Les Mondial de Nathalie Lete

You might recall that I went to Boston recently. I posted a few pics of what I saw, but failed to mention a trip to Anthropologie that catapulted me into a frenzy of research. A brief account into my investigative reporting follows...

While in Anthropologie, my sis found these adorable pink hand towels with the Eiffel Tower on them. We both scurried to find larger ones, but to no avail. They weren't made. She still got them for her girls' bathroom.

"Chat Chien" is at the bottom of the design, but the label is in Japanese. A search on Google didn't bring up anything with the information we had, so I knew there must have been something we were missing.

I was back in San Antonio, my sis in Boston, but I couldn't stop thinking about these towels. A visit to my local Anthropologie proved fortuitous as they had one remaining Eiffel Tower hand towel. I immediately purchased it, as well as a bird design. An adorable Paris plate that I couldn't resist (perfect for cookies) also found it's way into my bag. Upon further investigation, I discovered that they were all by the same designer!

After much searching (and subsequent purchasing), I am pleased to tell you about Nathalie Lete. Though she is new to me, I was, admittedly, slightly disappointed to find that she is no newcomer to the design scene. (I thought I had come upon an undiscovered gem! Design*Sponge and Decor8 are among the many that have already written about her.) Nonetheless, I felt a sense of accomplishment for having tracked her down.


Lete lives and works in Paris (oh to live and work in Paris). With the City of Light as her backdrop, she's got an endless amount of inspiration, but also looks to her travels and vintage toys (which she also collects).

Check out some shots of her workshop. It's like a craftster paradise.


She works in several different mediums including illustration, ceramics, textiles and paintings and from what I can tell, her creativity doesn't stop. I'd love to live in les modial (the world) of Nathalie Lete!

Enough words. Her work speaks for itself. (All images via Nathalie Lete unless otherwise indicated.)

Octopus via Apartment Therapy

Image via Famille Summerbelle

And I couldn't leave you without an image of the towels! Here they are in my store bathroom. It's hard to believe that those little things were responsible for such a flurry of activity. (I suppose that's my designer/retailer/researcher heart coming out!)

Click image to enlarge.

Viva la France!

To start us off....

I thought this postcard set from Yellow Owl Workshop was rather festive and fun. I like how it feels slightly traditional - a bit like "old school" France - but still manages to pull off a fresh execution of images such as Joan of Arc and the crests.

{Fashion Friday} Staying A-head

What happens when two stylists from LA come together? Well, I suppose a lot can happen, but in this case, I'm referring to a pair who is - shall we say - ahead of the game.

In 2008, friends and co-workers Jen and Jamie started ban.do. Inspired by vintage pieces and girly touches, they use feathers, rhinestones, brooches and ribbon to create masterpieces for the head.

Because of their immediate success with their head bands, they now offer several different styles for other feminine areas of your body including your neck (collars), chest (corsages) and waist (belts). And with funny names like "she likes drama" or "pink hotness" (a personal favorite), they are hard to resist.


If you are a pending bride, make sure and check out their bridal selection. Otherwise, throw one on for a night on the town. I imagine you'll be turning a few - ahem - heads.

Pop Goes the Placemat

I love all things pop up. I actually collect pop up books, a hobby which started not too long ago with one of Robert Sabuda's Christmas treasures. I must have 25 or so pop up books now, none of which are terribly old, but I'm still proud of my growing collection.

That's one reason why I'm also a huge fan of Publique Living's pop up placemats. Yes, you heard me. Placemats! I first saw them last year, but was thrilled to see their beautiful, new designs.

Dinner will never be the same.

Take A Dip

When we were kids, my grandmother would swim laps at Barton Springs in Austin, Texas during the summer. (Barton's is a famous pool fed from under ground springs. It averages 68 degrees year round and attracts all sorts, the likes of which include conservative legislators as well as old hippies who prefer to sunbathe in the buff.)

In her better years, Tootie would get her big-bosomed, petite figure in the frigid water to do her exercise. Her large, white, teased, bubble hairdo (pinned in the back with black bobbie pins, but still round and ever visible on top) would bob up and down as she scooted length to length doing the breast stroke. She was careful never to get her hair fully wet as this would require an additional trip to the beauty parlor (where she was already a faithful patron once a week).

I was reminded of my grandmother when I saw these images. Despite having no facial features, these women (and girl) all appear to feel comfortably relaxed and happy, much like my grandmother did when she came out of the water.




Images found on etsy by Kiki and Polly.

