Holiday Gift Guide 2019

We wanted to give you an update on Gray Oak Gives Back today, but we’re holding out until next week when we’ll have a really juicy update - mood boards and all! We’ll also reveal the wall color we chose. We put a poll on Instagram stories and had tons of guesses (at least 50% of the guesses were Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore). While we fooled most of you (it’s not Revere Pewter), there were two correct guesses. You’ll have to wait one more week for the reveal.

But fear not because we have an equally awesome post for you today - our Holiday Gift Guide! And we think it’s the best we’ve ever pulled together. Just sayin. So, with plenty of time to get shopping, here are our ideas for everyone from you mother-in-law to your slightly annoying co-worker.

First up, vases and planters. These are great gifts for the hard to shop for people on your list.

1. Blue Flowery Vase - This colorful vase is a great hostess gift. Something small and pretty.

2. When Pigs Fly Hanging Planter - This whimsical hanging planter is so fun and so funny. We think it would make a great Secret Santa or Swap gift.

3. Girl Power Vase - For your favorite feminist, you know exactly who she (or he!) is.

4. Modern Fluted Bud Vases (set of 3) - These are universally beautiful and useful.

5. Minimalist Hygge Planter - This guy comes in several sizes and would be a great gift paired with a plant to go in it.

6. Rose Gold TRex - Give the gift of a plant, and this amazing planter, to a little one in your life! It’s an opportunity for him/her to nurture something more low maintenance than a pet.

7. Mini Cat Planters (set of 6) - The perfect gift for your cat friend. Because another cat mug will be 1 (…or 5) too many.

8. The Miniest Cactus Ever - Because. Just because.

Next up - Candles. Yes, a safe gift. But, also a really awesome gift if you give a good one. Candles are one of those things that you don’t want to spend money on for yourself, but you also don’t want to cheap out and get yourself a bad one. A bad candle is the worst. So, the candles below are amazing and, thus, amazing gifts.

1. Sea Salt Soy Candle - Even the packaging on this one feels pure and fresh.

2. Capri Blue Candle in Sparkly Gold Jar - Capri Blue candles have a cult following and this one (and number 7) come in extra pretty and festive jars.

3. Set of 3 Volupsa Mini Candles - When picking one scent is too much pressure, get the luxe variety pack.

4. The White Company Country Scent - Smells of moss and nature and fresh goodness.

5. Mokara Large Candle - People obsess over this candle, the Sephora website has something like 800 five star reviews.

6. Thank You, Mom - She’ll thank you back.

7. Capri Blue Volcano in Iridescent Jar

Awesome Gifts Under $50. This is a potpourri of fun, reasonably priced ideas.

1. Coffee is My Spirit Animal Tea Towel and I Fall Apart Tea Towel - These guys wrapped up with a dozen chocolate chip cookies (we highly recommend Sugah Butter Flour if you’re local) will be the perfect Yankee Swap gift.

2. Guided Gratitude Journal - This is such a feel good gift. For the right person, you’ll give them the tools to kick off the new year an action plan to make their resolution happen.

3. Salted Chocolate Caramel Peanut Bark - This will be the best gift someone receives this year. It could be from you.

4. Beautiful Recipe Box - Write your favorite recipe on one of the cards to personalize it.

5. 2020 Planner - This is one of many gorgeous planners from Anthropologie.

6. Luggage Tag - For your favorite Jetsetter.

7. William Sonoma Guest Set (Winter Berry Scent) - This is a truly safe gift. And we all need one of these.

8. Mr. Rogers Mug - His sweater changes color when the mug if filled with hot liquid!!! How amazing is that?

9. Cutest Mini Desk Calendar Ever - It’s $8.50.

Awesome Gifts Over $50. This is a potpourri of fun, less reasonably priced gifts.

1. Pendleton Throw Blanket - I want one. It comes in blue (like above) and pink.

2. Handwritten Recipe Platter - We’ve featured this gift before because it’s just awesome. If you have a handwritten recipe from your nana, this is a great, great gift.

3. Indoor Herb Garden - It’s, allegedly, incredibly simple to grow happy herbs.

4. Weighted Blanket - They’re finally making beautiful weighted blankets. Functionally and aesthetically on trend. Winning.

5. Rocket Nightlight - This Etsy shop has a bunch of amazing, beautiful nightlights.

6. The Rihanna Book - No one will see this book and not want to flip through the pages. Meaning, it’s the ultimate coffee table book.

7. Polaroid Holiday Everything Box Set - We think adults and kids would love this one.

Phew. We did it. You read it. Thank you. Happy shopping!

- Leah (+ Sonia too)

*This post contains affiliate links*

Weighted Blanket

Gold Wish Bone

Mini DIY Hacks for Every Corner of Your House

In a behind-the-scenes video from our most recent Install, Sonia caught me crawling all over the family room floor as I taped down the curled edge of a new rug. (Side Note: behind the scenes photos and videos from Install Days, and otherwise, can be found on our Instagram stories) On a project’s Install Day, when all the furniture is placed and the decor is styled, we swoop around the room like little house fairies and take care of all sorts of functional needs, including curled rug edges.

An Instagram follower saw the video and messaged us asking what kind of tape we used/recommended. She didn’t realize that there is a specific type of tape that is designed to solve this curly edge problem. It got us thinking that of all the mini hacks we use on Install Day. So, today we’ve dedicated a whole blog post to these little tricks - some of them will take you 30 seconds to completely and totally change your life. Everything is linked and shoppable!

Level with Ruler - Did you know there are rulers that have a built in level? If hanging a gallery wall is in your future, you need this. It will make the job 1000 times easier than shifting back and forth between a bad measuring tape and a regular level.

