Monday, April 30, 2007

Entre Nous

Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl
This book made me want to pack up and move to Paris! Thanks for the recommendation, Danielle! I will always love this book!


From Publishers Weekly
Most American women would agree that those Frenchies have something going on. La Femme Nikita, Catherine Deneuve, even Audrey Tatou of Amélie fame-they all possess a certain je ne sais quoi. In this cutesy pick-me-up of a book, Ollivier-an American married to a Frenchman-insists that you, too, can be glamorous, mythic and mysterious; "a star in the pantheon of feminine beauty and strength." How can American gals tap into their inner Frenchness? Ollivier lays down the law, interspersing her must-dos with sidebars detailing, for example, legendary French ladies from Josephine Bonaparte to Coco Chanel. Among Ollivier's tips: for loungewear, think silk mou-mous or padded zebra-skin mules, not baggy sweat pants; toss the Equal and use regular sugar in your coffee; and go ahead and gossip, but be discreet. Stereotypical? Peut-être. But Ollivier's overall advice-seek beauty everywhere; accept character flaws; don't rush to define a romantic relationship-goes far beyond the realm of France and its women, and is evident in smart women the world over.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Buy Entre Nous

More cute office things

I am obsessing on wanting new things for my office.

Here's an adorable tape measure from CB2. Pinocchio!!! His nose grows as you pull the tape out! Cute, huh?

purchase at cb2.com

Cute sticky notes too...

Rare Device

Cute little bird vase at Rare Device...

buy
Here's an alarm clock that might actually work for me. You have to hunt it down every morning in order to shut it off..

buy clocky

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Spring Cleaning

One of my favorite new household products is Method's Wood For Good furniture polish. Tired of the trendy citrus scent, this almond aroma is quite refreshing.



I also bought these new cleaners by Mrs. Meyers with a honeysuckle fragrance. Makes cleaning a lot more fun!

Order Mrs. Meyers

Get Organized

Personalize these cool little boxes with numbers, letters or shapes by punching out the perforated holes to make organization a breeze!


Available at Design Within Reach

They also have other solutions for small space living such as this bookshelf:



Order the bookshelf here

Little Gems of Design Wisdom

My Stop Being Sheep books from Speak Up arrived in the mail yesterday. I love, love, love them!

Working as the sole designer in-house in the corporate world feels a little isolated from the rest of the society of designers at times. These little books help me to feel a little more connected somehow.

Thanks Armin!






Stop Being Sheep
order yours today

Craig's New Toy

Craig's car was stolen Friday night while we were sound asleep so he went out and bought a new one...

It was between that and a BMW 5 Series. This car suits his personality more. He wanted a car he would have fun driving...this is it!
image via www.seriouswheels.com

So, now his sporty car sits next to my more sensible Honda...


Image via honda.com

I still can't believe his car was stolen! They had announced only the day before that Vegas is now leading the nation in car thefts. Sure hope my car isn't next to be stolen. It's the number one stolen vehicle in the state, and the nation, apparently! Wonder why they didn't snatch mine the other night? Well, they know it's there now. Maybe the alarm was the deterrant.

Patterns

I'm really into letterpress and pattern in design right now...damask, toile, flourishes!

These are quite nice from Dauphne Press...






dauphinepress.com

Saturday, April 28, 2007

Hip Hollywood Homes


Another one I want to purchase! One can never have too many books, right?
Hip Hollywood Homes at the Well Dressed Home

Dinner Parties

Thought these were cute for entertaining...

You can use them for salt and pepper or condiments.
From the Well Dressed Home.

welldressedhome.com

Manuel's Buddha business card holders are here too!

welldressedhome.com buddhas

Etsy


Mothers Day is coming up. Why not buy Mom something hand-made over at the Etsy Mothers Day Showcase?
etsy

Tom Ka Kai


Craig and I went out for Thai food Thursday night and I decided to try something new...Tom Ka Kai soup. Oh my goodness! It was sooo yummy! What a find!

