While the holidays are always a wonderful time, shopping can be stressful: What do you give that favourite creative colleague, born-to-be-a-decorator daughter or undefinably fashionable best friend?
Let me inspire you with some of the items on my wish list this Christmas.
Books
My favourite space in the house is my library. I love books, and they speak volumes about who we are. I have a couple of favourite publishing houses that I go to when looking for just the right book:
Assouline Publications Inc. (assouline.com) publishes the most fabulous luxury fashion books - you’ll drool through pages of inspiration. On my list this year are the new Pierre Cardin: 60 Years of Innovation, Putman Style, Special Edition and the Chanel three-book set.
DK.com is my go-to publishing house for travel books. Two of my favorites are India: People, Place, Culture, History and China: People, Place, Culture, History.
The Monacelli Press (randomhouse.com/monacelli)is great for home fashion, with such amazing and inspiring volumes as Dark Nostalgia, Designers Here and There and Monochrome.
Books are always a welcome gift. Don't forget to inscribe a simple personalized message on the inside cover so that your loved one will always remember your thoughtfulness.
Candles
Beautiful candles are always in style and look great in every stylish space. Look for candles made from beeswax or soy wax, for a healthy and aromatic burn. Moss, one of my daughter’s favourite design stores in New York, offers great gifts for every budget in their online boutique (mossonline.com). The Cactus Candle made their great gift guide this season.
Wine
To keep those creative juices flowing, give the gift of wine.
How about a bottle of wine from Canada’s winery of the year, Summerhill Pyramid Winery, in my hometown of Kelowna, B.C.? It’s Canada’s premier and largest certified organic winery, and I can vouch for both their ice wines and sparkling wines. Check their website (summerhill.bc.ca) for national shipping or visit your favourite specialty wine store.
Another personal touch is to get your bottle inscribed with a message, phrase or lyric. This inexpensive and unexpected touch can make it the perfect solution for that hard-to-buy-for person.
Flowers
How about black tulip bulbs? Black is my favourite colour, and a few years back, one of my best friends surprised me at Christmas with some of these exotic beauties she picked up on a trip to Holland months before. I’ve been enjoying them every spring since.
Online deals
My daughter’s been obsessing about eBay and online shopping lately. Often, shopping websites — even those of your favourite chain stores — offer special online-only discounts and promotions. Don’t be afraid to splurge online and save a little in the process.
Be a wrap star
Whatever gift you choose, go the extra mile and make sure it’s wrapped with thought and care. As I always say, curb appeal matters just as much as interior design when it comes to first impressions.
Find a great wrap that colour co-ordinates with your present, for example, or use a fabulous fabric instead. Then accessorize with ribbons, glued-on jewels or miscellaneous objects you wouldn’t normally think to use while wrapping: a disco ball tree decoration, a gourmet candy cane or even a small white dove ornament.
Above all, let me wish you happy holidays — and happy shopping!
Cheryll Gillespie is an internationally celebrated, award-winning designer with a passion for travel. Visit her website at cheryllgillespie.com.
DESIGNER SECRET
Give the fireplace a new look with a natural cedar wreath set slightly off-centre on the mantel, then add as many pillar-type candle holders as you can – 25 to 30 would not bother me! Then sprinkle a smattering of glass ornaments between the pillars and – voila! – a designer mantel.
DESIGNER CLEAN
It’s a pain cleaning all the tiny parts on a crystal chandelier, glass tree ornaments or vases. To make life easier and ensure all your crystal and glass pieces sparkle this season, try washing them in the dishwasher on a gentle or light wash cycle. Remove them while wearing cotton gloves, the kind you wear for hand treatments, which are available in your grocer’s pharmacy section.
