Get in bed

My husband has been complaining about our bedding FOREVER.

He doesn't particularly care about how it looks.  Although I think he has vague positive feelings about that.  It's a very layered, gray look.

(Heads up, I'm a West Elm bedding fanatic so expect lots of links to WE in this post)

It starts off with these sheets.  The Organic Ikat Sheet Set, with a white background and a charcoal gray pattern.

Next we layer on this herringbone woven blanket.  It's no longer available, sadly.

Then, the layer that's the big issue for my husband.  The duvet.  We have the Stripe Duvet Cover in gray.  It matches our cat.

It has ties inside but Brett is always annoyed that it's not perfectly lined up and there's always extra space around the edges.  It bothers him so much that we were looking for a way to get rid of it.

OH, let me also note that we have the stripe Euro shams, and a couple of standard shams in the Chevron Pattern.  I'm a fan.

So, what were we to do about this.  We decided we needed to get a quilt.  We would keep the herringbone blanket and layer a quilt over it (I'm not a fan of comforters, I'm grossed out by them for some reason).

I got a little reward gift certificate from work this week and as soon as I got that west elm card in my hot little hands, I was ready to purchase.  Between the reward and some West Elm Design Dollars we had, I was able to pay for the entire quilt.  I also got some shams in different patterns (we'll be keeping the chevron but dropping the stripe entirely I think).

I'm super excited about it.

But I'm also excited about the fact that my bed won't just be white and gray anymore.

Nope, white, gray, and coral baby.

This is the quilt we chose.  I love both sides, and love the red orange (they call it coral) color.

They even show it layered with our sheets on the website!

I can't wait for it to get here so we can enjoy it.  Of course, the art over our bed will seriously not go, but we've been out of love with that forever now.

I also got a great kitchen rug on super sale for $14.  It's also coral.  I'm so excited!

A new place to waste time

My husband's birthday is coming up (in just three weeks!) and his gift has pushed us to do a little changing around in our office.

He's getting a new computer (he knows already because god knows I wouldn't know what he needed), but his current one works fine for a lot of stuff.  He plays graphics heavy games on there, and the video card (?) is too slow for that.  But for me, for websurfing, editing photos, and music and movies, it will be perfect.

But there's a problem.  Our office is pretty small, and more than that it has very little wall space.  The main problem is that we have a 1.5 story house, and the eaves upstairs drive us crazy.  So two walls are only four or so feet high with eaves.  And the other two are limited because of a window and two doors.

Apparently I haven't taken that many pictures of the room, and not even our AWESOME mid century desk which is probably in my top two favorite furniture pieces we own.  But here's a rough idea.

When you're standing in the door, Brett's desk and computer are immediately to the left.  His new one will have better cooling, so I'm really hoping we can get rid of that nightstand that holds his old computer up off the floor.

I made those curtains.  I love them.  Probably too much.

We now have a greige/taupe settee in front of the window.  This both tones down the curtains, and gives me a place to sit and hang out with Brett while he's on the computer.  I take my laptop up there and hangout a lot.  Also, since I've taken this picture I've learned to love the camelback, so I don't drape the blanket over it anymore.

This post is reminding me that we seriously need to start thrifting again.  The desk was only $40, and the settee I believe was $75.  It's in amazing shape too, with little brass casters on the feet and gorgeous upholstery that's almost a linen.

One the wall to the right, we have Ribba bookshelves wall to wall.  Those transformers have given way to our Lego collection, which is pretty much taking over at this point.

I absolutely love these book cases.  They really add something to the room.  I'm sad we'll probably have to leave them behind when we move.  I love to style them, but we're approaching capacity so I'm limited on the room I have to play with.

We also have posters around the room.  Three concert posters (Janis Joplin, Johnny Cash, and possibly the Doors?).  And we also have this nerdy print that I got my husband for Valentine's Day last year.

Yep, that's a Lego dude trying on different heads.

