Happy Holidays from FbDB!

It's been an incredible year for all of us, and we want to wish all of you the happiest holiday season, as well. We hope you can drop by the store and finish out 2015 with us at FOUND by domestic bliss! Come celebrate with special holiday deals, early store hours on Christmas Eve for any last minute shopping needs, and an after Christmas sale lasting right up until New Year's Eve. May your days be merry & bright!

Perfect Cheese Pairings for the Holidays

Holiday entertaining season is in full swing, and we're getting into the spirit at FbDB with this casual yet elegant, rustic cheese plate. It's often said, but always true, we really do 'eat' all things first with our eyes. Random slices of cheese and bread tossed haphazardly on a paper plate would taste just as delicious as a perfectly styled cheese platter......probably. But who's going to savor the experience? Make your cheese party a feast for all the senses by arranging your treats attractively on a butcher block cutting board, woven tray, slate cheese board, or even an upended old wooden crate. Arranging on different height levels--rather than everything flat on the table--is an easy way to make your display as visually appealing as it is delicious.

From the perfect cheese knives to rustic linens, we've got you covered.....and our table styling experts have got some advice to help you seriously raise your cheese plate game, as well. Read on for our five tips for a perfect holiday spread!

Photo: Jessica Downey

5 Steps to a Perfect Cheese Plate

1. Choose a Good Variety: For our cheese plate, we chose two semi-soft cheeses (Smoked Gouda and Winey Goat, seen above from left), a soft cheese (Brie), and a crumbly cheese (Blue). This strikes a great balance between flavors and textures, always the goal for a successful spread!

2. With A Little Help From My Friends: No matter what varieties you're serving, cheese is best buddies with sweet snacks like fresh fruit, honey, chutney, candied nuts and dates. Salty treats like prosciutto, olives, salted nuts or pickles also provide variety and interest. And of course, speaking of friends, cheese is natural besties with all kinds of breads and crackers!

3. Let it Rest: Cheeses are at their best at room temperature, so while you'll want to store these in the fridge to keep them fresh until your party, make sure to remove all cheeses and let them sit for at least an hour prior to serving.

Photo: Jessica Downey

4. Cheese 101: Some of your guests may know their Camembert from their Saint-André on first sight, from all the way across the room.....but what about those who are just learning about cheeses? Help them out with a few well-placed signs. We especially love these chalkboard paper place cards from Kitchen Papers as tiny, calligraphied 'menus', or these hand-stamped cheese markers from Cake Vintage (both available at FbDB)!

5. Spread Out Your Spread: Just because it's called a 'cheese plate' doesn't mean everything has to literally sit on one plate! Give your goodies some breathing room and your guests room to maneuver by serving things in and on several dishes. We love the texture of these rustic wooden serving boards and bowls, or a glass cloche to add a little height and drama!

Photo: Jessica Downey

Photo: Jessica Downey

Holiday Style Makers at FbDB

This year, FbDB kicked off the holiday entertaining season in an amazing way....by inviting eight of our favorite Phoenix creatives to join us in the store on November 7th for a very special Holiday Style Makers event! Each of these talented ladies brought their own unique perspective to the 'holiday table styling challenge', and was given free rein to use any of the beautiful products on our floor and store room shelves.....the results were absolutely stunning! Each took a slightly different approach, from casual Thanksgiving sit-down to glitzy New Year's celebration and everything in between!

Visions of sugarplums were flying around everywhere, ribbons and pumpkins and glassware and greenery were all a blur as the final tables were assembled before the big reveal at the Holiday Style Makers Meet + Greet on November 7th.

Join the Best of Local!

When it comes to sharing the "local love" and spreading the word about events and happenings, FbDB teams up with our partners at REstyleSOURCE to get things moving! REstyleSOURCE has the nationwide directory of the BEST of local boutiques, designers, and sources for the brands we love. They're all about promoting partnership between creatives and businesses, and we love them for it! Check out their calendar of events to find something happening near you, and explore some of the other ways you can use REstyleSOURCE as a customer or a business. Long Live Local!

* The gorgeous tabletop stoneware dishes you see in these photos are brought to you by our friends at Skyros Designs...and they've got an offer to make your holidays a little brighter, as well. Come in to FbDB and get 20% off any Skyros purchase now through December 24th. Plus, enter to win a $500 credit towards even more beautiful Skyros designs!

