Tablescapes

Escape away into an easy decorating task—make a tablescape complete with your favorite things for function and beauty!
Shown here is a favorite tablescape from my dressing room. Setting includes vintage dishes full of jewels, an angel mirror, fan, a gift from a friend's vacation, and a photo of the beautiful Betty Hutton.

Tchotchkeeper

On page 47 of this week's issue of Time Out Chicago, there's a small story about me and my design sense...Check it out!

Follow the flowers

As a nice prezzie, my friend Frank stopped by with a bunch of flowers and his expert green thumb!

This is all to build my very own tropical garden right here in Chi-town... well the flowers are more your midwest variety, but you get the point.

So the flowers have been growing out on my porch for about two weeks now... after some hungry black birds have come by, I realize I must pick up a pinwheel from the Market. Once I do that I'm sure they will begin to bloom like crazy and I will posting pics here as they grow... I'm really hoping my own green thumb will shine through.

Sweet Score

I found these cuties at my fav thrift store and I couldn't be happier! Does anyone remember these? What were they for? I remember them from my childhood, having a bunch of them, but I don't really remember how I got them...

I do have one vague memory of these plastic animals: I was playing with my neighborhood friend Jenae on her lawn when we saw our parents drive away together. We knew they were headed to go shopping for prizes for the neighborhood cul-de-sac pig roast (Um hello suburbia!) and I remember Jenae telling me "Don't worry I asked my mom to keep two extra glass animals for us." These were the animals. I'm pretty sure I got an elephant. But I had so many more thereafter! I tried doing some searches on the Internet, but couldn't find anything.

Suffice it to say I just love them.... four little 2" chunks of plastic, they could have easily gone to a landfill, but thankfully were saved and found their way into my home!

Here Piggy Piggy...

Good thing I no longer eat pork, because I'd feel real bad about my new decor obsession... collecting pig tchotchkies!
Now instead of longing for bacon, I long for cheap pig figurines... the pig pair on the right were 45 cents each! Hello! That's a way better deal to me than getting some bacon fat on my thighs!

I want a deer

I seriously want a giant deer in my living room, like Interior Designer Fawn Galli's living room shown here (Galli is shown in the inset). Image from Domino. That deer is so darn cute!

Today I love...

TOKIDOKI!

Tokidoki is the cutest collection of art work, fashion accessories, and toys all based on a quirky style of anime by Italian, yup, Italian, artist Simone Legno. Tokidoki, as Legno explains on his website means "sometimes" in Japanese. He chose this word because he loves Japan and what the word can convey.

He believes everyone waits for moments that change one’s destiny. As he says, "By simple chance, or meeting a new person, tokidoki is the hope, the hidden energy that everyone has inside them that gives us the strength to face a new day and dream something positive, that something magical will happen within us."

Oooh that’s so cute!

And you know what else is cute? Tokidoki Cactus pups! Love! love! love!
I also covet the uber cute new Tokidoki fashion bags made in collaboration with Sanrio's Hello Kitty. They aren't available in the states; these bags are selling for up to $200 on Ebay. Aye Yi Ya!

To keep up on Tokidoki, be certain read the Tokidoki blog!