JEWELED TOPIARY

Since we're still in the 12 Days of Christmas, I feel justified in one more Christmas post—this one about my favorite, and simplest, bit of holiday decorating this year. I have a mossy topiary that lives year round on a Chinese garden stool in my living room, but it was looking a touch summary for the season. After a brief hunt through my costume jewelry, I turned up enough brooches and pins to dress it up for the holidays, pinned them all into the moss, and voila!, a jeweled topiary. And now that I can see all of my pins in plain view, perhaps I'll remember to wear them...

I love the star-shaped brooch, center, but the tiny little turtle crawling away, upper left, is a darling.

There are a few earrings in the mix too—a pair of starry studs, and even a dangler, lower left hand side. You could certainly make almost any piece of jewelry work—even necklaces could make a "tinsel" garland!

  /All photos by Sanity Fair. Please request permission to use./

GIFT GUIDE: A DECOR BOOK CHRISTMAS

All I want for Christmas is...

...so many decor books that I have to put shelves over the windows, a la Kelly Wearstler.

I adore books, and my collection, while out of hand, shows no signs of stopping. This Christmas won't be any exception, with so many decor books being released just in time for the holidays, and I'm giddy at the thought of adding each of these tomes to my already bowing shelves! Most are from names you'll know; a few are first-timers. ALL are full of inspiration and great ideas - and all of them will look great on your shelves, too!

Kelly Wearstler's fourth book, Rhapsody, is just out. Modern Glamour, Domicilum Decoratus, and Hue are her previous three, and all already on my shelves. Modern Glamour was one of my early design book buys, and still a favorite.

Amanda Nisbet is a blogosphere favorite, and it's easy to see why - the cover alone has gold palm fronds, malachite fabric, and mad color. Subtle, it ain't.

Now here's a fun one, and you might find it a touch too portable to shove on a shelf. Mrs. Lilian's Cocktail Swatchbook is full of lovely recipes, and even lovelier design.

Miles Redd's first book, The Big Book of Chic lives up to both size and chic - and that's just the cover. I keep hoping he'll do a book signing in D.C.!

 Another lovely book by Charlotte Moss - her eighth, I believe. I really enjoyed Charlotte Moss Decorates (and I DID manage to get that one signed), so I'm looking forward to this new treat. Bonus:  the red coloring would pair beautifully with the Miles Redd cover above for a little book pile in holidays hues. Maybe Santa Claus can come early?

I'm ashamed to say I first came across Kathryn Ireland as a designer through Million Dollar Decorators, although I was already familiar with her fabrics. The new season just started, and it's already a treat!

Nate Berkus is owning it right now - I feel like he's everywhere! The new collection for Target is a hit (provided you can find it in a store; but that's a little Target Corp. issue, and not his fault). Safe to say this book is going to be a hit too. 

You had me at orange. Blogger Heather Clawson debuts a book on working in style - a must-get gift for any friend who works from home!

Ronda Carmen, of blog All The Best, also gets print credit to her name this holiday season, with a tour de force of interior designers at home, including Charlotte Moss, Celerie Kemble, Barry Dixon, India Hicks, Vincente Wolf, Bunny Williams, Jan Showers, Martyn Lawrence Bullard - the list reads like a Who's Who of 21st Century design greats. It's sure to be inspirational!

Finally, Michael S. Smith's latest book, due out in 2013 but available for pre-order, is, according to Smith, a guide to the "perfect American house." We'll have to stay in suspense until next year!

All of these titles are available at the Shop It On Your Shelf! Amazon store.

/Images/ Kelly Wearstler library, The Coveteur/ All book images, Amazon.com/ 

FELIZ NAVIDAD, POINSETTIAS!

For centuries, Christmas has been celebrated with various flora and fauna, from trees to holly, but the poinsettia is a fairly recent addition. We have our own U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, to thank for its introduction to the U.S. in 1828 (in a tribute to aimless walkers everywhere, he found it growing next to a road while out strolling), but botanists deserve our gratitude for breeding this feisty Southern flower into a demure house plant.

A beautiful poinsettia tree in Southern Living.

The U.S. National Botanic Gardens put on a display this season of various breeds of poinsettias, like these lanky, long-leafed beauties. The Aztecs prized poinsettias (called Cuetlaxochitl) and used them for red dye. 

Some of the specimens were 8 feet or taller - not exactly decorative material! I love the variegated patterns (below), the rarer, pink hues, and the tree-like limbs.

Do you bring poinsettias into your home at Christmas?

