Friends of Al

Hayden Harnett is offering their own version of the now omnipresent "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" tote.

I love its name, its cheerful design and its charitable spirit. The bag is $55, which seems like a lot for a canvas tote bag, but it's well-made and durable, with interior pockets and magnetic closure. Plus, $25 of each sale goes towards global warming charities, and 10 trees will be planted. Plus, if you order the Friends of Al eco-tote, you'll get 20% off the rest of your HH order. I mean, that's a lot for one bag to do. I usually just expect my bags to carry my stuff and look pretty.

Dwell for Anthropologie

Dwell's Chinoiserie bedding is up at Anthropologie.com! It comes neither in twin size nor in student-appropriate pricing but I am still super excited. I've been waiting impatiently for its appearance ever since it showed up in their wonderful Home catalog(and even before, when Shelterrific first posted about it. I am of the opinion that this is the most whimsically gorgeous bedding ever...but that's just me.

Hello, my name is Blythe, and I'm an Anthropologie addict...

Sapien

This may not be news to any regular visitors to the DWR site, but I was very excited to learn the other day that Design Within Reach is now producing the Bruno Rainaldi Sapien bookcase in white.

As a bookworm with too many books and too little space, I love these bookcases. I just can't justify the price, especially now that it has been increased. The white color is cool and minimalist, which really melds with the look of the bookcase itself, which is also cool and minimalist. Here's what the Sapien looks like with actual books in it:

Poppies Galore

Everyone loves Monet's images of poppy fields. Well, most people do. I'm one of the few people who's not a big fan of the Impressionists, but I do rather like this painting from 1885:

As spring begins to make itself known, floral imagery becomes ubiquitous in magazines and stores. I've been seeing a lot of great items with poppy prints, so I thought I'd share a few.

First, there's this beauty from Kate Spade, designed by artist Hugo Guinness. I'm not much one for lots of color, so I see this as a nice way to look spring-y without looking like a Lilly Pulitzer store exploded all over me. It also comes in PVC - way to be trendy!


I also love this print, which depicts a little girl with highly stylized poppies. Found here on Etsy, my favorite standby.


I also found these pretty coasters on Etsy. The silver, black and white color scheme make them relatively neutral, and the poppy drawings are prettily refined.

Hooray for CB2...and bikes

A few months ago, pan dan featured the adorable Carrie Bicycle Basket from Design House Stockholm, designed by Marie-Louise Gustaffson. It was then featured on Oh Joy! and in Design*Sponge's kelly green mini trend post. Making its way around the design blogosphere, the Carrie basket collected lots of oohs and ahs.

I'd like to be the sort of girl that rides a bike around the city, looking ever-so-put-together. Though honestly I'm not sure how they do it - city bike riding looks like a marathon sport, from my pedestrian vantage point! So stylish girls on bikes get extra props. The Sartorialist loves to shoot pictures of stylish girls on bikes, and I can't say I blame him. See:

I'd like to think that I could hold my own if I had a Carrie basket on my bike. I'm happy to say that I'm one step closer to that goal of awesome bike-ness. When I was browsing around on CB2 today I crowed with delight (I'm very dramatic) when I found Carrie lingering in their "new outdoor items" section.

I wish that it came in that gorgeous kelly green color, too, but you know beggars can't be choosers!
What kind of Dorothy would have the Carrie basket on her bike? And what sort of Toto would ride within?
These are the sorts of very important questions that preoccupy me from day to day.

The Captain's Messenger

I've been ogling this Anthopologie bag for awhile now, and it's finally on sale! You know how I am about bags... and buttons...

Blythe Dolls - a collection made in heaven!

Thanks so much for your lovely good wishes =) I'm feeling much better but dove right in to work again. I'm trying to get used to posting regularly again, which has been...tricky. Anyways, before I run off to work I want to leave you with something to enjoy.

Recently, I read somewhere that everyone should collect something. I totally agree with that - it gives your home personality. Some people collect antique vases, and some people...collect Blythe dolls!



Thanks to the fabulous Fred Flare boys for putting this on their blog.

Tamara Henriquez Takes Us Into Spring

Walk your way into spring in these glorious rainboots from Tamara Henriques.

While you're prancing about in these lovelies, why don't you pay a visit to the Petit Trianon, courtesy of YouTube?

Good things come to those who wait...

