My (Uninteresting) Lovely Things

Tag, I'm it! Creative talent Sarah Klassen of Haute Design tagged me to list 6 lovely and uninteresting things around my home (be sure to check out her own very unique list). Really, I think all lovely things ARE interesting no matter how common, so maybe I bend the rules a bit here... perhaps? 

1. Coffee, Coffee, COFFEE! My cup of Joe is the reason I arise each morning. I can't face all that wretched sunshine and good cheer without some fortification. And believe me, you don't want to talk to me until I do.

2. Flats. I do love a pair of heels, but my uniform is stylish flats, calvin klein jeans, a little jacket, and a big necklace. My favorite flats for winter are Tory Burch and Pretty Ballerinas. In summer, it's Miss Trish of Capri and GAP - I love to be active, and I just feel ready to run in a good pair of flats! And yes, I do tend to store them in piles like this... my closet skills leave a little to be desired. 

3. Cupcakes. There should be many, many more of these around my house. Especially Mint Julep ones! Check out the blog Monogram Momma for the recipe! 

4. Books. I chose this image because it resembles my library, insomuch as they both contain books. Alas, the similarities end there, but I'm dreaming big. And in the meantime, I'm collecting as many books as I can (to whit:  after four days of antique shopping in Georgia all I managed to come home with was... antique books.  And prints from antique books. Hopeless.). Whether it's a gorgeous art book or a favorite dog-eared novel, books are a common and essential part of my home.

5. Headbands.  I have an ongoing battle with my hair - some moments I like it down, others, I can't bear to have it around my face... the consequence is that my house is littered with headbands. Most are pretty casual, but for a party, I'd wear something like this beautiful peacock feather band from LovMely Accessories on Etsy. Isn't it charming?  

6. Blankets.  What is more common or more cozy than a blanket? I use blankets just as much in summer as in winter - perhaps more.  It's a constant battle with the a/c down South!

What common items can you not get by without? 

Credits. 

Coffee: stylist Lucyina Moodie.

Flats: Harper's Bazaar image of Aerin Lauder's closet via Moodboard.

Books: Curious Expeditions.

Blankets: Joe Tyler.

Coral Beauty

It's Spring, when the beauty industry goes crazy for coral - lipsticks, blushes, and eye shadows. Target's Sonia Kashuk has a new take on the Spring situation: coral beauty accouterments. Won't they look pretty in the bathroom?

Images: Target.com.

Crabtree and Evelyn

When I was a little girl, our house used to receive Crabtree and Evelyn catalogues in the mail. That was back before postage was as expensive, and catalogues and magazines tended to come in more irregular shapes (and larger sizes). The C&E ones were very wide, with lovely pictures of flowers and ribbons, and occasionally, an elegantly robed woman scenting a bath or cutting some flowers. I was always particularly enraptured with their best-selling fragrance, Evelyn, because the famed rosier David Austin had bred the Evelyn rose especially for the perfume (picture, left). It came in a cut glass bottle with a silver stopper, and was the shade of dawn pink. Years later, while living in England, I visited my first Crabtree and Evelyn store in Oxford, on Queens Street, and delighted in the wonderful scents of Lily of the Valley, Peony, and Lavender. Ironically, when I actually had a chance to smell the Evelyn perfume, I didn't like it, but by then, the full romance of Crabtree and Evelyn was well established for me.

So, at times like these (by which I mean: times when I have been suffering from the flu for three days, and wonder if life is ever going to get less wretched) I like to reach for a few C&E favorites. They revive the senses and smell marvelous. And, if you're under the weather, they'll cheer you up a bit too.

A friend of mine gave me a wonderfully scented candle by India Hicks for Crabtree (you know who you are, MM!) and I just love it. This is the fragrance diffuser of the same scent. The smell is of orchid, palms, jasmine, and orange blossom, and it is DIVINE. If you're a sucker for packaging like me, you'll also love the faux shagreen oval box it comes in. 
These beautiful shelf papers are scented with Lavender. Very cute woven short kimono robe. The Wakaya scented candle is meant to evoke a South Seas island.

Crabtree's Gardner's Cream is well known for being restorative to the hands - whether or not you've been using them to garden. Tote included. Beautiful Wisteria Eau De Toilette.

Images: Rose, http://www.flickr.com/photos/34226483@N00/544172215/; Products, Crabtree and Evelyn.