Cheers! It's a Time to Celebrate!

To my wonderful readers, thank you for starting this blogging journey with me. I'm excited to let you know that the "Things Are Lookin' Up!" explorations and inspirations will be centered around a new home in 2011: San Francisco! So I hope you come with me on this new adventure as I plan to document new finds and inspirations in the City by the Bay.

Hand Embellished Serigraph on Canvas, by Vadik Suljakov

For now, here's an inspiration for a new mixed drink (or 2, 3, 4) that you should introduce at your family or friend gathering this Christmas or New Years. Thank you NYTimes for another fabulous visual graphic/interactive unit.

NYTimes Interactive Holiday Drink Feature
Enjoy and Merry Christmas!
Jill

Apple Smash, yum.

Auld Lang, now that's something to sing about

Magazines Past & Present: One is Silver & The Other Gold

Do you miss Domino like I do?


There's just nothing like flipping through a wonderful glossy of glorious photos, fabulous tips on finding the perfect little something for your home, updating your wardrobe for a new season, discovering a new recipe, etc... and while Sunset, House Beautiful, Cooking Light and Elle Decor are wonderful - Domino just had that something extra...and relevant to the 20-something demo. Unfortunately too few of us felt that way, so the magazine went by the wayside.

However, many of the editors/writers/photographers who used to keep Domino on the newsstand have developed a wonderful online magazine quite similar the beloved Domino. It's called rue, and if you haven't checked it out yet. DO IT! Turn it to full screen and pretend for a second that you have an iPad, because the formatting of this display is slick!


Edition #2 is out and it's definitely a source of inspirations worth sharing. Enjoy ~ Jill

Make It Personal

No one likes a recession. However, I will say that reading about increased saving patterns among Americans and a decrease in excess spending leads me to believe that we're getting back to a more healthy balance of wonderful little splurges & daily habits of practicality. Which leads me to the topic of... homemade gifts!

Peppermint Hot Fudge? Yes, please! Definitely looking into that recipe...

Apartment Therapy, a favorite blog of mine, has an extension called: The Kitchn - which sends out a wonderful weekly email containing fun "must-have" kitchen tools, cooking trends, tips for entertaining, remodeling, etc... Well, this week's email had such a great topic that I thought it would be a perfect inspiration for those of you who follow my blog. It's a compilation of 40 homemade oils, granola, cocktail concoctions and more... so perfect for a hostess gift or to batch-prep for a group of girlfriends. (I'd include the recipe so they can enjoy making the refill when your present runs out!)

Chocolate Balsamic, an absolute must-try. I've never combined those two....

Skillet Toffee, always a winner w/ the Imig family...

Enjoy! And keep an eye on The Kitchn for fabulous kitchen how-to's throughout the year.
Happy December ~Jill