Our Style Makers teamed up with local florists Hoot & Holler, Garden Gate and Butterfly Petals to create custom centerpieces for their tables, and Kristin and the creative holiday elves of the FbDB helped to lend the final festive touches to the shop. Finally, we were ready for the big unveiling!

Meet Our Team of Style Makers & See Their Designs:

Thankful Feast

Sarah Hubbell worked with the Garden Gate floral team to tie their stunning, autumn-inspired florals in with her individual place settings. The oversized rustic serving board inspires visions of a holiday feast fit for a family of any size. We love the sprig of real berries and a petite orange pumpkin at each setting….and of course, the darling mini chalkboards. This spread presents a truly stylish Thanksgiving bounty!

See more of Sarah's work here at Emma Magazine!

A Midwinter's Tale

Lush, dramatic greenery dominates the floral arrangements by Hoot & Holler that serve as the inspiration for this wintry table by stylist Fawn DeViney. Envisioning a moody, midwinter book club gathering, Fawn placed elegant black glassware atop a dark table and chairs, leaving the stacks of vintage books and eerie antique mannequin heads to take center stage. Candles and a cozy woven throw help to soften this look and create an atmosphere of welcoming hospitality!

See more of Fawn's work here at fawndeviney.com!

Girls' Getaway

Diamond Troutman was inspired to style her table around the theme of a holiday dinner entre copines (with girlfriends)—the perfect theme for the author of a blog called Paris Elsewhere! We absolutely adore her selections on this intimate and lovely tablescape, from the delicately ruffled pink florals to the ornate placemats by Kitchen Papers…and plenty of good red wine and delicious artisan chocolates within reach, s’il vous plait!

See more of Diamond's work at Paris Elsewhere!

All I Want For Christmas

How tall can a centerpiece be? As tall as your imagination will let it be! Lindsey Holt and Coley Arnold, the fabulous ladies behind Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market, played around with ideas of whimsy and scale on their tablescape. Showcased alongside a variety of Christmas trees in evergreen and driftwood, the addition of a life-sized vintage bicycle is charming and hilarious—it’s kind of like the reverse of finding a bicycle under the tree on Christmas morning! We’re loving their sense of style and fun!

See more from Lindsey & Coley here at Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market!

Winter Wonderland


Kim Stoegbauer created a pristine winter wonderland at her table, envisioning a party with ornaments, oversized jingle bells, spools of festive woven ribbon and sweet treats for all!  Compact and elegant arrangements of classic roses from Hoot & Holler in winter white create a delightful ambiance, while curly calligraphy place cards and snowflakes help to tie up each place setting in a perfectly tied bow.

See more of Kim’s work here at The TomKat Studio!

Auld Lang Syne

This casual New Year’s Eve dinner tablescape styled by Leah Theodosis perfectly encapsulates the rustic elegance she also showcases at her event rental space, Tremaine Ranch. The stunning floral arrangement by Sarah’s Garden brings together a variety of greens accented by subtle pops of wintry blues, a theme echoed by the lovely blue glassware at each place setting. We can never resist a set of natural linen napkins and simple woven placemats, and the organic lines of these Cantaria dishes by Skyros are the perfect accompaniment.

See more of Leah's work here at Tremaine Ranch!

And a Happy New Year!

Ibie Falcusan’s festive party table is picture-perfect and ready to celebrate a glamorous New Year’s Eve. We’re especially loving the way those exuberant florals by Garden Gate almost seem to explode from their container like a firework, perfect for one of the sparkliest nights of the year! Rows of gold-wrapped sparkling wine stand at attention behind classic gold-rimmed champagne coupes, all ready to ring in the new year. Count us in, Ibie!

See more of Ibie's work here on Instagram!

One-day-only popup shops by local faves See Salt and Chestnut Fine Foods + Provisions also helped to make spirits bright with their sweet treats & savory goodies!

We're so thankful for REstyleSOURCE and our Style Makers, and everyone else who loaned their talents and time to make this day special....we can't wait to get started on the holiday season now! With so many beautiful ideas for inspiration, and so many new friends made, the weeks ahead are sure to be merry & bright!!