Year-Round Valentine's Day

I've been struggling for the right words for Valentine's Day decorating, but am in a bit of a sugar cookie-induced haze. I had a speaking engagement today, and the lovely audience thanked me with a big tray of sugar cookies with inch-thick icing. I can barely move, much less form a coherant thought.

Instead of pontificating, here is a breakdown of some things that COULD be considered Valentine's Day specific, but are actually sold year-round. Therefore, you don't have to feel self-conscious displaying these wonderful things past Feb. 14th.

The Max Litterbox by Cats Rule, at Petco. I saw this over the weekend and really couldn't stop thinking about how this company managed to make a cat toilet so lovely and whimsical. See website for store locations.

The Fleur-de-lys drinking glass at Anthropologie (Rittenhouse Square) transforms simple tap water in to ambrosia. All for $8 a pop. I've been meaning to buy a set of these for a while, but have previously been put off by the somewhat hard edges and the teeming mass of humanity that descends on the store on Saturdays, my preferred shopping day. But someday, these will be mine.

But nothing says romance quite like this sexy tiger rug. All kidding aside, a tiger rug is great for breaking up the monotony of both your marriage and a monochromatic decorating scheme. Really. Everybody becomes much more interesting when a sassy rug is in a room. Head straight to Matthew Izzo to buy one.

But at least I could shop

My apologies about being AWOL for about two weeks. I will spare you the details, but I came down with a severe bronchial infection. It was decidedly not glamorous.

However, there is one good thing about all that bed rest, besides watching a weekend of That Girl...online shopping. I'm one of millions who puts off shopping until the last available moment, which turns out to work in my favor, since retailers start marking things down. Not that I'm cheap, mind you, just exuberant. I like buying lots at a time, in multiples.

As usual, anthropologie has the best home stuff on sale. Here are a few things that I liked:

- Glass Candlesticks (left), about $8/piece. Glass candlesticks are pretty fantastic, because they give you a nice stately tablescape without entirely blocking everyone's view. The light reflects on the glass, which is a pretty effect.

- Lion Workshop Toy, $10. I'm a big advocate of using children's home accessories as legitimate decor. Buy two, use them as accent pillows--works particularly well on "modern" style sofas.

- Fleur de sel lamp, $60 This lamp sort of reminds me of the fantastic Bodo Sperlein collection for Spanish ceramics maker Lladro. The texture is magnificent. Because it's all in white, the overall texture, not necessarily the rosettes, that is noticed. So I wouldn't worry about this being too frou-frou.

Party Before the Family Arrives

Fortify yourself with champagne cocktails, goodies and much-needed shopping before having to face endless family gatherings. Scarlett Alley (241 Race St.) is having a Holiday Party tomorrow night from 4-8:30 pm. You can view the invitation here. They'll be having a special on ornaments.

I know, I can't bear to think of tree-decorating either, but when I'm a sucker for animal-shaped ornaments, like the penguin at left by MoMa. Also look at the turkey serveware.

Photo from ScarlettAlley.com

Note: Apparently, I have the IQ of a cupcake at times. This event is this Wednesday, the 29th, not last week. Silly, silly. I'll chalk it up to both holiday and penguin-shaped ornament excitement.

Fun on the Table

Place cards have a very poor reputation-they're the sort of things you see at stuffy little tea parties or dreary dinner parties. I haven't looked back on any of my experiences and said, "You know what would've made Eunice's party so much better? Place cards! That, and not getting my hair caught on fire in the centerpiece."

But if you are a fun individual (and you are if you're reading this), you can make place cards work to your advantage. Start with these fantastic Animal Placecard Holders from west elm (1330 Chestnut St). You probably should buy about four sets at LEAST, since little silver giraffes have a way of going missing. Besides, having lots of placecard holders can be good karma--the more you have, the more fun little gatherings you'll want to have. If everyone had animal-shaped placecard holders, perhaps there would be no such thing as hermits.

