Zara Home Collection

You guys, you guys, you guys... Zara just released Zara Home in the United States and it's reeeeeally good.  (Thanks Oh Happy Day for the tip!)

Zara's clothes never fit me (and also I think they're not that cute (and sometimes tacky) and sort of more expensive than what I think Zara should be charging?), but I always like the idea of Zara and the great news is most of the stuff at Zara Home looks to be really cute and classic in a unique way.  Sort of like Anthropologie but without as much insane zaney "AAAAAAAAH A GIRL LIVES HERE AND I'M ZOOEY DESCHANEL AND I ALSO AM A KOOKY LIBRARIAN AND I LIKE BIG FLORALS AND MORACCAN THEMED THINGS!!!!!!" kind of way. 

More like in a this kind of way... subtle with some whimsy:

:: 1. Costa Throw $59.90  2.  Allan Tumbler $7.90 each  3.  Marta Flatware $9.90 per piece  

4.  Duck Pitcher $99.90  5.  Senise Towel $39.90 ::

So cute, right?!  Prices are... okay, I think.  For unique stylish pieces, it's a reasonable price point to jazz up your home a bit with these personality-ful pieces.  (Oh also, yes, thanks for noticing!  That is my first collage!)

Also, free shipping during October!  Might be hard to resist...

Oh, and in case you were thinking "Whoa, did Zara just get 100% classy and not at all Euro-tacky?", don't lose sleep!  This shirt was also featured on the site (yes, the Zara Home site):

 

 :: Leopardo T-shirt (aptly named) $59.90 ($59.90?!) ::

Please please please tell me if you buy anything from Zara Home!  Can't wait to hear all about it.

Tip Tuesday!: Cleaning with Dryer Sheets

I saw this tip on Pinterest while I was flipping through my phone.  I never actually try the things I see on Pinterest nor am I ever excited to clean, but I was trying to take a Saturday afternoon nap and couldn't because my neighbor was blasting John Meyer, so I decided to try it out.

Basically, you can clean everything with dryer sheets!  Which is awesome because I own this:

:: Remember this post about Costco? :: 

And I'm mostly through one pack, and I think it's been open for, like, years.  Because how long will it take a household of two to do FIVE HUNDRED loads of laundry?  (A long time.)

So I grabbed five dryer sheets and went to town... wiping my blinds, ceiling fans, floor boards, bathroom sink, bathroom faucet... GUYS.  IT WORKS.  It's like... if a Swiffer and a Magic Eraser had a baby!  (Only the baby didn't inherit all the magic of the Magic Eraser parent, but still a lot of the magic.) 

For more ideas of how to use your dryer sheets, here is the full text from the Pinterest image.  (Warning: it's like... Pinterest-y crazy talk.)
dryer sheet cuts your bathroom cleaning time in half - makes mirrors & bath fixtures sparkle and cuts right through soap scum on bathtub.Use to get sticky dust right off of furniture, blinds and baseboards. Cleans up cooktops and greasy cupboards quickly. Soak paintbrushes in warm water with a dryer sheet and watch the paint come right off. Clean dead, icky bugs from the car. Wipe pet hair off of clothes and furniture. Run over thread before sewing to keep tangles away. Keeps mosquitoes off

It's pretty awesome.  Will you try it?

3 things you need to own. Like, now.

Guys, lately I've been really into three gadgets that I own, and I'm really not a gadget person, so if I'm obsessed, it really means something.  I want to highly endorse the following products to you, for your own sake:


Clairsonic

clairsonic at nordstrom

Okay, I know I endorsed Argan Oil a while ago, and now I'm talking about Clairsonic, and it's all becoming an urban cliche but... the Clairsonic is good!  I got the full-on regular one, but I don't see any reason why you shouldn't get the Clairsonic Mia, which is smaller and a bit less expensive (and come in a lot of cute colors).  Using it is basically like getting a mini-facial every day, and it's fun, too!  You use it for 60 seconds (20 seconds on forehead, 20 seconds on nose/chin, 10 seconds on each cheek), once a day, and you can use any face wash -- you don't need to buy the special Clairsonic ones.  If you use a Clairsonic, you don't need to/shouldn't use another exfoliant, so it basically pays for itself (in, like, 5 years).  My skin has never been in better shape (which isn't saying a lot, but it's definitely saying something), and I feel very clean!  (Oh, and soft -- so soft!  Like a Labrador's ears soft.)

Immersion Blender

immersion blender at amazon

I love soup, but seeing directions in a recipe that say things like: "Turn off heat, let cool, transfer to blender, blend, add back to pot, re-heat" make me not like soup.  But guys, with an immersion blender you don't need to do that!  Just plug it in, submerse it in your pot of soup (or sauce, or whatever you're trying to blend) and turn it on and swirl it around.  Voila!  Pureed goodness!  Do you have any idea how easy it is to whip up a batch of tomato soup, potato leek, butternut squash.... whatever!, with the help of an immersion blender?  (Hint: it's super easy!)  Also, the bottom part of it snaps off and can go right into the dishwasher.  So easy.  So, so easy.  (Disclaimer: I don't own this model -- I can't find the one I have.  I recommend you buy one in the $35 - $75 range, though... cheaper is not going to be durable, and there's no good reason to pay any more.)

