architheque

The De Anza flea market happens the first Saturday of every month. Liza organized a bunch of ladies in our Meetup group to go to last weekend, and I’m so glad she did! I’d never have the discipline to battle the crowd by myself, but knowing I’d be meeting other gals made it easy. I was oh-so-good and didn’t buy anything but lemonade the whole time I was there…until the last ten minutes, that is. Then I suddenly had to have two different things! But between the two things, I only spent $12, so I’m still okay.

(more…)

The war on plastic food storage just got one more champion. I hadn’t gotten rid of these plastic containers yet because they truly were the most water-tight storage I owned (and I may still keep them for the freezer). But I wasn’t happy with them for day to day use from fridge to microwave, as I try to never put plastic in the microwave. I’ve been using Crate and Barrel lidded glass bowls, and while I love them dearly, I must be truthful that they’re not leak proof.

(more…)

Obviously the moment you embark on a no-spend month, a hundred things will present themselves at your door as “gotta haves.”  I saw this in a Red Envelope catalog last night and positively sighed.  Isn’t it lovely?  Thankfully, the price tag is high enough to deter me from being bad.  I’ll add this one to my “look for on sale” list and my “Hey, my birthday is in June!” list.

It does remind me of the gold necklaces I love at Rare Device.   I swear I’m going to get one of those if I ever get to wear my sari again.  But Nora Kogan’s pendant is actually better, because it slides on the chain rather than being fixed.  I don’t know about you, but for me fixed pendants always end up traveling sideways and looking funny.

I am in love.

I went into a store Saturday morning looking somewhat frantically for a discounted roasting pan and rack for Sunday’s ham. I found one, a decent KitchenAid model in a mirrored finish that will be hell to keep clean. But I also found one of my holy grails: a copper skillet that was not 7″ diameter nor two hundred dollars. Maybe it’s not chef quality, but for forty dollars I will take it. Now I can finally dump this awful Teflon pan.

(more…)

Blue: Modern Classic No. 1
Yellow: Toscana

I was having a party. I needed some thermal carafes. I had three days. An online order would never make it in time. I couldn’t bring myself to buy the usual. What was I going to do?

Go to TJMaxx of course. Buy one adorable German-made carafe. Then go to Marshalls and buy another. Both for $9.99.

Ever since, I’ve had hot water at work to see me the whole day through. In fact, sometimes when I come in in the morning, water I’ve forgotten from the afternoon before is still warm. They’re that efficient.
Life is good.

I don’t remember exactly when I bought my first KERAfour dish. I know it was from TJMaxx. Every KERAfour dish I buy is from TJMaxx. But that first one? I can’t remember it. Maybe because they’re so perfect they feel like they’ve always been a part of my kitchen.

These dishes are my absolute favorite for baking casseroles (spinach dip especially), serving at dinner parties, and taking potluck entrees to other people’s homes. Their simple lines mean they blend on the table, yet there’s enough “just so” about them to come off as quietly elegant should you give them a second glance. They dress up and they dress down. They’re everyday dishes that look at home at a formal place setting. No prints, no paints, no swirls or frills means nothing competes with the food I put in them. Yet they’re worth looking at even when empty. I leave them sitting around, and gladly.

(more…)

I want one of these sooooo bad, I’m absolutely paralyzed by the decision of which one to get.  (I realize by spreading the news about these necklaces I’m dramatically reducing the chances that when I go back to get one of them it will actually still be there, but!)   I love the curlicue of the brass one.  I love the lacy look of the upper silver ones.  I love the dramatic abstraction of the lower silver one.

Each is a vintage clock hand, sanded to show the metal and painted black on the opposite side.  Available at Bread + Butter on Etsy for very reasonable prices.  I’m torn.  Torn, I tell you.

I also think this is beautiful.

And oh damn, they sold out while I was typing this!

This would probably be The Best Tea Ever even if my mom hadn’t kept a bag of it in the “tea cabinet” over the microwave when I was twelve and totally ingrained the taste of it into my nostalgic memory taste buds.

What is this Best Tea Ever? It’s hibiscus! Hibiscus tea is ridiculously good for you - full of antioxidants and good plant matter, and it doesn’t have any caffeine to give you the jitters or addict you. If you’re into traditional medicine, it’s also believed to be good for your blood pressure and has mild diet advantages. But beyond that, it tastes really really good. Hibiscus tea is tart and fruity and it’s delicious hot or cold. In the winter I like it hot and strong. In the summer I like to brew it extra extra strong, cool it off, then cut it with sparking water for a healthy homemade take on soda.

(more…)

I recently put together a huge order at Mountain Rose Herbs for a bath product workshop I’m doing with a friend. I took advantage of the order to get a few things for myself, naturally. First up is this blend of organic herbs and flowers for a spa-worthy facial steam bath. I’ve noticed, lately, that with a little smart shopping, “spa-worthy” can be had for pennies on the dollar. I’ve no doubt this facial would have cost at least $45 at the local day spa, yet if I’m willing to DIY on the towel and boiling water part, I can have it for $1.65. Heck yes!

(more…)

I’m feeling cranky about eBay/Paypal lately due to just finding out that Paypal now gets a cut of everything I sell (old news, but do I ever read the endless stream of “newsletter” emails? Obviously not.) As I tend to use eBay as an extended yard sale, rather than a business model, I’m not happy about being forced to “upgrade” to a business Paypal account. Until I get over this tantrum stage, I’m reduced to just buying.

In my window-shopping for a cake stand, I saw this and thought it was cutely retro enough to pass along. And hey, everyone’s telling me yellow is this year’s color.

I’d hoard it ’til April and break it out for the first spring cake. A lemon pound cake, perhaps?

