Jeffers's Java.

I hopped on over to artist Oliver Jeffers's website yesterday after seeing this post on all the mountains. I've been a fan of Mr. Jeffers's work for a while, (my three-year-old niece adores his delightful children's books), but I wasn't aware of his other projects, all of which are positively enchanting. I especially love these drawings, each featuring a ring - or several - from the bottom of a coffee cup. 

See more at Oliver Jeffers's website, here, including the rest of "A World With Coffee."

PS: A big thank you to everyone who commented yesterday with ideas for holiday desserts - I'm so excited to read through the recipes and give them a try! 

Dessert Dilemma.

It happens all the time: because my love of sweets is no secret to anyone who's spent more than five minutes in my presence, I often get asked to provide dessert for dinner parties and holiday gatherings. This year's no exception - I've just learned that I'll be in charge of the last course of my family's Christmas dinner on Sunday. Here's the thing, though - as much as I'd like to fancy myself a pastry chef, my skills are, well, still developing. 

Last year, I attempted an apple upside-down cake, which cracked down the middle as I was taking it out of the pan - we called it "the San Andreas cake." Oops.

I was wondering, because you've always been such great advice-givers, do you have any favorite holiday dessert ideas that you'd be willing to share? I would love to try something new this year. As always, I appreciate your input so much!

Holiday Humor.

Hello from not-so-sunny Los Angeles! Despite the clouds this morning, I'm so happy to be home. The time difference (a whopping three hours) has messed a bit with my blogging schedule today, but I couldn't let the afternoon go by without posting these amazingly funny holiday cards by artist Nicola Rowlands. (Nicola makes the "pocket man friends" that Joanna blogged about in October.)

In case it's hard to read, this one says, "Happy holidays to you and your horrible little dog,"

while this one introduces us to Geoff, "a rabbit who loves the Christmas spirit."

"Here," says this jolly, carp-wielding gentleman, "I didn't wrap it."

Lastly, these pillow ornaments feature cats craving tacos. Incredible.

See more at Nicola's Etsy shop, here. 

Homeward Bound.

Sunday morning, I'll be heading home to LA for the holidays, and naturally, I've already made a lengthy to-do list for my three weeks there. At the top of my agenda? Spending time with family, of course, which includes these two wide-eyed critters. I can hardly wait!

Pictured above: Charley the schnoodle, and Ramona the cat. Both photos by Max Wanger.

Have a happy weekend! See you Monday.

3 Things.

Three links for this rainy Thursday: 

1) Click here to see how this interactive poster by Roland Tiangco works. So smart.

2) I loved this round-up of "unique celebratory desserts" from around the globe, at My Modern Met. I tried pavlova on my trip to New Zealand a few years ago. (The photo below comes from this recipe post by Sarah J. Gim on Tastespotting.)

3. My brother, Max, has just posted some of his photos from our recent trip to Tokyo on his blog - and not surprisingly, they're stunning. I especially love the collage he put together, pictured below. See his full post, here.