Baby Animals & Their Fuzzy Friends

I think the title pretty much says it all. They were showing it last night on PBS. Check my other blog for more details.

Cute!

I'm taking it upon myself to post this photo Kim took for the lot of us - very cute birthday girl Emily and Beth's equally cute handmade tee! What could be cuter and more appropriate for this blog?

Cute baggie from The Sak!

http://www.thesak.com/product-exec/last_cat/3/product_id/404

Breakfast

the Short Stack Necklace from Faeriesmak

Be sure to check out the whole faeriesmak site.

These cute things are made by Doodle Destinations. I saw them at the UCSD Bookstore and thought they were fabulous. They have other ones too that are just as cute.

http://www.westportstyle.com/doodles/

Here is the design website: http://www.designid.com

z-licious

Ok, so this isn't cute, and I know that you probably aren't really in the market for a yummy energy bar, but planning for New York and also trying to eat on the go all the time has caused me to try a vast array of energy bars from Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. Most of them are as nasty as you would imagine, they pack in the calories and fiber and vitamins and protein like nobody's business, and their ingredients lists freak me out. But I wanted something that would taste decent AND be a quick energy boost. The Organic ZBar was my last attempt, although if you think about it, it should have been my first choice, because kids are such picky eaters. I tried the Chocolate Brownie flavor, and it really does taste quite good, with the added bonus of being baked, organic, whole grain, and lower in sugar, no high-fructose corn syrup, only 120 calories (not enough to replace a meal, but a good little jump start). It was created as a solution to the rising child-obesity rate. Plus, it only costs fifty cents, whereras many of those bars can cost up to $3. So if you ever really need a good snack bar, the Cliff Zbar is my recommendation.

clearly mod

Here are some related items prompted by Jana's Ghost Chair pic a few posts down...

The August/September issue of Budget Living features Lucite chairs, which are making a comeback and can be found on such sites as Aaron R. Thomas, Thomas Plastic Design and gomod.com.

The Magazine info, website is kind of ugly and confusing, but some of their modern furniture products are cute.

New York, New York

These two postings are in honor of Beth and Ryan’s upcoming trip to the Big Apple!

I don’t know if this makes me a big out-of-town nerd or a true NYC-phile but I have a sick love for the NY subways. Of course, this means that I also love the NY Transit Museum and especially the NY Transit Museum Store.

My favorite gift shop items there are definitely the T-shirts, although most of the styles seem geared more towards kids and tourists. I did find a very tasteful “poetry in motion” shirt for my sister, though, and these subway map baby tees are also kind of wearable. The big letter train ones are also tempting to buy in place of those initial tees that were so hot like 3-4 years ago.

Check out more at their online store: Transit Museum Online Store

Centennial Chicks

Also super cute and available at the Transit Museum Store is the “Centennial Chicks” poster created by Sloane Tanen in commemoration of the NY subway’s 100 year anniversary. I can’t remember who loved her “Bitter with Baggage” book most, but I remember Cyndi, Beth, Jill and I all took notice of these cute little chick scenarios. I believe Sloane Tanen also inspired Beth’s little Donald Trump and Tina Fey chick diorama?

Jurassic Pasta

Finally, something cute, affordable, and nutritious!

Louis Ghost Chair

Joel says I love anything clear, and I fear that this may be true. The Louis Ghost Chair by Philippe Starck makes me crazy, I love it so much.

I've had the luxury of sitting in one before, and it's actually quite comfy. I think owning one would make my life at least 65% better.

Ice is nice...

My latest cute find is at the MOMA Store.

I have always wanted to own this clear ice cube-like block lamp by Finnish designer Harri Koskinen, but have never had the means nor need for it. Now, lucky for me, Harri makes this mini version, which is on sale at MOMA for $29.95! What a steal for a light source and a contemporary sculpture.

Check out the rest of Harri’s cool stuff at http://www.harrikoskinen.com/.

Things I've seen today

Bee Dogs this speaks for itself

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Black+Blum are my new favorite Brits.

