Top picks from the Martha Stewart craft sale

My good friend Leah, my good camera, and my good self braved the rainy/snowy NYC afternoon today and headed over to the very first Holiday Craft Sale featuring items made by several employees of Martha Stewart.

And oh-ho-ho my. Please witness this cuteness:

Each of these amazing acorn pendants by Hosanna Houser is named after the location where she found the original acron. She'll soon be opening an etsy site to sell the necklaces (our favorite item from the sale!); in the meantime, you can order them at hhjewelry@yahoo.com.

The cute girls from Handle & Spout whipped up these equally-as-cute hair pins.

This pimento cheese by Blondie's Southern Sweets and Savories made me question my previously held belief that I didn't like pimento cheese. Contact slapyomomma@gmail.com to order. Or to tell her that you dig her gmail handle.

Mini Notes from LoveTeenie make me want to write a tiny little hello to tiny little friends (big giant ones, too).

I loved the sweet detail on this platter by Gleena Ceramics.

These chunky-Mondrian-colored necklaces from JodiL made me smile. (And also crave candy. But that's totally unrelated.)

Check out a few more pics from the sale on my Flickr stream.

‘Tis the season: Gift Guides are back (!)

This is my favorite time of year. And no, it's not because of the heaps of turkey and dressing coming down the pike. It's not the white lights starting to go up everywhere. It's not "Winter Wonderland" playing in stores or even the promise of my mom's red-velvet cake on the afternoon of December 25 (although, that one's a pretty close call).

This is the time when alllllll the magazines everywhere bust out their gift guides for the holidays--and ya'll, I LOVE a gift guide like nothin' else. Here are some quick ooh-I-want/need/covet-this picks from some of the best I've seen thus far:

New York Magazine

Bookshelf Book Cover Set, $9

Cardi-Vest with Mitten Pockets by Kico Kids, $98

Twill Briefcase by Jack Spade, $445

Travel + Leisure

Nudo extra virgin olive oil, $13.99

The Time Teller watch from Nixon, $55

The classic French cookbook I Know How to Cook by Ginette Mathiot, $29.70

Bon Appetit

Ice Bucket, $135, Available at Zinc Cafe & Market

American Modern sugar bowl, $30

Lolo Brushed Salad Set, $70

Real Simple

Salt Sampler, $20

Lego Museum Building Set, $40

Pantone baggage tags, $15 each

In Style

Tea towels, $16 each (get 20% off with code INSTYLE09)

Bicycle clips for pants with "wing" design, $18 (get 20% off with code INSTYLE09)

Diamond Rectangle Pillows, $140 each

Lucky

Custom canvas bag with racer stripe, $78

Twine silk-screened LOVE print, $30

Flensted Mobiles Future Mobile, $64

Repeat Offenders (gifts listed by more than one mag)

Headphones by WeSC, $60 (In Style and New York)

Reissued Penguin Hardcover Classics, $20 each (Real Simple and Lucky)

The Onion: Our Front Pages, $28 (Real Simple and, even though their guides aren't out yet, I bet Entertainment Weekly and People will list it...it's a total no-brainer)

Did I miss anything good? If so, clue me in...