Celebrate the Festival of Lights with class and sparkling glass!

Build a luminous menorah throughout the eight nights of Chanukah using sherry glasses. Fill each vessel with about a handful of clear glass beads and stand a dripless silver menorah candle in each glass.

The ninth candle, the shamash — the one used to light all the others — should stand at center in a slightly larger goblet. Display in a staggered line atop a white lace cloth, blue-tipped matches at the ready.

For more ideas to make your Chanukah shine, visit www.MarthaStewart.com.

Idea and Image courtesy of www.MarthaStewart.com.

The Holidays are busy enough with gift wrapping and parties galore, so how about some quick and easy tips that you can use to glam up your dining room table or to bring to the next holiday party as a lovely hostess gift?  Your welcome!

Fruitful Holiday Tree

What You Need:
- plate/platter
- foam floral tree from craft store
- lettuce leaves
- star shaped cookie cutter
- toothpicks
- assorted fruits: kiwi, cranberries, grapes, strawberries and melon

Lime Berry Tree

Fragrant Cloved Oranges

Ideas and images courtesy of www.safeway.com

Here’s a fun idea for a unique gift for someone special or for yourself!   This gift wrapped topiary of fresh greenery and/or flowers would make a lovely gift for your child’s teacher or bring just the right touch to your holiday decor.

Materials and Tools:  flower pot, paint, 3 boxes, gift wrap, tape, ribbon, cut flowers, floral foam, plastic tray, scissors, paint brush

The sweet and creative Katie Brown brings us this great idea on her website www.KatieBrown.com.  This project looks exquisite but is oh so simple!  Let us know how yours turns out!

After all the time and effort we put into our perfectly purchased gifts, we just can’t bare to wrap them in just any wrapping paper or gift bag!  Thanks to MarthaStewart.com we too can be gift wrapping savvy!  Martha and her fabulous team’s ideas are always unique and inspiring.  Here are a couple of our favorites for your gift wrapping delight!

“Wrap goods in vintage napkins, handkerchiefs, or other linens graced with lively patterns, and the packaging itself will serve as an added gift.

Martha’s gift to you, this stack of spirited wrapping paper!  It’s designed by Blueprint, and not sold in stores. Just print out one or all of the five patterns on your own printer.”

Just CLICK on the following PDF files to download and then print Martha’s special holiday gift to you…

- Swirly Wrapping Paper (includes oval frame accents)

- Striped Wrapping Paper

- Cameo Cummerbund Wrapping Paper

- Fancy Cummerbund Wrapping Paper

- Graphic Wrapping Paper (includes ornamental plaque)

For more fantastic ideas like these, CLICK HERE.  Thanks, Martha!

Images courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

You can find any ready-made card you want during the holidays, but a homemade greeting is a gift that your friends and loved ones will treasure long after the store bought cards have been thrown away.  Many people think homemade cards are cheap and time consuming.  Leave it to Martha to prove them all wrong!

A homemade card can be chic and stylish.  These Rick Rack Cards from MarthaStewart.com are fun and easy too!  Rick rack is such a classic embellishment…always something special and never out of style!  Visit MarthaStewart.com for instructions on how to make these and other homemade cards!

As usual, many thanks to our favorite crafty lady, Martha Stewart and her phenominally talented team for this wonderful holiday tip!

Image courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

This has to be one of the most wonderful gifts ever given and we wanted to share it with you!  It is from Oprah’s Favorite Things Holiday 2008 Show which aired last week.  There were so many fantastic ideas and it’s definitely something every one of you should check out when you get a few minutes.  CLICK HERE to see all of the highlights from the show, or read below for info on the Treasure Boxes!  We are so inspired!!!

“With three of her four kids in college, Connie has had to tighten her belt last holiday season. Instead of purchasing new gifts for her children, she found what money can’t buy—years and years of childhood keepsakes. Connie saved everything from a scrap of carpet from her daughter’s first bedroom to the letters she wrote home from summer camp. “I just kept throwing it in boxes and filing cabinets,” she says. “It was all over the house.”

To turn her scattered collection into beautiful mementos for her children, Connie purchased treasure boxes to hold each child’s memories. “I wanted it to be a piece of furniture that they’ll put on a shelf and keep forever,” she says. It took months to put together, but Connie’s children were touched when they received their mother’s gift. “I’ll always remember where I came from and what I am and who I am because of you,” her son Jay says.

To make your own treasure box, start by searching for all your children’s keepsakes. Be creative—from baby’s first footprints to your little Picasso’s artwork; science fair ribbons to grade school report cards, your children will love to relive it all.