Bug Light

Hot Head

the sweet sound of nature

Hakea Laurina or Francisiosa on stem

So, I don't think a lot of people are going to find this "cute," and the photo doesn't really do it justice, and of course I can't produce for you the little tinkly noise they make, but I saw these windchimes in a pricey little boutique in Catalina during my company retreat last week and I really kind of liked them. My coworker actually shelled out the $40 for one, but I refrained because I'm saving my cash for useless things on a different coast. Still, I found them oddly charming, and I wouldn't mind one for the porch of my future vacation cabin. They're called Obsidian Windchimes, created by a couple from Oregon, and they're made from natural found objects. There are some models which are made from those hole-y seedpod things that Jana and I find so creepy, which might be a turnoff to her, but the one pictured is the one I would get. The sound they produce is remarkably lovely, and kind of strange because the shards look so much like rocks.

"As the name suggests, these chimes are made of obsidian, a naturally occurring, volcanic rock.. They produce a wide range of lovely, melodic sounds dependent on thickness, lengths and number of pieces. Chimes are hung from various found objects of nature: seedpods, cones branches and driftwood. Because of the variances Nature brings, each chime is distinct, both visually and tonally."

chic pad for your fish

I know I just said that I wouldn’t spend $20 on something useless, but I think I change my mind…this little plastic fishbowl from Wishing Fish (which is slowly becoming my favorite online store) is SO great! I love it. I think it would be a little sad for a real fish, but since it comes with its very own plastic fish, there are no worries. The description on the site is also so cute:

Since goldfish (generally speaking) lack interior decorators, their aquariums tend to be embellished with outmoded crusty treasure chests, evil pirates and bubbling mermaids. What's a modern fish to do? Thankfully, our retro-chic tank comes fully furnished with a colorful lounge chair, TV, lava lamp and area rug -- everything the design-conscious fish needs for a stylin' pad! And although the aquarium is designed to hold a live goldfish, a plastic fish is included for commitment-phobes.

diamonds are a girl's best friend

This is mostly for Kim since we all know she’s an aspiring wedding planner/bride but I’m hoping that others will be able to enjoy its cuteness as well.

Although I myself don’t soon aspire to be a wedding planner or bride, I do aspire to one day own this very cute paperweight. But alas, I cannot currently bring myself to spend $20 on something so useless. And yes, I know, it’s a paperweight and therefore its great practical use is even stated in its name, but I don’t often find myself needing to weigh down my papers. If *you* have such a need, you should definitely consider buying this one from Wishing Fish.

Also equally cute and perhaps more useful is the diamond ring key chain, available through a variety of websites. The one at Harriet Carter seems to be the cheapest, at $5.98.

IPod Nano

Check out the new IPod Nano. Its only 0.27 inches thick and 1.5 oz. Wow. Its so cute!

http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/

buy jewelry for a good cause

I’ve been hooked on Small Things Designs ever since Beth first introduced it to me a year or two ago. All of the pieces are beautiful and handcrafted, without ever verging on the DiY craft fair look as some handcrafted jewelry does. Plus the woman who owns it, Teresa, is super nice – how could I not want to support her?

Even though I’ve already made my big splurge on the adorable two birdie ring (and the single bird ring for my sister), I check the site regularly, just to see what I might need to buy in the future. Plus since it's already linked under our favorite cute shopping sites, it's hard not to look at it all the time.

Today, I saw that Small Things Designs is donating 50% of online sales this week to a hurricane relief fund through Mercy Corps, which of course is an even better reason to buy Small Things stuff now. A great way to show your support for the victims of Katrina and get cute jewelry too.

Hello Kitty Fashion Jewelry

I think Cyndi is the only one who knows, but I have wanted this Tarina Tarantino Pink Head ring for like, 3 years now.

I've never been a huge fan of Hello Kitty (I always prefered his friends) but he was a big part of my childhood, and during this age of nostalgia, what with the onslaught of '80's toys, icons and fashion, it seems only natural for me to want to incorporate him somehow into my adult wardrobe.

Plus, this new look with the pink wig and rows of pearls is oh so chic!

I really have to get this soon.

Momoberry - new high-end Hello Kitty Products

Website doesn't have much because its still in development but they have a store open in the Beverly Center.

http://www.momoberry.com/

Fingerprint Jewelry

Piaget