Old stuff! I’m so into it.

As you maybe already noticed, I spend most of my free time at antique shops and flea markets. Nearly all of my furniture is vintage, but I never considered shopping for furniture online because pain in my butt. That is, until Chairish.

Chairish is a curated collection of designer vintage furniture. Making it easy to buy furniture online, and much simpler to sell and ship it, is their thing. Suggested prices are about what you’d pay at the Alameda Flea for furniture made by well-known designers, but they also have a “make an offer” button that lets you interact with the seller (in your pajamas with a glass of wine).

I put together a full collection of my favorite pieces here so go look. Chairish also asked me to put together a couple of dream rooms from their collection, so I went with Boy Meets Girl living spaces — strong silhouettes and feminine lines.

Shop for the pieces above: 1. Handblown Blue Glass Goblet 2. Henri Mathieu Moon Light 3. Soft Grey Chesterfield Sofa 4. Portrait of a Bare Shouldered Woman, Oil Painting by G. Dangman 5. Shagreen Cocktail Table 6. Midcentury Desk with Rear-Facing Bookshelf And below: 7. Mid-Century Jade Velvet Chair 8. Pagoda Plant Stand or Charging Station 9. Color-Pop Ginger Jars 10. Woman with Fan, Oil Painting by Kathryn Jenkins 11. Bachelorette Pink Linen Sofa 12. Deco Brass Floor Lamp

Download their free app if you want to browse their collection on your commute, or submit your own items by uploading a photo and info in about five minutes.

If you’d like a little head start on your decorating budget, enter the Chairish + Mighty Girl Giveaway for a $250 credit on Chairish. Here’s how to win:

1. Visit the giveaway page and enter your email address,
2. Go to the Chairish site or app and find something you want,
3. Leave a comment below with your favorite item.

Then cross your fingers. One winner will be chosen April 17. This is open to U.S. readers only, though this does not diminish my affection for Canadians, and Brits, and Aussies. Don’t you even think it. (Also, pro tip: There’s still time to enter over on Design Mom, and Door Sixteen, so up your odds.)

This post is in partnership with Chairish. I picked all the items on my own, in my pajamas with a glass of wine, and I will take any one of them and put them in my house. Twist my arm.

No one is sending you flowers. No one is coming home with a heart-shaped box of chocolate. But screw it. You know where to get flowers, and you’ve been working out anyway. This Valentine’s Day, you’re taking care of your own damn self.

Hand-engraved F*** Off Heart Locket, $30

Finally, a piece of heart-shaped jewelry you can get behind.

Jersey Sweater Night Onesie, $65

For a short while you’ve got no one to impress but yourself. Let’s do this.

Smudge Trio, $12

What the hell. Couldn’t hurt.

“I’m surrounded by assholes.” French Mug, $12

You’re not alone. You’re particular.

I’m Fine T-Shirt, $22

What? The invitation said “wear red.”

Don’t Care Tote, $12

You’ve got your own stuff, man.

Key Bottle Opener, $12

Your key ring, and your soul, are so much lighter without the extra apartment key. Let’s make better use of that space. Cheers, Valentine.

You’re in love! This calls for a commemorative mug.

Locket Pin or Tie Tack, $17
Wear it on your sleeve.

A DIY Love Card Deck
Read ’em and weep.

Boom. You Just Got Loved Mug, $19
The mug that says, “I let you sleep in while I made you coffee.”

Continue reading “Valentine’s Day Gift Guide 2014” →

Tell the Nerd you care. You how hard it is to find someone who gets all your jokes.

1. You Autocomplete Me Valentine

2. Calculator Boobies Valentine

3. Used Bookstore Greeting Card

4. Dr. Who Valentine’s Day Card

5. Entropy Card

6. Han Solo Letterpress Valentine

7. Finn Adventuretime Valentine’s Day Card

8. Sexy Motherfucker Periodic Table Valentine

9. Anatomy Valentine’s Day Card

10. Geometry Valentine

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Nerds in Love, Top 10 Valentines for Geeks
I Love You, Nerd Valentine
Nerd Valentine board on Pinterest
XOXO, The Doubleclicks, and Geek Girl Culture

We need new Christmas stockings. I pinned some pretty options on a Christmas Stockings board. Still, I can’t shake the urge to run to the drug store, buy the red faux-fur ones I had as a kid, and write our names on them in glitter and Elmer’s Glue.