The last wall is taken up by the door into the hallway and the close door.  In between there's a space of about three feet where we have an old, cheap TV stand from Wal-Mart that I bought when I lived by myself in college.  This is the only picture I have.  Again, we're a couple of nerds.

But that sucker is going, and that's where my desk is going to be.  Yay!

Like I said, the space is only 3 feet wide (a few inches more if you count the door moldings.  So I'm working with limited space here.  Ideally, I'd like my desk to be pretty clean and not have a bunch of stuff on it.  So since the desk will be small anyway, and we want to use this as a place to watch shows and movies, we decided to mount it on the wall.

I decided to get a 24" LED monitor from Amazon, partially funded by my Christmas gift card.  I also got a nifty little mount that pivots and swings out, so Brett can watch from his desk if he wants.

I looked all over for desks, and found a few options at Crate and Barrel, but they were a little more than I wanted to spend.  I even looked at small space dining tables.  But I kept coming back to a Parsons mini desk.

It's a nice deal at $199, but I had $25 in WE Design Dollars, plus a coupon code for doing some market research for them.  So that brought it down to a bit over $150.  It has good reviews and I love the look, so I pulled the trigger.  I'm really psyched to style it!

Now, I just have to get a chair (and convince Brett to let me buy him a new one).  I thought it would be neat if he had a white leather chair and I had a wooden chair.  I'm not going to be spending hours at this desk so I'm not worried about ergonomics for me.

I wanted this one for $100, but it's on backorder until almost April.  You can buy a set of two now, but not a single chair.  Why?

I would love to have an Eames shell chair, either in black or in a fun color.  I hesitate to buy a knock-off, but $400 for a side chair just is not going to happen.

I can get a knockoff in black for $120.  I just don't know yet what I want.  I have a little time to figure it out, though.

For not, I'm looking at pictures of small workplaces and dreaming.  So pretty!  but where's the computer?

Dream House

I mentioned in my last post that we're planning to move, hopefully mid-2012.  We've been thinking about this for a while, and we have a very specific list of the things we want.  We're casually keeping an eye on what's out there (and we're only looking in one neighborhood, so that's easy), though nothing serious.

But right now, there is a house on the market that would make such an amazing project.  I would LOVE to get my hands on it.  I know Brett doesn't want to take on this kind of renovation, and there are tons of things that take it out of the running (even if you ignore the price), but I had to share its amazing potential.

First of all, just how gorgeous is this place.  It's an absolute dream.  I could definitely settle in here and never leave.  The trees!

So what are some of the problems?  First the size.  It's 4500 square feet which is way more than I want.  I actually want a smaller house than what we have now (1700 sf), but I think we'll end up with around the same size.  Also, the price.  At $535,000 it would be a great deal if it didn't need a complete renovation.  But it does, so the $120/sq ft is overpriced.

Also, it doesn't have central air.  So you couldn't even move in in our climate until that was taken care of.  Although it does have radiators for heating which I find totally charming.

These stairs would be so beautiful if you pulled up that runner.  Plus, you get a random dangling wire!  Bonus!

I would have to do a complete gut job on the kitchen.  This is not the kitchen for this house.  I'd do painted cabinets and soapstone countertops with a butcherblock island.  And white beveled subway tile to the ceiling.  We're assuming I'm rich enough to pay $535k for a house and THEN do a floor to roof renovation, so that's cool, right?

All I have to say about this is floors, fireplace, moldings, and those doors.  They're stained wood, I think possibly mahogany.

This alone is what makes it my dream house.  A library.  With dark stained bookshelves to the ceiling.  I want it.

Here's another shot of that gorgeous staircase.  Can you imagine growing up here?

And the interior of the entry.  I love the arched door way and the leaded glass.  It also has a screened porch AND a sunroom.  And three bathrooms.  But the bathrooms are kind of a problem.  I actually love the floor in one of them, but I think my husband hates it. 