 /Images/ poinsettia tree/ all others, my own/

CHRISTMAS AT THE NATIONAL BOTANIC GARDENS

Braving the chill winter air and delighted throngs of toddlers, I made my way to the National Botanic Gardens to see their Christmas displays last weekend. It's a gorgeous building, all glass domes on slender supports, enclosing tall palms, an orchid trail, and several small streams. But things were a little different in the usually flora-filled great hall, where instead of a Victorian crystal palace, it looked like a band of hyper-active, genius squirrels with degrees in architecture went on a building spree.

To wit:

Everything in these miniatures is constructed from organic material - twig pillars, glazed leaf roofs, acorn -crusted pediments - creating a charming tableau of D.C.'s famous buildings.

Bartholdi Fountain (note the jets of water - it works!)

Library of Congress, Thomas Jefferson Building

Check out those little leaf floor tiles!

The Lincoln Monument

The White House

National Museum of the American Indian (roofed in mushrooms)

The Washington Monument

The Smithsonian Castle

The Supreme Court

The Thomas Jefferson Monument (gourd dome included)

/All images/ my own/

HUNG UP

I woke up this morning with one burning question on my mind - could it be? Was it a dream? Did Jonathan Adler MAKE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS? Y. E. S.

Who doesn't want a squirrel on their Christmas tree? Or a bubble poodle?

Here's another creative addition - the Lollipop Holder. It's the official 2010 Gift You Did Not Know You Wanted. It probably looks good without the lollipops too, which is great, because I don't know where you can even get these anymore, and someone would just make you feel bad about eating high fructose whatever anyway. 

Adler's Pop Menagerie ornament series would make a lovely holiday memento for little ones -  perfect for "My First Ornament."

And the reason we all like Adler: he calls a carb a carb (and then eats it).

*Special Holiday Diet Tip:  if you break cookies in two, it breaks the calories in half as well. But only if you only eat one half of the cookie. 

/Images/jonathanadler.com/

PRETTY-SCARY

Here's something abnormal for Halloween - oh my! Where are the fishnets? The plunging neckline? The skintight mini skirt? The hooker boots? This classy Mad (Wo)Men character won't have any embarrassing photos on Facebook come November 1 - unless they're of the Publix cupcake box hidden in the trunk of her car. Those baked goodies weren't homemade - tee hee!

This Ralph Lauren model certainly LOOKS like Mrs. Draper - don't cross her! 

/Shopping/RL Dress/ Headband/ Marc Jacobs Gilda Bag/ Apron/ Miu Miu Pumps.

/Other/ Pearls/ Ring/ Mask/ Oven Mitt/ Muffin Pan/ Background/

UNMASKED

Conceal - reveal. We all love a little mystery.

"Masquerade!

Paper faces on parade.

Masquerade!

Hide your face, so the world will never find you!

Masquerade!

Every face a different shade.

Masquerade!

Look around -

there's another

mask behind you!"

- The Phantom of the Opera

Gisele-No-Last-Name-Needed in a half-mask. Ooh la la!

This Halloween, why not dress as a glamazon instead of a goblin? 
A fashion doyenne instead of a devil? The new motto is Balenciaga, not blood! 

HERE'S HOW...

The inspiration: last month's French Vogue fete in Paris, a grand masquerade for fashion's finest to celebrate the magazine's 90th anniversary. 

The location: the Hotel Pozzo di Borgo.

The guests: France's fanciest.

Natalia Vodianova in a barely there lace mask (would you hide that face?).

Anna dello Russo in a hat and mask combined, and dressed as - a warrior swan? 

Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann continues the half mask trend - is she a wisp of lace, or a bird in flight?

Diane Von Furstenberg, fearless as usual! She transforms into a bird of paradise.

These stylish ensembles reminded me of the best master of the mask in Hollywood. No, not Johnny Depp. The queen of masks is Madame Hepburn.

In Breakfast at Tiffany's, Audrey Hepburn frolics in the Five and Dime in a cat mask and orange funnel-necked coat. Meow!

Ms. Holly Golightly answers the door, replete in turquoise sleep mask and tassel earplugs. She no doubt awoke each morning on a glitter covered pillow...

In the 1960s film How to Steal a Million, Audrey looks the part of a debonair thief - even though what she's stealing is her own. Why not party in an homage to Hepburn and Mad Men? Lace mask? Darling little gloves? Check and check.

At the French Vogue party, Karolina Kurkova channels the Hepburn lace mask look.

In the film Marie Antoinette, Kirstin Dunst employes an equally glamourous concealment.

Other famous faces have enjoyed going behind the mask - here, Kate Moss bedazzles in an easy do-it-at home style.

Sienna Miller glams it up with a feathery mask cum headband.

How glamorous will you be this Halloween? 

Images:  French Vogue Party. Hepburn images here and here. Dunst in Marie Antoinette. Kate Moss here. And Sienna Miller.