A Few of My Favorite Things

I’m playing Oprah today! Hundreds of products cross my screen on a daily basis as I search out the best to share with you, and a girl can’t help but have a few favorites! And while I wish I had one of each of these fantastic pieces to give to every one of you a la Oprah, I hope my opinion will hold its weight in salt for you. Because these are all shops and creators whose things I own, that decorate my home and my self each and every day.

 

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Splendid Orlando Oxford. These shoes are a new addition to my wardrobe for winter and I love their sleek look (no laces!). Splendid‘s entire lifestyle collection is ultra-comfortable and effortlessly chic, which is perfect for my every day and mixes with existing pieces easily.

American Giant Womens Heavyweight Full Zip Hooded Sweatshirt. I’ve been a hoodie aficionado since junior high, but it’s tough to find one that doesn’t resemble a garbage bag on a woman’s body. This zip up from American Giant is not only sturdy, but made especially for us ladies. If I’m home I usually have it on over whatever I’m wearing, it’s that good.

Emily McDowell’s Foods of the World New York City Tea Towel. Emily McDowell just might be one of the funniest people I know, and her humor translates seamlessly onto her illustrated line of cards, dish towels, and other miscellaneous goods. This towel featuring a recipe that actually involves zero cooking is just the tip of the iceberg.

Warby Parker’s Durand Eyeglasses in Woodland Tortoise. Warby Parker has had my poor vision and my heart in its grasp for several years now. I just recently snapped up this pair from their winter collection, the round-ish lenses are super flattering and their buy 1/give 1 model is tough to beat.

Bloggers Love Cats + Bloggers Love Dogs 13-Month Calendars. Shameless plug alert! I teamed up with other well-known bloggers who are animal lovers to create these two calendar downloads featuring our pets. All proceeds go directly to the Humane Society of the United States and all of the little critters in need.

See Scout Sleep’s Nice Grill Cream + Vermillion Brass Buckle Collar. Both of my pups wear this collar and it stands up to their rough and tumble lifestyles like no other. All of the pet goods See Scout Sleep offers are high quality, environmentally-friendly, and handmade in Louisiana.

Cursive Design’s Apex Studs. Cursive Design is one of my favorite jewelry shops by far, I just love Sarah’s eye for detail. These studs, along with much of the fall/winter 2013 collection, were inspired by a project we collaborated on together for NYFW 2012. They’re molded from vintage glass and cast in yellow bronze.

Jaime Derringer’s Untitled 3. I’m the proud, happy owner of three works of art by Jaime Derringer. Her bold use of color and constant exploration of shape and space never leave me bored. And both Jaime’s original pieces and prints are super affordable.

 

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Pencil Shavings Studio’s Gold Lucite Tray in Palm Springs. Pencil Shavings‘ designer Rachel Shingleton has a great way with both color and pattern. It’s reflected in her shop’s incredible line of phone cases, trays, paper goods, and more!

Alexa Chung’s It. There’s no denying she’s the darling of the fashion world, but after ready through this pink linen-covered book filled with short musings and photos she seems down-to-earth as well.

Paloma’s Nest Custom Monogram Tiny Text Bowl. Paloma’s Nest creates some of the best heirloom-quality ceramics I’ve seen. I own one of these plates and have gifted numerous others over the past few years. You just can’t go wrong with a piece that’s lovingly personalized like these.

Gingiber’s Deer Tea Towel. I love shop owner Stacie’s whimsical, geometric illustration style used on all of her animal characters! Gingiber‘s prints, pillows, towels (and more) are always the highest of quality and meticulously checked over.

Whimsy & Spice’s Chocolate Orange Cardamom Shortbread Cookies. Whimsy & Spice‘s tasty baked goods make the perfect gift for just about any occasion. Now’s a great time to stock up on hostess gifts, snacks for overnight guests, and of course a little something for yourself.

Miró Watches from Urbantrait. Among an incredible selection of modern watches from Urbantrait, Miró definitely stands out. Made from stainless steel, hardened mineral crystal, and calf leather it’s sure to stand up to wear and tear for years to come. Mine has made me a watch wearer again after years of depending on my cell! Find your favorite from tons of men’s watches and women’s watches.

Meow Meow Tweet’s Grapefruit Rosemary Body Oil. Come winter, lotions just don’t cut it for me. I coat myself in Meow Meow Tweet‘s body oil before I get out of the shower and don’t need to re-moisturize until right before bed. Each amazing scent if filled with natural ingredients and infused with botanicals.

strawberryluna’s Morrissey Pittsburgh Poster PETA Donation. My favorite stop for gig posters, and it doesn’t hurt that strawberryluna is based in my hometown either! Allison and Craig do stellar silkscreening work for more bands than I can think to name, and on more posters than I can count that I own.

