What has made Herend’s figurines some of the most beloved and precious collectibles in the world for over fifty years?

It must partly be how cute they look, like these owls:

Or this magical bunny:

Or even this kitten caught in the moment of mischief:

And who will kiss this lucky frog?

Look closely, and you’ll see some of the special touches that make Herend figurines unique:  the pearl-like porcelain, the fishnet pattern (originally created in 1858 to imitate the feathers on a rooster), and the delicate 24 kt gold detailing.

And of course, because every piece is hand painted by an artist who has trained for at least three years before they are qualified, the subtle variations make them charming and completely unique.  Here is one of them at work on a special edition Fireworks Dragon:

Did you know that each Herend figurine can take an artist up to 16 hours to paint by hand.  How long would it take you?

See all Herend figurines at Gracious Style.

During this busy holiday season, we want to help you check everyone off your list! Here are some of our favorite ideas for gifts to give at the office:

For more great Corporate Gift ideas, click here.

As the holidays approach, we love adding warmth and spirit to all the festivities. Whether you’re hosting a big party, or just having a quiet family dinner, these collections are a perfect way to unite your loved ones around the table.

For more Holiday collections, click here.

Bring a little joy to your home with Simon Pearce’s new polar bear keepsakes.

Here’s Papa Bear …

… Mama Bear …

… and Baby Bear!

There are also penguins in the series!  To see them all, come visit our Holiday shop.  What’s your favorite thing there?

Oprah selected VIETRI’s Red Optical Champagne Glasses as NEST candles as her Favorite Things for 2013, and we couldn’t be happier!

According to Oprah, this is her “ultimate, ultimate list of my Favorite Things” … check it out!

We’d love to know: which is your favorite thing on Oprah’s List?  To see our selection of holiday gifts, click here.

Seth: Hi I’m Seth.

Jenna: And I’m Jenna.

Seth: We’re not real people but avatars–

Jenna: Quit being such a geek, Seth!

Seth: OK, sorry, fictitious characters.  We were invented by the editors of Gracious Style to help you see how design are a part of all of our lives.  So in our fictitious lives, Jenna and I are both in our late twenties.  I’m a Project Manager at a non-profit.

Jenna: And I’m a visual designer for a gaming company.  We’ve been going out for two years now, and we recently moved into a new place in Brooklyn.

Seth: Take a look at our Pinterest board to see what our corner of the world looks like.

Jenna: We’re still unpacking, but this is how we’d love our place to look like:

Seth: This place is so cool, with all the metal and brick and the old school lights.  I could spend hours hanging out with my buddies here.

Jenna: This one’s my favorite.  I love all the old details — the molding, the fireplaces and mirrors, and the floor.  It’s looks so antique-y but cool at the same time.

Jenna: I love everything in this room!

Seth: I like the wood and brick look here.

Jenna: Just remember our place looks nothing like that yet.

Seth: It’s not so bad.  Jenna’s made it pretty nice already.

Jenna: Thanks.  But we’ve still got a long way to go.

Seth:  Not too long now — my parents just announced they’re coming down from Wisconsin for the holidays, so we better get it ready by Christmas.

Jenna: Oh boy.

Seth: Huh? What’s wrong?

Jenna: Well, this’ll be the first time I meet them, and we’ve still got stuff in boxes.  I’m scared!

Seth: You’re scared?  Ha ha!  Last time they were out in Brooklyn was visiting Luger’s for steaks 15 years ago, so as long as they don’t get mugged, they’ll be happy.

Jenna: What Seth meant to say was: we want to make this place really nice for them when they come out.

Seth: Yeah, so could you give us some ideas on how we could set up the guest room for them?

Jenna: Pictures would be great.  I’m a visual person.

Seth: And I’m not good at imagining stuff, so yeah, pictures would help me too.

Jenna: We’ll retweet all your suggestions and add our favorites to our Pinterest board with a big “Thank you!”

Can you help Seth and Jenna get their guest room ready for Seth’s parents?  Please comment below, tweet @GraciousStyle, or post on the Gracious Style Facebook page with your suggestions.

Are the holidays The Most Wonderful Time of the Year for you?  Can you not get enough Ho Ho Ho, Rudolf the Red Nose Reindeer, and Santa Claus?  Or do you want to just chuck it all and head to the tropics — somewhere warm, lush, and sunny, where the sun-bronzed locals don’t see the attraction of a big plump old guy with a big white beard?

Either way, we (and our friends at Vietri) have got you covered.  You can really show off your Holiday spirit with Old St. Nick:

Or you can serve up a not-too-subtle “I Want to be Out of Here!” to all comers at your next holiday party with the Fish-Fish dinnerware:

Click to see Old St. Nick, Fish-Fish, and all our other Vietri dinnerware.

Tell us: Where would you rather be this Holiday season — The North Pole with Santa Claus, or the Tropics with someone who looks nothing like him?

Happy Thanksgiving! We at Gracious Style are having a wonderful start to the holidays, and we hope you are too!

We’re so thankful for you, our treasured customers, that we’ve created some incredible offers so you can get a jumpstart on this gift-giving season.

Valid for four days only:

FREE SHIPPING ON ALL ORDERS

From Thursday 11/28/13 12:01 a.m. until Sunday, 12/1 at midnight EST, enjoy Free Shipping on every item in our catalog – including Sale items!

Please use shipping code FREEALL13 when placing your order.

NEW REDUCTIONS ON MANY ITEMS

We have dramatically reduced some of our already-low Sale prices, and included new reductions on many regularly-priced items. Quantities are limited, and many items will go back up to regular pricing after the sale. This is the perfect time to shop for everyone on your list!

Enjoy spectacular savings this holiday weekend, on such items as:

Set your table in style with these great selections:

We also have many gifts under $100:

Great gifts for him as well:

We hope you enjoy these limited-time special offers, and find some fantastic gifts for family and friends… and yourself!

Shop all of our incredible discounted items HERE.

We at Gracious Style love to keep up on great style blogs, and Marisa Marcantonio’s Stylebeat is no exception. In fact, we’ve decided to become a sponsor, and the former style editor for House Beautiful and O Magazine recently returned the love in a holiday-themed post featuring some of her favorite items from our shop.

She chose a palette of greens and browns with metallic accents to enhance this season’s holiday tables.

For more on lifestyle and design, visit Stylebeat’s treasure trove of ideas here.

Creating a picture-perfect Thanksgiving table can seem daunting with so many choices available. Luckily, the editors of Coast Magazine have done the hard work for you! They’ve curated an excellent Thanksgiving selection in their new blog, Creating a Thanksgiving Tablecsape, featuring several items from Gracious Style’s catalog.

They’ve included some of our beautiful tableware in seasonal hues of gold:

We’re just thrilled to be included in Coast Magazine’s feature! To read more about West Coast style, visit their site here.