New at West Elm

It seems like a new West Elm catalog appears in my mailbox every week. Every week, I'm tricked into thinking that there will be new items inside, but alas, it's the same products with a different cover. With much incredulousness, I opened their new catalog that arrived yesterday, and what a shock! New and exciting stuff everywhere!

Why drive a Jag when you can drive a cupcake?

I love the idea of riding around my (imaginary) estate in a cupcake-shaped car! It is battery powered, tops out at 7 mph, and I'm not sure, but I think the hat comes with it.

(From the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book, 2009)

My life would be so much better if I had endless amounts of money...

I was wheeling the baby through the Pearl District this afternoon and had to check out Anthropologie. Oh, that store makes me SWOON! It's like they've created all of the clothes that I believe I should wear and the home decor I believe I should own and then placed them in one gorgeous menagerie of a store to taunt me.

For instance this top:



I would be so much happier if I owned it.

(Flourishing Filigree Top, $68)

New Items in the store!

Here are two vintage pieces I listed today. Check them out! :)

My Margot Tenenbaum Dream

I'm finally parting with my lovely pink 1960s Starlite phone. (You can buy it here.)

I bought it at the height of my Margot Tenenbaum obsession, particularly the idea of taking to the bathtub for long soaks while chatting on my pink Princess phone and sneaking cigarettes.

In reality, vintage phones operate in a different era. This one had a four prong adapter that would have also connected it with the home's ringer. Thus, when I rewired it and used it in my apartment in NYC, I also connected another (less attractive) vintage phone that did have a ringer in another room, but I'd only answer the pink phone. Annoying, I agree.

Though I don't use it, I'll miss it. But maybe I'll miss Margot more.

p.s. You can win a free name plate! Check out my contest on Katydid and Kid!

Find: Bell'occhio in San Francisco, Je t'aime!

Here's a store that will inspire gasps and squeals of joy: Bell'occhio in San Francisco has so many European-favored items, you'll think you've died and come back as Amélie.

Craft is not a dirty word.

I found fiber artist Sonya Philip via the American Craft Council's site. She combines knitted and felted pieces with clay and other materials resulting in some gorgeous pieces that transcend the limited description of "craft."

Called "Spleens," these red clay faces are painted with oil paint and encaustic medium then stitched to hand knit bodies.

Her Etsy store holds delights such as this knitted lamp. It must give off a gorgeous glow.

Aprons: What do they mean?

I have an automatic response to aprons: They make me uncomfortable. It's not that I disapprove of their function, rather I bristle at their implication that I should be in the kitchen AND looking good! To me, they are better left in another era, one when my grandmothers toiled silently dressed in colorful aprons they stitched themselves.

And yet, these adorable aprons from Jessie Steele might make me change my mind:

Giving a little hustle.

Sorry that I haven't posted in two days! I've been working on marketing and promotion of our new store and that takes a lot of effort! My efforts did earn a mention on Babble's blog, though. But no sales yet!

Evidently, the lack of sales on Etsy is, unfortunately, the norm, and this is causing quite a storm from craftspeople who see Etsy as their path to riches. Here's a very interesting article from CNN/Money about the Etsy backlash and the company as a whole. Bottom line: Being an artisan will not make you rich, that is for sure. The most successful sellers are out there all of the time and getting exposure through blogs, word-of-mouth, and even *gasp* advertising! It's just not enough to be on Etsy. You have to give a little hustle.

Summery patterns will make your bed.

Oh, I'm so excited about this! Roberta Roller Rabbit, the popular NYC store just opened a new online shop. I love love love the patterns and colors in her collection of homewares and their signature kurta, a soft cotton tunic perfect for the beach. Now, which one do I want...

The NEW annabelle store!

I'm so excited to tell you about our new store on Etsy! Perfect as a shower gift, these personalized name plates are handmade by moi and you can choose between four different paper styles. Super cute, no? And, they're only $15, so go buy one! We'll be adding more items soon: vintage clothes and fun stuff, so stay tuned.

Free is a very good price!

Bargain alert! For the next 10 days, Urban Outfitters is offering free shipping on selected furniture. If you are in the market, now's the time!

(Images: Urban Outfitters)

Birds birds birds

I saw these bird paintings a while ago and even planned to blog about them, but then, alas, I couldn't find who the artist is was or where to find them. Thanks to Sunset magazine's blog, I found them again and can now give credit to the artist: mincingmockingbird. The titles are almost was fun as the paintings!

Clockwise from left:
"Will You Please Put Down That US Magazine And Listen To Me"
"All This Leering Makes A Girl Tired"
"You May Think You Can Play Games With My Heart, But I Will Own You At Scrabble"
"He Thinks My Sudden And Terrifying Mood Swings Are Kinda Cute"

Pickled Fiddleheads & Other Discoveries

I finally checked out the Saturday Portland Farmer's Market at PSU and it was fabulous! So many booths with so much Oregon bounty! We discovered one stand called Picklopolis where they sell fresh pickled veggies, kraut and even fiddleheads. For $8 we bought a variety pack and started eating it on the spot. Along with pickled delights, we also brought home natural morel mushrooms, a huge bag of green beans, and a $10 bouquet of peonies. What a treat! I highly recommend visiting the market if you are ever in Portland.

It's bike season!

Bicycling is a religion here in Portland, especially this time of year as people pull their cruisers out of the garage and take to the streets. This year, I'm thinking of getting a bike of my own and joining the masses. Here are some of my faves:

Schwinn "Classic Three" is a classic riding-around-town three-speed:

Velorbis very Euro, made in Denmark:



Gary Fisher "Simple City" is light and lovely with a fabulous basket on the front: