part of my christmas gift from jess this year came in an awesome paper bag made out of newspaper. mind you, this plastic bag was holding a pretty heavy teapot plus some other amazing little goodies - none of which were particularly light as a feather.

i've been searching around the web to find out about this little newspaper bag and finally came across one on rock paper scissors. apparently they are made in japan by a womans cooperative - each one handcrafted out of local newspapers. i've yet to figure out how they make them so durable, but it's still pretty cool if you ask me.

as if bored inc didn't have enough to swoon over on a daily basis, they've now released an AWESOME kids line. released thus far are the save our sushi gang and an amazing little group of stinky poo.

okay, so seriously, this is the stuff that makes me think having kids would be fun. i wonder if any of it would fit elliott - tekka maki is totally her style. and her new playmate, the great dane that goes by unagi, would probably love the whole set.

i personally love poo-quito. must be my love of mexican food...

kitschy holidays humor me endlessly - especially valentines. while i'm all for homemade gifts of affection, that doesn't always work out. life has it's ways of getting in your way sometimes. so here's a little valentines guide of goodies all available on fred flare.

start valentines day off right with a heart shaped sunny side up breakfast...

not good about sharing your emotions? try this strangely adorable plush heart.

share your inner geek with these awesome rings.

my personal favorite on ff - russian doll coin purses - LOVE them and so will she.

and keep your lips kissably soft with these ultra cute cupcake lip balms. after all, who doesn't like buying a little something for themselves now and again? =)

gumps as a ton of items newly reduced on their site! there's so much i want, but really matches absolutely nothing i own. the tailored silk pillows are only $69, the cathay console is $549 and the l'orage tapestry is only $39.

since it's been raining here for the last few weeks i decided to make elliott a simple rain coat to keep her a little more warm and dry as we wander through the park during her walks. amazingly, she didn't fight it one bit and seems to actually enjoy not being completely drenched by the time we get home.

the whole thing cost me less then $15 and i have enough material left over to make her a few more sizes as she continues to grow. much more practical then rain coats sold at the pet store and it's custom fit to her funny little body...

i was so lucky as to be approached to include a photo of my favorite place for the lovely blog your lovely places. definitely check it out - there are some BEAUTIFUL photos of places people have been. i am completely jealous...

i'm loving these two tea light candle holders - both available here.

our office space is starting to be too small for the number of people we have working, so in the near future we'll all be sharing cubes. of course people were up in arms despite the fact that our cubes are seriously the largest i've ever seen.

so while i was listening to people rant about their upcoming loss of privacy i couldn't help but think of all the fun types of things you could use as a privacy divider - like these frame planters. okay, so maybe they don't block out noise, but a row of these would be a great way to divide a desk space, freshen the air and bring a little of the outdoors in.

as elliott's legs grow longer and longer she is increasingly able to reach little diego in every nook and corner that was once out of her reach. while they've finally become friends *gasp* i still feel like diego could use a little escape. i've always liked these corrugated cardboard scratching post loungers for kitties, but always thought their prices were far too steep. so, i think i'm going to make one on my own - after all, how hard could it be? (shooting self in foot now)

anyone know a good place to buy lots of corrugated cardboard?

as much as i'm a creature of habit, i'm also gluttonous for change. i don't know if it's because i moved so often growing up or if i'm just down right neurotic, but i constantly want to change things. from things as simple as my dishes to as extreme as where i live, there's always something i'm ready to switch out for something new.

as i'm looking for a new apartment to move to i've decided to also look for new living room furniture. i have a fabulous over sized leather living room set, but it's time for something different in my life.

with elliott in the house i've been torn between going with leather again or going with a fabric i can wash. i came across the jasper collection at room & board and am so in love. it's just so expensive - anyone seen anything similar out there? i love the variety of covers they have too - i could stock up and change my couches every few months if i wanted!

seeing as i'm at home with the flu today, i found it fitting to bring up the fact that charles peterson's fantastic book touch me i'm sick is being re-released with an introduction by eddie vedder. if you were at all into the grunge days of the 90's then you will LOVE this one.

hope you all have a great weekend and happy friday!

i'm crazy for products by fred & friends. i don't know what it is about them, but i pretty much want their entire catalog of products. here are some at the top of my list:

toasted notes.

