'Tis the season for lurrrve.

My husband proposed to me in December, and our anniversary when we were dating was right around Thanksgiving, so every year around this time I start to turn into a sentimental sap of a woman. Which means I get all warm and fuzzy when I come across romantic gifts like this one:

Fingerprint Wedding Band in Silver, $150

Is there anything more romantic than a ring that has your personal, one-of-a-kind fingerprint in it? Sure, it's meant to be a wedding band (and would be perfectly lovely for that purpose), but I could see it also being a very sweet and simply sentimental anniversary gift or holiday gift--assuming your sweetheart wears rings. And if he (or she) were to purchase one of these bands for you? SWOON.

This post brought to you by the letter A.

Because "A" is my first and last initial, I'm kind of obsessed. I like it in almost any font, uppercase or lower...and now I've found an initial necklace that I'm also kind of obsessed with.

See for yourself:

14K Gold and diamond initial charm necklace, $350.

Isn't it gorgeous? It's handmade in 14K gold with a teeny little diamond, but you can also get it without the diamond or in sterling silver. Lurrrve!

The bird is the word.

Lindsey Beth and I both lurrrve a good bird motif--but neither of us really like birds in actuality. I mean, I like to eat chicken, and I think cardinals and robins are pretty and all, but I also think pigeons are like rodents with wings.

I know. I'm complex.

Anyway, because I prefer my birds in silhouette or, you know, not real, I happen to like this pretty bird trivet from Terrain. It's hand-carved from reclaimed pine, and it's budget friendly:

Bird Trivet, $12

Lurrrving Land of Nod's Retro Rocker

Everyone who comes over to our house to check out the nursery tells me that I need a rocker. Unfortunately, we simply don't have the space... especially for one of those gliders with the ottomans, which frankly make me seasick anyhow. If it were at all humanly possible to squeeze a rocker into our humble abode, it would be this Retro Rocker from Land of Nod:



It reminds me of the chairs from my pediatrician's waiting room. If I had known then how "retro" they would be now, I would have salvaged one and added the rocking part on myself. Even if I weren't having a baby, I'd want one of these!

I first found Land of Nod when looking for children's music. If you're a music snob like me, you'll appreciate their non-saccharine selections such as lullabye renditions of Bob Marley, U2 and Coldplay. Under the Crate and Barrel umbrella, Nod's furniture and accessories have the same classic-meets-modern clean feel of its parent company. A good SAT analogy would be:

Pottery Barn Kids is to Pottery Barn what Land of Nod is to Crate and Barrel.

Unfortunately their aren't too many brick and mortar Land of Nod stores (Seattle gets all the cool stuff), but thank God for online shopping... and wishful thinking:)

I know what you're thinking.

Rings? Again?

Yes. I can't help it; rings are my favorite jewelry.

When I came across Garnet Girl Designs' new Constellation/Zodiac Rings, I knew I had to share them!

Wouldn't you love to carry around the Big Dipper all day?

Big Dipper Constellation Ring, $98 (all photos courtesy onegarnetgirl)

Libra Constellation Ring, $118 (Perfect for your favorite October baby.)

Lurrrving CB2's Go-Cart Desk

I'm always redecorating in my head, even if it doesn't translate into my actual living space (there's actually duct tape patching our leather couch). Being that I spend a good part of my day in my home office, I want to be a clean, zenful, inspiring place. Right now it's a feng shui nightmare, but that doesn't keep me from coveting the Go-Cart Desk from CB2.

I like its minimal, industrial design and the size is perfect for my small workspace. Plus, less surface area means less potential for clutter, at least in theory. It originally caught my eye this summer when I first bookmarked it because it came in this eye-popping kiwi color. Doesn't look like the green is still available but I'm hoping that by the time I actually get around to buying a new desk that there will be some color options. If not, I can always add a splash of color with their coordinating trig file cabinet:



And I can get both pieces for $300 total... not too shabby. Not too shabby at all.

Typeless Tuesday - Belly Balm

In the same vein as Wordless Wednesday, I bring you Typeless Tuesday as I have carpel tunnel and am trying to keep typing to a minimum. Instead, I'll just be posting pics with links 'til further notice. The lurrrve is implied:)



Burt's Bees Mama Bee Belly Balm, $14.99.