We have very different style when it comes to bathrooms.  When we were in Amsterdam, we stayed in this gorgeous old hotel with amazing woodwork, huge windows, beautiful wallpaper.  We also had a really cool, modern bathroom.  Now, I liked the bathroom a lot and loved certain elements, but I wouldn't choose it for my home.  Brett loved it, almost 100%.  But the things I loved were his least favorite, and the things I didn't care for were his favorite things about the room.  But we'll figure it out?

Anway, I love this classic green tile.  I wonder if it's original?

The other bathroom is similar, but PINK.  I know I could never convince him to keep that.  And with the wall tile in both bathrooms, I'm not sure I'd want to.

I do love the old wall sinks though, and you know they've got to be built to last.  Overall, I think this house is a true gem.  But I don't think they'll get this price for it, and I don't think it's the one for us.  Hopefully someone will love it as much as I know I would!

Quality over quantity

Some of my family may have noticed that I have bedding on my Christmas list.  I know that it would have been really hard to refrain from some major eye rolling when they got to that entry.  See, I buy bedding kind of a lot.  I just love it.

And maybe the title of this post isn't quite right, because I'm not buying a quilt a month from Target or anything.  The stuff I have now for example (Organic Ikat Stripe Sheets, white flame stitch blanket - no longer available, Stripe Duvet Cover and Shams, and Organic Chevron Shams - all from West Elm) is good quality, especially the sheets.  And they weren't exactly cheap.

But recently, and not just in the bedding department, I've had the urge to get rid of some of the more random things I have, and focus on permanence.  Things that I want to keep forever and ever.  I'm about to finish up The Perfectly Imperfect Home, and this really jumped out at me.

The stern Sister Parish used to engage in a practice her employees termed "traying" in which she went around a new client's house with a tray scooping up all the tchotchkes, figurines, bibelots, and knickknacks she deemed superfluous.  Tough, but necessary.  If it's not beautiful, useful, or meaningful, you might as well lose it.

Our house could definitely benefit from a good traying.  But there's a problem that comes in when the people doing the sorting are the ones who live in the house and collect those superfluous items.  My husband and I don't always (or often?) agree on what beautiful, useful, and meaningful means.

Take for example, the Ikea cabinet argument of 2010.  I freaking love that cabinet, wanted it so bad, was so excited when I got it as a gift.  He HATES it.  I think if he could get rid of one item in our house, that would be it, no matter how useful the storage is.

Let's not even discuss the combination table, lamp, magazine rack that resides in his office.  I told my dad that if it fell of the truck when we moved I wouldn't be upset.  But he wisely realized he shouldn't be the one to make that decision.

But there are some things I think we can agree on.  The glass jar filled with decorative balls - really not our style, and we don't need to keep it just because we need something on top of a shelf.  The framed imprint of our cat's paw, who we lost last year?  Meaningful, and yes, beautiful.

Now, the bedding on my Christmas list has been on my dream list since the moment I saw it.  But there are a couple of problems.  First, Brett has never seen it, and considering it's covered in peacocks I think that could be an issue.  Second, he's not the world's biggest fan of the duvet cover concept.  I think this could be solved in part if we got a better quality (read - fluffier, bigger) comforter.  But the fact remains that it's going to move around in there and piss him off.

DwellStudio Peacock Citrine Duvet Cover $320 for King

Ignore the lamp please.  This also comes in a dove gray and white colorway, but I love this yellow, and think it would be amazing with a foundation of white bedding (sheets, blanket, shams with different textures).

I think this is absolutely gorgeous.  But after the way Brett reacted to my idea of an Otomi covered headboard, I think this ought to be run by him.

Otomi headboard - almost positive this is Grace Bonney's home

Another option I love, if we're eliminating duvets, is the idea of a vintage Suzani coverlet in super bright colors.  This one is bold and gorgeous at $429.  I absolutely love the red.

BO Suzani Coverlet from Table Tonic $429

Again, with a white foundation, maybe some lightly patterned sheets like the ones we have now, this would be absolutely gorgeous.  Is that a lot of money for a bedspread?  Yes, but for a vintage Suzani that will last a lifetime, I think it's worth it.

