Of Course My Horse

I like CB2 because they are hip and cool.  They describe themselves as a “modern destination from Crate and Barrel” and as “affordable modern” for apartments and lofts.  Perfect for a gal such as myself. 

I like this pillow because one of my favourite sayings – which I learned from a cheesy horror film – is: Of course my horse!  I also really like that this pillow was created by someone from Creatively Explored – a nonprofit visual arts center for artists with developmental disabilities.   A percentage of the CB2 sales goes to Creatively Explored. 

Hip, cool and doing something good all wrapped in one cute pillow.   Do I love it? Of course my horse!

Say Cheese!

Check out my hotel room in Vegas!

I would never have it at home but this white, patent leather headboard is kinda cool.  It reflects every little bit of light!

And these chrome bedside reading lamps:

Finally there is a TV embedded in the bthroom mirror.  Kind of funny.

For now,  my feet hurt from Day 1 of CES and I am off to bed.  Goodnight!

Ringing in the New Year!

Rare Device is a store which I enjoy in San Francisco.  The name Rare Device comes from the poem, Kubla Khan, by Coleridge - which was one of the few poems I remember loving as a student.

Rare Device is full of all kinds of interesting designs in homeware, jewelry and accessories.  In their webstore, they have this ring – which was created by a designer in Brooklyn. It’s called the Patch Ring.

To me this ring is perfect in its imperfection. If I was getting married this would be the ring I would want myself and my husband to wear.   The same designer, Swallow, also has the Urchin Ring. If you ever collected dried sea urchin shells on the beach as a kid you will feel a connection to this ring just like I did.

These are very affordably priced – ringing in at $90.00 and $120.00 respectively.   (FYI - this post is part of my effort to be more jewelry friendly this year!)

Put it on Paper!

A good friend asked me to post some stuff about men’s accessories.  I haven’t yet investigated the world of cufflinks and pocket squares – I promise I will – but I did find these man notes. (You all know I am a paper product ho, right?) This stationary is targeted at guys who like handwritten notes but don’t want them to look like they came from grandma’s desk drawer. You can see the full line at Pretty Bitter. This one is called “Ready, Aim, Write”:

Here is what the front of the card looks like.  They come with plain grey envelopes.

And, here is the back.  Personally, I am not sure how much I would like recieving a card with a body target - but hey, it probably works for men!

If I was a guy this skull and cross bones might be more my style.  Kind of Jack Sparrow meets Mark Twain!

Inspiring Ideas

Sometimes you meet someone and you instantly know that you will like this person – a lot. Then you might see them in their natural environment and you feel a whole different level of connection. It’s strange when someone you barely know channels some of the same ideas that float around in your head. At the same time, it’s exciting. I had this experience recently and alas this person and I are separated by many miles. Luckily we are bound by a family tie :-P


Here are some of her ideas which I wish were my own!

A big apothecary jar, sitting on the bathroom floor housing bath salts.

Percussion instruments - artfully mixing the real thing with children’s toys.

Metal wall art she used to sweetly showoff my niece Juju’s homemade spice sachets.

A clip display you can change out seasonally or with treasured photographs – depending on your mood!

Organization, organization, organization – I wish I was this organized!

The tea menu posted in the kitchen – so when you offer your guests a tisane you always know what you have on hand! (This one I will really use.)

This tissue box makes me want to sneeze!

A whole vase of peacock feathers – my favorite. 

I didn't do a great job with the picture - but I cannot resist peacock feathers!

Memories of Paris

I love these chairs.  You see these and slight variations on them all around Paris at outdoor cafes.  When I see photos of these it reminds me of walking to the Eiffel Tower with my friend Paige.  I remember we walked past a cafe where all these chairs were lined up outside - inspite of it being a cold, wet February day!  These chairs have probably been there for decades but they still look fresh and hip.

Holiday Sparkle

The holidays are coming! I am very excited this year because I will be going home to Newfoundland for Christmas and New Year’s. I will also be going to Phoenix to spend Thanksgiving with my good girlfriend S who recently moved away. The best thing for me about this holiday season will be seeing my family and close girlfriends. I feel like today I am kicking off the festivities by having lunch with my friend C and going to a holiday boutique at a friend’s house this afternoon. I am hoping to find some innovative gifts for some family members.

(Photo taken with my iPhone.)

Now, normally I avoid Pottery Barn like the plague because it’s so easy to spend way too much there! But yesterday I decided to go in and check out the holiday decorations. I knew I would not be too tempted since I wasn’t going to be here. I did fall for these adorable paper tags and luckily they were very inexpensive. I love any decorative item that has letters or words on it so these little cuties work for me!

Calamidee Loves Target!