I'm sorry about the lack of postings, everyone. I'm currently holed up at home with a truly nasty bout of the flu and a giant 15-page paper due on Thursday. It's not the best of combinations. However, I'm starting to feel a little better (meaning, I'm able to begin thinking coherently again) and I'm hoping that my health will coordinate itself with the completion of my paper. I'm not making any promises but I expect to start posting again this weekend, or perhaps Monday, bar no sudden relapses. In the meantime, please explore some of the wonderful links on my blogroll to the right... I promise they're well worth it. Of course, what would make me really happy is if you checked out my archives of old posts, also to the right!

Again, I apologize for the delay but promise I will be back as soon as I am able. Have a happy and healthy remainder of your week!

- Blythe

Angelio Batle

Everybody has that one friend who is impossible to buy gifts for. Maybe they're a little arty...they're knowledgeable about design, so they're picky. And, moreover, they're that person who has everything. That generally constitues a major dilemma, but I think that these beautiful, sculptural "graphite objects" designed by Angelio Batle would be just the thing.





Of course they're really too lovely to use, but they are actually functional. I like the idea of placing one next to the telephone, beside a dainty notepad.
Get them at Blue House.

Summer in the City

It's a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon here in Chicago, and the perfect weather got me thinking about summer. Perfect weather, of course, being relative -- 42 degrees seeming like an absolute heatwave compared to the last few months of below-zero temporatures. Summer's my least favorite season, actually...I guess because once it gets above 80 degrees I stop being able to function. However, when I imagine myself sitting out in the garden under this beautiful lace parasol from Chris Kabel at the Conran Shop, cold pink lemonade in hand...
It doesn't seem so bad. Right?


ETA: My mom just told me that she has been cutting pictures of this out of various magazines for over a year now, and she pointed out the decorative final. I completely missed the fact that there's a little bird on top! You can just barely see it in this picture. How cute is that?

Pet Portraits for the Bobo Set

Remember Linda Wary and John Meyers, the super-creative designing couple recently featured in domino?



Their co-produced interiors are definitely inspirational (as you can see from this shot of their living room, above) but I was browsing around on their website this morning and came across their Paintings section.

Guys, they do Pet Portraits! I know that seems totally wacky, like something one of the slightly crazed women featured in the NYTimes article "Woman's Best Friend, or Accessory?" would do, but...these are actually really neat. And anyone who has ever been loved unconditionally by a pet...can understand that need to commemorate their special friend.

Quirky, fun and tailor-made to your pet's personality.





I just had to include this one...in light of the article mentioned above!


Hey...is that a Murakami ball?

Get Physical

I love the nostalgic quality and the juxtaposition of static and dynamic in limited edition vintage-style print series "Get Physical" from etsy seller luemie.

Weekly Vintage Roundup

Here in Chicago, the weather has been more than schizophrenic - idyllically sunny and nigh on 70 degrees one day, then the next day it drops 40 degrees and rains. Not that that's surprising, Chicago being famous for its less than delightful climate. Everyone seems to be talking about spring, whereas I seem to be stuck in a winter rut.

Am I the only person who loves winter clothes? I have been loving this layering trend...and there is something about sweaters, boots, and especially jackets/coats that just makes my pulse speed up. Forget tank tops and flip flops! I'm definitely a fall/winter kind of girl.

So, I don't know what the reaction is going to be - perhaps all of you are wanting to see fluttery baby doll dresses, strappy sandals and whispery tank tops, but I am finding these adorable coats and jackets all over ebay and I just have to share. Some of the lighter coats and trenches make great transition pieces - they're fantastic to wear over your lighter clothes on those blustery days where it's not quite spring yet. So forgive me my little flights of fancy - I just can't let go of my love for outerwear!


You'll have to agree that this coat, while not exactly "spring showers material" is uber fabulous. The buttons! The embroidered detailing! The mandarin collar! Oooh, I'm in love.


This trench is rather more spring-appropriate, and is also one of the cutest trenches I have ever had the pleasure of seeing. The bubble skirt...is just perfection.


I'm not sure I could pull this look off (it's a bit too cheerful for my own taste, sadly) but I find those blue and white checks incredibly fetching, and I love the cut of this cape as well.


Continuing my obsession with plaid... while the colors are very bright and the print very large, the sleek lines of this coat make it incredibly wearable. And I love those huge pockets!


OK...I'm not sure if I'm allowed to call this darling piece a coat, but it does have a hood! Let's make it an exception, shall we?

Tashkent for Cheyenne

Whoo boy. I'm on a total accessories kick this week. I think it's because finals are getting me down, and shoes and bags just make me happy. You know what I mean? Of course, I'd be happier if I could actually buy most of the things I post about, but that's a whole other story.

