Chic, Wintery Fabrics for December

1950s Velveteen Party Dress

With our store-front in sunny Florida, Yesterdaze will greet December perhaps dreaming of a White Christmas but never needing more than a light cardigan.

Though, while we in the sub-tropics revel in the occasional opportunity to slide into a pair of boots, the temperatures in the rest of the States continue to drop, providing the perfect opportunity for those cozy and timeless fabrics to return to wardrobes around the world.

Our etsy store is bursting with options to wrap up in through the winter to come.

We suggest velvet (left), tweed, and wool to stay toasty throughout the holiday season without compromising a sense of elegance and style.

Stay Toasty – a Mulled Wine Recipe for your Holiday Festivites

Well, it’s happened.  Thanksgiving has passed us by and Black Friday managed not to leave our trampled bodies imprinted in the tile of the neighborhood Best Buy.

So while we sit and reflect this weekend, perhaps patting our satisfied bellies or a stack of deeply discounted impulse purchases, there’s one profoundly important thing to remember: with the arrival of this weekend it is now socially acceptable to get into the Holiday Spirit – in whatever form of extremity your little heart desires.

So while some of us might be whipping up our signature batch of English Toffee (that’d be me) and others are out pacing the aisles in the nearest tree-tent debating on the merits of Douglas Fir versus Spruce, let’s all remember to stay warm and to have a great time doing it.

Now, as far as warmth goes, the tradition of spiced and heated wine (otherwise known as mulled) unfortunately gets punted to the side in climates like our native Florida.  Due to first-hand knowledge of just how damn delicious mulled wine is, we think that’s a shame.

So, here’s what you do:

1. Grab a bottle of red wine.  You want something sweet and dessert-y like a merlot or a cabernet.  Cheap gas-station wine is a-okay. We won’t tell.
2. An orange.  Peel and slice it.  Grate up a bit of the peel (about 1tbsp) to use as flavor and toss the rest.
3. 1/4 cup of brandy
4. 8-10 cloves (you can find these in the spice section at your grocery store.  You can find them cheaper in the ethnic section of your grocery store.  Just sayin’)
5. 1/3 cup of honey.  You can use sugar alternatively or a combination of the two, depending on the flavor you’re after.
6. 3 cinnamon sticks (ethnic aisle!)
7. 1tsp fresh ginger (or 2 tsp of the powdered stuff)

You are going to get the best results using something like a crock pot for this, but we understand if your hesitant to ladle out booze from your pot-roast cooker, so if you like, you can just use a large pot over your stove hob.

Toss everything into the crock pot and heat over medium-low, stirring frequently to ensure the honey or sugar melts.  Don’t boil, you just want to get it to steaming.

Ladle it into mugs.  You can garnish with leftover orange peel rounds and/or cinnamon sticks.

Enjoy!  And let us know how it turned out.