Yes, it’s the holiday season and I’m in a state of euphoria. The aroma of pine and bittersweet chocolate cookies fill my home. This time of year I can feel the infectious holiday cheer that bounces around our home. I can taste candy canes and pecan pie bounce in my mouth. This wondrous season oozes magic, and it’s always been important for me to share this delight with my loved ones. I’m excited about purchasing that perfect gift for my friends and family. If you’re anything like me, I want the gifts to be unique, meaningful and to provoke a feeling. I yearn for the gift that’s a notch up from last year. It’s a crazy world we live in and everyday luxuries aren’t always our top priority. Give a gift that says something about that person. Top it off with a glistening red bow, pass it along and make your loved ones feel a little more confident and special. The gift should say I was purchased with love and we have a connection.
My curated list will make for a merry and bright holiday season. “My favorites” make my heart pitter patter at the thought of them. Be the best gift giver you can be!
AMARA
AMARA is a great source for luxury home brands. Whether you’re looking for a gift for a woman, man, couple, children or pets, it’s a place that’s about bringing designer style and expert knowledge to a loved one’s home.
In 2005 Amara began as a designer homeware shop in Massachusetts by husband and wife team, Andrew and Sam Hood. Since then, it has grown into a global ecommerce retailer featuring thousands of products and hundreds of the world’s most luxurious home fashion brands. The first big names in home fashion have been with Amara from the start, including Missoni Home and William Yeoward Crystal and from these they continued to build the luxury homeware empire. Take a look, enjoy and shop around today!
TUNI’S is a fashion forward and edgy woman’s clothing boutique that I’ve long admired. Owners Tuni and Paige opened their doors in 1986 and have been going strong ever since. Tuni was born in NJ and was raised in the manufacturing business in the garment district. Her fondness and passion for fashion has made their business a true success. “Customers feel our clothes and accessories are real, they feel we are real”, both Paige and Tuni have said. When you purchase a gift from Tuni’s I call it a “forever gift”. Their stunners are made with the finest materials. The clothes are multigenerational and if they could talk they would say “feel good about yourself, you’re beautiful and you’re worth it”. I have fond a strong link between their pieces and how you feel. After worn the fond memories of confidence and admiration are valued long after they have been worn. They are adorned with memories and placed back into your loved one’s closet they will forever hold an invisible tag of love. Go ahead take a peek at Tuni’s website. Your loved one will feel a little more beautiful, diverse and intelligent after given a gift from their boutique.
Tuni has your heel situation, totes handled, for the holiday season. With an influx of holiday pumps, they’ve heightened their collection of lust-worthy lifts just in time for shopping season and annual get-togethers!
As any pet parent will tell you, we love to give our furry friends gifts for the holiday season. Dogs contribute so much to our animal lovers lives and there’s great satisfaction in their displays of affection they give all year. The holidays are a great time to give our pets a little treat for making our lives a little more enjoyable. Whether it’s a box filled with treats, a crystal encrusted collar or adorable outfit, your pooches are sure to love them all.
BE ON PARK is one of my favorite all time jewelry stores. They have a curation of the finest and best jewelry designers. Their pieces stand the test of time and make the most beautiful gifts. From their beginning to existence, Be On Park has been draping women and men in jewels for over two decades. When worn, the pieces act as a form of expression and overtime form a collection of who you are. Below are a few of my favorite designers and pieces that I adore, and I hope you do as well.
Armenta:
Company history in her own words: “I believe that through art we have a voice and a message that needs to be heard. The underlying message that is intricately woven through out each collection is to challenge the status quo, embrace diversity, and embrace the struggle to make a difference.
Elizabeth Locke:
Elizabeth tirelessly travels the world in pursuit of the uncommon elements that make up her designs: coins from classical Greece and Rome or from forgotten empires; richly colored Venetian glass intaglios made from 17th-century molds; antique carnelian and sardonyx seals; luminous South Sea pearls; cabochon stones of vibrant hues; minutely intricate 19th-century micromosaics from Italy; and 18th-century gambling counters carved in mother-of-pearl.
Roberto Coin:
Roberto Coin signs each one of his pieces with a small ruby casted inside the jewel, in direct contact with the skin of who wears it. This magical signature, surrounded by an antique halo of legend, represents the message of good wishes that Roberto Coin dedicates to his passionate clientele
VERO BEACH HOTEL & SPA
My husband and I love weekend getaways and the intimate Vero Beach Hotel & Spa has been one of our favorite places to escape. It’s an exquisite, ocean front boutique hotel along a long and unspoiled beach. It’s a rare gem and I’m happy to share it with you. Their stylish rooms are grand and well thought out. There’s a relaxed vibe that is felt from the moment you check in, making unwinding inevitable. The staff is delightful and accommodating. From sunrise to sunset, you can enjoy a variety of colorful meals from Cobalt or Heaton’s Reef, the contemporary restaurants within this fine hotel. Savor the fresh seafood then gather around the oceanfront fire pit, while enjoying live music with a freshly made mojito. During the day stroll along Vero Beach’s boutique shopping district that features a diverse selection of shops and sprinkled with beach friendly services.
A weekend getaway could be the perfect gift for your loved one. Fill a gift box with fun accessories like sunscreen, glasses and a book to relax with. Then add a picture of this gorgeous hotel. The gift of travel can create lasting memories that will carry well past the holiday season.
GRACE GALLERY
GRACE GALLERY is a place where I go to when I’m looking for a piece of art that speaks to me. The pieces speak in a language that I understand. The works of art are hung in a sweet nook of Park Avenue. Lael DeWahl, the owner and director at Grace Gallery began her love of art as the daughter of two artists in Old Lyme, Connecticut. “I love the connection that is achieved by an artist with a stranger, this is where the magic lies for me”, says Lael. The surrounding beauty and importance of the artists who were inspired by the area had influenced her taste. The pieces she so intelligently chooses evoke an emotional response within her buyers. When you arrive at her gallery, Lael is there to help you choose the perfect gift. You will feel an immediate connection. Her passion for art will drape you ever so softly in a blanket of grace and sweet nostalgia.
Francesca DiStefano is an Italian native living in Rome. Best known for her city scenes and Tuscan landscapes, always painted on location with buttery oils that light up the canvas.
Tuscan sunflowers, Francesca Distefano, 4 x 11, oil on canvas, $550
Campo do fiori, Francesca Distefano, 4 x 11, original oil on board $ 550
With over 30,000sq ft of spectacular vintage treasures & antiques, owner Jeremy Thompson has created stores that will add something truly unique to your loved ones home. His store has taught him to see the beauty in everything. His stores embody all of him. His love for old things and the passion to be around things that tell stories and have lived many lives, makes his stores one of my favorite things. His stores consist of many vendors with wonderful tastes, unique visions and the desire or work hard finding treasures.
At Unhinged (Adjectives sister store), they recover and rescue old pieces. They work hard at finding treasures and bringing them back to glory and silencing their many voices. When a gift is purchased at Adjectives they make a home unique and beautiful. You can bring your own piece of furniture into the Altamonte Springs store to be restored. They have a large variety of paints and finishes to choose from. They take great pride in honoring the pieces you bring in. They will bring your vision to life in the most pleasing way. Surprise your loved ones this holiday season and have their childhood chair, table, headboard or sofa restored so these pieces can be around to tell their story for many years to come.