Well folks, look what has just washed up on the shore – it’s the very first ever enhance the everyday holiday gift guide! And it has landed just in time as it’s exactly one month before Christmas.

So what exactly is the enhance the everyday holiday gift guide? Each day, for the next two weeks I will be posting a small selection of goodies to indulge, delight and inspire your friends and family with for this festive season of gift giving. Each day will be split into categories, starting today with gifts ‘for the home’, tomorrow ‘for her’, thursday ‘for him’, and friday ‘for the kids’. Then next week I will be showcasing a range of homewares and decorating ideas for your own home – from festive ornaments & tableware, to gift tags and wrapping.

Excited? Me too.

But you may ask this, what makes the enhance the everyday gift guide any different to other gift guides out there?

It’s simple: everything you will see in the next coming days are not only la classe, which means they are totally hip and stylish and chosen at the hand of a professional stylist BUT… and here comes to best bit… everything you see will fit all my necessary requirements for consumer items, that being vintage or handmade with recycled/renewable/biodregradable material and therefore sustainable.

Why? Because all ‘things’ should be. It’s as simple as that.

Those of you who have known me from the beginning of this blog know that I am an über-conscious consumer + stylist – that everything I purchase is good for the earth, good for you, good for me and good for our future children. My lifelong goal has been to design a modern life that is sustainable without compromising on style and luxury. Therefore whatever has been featured on this blog fits into my philosophy and you can know that by purchasing an item featured here, you are helping the world at large. You may not have already been aware that every item featured on this blog from the very beginning has followed these requirements – from homewares to fashion, food to interior design – it’s all good and it all enhances the every day. And although this first holiday guide will be petit, I hope by the next one I will have a huge selection of treats for you to choose from.

So let’s get to the good stuff tout de suite! Please enjoy the next 2 weeks of giftable goodies. After that I have even more fun things lined up, including my one-year blog anniversary and then let me not even get started on what I have for you for the new year… I have heart palpitations just thinking about it!

But first up, I want to share some simple gift shopping tips for you. Follow these tips and you will not only find the best gifts you have ever given, but you will also be helping our economy and environment:

1. shop locally.

Support your local boutiques and artists + craftspeople. Most homewares boutiques these days stock vintage or locally handmade items so ask for these items when searching for gifts. Use my upcoming holiday gift guide as inspiration.

2. two words: Kris Kringle.

If your family and friends don’t already do so, suggest ‘kris kringle’ from this year on – host a bbq or small get together now (thanksgiving is perfect for this!) and have each person pull out a name from a hat. Each person then purchases a christmas gift for the person they selected from the hat, and only spend the amount allocated (in my family it is $70). The gifts are much more thoughtful and valued (and valuable).

3. Create a wish list.

To save on buying (and unfortunately receiving) gifts that are unwanted and therefore end up in the trash, make a wish list and pass it to those who you know will be buying you a gift this year. That way you receive what you want and your gift-giver is content to know that you will love it. You can also then be selective on your wish list and pick items that are sustainable.

4. Vintage or handmade with love.

Last but not least, source out vintage (ie second hand) or items made with renewable/recycled/biodegradable materials. This might seem restrictive but there is so much scope in this that you may not be aware of including food (hampers!) and wine. Etsy and Dawanda are just two fabulous online sources for finding such goodies, and I have picked out some of my favourites from these great web boutiques, as well as from a few of my favourite boutiques around the world. And since I have readers in both the Northern and (sunny) Southern Hemisphere, I have tried to give you a selection that incorporates both warm and cold holiday climates, and local shops.

Happy gift giving, mes amis!

Next up: gifts ‘for the home’…

the wind got to the golden leaves here in amsterdam before i did unfortunately. but still pretty, non?

As I get settled in for my second winter here in Amsterdam, I find I’ve been spending time ‘cozifying’ my home. Or, as the Dutch say, making it gezellig. I’ve added and changed a few things, just playing around really. I’m not sure I will keep things as they are but it’s fun to play. So come on in out of the rain, take off your coat, and enjoy a little wander around le petit bateau with me. When you’ve finished having a little look around, be sure to come and join me at the table for a nice warm cup of chocolat chaud…

Have you spotted the changes I’ve made? Click here to see what le petit bateau looked like back in Spring. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Well, that’s it folks, I am going to sign off on my “one year in Amsterdam” anniversary celebrations, I do hope you’ve enjoyed my personal tour but there is SO much more I want to share with you!

Amsterdam is full of fabulousness, I now realise I can’t possibly squeeze it all in one week. So I will continue posting about little walks, wanders, discoveries and personal moments over time as usual. For those of you planning to visit Amsterdam at some point in your life, be sure to check out my Amsterdam category before you head in this direction, it will make your trip that much more intimate than following a guided map. One day I’d love to write a book about my favourite shops and experiences here. One fine day, as I always say!

Here is a quick list of more things I love to do in Amsterdam…

A Few Favourite Wanders:

A Few Favourite Bars:

A Few Favourite Eateries:

Happy one year anniversary my dear friend, thanks for having me and I do hope we get to share many more wonderful times together (but in the meantime, could you do something about the weather? I’d be much obliged).

………………………………..

Etsy Faves up next! And something arrived in the mail for me from someone special in France, I can’t wait to show you (except that I’ve already eaten half the gift. oops.)

I know, jaw dropping right? But wait, there is more…

Welcome to interior designer Odette Welvaars antique boutique, and her daughter, artist Julie Arphi’s atelier…

This special place is tucked in on the prinsengracht, just around the corner from the main antique quarter (the street that leads from the Rijks Museum, as you saw here). Everytime I walk into this antique + atelier I am transported into a wonderland of yesterdays – Odette sources the most incredible antiques around Europe, most coming from Sweden and France, while Julie’s art takes my breath away…

I have fallen head over heels for her wood paintings, and her studio out the back of the storefront is a dream.

I look down and gasp – these stools are so beautiful, I nearly fainted when I first spotted them…

I look up and gasp again – magnificent chandeliers dangle from the skylight…

There is no website for the boutique so you will just have to be satisfied with this little sneak peek for the moment, until your next visit to Amsterdam! By now you must be getting a good idea of why I love my new hometown so much. Amsterdam honey, cheers to our one-year anniversary! xx

…………………………………………

PS. If you’d like more info about Odette or Julie’s work, you can contact Odette on 020-662-4062, or Julie on 020-620 4074. The address is Prinsengracht 827, and the store is open from 11-8pm from tuesday to friday, and then 11-5pm on saturdays.

PPS I’ve had the pleasure of having a sneak peak through Odette’s home above the shop. All I can say is this: gasp!shriek!sigh…it’s incredible. Perhaps I can show you one day.