full circle

for the first time, i was impressed with several items in the newest cb2 catalog. a few of my favorites were in either aluminum or stainless steel and played on classic circle shapes. i think my favorite is the galvanized wine rack, but i love how the tilted stainless steel snack bowls have a brushed interior and a high-shine exterior (hard to tell in this picture).

i love how the cold metals give each of these pieces a modern, even industrial sheen. there is something about each of them, though, that makes it so they'd be at home in any number of decor styles. i love how many options the urchin vase-sculpture presents - monochromatic flowers or many, multi-colored little blooms.

in whatever form, there's something charming and comforting about the use of circles at home. particularly in the form of these stainless steel balls.

right?

all photos from www.cb2.com

tiny treasures...get it while it lasts

so one of the biggest "are they or aren't they" questions on my mind is....is pier 1 going out of business or not??

well, the truth remains to be seen, and it would be a real shame because i really love some of their stuff. i find it's the kind of merchandise you really have to see in person to make a decision on, moreso than other stores like it. perhaps that's why you can't buy things on their website, which is sort of ludicrous in this day and age. and is also maybe why they might be going out of business. also, check out the great cambridge dining chair on sale there now.

okay, not the point of this post.

the points of this post, IS however, to tell you about these really lovely damask-print reusable bags they are selling as this week's tiny treasure. you know the section where they have all the little accessories, usually on a big table, like makeup cases, umbrellas, etc? they're right near there. the shopper style bags are nice and roomy and have a great structure so they stand on their own very nicely. they're a nice oil-cloth texture and come in white with black damask, as well as a few other colors with brown damask. i have been really enjoying their use, satisfied with how neat and pretty lugging extra stuff can be. they're $2.99.

additionally, pier 1 also has the little roll-up nylon reusable bags in the SAME damask colors and fabrics. i always love these, because they slip right into their little pouch and can be thrown in your bag so they're at the ready when you need them. they are also $2.99. SO...in the spirit of tiny treasures being under $5 each, i can't in good conscience tell you to get one of each, because that would be $5.98, but i can say choose the one that you think would be most useful. and maybe pick up some change on the street or from your key table and get both. just sayin, it's a good deal and a tiny treasure-ish way to have a nicely coordinated little bag ensemble. and you know the way i feel about that.

the fall already-have list: bag it up

one of the items i most look forward to at the beginning of each season is the bags i'll be switching to. over the summer, i mainly used brightly colored bags many in canvas or cotton (like this one, my favorite this summer). but in fall, for me, it's all about shine, leather, slouch and texture. each of the fall bags i love combine one or more of these elements in their own way, and i am more than ready to make the switch.

one of the bags i am most excited about is this tan, felt-like bag with a thick red stripe. i love it because it looks like an old piece of train luggage or something - i feel like i'm in mid-century europe. in reality though, it came from the gap, on clearance at the end of last winter, so i have barely used it. this fall is really its premiere season.

i also love (and continually try to find use for) this huge prada doctor's bag i got at an outlet about 7 years ago. for a while, i've kicked myself for getting such a big one, because it is seriously large, but at this point, i'm ready to embrace it. i think the problem is it's heavy and big, and the small wrist handle is out of proportion. but enough complaining - it is a gorgeous bag and i'm going to do my best to really rock it this year.

it's also fun to switch wallets, make-up cases and other accessories to be less summery and bright, and more in keeping with your fall and winter style and wardrobe. i think it's little things like this that add little hits of pleasure to your day as you go through your commute, your errands, etc. if i love the wallet i take out of my bag to show my railroad ticket, it makes me smile. and feeling like i'm showing my railroad ticket with a piece of midcentury train luggage...well that's just perfect.

what switches will you be making?

other items on the fall already-have list:

darkness falls

all wrapped up

scent of a season

the fall already-have list: scent of a season

next up on my fall already-have list is my cooler weather fragrance wardrobe, with one great new addition. over the summer, i love to use light fragrances, most specifically coconut, as you might remember. but as cooler temps prevail, i prefer something a little heavier, with musky and spicy flavors. throw in a dash of sweetness and i'm happy.

