Daily Chai

The Treasure Box Picture Frame

Looks like an ordinary frame when it's empty, but the depth of this Treasure Box Picture Frame from Dennis Daniels makes room for a lot more than photos -- like, say, those beautiful seashells that you picked up from the beach years ago and would really prefer to display than leave them collecting dust somewhere.

I framed some of my old seashells in one of these frames and hung them in my bathroom. Lots of people have liked the idea and asked where I got the frame. They are pretty easy to find online at places like Amazon.com and Shop.com.

Better than wooden spoons

It wasn't until I was cooking one day when my mom was in town that it finally clicked that you weren't supposed to cook with metal spoons.

"Honey, you should get a wooden spoon," she advised.

I did, and even though the wooden spoon did solve the nails-on-a-blackboard sensation that comes with metal-on-metal, they always seemed sort of counterintuitive to me for cooking, since they don't hold up all that well to heat or soap and water. These Tovolo silicon mixing spoonsare much better! Heat resistant and dishwasher safe, and they don't hold the aroma of whatever it is they're stirring up.

Can you ever have too many bags?

Maybe not, if one of them is this long, quilted shoulder bag from Utility Canvas. It's so multi-functional that it can work as a (large) purse, yoga bag, beach bag or grocery tote.

I love my Viola Fox necklace

Viola Fox charms are sold locally in San Francisco at assorted little boutiques and at Cafe Gratitude. The bad news is that you can't find them anywhere and each one is unique so you can't request a specific design. The good news is that you can't find them everywhere and the one you buy is a one of a kind. In this age of Starbucks in Paris and Gap pretty much everywhere, it's nice to find a product that really is unique.

The charms are made with glass and some kind of industrial metal and typically contain an image on one side and a brief message on the other. The metal is then fused together and the charm is placed on a sturdy chain, though you can dress up the charm simply by changing the chain.

I've had mine for years, but even before I bought it, I'd seen the charms around town for a long time and was always looking for one that had a message that meant something to me. Finally I found it: on one side an image of a teeny little figure making a mad jump from one cliff to another; on the back, the simple words, "Good Luck." One of the things I've learned in life is that often you just have to take a leap, and this little charm has served as my good luck charm.

It also consistently gets compliments from all types, just like my Orla Kiely bag. Sometimes good taste is just universal I guess.

Groovy urban bags

Classic has its place in fashion, but I'd prefer classic basics and trendy accessories over the other way around any day. Highway bags are the kind of bags you want when you look down and realize that your purse or your briefcase or whatever it is you tote around all day has not stayed as current as your haircut or your footwear.

The colors are edgy, the cuts are a little offbeat, but both in an understated way.

Highway currently just has one retail store,  in SoHo in New York City, but its bags can be found in selected stores around the country -- you know the kind of store; looks like the image to the left. I found my Highway Bag in Hayes Valley, San Francisco's answer to SoHo, in a little store that warrants its own post (stay tuned).

Mine's a soft metallic silver but more sporty than dressy, sturdy enough to carry a laptop and a bunch of books, but incredibly lightweight. And it seems to go with everything. They say metallic is the new neutral.

Dishwasher safe, child safe ... and pretty

Andy Warhol's colorful flower designs manage to make these plastic dishes just a little bit fancy yet still fun. A great way to bring a touch of the finer things in life to your every day dining.

The matching plates, which come in two sizes are just as fun and just as elegant. A bonus: these irregularly shaped plates come in an irregularly shaped container. When you line them up properly they slide right in: an exercise in frustration for an adult just trying to get the dishes done, but a fun little, maybe even slightly educational puzzle, for young kids.

Available in various museum shops and online at PlumParty.

 

Personalize this

  The breakthrough of cheap, quality printing now makes it possible for us to easily create mugs, mousepads and calendars with images of our wedding, our children, or our pets.

I think these Photo Stamps are a lot more original and fun than many of the options out there. Not much more expensive than regular stamps and requiring only three simple steps that anyone reasonably versed with a digital camera and a PC can use.

Great stocking stuffer. Great gift for many occasions: wedding, engagement, birthday, etc.

Chic rain gear for little girls

I found these adorable little Mary Jane rain boots in a local boutique, but I liked them so much that I Googled them and found out you can buy them online at KooKooBearKids among other places.

In a season where rain boots are all the rage both for kids and adults, I find these fashionable, but still unusual.

Easy on the legs, easy on the eyes and easy on the landfill.

Looking for a way to go green in your bathroom, without following Sheryl Crow's one square of toilet paper dictum? These Preserve razors may help ease your consumer conscience. The handle is made entirely from recycled plastic, 65% of this comes from recycled Stonyfield Farm yogurt cups. Now, why didn't I think of that???

Preserve also makes other products, such as toothbrushes, from recycled plastic. What's really nice about the razor, though (the only one of its products that I have yet tried) is that, IMHO, it's superior to those nasty disposable razors made of hard, brittle plastic. Preserve razors have a soft, almost rubbery touch and they come in pretty colors. Basically, I'd buy them even if they were not a green product.

A Valentine I would love to receive

No words required.

Available at CardStore.com.