Wednesday's Vintage Obession- Milk crates

1. vintage bottle carrier
2. milk jars in crate
3. vintage milk crate
4. milk bottle crate

This is certainly a late post but it I have been crazy busy! I just drove back yesterday from a little jaunt to Cape Cod to visit family and spent all day today catching up with orders and work. We got a huge response to the Lucky Magazine's Deal-of-the-Day on Thomas Paul Portland plates so it's been quite hectic! Woke up this morning with no milk for my coffee or for my daughters' breakfast. Not having my coffee was rough; my daughters of course did just fine. So perhaps that's why I have "milk on the brain." My little late Wednesday vintage obsession is milk crates. I love any vintage item that looks cool and also serves a function. These pieces are perfect for holding just about anything- tea towels, aprons, magazines, napkins or what about cool vases or old bottles with fresh flowers just for a little decoration? I love the idea that milk at one point was delivered to your home. We've got to get that going again, don't you think?

Thursday- Green Ideas-The Anti-Ziploc Bag- Lunchskins! Chic and Smart!

Have you seen the "garbage patch" in the Pacific Ocean? It's pretty horrible. It is located between Los Angeles and Hawaii and is a floating mass of plastic garbage, roughly the size of Texas. It has been increasing tenfold since 1945. Did you know it takes roughly 400 years for plastics to photograde? They never biodegrade. The floating plastic is then eaten by whales, turtles, birds-you name and it then it kills them. If you want to know more, listen to this great NPR story.


Not to get on my soap box but we must find ways to rid "disposable" plastic from our lives. Because it is not really "disposable." Recycling of course is # 1 in the effort to combat this problem. Reusable products is another- items that can be washed and reused (and then recycled) is key. I found this great line of lunch and snack bags in Oprah's O magazine. It was started by 3 green moms to combat the use of plastic sandwich bags. This idea came about after learning that 20 million sandwich bags go into landfills every day! Yes, every day. I had to check that number. So they created "lunchskins" which are very chic and very smart reusable bags that can be used for sandwiches and snacks and then wiped down or put in the dishwasher! So easy and so necessary! The sandwich bags are $8.95, the snack bags are $7.95 and their sub bags are $10.95 and they are lead free, bpa free and phthalate free. Their designs are bold, bright, fun and have Merimekko feeling to them. And you can also pick up a Klean Kanteen bottle and disposable and biodegradable cornstarch forks and spoons! I've seen (and blogged) about several of these bags, but to date, these are my favorite! They will also help you do fundraisers at your school. Brilliant!

They have calculated that since they started selling these lovely creations, more than 12 million plastic lunch bags have been saved from entering landfills or our lovely oceans. Their goal is to reach 100 million by 2011! You've got to love this determination! And they give 1% of their online sales to www.canaltrust.org. What's not to love?

Wedneday's Vintage obsession- Raffia Melmac

Clockwise (click on link to purchase) from left to right.
1. set of 4 bowls
2. set of 3 mugs
3. 12 pastel mugs
4. set of 2 tumbers

Melmac was the brand name for molded melamine resin popular in the 1960s and 70s. It was also the name of the fictional planet to the alien Alf in the 1986-sitcom but we're not going there today. It is basically melamine- which we love and have several options from Thomas Paul. These stylish raffia (or burlap) wrapped mugs and tumblers just remind me of the 70s and fun little pool parties or backyard sprinkler soirees! I love the pastel colors- but they are also ultra chic in mustard and orange. You can find items like these on ebay and etsy for not too much money. They are great for outdoor entertaining and for kids- who tend to drop everything (like mine)!

Thomas Paul's new scrimshaw collection- they've arrived!

We have done so well with Thomas Paul's melamine plates. The sea life collection of dinner and dessert plates, turtle tray and coasters continue to be our best sellers. So we were thrilled when we saw Thomas Paul's new scrimshaw melamine collection; we think they are a sophisticated update and we've been waiting for them to arrive! There are 11" dinner plates, 9" dessert plates, 4 1/2" coasters and a wonderful whale tray. They are navy and white and depict lovely illustrations of an anchor, ship, pelican, lighthouse and a whale. The coasters are sailing knots. Except for the tray, the plates and coasters are all available as sets of 4 (with all different images). We love them and we know you will enjoy giving them as hostess, wedding or birthday gifts or keeping them for yourself! They are in stock and ready to ship!

Wedneday's Vintage obsession- Lucy + Ellen

In tribute to their Grandmothers (Lucy and Ellen), Kristen and Jennifer started this amazing Etsy vintage shop in spring of this year. It is a beautiful collection of feminine, well-priced great vintage finds and I want them all! They believe that what "truly brings a space to life are the one-of-a-kind items that you cannot find everyday" and I agree! Will you look at the cute little pink bank! Adorable.

the bohemian baby . . . Rikshaw Design

Catherine Fitzsimmons, founder of Rikshaw Design, is one "cool chicky" (as my daughter would say). She's led a life of adventure and travel- she's experienced the glamour of Paris, the beauty of Cape Cod (from the view of a bike), the simply joys of life on a Western dude ranch and the freedom of backpacking across Europe. Her recent positions at Pottery Barn and Ralph Lauren took her to her newfound love- India- where she was taken by the beauty and vibrant colors of India's textiles and block-printing techniques. And in 2008, she used that textile art to create an amazing collection of baby crib bedding, accessories and now clothes that is like no other baby line I know of. The colors are gorgeous. The prints- delicate and fun and the whole look just perfect. So if you are a little sick of smocked dresses, pink polka dots and embroidered sailboats and really drool over John Robshaw and Roberta Freyman (as I do) then this line is perfect for you! We now carry blankets, bib / burp sets, kurtas (tops), bloomers and sunhats. The line has already been quite hot and mentioned in many great blogs and magazines including a recent "shout-out" by Daily Candy. We just absolutely love this line and know you will too!

The fabulous "Kate"

Check this out- the MZ Wallace fabulous "carry-all" Kate bag is the winner of the best travel accessory in Travel + Leisure's 2010 Design Awards! It is truly an amazing bag with pockets and room for everything. It makes a great diaper bag as it comes with a changing pad and has convenient pockets on the side for bottles or sippy cups but it is also a terrific overnight or gym bag and it's a perfect "carry-on" bag for traveling. We offer it in black and pearl for spring. So fun. So practical.