If you are like me then you need a chair in your bedroom. You know, for the clothes you wear for a few hours and want to wear again. A nice chair to sit on when you put on your shoes, etc… And there is no excuse why function can't be attractive.  I just love the upholstered Avington chairs from Target.  And even better they are so very affordable at $159.99 and come in some cool funky designs. Even better you can get a matching bench for $99.99.  I absolutely love these stripes.

Divine Designs

I love these interiors photographed by Michael Partenio.  Theare simply lovely combine lots of the neutrals with bright splashes of color.  The way the decorators have mixed modern influences with traditional bits is so pleasing to my eye.  I could definitely be creatively inspired in surroundings like these.

I think this blue is my favorite.

And, I normally don't go for the bed and breakfast look but this is dreamy.

And, finally I am a sucker for any design that can successfully combine green, purple and orange!

Time on Your Side

I can’t say I have ever had house envy but when I saw the photos of this place on the New York Times website I wanted to move right in! Just check out the view here between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. This triplex penthouse apartment is situated in a clocktower! The main floor of this apartment is dominated by four working clocks housed in four 14-foot-high round windows looking North, South, East and West.

Just in case you were wondering - the clocks are electronically synchronized so they always display time identically.  Pricetag? A mere $25 million. To read more about this stunning pad you can check out the NYT story.

The Rebirth of My Apartment

I told you that my best guy friend (BGF) W was here. Well, after a little curiousity shop browsing, two trips to Ikea and my house has been revamped, renewed and redecorated! Here are a few photos of the redo. (These are not the greatest photos but you get the idea!)

You can see I have a bit of a hat fetish.

New light fixture from Ikea!

Birthday orchids from friends! Notice the depleted wine rank courtesy of the party.

A sassy little find from TJ Maxx! Those feathers once adorned my head.

Shelf Number 1. More birthday flowers.

Shelf number 2 with the copper star my dad made.

Shelf number 3 with some family photos.

This star used to be on a Texaco station! W insisted that one of us needed it. Because of baggage restrictions I won.

Here you get a better idea of how it fits in. Luxo Junior style lamp courtesy of Ikea.

Now you have seen my place!

Humor and Furniture Envy

I went to see Kathy Griffin in San Francisco with some friends. It was great. Damn, the lady is funny! I could go on about how entertaining she is but you probably already know that.

One thing I will say is this sitting in that San Francisco audience made me glad that I am “liberal, left and occasionally I read a paper,” as she put it. To the right wing - I feel sorry for you. That is all I will say on the matter.

But I did feel the need to make a short post on her and I found this cool publicity shot. Can’t you totally see me in a picture just like this one? Maybe someday I can do a photo shoot where I am clutching PR Week’s Golden Quill Award. Okay, that is just a joke - we all know I am far too lazy to go through the application process and I don't really believe in that type of award. But, I totally want that piece of furniture!

Creative Correspondance

When I was a kid one of the things that I wanted to be was a greeting card designer. And that was long before I knew about cute places like Papyrus a store that has beautiful cards, many with special embellishments. I always get cards for my mom there because hey, it’s mom and she is worth the $5.99 plus extra postage required for the jeweled tiara or whatever doodad is on the front. (Suddenly my mom turned 70 and she is all about being fabulous – what the heck?)
Sometimes I love simple, sweet design as much as the over the top trimmings so I was really excited to find A Punkin Card Company. I love the bold color combos and cool themes they incorporate – especially the chandeliers and bird cages. I always need some thank you cards on hand for work purposes so I ordered a bunch of these:

Here are some of my other favorites:

I would like to have this black chandelier as my personal stationary! In the meantime, let's say goodbye to August and hello to September.

Flat Lighting

I kind of have this thing about my space and I don’t mean the website. I really require order and a certain level of “niceness” around me in order to be productive. Also. I prefer to have less than too much when it comes to décor.

That is why I love the idea of these graphic chandeliers that I saw on www.etsy.com from michellechristina.






Lukily, I was able to score a fairly spacious apartment in a great neighborhood at a good price. Sadly, I am so picky it has taken me four years to get this place somewhere close to finished. I have a corner for a comfortable chair where I can picture these little eye pleasers.

A Siggnificantly Better Gift Idea

A good friend just asked me for a gift idea for a guy with whom she is not romantically attached or engaged. It came to me very quickly as I scanned my desk. A Sigg water bottle! It’s socially responsible, replaces plastic bottles that take eighty years to decompose, and will encourage your giftee to stay hydrated!

I love that Sigg is good for the environment, everyday useful and incorporates great design. In fact SIGG was incorporated into the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and Backpacker Magazine called it “The world’s toughest water bottle” in 2006.

If you go to http://www.sigg.com/ there are lots of delicious designs to choose from.

If you go to Cafepress you can personalize your own Sigg bottle: http://www.cafepress.com/designer/sigg/?src=hph2

I want to get the white one and have it say "Peace, Love and Diane" in primary colors!