Happy Holidays

Hope it's merry and bright.

Deck the Halls

Besides the christmas tree, I think the wreath is my favorite holiday decoration. We always get one all made of succulents from my parents.

It's the best, because after it's done hanging on our door, we can plant it in the garden and enjoy it all over again.

All Dressed Up

There's nothing like getting all done up for a night at the ballet to get me into the holiday spirit. We went to see Mathew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty at the LA Music Center during it's short run. It was a little strange, like all his work, and completely marvelous. 

a gift that keeps giving

For our Christmas tree (Hanuka bush) this year we got a Satsuma mandarin orange. It's leaves are lovely and it smells of citrus blossoms. I can't wait to plant it in our yard.

Merry Christmas!

May all your wildest holiday dreams come true.

hearts & crafts

I gotta say it was a good day. Not only did I have my heart warmed by little singers at Oak Grove School's Winter Assembly, but we had some of our Little City pieces bought by a lovely shop in Ojai. 

The store is called Modern Folk Living and it has a perfectly curated selection of clothing, decor and gifties, all consciously & carefully made. Wanda, the owner, purchased some of our new organic scarves and organic ladies scoop neck Ts with the wintery Horned Beast design. 

I'm most excited that she's taken our newest hearted hoody designs. These we don't even have these in our Etsy shop yet so they are EXCLUSIVE to Modern Folk. The deep red patch above is what we used on these new pieces, stitched with gold thread on black heather, organic blend hoodies. They're precious, if I do say so myself.

So if you're in the Ojai or Ventura area, and have always wanted to see Little City's organic lovelies in person, now your chance! Maybe I'll see you there as I plan to do a little holiday shopping at this wonderful lil' shop. Click {here} for more information and directions.

New Coat

Mom gave me an early Hanuka present. Oooh I just love my new coat. I feel a bit like Lady Hawk when I put the hood on.

{these photos are from my Instagram collection. Do you Instagram? Maybe we could be photo sharing pals. My handle is miabot. Come find me.}

Polaroid Holiday

Now available in Little City Design's Etsy shop. Click {here} to browse.

beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I found an amazing collection of old Santas while I was downtown last Sunday.

I think I'd like to wander through the antique malls again this weekend, see what other old timey holiday treasures I can find and photograph. Maybe there will even be a little time to make our bungalow seasonally festive. 

What about you? Any Christmas or Hanuka decorating in your near future? Whatever you plans, I hope your weekend sparkles like tinsel and smells like fresh pines.

Bloomin' Heart Scarf

Brand new in Little City's Etsy shop... our Bloomin' Heart scarf. Completely original, hand printed design, 2 sided styling in delicious plum and deep burgundy jersey with contrast stitching on the edges in a gun smoke gray.



This scarf is so soft and so luscious. A perfect holiday giftie for a stylish some one. Click {here} to shop.

P.S. 'Board' readers get 15% anything and everything in our Etsy shop with code THEBOARD.

Handmade Holiday Bazaar & Ballyhoo!

Little City Designs be selling our organic apparel at this heavenly handmade event in Downtown Ventura this Saturday. And there will be other talented local artisans showcasing their handmade goods. Our Bazaar is during the Winter Wine Walk, so you can sip while you shop. Click {here} for more info.

holiday lull

Apologies for my long absence. I have been taking some time away from the laptop to enjoy my family. Hopefully I'll be back on it just as soon as the holiday glitter and dust settles. For now, here are some polaroids of our backyard poinsettias. They are such glorious flowers.

Precious Presents

Now that all the holiday gifts are finally opened I can share with you some of the highlights.

Among the best given were a perfect vintage shirt for my brother, with white glass snaps and just the right amount of sparkle. Another of my favorites were these owl face cuff links with crystal eyes, given to my sweetheart.

And as for me... I was absolutely spoiled with new treasures. Some of the most loved were these books of Dorothy Parker's poetry. They're so beautiful.

And you? Now that you've had some time to reflect, were there any standout treasures that you gave or got?

{Cuff links by Cosmic Firefly. Photos by me, Mia Bortolussi.}

dragging it out

Thought I'd show you all a photo of our Christmas tree in full glory...

... just before we drag it out to the trash.

Cracked Custard Pie

So sorry for my long silence. I've given myself slaps on the wrist for not being a better blogger. My excuse is distraction... between my mother being ill and the holidays and what not I just haven't been focused on The Board. At any rate, I hope you all had wonderful holidays and I can't wait to hear what presents you all gave and got.

Above is a photo of my Christmas Eve pie, named 'Cracked Custard' for obvious reasons. This was the first sweet potato pie I've eaten warm and it was quite delicious, especially when shared with good company.

Deck the Halls

Last night we bought a Christmas tree. Today we decorate.

I love these photos by Christian Metzler. He has some great images in his Self Portrait set on Flickr.