(limited editions x low prices) + the internet = art for everyone

20x200 brings artists together with buyers. Unlike traditional galleries, though, where art can cost several thousand dollars (and hardly affordable for your regular Betty like me), 20x200 keeps things on a cost-conscious level without sacrificing innovation, expression and creativity.

Jen Beckman, a gallery owner in the Lower East Side of NYC, developed the concept. When she first launched 20x200, the smallest size was reprinted in the largest batch – an edition of 200 – and sold at the lowest price – $20. Hence the name 20x200. Most images are now available in three sizes (which vary somewhat according to each artist). The bigger you get, the higher the price goes.

As I browsed the wonderful gallery of images, I came across a few that resonated with me.






You can purchase these (and other great prints) from here, but hurry. Pieces from 20x200 are only produced in limited quantities for a limited time (once they are gone, they are gone). New editions go online every Tuesday and Wednesday at 2 pm EST so check back often.

That's A Wrap

"Practical. Pretty. Tape." That's what TapeSwell is all about. Purveyors of decorative tape, these guys have created dozens of designs that are anything but dull, brown and tacky. Use them to make your packages prettier, or for other DIY crafts such as scrapbooking or picture framing.


Via Design Mom.

To Dry For

Some of us cook. Some of us clean. I fall into the latter category (though have fantasies about improving the former one). You can understand why, then, I was delighted to find these cup towels from To Dry For.


Drying the dishes has never been so fun! Find all the designs here. (Via Print & Pattern.)

Give Me the Names of Four Boys...

If you are my age (or close to my age), you'll remember the finger-operated fortune telling devices that we made out of notebook paper and then read on the playground.

After the tool was laboriously created (making sure that it was perfectly creased and folded), the "customer" would choose a handful of boys names, dwelling types, numbers and cities. The "fortune teller" would then insert the data into her folded hand-held device and the game began. After a series of back and forths, folds and unfolds, a final declaration was made: you will marry Trey P., live in a shack, in Paris, and have 26 kids.

Well, thanks to Sycamore Street Letterpress (and Design*Sponge who first posted this little lovely), you don't have to be on the playground anymore to enjoy such trivial fun. Thankfully, though, they've taken it to a new level.

The design is not only letterpressed, but the spaces are all filled in with witty and clever predictions. Ever wondered if Bob Saget loves you? Now you can know for sure.




Or tap into your younger years and create one of your own. Find the easy diagram below or refer here for step by step details.

Perfect for an invitation or gift, this creative and nostalgic trinket is sure to keep those you love entertained.

Feeling Blue?

Is the heat getting to you? Has the recession got you down? Are you feeling - well - blue?

Look no further than Jonathan Adler to help cheer you up.

London or Paris?

My friend, Catherine, turned me onto these adorable illustrated maps from Famille Summerbelle at Bodie and Fou. The blue is of London, the pink of Paris.


Thanks, Catherine!

Just Do It

I recently posted some images of motivational prints and posters of a different kind. I liked them because they were good reminders to get things done sans the corny and sentimental language. (I guess I'm not one for those kinds of messages.) There may have been a time and place for those but we've moved on. (Well, some of us have.)

Check out a similar set of statements: Mary Kate McDevitt's motivational chalkboards. In addition to being well-designed, there is an opportunity to change or update them on an as needed basis. (These images have made their way around the blog world, but I thought they were appropriate for modern girls everywhere.)




A little motivation should be encouraging and pretty, not so stogy. These are just that and you can purchase them here.

Stylish Stylists

In talking about Lila's Sip and See, it made me think about some of my favorite event planners/stylists. I've only listed a few - there are tons more out there - but I am especially envious of the talent represented below.

Amy Atlas
Amy Atlas owns and operates an event planning company out of NYC. Though she and her staff are capable of handling all aspects of your special event, it is her dessert tables that make an ultra sweet presentation.

Her work has been featured in all sorts of mags like In Style Weddings, Food and Wine and Biz Bash, as well as online outlets such as DailyCandy.

Rebecca Thuss
While you may not know Rebecca Thuss by name, you've certainly seen her work. As a Martha Stewart Omnimedia veteran (she was employed by the craft maven for 10 years), she's had plenty of experience in making things beautiful.


To say that she is simply a "stylist" would be vastly incomplete. No, Ms. Thuss is not only a stylist, but a photographer, a crafter, a creative director and a wedding planner.

And as if that wasn't enough, she and her husband also own ThussFerrell, a graphic design firm specializing in web design, branding and corporate identity.