My dream bedroom (meaning, the bedroom in our next house because I think our current bedroom is really sellable) will have white walls, a mix of vintage furniture, either an upholstered headboard or none at all, and obnoxiously in your face bedding.  I think these options fit in pretty well with that, don't you?

I need to do this with more than bedding, obviously.  We have plenty of knickknacks that can go out the door and probably never be missed.  And this is definitely a lesson learned about furniture.  We're both much more confident in our style, and making those decisions will come to us easier now.  But it will be a slow process, one that involves a big investment.  And I've got to keep my patience that we'll get there.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Thanksgiving is just a week away, I've ordered a fried turkey to take on the trek to my grandma's, and I'm sitting here full of delicious treats from my office work potluck.  Sure, it means it's time to gather with my family and spend time cooking, laughing, eating, playing games, taking walks in the woods and riding wagons down hills.  But it also means that in one week and one day, it's officially Christmas season!

Now, normally we put up our tree and decorations as soon as we get home from Thanksgiving, on that Sunday.  so we have almost a month to enjoy it all (they have to come down before the New Year OR ELSE).  But this year, I'm coming home on a Sunday and leaving again on Friday for over a week.  I seriously doubt I'll have time to put any decorations up in that short time - other than the jingle bell wreath on my office door.

So we'll play it by ear.  Depending on how tired I am, we'll either put them up right when we get home or sometime that week.  And it may be a condensed version this year, partly because of timing and partly because we're not hosting.  But I definitely want to have something.

So, our standard decorations are a tall, skinny tree with white lights and a silver star on top.  We have balls in shades of red and brass tones, that match the red and brass accents in our living room.  But other than that, our tree doesn't have a theme.  I'll probably use an Ikea sheepskin as a skirt, or a plain red felt one I made a couple of years ago.  We just buy ornaments that we love, a few each year.  A lot of them are animals, just because we love animals so much, but that's not as much a tree theme as an entire house theme.

So far this year, I've picked up this little guy, a fair trade llama.

I bought him at Whole Foods.  He's not a food.

And then yesterday I stopped by Anthropologie since I was in the area and found these guys.

It's a narwhal!  I love his waterspout the most, it's glittery

A raccoon made of newspaper by Haitian artisans.  He's pretty adorable

Some of my other favorites are my paper mache dinosaurs, a bottle brush owl, and some felted wool creatures.  I love getting them out each year.

I'd also really love some garland on the tree.  I love the red felt ball garland at West Elm for $14 a string.  I just wish I knew how long it was because the dimensions on the site (8.5" long) can't possibly be right.  Maybe they mean 85"?  I could also make a felt or tissue paper garland myself, but I feel like I should plan to NOT do any DIY projects for the holidays with my schedule.

As for other decor, we've got glitter trees, dotted felt stockings I made a few years ago (I'll have to turn the one with a W into an M this year which will be rough on us I'm sure, but we're happy to celebrate Moe's first Christmas.  Yes, my cats have stockings.  Yes, I fill them.), glitter candlesticks to replace the gray ones we have out.  Just simple things.

I do want to go all out on our Christmas table though.  Now, I know I said we weren't hosting this year, and we're not.  My brother and sister in law are hosting and I can't wait to go up and visit them.  But Brett and I always spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day alone together, at home, anyway.  We celebrate with our families on another weekend and make those days about us.  It helps that Brett usually has to work up until that last minute and then sometimes the next day (and sometimes ON Christmas).  But it's a favorite tradition of ours anyway.

When we get up we'll open gifts, then go to the Waffle House for breakfast, another tradition.  We'll be too full and happy for lunch, but we'll cook a nice dinner together and I want the table to look festive.  Last year, I went fun and fancy with our china, vintage brass, and black, white, and red linens.

This year, with just the two of us, I think I might stick with Fiestaware in red, shamrock, and lemongrass.  Add in white linens, brass candlesticks, and green and white hydrangea and tulips in our vintage glassware, and I think it will look lovely.  The best part is that all I have to buy is the flowers.  And the food of course.  Everything else, I have!