Once you have your keepsakes, Connie suggests organizing everything by year using folders and plastic sleeves from an office supply store. Put it all together in a beautiful box—and if you look for coupons in the newspaper or online, you may be able to find boxes on sale at a craft store like Connie did!”

- Courtesy of Oprah.com

Have you heard the phrase, “Yum-O” coined by the beloved Rachael Ray? Well, her thirty minute meals have nothing on this fabulous five minute cake! It’s moist, it’s made from scratch, and it’s to die for with a little ice cream! So grab your favorite mug and get ready to make your new favorite chocolate treat!

The Most Dangerous Chocolate Cake Recipe Ever!!!

• 4 tablespoons flour
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
• a small splash of vanilla extract
• 1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again. Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired. EAT! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).  And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

A big thanks to Sarah, our amazing web designer at Camp Creative Group for yet another of her superb recipes!  Sarah, YOU are absolutely one of our very Favorite Things!  Again, thanks so much for all of your brilliant work on our fabulous 2008 Holiday Gift Guide and everything else that you do!!!

Our friend Andrea wrote a great baby food tutorial a while back and we have been meaning to share it with everyone for the longest!  Andrea is one of those moms who inspires so many with all of her crafty little projects and her commitment to being fabulously healthful.

Take a look at just how easy and how much better making your own baby food can be by clicking HERE.  Thanks Andrea!

Hatley is one of our absolute Favorites for that indispensable genre of clothing that might not fall into the extraordinary every time, but that none of us can live without…Everyday Clothes!  Hatley’s new colors and patterns for this fall are beautiful and so much fun!  They are of course in keeping with their Nature theme, apples, horses, dinosaurs, the ever popular moose, and this time around there’s even some alien action!

Hatley’s new backpacks and lunch totes are pretty impressive.  They of course are made with the high quality that we would expect form all things labeled Hatley, but they spare no expense in the design and production departments!  It’s so great when something works and functions as well as it looks, right?!?!  That’s typically Hatley!

The backpack is very roomy without being oversized, and makes great use of its’ compartments.  The lunch tote fits very neatly inside too!  The zippers are made for kid-use and the canvas that they are constructed of is absolutely made for loads of loads and multiple washings.  We love the apple print the most but were a little concerned as it is mostly white…hmmm…SCOTCHGUARD, GIRLS!  It works fabulously and will keep people in wonder and amazement of how you could be that good to keep your little sweetie in a white backpack that always looks new!

The Lunch Tote is fabulous too and makes a great little travel cooler as well if your set hasn’t reached school age yet.  Again, it washes quite well and you can keep it looking new forever with a little Scotchguard.  The inside is lined in plastic, and there’s an elastic tether to keep things from bouncing around inside.

The Backpacks are $30 and the Lunch Totes are $20 and are available to ship immediately.  Check them out online to browse or place your order, CLICK HERE or on the button below to see their website.  All items ship from Canada, so give a little extra time for shipping.

Also, stay tuned for our upcoming reviews of their fabulous new outerwear collections including matching Rain Essentials (raincoats, rain boots, and the weetest little umbrellas you’ve ever seen) and Snow Essentials (fluffy snow jackets, snow pants and matching snow boots fit for the Canadian cold!).  They are all absolutely adorable!!!

Aren’t these dolls just the cutest?  Where do you get them?  You make them yourself and it’s really simple even if you don’t really sew.  It’s a little something we found on MarthaStewart.com and we are so in love with the idea.

Just imagine how June Cleaver-ish of you to sit down with your little princess and make her a doll!  OMG, right?!?  There are 3 tutorials to show you exactly what to do and a very simple pattern to download for free!  Go you, Supermom!

CLICK HERE for more info, and thanks Martha!!

To win your very own gorgeous ensemble for a boy or a girl from Cha Belle by Right Bank Babies valued at $125 – $200, visit www.chabelleforrbb.com and email us with what you love most about their gorgeous collection.  (CLICK HERE to download their catalog.)  Email swag@bellazizasfavorites.com with ”CHA BELLE BY RIGHT BANK BABIES SWAG” in the subject line.

All entries must be received by Tuesday, September 23rd at midnight, PST. You may enter once per email address per day. Winner will be chosen on Monday via random.org. Winner will be fetched using Prizey.net.

EXTRA ENTRIES are available for subscribing to our blog, blogging about us on your blog, AND/OR adding our button to your blog too!  Just email swag@bellazizasfavorites.com letting us know what you did for your extras and we’ll make sure to count them!

