Kingsley to L&H

Lucky girl gets an early Christmas present today... hanging out with Mom & Dad in the office:)

Christmas Cards: Kari Herer Photography

The Christmas cards are rolling in & this has to be one of my favorite - especially when it comes from a business, which generally don't catch my eye. Kari shot our wedding line this summer and was an absolute delight to work with!

With Love

Every Christmas, I get the most amazing decorations from my friend's mother, who is not only like a mother to me, but is a dear friend, a mentor, and an inspiration in so many ways. She is a natural caregiver and mother and an extremely talented woman in her own right - photographer, painter, florist, quilter, decorator (you'd die to see the way she works the insides of her walls). Much of my aesthetic, my appreciation for the whimsical, and my attention to simple pleasures was shaped by her around the time when my mom passed away. She doesn't know it, but she filled a void in my life in more ways than being a mother-figure, a hand-holder, and a listener. She really allowed my creative spirit to come to life by encouraging me and showing me what was possible. I know that sounds really cheesy, but I believe it one hundred percent. I owe much of my creative confidence to her!

So now you know how much this incredible person means to me:) Above are these beautiful branches she gave us this year. They have lights at the tips that cast an amazing glow over everything. Seeing them in the package, I was worried they might have that LED blue-ish light that is way too strong for my eyes. But no, it's so soft and so pleasant. And the best part is, unlike our Christmas tree, I'll be able to have these up long after the holidays.

Thanks, N! We love you.

Bon Iver

Went to see Bon Iver on Friday night at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. They played some great ones, but The Outfield's Your Love was a definite highlight.

Thank You, Cookie!

Cookie Magazine's Nesting blog mentioned our vintage stationery yesterday. Thanks, Cookie!

L&H: Redesigned

I haven't posted much on our Redesigned Line lately - and I really should because I like it now more than ever, thanks to the great hands behind these little gems. Each one is assembled by hand from letterpress misprints. I so want to keep the citron & pink flower pin with that big shiny gold button and wear it with this strawberry skirt!

Gingerbread Houses

I looooove gingerbread houses, so I was like a little kid on Christmas when I found these from Katy Elliott from the Gingerbread Festival in Marblehead, MA. I gave a gingerbread house as a gift a couple years ago. And last year, I was asked to do an invitation for a gingerbread house party (love that). I pathetically attempted to get our nieces & nephews to make gingerbread houses from graham crackers last year, too. (Nothing beats the real thing.) See more from Katy's day at the festival here.

[photos courtesy of Katy Elliott]

Leo Lionni

My fourth grade play was Tico and the Golden Wings. At the time, I had little-to-no idea where the play came from. As in, I thought my music teacher had made it up. I was so happy to see Julia had featured it on her blog recently and reminded me of the very talented work of Leo Lionni. If & when I have children, I want them to be surrounded by images like these.

[images courtesy of Book By Its Cover]

20% off for Friends & Family

Only 17 days of shopping before Christmas is here. (Why does that feel like it's tomorrow??) Enter "friends" at checkout to receive 20% off through December 19. Happy holiday shopping from L&H!

Movin' on Up!

We're trekking up to the Upper East Side today & tomorrow for the Golden Tree Holiday Shopping Fair that benefits the New York Junior League causes. The New York Junior League generates funding for 29 community service programs addressing some of New York's needs - primarily dealing with children and womens' issues. The New York Junior League funds all programs through direct contributions from individual donors, corporations and foundations, as well as with proceeds from fundraising events and programs such as Golden Tree.

Have a great weekend! We'll be back Monday with a little holiday treat.

Thank You, d

A big BIG thank you to domino for featuring our personalized notepads in this month's issue! If you read this blog, you know how crazy I am for notepads. The personalization is an added bonus. And a great gift:)

Christopher Bettig

Christopher Bettig from The Moutain Label has some great prints right now. This one is my favorite - and would make an excellent gift. I am also pretty fond of his Richie Tenenbaum figure. That is a great movie.


[photos courtesy of the mountain label]

I'm Sorry, from the Dog

This is what happens when my little four-legged baby acts up... I write I'm Sorry notes. Today, I'm sending my second I'm Sorry note from Kingsley. The first was to our niece whose American Girl, Nicki, became One-Arm Nicki after a visit to Brooklyn and had to be sent away to the "hospital" for two weeks to get a new arm. This one is going to my one and a half year old nephew who Kingsley knocked over, stood on top of, and licked from head to toe over Thanksgiving. In her note, Kingsley apologizes for mistaking him for a bar of soap back in Brooklyn that she so loves and promises to try harder not to make that mistake again. I cringe every time she does something bad around people, but to do it to them is a whole other issue and definitely requires a sincere I'm Sorry note, from the dog.

IM in Training: FINISHERS!

I could not believe it the day after, and I still cannot believe it a week later. For the past seven months, John & I have been training six days a week for anywhere from one to five hours a day. It was easy at first and progressively got harder as the volume increased. We turned down dinners, concerts, weekends away, countless beers, our dog got pudgy, we woke up before the sun, we ate whatever we wanted and were cranky when we couldn't, we trained in the summer heat and the cold mornings of early fall. We did it to prove to ourselves that we could. And we did. We crossed the line when all bodily signs pointed towards stop/rest/quit/sit. John said it was the most humbling experience of his life. I could not agree more.

[photos by Lizzy]