Every so often, I come across something that is so trivial and so simple, but yet so fun, that I immediately fall for it. I found just that thing at the recent National Stationery Show, a trade show that showcases absolutely everything in the stationery world–cards, invitations, gift wrap, pens, calendars, office supplies, and more.

Fancy That! introduced its new collection of Decorative Packing Tape. It’s not a brand new concept, but this small company has managed to successfully take it to the next level. Using vintage fabric and feed sack patterns as their inspiration, Deborah Curry and Peggy Schipper have created 10 colorful tape designs. Sure, you can use their tape in it’s intended utilitarian function, in fact, their tagline is “Making Functional Fabulous,” but they also encourage you to think outside the box (no pun intended!). They’ve used their tape to decorate lampshades, storage boxes, notebooks, cabinet fronts…you name it.

I’m not alone in my opinion; Fancy That! was awarded Best New Product at the Stationery Show.

So, it’s time to put on your do-it-yourself hat and get creative. Hmm…I wonder where I can use that green scroll?

Tape is available for $7.99/roll on Fancy That!’s website.

—Jennifer Kopf

Technorati Tags: packing tape, stationery, do-it-yourself, vintage fabrics, Fancy That!, stationery show, shipping supplies, Deborah Curry, Peggy Schipper, boxes

Love This Story? Buzz It Up Here!

Stumble It! Save to del.icio.us Digg Email Facebook

Long before I had enough money to fill my first apartment with furniture, I knew that a little color on bare walls goes a long way in making a house a home. But these Ferm Living Wall Stickers, my dears, take the notion over the top and into full-blown glam living.

Showcased by one of my favorite online design-shops, Design Public, they come in various styles, from sparrows nesting in ornamental trees (as seen above) to rustic branches climbing the wall …

to ultra-urban power poles stretching across your space (?!) …

They’ve even got fabulous wallpaper…

I dunno, but it looks to me like these stick-on styles, which hover in the $100-$200 range, may just redefine the notion of the wallflower.

Erika Lenkert

Technorati Tags: home decor, wall stickers, wall decor, wallpaper

Love This Story? Buzz It Up Here!

Stumble It! Save to del.icio.us Digg Email Facebook

Let me say upfront that I am not a fan of beverage charms. Jewelry for stemware just seems silly, especially because most of the time the offerings look like things that you’re tacky aunt would wear—you know, cheesy enamel clusters of dangling grapes or a strand of dime-store beads.

However, beverage tags do serve one extremely important function: they stop the host from having to chase down and wash glasses throughout the party or provide double the glassware to accommodate guests who misplace their wine and return for a refill.

When I entertain, it’s all about what’s going to make my life easier, so wine charms are a necessity, especially when I throw larger parties. But forget the formality. Fun versions of the functional cocktail embellishment are the way to go.

Below is one of the least offensive options out there, even if some of the sayings are lame. And at $7 a set, it’s painless to partake.

Check back tomorrow and for three supercool ways to make your own clever and oh-so-practical beverage tags.

–
Winelines hook onto stemware. Buy them here.

–

Beer Bands are like LiveStrong bracelets for your brewskis. Get ‘em here.

Erika Lenkert

Technorati Tags: entertaining, wine charms, drink charms, beverage charms, cocktails

Love This Story? Buzz It Up Here!

Stumble It! Save to del.icio.us Digg Email Facebook

I like pretty art. Always have. Before my married mommy days, when I had lots of disposable income, I’d regularly buy a fantastic piece of art from the Catharine Clark Gallery, pay it off over a year–interest free thanks to their young collectors program–and regularly stare at my walls in admiration. Surrounding myself with beauty, especially when it has been made by others, has been a spectacular thing and a daily inspiration.

A few of my favorite contemporary artists include Hawaii’s Masami Taraoka:

San Francisco’s Darren Waterston:

And Seattle’s Anne Seims:

I bought works from these artists quite a while ago, before they skyrocketed out of my price range. But my friend Lorn Dittfeld, of the very cool San Francisco home store Propeller, just sent me an announcement that this July he’s showcasing the works of Susan Belau, whose print work is both affordable and pretty:

She explains that the foundation of her art is the connection between the formal, or literal, descriptions of interval—the spaces between branches, negative shapes, layers of ink—and the abstract and intangible notions of time, anticipation and moments lost.

If you drop by Propeller in San Francisco’s Hayes Valley you’ll see prints such as the one above in prices ranging from $300 to $1,000.

Erika Lenkert

Technorati Tags: masami teraoka, anne siems, darren waterston, art, collecting, propeller, san francisco, catharine clark gallery

Love This Story? Buzz It Up Here!

Stumble It! Save to del.icio.us Digg Email Facebook

I am forever looking for cool baby gifts. I am so obsessed with gifting new parents with something other than the ubiquitous Little Giraffe baby blanket or my old standby (and apparently everyone else’s) Goodnight Moon, that when I find something worthy, I load up, wrap them, and wait for the next opportunity to bestow baby with something ridiculously cute. These hand-knit vegetable rattles, presented in this week’s Mahar Dry Goods newsletter, definitely fit the bill.

News of these little noisemakers arrived in my in-box with a feel-good angle, too. They are by Yellow Label Kids, a mommy-owned company that hires a collective of women in Bangladesh to create these cuties and pays them real wages. Cool.

FYI, the set of five rattles will set you back $45.

Erika Lenkert

[tags] cool baby gift/[tags]

Love This Story? Buzz It Up Here!

Stumble It! Save to del.icio.us Digg Email Facebook