wonderfully soft blankets in a bag with two designs, make a wonderful gift for anyone to cuddle up with on the couch, or on the bed! Great for all ages. So many designs. I love this one below, but all the choices here..20% off now with the code COZYUP until 12/15.

Do you know someone who would love to be in slippers all the time (me)? These Timberlands are on sale now and so cute in grey or tan. This is a nice bridge between the UGG and the sneaker, with a bit of style.

I am currently obsessed with this brand Leatherology that makes some beautiful bags with custom imprinted initials. The cross body and train cases are TDF and though this process takes about three weeks should be a lovely gift. They also have quicker options. All the offerings are wonderful and there are many gifts that will arrive before Christmas if ordered by December 17th.

I love Mark & Graham and their trays are adorable and you can still get a monogrammed one if you order now. Check the site for the exact item and date. Looks like many are still available.

I love this Snowy Day Pillow. Sweet for anyone who digs holiday home decor or just loves the snow.

The paperclip necklaces are very popular and Bauble Bar has them in this Hera one -the perfect size too and can ship immediately..

I also love the needlepoint pillows from Furbish.. Adore the Apres pillow and all their cute holiday ones found here.

For someone who appreciates a pretty table or entertaining, these Linen Napkins from Serena & Lily are now on sale in sets and four gorgeous napkins are $38. They come in eight colors including this chartreuse.

If she is is into jewelry, Anthropologie has the prettiest charm necklaces that are by by birthstone. Love!

Serena & Lily makes the best alpaca throws and this one is my all time favorite. We have two we keep at out cabin on the sofa and they are warmer than anything and so very soft and comes in five colors.

I bought these slippers on a whim a month or so ago at Anthro and they are now my go to. I can’t wait to put them on when I get home. The run S/M/L and I am an 8 and bought Medium.

My favorite pajamas are Roller Rabbit Pima Cotton PJs. Mine are two years old now and still look new and feel soft. I like that they aren’t tight, but aren’t baggy either- so they don’t bunch on you in the night. A really nice gift to give or get.

My second favorite PJs are my Serena & Lily Positano Linen ones. I have two pairs and wear them all year long with a white tank and wear the top as a jacket. Love the white (reminds me of Diane Keaton in Something’s Gotta Give) and the sky blue! They just get softer and softer. I wash them on gentle and air dry and they stay very nice.

There is also a beautiful flannel in gingham and a linen in gingham. All the Serena & Lily Pajamas here.

I love that Mersea is selling this lovely Sea Change Soap. It is made in America, without any toxic substances, and every purchase of one of a Sea Change product will provide two years of drinking water to someone in need, a partnership with Water.org an international non-profit that works on the water crisis. Beautiful -and helping make a difference! The whole Sea Change collection here.

Note- Mersea is a great site for gifts with many lovely things like the stretchy and super soft Chalet Sweater and the Sea Pines Felt Candles.

Scrabble has created a special edition Scrabble for Anthropologie. It’s very cute and on sale now..as is their Monopoly Edition..

Books are may favorite thing to give and get and I especially love Mandy’s Gourmet Salads, which has so much more than just salads- wonderful bowls, so many amazing ideas, dressings and desserts too. Great for anyone who wants more fresh ideas for eating well.

Johnny Was also has a beautiful silk oversized T- shirt pajama set which would be a dream to sleep in. The pink one and the darker version are still available and able to ship before Christmas.

I love this upcycled denim bag made by ADIFF/Lands End. Each one is unique and the interior has a handy 6 interior packets. What a cool gift for the earthy friend in your life.

Another fun idea is to customize a market tote for family members or a girlfriend with a beloved city or cities, names or initials. The Apolis Bags last forever come in many sizes and colors I have two I adore. This cute style here.

For the California girl- or someone with tastes that tend to run towards the natural, Jenni Kayne has some beautiful candles. I like the Topanga, that has a California essence, Santa Ynez has a warm scent, and all her candles and home scents here.

RMS Beauty has a great gift set with their mascara, lip balm, and famous luminizer for just $28!

For someone special like your mom, or yourself, these Tory Burch Lilac Salad Plates are beautiful.

These Liberty London PJ sets sets are marked more than half off at J. Crew. Very cute for those young girls in shorts all the time- and never seem to be cold! I am tempted to save a pair for myself for the warmer months because they are lovely.

For $28 these Pave Pisa Bracelets from Bauble Bar look so good and would be fun to stack with a watch or any bracelets. Fun to give a group of friends or family members.

For the puzzle girls, J Crew has Liberty Puzzles that are two-sided.

They also have a Liberty Sleep Set with a beautiful pillowcase and matching sleep mask. On sale this weekend along with the puzzle and most things on site.

Since most of us are wearing boot and booties so much, a set of boot socks in a super soft, but warm material like this set from Anthro is always a welcome gift. I just gave a group of friends all a set of boot socks and I think everyone seemed to want and need them!

Another fun idea for the bakers in your life..Cookies: The New Classics.

Our family are big fans of Jennifer Segel’s recipes from her Once Upon a Chef blog, so when I saw she had a cookbook, Weeknight/Weekend, I knew it would be good. I can guarantee you’re going to adore her food.

This also looks good and is in my cart! Rustic cooking..Maman The Cookbook.

This Lululemon Belt Bag comes in so many colors and is a little luxury at a great price, Everyone needs one for hikes and travel -just so nice to have!

I love the Travel Jewelry Cases from Mark & Graham that can be monogrammed. Such a luxury, useful and a good price on sale this weekend.

Mark & Graham also has the Essential Crossbody in many colors and ways to personalize for $99..

I hope this is helpful for your gift shopping! I will try and update and add more as I see good things, so check back, or save this post for later!

This Tuesday I’ll be doing Signature Style and we will be discussing holiday outfits for those who asked for ideas for events..I’ve found some cute things and I can’t wait to share them.

Kim

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California Christmas Gifts

December 23, 2017 By kimwheeler No Comments

Well we are almost there friends… a few days until Christmas and here is my better late never California gift ideas. Sorry for the delay. Our family has been sick like many others and you know the usual rush of cards, shopping, holiday gatherings and put me a bit behind. These are probably too late for you to get by Christmas, but there is always New Years! I’ll be back tonight with my cookie recipe and the awesome two ingredient bark I wanted to share. In the meantime- I hope you are healthy and finding some sweet moments this season.

I think some of the best California gifts can be found at local and small shops and let’s not forget wine (we love to give bottles from our local winery Testarossa) and California olive oils! I have a few other ideas below..

I found these California Love bars at our local Sur la Table, but you can also buy them on Compartes site. Made in Los Angeles with crushed San Francisco sourdough pretzels..this is a real California treat.

My favorite California home store, Hudson Grace in Palo Alto has the best Winter candle. Such a cozy smell at home during the holidays.

Love this Casa Pacifica diffuser or candle from Voluspa make a great hostess gifts.

Atelier Clementine California Cologne is the perfect casual scent- light and daily essence for the California gal or guy.

This adorable Brunch Clutch is currently on California designer Trina Turk’s site and in some store. Marie Turnor bags are designed and crafted in Los Angeles!

A California Beach shirt from Anthropologie.

A book for little friends who may visit or are far away or someone just beginning to read.

Baxter of California (making great products in California since 1965),makes some nice gift kits for men. This Skincare Start Kit is a good buy and there is a cool Winter Clay Styling Kit for hair as well.