I ♥ Jonathan Adler

One of my favorite pieces from my growing pottery collection (which I just realized can actually qualify as a "collection"), is a cheery yellow vase by Jonathan Adler.


This one piece has gotten me hooked on Jonathan's designs, but it's not just the pottery I covet. He designs great rugs, pillows, and bedding, and now, there's a great design your own tool that allows you to customize his products -- and it's addictive. I spent quite a while browsing the gallery of designs and creating some of my own. Here are some favorites:

Animal-Friendly Jewelry Designer, Christy Robinson.

I'm not a vegan. I love cheese and milk way too much to give them up. I'm also not a vegetarian although if tofu's on the menu, I'll most likely order it. My personal beliefs and diet aside, there's no denying the adorable designs by Christy Robinson.

Her animal-friendly, vegan-friendly line of jewelry mixes recycled and synthetic materials with quirky yet poignant eco-political and animal rights messages.


Every Day is Earth Day Ring, $60


Flocked Not a Nugget Chick Necklace, $45

We extra, extra lurrrve her for giving a portion of her proceeds to animal and environmental charities (Earth Island Institute, Farm Sanctuary and Vegan Outreach to name a few).

Which of her designs do you lurrrve most? Check them all out on her website at christyrobinsondesigns.com.

Vintage-ish

I love vintage clothes, but I always have a hard time getting them to fit, since clothing sizes have changed so much over the past hundred years. Which is why I was thrilled when I came across Sohomode's Etsy shop and discovered a listing for this custom tea dress:

$100, Sohomode

Isn't it darling? I think it would be a fabulous summertime party dress, or a great option for a not-so-formal bridesmaid dress. (It's actually kind of similar to the dresses my bridesmaids wore.) I'm also coveting this sweet bias skirt:

$50, Sohomode

It would look so lovely with my collection of wedges, no?

In Lurrrve with Love

I've recently stumbled upon sister sites Twine (home and handmade goods) and Romp (for the kiddies). Both offer adorable ideas for gifts or for your own wish list with an eco-friendly focus. One item in particular on my wish list is this "love" print. Hand silk-screened and printed on recycled paperstock, you can add a little love to any room in your home that might need it.



$30 at shoptwine.com.

Nerd Lurrrve

I swear I wasn't just trolling around online for baby stuff. I really did come across this while doing research for work. But once I found this, I had to share. Tiffany Ard creates "art & nursery decor for serious science nerds." But you don't have to be a Ross (Friends reference, folks) to appreciate her quirky line of books, prints and flashcards for your little genius.

This elephant print, which would perfectly compliment my own nursery's elephant bedding (hint, hint), illustrates Newton's Laws of Motion:


$15

But my favorite find is the science-themed baby book. A great gift for expectant parents, it combines Tiffany's whimsical illustrations with science-y quotes, plus places to fill in blanks and photos to mark your wee one's milestones. Check it:





$40

For more magnificent nerdery, go to Tiffany's Etsy page.

Roasted.

I am, admittedly, a big fan of coffee. I drink it straight up, caffeinated. (No sugar or cream, thankyouverymuch.)

My husband is a wine expert, so drinking almost any kind of beverage can sometime take on an added level of analysis, although I certainly don't want to talk about the "bouquet" of my beloved coffee before I've had at least a mug-full to wake me up.

But that's why, when I discovered Citizen Bean, I knew it would make a great anniversary gift: it's a gift-subscription coffee-roaster of the month club that offers coffee from small roasters all over the country. We got our first bag of special beans the first week of July, and we've been rationing it, saving it mostly for weekends, because it's so good. Can't wait to see what our August roast has in store for us (and hopefully my husband will share it with me!).

Citizen Bean subscriptions: four months for $79.99, six months for $119.99, one year for $199.99.

In Retro Specs: Lurrrving Vintage Eyeglasses

As I sat in the waiting room at an urgent care on Sunday sans air-conditioning with my left eye watering and twitching, I wondered to myself why I even bother with contact lenses. Some of the most fabulously fashionable people I know (Lisa Loeb, anyone?) have made their eyeglasses part of their trademark look. I love vintage clothes, so why not give vintage eyewear a try?

