Pretty Umbrellas

My cousin, Theresa, recently clued me into the Elements of Style blog.  I'm obsessed, especially with her new home renovation.  It's a fantastic blog that you must check out if you haven't already.  (I'm always so late into the game!) So as I was perusing her blog tonight, I discovered her fashion line: Two Penny Blue.  Their main focus is blazers but they also have a great jewelry, bag and...wait for it... umbrella line!  I love the fun colors and they're at a great price point, from $29 to $57.  These will definitely make you stand out from the crowd on a rainy day!

Driftwood Sailboat

Now that I'm living in an actual seaport town, I'm excited to incorporate a few nautical things in my decor.  One of my first nautical purchases was this driftwood sailboat from the White Flower Farmhouse.  I love the rustic simplicity of it.  Lori Guyer, the owner, is also the author of Frugal Farmhouse Design.  Before Cam arrived I spent an entire afternoon reading through her blog. (Those days are long gone now!)  She does the whole beachy-farmhouse-shabby-chic thing so well and has a ton of great ideas for decorating.

2011 Gifted Magazine

Some of you have probably read Gifted Magazine a month ago, but if you haven't, I highly suggest you check it out!  It's perfect for last minute gift ideas and I can honestly say I absolutely love everything in this issue.  Be sure to check out the back of the magazine for special discounts on selected items.  Happy shopping!

Beautiful iPhone Cases

Society6 has some of the most beautiful iPhone cases I've seen.  Society6 is a fabulous website that features artist's designs in all sorts of mediums: iPhone cases, laptop skins, art prints and stretched canvases.  Check it out... it's definitely worth a click through!

DG Aztec No. 1 by Dawn Gardner (My personal favorite)

Intermission by Jenean Morrison

Meadow by Jenean Morrison

Ocean City by Rene Robinson

Twist by Jenean Morrison

Rosebud by Valentina

PS... The move was a success!  We're are pretty much unpacked but are still settling in.  Now I just have a ton of decorating to do.  Pictures to come soon!

Land's End Home

Have you checked out the Land's End Home collection lately?  They have some great nautical items on sale right now:

Brenton Stripe Throw, $39.99 

Copper Harbor Throw Rug, $15.99 

Oversized Stripe Decorative Pillow Cover, $11.99

PS... I didn't get to Smorgasburg this weekend.  Unfortunately 100+ degree weather and food don't really mix so I'll have to check it out on another (cooler) Saturday. 

Downsizing

One of my absolute favorite paper/card/gift stores in the city Is Kate's Paperie.  However, I recently discovered that Kate's Paperie has shut down all of it's NYC locations and re-opened a small flagship store in SoHo.  It turns out that Kate's has run into some financial trouble according to this article by Crain's New York. Apparently sales have dropped as much as 50 percent since 2007 due to online competition by websites such as Etsy.  This makes me really sad, especially since my dream is to have my own stationery store.  I guess it's impossible to compete with cheaper vendors who don't have high rent costs.  And I while I still think stationery is valid in this world of email and text, I'm not sure if most people appreciate the $5 letterpress card.  What do you think?  Are stationery stores a dying breed?  Do you frequent them often or do you buy all of your stationery online?  Is price a factor or do you make your decisions based on quality of design?  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

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Toms

I just got my first pair of Toms in the mail today (they were sold out in the UWS) and I'm in love.  They're lightweight and extremely comfortable... the perfect summer shoe!

Shopping in the City: Muji

Today I thought we'd go on a tour of another one of my favorite stores, Muji.  Muji is a Japanese retail store that sells a variety of items from clothes, to furniture to office supplies.  It's a combination of Ikea and The Container Store with a sparse, minimalistic Japanese aesthetic. 

Muji has several locations throughout the city, today I visited their Chelsea store.

My favorite part of Muji is the paper and office supply section.  I love the neutral notepads and pencil cases and all of the Japanese designed office tchotchkes. 