This quick mood board kind of illustrates what I'm going for.  I love the colors, and I think I'll want to use a lot of white.  And those giraffes are just too cute to leave on the mantel all the time.

 

Anybody have big plans for their Christmas tables (or Thanksgiving!  Or Hannukah?)?  I love these kinds of things, but maybe it's just me.

Sale Alert: New West Elm Markdowns

If I had to pick one store to shop from for the rest of my life, and if I didn't have to be practical about it (what, I don't need to eat and I can make my clothes out of throw pillows and curtain panels), it would be West Elm.  I have to restrain myself from a house that's 100% identifiably from their catalog, but they make amazing basics (their gallery frames, get some) at great prices, and every season brings some unique pieces that are just to die for.  This summer's Kantha throws, and especially the overdyed Kantha chair, were so gorgeous.  I'm so glad I was able to pick up one of the throws in store so I could pick the colors and pattern.

Anyway, they added a ton of markdowns to their site this morning.  No code necessary, just go to this link and browse.  It looks like it may not all be closeout merchandise, since there are some basics on there, and some of their tried and true items.  It may be just a sale for Christmas, especially since it seems like retailers are trying to get a jump on Black Friday this year.

So let's jump in.  West Elm sheets are excellent, definitely my favorite.  If you're not into sateen these are the way to go.  They have a few sets on sale for $70/set for king size, but this one is my favorite.

West Elm Dot Print Sheet Set

There are plenty of rug options as well.  I LOVE this one, the Tribal Jute Rug.  Many of the sizes are sold out so it looks like a closeout.  But at just under 4xt6 and $99, I think the largest size would be great for a larger bathroom.  At $40, the 2x3 size would be great for a doormat or kitchen rug.  (Note to family - I would love this for Christmas.  Love love love).

West Elm Tribal Jute Rug

Their hugely popular zigzag rug is being discontinued in the yellow color.  I think this is a great color (and I have a yellow and white living room rug, so I'm biased) and it's a great opportunity to save some money.  The 9x12 is marked down to $549 from the original price of $699.

If you're looking for a small bathroom console, you can save big on the 2x2 console right now.  It's $279 without the faucet (down from $499), and $349 included a great looking chrome faucet (original price $749).  Those are huge savings, but I'm disappointed that this piece is being discontinued.  It was one of my favorites in the 2x2 line.  I think it probable suffered from the fact that it wasn't well advertised in the catalog, and mostly the fact that it was too high priced for the 2x2 line.  But with solid oak shelving and a powder coated metal frame, the current price is a GREAT deal.

West Elm 2x2 Bath Console

They're also discontinuing the yellow pendant cord set, marked down to $19.99, along with the yellow industrial pendant conversion kit, down to 9.99.  The yellow industrial pendants themselves are still full price, so it looks like those will be around for a while, you'll just have to deal with a different colored cord and plate.

There's also a lot that could work as gifts this Christmas.  All throws and tabletop is 20% off, and there is some really cute stuff on final sale as well (final sale items will end in .99, regular sale ends in .00).  I think lots of people would love to receive these teacup measuring cups, cute dessert plates, or some kitchen storage jars.

No matter who you're shopping for, this sale is definitely worth a browse.

Resource: Schoolhouse Electric

Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. has long been a great resource for period appropriate lighting, as well as classic pieces with modern updates.  Since I first saw their site, I told myself that when (not if, I'm pretty confident about this!) I get my dream Craftsman, they'll be my go to source for lighting.  Their prices are really reasonable too, starting around $70 for a pendant.  Seriously a great resource.

So I was super excited when I heard that they were expanding their product line.  They're branching out, and while they'll still offer their classic lighting fixtures, lamps, and hardware, they're now offering furniture, bedding, and housewares as well.  And they've stayed with their updated classic aesthetic that's so fantastic.  I can see these pieces fitting into so many homes.