Magic Eraser - The magic of a Magic Eraser is real. When a spray cleaner fails, a Magic Eraser won’t. We find them especially useful for little marks on the wall.

Cabinet Bumpers - For cabinet doors that get a lot of use from kids, clear bumpers are a great precaution. You put the tiny bumper on the inside of the door and it prevents the door from banging against the frame when it’s shut a little too hard.

Furniture Leg Pads - These guys go on the bottom of furniture legs to prevent the legs from scratching the floor. They also make furniture really easy to move around because it can (typically) just slide across the floor.

Mini Steamer - This handheld steamer is great for getting rid of curtain wrinkles.

Big Steamer - For linen curtains, the mini steamer won’t do it unless you’ve had them ironed/steamed before hanging them. This guy will be much more helpful.

Command Strip Velcro - We are obsessed with these. They have so many uses. We recently used them in the little boy’s bedroom in our Prospect Project to hang decor the wall as part of a gallery wall (the mini oar in the photo below). We also use them in addition to more traditional frame hangers. The traditional nail and hook is used to hang the frame and then the Command Strip Velcro is put on the back of the frame to prevent the frame from wiggling around on the wall when curious hands are tall enough to reach them.

Rug Tape - This is the brand we use. It does the job and doesn’t leave a mark on the floor.

Rug Pad - The trick to a great rug pad is the felt/rubber combination. Felt to cushion and rubber to prevent slipping.

Picture Hanger Kit - We love this kit because it includes wire. Using wire to hang a frame, versus just a hook through built-in loop, gives a bit of leeway if you hang the hook too high or too low.

Lint Brush - For clients with pets, a quick lint brush on a sofa cushion handles it. If you have a coffee table with a drawer, it’s a great place to store it.

Furniture Repair Marker Kit - We recommend this to our clients with young families for post Install Day life. Inevitably, a nick in the finish of furniture will happen. This “repair” kit is basically a set of really nice markers in a range of “wood stain” shades. They work shockingly well to hide nicks and scratches.

Plant Pot Tray - Putting large plants and mini trees in oversized baskets is one of our favorite moves. This means that the plant/tree stays in its plastic nursery planter and the whole planter is then placed inside a basket. (Design/Plant Lady Tip: It’s good to leave plants and trees in their nursery pots for at least a few months. They are shocked at the change of environment and transferring them immediately could create further trauma). But, nursery planters have holes in the bottom. These trays handle any water overflow.

We hope you find something on this list useful to improve a small, everyday household annoyance. Because small problems that you deal with everyday are actually huge problems!

- Leah

*This post contains affiliate links*

Gray Oak Gives Back - Our Deserving Client

At last we want to share some details on the amazing woman at the center of our Gray Oak Gives Back project.

We first met our Gray Oak Gives Back client, officially, at the end of September. We had known her before that as a true super fan - always commenting on our Instagram posts and showering us with compliments in our messages. A kind stranger who liked what we were doing, which totally and completely touched us. Over the summer, she hired us for a Designer for a Day package and in late September we arrived ready to provide guidance and inspiration for a planned living room transformation.

We walked around her house and learned how after living with the home’s original (1938) fireplace, 34-year-old wallpaper, original light fixtures and decades old furniture she was finally planning a DIY overhaul. And with what little she had, she wanted to be sure we provided our two cents.

As we talked through the project and got to know her a bit, we learned that her daughter was diagnosed with NF as a child. NF stands for Neurofibromatosis. It’s a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form throughout the nervous system (learn more here). It’s a difficult, scary disease as you’re in a constant state of waiting and checking to see if a tumor is forming. Eventually, a tumor did form and it caused cancer.

While the end of the story is happy - our client’s daughter is a happy, healthy, successful 30-something - listening to our client recount just the vaguest of details about her parenting experience deeply affected us. Sonia and I are both mothers to three young children. We are acutely aware of how difficult it is to parent a healthy child with relatively boring issues (runny noses, bad sleep habits, a penchant for drawing on walls with crayons…). Imagining the added layer of something like NF hit home and, frankly, took our breath for a moment.

But our client had never paused to take a breath. She took action in every way she could to nurture and protect her daughter. Nine years ago, she founded the Coast to Cure NF Bike Ride, an annual bike ride to raise money for NF research. Every year, she coordinates each aspect of the ride from finding sponsors to placing route marker flags the night before the ride. And her efforts have raised over $800,000.

What’s truly amazing is that our client’s role as an advocate for NF awareness and research is only a slice of who she is. She is one of these people who does for everyone in her life. For no other reason than she enjoys giving. And so, when we heard her story, we instantly knew that we wanted to give something to her. She is so deserving and we’re just thrilled to be making it happen.

Speaking of - here is the latest on the what’s happening front:

The electrical work 90% there. Here’s a reminder of the plan. First, get rid of the sconces on the back wall. Second, add recessed lighting. Third, move the sconces over the mantel out a bit. They were too tight to the center of the mantel and visually shrinking the fireplace.

BIG thank you to Hanson Electric (Peter and Andy are the best!) for doing this work. They donated their time and were wonderful to work with. Check out the (grainy phone) photo below that shows all the progress!

Next stop is paint. We’ll be back onsite later this week to make final decisions on colors. Keep checking our Instagram stories for all the behind the scenes. AND, we’re busy pinning and planning on Pinterest - remember that you can follow along and watch our ideas unfold there. AND, we’re still collecting furniture and decor donations, so if you’re interested in joining the heart warming fun please reach out (hello@grayoakstudio.com)!

This is such a special project and SUCH a special client. Thanks for being a part of this transformation. It’s gonna be a good one.

We hope to be back in 2 weeks with another update- stay tuned!

-Leah