The local Chicago Christmas shopping scene just got an innovative twist with the launch of Columbia College’s all handmade student produced boutique of treasurely finds. So far no online shopping to be had (though their site is worth clicking through for the pretty pictures) so I may just have to trek down to the south loop for a look-see. Via Apartment Therapy.

Speaking of anthropomorphic objects, love these whimsical photos by Rune Guneriussen. From Design You Trust.

No more fugly E-vites! Send sleek & classy email invites with Pingg.com. They offer a decent selection of free photos & illustrations (pulled from etsy) but you can also upload your own image & design based off their templates too. When you’re done, invites can be emailed, SMS’ed, or posted to various social networking sites like Facebook or Twitter. Then sit back and watch the stats, manage your event reports, rsvps, and send follow-ups/reminders and thank-you notes. Very cool!

Wow, I’m floored by the dulcet tones of Argentina’s Juana Molina. Abstract layers of sounds, breathy vocals, and meandering melodies. If you like the Books or Bjork, this will definitely suit.

I adore Paperwhites for the holidays, the smell is gorgeous & so springy for winter. So I obviously like this charming, simple, and cheap gift idea from Maya*Made. Great for hostess gifts!

You’ll need these:
stones or soil
paper white bulb
tin can or glass jar from your recycling bin
rectangle of fabric the same size as your container
jute twine or ribbon
gift tag

So you can do this:

And then this:

And then finally get this:

Full directions here.