Free People Jewels

I love these new pieces at Free People-----Beth Orduna (a favorite of mine) and Erickson Beamon, along with other great one of a kind necklaces with a modern vintage vibe. Wonderful additions to your jewelry collection!

Pup Pup Designs

I'm always looking for great new accessories for my dogs, and at Pup Pup Designs, you can create your own custom collars and leashes for your canine pals. You pick your collar, and then you can customize it with your pup's name, or a few of the many cool charms and accessories. They have a large assortment of vintage images (my favs), plus a lot of unique add ons (they call them cha-chas), which together, allow for endless possibilities. What's really great, is that both the collar and charms and pup art are reversible, so you end up with double the fun. Here are a few of my favorites:and here are a few more examples of Pup Art and Cha Chas:
They've also started a new line of matching accessories for us!

Fabulous Vintage Papers

I found a great place to buy fabulous vintage paper ephemera---Style de Vie. These are original era pieces that have been preserved, and come with a certificate of authenticity. They have old maps, fashion illustrations, botanical prints, cheese labels, seed packets, kimono silk screens, children's educational plates and more! With the right frame, I think they would be wonderful for decorating a child's room, living room, or just about any room in the house. You could also use them for your craft projects. Decoupage them on a desk or dresser, make a cigar box purse, create a unique piece of art, or even use them as wallpaper for a small wall. So many possibilities! I love the artwork, color, and humor. Check these out.

Child's roomThis botanical piece comes from an original 1830s botanical encyclopedia. It has REAL plant leaves (not a print) carefully affixed to paper, as well as the original, hand written notes by the collector. These would be really great framed in a bathroom!For your study or library maybe?Just for fun :)

2008 Global Travel Photo Contest Winner

GLOBAL. CREATIVE. PROGRESSIVE.

PLANET is an independent culture and lifestyle magazine focusing on art, fashion, music, film, travel, the environment, and design - all from a uniquely eclectic and international perspective.

I enjoy getting email updates from Planet magazine, and perusing their blog.
They recently had a global travel photography contest, and Bill Phelps was just announced the grand prize winner. You can see his submitted portfolio (along with some of the other prizewinners) on their blog site. Here are my two favorite photos from his winning entry. I love the mood he creates. Enjoy!

Smart Shoes and Jewelry at Colette

One of my favorite shops in Paris is Colette on Rue Saint-Honore. It is a very cool boutique, which features great pieces from women's wear and shoes, to items for your home and for your soul. Just walking around in the store is an experience! Recently, while browsing around on their website ( I haven't had the chance to get back to Paris for a few years now), I came across this interesting pair of shoes by Melissa---a Brazilian shoe label known for its unique shoes made from recyclable plastic. These shoes were designed as a special project for the company that makes SMART cars. The company selected five designer labels, and asked them to make a product exclusive to Smart, that had urban mobility, design, and sustainability as their inspiration. All products are recyclable, and limited in production to 150 pieces.

Now I'm not usually one who likes "jelly" shoes, but these are just really cool! The spidery webs all around the shoe are beautiful, and you could wear these in any kind of weather and not worry about messing them up. They come in silver, which is also wearable with almost everything, and these days, it's always a plus to find things that are earth friendly.
I also came across these necklaces by Paris based fashion collective Andrea Crews, which were also created for the Smart project. Each piece is hand made from vintage parts and are one of a kind. Cute, colorful, and lots of fun, you can wear them as necklaces, use them as keychains, or even hang them on the rear view mirror of your Smart car, so check them out at Colette, along with all the other great stuff Colette carries. They even have a great selection of tunes that play while you shop!!

Wee Scotsdogs

Okay, so he's not a Scottish Deerhound, but he is Scottish, and sooooo cute! Look at this little guy all dressed for his very own Scottish Festival. You can buy a wee scottish outfit for your little (or big) guy at Puppy Dog Plaids or The Heelan Hound. Puppy Dog Plaids sells plaid collars, kilts, and even these little bagpipes, while The Heelan Hound specializes in authentic tartan coats, kilts, collars, and leashes. You can have a coat custom made for your dog in your own tartan. Great for those of you who are really into your Scottish or Irish ancestry!

Cutest dish!

I found these really cute dishes at The Brick Kiln. They would make the perfect gift for a baby shower, housewarming, new dog, or birthday. Each dish is customized with your recipient's name and hair or fur color (when applies). The bowls are organic in form, and the pictures----so cute!!! Faux bois is so popular these days, and I really love their little wood grain dish too. I think anyone would be pleased as punch to receive their own, one of a kind, present! I'd like to order some just for our house too :)