350 : paris tea

A month ago, while browsing at the Torrance Antique Fair, the bff craved coffee. Luckily there was a little coffee spot, and he ran in while I continued to browse. I wanted some Earl Gray, but was pleasantly surprised when he got me a cup of some super yummy tea. Having no clue what "Paris" tea was (besides some sort of black tea blend) I tore off the little tag on the tea bag and made a mental note to get some.

The super amazing guy that Jeff is, also made a mental note, and bought me some for Christmas. Hooray!

306 : body shop's cranberry

The holiday season seems to start earlier and earlier every year. Normally I dread hearing "Jingle Bells" blare through the stores before the turkey has even been carved. This year however, the holiday season brought a smile to my face.

Lately I've become addicted to the shower gel from the Body Shop. So the withdrawls I've been experiencing the past few days without it, have been no bueno. So today, I stopped in to pick up a new supply, only to find the super yummy holiday cranberry scent greeting me at the door. It almost made me want to take another shower today just so I could use it...

301 : leaf sticky notes

I love post-it notes. I always have a stack on my desk, where I jot down notes and then stick them to my computer screen. Browsing the internet today, I found these amazing leaf shaped sticky notes from Appree. I'm so in love with them. Leaves stuck to my monitor will be so much nicer than florescent squares. I need them.

298 : transparent hole punch

Sometimes when hand-making invites or mock-ups, I need a hole punch. This punch, designed by Kisang Yoon and Kyubok Lee has a transparent top and red guide, makes it so easy to make the hole exactly where you want it. Such a good idea, I just can't believe it took so long for someone to come out with it.

Brownie points for the sleek, simple design.

289 : mint shampoo

My favorite showers come on hot days, after getting dirty and after the gym (not that I don't love all my showers, and yes, I shower daily). On these better-than-usual shower days, I always reach for the Mint Shampoo from Whole Foods. There's something about it that's so refreshing after a sweaty workout, or excessive dirtiness (I hate being dirty!), and the slight scalp tingle...heaven.

283 : lip balm

I'm not a huge makeup fan. I don't plaster my face in thick foundation and I can't stand perfumy smelling lipsticks. I am, however, a lip balm addict (I have several in my purse). I absolutely love it, and feel naked without it. I used to be a die-hard Burts Bees girl, but for the past few years, I've gravitated towards ones from Kiss my Face. It makes my lips super soft and I love the fresh, fruity scents.

268 : ampersand tote

I love these ampersand totes. In the time of everyone going green, and bringing their own reusable bags, these bags are way more me than the traditional ones found in the stores. Funky fonts and bright colors make them scream "type nerd" and that, my friends, is a title I wear proudly.

267 : elix vase

I'm a bit of a vase whore. I love them and I love the Elix vase by Pol Quadens. The spiral holds the stems in place and the base holds the water. So beautiful.

258 : the geometry of pasta

I came across this book today and am seriously in love. A book about pasta and sauces? Eh. But the simple, beautiful design and graphics of the book may just qualify it as shelf worthy. The flat black graphics are just so beautifully done, and I LOVE the alphabet page (big shocker there). Gorgeous.

216 : iphone

After months of waiting, calling the Apple Store everyday, standing in line for an hour (yes, I'm one of those people), and the incredibly nice Apple guy who helped me (thanks Seamus!) I finally got my new phone.

I've also come to the realization that lately whenever I get super excited about something, in my head, I do the happy dance Katherine Heigl does in The Ugly Truth. And then another realization occurs: I'm such a dork. But at this moment, I'm one happy dork, and that's all that matters.

214 : symbol ice

The type dork in me is in love with this ice cube tray. With various punctuation and symbols, I can't think of a better way to cool down a drink. Boring old ice cubes? Not for this designer. They're officially on my wish list.

Update: UPS came today (8/19). The bf got them for me! So sweet.

205 : helvetica cookie cutters

The type dork in me would totally be making Helvetica cookies, if you could actually buy a set... and if chocolate chip cookies could hold a shape other than a circle :)

But I love the inventiveness and creativity of type lovers.

200 : dogeared

Dogeared is most noted for their "Make a Wish" jewelry collection. The basic idea is simple: When you put the necklace on, you make a wish. You then leave the necklace on until it "wears off" (ie breaks) and then it's said that your wish will come true. With charms of things like hummingbirds, skulls, scissors and hearts, it's really hard not to find one you fall in love with.

I'm more of a "Reminder" collection kinda girl. No "wearing off" with these. The tiny little charms are held with either a gold dipped or sterling chain, instead of the silk string from the "Make a Wish" collection. Making them tiny little inspirations of good things to come. These two are my favorites :)

160 : body butter

 

My absolute favorite lotion is Pink Grapefruit Body Butter from the Body Shop. It smells so fresh and yummy, and it's super thick, so it really moisturizes. What's even better is the bf gives me regular foot massages with it. Yup, I'm a lucky girl.

157 : chasing butterflies

In Paris, while strolling down one of the streets, my mom and I came across L'Artisan Parfumeur; a high-end french parfum company. After browsing for awhile, she left with a bottle of their Mure et Musc Extreme parfum.

Years later, after craving a new perfume, I remembered L'Artisan. I ordered some samples so I could find which I liked best. My choice: La Chasse aux Papillons (chasing butterflies). A very summery scent with notes of bergamot, lemon, pink pepper, orange blossom, lemon blossom, linden blossom, tuberose, jasmine and ylang-ylang.

Not only are their parfumes amazingness, but their design is equally as fab. Their site is clean and simple, their catalogs use spot uv, and their packaging takes those little extra steps to make it perfect.

152 : babees honey

While browsing notcot today, I came across some visual eye candy...Babees Pure Organic Honey packaging. I'm speechless...how amazingly gorgeous and simple this is? And I love the custom calligraphy for the logo.

149 : zen tea misto with soy

The perfect way to start a Monday... a Zen (Green) Tea Misto with soy.

144 : candles

I love scented candles. I know, it's girly and cliche. But I love when things smell good. And the soft scent of one in the office beats out those heavily fragranced air fresheners any day.

Current obsession: the green tea soy candle from Febreeze. Smells so good, and burns amazingly clean.

137 : ecospheres

For those of you unfamiliar, Ecospheres are a self-contained, self-sustaining ecosystem encased in glass. They're filled with filtered sea water, small shrimp, algae & bacteria. Not only are they super simple and beautiful looking, but it just baffles me that they can live like this for years, just on the elements found inside the glass. Simply amazing.

After recent developments, I was considering one of these beautiful little things. But last night when the bf and I were looking at them, he laughed saying I would get bored with it in a week and all my shrimp would die in less than six months (they can live up to 5 years or more)... And as much as I hate to admit it, he's probably right.

And although an Ecosphere is probably not in my near future, you have to admit, that they're pretty freaking cool.

129 : book covers

We have a confession to make, we know you're not supposed to "judge a book by it's cover", but we do it all the time. We're not talking people here, we literally mean books. We're visual people who appreciate good design. And more and more of the world is embracing good design, including book publishers. While browsing at Borders, we can't help but pick up a book with a nice cover and take a peek.

Here's a few that we've purchased (with only two actually read) based solely on the covers and at least a slightly interesting story line.