Hand-Held Steamer

jiffy travel steamer at amazon

Like anyone who has ever tried to iron in his/her life, I hate ironing and am really bad at it.  I've literally cried over ironing before.  (To be fair, it was a king sized duvet cover and it was really, really hard.)  Also, my hate for ironing is matched only by my distaste for paying for dry cleaning.  So it puts me in a bit of a tight spot.  Until I got this Jiffy Travel Steamer!  Guys, it's like... a magic tool that removes wrinkles without messing up at all!  I'm sure the non-travel version would be even better, but I live in an apartment and am not about to find storage for something that big.  Especially when I'm so over the moon with my Jiffy Travel Steamer!  It has really opened up a world of possibilities in terms of what clothing I can buy.  Cute silk blouse?  Oh yeah!  Put it on delicate wash in a delicates bag in the washing machine, line dry, and then hand-held steamer that sh**!  Normal cotton Oxford shirt?  No problem!  Work pants?  Try to stop me!  It's the best.  (Tip: it does get a lot of calcification gunk going on, so you will need to buy the cleaner fluids and clean it every few months.  But a small price to pay.)

Happy shopping!

Gift Guide: What to buy for me (Part I)

Tis the season, guys!  Everyone makes holiday gift guides, but I’m not that great at doing that kind of thing (I don't know what dads want.  Who knows what dads want?!), but I was still inspired to try my hand at it, so I decided to stick with what I know.

So I present to you: A Gift Guide, for me.  That’s not crass at all, right?  Basically a list of stuff I want.  But I'm imagining it's also stuff you might want.  So in the end, we're getting right back to the spirit of the season: wanting stuff!

Ready?  Here we go!  

Hudson Bay Blanket

I know what you’re thinking.  “Joanna, that blanket is FOUR HUNDRED DOLLARS.  You are a monster!”  And to that, I say: Look, I said this was a crass display of gluttony.  I refuse to apologize.  But do you know the storied history of Hudson Bay blankets?  Early American settlers traded them to Native Americans for beaver pelts!  This is part of our history as Americans!  Also it is bound to be a family heirloom.  You can’t put a price on that!  (Or you can, and it’s $400-ish.)

Also, a “cheaper” version here, by Pendleton, which I feel is fairly legit because even though it’s not original gangsta like Hudson Bay, Pendleton is a renowned maker of woolens.

LL Bean Wicked Good Moccasins

Yes please.  I have fond memories of the LL Bean and Land’s End catalogues (I’m lumping them together… I have no idea what the difference is between the two) because as a kid, they were some of the only catalogues that came, and I loved me some catalogue play-time.  Now that I have resided long enough at my residence to get on random catalogue mailing lists (grown-up stuff!), I get my very one once again!  I have a feeling everything in the LL Bean/Lands End catalogues is odd and oversized and boxy and generally ill fitting (even though I sort of really want a classic barn jacket), but shoes are going to fit like shoes, right?  And these slippers look really cozy.  I am imagining myself making waffles in these and then reading a book on the couch while Travis watches football.  Then I also imagine that I decide to walk to Peet’s to grab some coffee and think “These are so comfy and cute – I’m not going to take them off!” and feel really cozy until I get into the store and feel ridiculous for wearing slippers in public.  Remind me not to do that, guys.

Yubz Retro Handset Extension

Oh, hi there!  Let me just lay back on the couch so I can catch up with you on the phone, enjoy our conversation, and look darling… all while totally not getting brain cancer!  (You plug this into your cell phone as a handset.)  Gwyneth Paltrow featured this in Goop’s gift guide, and I love it.  I pretty sure it would become a clunky item that I'd forget to use and don’t know where to put away, but the thought of it reminds me of being in middle school, sprawled on a couch or bed or floor patch gabbing away on the phone.

Stanley Thermos

I am feeling convinced that if I toted my soup to work in this thermos, I’d be much more excited to bring lunch and I’d look really cool.  Like that chick who’s all “Oh, this?  Yeah, I’m always on the go.  I made an amazing soup last night from scratch…. just bringing the leftovers for lunch today.  I guess that’s what I do when I’m not on spontaneous camping trips with my friends or watching hip documentaries at home or going to underground concerts late at night on school nights but still come to work looking fresh as a daisy… you guys have no idea what a cool life I live outside of here!  …Gotta run, time for soup!”

Lululemon Astro Pant

I know.  It’s a $100 sweat pant, basically.  But you really look 200% better than you do in a $33 sweat pant.  I promise.  I like the leg opening… not a flare, but not a legging… because as much as I like the idea of wearing a long legging… without the aid of boots over them, they make everyone’s body look strange and mis-shapen, right?

Oh, PS -- more coming.  (You didn't think this was all I wanted, right?)  Stay tuned.

