Pepper Design Blog

Holiday Gift Guide: For the Boyz

I’m wrangling up a few unique gift ideas over here for family and friends and thought I’d share some of my favorites. Let’s start with the boys.

Husbands, boyfriends, brothers, dads, uncles… they’re hard to shop for. After several years of shopping for 7 brothers (that’s right, seven when you add Kevin’s and mine together) plus three dads, several Grandpas and quite a few friends and I still haven’t learned much. But every year I give it a shot again.

Here’s what I’m eying this Christmas:

I’m a huge fan of the retro style of this radio alarm clock. Bringing it back to basics with a sleek walnut finish and old fashioned functionality.

This multi-tool knife is perfect for camping, exploring, fishing and general boy stuff.

A vintage framed world map is ideal for an office, the den or even spray glued to a cork board as a learning tool for the little ones.

Dangerous Book for Boys. Enough said.

Table tennis on the go – for the guys that love a good bet and perhaps even a better impromptu drinking game.

Reusable soap stones that keep liquor chilled without diluting your drink – something every hubby (and his friends) can appreciate.

Equally cool coasters for your whiskey on the rocks.

These disposable flasks are perfect as creative stocking stuffers! Love that they will fit easily into the inside pocket of a ski jacket for some peppermint schnapps on the slopes.

This roll up travel charger is great for the globe trotter (I’d actually love one of these for Christmas – charge the electronics all at once while traveling!).

These mini walkie talkies are just cool. A friend mentioned finding these and I think they’re perfect for pint-sized fun on Christmas day for the little boys or boys at heart.

Out of print favorite novels can still be found in journal, t-shirt and even ereader jacket form here.

Our friends love a good game of poker and I’m sure they’d be keen on a traveling set so that different homes could host (the girls would be keen on that, too) .

This t-shirt sums up Kevin’s and his brothers’ life philosophy. Ha!

If your guy is a fix-it kind of guy (or a late-night road biker or even a climber) this headlamp is perfect. Kevin uses his ALL of the time! Even when grilling to check when the meat’s done after dark.

And a Hardy Boys set? Because every boy should read these!

The sea has stolen three cell phones from Kevin. Yes, three. If someone you’re shopping for this Christmas is a lover of water sports (or sailing, kayaking…) these are awesome.

Looking for a great gift for someone who’s crazy about fishing? This ultimate fishing tool claims to do everything but reel the fish in.

This is my staple shirt for Kevin. He’s tall (6’3″) so regular tees always fit too short and that’s a pet peeve for me. Banana makes these classics in both a standard and tall length and usually around this time of the year they’re on sale.

And this is my favorite quarter zip sweater. Perfect for casual or dressy events (pairs nicely with jeans or slacks) and Eddie Bauer also carries both regular and tall sizes with great deals.

If it weren’t quite so pricey I might splurge on this messenger bag as well.

Every guy needs a great pair of sandals and these are king. The whole family rotates through a new pair each once a year or so and these see every day use. Rainbows last and we love em.

I love this watch. It’s classy and handsome but would be a great everyday piece as well.

This key chain add on serves double duty as a bottle opener and a Swiss army knife. A convenient and practical stocking stuffer!

There you have it, my idea of a great Christmas for the boys in every price range. They’re hard to shop for and I hope this list makes it a bit easier!

I shop Amazon Prime for Moms for just about everything (free two-day shipping!) which is why nearly all of the affiliate links are Amazon. I highly recommend .

Christmas Decor: Handmade Wooden Pod Trees

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We spent ours with family from both my mom’s and dad’s side and I had the chance to catch up with friends from my hometown over the weekend. It was a really nice four day break from the usual hustle and bustle.

The best part about Friday, November 25? Christmas music. I ventured out for a black Friday sale or two with a friend but what I loved even more than the discounts was ‘Jingle Bells’ playing on the radio! My favorite holiday has finally arrived.

It’s not too early to start decorating, right? Here’s a little Christmas tree project I recently put together for our guest room:

The little white washed Christmas trees are made out of wooden seed pods and cost a mere $1 each to make. Their current home is on the sweet new pedestal side table that we just recently found on major sale at World Market:

Sorry about the awful lighting. I assembled my diy trees in our living room late at night while watching a movie with Kevin.

I was inspired a while back to build little driftwood Christmas trees after seeing trees like this or these, but finding the right driftwood was near impossible (so jealous of all those that live on Lake Michigan). I searched high and low and they do sell bundles on Etsy and even eBay, but boy are they pricey little bundles.

Then when I was perusing our local West Elm, I came across the neatest white washed wooden ‘pods’ (or giant seeds?) in hanging strands in the clearance section. Each bag had been marked down from $16 to $.97. Sweet, really really sweet. (I’ve searched and searched for a West Elm link but it seams these garland strands are waaaay last year and might only be available at a West Elm in your city, they’re called the Nipa Pod Strand and they might be at the very bottom of the Sale bin.)

Assembly was easy. I cut my garland strands apart and built little pyramids by stacking the pods (it kind of reminded me of how you lean pieces of wood against each other to start a campfire) and gluing into place with a glue gun. Then I continued to layer.

I love the results – they’re the perfect little shabby chic accent for the guestroom this Christmas and the colors tie in great with the neutral space.

Christmas is here!

Holiday Entertaining: Thanksgiving Inspiration

What are your plans for Turkey Day? Next to a delicious meal and afternoon food comma, the Thanksgiving tablescape is high on my list of what I look forward to. Serious about the food comma – my mom’s apple and pumpkin pie… mmmm.

I love a beautiful table because it can be so inviting and it really speaks to how special a meal is. Plus, it’s an awful lot of fun to plan and pull together.

Here are a few tablescapes that I’m especially inspired by this Thanksgiving (and here’s my list for 2010):

Initially found over here, the color palette of this rustic tablescape is what caught my eye. How beautiful is the teal against the rich brown and pops of bright orange? But the details are equally adorable! How creative are those crossword and wishbone name cards? and the newspaper filled cloche? Lovely job, Chris!

Next up? A modern and neutral table backed by a pop of color.

I love the idea of keeping your table simple (with, say, a basic white tablecloth topped with a wide brown runner) and creating a statement out of your food serving area. Pick up a brightly colored fabric remnant and drape it over the existing tabletop decor (such as a large mirror or picture frames) for an fresh display. More details on this party here.

Statement runner. Enough said. Simple, classy and no need for extra decor which leaves plenty of room for all of the fixen’s right there in the center.

This bridal shower doubles as a beautiful fall tablescape. You know what immediately caught my eye though? How ingenius a simple ribbon running the length of the table is. What an easy way to introduce a new color to your table palette and to reuse current craft room items!

Finally, you can’t go wrong with classic white. Give your Halloween pumpkins new life by coating them in a thin coat of white spray paint to match classic white dishware. I would incorporate bits of thrift store lace and my crocheted doilies to balance out vintage with modern in this refreshing tablescape. Thanks, It’s Overflowing for the inspiration!

Many thanks to Pampers, Play Dates & Parties for getting the brain juices flowin’ – be sure to check out more ideas here.