bird at home.

batter finger.

snap-a-party.

and of course, a little something for elli - the wooferang.

i'm really into multipurpose bags - i hate having to carry around more then one when i'm out, hence the enormity of all my purses.

nanda has come up with a great solution for the purse and laptop bag combo, that doesn't scream "i'm carrying a laptop - MUG ME PLEASE". called the lapsac, these are delightful totes with a padded front pocket for your laptop. they come in a handful of different colors and patterns and seem large enough to carry everything you could need in a day. they're available on a variety of sites, so you may want to shop around for the best price out there.

my dad sent me these amazing images from iran, which is experiencing an unusually cold winter season this year. i love how all the little cherries are so perfectly preserved - i wish i was there to see it in person!

these anatomy tees by saltlike nyc are too cute. they run a bit high in cost ($58 each) but are so damn cute it's hard to say no.

i LOVE LOVE LOVE orla keily bags and think i may just have to splurge and buy this one for the upcoming spring season. covered in the classic stem pattern it's hard to resist! get your own here.

today angie and i ventured around town and made a stop to check out the smart car. i've been debating getting one of these for a couple months now. i know, i just sold my scion, so why on earth would i want another car? because this is a car i could park virtually anywhere in the city.

you know - those tiny little curbs that even a mini cooper is too big for. or those times when you stare at a spot that's three feet too short all because one person didn't pull their car up as far as they could have. those are all awesome parking spots for the smart.

i had held off on making a decision because i'm incapable of agreeing to buy anything i've never seen before. it's why i don't buy clothes online. i suffer from horrific buyers remorse before the thing has even showed up - so i can only imagine what i would be like if i ordered a car sight unseen.

i have to admit, angie and i were pleasantly surprised by the little guy. it was so roomy inside - and so simple. no fancy buttons. no crazy lcd talking map thingies. just a basic car to get you from point a to point b and back again. after about .5 seconds i decided i wanted one - i can putt-putt all over the city with little "i'm all legs" elliott and quite possibly never spend another morning in a monsoon like rainstorm trying to get to work. unless of course my car gets blown away by the 75 mph winds.

hooray for smart!

i love fun vases - especially quirky ones like this milk carton vase.
get yours here.

well, elli is undoubtedly somehow related to me as she is in love with felt as much as i am. granted, i like to make things with it and she likes to chew on it, but we both get rather excited whenever we see it.

quite some time ago i had made some toys for little diego, including his own miniature ugly doll. elli discovered it last night and has been carrying it around with her ever since. i think this weekend i'll go buy some larger pieces of felt to make her one of her own that is actually proportionate to her ever growing head. check back soon for pictures of her new toys...

so do you ever have one of those moments where you're watching reality tv and realize you know someone on the show? it's been happening to me a lot lately, probably because everyone on tv seems to be from orange county these days.

so i'm watching project runway last night (the episode where they make prom dresses) and they flash a picture of kit with her prom date. let me just say this was the first time in my life i really wished i had tivo because i instantly realized i knew both the people in the photo. but i was totally confused because the girl in the photo looked nothing like kit. she looked like a girl i went to school with who went to prom with "mr. popular".

so i'm sitting there clueless as to what i just saw with weird flashbacks to my high school years at a private catholic school just outside the community where they film the real housewives of orange county. then it hits me, kit pistol is a girl named christina i went to high school with.
so of course i text jess to let her know, and naturally she had seen the episode too and was wracking her own brain as to who the hell that girl was. she was nice enough to scan in some high school yearbook photos for me...much too funny. i never thought one of the preppy girls from a little catholic school would ever become a really cool fashion designer on one of my favorite tv shows. and she's actually a spectacular designer who i've been hoping would make it to the end. i wonder what her old prom date thinks of her now - i mean *gasp* she smokes AND has tattoos - he may go to hell for just dancing with her.

while perusing design crush today i saw the greatest calendar/date book known to mankind. yes, even better then the action book.

the 2008 colour book is like a giant pantone color guide that you can write in! each day has a unique color and in the back is an appendix of the pantone codes for each one. i want this. i NEED this. this is the greatest notebook EVER.