Last weekend some friends of mine got married. The wedding was gorgeous, but I felt mildly guilty the whole time because I haven’t yet gotten them a gift. I thought about what would be useful to have in my own kitchen, and what I wish I had registered for when I got married. And I gotta say, it’s a serving set. Kind of boring, but way classier than the tongs and mismatched salad servers I’m always cobbling together.
Leave it to Marimekko to put a new spin on the classic striped outdoor umbrella. These kicky swirls are just begging to brighten up my back patio.
My grandmother had a tradition of making sock monkeys for each of her grandchildren when we were babies. I named mine “Monk the Monk” and he’s been a constant presence in every home I’ve ever lived in. Even though sock monkeys have become ubiquitous in recent years, I still find them utterly charming. To me, nothing says “comfort and joy” like this set of handmade alpaca ornaments. Merry Christmas, Monk!
Every year I spend hours searching for the perfect arrangement of gourds to decorate my house for Halloween. When I saw these candles from Crate and Barrel, I debated calling off the search. But I think I’ll just add a few into the mix to add a pretty little flicker of unexpected light to the display.
Some people shop for Christmas decorations in January… I buy outdoor furniture in late August. In San Francisco, our summer doesn’t even start until September, so I’m going to score some bamboo plates on sale and be ready to picnic all through fall.