Don't be fooled by the name of their website -- EyeGlass Boy offers an array of vintage glasses for men and women. Plus, they are very reasonable compared to the designer frames you see at your optician's office. Of course you don't have the benefit of trying them on before you buy them, but if you can return them within 10 days or if you're feeling daring...



Well maybe not that daring. I'm more into these:



And these:



Or maybe these:


They even offer detailed directions for measuring to make sure you get the right size. And even though they're vintage, none of the glasses sold on their site have ever been worn (mostly unused optometrists' stock).

Go ahead and see for yourself!

Charge it!

I am so excited about these rechargeable (and therefore eco-friendly) batteries from USBcell -- they're the only ones I've seen that don't require some sort of clunky, easily-lost charger. Instead, you plug them into your computer's USB port, and voila! Charged!

$17.49 for a two-pack at USBcell.com

They come in AA, 9-volt, and even some cell phone/device batteries (how awesome to be able to leave the cell phone charger at home when you travel?). Plus, it doesn't hurt that they're pretty.

Go ahead and see for yourself!

Puppy lurrrve: The Eco Nap from West Paw

Having a home with all hardwood floors and two big dogs means a lot of sweeping and mopping, but it also means I need to make sure my pups have a cushiony oasis where they can rest without putting any strain on their hips. But every time I buy a dog bed with a cover that's washable and easy to remove, it's never easy to put back on again. That's why I lurrrve the Eco Nap from West Paw Design. It comes in several cool color combos and I can throw the whole thing in the wash when it gets icky. And in between washes, it lays flat enough to vacuum. Not only is it great for my dogs -- it's also great for the planet, made from post consumer recycled soda pop bottles. It's amazing that something so soft comes from plastic bottles (a large mat saves 26.45 bottles from landfill limbo). We've had ours for almost two years and it's still in great shape... and I can't say that about most things that come into everyday contact with our dogs.

$27.90-$93.90, westpawdesign.com.

On Cloud b.

My latest online shopping obsession has less to do with what I want to buy for myself and more to do with what I want for our baby. If I could lock myself out of our Target registry, I would add hours of productivity to my work week. I love Target for necessities, but I'm also loving all of the little boutique-y luxury items. You know, the ones that make great gifts but you could never rationalize buying for yourself.

I'm in lurrrve with lots of good stuff at babyearth.com, but am hesitant to register with a website as I have to pay for any returns, which can be a hassle. It's amazing what they've come up with in the past 30 years (since I was a baby). One of my favorite items that I've seen both online and in person at friends' baby showers is the Cloud b Sleep Sheep.



This is their "on-the-go" model, which is made smaller for travel, which I will probably do more of in theory than reality, but still. It has four soothing nature sounds and a sleep timer so you can set it to go off in either 23 or 45 minutes from when you put your little one to bed. Hopefully, that will be enough time to get him to sleep! If this doesn't work, I'll have to resort to singing to him... and nobody wants that.

$21.95, babyearth.com.

Lip Service

I am seriously in lurrrve with the Freedom Lip Gloss from Revolution Organics. I snagged one (the bright red shade, called "Freedom") from a fellow beauty junkie who happens to have a fantastic online store for organic beauty products, and I am smitten!

I have really full lips, so I tend to shy away from bright lip colors, because I think it makes my mouth look rather clownish, but this fiercely red gloss is tame with a light application, and can be layered for a more colorful pout.


Plus, it's organic, comes in (adorable) recyclable packaging, and leaves my lips super soft.

Now I want one in every shade.

Tote-ally awesome.

I first fell for Angela Adams when I found her amazing collection of rugs, but it's her handbags and paper goods that have kept me entwined in this wanton retail relationship. All of my bags are large enough to hold my entire life, but sometimes when I go out, I don't want all of that excess baggage. I'm also past the point of comfortably fitting the "bare necessities" into my back pocket (and husband's pockets). Enter the new Lulu Mini Tote. At 9x9 inches, I can squeeze everything I need into this convenient canvas bag, which comes in three of my favorite shades (an orangey red, earthy green, and basic black). Mind you, with Angela's stunning hand-silkscreened print, there's nothing basic about it.



$45, angelaadams.com.