 

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Planning 2014

My Grandma and I have a theory about time flying – the older you are, the faster it goes. Think back to how as a kid it took for-ev-er for Christmas to roll around, and now as an adult it’s like HOLY CRAP Christmas is three weeks away! Because when you’re under 10 you don’t have that many years under your belt and time feels incredibly spread out, but the older you get the shorter those yearly chapters become. Basically, that’s a long-winded way to say that there are only 29 days until the new year so you’d better start looking for a planner.

 

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ROW 1: 2014 Paper Source Persimmon Date Book // Kate Spade New York 2014 17 Month Agenda // 2014 Kate Spade 17 Month Agenda (Rose)    ROW 2: 2014 Cavallini Aqua Daily Planner // Emily Ley 2014 Simplified Planner // 2014 Weekly Planner    ROW 3: Day Designer //  // Jonathan Adler 2014 Agenda    ROW 4: Poketo Monography Planner // Poketo Monthly Planner // Julia Kostreva 2014 Daily Planner Calendar    ROW 5: Black Poppin Planner // Linen Diary 2014 // 2014 Desktop Spiral Notebook    ROW 6: The Planner Notebook // 2014 Polka Dot Planner // 2014 Pocket Monthly Planner

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Jackalope Heart

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I’ve mentioned before just how elusive a good watercolor technique has been for me, but I don’t think I’ve told you that it’s also my favorite kind of painting. Longtime internet friend and designer Sarah Zero creates fun, colorful, lively watercolor abstracts and patterns in her shop – Jackalope Heart.

I love gifting art for any reason, and Jackalope Heart is ridiculously affordable. Sarah offers both original paintings as well as digital downloads for sale. And here comes the crazy/amazing part, so brace yourself.  With the coupon code TURKELOPE13 you get $10 off a purchase of $20. That boils down to four digital downloads for only $10 or one original for $15 (limited supply). Take advantage for prettying up any bare walls in your own home, or crossing some names off of your gift list!

 

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Holiday Cards – Part 3

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1. Triangle Tree – Honey & Bloom    2. Tis the Season to be Jolly Letterpress Greeting Card – Wiley Valentine    3. Have a Merry Little Christmas Letterpress Card – Sparkvites    4. Happiest of Holidays To You Christmas Card – jolie made    5. All Is Calm Illustrated Card – 1canoe2    6. The Most Wonderful Time Holiday Neon Letterpress Cards – Paper Lovely    7. Happy Christmas Cards – Beau Ideal Editions    8. Merry & Bright – Lindsay Letters    9. Gold Foil Calligraphy Card Set – Julie Song Ink    10. Comfort and Joy Holiday Cards – Alethea and Ruth

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Gifting with Baba Souk

Sometimes you find that perfect shop – let’s call it the sweet spot – that not only fits your own taste and style, but where you can also find the perfect gift for just about everyone on your list. That’s Baba Souk. Full of color, pattern, and inspiration, all under the online roof of an indie boutique.

And they’re helping to make your holiday shopping that much easier by offering a 15% discount with the code designcrush through November 30th! (Thanks, Baba Souk. You’re definitely on Santa’s Nice List this year!)

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This post is sponsored by Baba Souk. All words and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that help keep Design Crush going!

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Holiday Cards – Part 2

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1. Screenprinted Holiday Cards by Allison Cole    2. 2013 Holiday Cards by Fair Morning Blue    3. Ornaments by Red Cap Cards    4. Rainbow Santa Cards by Love Love Me Do    5. Comfort and Joy by Maple and Belmont    6. Christmas Cards by Zoe Tilley Poster    7. Merry Everything & Happy Always by Smock    8. Merry Christmas Letterpress by Foglio Press    9. Tree Cards by 10 ante meridiem    10. Merry Christmas by Michele Maule

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Holiday Cards – Part 1

Because Thanksgiving is falling so close to the end of November this year, it really feels (to me) like I’m rolling out holiday coverage early. I’m so thrown off, it seems like we’re going to carve the turkey and Christmas is going to be the very next week! Which is also why I wrote out my holiday cards last week. There are so many incredibly designed/illustrated/written creations that I thought it was high time to start passing them your way.

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1. Holiday Paint Card Set – Yellow Owl Workshop  2. Joy to the World – Sycamore Street Press  3. Season’s Greetings Dots – Happy Cactus Designs  4. A Very Merry Christmas – 1canoe2  5. Set of 14 Christmas Cards – House That Lars Built  6. Mid-Century Holiday Ornaments – Moxie House Paper Goods  7. Pop, Fizz, Clink – Kate Spade New York  8. Mulled Wine – memo  9. All is Calm. All is Bright. – Prickle Press  10. Jubilee Christmas Collection – Darling Clementine

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