i love having different scents that i wear in different seasons, but also different scents within the same season - i used to be of the idea that a signature scent was essential to one's personal style, but i fully reject that notion now. i think it's the same as with clothes, jewelry, makeup and any other style detail - should be easy to change and adjust based on mood, event, and any other number of factors that dictate our style choices.

some of my favorite fall and winter standbys are straight patchouli oil, which i get at jean tourmo in woodstock, valentino, which i wore on my wedding day, and bulgari notte which i got on my honeymoon in the bahamas. in addition to loving the scents, i love the memories they evoke for me and the way they transport me in time for just a split second, as only true sensory experiences can.
my favorite new cool weather fragrance is neroli from l'occitane. over the summer, i wandered in there and was very pleasantly reminded of the loveliness of that store - delicate, feminine and of course, tres provencale.





i also fell in love with one of their rose scents (they have two - the one i loved was the nuit de mai) but i figured when i need a new spring fragrance, i could explore that one. but i digress....neroli is an oil used in many, many fragrances, and is often compared to bergamot, and in this perfume is also mixed with orange blossoms. the scent is deep and spicy and sweet.to be sure, i purchased a gift set which was on sale for $20 - it's a very gold, very 90's looking "compass" purse atomizer with three small vials that slide right in. not only do i seriously adore the smell, but apparently, everyone adores it on me. you know when that happens, a scent just really works on you? i have never gotten so many compliments and have never enjoyed deeply inhaling more, with my nose to my wrist, my hair, my clothes...it gets everywhere and it lasts forever. LOVE.

i'm actually thinking about, later in the season maybe, experimenting with mixing the neroli and patchouli. the patchouli is SO strong - i love it, but people smell me from a few blocks away and it gets on everything - like, as in, baby gifts i give smell like patchouli. and kelly and cory's cat smelled like patchouli for a month after sitting on the same chair as my bag. yeah.

other items on the fall already-have list:

darkness falls

all wrapped up

bulgari notte photo from http://www.mega-shops.com/; neroli photo from http://www.loccitane.com/; valentino photo from http://www.fragrancescompared.co.uk/

the fall already-have list: all wrapped up

as you might have read yesterday, i am doing a fall "already-have" list, as opposed to a "fall must-have" list. it's part recession-minded, but also just a general nod to the spirit of being thankful for the things we have. join me! look through your closets and your belongings and take note of the things you're looking forward to bringing back for fall. and share them with me and honey readers!

today's already-have item is wraps, scarves and pashminas -- love, love and more love. all fall and winter, an outfit isn't complete to me without the added loveliness of a scarf. thanks to $5 pashminas all over the city, i have them in several different colors, and a few that are not your run of the mill $5 varieties...two of my favorites are a cream colored one with some sparkly details from kelly and another black one with sparkly gold embroidery. i get tons of use out of both and love to look at them when i'm using them and when they're just waiting on standby for their turns.

rifle through this

okay so i have to show you the totally incredible paper products from anna bond of RIFLE in winter park, florida. anna does hand painted illustration and lettering for stationery products (lots of weddings!) in addition to web design, personal stationery and assorted paper goods. i hesitate to call her work stationery, because really, it's art. she does stationery ensembles that perfectly characterize an event, a company, or a client.

she also writes a fabulous blog called riflemade that details lots of her work, her creative process and her impending shop opening! looks like a dream come true.

i love how her work all shares a very unique style, but each event she designs for has its very own identity - what a special memory to have of a special time in life.

you may recognize this gorgeous marriage certificate from a post i did a couple months ago - don't you love that idea? signed by all the wedding guests.

i have been wrestling with the optional use of paper recently - i really love beautiful papers for stationery and gift-wrapping, card-giving, list-making, really the list goes on and on. but environmental concerns make that less appealing these days. i think where i am hovering right now with the issue is, in the spirit of moderation, to be selective about when i use paper goods and when i do, make them damn good ones. for that reason, i might be getting in touch with anna some time soon for some honey notecards! i'm thinking something roughly in this style - love the handwriting style. it's as if i wrote it myself. like, if i had legible handwriting. which i don't.

