Girly tweezers

Once again while traveling in the Orient I came across these cute tweezers. I think they are so special....I went online and found them at various stores in the UK and at Zero Minus Plus of Fred Segal Santa Monica. I think these are a really fun way to spice up the rather dull task of plucking.

With all the different looks I would even consider getting one that resembles each of my girlfriends - it would be a wonderful loot bag treat for a ladies at-home spa party.

In addition to the cute girly tweezers I found some rhinestone

encrusted ones. I haven't seen these in any retail stores or online yet. The designs are really pretty and would make a nice "treat yourself" gift.

If you're looking for something that is purse worthy and doesn't have too much flash you may want to consider a tweezers with a fun charm or a practical and pretty floral closure like the ones shown here.

Any of these make the joys of grooming (....just joking...) a bit more enjoyable!

Who is Jane?

Jane is a fictional character who embodies everything working women are today. Whether they work from home or in the office, See Jane Work is an on-line (and recently a retail store in California), that helps women organize and multi-task life. Whether they are leading the staff meeting, making contract revisions, or scheduling the vet appointment, it’s all easier with Jane. Imagine all this before you’ve even had your second cup of coffee.

This website (http://www.seejanework.com/) is organizers dreams come true. See Jane Work is a working girl essential; the ideas are fresh and the products always stylish. Take your office from drab to fab or make your home office an extension of your home, be it cozy and warm or modern and sleek – there is a look here for everyone.



Here are a few of my favorites. I especially love the life organizers. This is a handy set of 4 books organizing, medical, home maintenance, take out menus and greeting cards – what more could you ask for?



Or there’s Life.doc (I’ve seen this one at Target) which is equally as awesome. With a section for everything imaginable you will never miss or forget a thing. Another added bonus with Life.doc is that it has a CD ROM to do the data entry on your computer, then feed the Life.doc pages into your printer and print out the completed forms for your binder. Tidy, organized and nothing short of superb!! If you love this one, there are even more on their website www.getbuttonedup.com for you to enjoy!


Oh but wait…for mom’s out there; I think your dreams have just been answered. The mom agenda book has arrived. You’ll find several mom focused agenda and organizers with lots of room for reminders and appointments, from snacks for class to soccer practice these books got your back.







Hmm….for some reason, I think work just got better!

A must have for any handbag

Found these last April in Hong Kong and I am still loving them! I think these flashy nail files are the #1 must have for any handbag.

Speaking of handbags - love the one with the handbag charm since I am a bit of a junkie myself!

ooh la la

I was out shopping last week and came across this really cute book, “French Kitty in French Kitty Goes to Paris”.

When I came across French Kitty I instantly fell in love with her. The author is Mighty Fine, which is a design studio started up by a trio of entrepreneurs based in LA. After researching a bit about her and Mighty Fine I realized they also created the character Ruby Gloom, who I also love, so French Kitty was an obvious adoration for me!

Mighty Fine has been designing and manufacturing sportswear for teenagers across the world since 1992. French Kitty is an icon of Mighty Fine and the foundation for a business that has grown in leaps and bounds over the years.

I bought my first (notice I said first – I think there is a collection starting here) French Kitty book for my daughter (but really myself) and she loves it! The book is printed on black paper so the graphics and imagery are really captivating. French Kitty is a "sophisticat" and true diva. Her impeccable style, joie de vivre, and ability to "land on her feet" will inspire and delight you.

I can’t wait to add to my…oh I mean my daughter’s collection (hee…hee..). You can surf Amazon and find other French Kitty books such as French Kitty in Las Vegas, in Oui, Oui Waikiki. In addition to the books there are key chains, notebooks, invitations, t-shirts, calendars and tons of other great French Kitty stuff on Amazon and Ebay. If you’re into collections and characters like Emily Strange, French Kitty is a must have…..

“meow”

Porcelain Beauties

I think you will agree these have to be the most beautiful porcelain serving pieces ever.

These images are from a trade show in Frankfort Germany. They are made of porcelain with real photo decals – that’s what makes them so unique.

Crate and Barrel are selling the bowls pictured (the ones with the herbs printed on the rim), but I haven’t seen the other pieces anywhere yet.

I think they are the show stopper of any dinner party it’s almost a shame to cover them up with food.

Dreaming of my craft room

For a while now I have wanted a space dedicated to arts and crafts. I know that if I had my paint, fabric and other craft supplies out I would do more. For some time I have been day dreaming of the ultimate craft room. One day I will make the space in my home for such a room – but until then, I continue looking for inspiration and great organizational ideas I can add to my decorating idea book and refer to later (maybe one day I’ll show you this book – well really it’s a binder).
The must haves for my craft room are a large bistro style table with storage below, open shelves with bins and jars of all my supplies color coordinated, and maybe even a “kid-friendly” area for painting and pasting.

I don’t want anything “kitchy” but rather a Pottery Barn feel to the space. I found some great craft rooms online, one great online source for room inspiration is Rate My Space, you should check it out before any home reno project!

Some of the things I love the most are the shabby chic wire bins for holding all your paints, the bright colored bins and containers adding punch to open shelving, and the closet craft space equipped with wire baskets and bulletin boards from the dollar store – brilliant!

I also love the idea of making custom labels for your boxes and buckets out of pretty paper. Or take a look at the “mini-chest” picture. How clever to spruce up the front of plain plastic drawers with vibrant papers so that you can’t see all the mixed matched trinkets inside.

I love so many different things in each of these rooms that it’s hard deciding where to start. But they do come close to fulfilling my dream!

Trying to get the look for less

I have been torn as to how to re-decorate our bedroom. We have been living in a neutral palette for over a decade. I know it's hard to believe. We have been toying with several themes from a smoky grey and plum (still continuing to be a big trend even into FW 09/10), to a bold color palette. Finally, I think we decided on going nautical. I love the summer. Being at the beach and wearing flip flops for 3 months straight (not a long summer where I live), is my nirvana.
So I am surfing and come across the William Sonoma (WS) website where I find the look I want all laid out for me and ready to click and add to my cart.

But...very expensive to re-do a room in William Sonoma. So, I am finding inspiration and knock offs in order to get the look for less.

Here are some amazing vintage nautical pillows from WS which I think I may have knocked off. The pillows on the left are from WS ($75 each) and the pillows on the right are from - are you ready for it - Michael's the arts and craft store ($13 each on sale/$21 each regular price).

I think I may have achieved the vintage nautical feel.

We haven't even started to paint the room (navy blue I think?), so it will be while a before I can post the "after" pictures. But in the meantime I will let you know if I find any other great knock offs!

I also thought you may be interested in seeing a few more items from the Shoreline Collection at Michael's - kinda "kitchy" all together but a few items displayed as a collection seems to work better.