Rima Suqi

A project near and dear to my heart will be included in the Communication Arts Design Annual. If you haven’t heard of CA, let’s just say that this is a version of an Academy Award award for graphic design/creative types. Being in CA is MAJOR! And my little gift guide, called Unwrapped, made with extraordinary Creative Director George Gozum for Kate’s Paperie, will be included in the next edition. Validation is a beautiful thing.

Tucker floor lamp, $89

Just saw this new item in the Pottery Barn Kids catalog. Also in table lamp versions, but I like the floor lamp better, especially at that price. Very chic. Buy it here.

Anybody besides me find their private label packaging INCREDIBLY SIMILAR TO MUJI???

Its not Muji, it just looks like it is.

Some things you’ll see at Anthropologie this holiday season. Sorry I don’t have prices at the moment –

Soap covered in felt - you use it as is, and when the soap is depleted you cut open the felt and insert another bar. Not sure how I feel about the concept.

"Branch" iPod docking station.

Matrioshka chess set

Leather radio

Old-school Bingo set

wood turntable. loved!

Animals!

China designed in-house, note the feet on the cup.

Rolling pin

Oversized wine glasses hand-blown OVER vintage flatware

Funny necklace. Made in France, of course.

Chic matte-gold-esque necklace

Animal candles. Could you burn a bunny?

Candles in nice bisque packaging.

Made of repurposed wine bottles. From – wait for it – Pottery Barn. $399.

Is really good – this from a person totally over the Target designer collaborations and not a fan of Xmas in general. Hits stores  in two shipments — 10/25 and 11/1.

Flocked Stockings, $14.99

Paper plates, $2.99/10 pack, two sizes available.

big candles (in other colors, too, $19.99)

Other candles, $14.99/set of 2

It's a bell, a place card holder and an ornament! 4 colors, $2.99

Martini shaker, $14.99

Cocktail forks, spreaders, spoons, etc. in silver or gold.

my personal favorite, a Teddy Bear with a light-up nose, $19.99

I apologize – am very behind on my posts. I’ve been back from London for over a month and have a huge backlog.  The purpose of the trip was to check out the new spa at the Dorchester Hotel for Organic Spa Magazine (I’m a Contributing Writer there). Hands down, one of the most beautiful spas I have seen in a long time. And, refreshingly enough, not one Asian element, no teak, and while some tea was offered lots more champagne flowed. It was completely decadent and fabulous. It is also the only place in London, besides her own clinic, to get the famous Vaishaly facial. Vaishaly is a facialist to the bold-faced-name set across the pond. I had the facial, which I liked very much thanks to its use of truly all-natural products with a bit of microdermabrasion thrown in.

Pics of the Dorchester spa are below:

Entrance

That chandelier is made of 75,000 pearls

This is where you have a bite to eat.

Healthy snacks set out on a super chic table.

No green tea, just green bottles of bubbly! (They have tea, if you MUST).

Love the chaise

The light fixture in the salon.

Believe it or not, this is the locker room. Yes it is.

And this is where you wait for your therapist or rest after a treatment.

It was refreshingly NOT white or Asian inspired.

Worth checking out if you are in London and if you are NOT on an austerity plan.

I spied this tote (the weathervane one) at a friend’s house in the Catskills this weekend. And while I don’t think the world needs another tote, especially one with a Rogues-gallery-esque image on it, I did love this one. Why? It’s got a leather bottom (or suede) and a zipper pocket inside so it not only looks good but is functional.

Truth be told, canvas totes of this type get dirty pretty easily, and have to be replaced every couple years anyway – so maybe the world DOES need another tote after all.

These are made by Charles Fradin, who is better known as a furniture designer, and can be bought here for $119 each.

For those of you who whine about how you can’t drink gin, its too much, whatever, I have this to say — you’re drinking it the wrong way. Gin + tonic = mistake. The quinine in the tonic will totally overwhelm the gin. You should drink gin with water or seltzer and perhaps a lemon or lime. That’s it.

And you should drink this one  — 24 by Beefeater. Brand new and super-smooth.

From their official writings -

“Beefeater 24 is a new gin handcrafted with 12 botanicals including a rare blend of teas….it gets its name from the 24-hour steeping process.”

Blah blah blah. Just drink it.

Was at the Blue Owl having drinks with my friend Jason Rowan and  a lovely PR person whose envious job it is to see to it that we drink, and drink well. That night, the drink was gin. While Jason, the cocktail expert, was more adventurous, I opted for the simple Martini. Which I was offered with Dirty Sue. Dirty Sue is not a human (that I know of), it is a product that I wish I had thought of — bottled olive juice for the making of dirty martinis and, I’m sure, a lot of other things. Genius. $5.99/bottle. Buy it here.