Sono Studentessa Di Italiano

{Milano}

{Pisa}

{Manarola, Cinque Terre}

Several years ago, after my grandfather passed, I used my inheritance to fund a trip to Italy, bringing my mom along as my travel companion. We spent a month traveling throughout the country, visiting the likes of Venezia, Roma, Capri, Pisa, Firenze, Milano, the Cinque Terre and more. It was an amazing trip - and I'm hoping I get to go back again soon (fingers crossed). In order to prep for my as-yet-unscheduled return to Italy, I'm studying Italian at the Italian Cultural Society. Tonight, I'm off to the first session of Italiano Due - so exciting! Ciao!

Rascally Rabbit

My brother is lending me his Nikon D70s for a bit and I've been playing around with it, getting to know the functions and all that jazz. I'm hoping to start including more of my own photos on this here blog - so, here's a self portrait of me sporting some bunny ears. I'm gearing up for Easter - bring it you rascally rabbit, you!

A Pear Affair

{Image by sara + h}

Can I just take a moment to wax poetic about Bosc pears? I mean, they're crisp on the outside, tender and sweet on the inside, and chock full of fiber - basically, pure goodness in a warm-hued, nature-made package. Anyway, I simply cannot get enough of these things and will continue to enjoy them until the end of May, when they will no longer be in season.

At any rate, my obsession with the delectable fruit led me to the above photograph by sara + h, aka Sarah Rubens, who was kind enough to let my use the image on my blog. Find more photographs by Rubens on her online shop and on Flickr - 39/52 Bubble is another one of my favorites.

Sharpen Your Brain

{Images from the Curiosity Shoppe}

Get this Know-It-All Pencil Set and you can wow your friends with your vast knowledge of random factoids. I mean, your friends probably only know the first 3 digits of PI and you now know 21 digits. You're AMAZING!!

Girl's Got Skills

{Images from Girls Can Tell}

Those of us without a dishwasher can take solace in the fact that we have reason to use these adorable Robot Floursack Towels from Girls Can Tell, a Philadelphia-based screen-printing company. At the helm of Girls Can Tell is Sara Selepouchin, who creates each original illustration before hand printing the designs on the likes of notebooks, coasters, oven mitts, placemats, pages from old books and more. Check out Selepouchin's unique diagram illustrations of the heart, a super double cheese burger, a scooter and more - they're humorous, informative and stylish.

Once Upon A Time

{Image from pilotdesign}

I love this large bamboo clock by Minneapolis-based Etsy seller pilotdesign.

The Perfect Cocktail

I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than lounging on a sunny patio sipping on a Pimm's Cup, a dangerously delectable and refreshing cocktail concocted from Pimm's No. 1, ginger syrup and soda. My local haunt, The Shady Lady, serves the drink with a healthy dose of crisp cucumber slices, juicy orange wedges and fresh mint leaves - making it part drink, part meal. I've had three so far and am officially ready for a nap.

Bird Is The Word

{Images from Lost Bird Found}

I am all about these wonderful plates from Lost Bird Found, the brainchild of the talented Sara Jensen. The pattern is bright and cheery, and you can find it on these plates as well as an assortment of other items, including lunch bags, scarves, tunics and totes. Love it! Jensen also makes personalize, self-adhesive bookplates that are quite darling. Check out her designs and/or meet the virtual Sara Jensen on Twitter. She's really quite lovely.

Great Balls Of Light!

{Images from La Case de cousin Paul}

I don't speak a lick of French, but when I stumbled on La Case de cousin Paul (via Bholu) I knew I had fallen in love long before I noticed the option to translate the text into English. The French boutique has a DIY-element to it, allowing customers to make their own "fancy lights" by selecting the number and color of the balls that make up the garland lights. There's even a super nifty website feature to help you envision your creation. Unfortunately, there don't appear to be any retailers in the United States and shipping is 22 Euros (ouch!) - what a bummer.

Count Me In

{Image from Olli & Lime}

I found this awesome Charlie Number Wall Art in the nursery section of Olli & Lime, but if you ask me, this print is totally suitable for any room in the house.

Raise The Paper Lantern

{Image from Jonathan Adler}

Finally, a Jonathan Adler product we can all afford - these brilliant and bright 18" paper lanterns are only $7.95 a piece. Perfect for adding a pop of color to your garden party.

