While I am snowed in on this lovely wintery Saturday, my mind is gladly elsewhere. I am conjuring up warm feelings while thinking about spring and what its warm and eminent arrival will entail. I am going to get an even tan this year, I am going to ride my bicycle to work every day, and I am going on far more picnics! I am thinking of sandwiches on baguettes, cheese, sparkling water, and these gorgeous Italian-inspired cutlery sets!
I am all for punches of vibrant color! One of my favorites for 2008 will be deep sumptuous plum! These Beveled Glass Bottles in Berry by Brocade Home are available in sets of three and are topped with matching glass toppers.
Tea Forte’s Sontu Tea Cup and Saucer is a feature from their line of artisan hand-blown glassware, this wide rim cup has an open luminous feel, much like the conversations you’ll have with your chums over a colorful spot of tea. Included is a dramatic oversized saucer adorned with their signature tea leaf icon. Holds six ounces of your favorite flavors like Coco Truffle or Raspberry Nectar in their pretty tea infuser packaging! They also have a Valentines Day Gift Set too.
Remember when you painstakingly hand glittered and glued and colored that special Valentine, for the special little boy or girl that caught your eye? Here is a chance to conjure up all those warm fuzzy feelings and do it all over again, but with sugar and frosting- oh SO much better. It must be love.
Looking for a Couture soap to lavish on your hands? Gianna Rose Atelier has a Single Wrapped Heart Soap for you. Deliciously wrapped like dark chocolate in toile or tissue and ribbons, the delicately fragranced soaps are a treat with nothing to feel guilty about.
Feast your eyes on the deliciousness of this pearl-like detailed dishes. First is the Bianca Beaded-Edge Dinnerware (on left), next the hand-painted Ceramica Fina Place Setting by Mariposa, every ceramic “pearl” is hand strung onto each lovely plate. Next (bottom right) is the White Pearl Dinner Plate by Crate & Barrel.P
Always dress up when entertaining for a dinner party, this means your table too! Let your eyes pour over this gorgeous Istanbul-inspired table top fabric. The Sultan collection is available in Sand, Chocolate and Grass. To accessorize well, pair it up with this Amber Bloom Napkin Ring. I most definitely can handle this type of floral since it is not too granny or pastel. 100% Polyester Machine Washable.
The details of the Antoinette Antiqued Cuff Pearl-Resin Flatware set are phenomenal. This exquisite cutlery collection from France is nostalgic and pretty with Lucite handles in regal pearl (as shown) or serenely clear, both topped with an antiqued cuff. While they are currently not available from Mariposa, the Napoleon 20 piece flatware set (on right) from Horchow is a very similar option. Bon Appétit!
If you like to store items away (like your seventy or so pairs of shoes) and find them quickly, I bet you would love to create a wall of these clear plastic bins. The front slides open and they will keep your Max Azaria collection from scuffing against one another.
Wow, ladies can I get an amen for this closet?! It’s actually the celebrity closet of Mariah Carey and all these shoes live here in her Manhattan Penthouse. Shoes are an investment, and this is like a Fort Knox treasure trove, why not have these lovelies on such a elaborate and wonderful display? Closet space is important, as well as how you use it! I believe we should all simplify, and I agree with throwing out or giving away items you do not use or wear in a year. Once you have done that, create a magic little color-coordinated haven for them. I really mean it- just think of how happy you will feel walking into a well lit, organized heaven of a closet in the morning!