Anyhoo, shopbop just added tons of new stuff to their site, including a brand new (to me, at least) line of shoes called Tashkent by Cheyenne. They have an appealing air of ease and elegance about them that I just love. Plus, they look comfortable, which is super-important, because I'm one of those silly girls who can't walk in heels more than 2 inches high for 10 minutes without getting either ten blisters on each foot or a bump on my head.






Get yours here.

I have immortal longings in me.

Last summer, I spent two weeks in London when I was on my way to study abroad in Paris. I've wanted to go there my whole life - I'm a voracious reader and books that formed the foundation of my childhood, like A Little Princess, Mandy, Peter Pan, and the Chronicles of Narnia (among many others) cemented my vision of the UK as this magical place where stories come to life and anything can happen. Being a big girl now, I've been able to expand my list of UK-set favorites to include Mrs. Dalloway, Freddy and Fredericka, and Outlander, and I've finally been able to make my dream to visit London a reality for the first time.

One hot Sunday, I ventured over to the charming village of Hampstead which has now been incorporated into north London. I walked the twisted cobblestoned streets, visiting romantic hero-poet John Keats' tiny home and walking across Hampstead Heath, trying to imagine C.S. Lewis's snowy walks across the tree-strewn hills which inspired The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I made my slow and winding way back to the Tube by walking through hilly residential streets. Halfway there, I stopped dead in my tracks, not quite believing my eyes:

It's a ship's figurehead! On a house. I stood around gawping before I finally took this photo, and then an elderly woman walking her dog noticed me looking and mentioned that the family who owns the house collects them. How neat is that?
Anyways, this post does have a point. I was browsing around on Elizabeth Cole's website and found this gorgeous, ultra-luxe bracelet. The figures on it look very much like ships' figureheads.

It wouldn't look out of place on Elizabeth Taylor (as Cleopatra)'s wrist,

but I would love to pair it with a comparatively subdued outfit to add that extra element of incongruity that I love.
Yes, this blog is definitely all about my immortal longings.
And yes, I know that this post is all over the place. Variety's the spice of life!

Lilya Corneli

I've fallen in love with the work of Lilya Corneli. Romantic, richly layered and slightly dark...I can pick up many references in her work (Ingres, Vermeer, etc.) and her work has an archaic quality but it still mangages to look modern and new. I love how she uses clothing and props to create a whole picture (some of her images include stylist credits as well), bringing this work close to the realm of fashion photography. The imagery is just breathtaking - I would like to live in her imagination!






If the photos have caught your attention as they did mine, please go and lose yourself in her portfolio here...be sure to set aside some time!

And the locust went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they.

Thousands of flying insects, an inch and a half long, red-eyed, grotesque, alight upon the earth and cover everything in their path. It's a story out of a child's nightmare, or a horror movie. Or the bible. I remember being five years old, walking with my mom as she pushed my infant sister in the stroller. I remember the distinctive thrum in the air, but I especially remember my disgust at the crunching and squishing sounds as the stroller's wheels crushed the bugs that covered the ground.

Cicadas. Are you ready for them? Every seventeen years the big kids come out to play. And it looks like we're due for an invasion.

Which is why I love Erica Weiner's cicada earrings. It helps have a sense of humor about these things.

Hayden Harnett branches out

One of my favorite bag lines, Hayden Harnett, released their first apparel collection today. Here are a few of their standout pieces:






But I'll let you go see for yourself. Click here to see what they have to offer. Also, you lucky New Yorkers can visit the opening of their one and only retail shop at 12 p.m. on March 25th. It's on the corner of Franklin Ave. and Freeman St. in Greenpoint, Brooklyn (211 Franklin St.).

Hooked On These!

In the wake of Leann from Eclectic Detective's recent inspiring post on design for the disabled, I came across a particular link that has been bookmarked in my favorites for awhile. It got lost in the mess and I really want to share it with all of you.

One of my favorite stores, moss, has partnered with the Creative Growth Art Center in L.A. The center serves adult artists who are severely handicapped in some way and provides services such as art programs and counseling. They are producing these beautiful limited edition rugs which are hooked by hand. Part of the proceeds from each sale will go to the center. This is really an inspiring project and I have enjoyed looking at the beautiful results. A variety of different designers have contributed so each piece has a different feel. While prices are likely out of range for most, I just wanted to call attention to this impressive collaboration.