Sexy Sofa

{Image from Pal + Smith}

Who wants to lend me $7,630 so I can buy this Madison Custom Sofa from Pal + Smith? I am seriously drooling over this thing. No? How about $272? You know, so I can get this Ameile Decorative Pillow. How about it? Any takers? Yeah, didn't think so. C'est la vie.

A Lovely Team

{Image from Room & Board}

Designer Eva Zeisel (who is 103 years old - go, Eva!) has teamed up with design duo KleinReid to create four limited-edition, hand-screened prints exclusively for Room & Board. There are only 60 prints of each design, each signed and numbered. That said, if you find yourself falling in love with one of the prints from the Lovers' Suite series, you best move quick. Each print sells for $299.

Le Blog De Inspiration

{Images from Le Blog de Betty}

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French hottie Betty Autier, of Le Blog de Betty, has become a major source of fashion inspiration for me and countless others. She blogs about her daily wears, which are a cutting-edge combination of high-end designer pieces and more affordable items from the likes of Topshop, Urban Outfitters and ASOS. One of her more recent purchases was this Grecian Style Leaf Metal Hairband, which at 12 pounds (that's British currency, not weight) is totally affordable and frickin' adorable. Not sure I can rock it, but I can still covet it!

To Have & To Hole

Laser Cut Knitted T-Shirt from ASOS? Yes, please.

Stripe Tease

Dear friends living in France,

I spotted these heels on the French site Bata Shop. I want them. If one of you could buy them for me in a size 39, I would be forever grateful.

Respectfully yours,

Erin

The New New Pornographers

The New Pornographers are, hands down, one of my favorite bands. So, imagine my joy when the power-pop super group announced its upcoming North American tour, which includes a stop at the beautiful Fox Theater in Oakland. Yay!!! The tour is in support of the group's fifth album, Together, which is slated for release May 4. Can I get another 'yay'"?

Welcome To The Dollhouse

Back in 2008, popular Etsy seller Emily Martin, aka The Black Apple, appeared on Martha Stewart's television show where she shared a tutorial on how to make these adorable Black Apple Dolls. I got a little obsessed over the weekend, and made four of them for various friends who are preggers or have kids. The pattern was simple and easy to follow, with each doll taking about an hour and a half. They're pretty cute, if I do say so myself. Thanks, Black Apple!

Come On Baby, Light My Fire

Designer Jen Pearson just launched a new product - this super sleek firestarter kit. The kits (now available at Atomic Garden in Oakland, CA) contain pine needles, natural coal material, locally harvested and dried sap, and 15 strike-anywhere matches - all enclosed in a medical glass test tube that's sealed with a rubber cork. My favorite part is the little how-to pictogram that accompanies the kit. Pearson's tagline for the product? "Instant raging fire when and wherever you like." Love it!

Best. Website. Ever.

If you have yet to discover the Tumblr blog Unhappy Hipsters, you are seriously missing out. The site's tagline is "It's lonely in the modern world," and it offers up new, snarky captions to accompany images from the popular design publication Dwell. The captions are brief, deadpan and predominately relate to the emotional state of the people/animals in the modern (often stark) photos. It had me laughing many times over. Brilliant.

Should They Stay Or Should They Go?

These are my new shoes. I love them, but I'm kind of having a bout of buyer's remorse. You see, I got my credit card bill in the mail today and, well, it's up there. So, do I keep them or not? They were fairly inexpensive - got them on clearance at the Rack. Still, they're definitely a want and not a need. Help me decide!

Color Theory

During the winter months my nails go bare, but as soon as the sun comes out they get a little blast of color. Today I painted them MonSooner of Later by OPI (NL 145) - it's a vibrant orange-red shade and I love it! Hello, sunshine!

We Eames To Please

Who doesn't love the work of Charles and Ray Eames? I mean, seriously? If you don't, you should probably consider psychiatric treatment. That said, very few of us will ever get the opportunity to set foot inside the famous Eames House, unless we want to fork over a healthy donation to the Eames Foundation. Thanks to the fabulous folks at House Industries, we can each build our own version - for a fraction of the cost - with these awesome building blocks. Each set features 36 hand-pulled, screen-printed blocks, which can be arranged to create the landmark house and its studio. The set will be available beginning May 1st for $150.

