Thomas Paul Melamine Plates

Oh, Melamine.  How my heart soars to think of you.  You are so tough and cool.  Not even my 4-year-old destructive dynamo can break you - and believe me - he's tried.

Today, dear friends, I offer you the most delightful of melamine plates by Thomas Paul.  Available in many different patterns, these offer sophistication in the form of plastic resin.  Behold the collection "Artifacts":

Looking for something a bit more whimsical?  Try the charming take on Russian nesting dolls, "Folk":

My particular favorite is the spooky "Gothic."  My sweet husband started my obsession when he bought me the "Gothic" tray:

Beautiful, isn't it?  And completely practical for all parties that may include the butterfinger guest with a tendency to break your favorite dishes.

For those who love a splash of color, check out "Aviary":

Dig 'em, but don't want to dine off them? Consider hanging them on the wall as artwork:

They're fun, they're playful, and if they fall on your kid's head, it won't require a visit to the emergency room.

Would you believe this isn't even a fraction of the choices they offer?  They have melamine to suit the taste of nearly everyone.  View more at www.ThomasPaul.com/melamine

Not only will you find melamine plates, you can even be matchy-matchy and buy many of the patterns as artwork, pillows, totes, stationary, etc.

You can usually find them for around $30 for a set of four on many websites.  Just Google "Thomas Paul plates" and select the shopping tab.  Gothic can be purchased from http://www.target.com/ 

They are dishwasher-safe, but do not, do not, do not microwave them!

Happy shatter-free dining!

Cloud B Twilight Turtle

Remember those star stickers you could buy and paste all over your bedroom ceiling and walls?  They were kind of dirty yellow during the day, but at night they transformed your room into a glowing den of stellar projections.  Only problem was that those doggone stickers were nearly impossible to pull off the ceiling without taking the drywall with 'em. 

Well friends, problem solved: introducing the Twilight Turtle.

This adorable, hard shell turtle projects an entire starry night sky onto your ceiling and walls.  You even get 8 constellations, perfect for the astronomy geek in your life.  Choose from three soothing colors: blue, green or amber, and gaze in amazement at your starry, starry night. 

This is the perfect gift for kids (and me.)  The turtle acts as the ideal night light and conveniently shuts off after 45 minutes.  Want more time?  Press the button on the back and it kicks on for another 45 minutes. 

Don't like turtles?  Try the Twilight Ladybug:

This luminous beauty has the same function but shines in sapphire blue, emerald green and ruby red.  Any girl would adore this; I even had to buy my own mama one!

Last, but not least, if you're kid really digs ocean animals, choose the Twilight Sea Turtle:

Once again, same functionality, but this turtle projects in ocean blue, emerald green, or a combination of both.  Unlike the others, the sea turtle features five endangered sea animals pictured on the shell; each individually illuminates.  Best yet, a portion of this purchase goes to an international wildlife organization. 

Three great, award-winning choices that serve as a night light, showers your room in stars and constellations, and each comes with their own storybook.  Find a store near you at http://www.cloudb.com/ or buy online from any number of web stores.  The price runs about $35 for each, but I found the Twilight Turtle for only $15.99 at http://www.buy.com/  That's a steal folks!

Warning: if you're anything like me, you may find yourself stealing this from your kid's bedroom after they've drifted on to dreamland.

Puma Sabadella II Sequin Flats

This is my most favorite buy in a long time.  Is it a ballet flat?  Is it a sneaker?  Turns out, it's a little of both. For a gal like me, who considers shopping to be my own personal sport of choice, these are a no-brainer.  Sporty flats + sequins = fabulous.

These bad boys make you walk a little taller and put some strut in your step.  If you really want to liven things up, choose the red:

Sadly, they are really hard to find these days.  I managed to score a pair from Nordstroms a couple of months ago.  If you have the foot of a Munchkin, there's still a size 5.5 available at http://www.shoezoo.com/

Slide these on, meet the rest of your Lollipop Guild, and show them the meaning of swagger.

Mini Monkey Flap Hat

I defy anyone who has a small child to resist this adorable hat. 

Made by a Canadian mom of four, these hats are are ultra-warm and so clearly superior to anything you could find at the mall for your kid.  This hat oozes personality.  It says, "Hey there folks!  Look no further; I'm the most darling little angel you've ever seen!" 

Personal exhibit A, my own little angel:

Scarlett is wearing the fetching chocolate monkey flap hat, trimmed in cherry, with the adorable add-on flower.  Wearing this hat makes her the veritable belle of the ball, with all compliments it garners her. 

Yes, I do live vicariously through my child. 
And you can too! 

And don't worry, you parents of small boys, they make them in all kinds of colors, sans flower.  Every baby is cuter when he or she looks like a monkey, that's just all there is to it.

You can order them online through Etsy, the ridiculously wonderful perveyor or all things handmade at http://www.citefuzz.etsy.com/

Hipstamatic iPhone App

It's like taking pictures on a plastic camera, except it's on your phone and it makes all of your shots look wicked cool.  (Shout out Boston.)

I am deeply devoted to my Hipstamatic;it allows me to take shots that almost make me look like my life is hip, fun and carefree. 

Or, alternately, I might be brooding and mysterious.

Brooding and mysterious is awesome when in reality you're a 34 year-old mama of two that barely manages to get makeup on most days.

I can even make my kids look super-hip.

Come on, that picture of Jack could have been made in 1980 for all you know.

The best part is that you can swap lenses, film and flash setting, depending on what you've purchased.  For the initial $1.99, you get 3 lenses, 3 types of film and 2 flash settings.  You can add more packs with different effects for a mere $.99 each.  That's a whole heap of fun for about $6 total and a whole lot less fattening than the venti loca mocha carmelito you'd spend the same amount on.  Turn your boring old cell phone pics into vintage, rock-and-roll fun today! 

http://www.hipstamaticapp.com/

Stuff I Fancy

I'm starting this blog for no other reason that to force myself to write more often. I have a degree in journalism that cries out over the injustice I've served it from not actually becoming a journalist. I have another blog about my cupcaking passion, but, frankly, I'm not interested in sharing all my secrets every day. So, it's time to get down to business and blog about stuff I fancy.

I am no one special or important, but I do have one thing that makes me valuable: I am a marketer's dream.

Trust me, I will just about buy anything if there's a good hook to it.

Ice cubes that light up and change colors? Check. Just think of how pretty the glassware will glow! Oh, the ambiance!

Kitty water fountain? Sign me up! My little Brodie angel deserves fresh water that's also fun to drink, plus, the darned thing is pink. Double-score!

" Married the Man from Nantucket" t-shirt? Well, who could resist that, especially since I was in Nantucket and it made a great gift.

I live by the firm belief that one should never let anything be ordinary. I consider my taste to be delightfully tacky in some ways, yet always interesting.

Therefore, I will use this blog to post the things that I dig and think are worth checking out.

I hope you enjoy and email me if you think there is something that scream "Jennifer, add me to your collection of crap!" I promise you, there's a good chance I might.