SAVINGS AND LOANS: HOME WISHLIST

I think one of my favorite pastimes as a New Yorker is to daydream about our 'someday' house. I know lots of people, even non-city dwelling people, drift off at times thinking about their dream house, but there is a key component involved when you are a Big Apple girl: space.  For me, a home out in the suburbs means space! (And, of course, being able to paint your walls with no consequence. What a luxury!) So what's on my 'dream home wishlist' right now? Mostly, this Saarinen tulip table with a white base and a marble top which retails at between $4800 and $7800 for a 54" or 60" size. Yikes! Clearly neither my apartment nor my wallet have room for that. But a girl can dream, right?

I also have my eye on a bunch of beautiful midcentury-style pieces from West Elm right now. How gorgeous is this six drawer dresser? Not so pretty—the $999 price tag.

And, the ultimate New York fantasy: owning a car again! My mom collected and restored vintage cars for years, so I grew up with an abiding love of classic cars. I know she would swoon over this 1959 Fiat 600 (just like Jordan's, which I am so jealous of!). Being sold in California for a price tag of $23,500, I am not sure I could convince my hubby to let me buy it, but it's fun to think about anyway. And how awesome would that cross country road trip to drive it back to the east coast be?!

What's on your 'someday' list?

SAVINGS AND LOANS: CAMERA GEAR

I'm back from three blissful days at the Cape! This entailed countless easy hours at the beach, an amazing drive-in movie experience and lots of tasty meals with friends. What more can you ask for from a mini-vacation?

On the Cape one of my shutterbug friends was rocking a sweet 50mm lens on his camera that inspired me to rekindle the 'Savings and Loans' series. The prime lens allows for an incredible play on depth of field, with beautiful portraits that blur in the background. At $216 (see here) it is a bit more expensive than I feel I can buy on a whim, but wouldn't it be nice to tote along to France for dreamy shots of my hubby?

And what better way to pack that lens than in a gorgeous leather camera bag that looks like a chic purse and not another tech-y lens case? I have had several camera bags and never end up using them because they always scream 'I am a tourist! I have no style!' Well I just discovered ONA, a company that makes deliciously high-end leather and waxed canvas camera bags that are seriously stylish. At $319 the Palma (above, see here) is muy expensivo but oh how lovely it would look with a trench coat on the streets of Paris . . .

Are there any big items on your wish list these days? Let me know in the comments!

JONATHAN ADLER SALE

Just a quick post today since this week is starting at a frantic pace. I just noticed the sale going on at Jonathan Adler (posted about before here) and thought I would give you all the heads up. I have long loved the bright, graphic patterns proffered by Jonathan Adler and the items on sale, while still at designer-level price points, would certainly be a fabulous addition to any hope. Check out the sale here.

top to bottom, left to right:

Light Blue Richard Nixon Rug, $160 (2'x3') or $1500 (6' x 9')

Squares Rug, $650 (4' x 6')

Junior Pink Tonal Squares, $650 (4' x 6')

Diamonds Rug, $2200 (8' x 10')

Talitha Rug, $650 (4' x 6') or $2200 (8' x 10')

Black Stripes 5 Piece Dinnerware, $52.50

*I couldn't help but add these mod pinwheel plates . . .

SAVINGS AND LOANS: SIMON PEARCE

Another fun part of my weekend getaway to Vermont? The trip to the Simon Pearce restaurant and store! Not only does Simon Pearce have an amazing restaurant--where I enjoyed an herb rubbed chicken served over fresh pappardelle--but they also have a retail store chock full of incredibly beautiful hand-made housewares. There is no better way to digest after a tasty meal than to wander the aisles of this fabulous store, making a mental list of all the lovely things you would buy if you had the expendable income. Everything in the store is hand-made in their glass-blowing and pottery studio downstairs (making each piece exquisite but expensive!).

Here are some of my favorites (top to bottom, left to right):

Hartland Candlesticks, $115-$195

Hampton Stemware, $48-$60

Barre Serving Bowl, $85-$100

Cavendish Cereal Bowl, $30

See more Simon Pearce products at their website here.

CAMPER TWS

I agree with heysusy*. These camper "ballet pumps" are absolutely wonderful. I have always had a soft spot for Camper's beautifully made and designed shoes . . . I just couldn't get over the monster price tag! If the $160 ticket for these puppies doesn't dissuade you, you can pick up your own pair at the Camper website here.

CITRINE

November's birth stone is citrine--one of my favorites. So you can believe how excited I was when I came across this gorgeous citrine and diamond ring! The citrine is truly huge at 12.6 carats! I love how the diamonds interlace around the sides and setting. This would be a great buy for anyone who has $1800 (!) lying around.

Price tag not a deterrent (or just want to see more)? Check it out here.

BIRD RINGS

There are some truly gorgeous products on offer over at the great online shop "Bird". But my favorites by far are the simple, elegant gold rings in offer. While pretty pricey, I can't help but stare dreamily at that smokey quartz and gold number---beautiful. Check out the jewelry goodness here and some other great stuff here.

P.S. Have a good weekend!

MR. JONES AND ME

Oh my goodness. Me oh my!

These watches are absolutely gorgeous. I love them. I mean really love them (a five-year-old would be taunting me to marry them). Thank you Mr. Jones Watches for creating such elegantly colorful timepieces! The topmost watch (called "Cyclops") gives a guestimation of the time by the position of the black circle between the solid colored ones (right now it shows it is around 10:15). It is a limited edition of 100 and, at $185, there are only a few left!

The bottom watch is called "The Average Day" and will run you $165 (not a limited edition). In a bright ersatz pie chart, "The Average Day" watch marks out what the average person would be doing at any given time during the day. Thus the area between 9 to five roughly notes "work" and "eat". Take it from me---it's really cool.

Check all of the Mr. Jones Watch collection here as there are many many others to tickle your fancy.

KAREL MARTENS

Flickr is a pretty amazing thing. As is the blogosphere. Through both I learned about the work of the epic Dutch designer and educator Karel Martins, specifically his awesome monograph "Printed Matter". Amazingly, Amazon is still offering two used copies . . . . . starting at $649.87. Sigh.

Still, check out some shots of the inside of the book on Flickr here, and the covers at Amazon here.

(p.s. Doesn't his work remind you of these guys? I am definitely going to see the retrospective in Berlin in two weeks.)