Anyway, what can you do after you buy the holders? You can either dutifuly fill cards out with everyone's name, then waste three whole evenings trying to find the right place for your guests. OR you can fill out the cards with the names of splashy/tawdry historical figures, literary characters ("No, I get to be Moll Flanders!") or fun made-up names.

Photo from westelm.com

In Praise of the Kids' Table

Oh I can get so deliriously envious at the decorating options available to babies. You know, for little spit-up machines with varying stages of consciousness, they sure have much cheerier options of tableware than we grown-ups do.

Wouldn't you prefer to see this mug (BabyCie, available through Open House, 107 S. 13th St.) in the morning rather than a depressing, chipped, sensible earth-tone stoneware vessel? After all, who doesn't like giraffes? Especially french giraffes, which are actually spelled girafe and are therefore 1000 times fancier than normal giraffes.

Hmph.

Jewels Are Life Enhancing

Personally, I have never gravitated towards using candles as home decor. Nothing against candles and the people who use them, really. It's just that I would feel a need to buy whimsically shaped candles, and then I would feel terrible lighting them. And if I just didn't light them, the candles would accumulate dust, and then I would feel bad about neglecting them. It's really a vicious cycle that I wasn't willing to participate in, if you can somehow follow that.

But I must say that I'm thinking of revising my opinion re: candles, all because of these vaguely medieval Jewel Stem Candle Holders, available at P.H.A.G.-Philadelphia Home Art Garden (252 S. 12th). They'd make a very nice impact on your Thanksgiving/Holiday tables, breaking up the formal nonsense of plain white china.

The Case of the Missing Pants and Found Owls

I went to Anthropologie (1801 Walnut) this Sunday, fully intending on buying a pair of pants.

I left with the owl sake set, pictured at left, instead. I snagged the last owl-shaped cup, but there were still many owl-shaped teapots left. You can buy sets of two cups at the online storefront.

Who knows how this amusing substitution happened--perhaps I'm just very susceptible to owl-shaped stoneware--but I originally thought I was getting a tea set. Maybe this should be Anthropologie's new motto: You go in for pants, leave with a tea set, and eventually find out that you have a sake set.

Photo from anthropologie.com

Rolling Out The Welcome Mat

You know what people tend to forget about when they decorate? Their doormats. The traditional "nubby" textured rubber doormats (the one that usually spell out "Welcome") weather quickly, while fiber doormats (the ones seemingly made from rejected toothbrush bristles) attract all sorts of disgusting sediments. The best doormats I've seen are those fantastic antique wrought iron specimens, which happen to be lawsuits waiting to happen once the icy weather begins.

However. I have found this doormat, through Williams-Sonoma, which mimicks the look of wrought iron through a clever rubber material. It's only available through their print and online catalogues, which might be for the best, since once you enter a Williams-Sonoma, you might just walk out with a $300 copper pot and a free inferiority complex.

Photo from Williams-Sonoma.com

Coral or Tree, You Decide

I haven't decided if these charming coat hangers from Usona (113 S. 16th) resemble a coral branch or a merely a denuded tree. The website says coral, but I see one of the many bare trees outside of my window right now. Perhaps certain people--and I'm using "people" the way one uses the royal "we"--can't accept the seasonably cold weather and can't escape the reminders that soon, one will need a parka and goggles to face the day.

But coral or tree, these Corallo coat hangers are a fantastic alternative to having to throw said parka on a lonely chair. I dare say that having a proper coat hanger will encourage civility in your home. I lean towards the coral-stained color, but I do think that the natural toned one would look well amongst swedish modern neutrals. The angles would break up the rectilinear forms nicely.

Photo from usonahome.com

Every once in a while, there is something worth buying at Starbucks. I'm not saying this in a snobby way. It's just that usually, the items (cups, plates, etc) available would only be bought by someone seriously brainwashed by Starbucks. For example, take this "To-Go" style oversized mug at left, still available at your local Starbucks. Why would any free-thinking individual want this? Does it magically transform your Taster's Choice in to a super strong brew? I especially like the way there are those "customization" boxes on the side.

