As if holiday shopping isn’t stressful enough, friends, relatives, and not-so-welcome neighbors will soon be pouring through the door. It’s about that time to start trading out the bean bag chairs and lava lamps for dining sets and candle sticks. Make your home somewhere your family wants to hang this holiday season. So instead of attempting to throw an old sheet over the recliner, head to Apartment Zero’s Open House Saturday December 6th from 3-6pm for 20 percent off on any purchase. Packed with furniture of all kinds, statement-making lamps and clocks, throws, flatware and home accents, the store will set you on your way to a slick, stylish, and cozy holiday season. Can’t make it December 6th? Don’t beg to have Christmas at your sister’s just yet, Store Adore shoppers save 20% off selecte items throughout the holidays. You also get 10 percent off all linens, bedding and throw pillows. Trust me they’ll come in handy for that guest who really likes to hit the eggnog.

Click here for details.

Click here to browse the exclusively discounted merch.

Flip flops in October? Please. Throw us a nice pair of lace-up boots! Mocha Frappuccino? Yuck. We’ll take a hot cocoa, thank you. Bright orange nail polish? We’re digging fall’s elegant purples. You get the picture: we’re so ready for the winter season.

Virtu, Chicago’s resource for fine artisan giftware is clearly in the same boat. Go there for champagne and truffles on Saturday, November 1st, from 10am to 6pm as the store ushers in the holiday season and present the largest collection of Snow & Graham stationery in the Windy City.

There’s no excuse not to stock up on stylish cards like the Snow & Graham “Everyday” greeting card set below, since Virtu will donate 10% of the day’s sales to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Summer is seriously underway. Be gone with black, and keep cool in color. Even better—flowers in every hue. From skirts to dresses, both long and short, we’re flouncing our way through the heat in flirty florals.

How cute are these chiquitas? Visiting Truro, Cape Cod for the weekend, they layered on color with their floral print skirts from Forever 21. While the one on the left goes native in flips flops, we’re amused by the bespectacled beauty in blue furry booties.

Earlier this summer, we stopped Sammi, a festively dressed Berkelee student, on Newbury Street, where she was chatting with the hostess at popular Italian eatery, Scoozi. In addition to her floral print skirt from Urban Outitters, which is practically wallpaper-esque, Sammi sports gladiator sandals she bought in Greece, where she recently studied, a wide patent belt from Target, and seriously yellow shoulder bag from H&M.

MAKE THIS LOOK WORK AT THE OFFICE Use these pieces as a base, then add a cropped cardi, a fun necklace, simple earrings, and bright handbag. This ensemble may not have the jumbled panache of the street looks shown above, but it’s more pulled together, so you can wear it to work.

Floaty coral top with folded details at the neckline by Mint, $319, at Holiday, a Beacon Hill boutique with fancy dresses and proper pajamas.

Pleated floral skirt by CK Bradley, just $52.80 at Queen Bee, a girly boutique on Newbury Street where you’ll find dresses and tees from DVF, Three Dots, Trina, Turk, and Ella Moss, all on sale for 30% to 70% off.

Mystique sandals with a coral cabochon set in a studded gold disc, $145, plus tons of other styles of these super summery embellished thongs, available at Leokadia, a new shoe salon in the South End that carries beaded sandals, edgy boots, comfy flats and heels that are so very va-va-va-voom.

How will your e-boutique stand out from the pack this Holiday season? Attract hundreds of new, shopping-obsessed customers through the Store Adore Holiday Gift Guide!

For details and pricing, contact Cristina and her team at cristina@storeadore.com.

Store Adore Holiday Gift Guide Welcome Page

The Store Adore Holiday Gift Guide will feature a dozen personality-themed categories with a handful of shopping resources recommended for each. Users will click to the welcome page from the homepage or via a link posted on every page on the Store Adore site. The welcome page will allow them to select an appropriate personality-themed category for the gift recipient. Current categories include: The Cubicle Companion, The Free Spirit, Your Whole Shopping List, Stocking Stuffers (Gifts Under $25), Cheap Date (Gifts Under $50), The Consummate Entertainer, The Celeb Stalker, The Well Accessorized, The Romantic, The Fashion Fiend and The Getaway Girl.

Click here or below to see a full-size image of the welcome page SAMPLE.

Store Adore Holiday Gift Guide Category Page

A single page will be devoted to each category. Scrolling over an image of the featured item will bring up a description of each store and gift, while clicking on it will take shoppers directly the store’s website. A Store Adore exclusive discount, offered by each store, will provide added incentive to shoppers.

Click below to see a full-size image of the Cubicle Companion category page SAMPLE.

The best thing about being a part of Store Adore is that it’s actually “work” to shop. Our event at Intermix last week gave me an excuse to see first-hand what Boston stores are are serving up. While the scene is far from East Village-edgy, for shoppers looking to scoop up this season’s top ten trends list, the local retailers were right on the money. Check out my top picks from each of the dozen stores I visited. (You can click on the images below to see detailed descriptions of each.) And download my shopping maps for Back Bay, and Beacon Hill, and The North End here.

Click here to see Store Adore’s last-minute holiday gift ideas.