Wall Christmas Tree by All The Luck in the World

You don’t have room for a couch, let alone a tree.

Who made this? Was it you? Tell me in comments so the Internet can laude you.

Or maybe pine trees don’t exist in your country.

If you’re looking for options, I made a pinboard of festive Christmas Tree Alternatives. But won’t you miss that Christmas tree smell? Oh wait. Thanks, science.

If you like this post, you might also like:
My Top Ten Favorite Christmas Songs
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What I’m most grateful for this Thanksgiving is that someone else is cooking. So instead of ordering turkey, I’m shopping for host gifts. Keeping a stash is less work than running an errand every time, but sometimes the cupboards are bare. So this is a mix of grab-on-the-go and order ahead, with some ideas on how to take a gift to the next level for someone who’s done something really nice for you. These are also my universal standbys for hosts who don’t like “stuff,” because all of them are consumable or easy to pass along.

Prince Vladimir Tea by Kusmi, $25

I’m all about tea, and you should try Prince Vladimir. I first had it over high tea at a schmancy hotel in San Francisco. It’s fragrant, caffeinated, and widely appealing even to folks who don’t usually love tea. This one is loose leaf, but the teabag version is a little cheaper.

Upgrade: Pack it with some steepers, a set of handmade mugs, or a pretty teacup.

Mt. Tam Triple Cream Brie by Cowgirl Creamery $18

This is the cheese version of homemade whipped cream. It’s so much creamier than all other cheeses, and they have it at my corner store. So while I don’t keep cheese in my cupboard, I do…

Upgrade: I buy silver plated cheese spreaders whenever I see them at garage sales or thrift stores (they’re like $3), but you can get new ones at Williams Sonoma or Sur le Table. Tape one to the top of a block of cheese with colorful Washi tape, and you’re Martha H. Stewart. If you want to go wild, throw in a little bag of raw almonds and a bar of nice chocolate.

Bulleit Bourbon, $27

If you know your hosts like whiskey, or booze in general, Bulleit is a solid mixing bourbon that’s also fine on the rocks. Makes great Manhattans, so…

Upgrade by throwing in a jar of:

Amarena Cherries, $16
These are nothing like maraschino cherries. The texture is dense, and the cherries have a rich, fruity flavor. Incredible in Manhattans, but also great as dessert topper.

Asphalt Jungle Mix by Recchiuti, $13

I used to keep a bag of these on my desk because it satisfies every sweet craving. Chewy chocolate covered dried cherries, slightly salty crunchy hazelnuts, and so on. Then I kept pouring the whole bag into my face so I had to stop.

Upgrade: Recchiuti chocolate is ludicrously good, and they make options in every price range — all the way up to a giant box that’s a few hundred dollars, which makes a great gift for an entire office. They’re also little obscure, so people will think you’re their personal Willy Wonka.

Sofia Mini Blanc de Blancs, $20

I’ve been talking about these for years, they’re just so freaking cute. Are they any good? Well. They’re not great. I mean, it’s canned champagne? But they’re too perfect for a brunch, a picnic, a girls’ night out. They have telescoping straws stuck to the side. I mean.

Upgrade: Eh. If someone is cooking you Thanksgiving dinner, or letting you crash with them? Go with a bottle of Veuve Cliquot.

And let me know if you have any go-to host gifts. I’m always looking to increase the stash.

I’m about to leave for my second year at XOXO in Portland, a technology and art festival put together by my friend Andy Baio and co-founder Andy McMillan, who wanted to recapture the feeling of possibility and camaraderie he missed from the early days of SxSW Interactive.

Last year the festival had a sort of craft fair in the lobby, and these were some of my favorite things:

We Flashy, killer reflective wear for creatures of the night.

Print mashup from Berkley Illustration.

A Bikesexuality Zine. Ding!Ding!

And among my favorite objects of all time, Campfire Cologne.

I may never wash this sweater again. Or my hair.

Stop looking at me like that.

Are you going to XOXO? And/or do you wash your hair after a campfire?

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