This sofa, the Beckman, is a true classic.  It comes in tons of upholstery options - I love the graphite velvet and the lemongrass twill.  At $2665 it's definitely a splurge, but it's handcrafted in the USA (although I'm a little confused on the price.  Under the photo at the site it says "shown in Jade Cotton Twill - $1475.  But if you click on the Jade Cotton Twill as an option, the price at the top shows $2665.  You'd have to call to confirm).

Beckman Sofa, Schoolhouse Electric

If you want to mix it up, you can purchase one of these expertly tailored slipcovers for $1275.  Expensive for a slipcover, of course.  But one person who's seen them in person said they couldn't even tell it was a slipcover.

Beckman Slipcover, Schoolhouse Electric

I'm in love with this slipcovered Stephenson Chair.  The chair is $1480 and the slipcover is $550.  I absolutely love the off-centered stripe and the colors.  It would be a fantastic accent chair.

Stephenson Chair, Schoolhouse Electric

There's some other great furniture as well.  I love the desk with the open area for stashing stuff, the wood dining table with beautiful jointed legs, and the classic metal beds.  There are even shameless knock-offs of Eames shell chairs.

I'm also kind of obsessed with their new bedding.  This duvet cover is so simple, but the yellow color is wonderful.  And the simple pattern would be perfect on a layered bed.  It starts at $115.

Egg Press Dot Duvet Cover, Schoolhouse Electric

They're also offering bath linens, kitchen accessories, bags, rugs, clocks, and accessories.  I love these stoneware pitchers for $58.

Stoneware Pitcher, Schoolhouse Electric

Check out their new website and see what you can find.  Everything is so versatile and simple, you'll find something you love!

Read this: The Perfectly Imperfect Home

It was just a week ago that the new book by Deborah Needleman, The Perfectly Imperfect Home:  How to Decorate and Live Well, was released.  I couldn't stand waiting, so I took advantage of Amazon's free Super Saver shipping and added the pre-order to the purchase of our Kindle a few weeks ago.

Photo from aestate.com

I've had this book, by the former editor of everyone's favorite Domino, in my hot little hands for a week now, and I am SO glad I spent the money and didn't wait until I could go to the bookstore and decide if I wanted it/take pictures of the few pages I actually needed for reference.  I'm not the only one who does that right?

This book is a wealth of information, sure.  The lighting chapter was particularly great for me (full disclosure:  I'm not finished yet, so there may be some AMAZING stuff at the end that I won't mention).  Did you know a reading lamp should be below your eye level?  It makes sense, but that's a low lamp!  I did some adjusting after reading that!  I also loved the sections on "A Really Good Sofa" and "A Bit of Quirk."  This is what decorating books should REALLY be about.

More than that, the attitude in this book is so refreshing.  Call it a trend, but even in the intro Needleman talks about the importance of life and the willingness to be messy (and imperfect) in a home.  It's something that's so great to read about for a change.  In the absence of Domino, I have a subscription to Elle Decor.  If I weren't already alienated by the $2000 toilet paper holders (nope, not exaggerating), the cold, sterile spaces would probably do it anyway.  A place where people actually live should show their personality.  And whether that comes into play with a Lego collection, a messy pile of books (or a novel concept, a bookcase actually filled with books instead of decorative objects), or a cat bed under the sunny window, that's cool with me. 

The fact that there's a bowl of toilet paper rolls on the cover of the book, along with a pile of mail and some framed children's artwork.  This is how people live, and it sets the tone for what's inside.  Real advice, for real people, and generally for real budgets.  There are some times when she sounds a bit out of touch for the average self decorator.  Especially considering that a ton of Domino fans are young - in their mid twenties!  But that's few and far between.  For the most part, the advice can be applied to any budget, and any style.

My favorite part of the book by far are the illustrations.  Artist Virginia Johnson's watercolors are a great accent for the meat in the book.  Some are based on real rooms, some are imaginary, but all are beautiful, and have already given me some ideas.