Anyway. So this Halloween, Starbucks is promoting whimsical items that may or may not be based on the Ugly Dolls. They even have mugs based on these designs, and this is what I approve of. I figure, if you can't have a fine china mug in the morning, at least have something exquisitely cheerful.

You can't get the mugs online--except for on eBay, where the photos came from--but you can usually get them at your local Starbucks outpost.

BYOB- Bring Your Own Bark

Can't enjoy the outdoors in the city? Why not try bringing it indoors. Sort of.

Just How Old Is It?

I was attracted to this sunburst mirror, available through Mixed Company (60 N. 3rd St.), because it can fit in to nearly any sort of style, from fusty-and-formal to retro hangover. It could be from the early 1800's (reminiscent of those Federal mirrors of that time period, with wonderfully garish patriotic eagles situated around a fisheye-style mirror), or the 1970's.

Due to the fisheye-type of mirror it's rather useless as a way to check your reflection, so I'd use it as an accent. Put it over your fireplace with a bunch of other objects, in a forlorn hallway, or hang within an arrangement of art (it will certainly tone down the seriousness of art hangings).

Fancy Bottles for Your Non-Biodegradables

I was thumbing through the October Vogue, when the following fact jumped out at me: The average body wash, after it makes its swirly descent down the drain in to another dimension, takes about 300 years to biodegrade.

Now, I'm not the sort who frets about the biodegradability about everyday objects. I'm concerned about global warming and nasty oceans, but I also spend nearly 2 hours/day contemplating wallpaper colors. I'm also afraid that if I start wondering how quickly every item in my life will biodegrade, I'll start looking at people that way and well...that is just awful.

So Vogue recommends that we buy $60 soaps, which is fine if that is your lifestyle. You are paying not just for the zest of 1,000 lemons, but also very lovely packaging. Usually of the rustic, apothocary-like packaging that lets you know that you are not harming the world with your bathing habits.

But for the rest of us who buys cheapie biohazard liquid soap, we can pretend we are virtuous by decanting our soap in to a fancy bottle, such as this one, available at Fante's Kitchen Wares (1006 S. Ninth St.) for about $5. It takes slightly longer to pour out, so I recommend doing this with bubble-bath/leisure bathing soap, which tend to be a little more watery.

P.S. If you do pick up the October Vogue, be sure to peruse the story of Carolina Irving, beginning on page 396. I'm very enthusiastic about the way she displayed the Thomas Frye mezzotints on page 398.

Ghost Decor

As gaudy as my taste can be (at least compared to Zen/Mid-Century Modern Enthusiasts), I have something against seasonal decor. Maybe it is because holiday decor has changed quite a bit over the years, with all the cheery carved jack-o-lanterns being replaced by 6 foot tall inflatable Draculas. In Eagles uniforms.

Believe it or not, some people do bring their 6 foot tall inflatable holiday items in to town. I distinctly remember a large, half-deflated Santa Claus strapped to the exterior of a third floor apartment, and feeling as if the entire holiday season was ruined.

But if you're in the Halloween spirit, these Cerealart Ghosts from the Institute of Contemporary Art (UPenn Campus, 118 S. 36th ) whimsically express that you are indeed celebrating the holidays, but in a whimsical, humorous manner. The Ghosts on the left are salt and pepper shakers, the one on the right is a lamp.

If you like metaphors, then the Louis Ghost chair, middle, from Minima (118 N. 3rd St.) should tickle your fancy.

photos: Cerealart Ghosts, from the Institute of Contemporary Art; Louis Ghost from Kartell

You Heard it Here First...

...unless, of course, you heard it from somewhere else. But the Tortoiseshell craze is gathering steam. Might make your wine look bad, but you'll look very chic while drinking.

Extraterrestrial Decor

You know, I have no idea what this is supposed to be, either.

All I know is that the photo at left is definitely of a light source, specfically the EL11AC from NY Loft (Philadelphia Design Building, 2300 Chestnut St. Suite 150). I wouldn't necessarily call it a "lamp" since it doesn't give off enough light to illuminate one's late night readings of Little Lord Fauntleroy.

