RECESSION DEPRESSION PARIS STYLE

How about Paris this easter? For only 50 euro a night.
For more info and pics go to www.budgetdesignhotels.com.

SMALL IS THE NEW BIG IN AMSTERDAM

Check the latest edition to the Budget Design Hotel family.
From only € 35!

I'm Off!

photo credit: Rebecca Lily via Flickr

Bye Bye California! I'm heading off to Texas for a buying trip. Hoping for sunshine and no rain, cause it could get muddy, and my rain boots aren't too comfy. I've never really spent time in Texas, so it should be fun! Hoping to bring home some treasures. Definitely on the agenda... a pair of vintage cowboy boots!

Wishing y'all a great weekend and be back "atcha" next week!!

A Favorite: sfgirlbybay

Green Shoes - photo: sfgirlbybay

San Francisco-based blogger/writer/editor, Victoria of sfgirlbybay never ceases to amaze me. Her colorful and inspiring blog is one I look forward to reading on a daily basis.


Sfgirlbybay is one of the leading interior design blogs, brimming with new product reviews, shopping tips, including art, photography and design resources, flea market finds, vintage inspiration. Gosh, the list is too long! This is one talented gal!

Orange Crush.

Onion Peeling.

Take for instance, Victoria's Sunday in the City series where Victoria shares some of her San Francisco musings captured in her beautiful photography. And, with a fun play on words!

Or her current updates on decorating her Pacific Heights apartment, which I may add, she is in the process of moving into a house. Can't wait to see the new photos!

Icing on the Cake.

I love Victoria's Flickr photo series...

And can't help being biased since we live in the same city...

Victoria also has her own Etsy shop, where she sells her own photography, 'Keep Calm & Carry On' posters, and more...

How does she do it all?

Victoria was recently voted #10 of the London Times Top 50 Design Blogs. So, if you have a moment, take a trip over to sfgirlbybay and relish her lovely blog. And be sure and check out her Etsy shop too!

Thanks Victoria for the endless inspiration!

all photos: sfgirlbybay

FOUND: Rare Hotel Silver from Hawaii

double-logo serving dish - Alexander Young Hotel

ALOHA! I just had to share my latest acquisition of hotel silver from the old Alexander Young in Honolulu, Hawaii. Hawaiian hotel silver is difficult to find, so I was thrilled to purchase a large collection from this old, extinct hotel. It was actually the first luxury hotel in Hawaii. Can you imagine what Honolulu looked like during the Victorian-era?

The Alexander Young Hotel was built in 1901 by Alexander Young, a Scottish-born Honolulu businessman who had made his fortune in sugar mills and as the General Manager of the Honolulu Iron Works. The hotel opened for business in 1903 with 300 rooms at Bishop and Hotel Streets in downtown Honolulu. The hotel was turned into an office building in 1961, and sadly demolished in 1981.

I just love the detail of these old pieces, such as this compote. The base has a fancy raised logo of the hotel, and the top rim is quite ornate.

Here is a close-up of the raised logo that grace these lovely pieces.

I'm also going to be adding a set of flatware from the "Hob Nob" coffee lounge located in the Alexander Young Hotel. What a cute name, right?

These pieces were made by Reed & Barton, date to the early 20th century, and are available here at Paris Hotel Boutique!

MAHALO!

photos from Paris Hotel Boutique

COOL CAPSULES IN LONDON

Especially for design aficionados at the airport: two stunner capsule hotels from only € 28/£25. Go take a look at www.budgetdesignhotels.com. Select London.

Ahhh... Spring!

After a long and rough Winter,
tomorrow is officially the first day of Spring in the US!

The flowers are starting to bloom,
The skies are getting bluer...

The days are longer,

Nights are lighter...

RELAX & ENJOY THIS LOVELY SEASON
& HAPPY WEEKEND!

photo credits: 1. Kristybee 2. Shana Rae 3. Ekler

To My Irish Friends...

photo credit: kaibara87

May you find a 4 leaf clover!

photo credit: MrClivver

Be serenaded by Celtic music, or my favorite Irishman, Van Morrison...

photo credit: sosij

Drink a Guinness or have some yummy corned beef & cabbage...

photo credit: SewerDoc

Kiss the Blarney Stone if you can!

photo credit: Beth Retro

Wear your favorite green outfit and have fun!

Wishing you a LUCKY and Happy St. Patty's Day!


When Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, 'tis like the morn in Spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.

New Designs from the PHB Collection!

I'm excited to share our newest designs from the Paris Hotel Boutique Collection. The collection is made up of my favorite pieces of ephemera (paper) from my personal collection. They have been professionally copied and decoupaged on glass trays and paperweights. These are all made by hand in the USA.

I love the first tray (above), which is a copy of an early French menu with a wonderful caricature of a man. It reads, "Societe des Architectes," translated to "Society of Architects." I'm crazy over the font on this menu! And, it's a great size for holding most anything, measuring 6" by 10."

I purchased this fabulous "Club DeLisa" piece at a paper show. It's one of clubs where you would have your photo taken and they would insert it into a cardboard sleeve/program. I love the ladies in their fancy hats, and the bright pink-colored border. And, the best part, the bottom reads, "Breakfast Dance Every Monday Morning." Can you imagine dancing on a Monday morning?

This whimsical, colorful graphic menu from France features chefs juggling oversized Hors d' Oeuvres. It's dated 1909 and is completely handwritten in French.

Since it's only one-of-a-kind, and so special, I had it made into a 6" by 10" glass tray. The colors are a bit more brilliant in person than the photos depict.

