Lotus Tableware by Michael Aram Designs

madhouse by michael aram's lotus platter (melamine)

This doesn't count as an impulse buy. It as good as called my name! I held out for a week before hitting the buy button. Look at it! It's a LOTUS FLOWER! Carved down to the last petal vein and seed pod. I mean- have you ever?! Of course I bought one! It's by Michael Aram. You know how gorgeous his tableware is. It was the right thing to do. I know because they accidentally sent an extra - and let me keep it...

Someday: A Lotus Sink

My Friday evening was full of serendipity. Prior to the fabric run and stumbling on the new domino magazine, I was strolling past Gracious Home in Chelsea and spied a gorgeous sink in the window. 

Retail Odyssey: Springtime at West Elm

new organic bedding: bead print ikat

How they tempt me. Somehow, West Elm just keeps bringing the interesting and cozy homewares, season after season. It's no secret that their Moroccan and Indian offerings are my favorites. But I also find their Modern, Greek, Japanese, etc. compelling. Their latest goods zing with color, pattern and shape. How not to be impressed?

Fabric Stash: New Additions

color/pattern combos that are right up my alley

I can't sew much beyond hemming and buttons. My crafty elders taught me young to fix my own clothes and also the joys of knitting and crochet. Sadly, the bug never really caught on with me and none of it evolved into a passion. BUT I do still enjoy buying fabric. I have a large IKEA Strikt box under my bed stuffed tight with fat quarters, yards and multi-yard lengths of fabric. Just sittin' there, waitin' on a someday project... 

And over the summer I happened across a few more irresistible items - on sale, no less - to add to the pile.

Paper Goods: Jot This Down...

world market's spice route pad; awesome palampore lotus flower

Several years ago, I decided that anything I have to own might as well be pretty.  This was during the phase when I was thinking very seriously about decorating my apartment and doing Apartment Therapy 8-Week Cures. My ideas about style and color were finally coming together so that actual decisions could be made. Instead of admiring things and walking away, I began to buy them. Furniture, dishes, bedding... Even little things like notepads.

eBay Score: The Spice Must Flow

The past few years I've been working on a project to put together a couple of old bedding collections from '05 and '06 that I let pass by. One of those collections is the Spice Market bedding from Sigrid Olsen HOME. I spied it on display at Macy's back in 2005, but decided to pass on it. (Not least because it was quite expensive. The bedskirt was $129!) But you can't easily forget something so warm and unique: reversible pink/orange patterns of stripe and lotus floral. 

Eventually I started looking it up on eBay, but the prices were still pretty prohibitive. Here and there, I have managed to snag a throw pillow and a bedskirt ($1.99!) for good prices. After seeing the euro shams in a home profile in Better Homes & Gardens, I thought I'd gladly settle for those. Alas, no go. 

Until now. I recently snagged a used duvet and king-size shams for $41.00!!!

Earthy Neutrals: Vivaterra's Home Collection

If Vivaterra had a New York store front, my nose would be glued to the window right now. Their home goods are earthy, exotic and really sing out at a time like this, when cozy bedding is the order of the day. My small weakness for exotic mirrors would be well-sated by one of these:

moorish mirror: the perfect shape for my entry wall