Handy

Photo courtesy flipandtumble.com

These re-usable 24-7 bags from Flip & Tumble aren't just pretty -- they're convenient and washable, too. And (bonus!), they fold into tiny little balls so they're easy to stash when you're not using them. (Click on "see how it goes from a bag to a ball" for a video of the process.)

I want one in every color.

Craving a Pickle.

Everyone says when you're pregnant, you'll crave crazy things like pickles and ice cream. I enjoyed my first taste of bacon ice cream last week (so freakin' good), but the only Pickle I've wanted since I got pregnant is one of these:



I lurrrve Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bags and recently found their outlet site where they sell "Discontinued Classics" and "Certified Seconds" at very non-scary prices. All of the PPB bags I've seen in stores were made of "dry clean only" fabrics, which in my mind don't mesh well with babies. But in my search, I found their Glazed by Petunia option, made of glazed, wipeable canvas. Much more my style. And then, with a little help from my friends, I decided on the Touring Tote in the Trotting in Tiergarten pattern (say that five times fast). My first baby purchase! It's so adorable that I'm tempted to wear it now as a handbag... but I will wait.

Target, how do I lurrrve thee?

Let me count the ways:

1. Orla Kiely for Target- As you may know, I adore Orla (Huz once rightfully accused me of picking out our home color scheme based on the colors on my Orla Kiely handbag). Now that my wallet's a tad tighter, I can't afford everything Orla, and was so excited to see she's joined the "design for everyone" movement. I bought four of her melamine dinner plates and four of her salad plates. Who cares what your food looks like when it's served on such lurrrvely patterns? With my cooking, I need all the distractions I can get! They were out of the mugs and bowls and only had one of each plate style left, so I got one of each for a super colorful table:






2. Target Home Organic Sheets - Even though they had 450 thread count sets for about the same price, I opted for the greener and softer 250 thread count organic sheet set in white (which is really an off-white). You can't beat the comfort of organic cotton, plus they were on special for less than $50 for the queen set (regular price online is $49.99):




3. Greenroom Eco File Folders - I work from home and little things like pretty patterns for my folders and notepads make mundane tasks a little more doable. Plus, it's nice to know that I'm filing away my priceless thoughts in products made from recyclable materials and non-toxic soy-based inks. Unfortunately, I can't find these on the Target site, which leads me to believe they're in-store only. But it's worth the trip:

Classy.

Last week, I got a box full of goodies from Working Class Studio at SCAD (the Savannah College of Art & Design). I used to live in Savannah, so I know all about SCAD and how awesome it is--and how it has transformed Savannah into a little Mecca for all things artsy.



The one thing I really, really miss about Savannah is the shopping: in particular, The Paris Market & Brocante and @Home. But I always loved poking into the student shop at SCAD, and I've always enjoyed the Working Class Studio line.


Check them out! I am coveting these lampshades, and those fridge magnets are going up on my fridge today!

(All images courtesy of Working Class Studio.)

Handsy

This is a product I can personally vouch for. It's Dr. Hauschka Hand Cream, and it's fantastic.

It's also pretty expensive, at $22.95 for a 1.7-oz. tube.

But! It's not tested on animals, is all organic, and--this is why I love it so dearly--you can put it on your hands, and it immediately soaks in without leaving your hands greasy. So if you sit at a computer all day like I do, you can put it on and not have to wait 10 minutes for your hands to stop sliding all over your keyboard.

I might call it the perfect hand cream, but I'll wait for it to go on sale before I go that far.

UPDATE: OK, so I've had this stuff for about a month now, and I'm officially hooked. I've decided it's worth the price, and when my tube is all used up (which is taking a lot longer than I thought; you don't have to use much of this stuff at a time), I'm definitely going to buy a new one.

An Apple a day.

Have you seen the new iPod shuffle? It's so teensy that you might have to look a little bit closer... but this baby holds as much as my old school Nano and it talks. With the push of a button, it will tell you what song you're listening to and who's performing it. Plus, unlike its predecessor where you're at the mercy of its random selection, the new shuffle allows you to create playlists (no more Dido popping up and ruining the momentum of your run).

Apple will never cease to amaze and tempt me with their cutting edge awesomeness. Conveniently, my birthday is next month. Although I already got an iPhone as an "early birthday present." Guess this will have to go on my wish list.




Only $79 at the Apple Store.