I think our secret Thai restaurant is no longer a secret....it was packed! Bangkok 9

Friday, April 27, 2007

Ideas & Inspiration from Kate Spade

Love this section of her site!

Behind the curtains


Shoot from the hip!

I've wanted one of these for so very long...

lomo kit
Lomos take the coolest pics!

lomography

See Jane Work

Ohhh how I long for a prettier desk/office such as this one, the featured desk of the month at See Jane Work...

seejanework.com

Sugar Containers

I have been looking for unique sugar containers for some time now, but nothing has really struck me enough to buy one. Here are 2 that have been on my mind though...


This rococo sugar bowl is from Jayson Home & Garden
jaysonhomeandgarden.com

And, you can't go wrong with Jonathan Adler! I'm just not very crazy about the creamer container that comes with it.


jonathanadler.com

Uh oh

Just found another book I have to buy...

How to Hepburn: Lessons on Living from Kate the Great

Katherine Hepburn was such an original!

Available at http://www.amazon.com

BE HAPPY DAMMIT TIP

Karen Salmansohn is one of my favorite authors for work related advice.

I loved these 2 books that she authored...



http://notsalmon.com

Lunch Money



I forgot my wallet today. Of all days to forget my wallet, this is not the ideal one!! I decided to take an early lunch in anticipation of a design project I knew was heading my way. The content of which was about 7 or 8 days late getting to me, leaving me with 2 days to design and lay it all out (an 8 page newsletter). I wanted to have the whole afternoon to focus on it, so I headed downstairs and ordered some chicken tortilla soup with chips and salsa (my comfort food) only to discover when I went to pay that my wallet was nowhere in sight! I left it in my other purse at home, unfortunately. This is going to be the afternoon from hell!

Why, oh why, didn't I keep one of the muffins that I brought in this morning for my boss and the sales manager for myself?!?!?!

The lovely image above was taken by my very dear friend, Jason. He's an awesome designer & photographer. Check out his work:
http://www.jasonrichard.com

Dainty little things....

Rock Garden earrings at Anthropologie



http://anthropologie.com

Floral Art

One of my favorite florists...


http://floralartla.com
Old Hollywood glamour is what comes to mind when I look at their arrangements and containers.

Next time I am in L.A. I am going to make it a point to check out their boutique firsthand.

This place makes me miss being a floral designer!

Thursday, April 26, 2007

The Graffiti Project at Kelburn Castle



This should be interesting. Some of the worlds top graffiti artists will be using the castle walls as their canvas. I plan on paying attention as it progresses.

http://www.thegraffitiproject.net

Spring 2007 Fashion Color Report by PANTONE®, Inc.




Look how lovely Silver Peony (the pale blush shade) is! I have to find a way to use that color, and many others, graphically, in the near future.

Sauteed Chicken with Spinach



I found this recipe on marthastewart.com.

Sauteed Chicken with Spinach

A tangy mustard sauce is used to dress the spinach and top the chicken. The mustard sauce can also be drizzled over steak or tossed with boiled potatoes.

Prep: 15 minutes Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients

Serving: Serves 1.

1 teaspoon white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half, (6 to 8 ounces)
Coarse salt
Ground pepper
4 cups (about 2 1/2 ounces) baby spinach
Directions

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until browned, turning once, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup water. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate; cover to keep warm.
Make mustard sauce: Add minced shallot to same pan; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in mustard and vinegar; cook 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add butter; swirl pan until incorporated. Stir any accumulated chicken juices into sauce.
In a medium bowl, toss spinach with half the mustard sauce. Place chicken on a serving plate; drizzle with remaining sauce. Serve spinach on the side.


Looks simple enough, plus I am watching my carb intake, so I may just have to try this little recipe out.

BlackBook Jet Set Guide 2007/2008



I have always loved these handy little guides! Get yours at http://www.shopintuition.


Makes me want to travel!