Lovely, Useful, Just Plain Awesome Last Minute Gifts To Give (Or Get)

image via elle.com

If in the off chance that you, like me, are a thrill seeker (procrastinator) and prefer to save a bulk of your holiday shopping for the very. last. minute., I have a few gifty ideas that with the help of seriously expidited shipping could be in your loved one's hands (your hands, who are we kidding) by Christmas day. Jump over here for some seriously chic DIY gift wrap ideas and you're all set.

Living on the edge is fun, yes?

Full disclosure: I have no idea how Regime des Fleurs Water/Wood and Turquoise smells, but it sports the prettiest bottle of all time. Your most discerning pal will think you hung the moon when she unwraps this bad boy.

I love the idea of gifting a cluster of brass candlesticks to your favorite ambiance-loving bud. I'd kick things off with a quick swing by the thrift store for some vintage numbers (they always have them) and then round things out with a few of these gold numbers from World Market (the medium is still available, and it's on sale + free shipping for Christmas. Hurry!) 

For your foodie friends, a sculptural black marble cheese board (+ a big block of stinky fromage and some tart jam) is a guaranteed win. I love these beauties from The Mansion, but have seen equally lovely ones in store at William Sonoma and Crate and Barrel. (For you local Dallas peeps, I was at Bel Air Home yesterday and they had a lovely cache as well.)

Here's a secret: everyone loves a delicate layering necklace. Everyone. My friend Christine makes the prettiest. Full stop.

Ok, ok, this one's for me. Husband, if you're reading this, you can snap up one of these Seletti Eusapia hybrid dish at J.Crew (just one, as I'm planning to pop this loveliness into a shadow box, hang it on the wall, and call it a day). And you're in luck, as the J. Crew is another v. kind retailer meeting the needs of the seriously time challenged with free shipping and guaranteed holiday delivery.

In return, I will buy you (myself) a nice set of hand-painted ceramic sake cups and a giant bottle of tasty sake to toast making it to Christmas Eve with our sanity intact (because wine is so 2013).

You could do some bulk shopping action (not usually my M.O., but desperate times...) and get all your favorite kiddos (and nautical loving grown ups) this seriously cool sailing ship kit. (I used a white one in an install recently, and it was incredibly pretty.)

Last but not least, how about a brass hex pot (also available locally at Bel Air Home) + a snake plant for your least horticulturally inclined pal (because you just can't kill a snake plant).

Happy shopping friends!