all photos from www.rifledesign.com

the fall already-have list: darkness falls

so all over the place, there are fall "must-have" lists full of peoples' coveted items, some attainable, and others just wishful thinking.

this fall, in the spirit of the recession, i am taking a different mental approach to this list-making. i am making the "already have" list - a list of the things i already have that i'm looking forward to bringing back for fall, rather than things i wish i had. so each day this week, i'll be posting about one of these categories, getting myself excited about the fall style elements i already have or are easily attainable without extra expenditures. i'm thinking this will be more fun and less torturous than filling shopping carts on store websites that i know will never reach the "place order" point.

join me - take a look in your closets and at all your stuff and get prepped for fall. i'd love to hear what you're looking forward to bringing back for the season. what's old is new again. that's my story and i'm sticking to it.

the first one for me is the return of dark nail polish colors. i am totally comfortable putting away the corals and hot pinks until next summer (or a tropical winter vacation). bring on the darkest of the dark! last weekend, i went with opi's suzi says da, which i remember loving on my wedding weekend, but something about it was just a little too dark and dead brown this time, so i brightened it up this week with essie's material girl, a dark but rich and deep, deep reddish color.

other favorites are essie colors sole mate (very, very dark purply brown), lady godiva (dark brown), and wicked (on everyone but me). i have a large collection of these colors myself, but i do always look forward to the new and untried colors my nail place has too.

btw, opi has a new color called here today, aragon tomorrow that's forest green. my 8th grade self was obsessed with forest green and would be very excited. my current self is just mildly curious.

thoughts?

photos from http://www.itsmyheart.org/ , www.talkingcosmetics.com and www.polyvore.com

a delicious bounty

over the weekend, we had plans with our friends kim and mike to go apple picking and then for kim and i to make an appley dessert while the men grilled our dinner. well, rainy and muddy conditions put the kibosh on the picking part of the plan, but we made do and had a great day anyway. they took us to an incredible place in colts neck, new jersey called delicious orchards which is literally a supermarket-sized farm stand.

they had all kinds of produce, organic and non, from the very usual to the very unusual.







i would say it was the largest array of produce i've ever seen in any one place, including the largest peaches i've ever seen and the smallest pineapples.


look at the size of these potatoes.

and look at these ocas, or new zealand yams which the sign suggests cooking the same way you would potatoes. i could see these looking gorgeous and autumnal cut in large chunks and roasted with potatoes, yams and maybe some parsnips and onions.

also, they had a ridiculous assortment of dried fruits which were all sold by the pound, mix and match, including dried kiwi, strawberries and cantaloupe. unfortunately, the kiwi tasted like fish, but the strawberries! they tasted like a gummy candy version of an actual strawberry.




they carry 150 cheeses, even some in rinds shaped like pumpkins. yeah.


and assorted pastas, jams, salsas, honey, 85 varieties of coffee and tea, fresh flowers and homemade peanut butter.



not to be gross, but the peanut butter actually tastes like partially chewed peanuts, in a totally delicious and natural-tasting way. i know it sounds crude, but think about it - just tastes like nothing but peanuts. i'm excited to have it for breakfast on some toast, particularly as the mornings get cooler.

also, fudge, candies and baked goods.



after tasting the cider in a giant barrel in the apple section, we couldn't resist buying a carton to bring home. kim and mike got the regular, while we opted for the tart version. it is SERIOUSLY tart with a great kick.


we "picked" apples, as in, from a bin...we chose fujis.


when we got back to the house, kim and i made an apple coffee cake with crumb topping(seriously awesome). we made the recipe as written, with the exception of the fact that we used light sour cream. i have to say, though, it was seriously decadent even so. a sweet end to a day that welcomed in the bounty of fall with wonderful friends.

delicious orchards sign photo from www.deliciousorchardsnjonline.com