I Scream, You Scream

I love this photo by Sacramento-based artist Angela Wyant, who also happens to be a dear friend of mine. Maybe if she sees this post she'll give me a print of it - *wink, wink*! Check out more of Angie's work here.

Spring Is In The Air

Fake spring has me painting my toes bright orange, photographing flowers and trees, and shopping (or at least looking) for dresses. Hayden-Harnett has a couple of my favorite finds so far, including the Libra Dress and the Takama Dress.

On A Tight Rope

I love these graphic tights by Les Queues de Sardines. The unique tights are screen-printed by hand and available in limited quantities - they truly are works of art. They don't appear to be available in the U.S. - at least I can't find them anywhere.

Ant Control

Stumbled upon these adorable Hungry Ant Shadow Earrings at LAMA: Latin America in the Modern Age, a site dedicated to Latino artists as well as other designers inspired by the colorful culture. These laser-cut earrings, designed by Buenos Aries-based artist Sol Maria Zwierzynski Sudak, are just one of the many covetable items on the site. Check it out!

A Rose Is A Rose

I was checking out La Sirene De Boston, a blog by Boston-based jewelry designer Anne Keane, when I discovered her post on these adorable Neilson Bow Flats by Lela Rose. Best part? They're on sale at Payless for a mere $19.99.

The Garden of Kate

Love this Garden Party Collar Necklace by Kate Spade - now someone host a garden party!

Flat, Fuss-Free Feline

I am so tired of vet bills. I mean, I love Walter and Ollie, but this is getting out of hand. I think it might be time to fork over $15 for the Cat Flat Pet, a screen-printed, cardboard cut-out of an adorable feline - hold the vet bills.

Sol Power

The colorful pattern on this Mociun Circle Dress totally reminds me of Sol LeWitt's Wall Drawing #935 and Wall Drawing #936, which were on display at the SFMOMA from 2000 until 2008. Designed by Caitlin Mociun, the dress is fashioned from 100% silk georgette, features buttons up the front and cut-out details on the sleeves. I think this may be the perfect summer dress.

One Potato...Two Potato...

{image from Three Potato Four}

I'm sure most of you are already in the know about Three Potato Four, but on the off chance that I can enlighten some or even one of you here's a little about the online shop. Started back in 2007 by husband-and-wife duo Janet Morales and Stu Eli, the shop features a diverse collection of mostly vintage goods - think furniture, prints & maps, old signs & letter forms, children's toys, vintage tools & kitchen items and more. The selection changes fairly frequently and many items are one-of-a-kind pieces, so I suggest you mark the site in your favorites and check back regularly. If you're looking for further inspiration, be sure to check out the Three Potato Four blog - it's chock full of all sorts of goodness.

Good Golly, Ollie

My cat Oliver Lucas, Ollie for short, has had a rough go of it lately. Apparently, the poor guy has feline cystitis, which is basically an irritation of the urinary bladder. Suck it, bladder infections! At any rate, the little fur ball will pull through...his life just sucks for the time being. So, why did I feel compelled to share this info? Well, while I was pursuing the latest issue of Nylon I spotted this editorial titled "ollie cat" and it reminded me of my boy - so, there you have it. Oh, and by the way, does anyone else thinks it's odd that Marc Jacobs makes skateboards?

One Good Tree

There are these fabulous trees outside of my office window. I have no idea what they are, but I simply can't get enough of them and their beautiful white blossoms. I love fake spring in California!

A Family Affair

Scandinavian designer Gesa Hansen, is the brain (and the beauty) behind this stunning and sleek furniture from The Hansen Family. No two pieces in the collection are identical, as each piece is handcrafted integrating the natural grain and features of the wood (which happens to be ecologically grown oak). When you're done checking out the collection, head over to the The Hansen Family blog for some additional inspiration.

Sleeping With Miranda July

Miranda July does it all. She writes, acts, makes films, creates art and now designs pillowcases. The pillowcases, sold in a pair at Third Drawer Down, read: "Here you will dream of endless kissing" and "Here you will dream of people you admire exposing your fraudulence." Pretty awesome if you ask me.

By the way, July's short story, "The Swim Team," which may be the funniest thing I've read in a long time, is being made into a film. Yay! Learn more here.