it's beginning to look a lot like christmas ...

a couple months ago, i mentioned donna wilson's little doily placemat. i got one in the natural color for $35. and over the weekend, i was flipping through the latest crate & barrel holiday catalog, and kinda gasped when i saw their similar lacey felt placemats for only $31.95 (but for a set of four(!) or $7.95 each)!

but i quickly got over it, because the donna wilson one is much prettier, is made of 100% wool, is a good size at 11.8" diameter and comes in a rainbow of colors (black, natural, red, magenta, turquoise and lime green). the c&b one is 100% acrylic, larger at 16" diameter, and comes in only the one color. but it's still a decent alternative if you just like the general look/idea of it.

donna wilson also has a cute set of wool felt snowflake coasters, available in black, magenta, natural, red, olive and turquoise.

and crate & barrel has a bunch of cute holiday stuff: noel pillow, snowflake candleholder, snowflake plate, and winter sprig plate.

and their mira pillow and throw aren't exacty holiday-ish, but they are very missoni-like and thus worth mentioning. in fact, i think i prefer them over some of the real missoni.

i love my little calendar girl(s)

2008 is coming up quick ... so here are a few super pretty calendars. don't think i can get any of them though since i like to write all over my calendars. and it would be a shame to mar any of these. hmm, or maybe i'll buy one (or a few) of these and then get another one to write all over.

2008 letterpress calendar with a "rich mix of old school letterpress, silkscreen, foil stamping, fine papers and handpainted accents" by ilee. ja teuber has other designs on her etsy page and ilee site (mainly custom wedding invitations). more great design from the pacific northwest.

2008 desk calendar "printed on luxurious textured paper in a modern color palette of pumpkin, robin's egg, chartreuse, raspberry and chocolate" by cecilyink. other designs on her etsy page and alex wijnen's cecily ink site (various paper goods).

2008 screen/gocco printed botanical calendar, "individually screen/gocco printed by hand on 80 lb. bright white cover stock [with] original digital illustrations created from my own photographs" by annacote. other designs on her etsy page and modern printed matter site (card designs).

calendar 2008 with each month/page backed by a complementary design by jamiehodesign. other designs on her etsy page and jamie ho design site (stationery part of site coming soon). and shoot, she's right in san francisco! awesome!

mulberry muse 2008 calendar with a more feminine feel by mulberrymuse. other designs on wendy patterson's etsy page.

2008 calendar -- letterpress printed "has 12 unbound letterpressed cards displaying the month, a pattern and a haiku poem written for the season" by greenchairpress. other designs on her etsy page and green chair press site (various printed items). wow, susan angebranndt is based in burlingame! more bay area talent!

don't care how, i want it now

i so want this, i'm not even joking. the nancy clutch bag in taupe by smythson of bond street.

there's a store in beverly hills and it's available in hong kong. so if it doesn't sell out in the next 2 months, it's mine!

and i already know what i'd wear it with ...

pringle of scotland tulip hem coat ... marc by marc jacobs silk & wool dress ... miu miu ballet flats

give me style and give me grace ... put a smile upon my face

apparently, i'm not the only one who likes the blossom chandelier by tord boontje. so does gwyneth paltrow. she's got good taste. and the budget to support it.

her summer home in the hamptons is the cover story for the november 2007 issue of house & garden. the title of this post was a reference to a coldplay song, in case you didn't catch that. you know, because gwyneth is part of the coldplay family. and she already has style and grace and that crazy smile on her face.

the aforementioned chandelier in her dining room

a sneak peek at her bedroom, with similar tones and feel

more details on the article and photo shoot here.

now i ain't sayin' she a gold digger ...

imagine kicking back on this restoration hardware quilt ...

surrounded by these amenity pillows ...

sipping on some chamomile tea from this sieger tea set ...

while writing in this nantaka joy notebook ...

too much?

shake your boontje

when i first saw the midsummer light lamp by tord boontje (check this out) a few years ago, i jumped all over it. except i didn't have an overhead fixture in my room, so i passed on it.

and then it burst onto the lighting market and could be found everywhere, including our favorite local japanese confection shop. and some people hate it. and i can see how it could look ulgy when not in the right context. but sometimes it can look totally awesome, in multiples, as a bold statement in a big art display.

tord also previously designed the garland light and the blossom chandelier. the garland light, i'm not such a big fan of. but i love the blossom chandelier, at least the concept of it.

his moulded plastic nest chair is pretty cool too. for a cute urban garden.

but what got me taking another look at tord boontje, was a recent dwr newsletter. it highlighted floor coverings by nani marquina, who commissioned tord to create his little field of flowers rug last year, which would be lovely to incorporate into my home somehow. but even the small size (about 8' x 5.5') is a bit large for my needs now.