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Anna Getty, sustainable local organic chef, prepares a delicious appetizer for us. Once again our friend Brendan Hines is a handy sous chef and plays straight man to Anna - or is it the other way around? SecondSHFT holiday cheer recipe from Anna's cookbook, I'M DREAMING OF A GREEN CHRISTMAS....read more
Great piece in Design Observer from a couple months ago exploring the new economy of the Christmas tree, which is being redefined by growing environmental consciousness and recession frugality. Highlighting some of the tensions that exist in the Christmas ritual - pagan vs. Christian, natural vs. artifical - the essay goes on to underline some of the welcome trends in Christmas tree production......read more
With this succulent ornament, SHFT friend and garden genius extraordinaire Flora Grubb has created the most meta Christmas decoration of the season. Mounted on 3.5-inch handcrafted ornamental hooks, the live aeonium or echeveria cuttings look a bit like dangling earrings. "We got the idea for these ornaments when we noticed that succulent cuttings remain vibrant for months here......read more
If you're anything like us, Christmas present wrapping gets done on Christmas eve or, if we're lucky, the day before. For all us last-minuters out there, MNN has outlined some simple instructions for wrapping things in an eco-friendly manner. Here's the low-down on keeping your gifts gorgeous but green, from MNN correspondent Cy Tottleben: If you love the game of creating a beautiful mystery......read more
A single strand of burnt-out Christmas lights weighs almost nothing in the hand. But a bale of burnt-out Christmas tree lights the size of a love seat? That weighs around 2200 pounds, according to Raymond Li, the general manager of Yong Chang Processing, a scrap metal processor in the southern Chinese town of Shijiao. He would know: on a recent Saturday morning I stood between him and three such......read more
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, everyone's favorite Will Oldham alias, has teamed with frequent collaborator Dawn McCarthy (of Faun Fables) on a holiday-themed 7″ featuring a pair of Everly Brothers covers. The video for “Christmas Eve Can Kill You” eschews typical holiday symbols -- snow, presents, lights -- in favor of the good vibes that come with......read more
New York Mouth, online purveyors of artisanal "indie" food from the five boroughs, has assembled what may be the perfect kit for Christmas morning. For parents, there is Bloody Mary Mix from McClure's. Just add some pickled okra (included) and a few fingers of vodka and feel the holiday stress fade away. For the kids, there is delicious Nunu's hot chocolate and a cheery Brooklyn Hard......read more
Here's an old but great holiday-themed animation by HunterGatherer (aka Brooklyn-based artist/designer Todd St. John). "Circle Squared," originally released in 2007, was commissioned by T Magazine for the Christmas season. The story is told through stop-motion animation, using toy-like hand-made wooden forms, which interact similarly to the way Russian dolls nest. These cube-animal shapes......read more
Salumist Elias has created this box for Olympic Provisions based on a Christmas he spent in France. This beautiful handcrafted wood box contains 100% lean anti-biotic free Pacific Northwest pork salami that ranges in taste from simple to festive. Work your way through three different pork terrines and finish with a decadent chocolate ganache they like to call a Saucisson Au Chocolat. A box of......read more
Flora Grubb's fantastic plant boutique is Bay Area's hub for local, seasonal horticulture. Above and beyond the creative plant offerings on Grubb's menu are these Handcrafted Forest Floor Ornaments, containing living environments of Tillandsia air-plants, lichens, mosses and other forest trimmings. Adding an extraordinary element to holiday decoration, the Forest Floor Ornaments......read more