But I was intrigued by the texture of this light source/decorative item. It reminds me of the whitewashed coral trend of the Spring-Summer season, without looking like one has dragged something off the beach and placed it on the mantel. You can only get away with that sort of flourish in the warmer months.

The spikes are an unusual vertical element, but the real interest comes from the variation of height amongst the spikes, giving unexpected mass. It's a clever visual statement that would liven up an area with a lot of horizontals, like a coffee table, forelorn shelf or...a mantel.

Photo from NYLoft.net

Today's Lesson: What Exactly is Capiz?

Capiz shells have been a big trend for a while, used mainly as wall hangings and in chandelier fixtures. I didn't pay too much attention to the material, since I found it to be cumbersome, noisy and well...a bit of a rip-off. I recall west elm selling three strands of skimpy, hanging capiz shell pendants strewn on fishing wire, at an alarming price for the quantity given.

Remember the big "tissue-weight cotton" layering trend of a few years back? You know it was just a trend manufactured in order to get unsuspecting shoppers to buy multiple tank tops. Same for the capiz shell pendants- they look lovely clustered together, but you'd need to spent about $200+ for a proper look.

Above, is a great example of how you can incorporate the luminous qualities of capiz shells without a lot of hassle, fishing wire, or dealing with unfair price points. It's a capiz bowl from Ten Thousand Villages (1122 Walnut St). Wouldn't it look fantastic with a bunch of lemons in it?

*Note: I've been told that capiz is actually a thin, off-white colored portion of the shell of a clam.

(photo from tenthousandvillages.com)

Everyday Rococo Accessories

Did you know that Cher is getting rid of her collection of Rococo and Gothic home furnishings, to start over in a 'simple' Moroccan-meets-plenty-of-teak decorating scheme? She is.

And while I sincerely wonder if she's been spending too much time at Pier 1 (not that there's anything wrong with doing so if Pier 1 is what you like, it is just odd picturing glamorous Cher around anonymous wicker sets), I'd like to take this opportunity to shoot down the myth that Rococo = complicated decorating.

At left, is a candleholder by Gervasoni, available at the newly opened, much-anticipated Bruges Home (323A Race St.). The silhouette evokes the overwrought splendor of the mid 19th-century, but the unexpected flatness and all-white color make the piece simple. It's a very witty candleholder, with nary a glimmer of gold in site.

Photo courtesy of Gervasoni

Make Your Furniture Work Harder, Even When You're Not

Behold the official Leisure Table. Okay, that is not its real name. This is actually the Usame side table by Kartell from minima (118 N. 3rd).

I call it the Leisure Table because it would be perfect for coffee-and-magazine time, which officially occurs between 7 and 10 p.m. just in case you didn't know. Adjust your schedule accordingly.

Meant to be used as a side table, bed tray or accent piece, Usame resists stains while adding much needed color or subtle femininity (Art Deco inspired flowers are etched in to its surface). Magazines fit in to a cut out compartment, and coffee...well that can go anywhere. No coasters necessary.

Fighting the Dust Tax

I usually associate the term "Vintage" with "Even Though This Item Is Cracked, Dusty and Pretty Much Useless, I Have Tacked On An Extra Fee." For ease, I'll call it the "Dust Tax."

But I'll abandon my cynical principles when it comes to exquisite, hand-made objects that just aren't available today. For instance, I will happily term this owl bell (above, left) from Philadelphia-based online retailer Plaid City Village as an appropriate vintage item. You just can't find a good owl-shaped bell these days. Especially one that's been to Florida.

The doorway textile (bottom, left) from Ruka (114 S. 19th) is also appropriate vintage. Hand-embroidered peacocks grace the textile, meant to hang in your doorway or window. I think it would work better in an often neglected doorway, unless yours is frightfully low or you live amongst giants. This would also work well with two of the biggest trends for autumn, jewel colors and decorating accents that are, or appear to be, hand-made.