I don’t know about you, but one of my New Year’s resolutions this year (and every year) is to keep in closer touch with the people I care about — the old-fashioned way. To incentivize myself to follow through on this resolution, I’m planning to invest in some cute stationery that I’ll look forward to pulling out when it’s time to catch up on my correspondence.
Enter Yellow Owl Workshop. The SF-based workshop creates limited-edition stationery, prints, stamps, and ceramics in urban, whimsical designs; its fun correspondence sets and postcard sets are just the thing for the reluctant scribe. Pen your next letter on a piece of rainbow bicycle stationery, or jot down a quick note to a friend on an analog postcard, and kiss those broken resolutions goodbye.

This holiday, many households will be packed with visiting friends and family. If your home is one of them, follow these tips to make your loved ones feel right at home.

• Make room: Even if you don’t have a designated guest room, be sure to give your guests some room of their own. Clearing out a little space in a spare closet or a drawer in the bathroom can go a long way toward making guests feel at home.
• Give the grand tour: Show your guests around the house as soon as they arrive, and don’t hold back the details. Guests will appreciate knowing the quirks of your house ahead of time so they aren’t left fumbling around on their own later.
• Have bedding handy: Before your guests arrive, dig out your spare bedding and keep it somewhere accessible. That’ll give your sheets and blankets a chance to fluff up and air out, and when it comes time to make down beds, you won’t have to make a big show of pulling out extra linens.
• Give reverse hostess gifts: Even though you’re the hostess, having a small gift waiting for your guests is a nice way to welcome them to your home. Think of things they might need during their stay, like travel-size toiletries, travel candles, goodies, or a new book or magazine.
• Cozy up their space: Houseguests often end up staying in rooms that aren’t always used for sleeping, so think about whether their sleeping quarters need anything extra to be comfy and cozy. Add extra blankets or feather beds, space heaters, or hang temporary curtains if necessary.

How do you make out-of-town guests feel at home?

If you've got a snowstorm of European proportions headed your way this Winter, hopefully you've stocked up on all my essential Winter storm supplies to stay safe. Now what? Being snowed in is pretty exciting for the first hour or two, until the novelty wears off and boredom and anxiety set in. Keep yourself and your family happy, calm, and entertained with a few of these remedies for cabin fever. You may even find yourself wishing the snow would stick around!

• Play an unboring board game: If you choose the right ones, board games are anything but boring. Go with a new classic like Apples to Apples or Cranium, or revisit an old favorite. If you haven't played Monopoly or Clue as an adult, by candlelight, during a snowstorm, you don't know what you're missing!
• Catch up on your must reads: Know how you're always wishing you had more time to read? Well, guess what — you have all the time in the world right now! Catch up on must reads from the past year, or tackle something you've always meant to read but — ahem — haven't had time to.
• Get crafting! What better time to attempt that DIY project you’ve been wanting to try, than a day you’re stuck indoors? One tip: keep your projects easy and fun, and make sure you have all the supplies you need ahead of time. A snow day is not the time to get in over your head on a difficult project!
• Keep moving: If board games are making your group antsy, get everyone up and moving with something more active. Noisy, lively games like charades or a home-spun version of Win, Lose, or Draw will break both the silence and the monotony in a snowed-in home.

More ideas after the break!

The UK has been hit hard by Winter storms over the past couple weeks, and Paris is the latest city to be shut down by wintry weather. Our holiday season in the US has been milder so far, but if you do find yourself snowed in like the Parisians at some point this Winter, here are some crucial items to have on hand.

• Nonperishable food and drinking water: Snowy and icy conditions are a recipe for power outages and road closures, so stock up on drinking water and canned or dried goods! And if you have any furry friends in your home, make sure you have plenty of pet food, as well.
• Manual can opener: All those goodies won't do you much good if you can't open them! Make sure you have a hand can opener available, not just an electric one.
• Matches, candles, and flashlights: If a storm knocks out your power, the last thing you want to do is fumble in the dark for a light source. Keep flashlights, boxes of matches, and plenty of candles — I like these super cheap tea lights from Ikea — in an easily accessible spot in case the lights go out.
• Fully-charged laptop: Even if the power goes out, your laptop's battery can provide you with at least a couple hours of communication and entertainment during a big storm.
• Radio: If a snowstorm has hit your area, you'll need a quick way to get news about closures and other safety issues. And if you're thinking to yourself, "Isn't that what the Internet's for?" just remember that power outages can mean dead laptops and uncharged iPhones, too.

Keep reading for more tips!

They may be functional, but plastic or aluminum storage sheds can also be a major eyesore in your otherwise serene outdoor space. If you're in need of the extra storage but don't want an eco-unfriendly monstrosity, Green Sheds might be just the ticket.

The company builds custom sheds, playhouses, and doghouses out of reclaimed materials from remodeled homes, and they're surprisingly pretty and stylish. There are plenty of different models and sizes to choose from, ranging from smaller potting sheds and pet houses to larger sheds suitable for greenhouses or equipment storage, and all the building is done right in your yard.

They're a little pricey — anywhere from $380 for a doghouse to $4,800 for a 10-by-12 shed — but they're easy on the eyes and on the environment and are built to last. Would you install a Green Shed in your yard?

When I travel, I often have a hard time deciding whether to go all-out luxurious, or whether to keep it low-key and rough it a little. Enter London's Rough Luxe, the answer to my eternal traveling dilemma. The tiny boutique hotel in central London features luxurious linens, high tea, and an on-site spa — but also boasts edgy artwork, distressed walls, and shared bathrooms, if that's more your speed.

Each of the nine rooms in the Rabih Hage-designed converted home is completely unique, and its owners like it that way; their goal is to make guests feel as though they're simply visiting someone's home (which, technically, you are). Depending on the room you choose, you might be greeted by a daybed, any one of a number of original pieces of artwork, an antique chandelier, or — my favorite — a freestanding copper tub. And if you're at a loss for things to do (unlikely in the bustling heart of London, but still), visit the tea room or coffee bar, ask your hosts for a restaurant recommendation, or, if the offer on their website is to be believed, join them for dinner.

Interested in Rough Luxe-ing it? Keep reading for more photos!

Crystal or ceramic vases are beautiful, but they can look fussy, especially if you're decorating with wilder, more rustic flowers. If you're feeling the urge to go a bit more au naturel, try reusing something you might already have lying around the house: an empty glass milk bottle. Milk bottles come in multiple sizes (larger for regular milk, smaller for cream), and make simple and pretty containers for your blossoms.

Buying milk in glass bottles has its earth-friendly perks as well: glass is safer to drink out of, easier to recycle, and more environmentally friendly to produce than plastic or even cardboard. And since it tends to be smaller, family-owned farms that use glass bottles, you'll be supporting your local economy while you're at it.