By Audrey van Petegem, Chief Editor
Interior designers have simple tricks in making a house a home. You know, those little techniques to bring not only style but warmth and intimacy into your personal space. Candles are a great way to do this, and using reusable peel and stick accents takes you one step further to suit the mood, season or special occasion. Indigoroot has created a simple, chic, interchangeable and reusable solution to add those nice touches to your home.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, Indigoroot makes it easy to add a romantic touch using their CandleClothes™ and Wrapitz™. If you [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
We just revisited all our gift guides from last year but I could not resist adding another one this year for the {furry} dependents that will never leave home. This is for you or anyone you know that adores their pets:

 
Dog Couches - Tired of the pooch getting on your couch, well why not get them their own. Choose from a large variety of sizes, styles, colors and fabric to fit with any decor. Go to Enchanted Pets to view their online catalog.

 
Dog Bows and Ties - Nothing says “I am a pampered pet” more than going over the top [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
One of our favorite passions is discovering unique, fun, clever or simply cool products that we get excited about, bring a smile to our faces or give us that “aha!” moment. But is this not what The Succulent Wife is all about? We love creating curated lists, including our (ahem) infamous gift guides. We work on them all year long as we window shop, scour art fairs and trade shows of all kinds. Our goal is to do all the leg work so that you can enjoy the holidays, because, quite frankly, this is what we love [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Growing up, Christmas was a very important holiday in our home and, to this day, it is still one of my favorite times of the year. With my father being a minister, my family’s traditions centered around the church. The scripture reading of Luke 2 (1- 20) was read before our Christmas Eve dinner and before heading off to church.
Although, now my own family still goes to church Christmas Eve, we read other books as part of our Christmas tradition. Every Christmas Eve we, of course, read “Twas the Night Before Christmas“. It is my [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I love this time of year when I can sit down with my family and watch all the old holiday movies together. The Christmas Story is one of the ones we never miss; along with How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Many of the classic movies bring back fond memories of my own childhood and I am thrilled that I can continue the tradition with my own children. This is exactly why Tyler Schwartz started a small company in Ontario, Canada called RetroFestive. Initially he only had one product – the infamous leg lamp from The [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
My family and I have just relocated back to Eastern Canada from California for a two year stint. I must admit that I so loved this past fall season up here that I am really looking forward to a very white Christmas. When I last lived here (over 18 years ago!) I loved the look of Christmas lights reflecting off the snow on the outside trees around my home. I loved to attract birds and decorating a holiday tree with seed ornaments. And I am planning to do that again this year.
Mr. Bird has an [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
The efficient kitchen is all about multifunctional cookware – meaning they can go from oven/microwave to table to fridge or freezer to dishwasher. I am all about efficiency and with a small kitchen, I love when I can use one product for different purposes. I feel that designer Christian Bjorn’s Stackable Oven Dishes has taken this multifunctional concept to a whole new level.
These dishes can be stacked both inside and outside the oven. The openings on the sides allow warmth in the oven to circulate freely and thereby, to heat food in all the dishes [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
I am well past the stage in my life to do any type of formal hosting. I much prefer to invite friends and family over to share some great wine/martini/champagne with a variety of tapas. This does not mean I don’t like to make it fun for my guests. Here is a list of fun party ‘successories’ – products that will make any gathering a success – that your guest will enjoy as much as you do:

 
Drink Flair - There are lots of options for glass labeling on the market, but these static stickers are inexpensive, [...]

Meet NOVICA. This is a company that gives artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity.
1. We love your website, NOVICA. It’s full of beautiful and lovely gifts for giving and for yourself. What is the idea behind Novica and how did the company start?
NOVICA’s birth came from a desire to cut out the long strings of middlemen and bring handcrafted items directly from the artists to the customers. We’re really committed to helping artisans get recognition for their work while earning a fair income for their skills… [...]

By Susan Keats, Contributor &  Seize-the-Day Propagandist
OK, I have a confession. I’m putting myself out on a ledge here and some of you will think I’m crazy, but I’m not. I know I’m not because over a lifetime of inquiry on the topic, I know many of you have your own stories to tell and I know you’re not all crazy either. So here it goes…in time for Halloween…deep breath…
I hear dead people.
Not all the time mind you, and I can’t make it happen. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve had an experience that I would consider to [...]