Amazing, Amazing Gift I Received

I always grew up in a bedroom with a quilt.  In fact, I don’t think I realized that bedrooms didn’t have to have quilts until I went to college and got a chambray blue Ralph Lauren comforter at TJ Maxx.  (I also had those cloud printed jersey sheets, which were all the rage in the fall of 2000, and I still think my college dorm room was pretty cool.)  I stayed quilt-less in adulthood, but had been hankering for a clean quilt in a crisp classic pattern with a lot of saturated colors.  I didn’t have much luck finding one at my price point, but the yearning remained.

Imagine my delight, then, when Ann, a dear family friend, offered to make me a quilt as a wedding gift.  (Very sweet also because when I was 10, Ann taught me how to quilt, and everyone got placemats and potholders from me that years as holiday gifts.  My mom still has the potholders, and I’m pretty sure they are awesome.  Especially if you like Williamsburg blue and small apple prints on a black background.  Which you do, I’m sure.)  Ann sent me to pick up a few inspiration fabrics, and she did the rest.

Guys, the quilt is in.  It’s insanely beautiful.  I love it.  Basically the sweetest gift ever.

Look at this – it has our names and wedding date!  So cute!

These colors are just too wonderful…

And let’s take a little side trip to my nightstand… 

Sneak Preview!: I’ll be reviewing all these books shortly.  (Also this is basically every hardback book I’ve ever bought.  Don’t get any ideas.  I don’t live in a house made of gold bricks, people!) 

Also, if you are feeling the quilt love, the adorable Emily Henderson has a great quilt roundup post here.

Bye!

Wise Words: on Flatware

After registering for a set of flatware (and receiving a bunch of sets), I decided that the teaspoon was waaay too big (and guys, it was) and returned them all.  So Travis and I started looking for flatware we could buy with our Williams-Sonoma/Pottery Barn store credit and found these guys:

:: Maxfield Flatware, Pottery Barn ::

I thought they were pretty lovely (and dishwasher safe,) but said to Travis, "I dunno... I kind of think I'll get bored with them?"

To which he replied...

"Sweetheart, if you're getting bored of you're silverware, you're in a very weird place."

Wise Words!

Shower Curtains Worth Ooh-ing Over

Hi you guys!

Two serendipitous things happened yesterday:

First, I noticed mid-shower that my shower curtain has some sort of mold on it.  This shouldn’t be surprising, considering that I’ve been using the shower curtain for two years that was left in the condo when we bought it.  Kind of gross, I know, but for a person that’s generally clean, I’m not the best with having an eye for hygienic practices.

Second, that evening my friend Janet hosted book club.  After a couple glasses of white wine, the majority of a wheel of brie and infinity raisin rosemary crisps, I used her bathroom and noticed her really cute shower curtain.

Naturally, these incidents led me to a few thoughts:

1.     If you’re not already on board with Trader Joe’s Raisin Rosemary Crisps, get there!  Crispy, chewy, savory, sweet…. mouth party!

2.     Not only do I need a new shower curtain, I need a cute one! 

My research follows…

The misses:

I started my search for a CSC (cute shower curtain) at Anthropologie, but all of their options sort of looked like an appliqué cloud threw up.  Just like... a lot of fabric was happening... all over... I dunno, you guys...

Anthro Flamenco Shower Curtain

I thought I’d love Dwell Studio’s options, but they all reminded me of “fashionable” nurse scrubs.  Case in point:

Dwell Studio Paper Dolls Petal Shower Curtain

If you're into peacocks pooping bouquets, then you'd probably like this one...

Urban Outfitters Peacock Shower Curtain

The hits (feminine):

The options below would be great for the gal who’s living on her own or sharing her apartment with her favorite pals.

Janet’s CSC was by Echo, whose didn’t disappoint.  This one is kind of classic stylish, but with a little sass... like what I was expecting from Anthropologie.

Echo Design Sardinia Shower Curtain

If you’re into zany throw-back 1950s aprons, this one is pretty darn cute.

Urban Outfitters Garden Stripe

The hits (cross-gender appeal for co-habitators or girls who don’t want to be mad girly in the bathroom):

I like the CSCs below because they’re not uber-girly, but they still have a sense of whimsy and style to them.

This has a lot of style to it, but in a really restrained way, again by Echo.

Echo Design Mad Men

This is a fun brainiac option... learn while getting clean!

Amazon Periodic Table

For those of you dreaming of moving to the northwest (and really, who isn't?), I like this woodsy option.  (Guys, seriously... let's all move to the northwest and open coffee houses and pubs!)

Urban Outfitters Tree

(For the record, I showed this to my northwest-born husband, and he said “Ooh, can we get this one?”)

My bathroom is kind of weird… like the people who renovated it wanted to recreate a villa in Florence in a small bathroom on a small budget.  So there’s a lot of pale stone, and the bathtub/shower has a molded arch over it.  This means my search for CSC is limited… it needs to work with the opulent Meatloaf video Italian villa concept and not against it.  I think that the paisley Echo one may work well, since it’s just a lil' bit fancy itself.

I’m close to just ordering it, but I don’t want to pay for shipping.  

(Spoiler alert: I will probably wind up buying a scarf too to qualify for free shipping.  Sigh.)

Bye!

Joanna