Image from aestate.com

image from A Bloomsbury Life

Even the liner features gorgeous watercolor designs.

image from aestate.com

At less than $20 from Amazon, this book is a steal.  Even the cover price of $30 isn't too much to pay.  It's well worth it!  This would also be a great gift for any decor lover in your life, trust.

Let's Go Shopping - London

In just four weeks, I'll be hopping a train from Amsterdam to London to start the second part of our Epic European Vacation 2011!

I am so excited for so many reasons.  I can't wait to share this experience with my husband, who's never been overseas.  I can't wait to spend an entire week with him uninterrupted.  And I can't wait to see London again, and spend more time in Amsterdam - this time for pleasure, not business.

I'm also really excited about the shopping.

We'll probably do a little bit of shopping in Amsterdam, just because we like to have a reminder of places we visit.  We bought this plate from Fish's Eddy as an addition to our kitchen plate wall, and a reminder of our honeymoon in NYC.  So we would love to have a piece of art or something small from Amsterdam.

But in London, I'm planning to do some damage.  We don't have Topshop, H&M, or Zara in Louisiana (well, pretty much in the South).  Although I can go to Zara in Houston and do a couple of times a year, so that's at the bottom of the list.  I feel similar about H&M.  I'd really love to go in London, and I'm sure I will if I'm near one and I have time, but with a new one in Dallas, I know I'll have an opportunity to go sometime.

Topshop is a definite must for me.  Even if I just stop in and shop accessories, I have to go.

This shirt shows as out of stock. but I hope that's just online.  It would just blend right in with my clothes.  I think the chances of finding it in a London winter are probably slim to none, though.  I also assume the prices will be different over there, so this shirt probably isn't the equivalent of 36 USD in pounds.  Probably more expensive!

Topshop Tribal Print tee $36

I love this top too.  I think it would look so great with tons of stuff.

Topshop Oversize Spot Tee $75

I love the silhouette of this tank (vest!) and it comes in a million colors, but I'd have to see the fabric in person before deciding whether to spend the money on it.

Topshop Zipback Vest $56

They also have what look to be pretty great basic tees.  But here is the problem that I have with European clothing manufacturers (read:  Zara):  I don't want to have to lay all of my clothes flat to dry.  I LOVE Zara's linen tee shirts.  But they're not linen, they're viscose or polyester or something.  So I invariably end up putting them in the dryer on accident and they shrink.  They still fit, but now they're just like regular tees, not super awesome long and drapey tees.  It's just a conspiracy to get me to buy more since they cost $10.  And it's working.

Where I'll probably really go crazy at Topshop is in the accessories.  I really don't need a new bag.  My gray leather satchel is just fine.  But I love this color blocking.

Color Blocked Doctor's Bag $160

Jewelry is definitely my weakness, and I will buy some there.  These two bracelets are just SO lovely.  I would pick them up in a second if I saw them.

Lamb clamp bracelet $30

Swinging Monkey Bracelet $35

And just for fun, some leather driving gloves.  Why?  Why not.  The color of that leather is reason enough.  I think these are out of season though, sadly.

Tan leather driving gloves $???

 Outside of the megastores, though, I do want to hit some smaller places.

Like Kabiri, a jewelry store that has plenty of expensive stuff, but showcases up and comers for those with smaller budgets.  Like this simple red braided bracelet.  They also have some skull bracelets really similar to the one from Bhati Beads that's on my Christmas list, and at a similar price point.

Bracelet by SCOSHA

Another place I'd love to check out is Aria for home decor.  Their prices tend a little higher, but I think this tray would be a really great addition to our plate wall.

Colorful London Tray by Maria Holmer Dahlgren

And these salt and pepper shakers are so funny.  A little spendy for me at 70 pounds but so great,

Salt and Pepper Shakers by David Shrigley

Liberty and Selfridges could be great places for us to get most of our Christmas shopping done.  I'll be nervous leaving it to the last minute, but I think our family would prefer that we pick stuff up over there.

And before anyone asks.  Yep, we're bringing an extra suitcase.  I'll be posting about packing light sometime in the next couple of weeks.