Okay, so when you have a cookie that starts with the words “Gluten Free”, if you’re like us you’re thinking ‘Thanks honey, but I’d rather have less of the real thing…gluten and all!”  This cookie is a very rare exception though.  It’s fantastic and you would never even know it’s completely flourless!  It only takes about 15 minutes too, baking time included!

It comes from our dear friend Katie who we are crowning Our Favorite Queen of Simple Chic.  Yayee Katie Cakes Cookies!

Katie’s Flourless Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c chunky peanut butter… “A certain national brand rhyming with ‘hippie’ works best” -Katie
1 c packed golden brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 c chocolate chips.

Mix all ingredients in order. Drop onto lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 350F for 10 minutes.

As mentioned, we are partnering with Petit Tresor over the next few weeks to bring you inside information on some of the absolute best new products available for you and your family, and some fun celebrity news as well!

This past week we had an exciting opportunity to interview Nina Takesh, one of the owners and creators of Petit Tresor!  We want to pass the highlights on to you:

On the story behind the store:

Crista:  What was your inspiration behind the store?

Nina:  We had both just had babies.  Samantha had twins (a boy and a girl) and I had a son.  We couldn’t find nursery items that we really loved. On a whim, we traveled to Paris and were amazed at the nursery items that were available on the market!  That was our inspiration.

Crista:  So both having new babies AND a new business?  How on earth did you do it?

Nina:  (laughing) It’s amazing how much time the babies spent on playmats in our first store!

Crista:  What was your vision for the future back then compared to now?

Nina:  Our goal was to introduce European style to Americans. Today, we’re still doing the same, but we’re a bit more eclectic and modern, yet still traditional.

Crista:  In retrospect, what worked, and what didn’t work?

Nina:  It all worked. It was all a big experiment trying to learn what American mothers wanted for their babies.

On The Petit Tresor Experience:

Crista:  What really defines the ‘Petit Tresor Experience’ for your customers and makes it so unique?

Nina:  The fact that you can find everything under one roof and that if you can’t find it and we’re designing a nursery for you, we’ll go anywhere to find it. This is a service that many of our celebrity customers love about Petit Tresor.

Crista:  What’s your favorite product in the store?

Nina:  Without a doubt, the playmat from Plain Mary.  Every baby should have a monogrammed playmat. It’s the best shower gift, and it’s so practical!

Crista:  What’s your favorite memory in the building of your business?

Nina:  When Petit Tresor was featured in People Magazine for the nursery of Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony’s twins, Emme and Max.

Crista:  What’s your favorite new line or upcoming designer?

Nina:  We love everything from Plain Mary including their burpcloths, bibs, changing pads and t-shirts.  We love Mia Bossi diaper bags and everything from Kissy Kissy.  Our designer hospital robes from Dear Johnnies are a must have for every mother about to give birth too!

Crista:  Sounds fabulous!  We absolutely adore Mia Bossi bags too!  In your experience, what is one item that no mom should do without?

Nina:  A designer hospital robe from Dear Johnnies but also one of our silk photo albums which are just gorgeous!

On ‘What’s all the buzz?’:

Crista:  Who shops or has registered at Petit Tresor?

Nina:  Everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Britney Spears to Nicole Richie to Christina Aguilera to Matthew McConaughey to Heidi Klum to Tori Spelling to Halle Berry… it’s a very, very long list.

Crista:  What do your celebrity clients shop and register for?  Any favorite picks???

Nina:  Everything from the essentials, to having us design their entire nursery.  Sometimes these clients have more than one home also.  Our organic bedding, complete layette selection and our incredible selection of picture frames are also very popular.

Crista:  Do you offer any special or exclusive services?

Nina:  We of course offer our Nursery Design service, but we also offer our Concierge Service which entails us sending our clients everything that they need for their baby each month from birth through toddlerhood.

Crista:  Your new website is fantastic, but what else is next for Petit Tresor?

Nina:  We have plans to open two more retail shops this year in Malibu and San Francisco,  and New York and Miami in 2009!  We are very excited about the future of Petit Tresor!

To read more about Nina Takesh and Petit Tresor, or to do some shopping check out their website at www.petittresor.com.

THIS JUST IN: Yet another great sale from GILT Group!

Chic parents and kids alike love Baby CZ for their soft cashmere and beautiful designs.  Trousers to dresses, these timeless styles can be passed down for generations.

Sale starts tomorrow, Tuesday August 19th at 12 noon EST. at www.gilt.com.