And a friend below the cut. (more…)

Between the long distances of where I was coming from and where I was going to over Christmas break, I allowed myself an hour pit-stop at an antique/thrift store by the side of the road somewhere in Virginia. I bought five goodies. Unfortunately I’m keeping two of them for myself. But the other three I’m willing to share.

Metals, ceramics, and leather. Here’s my picks for livable lamps out of the drudge that is Overstock’s table lamp section.

Vanderbilt Table Lamp; Argon Table Lamp; Cable Brushed Steel Finish Lamp

(more…)

LL Bean makes good quality items. They’re just not always stylish. Here are seven items from their latest Home catalog that you can confidently buy without sinking into a fussy “cottage” aesthetic. In fact, done right, they can be downright minimal. Except those daisy sheets. But I still kinda like ‘em.

Fireside Bench in Dark Mission

Diamond Matelasse Shower Curtain

(more…)

Here is a secret to living in the South Bay on a budget: Grocery Outlet.  You would never stop at one of the San Jose stores on your own - they look too much like badly kept Dollar Stores - but they are a goldmine of good products at half price…and without expired dates, too.

The stock changes regularly and when an item is gone, it’s usually gone gone.  But the outlet I frequent has a pretty regular stock of Method laundry detergent for $3, French brie for $1.35,  and Amy’s feta and spinach pizzas for $4.  They also keep a regular selection of Nature’s Gate and Avalon organic shampoos, conditioners, and lotions for $2-4 a bottle.

Today’s haul included Seeds of Change organic tomato sauce for $2, Mrs. Meyer’s dish soap for $0.99 (!!!), and organic lemon and peppermint teas for a little under two bucks a box.   I also got a case of organic soups for a dollar a can.  Good stuff.  If you live in the Bay area, I recommend you look up one local to you.

Oh yes please. I’m digging these recycled plastic affordable shoes.

via The Alternative Consumer.

On choosing between two retail products based on environmental impact:

“Above all, how about hitting the local vintage shop? Or, if you must go new, don’t be a total cheapskate. A quality leather or pleather jacket will last for years, if not decades, making it well worth the investment in the long run. That lesson that applies not only to clothing, but to cars, appliances, and electronic goods, too. Sometimes the greenest choice isn’t the product that labels itself as such, but the one you won’t have to replace a dozen times over.”

via Slate Magazine
image by el floz

Oh I giggled when I saw these.  I couldn’t help it.  The Daniel Craig one is just a gem.

via Apartment Therapy LA.

I saw these on an Apartment Therapy round-up and had to have them.  I’ve always loved intricate patterns - to me these are a geometer’s version of mehendi, and I adore it.

(more…)

Apparently Margot Bianca’s gorgeous and affordable batik creations made the rounds on all my favorite design blogs…before I started reading them. So I missed out back then. But believe you me, I’m paying attention now. Those deep red napkins are sublime. Her Etsy shop is full of handcrafted kitchen linens, totes, scarfs, and the like. At $18 for a generously sized tea towel that will only get better the longer you own it, I think this is the perfect holiday gift for the consummate (or wannabe) hostess in your life. (Seriously: Any of my girlfriends reading this - can I buy you these for Christmas?) More favorites below the jump!

(more…)

Marianne makes ‘bangs. No, not the blonde kind, although she has those too. Interrobangs! Marianne and I bonded over Yugoslavian benches and shared Craigslist addictions. Now she’s letting me have my very own ‘bang in my favoritest color of blue. It came today in the mail. Shoulda seen me tear into that envelope, baby.

(more…)

I all but moaned aloud when I saw The Crafty Devils have put a couple of their handmade recycled leather purses on sale for HALF OFF. I’d been coveting the Mazel Hobo bag in brown and aqua for several months, until someone bought it. This red one is hardly second rate, and at $49, I’m not sure what more you could ask for. Christmas present for me, anyone?

(more…)

I am not too cool to shop at JCPenney’s. Hidden among some admittedly hideous stuff, there are plenty of cute, worthwhile offerings at good prices. These Tribeca Floral roman shades are on sale, $24-$48, here.

I love these grommet top bamboo curtains too.

One of the things I’ve taken to doing lately, as a total rationalization of my Craigslist habit, is doing my shopping on Craigslist or Ebay before I hit up a regular store. It’s nice to think of it in terms of reuse and recycle, rather than as a pervasive online shopping addiction. I’ve had some comically bad results…say, copper skillets that were 1/4 the size they appeared in the picture, but I’ve also had some really nice finds. Finds that saved me from spending the afternoon in Target and walking out with far more than I meant to get in the first place.

(more…)

Nothing can quite make me feel like I’m doing my part more than taking homemade lunches to work every day. I think about the quality of the food I’m putting in my mouth and sigh with happiness. I think about the paper and plastic takeout packaging that’s now not going in the garbage and sigh happily a little more. I think about the $8 I save everyday and positively swoon.

But all good things can be improved upon.

(more…)

I love to stop in periodically at The Crafty Devils and see what’s up for grabs. Some of their jewelery I could take a pass on, but the above three items are definitely want-worthy. Their leather goods are worth a peek too. Many are made from recycled leather (like this one, from a sofa on its way to the dump). I’m obviously keen on the recycling thing, but also, how lovely to have something so unique!

More love: hobo bag, peacock imagery, and dang (an awesome congrats card just waiting to happen).

Messy formating, but here’s the baubles i’m loving lately:

I’ve been seeing om home make their way around the blogs, and I have to admit, I love the stuff too. I wouldn’t pay $110 for a pillow, but I would definitely use the patterns and colors as inspiration to screenprint my own fabric, or use it as a shopping guide if I ever go to India again. I’ve been researching home screenprinting methods and it looks promising, by the way. More on that later.