Rainbow of pens.

 

Notepads in every size imaginable.

Containers galore.  See what I mean about it being one part Container Store?

I'm pretty sure these are the toothbrushes that set designers use in magazine bathroom photoshoots.  They're simple and neutral. (You never see pink Colgate toothbrushes in those photos!)

Minimalist bathroom supplies.

I'm kind of obsessed with these Ultrasonic Aroma Diffusers.  They're kind of like a mini humidifier that scents the room and is also a night light.  Cool.

Shrink wrapped t-shirts.

Love these striped slippers.

City map handkerchiefs.

 

Cute cardboard animals.

Panorama skyline cards.

Finally, alarm clocks that aren't tacky.

Canvas tote bags.

Fun ice cube trays in letters and shapes.

Classic white dinnerware.

As you can see, Muji has an eclectic mix of products and it's fun to peruse through them all. 

Muji:

The New York Times Building 

620 8th Avenue (40th Street)
New York, NY 10018

16 W 19th Street 

(Between 5th and 6th Avenue)
New York, NY 10011

455 Broadway 

(Between Grand and Howard Streets)
New York, NY 10013

Store Hours:
Mon-Sat 11-9
Sun 11-8

Receipt Holders

Since today is Tax Day, I thought I'd do a somewhat related post.  My problem is that I can't handle all the receipts that accumulate around the apartment.  We either have piles and piles of them or they magically disappear without a trace.  In my effort to be more organized and efficient, I thought I'd look for a receipt holder similar to the restaurant check spindles.

I found this one via Apartment Therapy that also doubles as a coin holder.

 Here is a gorgeous vintage receipt holder found on ebay. 

 Another vintage find found on Etsy, but unfortunately sold. 

Not having any luck on Etsy today.  I love this unique hanging receipt holder but again, already sold.

Or should I just go with the restaurant check spindle? These look the scariest to me but they're also the cheapest.

Or should I forgo the spike idea all together and go with a replica of a vintage wall receipt holder?

Wait... I think I've found it!  How cute is this mouse receipt holder?!  I'm sold!

So how do you keep track of all your receipts?  Do you keep them in your wallet?  In a shoe box?  Are they crumpled up in the bottom of your purse?  Do you throw them out all together?  I'd love to hear your organizational tips!

Black Globes are on Target

I've seen black globes around for quite some time now and I really love how stylish and sleek they look compared to the usual multicolored globes.  I recently saw them at Lillian August but they were very expensive and were way above my price range.  So when I saw this black mini globe at Target for just $24.99, I immediately snatched it up.  Compared to the black globes found here, here and here, this one is a steal!  Granted, it's a little small to be used for actual geographic use, but it's a great decorative accent piece and I love how it looks next to my Cameron Moll print.  Target wins again.

Shopping in the City: Eataly

Mario Batali's latest venture, Eataly is a combination high end food court slash Italian grocery store.  It's a fun place to browse and I always pick up a few Italian goodies when I'm in the area. 

Eataly is huge... it takes up 50,000 square feet and has five restaurants.

I love the high stand-around bistro tables... so European.

Salumi and Cheese counter.

Mmm... fresh bread. The focaccia is fantastic.

Fresh fruits, artfully displayed.

This is one serious cappuccino machine!

We can't forget the fresh pasta...

Or the aisles and aisles of dried pasta too.  A sight to behold.

I love the colorful bottles of the imported sodas...

and the bottled water.

But my favorite part of Eataly?  It's the section of imported Italian candies.  I adore the packaging and the tiny tins. 

And it looks like I'm not the only one who spotted these pretty tins.  See what was featured in last month's Martha Stewart magazine:

So pick up some pretty Italian candies and save the tins!

Eataly
200 5th Avenue
New York, NY 10010
(Entrances on 5th Avenue and 23rd Street)
212.229.2560

Open everyday 10-11