Livia Cetti
Another Martha Stewart veteran, Livia Cetti is now the co-owner of The Green Vase in Santa Monica, CA. She is a highly skilled floral designer, photo stylist, crafster and event planner.


Though Livia runs The Green Vase with her mother, lucky for us she is still a Contributing Editor at Martha Stewart Weddings (which means that we still have access to her gorgeous work).

Sip and See: Lila Stuart

The reason I went to Boston last week was to help my sister. She's got an adorable 2-year old (Eleanor Louise) and just had her second beautiful baby girl (Lila Stuart) two months ago. My Mom and I threw a Sip and See for the new baby this past weekend and I thought - as the proud aunt and older sister - that I would help my sis travel back home with those babies.

This Sip and See has been in the works practically since my sister announced she was pregnant (at the start of her second trimester). While my Mom was responsible for putting the actual party together, I was responsible for designing the invitations.

I had such a great time thinking about what to design. I knew the invites had to be dainty, pink, somewhat old-fashioned, but still contemporary enough to feel fresh. Here's what we ended up with:


It was a side fold card. "Sweet pea" on the cover was inspired by the month of April's official flower. The color pink was a given and the color green was a natural fit. They were printed via letterpress by Inky Lips Letterpress on a beautiful thick, cotton-y cardstock by Crane's. (And the napkins we had done as an extra touch.)

The party decorations were a huge hit, too. My Mom had traveled to Mexico during this past winter and picked up several sets of darling plastic starburst streamers. Strung from the middle of the ceiling and secured at four corners with huge bunches of roses and lilies, it was a magnificent site. It felt a little like being in the middle of a striped carousel.

Underneath the middle of the ceiling, we placed a white, three-tiered cake with "Lila" written around each layer. The cake was placed on my Mom's cake plateau which was then placed on the pink striped tablecloth that was used for the bride's cake at my sister's wedding.


In addition to the cake, we served a variety of finger sandwiches, strawberries with creme fraiche, melon wrapped in prosciutto and homemade cheese sticks. Glasses of white wine and frozen pink lemonade with fresh mint leaves were passed. And a Mexican coffee bar was the perfect compliment to the cake.

The honoree, Lila, wore gold beads and one of her mother's baby dresses. Her sister, Ellie, was resplendent in her pink striped dress, her maternal grandmother's gold beads and her mother's pint-sized white gloves. All of the other female family members wore a beautiful combination of pink and white, while the gents dressed in blues and khakis.

All in all, it was a grand affair on so many levels. We are blessed with a healthy and happy family and live in a wonderful community of friends.

Lisa Bengtsson

Like so many creatives I'm already drawn to (e.g., the designers of Odd Molly and Swedish Hasbeens), Lisa Bengtsson hails from Sweden. She's a highly talented pattern designer and graphic artist.

Some of my all time favorite wallpaper was designed by Lisa. It's called "Familjen" ("The Family") and is based on how families frame and share special moments, thereby creating lifelong memories.

I'd love to see this in my hallway.


Of course, she's got a few others that I think are pretty divine, too.

Can't you see this pattern in a closet?


Or what about this one in a powder room?


Or this one in a little girls room?


Perfectly cheery and delightful.

Like White on Rice

Holly @ Decor8 wrote about Rice a couple of weeks ago. I came across another posting about the company again today while I was online, but I seemed to have forgotten where. Unfortunately, I can't properly credit that other blogger (sorry!), but I figured it was a sign to share a post about them with my readers.

Rice is a Danish store full of well-designed and colorful delights. Mostly homewares, it was started in 1998 in a garage by a Danish woman, her French husband and her Thai/Danish childhood friend. The company established its roots as fair trade certified and ten years later, this mantra still guides them.

It's reminiscent of things one might find at Anthropologie, but it goes one step further. It has that clean, high-design, Scandinavian feel that is so prevalent in products from Denmark and Sweden.

Simply looking at pictures of their products makes me feel like I'm a little girl in a candy store. And if you poke around the site long enough, you are sure to come across the stylized shots.

I love it when companies understand the importance of this type of branding. These shots (and actually making them available) can do wonders from a marketing standpoint. The images are not only fun to look at, but if they are good enough, the action practically guarantees that someone is going to mention them or write about them or buy from them.

All images courtesy of Rice

Can't you see these products paired in a shoot with Odd Molly and Swedish Hasbeens from Galeana? (Hey, I'm stuck to that idea like white on rice!)

Itty Bitty ...

A quick post to share these new pillows from Jonathan Adler. SEXY, SEXY, SEXY!