Let Them Eat Candy.

Crystal Piñata via Confetti System

This lovely handcrafted object is not a modern lighting pendant.

It’s not a permanent decorative object.

It is a piñata.
It is meant to be filled with candy (by you) and then smashed into oblivion (presumably by kids or inebriated kidults you know).
It is priced at $135.

Frequently there are objects like this one that arouse a crudely covetous line of thinking in my head. It’s alluring, glittery, graceful, and it looks as though it has a story. But I was shocked when I found that the story is that it is a $135 paper construction, coming soon to an Urban Outfitters near you, meant created to be hung for a short period of time and then rapturously destroyed.

I find the decadence breathtaking.

I respect that this is the product of someone’s dream and work and I am not devaluing it. Nevertheless, it has reminded me of the pervasiveness of want and that I must guard against a life metaphorically hung with silver mylar piñatas. That objects I consume ought to:

• be affordable for me in my current circumstances
• meet an aesthetic or practical need in proportion with its purchase price
• be reused and repurposed as much as practically possible
• be resold or donated at the end of its life with me as much as practically possible

That’s my personal philosophy and I pledge to do more in writing here to propound those beliefs without sacrificing beauty, creativity or utility.

Others, of course, feel differently and value artisan objects or hipness or designer status differently than I do. Let them smash the piñata and let them eat candy. It’s undeniably a more interesting world for things that are sparkly and sweet, attractive. There is only the question of when one should say ‘no’ to the indulgence and when, if ever, consumption becomes gratuitous, unwise, and even obscene.

Thoughts? I’d love to read them below.

Alex’s Granny Chic Grand Home

Another great find from Apartment Therapy, Alex describes his aesthetic as ‘granny chic’. I would call it ‘thrifted elegance’ but however you describe this home, rich as it is with saturated color and precious objects, it is a vintage paradise. Not only is the red sitting room as sexy as a Louboutin, the most expensive object in the home cost a mere $300. For all of the paint colors, details and many more pictures, check out the original post.

Unique & Inexpensive Holiday Table Settings

Oh, holidays. While the focus should be on family and festivities, some of us become so distracted by elaborate preparations that when Thanksgiving or Christmas or Chanukah or Kwanzaa or Winter Solstice ends, we’re more irritated than elated. What are your best tactics to survive the celebratory season with your sanity and budget intact? Here are some of mine:

FREE–Beg, borrow or swap dishes and accessories with friends and family. Tell Aunt Adele that yes, you would love for her to bring her famous squash casserole but you’d really appreciate being able to use her gravy boat or soup tureen or candlesticks. And amongst friends, consider swapping plates, linens and accessories for the day — that way, each person gets to inject a new look for free.

FREE--Flip your table linens before you buy new. I looked all over for black linen placemats before realizing that the reverse of my Dwell placemats is a perfectly presentable, finished solid black. By just removing the attached tag, I now have fully reversible placemats for $0. Particularly if you have higher end linens that are lined, examine the reverse before shopping.

FREE–Leave the table bare and let the food sing. It’s tempting to pile on elaborate lines and tall centerpieces but anticipate how your table will look laden with the foods you are working so hard to prepare and you may realize that less really is more.

Bare table from Domino

Rehab your table. Ready to go bare? If your wooden table has minor scratches, try disguising them by rubbing a walnut against the damage, a technique that has worked for me. For noticeable gauges or scratches, consider either repairing them or distressing the table further to really amp up the rustic look.

Not ready for table nudity? Cover the dining table in white or brown butcher paper. While Boston’s The Butcher Shop uses brown butcher paper on their tables to create a sort of haute barnyard-meets-industrial vibe, paper on the table can look surprisingly sophisticated and is less than $13 for less than 1000 feet. Either leave it plain, as below, or consider decorating it with stamps, stencils or freehand drawing.

White Butcher Paper Runner via Martha Stewart

Mix and match flatware fearlessly. Mixing and matching creates a romantic, collected-over-time vibe and limits the expense. Simply audit your silverware collection to make sure you have enough and that the pieces are in good condition. Missing a few shrimp forks? Simply buy more in a complimentary pattern.

Open stock Oneida flatware in a variety of patterns via Fishs Eddy, now $1 per piece

Make use of groceries. Not only are fruits and vegetables more affordable than fresh cut flowers, they entice the appetite and imagination. Go beyond squashes and gourds–A collection of beautiful baby eggplants or a clutch of magenta radishes really adds punch to a place setting.

