The next time you're at the flea market keep an eye out for cheap old maps from the 50's, 60's, and 70's. You know, the kind your dad would keep in the glove compartment and never be able to fold up again. Buy them for pennies and keep them on hand for all of your gift wrapping needs. Tie a bow with some hardware store twine and you're good to go. It's butch, it's green, and it will make you, The Gifter, look creative and thoughtful.

I guarantee they won't go out of style after a couple of years like that lame Hollywood Regency knock-off lamp you bought at West Elm. Sure, they might barf on the flokati or poop in your house plants when you're not looking, but you just can't beat that warm/fuzzy/unconditional love ambiance they bring to any interior.

Screw potpourri. Fill your vessels with cats! My über tasteful pals Mark and Paul share their gorgeous Eichler home with a couple of cats (and the occasional uninvited raccoon) in sunny San Raphael, California.

Just say NO to faux fur and use the real thing. My luxuriously pelted Miniature Pinscher, Tino, perfectly compliments (and vanishes into) our new Marimekko Kikku duvet.

Planters are not just for plants. Tino commandeered this vintage fiberglass bullet planter for his own lounging needs until I kicked him out and used it to store kindling for the wood burning stove.

Play with scale for added drama. Our beloved gigantic Rhodesian Ridgeback, Simon, pretty much filled up every space he occupied to eye-popping effect.