![]() ![]() Look online for interesting seed sources. That might mean globe artichokes or wonderful, unexpected flowers or a vine with a particularly interesting blossom. Since we love to garden, I source interesting heirloom seeds for John to try in the garden in the season ahead. We also love paper flowers from the amazing Ramona Sadiq. ![]() A few favorite artists include AE Reed, Dapper & Dreamy, Diane Carnevale, and Funkoiserie. As a particular room evolves, we can always go back and reminisce on what the room once looked like. We group the various portraits together and they always make us smile. Functional and fun!Įvery year I find a different artist on Instagram and commission them to paint a portrait of a room in our home, the House of Bedlam. I wrap them in brown paper and tie them with a pine bough and ribbon. John and I are mad, mad gardeners, so I have all of John’s yard tools-think clippers, loppers, and chainsaw blades-sharpened and cleaned for the year ahead. A favorite source for interesting liquors is Fortnum & Mason in London but you have to pick them up there as they can’s ship booze to the US. John also collects ashtrays from hotels from around the world, so every year I add a new ashtray to the bar that I picked up in, say, Iowa or Istanbul. ![]() I pick up interesting liquors during the course of the year and stock the bar Christmas morning with interesting selections of gins, vodkas, bourbons, and such, all tied with a jaunty ribbon. And The Chinese Pavilion at Drottningholm is absolute heaven. A few recent favorite finds include Decorating is Fun! by Dorothy Draper Visions of Paradise: Themes and Variations on the Garden by Marina Schinz The Family Decorates a Home by Carleton Varney and Rose Cumming: Design Inspiration by Jeffrey Simpson. John and I are design junkies, obviously, so we look for vintage and newish garden and interiors books on eBay and such that are more boutique and unusual-and not the bumper crop of new design books that “are of the moment.” We spend the Christmas holiday poring over these inspirational treasures. A favorite online source is Rowing Blazers for kicky striped numbers that looked plucked from Eton. John’s eyes light up when he sees the confetti-like confections. I tie the assortment up with ribbons and stuff John’s bespoke stocking with these leggy lookers. I have fond garden-themed numbers in London and Scandi modernist styles in Helsinki. John loves a good statement sock, so I keep my eyes open through the year for socks that boast wonderful prints, patterns, and motifs. We walk, read, pick out great restaurants, and really turn off. So much more fun that sitting around an airport for hours and hours, n’est-ce pas? We live in North Carolina, so we have escaped to Highlander Mountain House in Highlands The Greenbrier in West Virginia Zero George in Charleston, South Carolina and the Hotel Weyanoke in Farmville, Virginia, among many others. We pick somewhere within two hours of our home and choose a great restaurant en route for lunch to break it up. Think either a wonderful short-term rental or a boutique-style hotel in a walking-friendly town. John and I find that time is the ultimate luxury so we like to gift each other a long weekend away road trip. With that said, here’s the Madcap Cottage holiday gift list for that special man in our life. Frankly, I would be thrilled with new underwear or a toaster. We are delighted to welcome John and Jason today! Madcap Cottage Must Haves!īy Jason Oliver Nixon reach a certain age where you mostly have everything you want and you no longer crave, say, the trendier items that you might have coveted in your 20s or 30s. We have featured their work, and Jason has guest posted numerous times over the years… and today the Madcap gents are back with a special Christmas tour of their gorgeous 1930s home! Personally, I always find men to be so challenging to shop for, so I asked Jason – who has impeccable taste – to help with some special and out-of-the-box gift ideas. The Glam Pad is a huge fan of the traditional, yet whimsical and exquisitely layered style of John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon, co-founders of Madcap Cottage. ![]()
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