Nuts in a vase via Country Living

Single blossoms with pink striped beans via Divine Party Concepts

Gorgeous stemmed artichokes

Decorate your existing stemware. Attaching a festive message written on ribbon in metallic ink brings shine to stemware without the cost of buying new.

Ebay, Ebay, Ebay.

Ebay is really an invaluable table setting resource. Even if you don’t dig vintage at all, many table linens in particular are available new in package (NIP) for a fraction of the retail price.

Lands End 60"x140" linen tablecloth via brickEy Store on eBay. $25, marked down from $80 retail.

Fashion a color palette around what you have, like, and can afford, not the traditional colors of the holiday. It is possible to use even pastels in a fall or winter-themed table setting, by adding touches of secondary and tertiary colors that complement your main color and speak to the season.

via House & Life from InStyle Weddings. For a non-traditional Thanksgiving, you could keep this basic palette adding touches of deep chocolate ribbon and coral-hued flowers to evoke Fall rather than Spring.

100 Affordable Headboard Alternatives, 31-40

Continuing the 10-part affordable headboard alternatives series, here are more ideas to define the space above and around the bed. For more details on most ideas, click the pics or just post your questions and thoughts in the comments.

31. Create or take advantage of a built-in.

If you are a homeowner, this relatively simple project of creating a built-in shelf / ledge can be relatively simple to do and have a dramatic aesthetic pay-off.

via Apartment Therapy

32. Hang a duvet, afghan or quilt behind the bed. Beautiful bedding is great on the bed but it can be even more impactful on the wall.

via Kallerin's Shop on Etsy

33. Define the area above the bed with coffee filter art. An eco-friendly ultra-inexpensive project that really speaks to my love of repurposing. Click the pic for a complete how-to.

via Daily Danny

34. Define the area above the bed with letterpress coasters.

These can be mounted in an organic pattern, in the manner of the coffee filters above, or in an orderly grid.

via Missive's Shop on Etsy.com

35. Hang fabric from rings at the four corners of the bed. More decadent than a four poster bed and infinitely more affordable.

via About.com

36. Place a low, open bookcase behind the bed.

via Dwell Studio

37.Place the bed in front of a window.

Imagine the bed in this photo placed directly under the stained glass window–a lot more effective and interesting than the current set-up, in my opinion.

via Country Living

38. Hang photographs in an offset grid. A fresh take on a very familiar arrangement.

via Naturally Inspired

39. Hang enlarged personal photos behind the bed. What better than beloved places and loved ones to give you sweet  dreams? Consider forgoing glass frames, though, to avoid the possibility of things that go ‘crash’ in the night.

via Naturally Inspired

40. Add picture mouldings to the wall behind the bed.

via DecorPad

Thanksgiving Menu Maximus

My Thanksgiving Dinner Mood Board

Ever since Thanksgiving 2008, I have been counting on a no-fuss Thanksgiving 2009 dinner in a New York restaurant. But just to continue my lifelong tradition of completely undermining my own plans, I have inexplicably been seized by what I can only describe as a fit of haus frau macho. Somewhere along the way to making our dinner reservations, I thought, “No, I can do this. I want to do this. I can cook a big meal. I can set a beautiful table. I’ve done it before and I’m going to do it even better this year. Game on!”

And here’s our tentative menu (linked recipes subject to heavy revision because I just cannot follow directions):

Oysters on the half shell

Celery Root-Parsnip soup

Cranberry-pomegranate sauce
Peppery Fig and Cider Compote

Seared Duck Breast
Seared Venison Medallions

Sauteed Brussel Sprouts Leaves with Meyer Lemons
Steamed haricot verts with Herbed Butter
Roasted broccoli raab
Roasted Baby Beets with Poppy Seeds
Thyme-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

Whipped potatoes with herbs

Apple and pear tart

Armagnac
Scottish Breakfast Tea

Yes, I am a mad, mad woman. I have grocery lists for this feast plotted out in Excel. I have deadlines for prep organized in Google Calendars. I will be shopping everywhere from Fresh Direct, Fairway, Rossman Fruit & Vegetables to Sahadi’s and the Union Square Greenmarket.

So what are your Thanksgiving Day plans? Going all out? Ordering in? Something in between? Let me know in  the comments.