2010 Over and Out

A Happy New Year to my readers!

Thanks for sticking by the Eagles Nest in its first year - through several logo changes, the trials and tribulations of our first year as homeowners, and many fun finds locally and on the interwebs .  I already have several surprises up my sleeve for 2011 and can't wait to share them with you in the New Year.  Nest Studio will be launching a line of products this year and I will be giving you guys sneak peaks at what's in store as 2011 rounds the corner. 

We're having a little soiree for new years with a host of fellow revelers including Cori from Pretty Haute Mess. I'm looking forward to posting about my festive New Years decor ideas and my easy entertaining menu. 

Holy 21st Century

A modern day nativity story.

Happy Holidays!

 Christmas Wreath Spirograph by Sally M

Well, we're about to open a few more Christmas gifts here at Chez Davis - those that will not be coming with us to Scott's parents' house.  I'll be taking a little break between now and new years to catch my breath and come up with some fun ideas for 2011 content. So have a wonderful Christmas and New Years and stay tuned for more fun finds and local haunts from the Eagle's Nest in the new year!

Snap snap

So, Santa arrived early to the Ahnert Davis household.  I guess I was a pretty good girl this year because Santa (Mom, Dad, Stephen, Soyoung, and Scott) gave me a new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 camera.

Admittedly I did a little research before I mailed off my letter to to the North Pole, and I found that the LX5 really fit the bill.  It's compact - not much larger than my original point-and-shoot Canon Elph, but it's way more sophisticated.  Because of it's size it's great for travel and shooting images on the spot for my blog, and it will fit nicely into a purse.

This baby is small, but it's still fully loaded.  It doesn't have interchangeable lenses (which would tend to make it cumbersome) but it has a 24-90mm Leica lens which is the widest angle lens of cameras this size - perfect for shooting interiors.  And you get the quality and refinement of a Leica lens without the price of a Leica brand camera.  It also features auto focus or manual focus (you choose), 3.8x optical zoom, and the largest sensor of cameras its size (which, contrary to popular belief, is much more important to picture quality than megapixels).  Of course it has the requisite flash, hot shoe, HD video etc etc.  Check out more of it's features at DP Review.

And last but not least, it has the sort of vintage film SLR look of cameras of yesteryear.  I just bought this schnazzy case to go along with it.

Thanks Santa!

Dig It

I know it's nowhere near time to think about summer yet, but I am loving the ethnic resort-wear look of these Oscar De la Renta sandals in the most recent issue of Elle.

To Market!

So, I spend a lot of time on my cross-Pacific plane rides watching the adventures of various traveling chefs - Anthony Bourdain, Jamie Oliver,  Gordon Ramsay.  Usually I end up drooling over the recipes and frantically scrawling down notes to take home to my own kitchen.  Most recently, however, I watched Jamie Oliver on a trip to the French Pyrenees and Anthony Bourdain in Provence. 

Photo by Brian Gibson

What struck me in both locations was not only the fresh farmer's produce that was so easy to come by, but also that none of the locals are walking around with a wad of folded cloth bags with the Ralphs or Vons logos on them (or whatever the French equivalents are).  Everyone is carrying a practical, sustainable, yet beautiful market tote of some sort.  Now, I'm not going to run out and throw away all of my super ugly freebie reuseable bags, but I think there is something to be said for good sound design for practical items.  Why not do a little self-curating and get a bag that's nice to look at, that you wouldn't mind leaving by your front door for a bit?  In the end, if you spend a little dough on one of these I think you'll end up with a product that outlasts those papery-fabric reuseable things and outperforms it as well.

Three options for your traditional french market tote (I think the leather might be friendlier on the hands):

L' Ovale

La Vie

Maison de Kristine 

The classic string market tote from Kir DeVries for those of you who absolutely must have something foldable and compact

The classic LL Bean Boat and Tote, a workhorse from grocery to kitchen, to beach, to sleepover.

Gift Tags

With the whole blogosphere in a tizzy over the gift giving season, why go to the store to buy gift tags?  There are plenty of free downloadable gift tag options out there that are super cute, fun, and way more interesting than what you'll find when you rush out to Target, CVS or the Container Store at the last minute.  Here is just a sampling of what's out there.

Free Printable Gift tags from Fawn and Forest

Ornament Gift Tags from Lisa Rupp

Fun blank gift tags from Little Hut

Elf Tags from Liquid Paper

Doily Napkin Bands from Creature Comforts (a nice napkin holder as well as gift tag)

Fun tags from Whisper Graphics

I've even run across some downloadable gift wrap options.  Although I'm not blogging about those because while they might be fine for wrapping small jewelry-sized gifts, for anything larger you'd need a large-format printer.

Tea Tree Towel

Jane Beard, winner of the Tea Tree dishtowel giveaway is putting her fun find to good use.

Lonny Holiday

Lonny's December issue is out.  I like that is has the requisite gift guides etc but it's not overly holiday-ish.  You can look back on the issue and get practical decorating inspiration that isn't solely geared toward Christmas trees, wreathes and garland.

A view of Albert Hadley's New York digs as seen in Lonny this month.

Back from the Far East

So were you able to figure out where Sanya and Nanjing are? Sanya is in Hainan which is the Southern-most island in China. It's basically China's answer to Hawaii. It was a balmy 80 degrees in Sanya.  We stayed at the Kempinski which was quite nice.  Although working in a place like this and not actually being able to enjoy the surroundings is a bit of a tease.

Happy Birthday!

To Nancy at Weeds!

Off to 中国

Well, by now I'll have arrived in Hong Kong, done a short hop to Sanya, Hainan for a presentation, and am probably sleeping in my hotel room right now.  It's 80 degrees here in Sanya.  Tomorrow I'll be on a plane to freezing cold Nanjing for another hotel project.  Can you find where I'll be in on this map?

 Hopefully somewhere along the journey I can slip in some bargain shopping, spicy noodle soup eating, and a visit with the parents in Hong Kong.  Until my return, The Eagle's Nest will be quiet.  See you back here soon when the Christmas festivities will start up at Chez Davis.

Live The Dream

For those of you small business owners or those of you who always wished you could start your own gig, take note!  Live the Dream 2011 is a one day Expo in Pasadena on Jan 13, 2011.

It's aimed to give entrepreneurs the tools and connections to be successful in the world of creative small business.    Since it's a one day commitment, it's a great way to get your feet wet without committing too much time and money.

Guest Post!

Check out my guest post at friend, designer, and fellow blogger Cori Busch's site Pretty Haute Mess.  I'm doing a periodical piece called Haute Spots about some of the restaurants and bars that I recommend. 

 This week's Haute Spots is about Cafe Stella in Silverlake.

Rue Number Two

The new issue of Rue has hit the virtual newstands!

High Gloss Giveaway

Enter to win this personalized Dabney Lee desk blotter and 2011 calendar at High Gloss Magazine!

Reclaiming your home

Great video of Dan Phillips on TED talking about his homes made from reclaimed materials and his theories on construction.  I love what he says about subdivisions and formalized culture expectations.