It's been so much fun creating a collection from my own pieces of ephemera. If you want to see the entire Paris Hotel Boutique Collection, check it out here!

photos from Paris Hotel Boutique

The Power of Blogging

It's 9:35 am Sunday morning. I could still be in bed. I could still be cuddled up with my dog. I could be watching the local news. Let's face it, I could just be catching up on a lost hour of sleep because of Daylight Savings Time. But instead, I'm standing on aisle 16 at Target, looking at pillaged shelves, for a product I don't even know that I want. How did I get here? A BLOG.

Yes, that's right. Annie of Poetic and Chic "tweeted" about Liberty of London's new collection for Target, which led me to her blog, and then eventually to Target. Annie had an inkling that the "collection" would be out early, so she hit 4 different Target stores yesterday!

Annie told me which local Target to go to, so I jumped into my hideous sweats, brushed my teeth, and was out the door. I don't even know much about Liberty of London products, but after looking at Annie's blog, I couldn't help myself. There were some really cute things.


I purchased two of these vanilla-scented candles for $9.99 each. Pretty scents in a clear glass jars. Love the packaging...

Then two picture frames for $9.99 each that match the colors of my office...


Unfortunately, most everything was sold out. I was hoping to find some fun pillows (like the one above) for my office (that's the room that I go funky). I wasn't impressed by the clothing and some of the other items that were left. But certainly at these prices, you could find some cute things.

I checked Target's website and most of the items are already sold out. Wondering if they'll be restocking?

So, the next time you find yourself on aisle 16, you'll know the reason why. It was the blog you read...

photos from Liberty of London for Target

Vintage Magazine ~ The New Flair?

The other day I was perusing one of those fabulous smoke shops with thousands of magazines, and Vintage Magazine stopped me in my tracks! Modeled after Fleur Cowles' legendary Flair magazine (1950-51), the newly issued Vintage Magazine uses various types of paper, textures, die-cuts & fold-outs, and is filled with art, music, fashion, food & travel covered by selected writers. It's truly amazing!

The premiere issue has an open spine bound with ribbon, rather than glued or stapled, paying homage to the craft of magazine assembly.

The dirty truth behind New York City's 19th century sugar refineries by food historian Joy Santlofer

Vintage Magazine is one of the most inspiring magazines I've seen. I'm just giddy over it. With all of the e-zines popping up, it's so nice to hold a piece of art in your hands.

An homage to the lost art of the album cover by Giddins, told on pages cut to resemble album jackets for the 45 rpm single

Randi Gollin on the rise (and rise) of the Ferragamo wedge, illustrated with a glossy photo tucked behind a die-cut window

Vintage Magazine was founded by Ivy Baer Sherman, a first-time magazine publisher with a background in publishing, graphic design, and photography.

The magazine is published bi-annually. Its rather hefty price of $20 is definitely worth it! It's exquisite in person. You can visit Vintage Magazine's website here.

photo credit: Vintage Magazine

My Favorite Find!

Have you ever seen a GIGANTIC PINK French paper mache pig before? I hadn't...tee hee. I was perusing an antique show and this enormous pig stopped me in my tracks! This life-size (5 ft. tall) paper mache pig is from France, c. 1930's. I just had to buy it.

The brass plaque reads, "Je Donne une Truffe Mettez 1 fr, 'I give a truffle put 1 franc." The humorous twist being that hunters in France used pigs to sniff out truffles. But, from what I heard, once the pigs found them, they ate them!

Originally mechanical, the head of this pig would nod and the truffle would come out between his legs. The mechanics are not original but still work if plugged in. Hilarious to see the head bob. I'm guessing that this was in a shop and that some sort of candy/chocolate probably came out. I doubt it would be truffles, as in mushrooms, don't you?

Wouldn't this be a "show stopper" display piece for a specialty food store or candy shop? Heck, I'd like it in my living room!

So, what a fun find for me (and my friend that I bought it with). It's for sale here on 1st Dibs in my friend's shop...

STYLE BUT NO BUDGET FOR NY?

How about New York for Easter or any time you like?
Budget Design Hotels has just uploaded a cool hotel for an affordable price. Go check it out now!

NEW POD'S ON THE BLOCK IN AMSTERDAM

Staying cheap & chic in Amsterdam. With these two hotels it is really possible. Check www.budgetdesignhotels.com and select Amsterdam.

Just In at Paris Hotel Boutique!

Today is the day! Getting ready for Spring with over 50 new pieces at Paris Hotel Boutique.

Check out our new arrivals here...

What's Your Favorite Film?

Audrey Hepburn & Grace Kelly with their Oscars
photo: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

Are you ready for the Oscars on Sunday night? The red carpet, lavish gowns, outrageous jewelry and long speeches. All part of the extravaganza!

Did you know that the 1st Academy Awards ceremony was held Thursday, May 16, 1929, at the Hotel Roosevelt in Hollywood to honor outstanding film achievements of 1927 and 1928. It was hosted by actor Douglas Fairbanks and director William C. deMille.

Frank Sinatra- 1971
photo: Hulton Archive / Getty Images

I thought it might be fun for us to share our favorite films...

My all time favorite film is the Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, 1972. Yep, our dog Vito's namesake is Don "Vito" Corleone. Oh, and I mustn't leave out Godfather II as a runner up. Godfather won an Oscar for Best Picture, as well as many other Oscars. Godfather II was was the first sequel in Academy history to win a Best Picture Oscar. Classics. I'm so twisted, I know most of the lines from both movies!

So, what's your favorite film?

Do you have any picks to win the Golden Statue on Sunday?

So, grab some popcorn, get comfy, pop open some bubbly, and enjoy the Oscars on Sunday! See you next week!