Dream Destinations

Over the past few weeks I've had the opportunity to travel to some fabulous destinations - destinations I've been dreaming about since I was a little girl. Now it's your turn to do a little dreaming . . . and hopefully some planning too.

The latest book release from LIFE comes in the form of a stunning, oversized hardcover book - Dream Destinations: 100 of the World’s Best Vacations. I dare you not to dream. I dare you not to fall in love with these exotic locations, iconic landmarks and little-known gems. There are over 100 alluring photos complemented with evocative text of the culture, history, cuisine, accommodations, lifestyle and lore of each storied locale.

Dream Destinations is available at www.life.com/dreams and wherever books are sold for $29.95. Your coffee table has never looked so good.

I'm still here

I promise I'm still alive. I have been traveling non-stop for the past few weeks. I'll be back up with fabulous items for the summer next week.

For Mom: Spa Day

Cards, flowers and gift certificates. There is nothing wrong with getting these for Mom - in fact, I think Mom will appreciate just about anything from you. But, if you're going to go the gift certificate route, do something special that your Mom wouldn't splurge for herself. My favorite is a Spa Day. Any woman would love a facial, massage, scrub, wax, mani, pedi . . .

Use SpaFinder.com to read reviews of local spas in your Mom's area as well as buy a gift certificate. And maybe even you could buy one for yourself.

For Mom: Oval Stoneware Basket

Mother's Day is on Sunday, so this week is all about Mom. I always love giving my mom something for the kitchen. She will always use it, and there are so many great products out there that she would never buy herself. I love this Oval Stoneware Basket from Williams-Sonoma. It is a beautiful alternative to an old basket. Plus, you can place the basket directly into the oven to keep the bread warm.

Available in turquoise, kiwi, pink, cherry red, porcelain blue and white for $49 at Williams-Sonoma.com.

Nambé Planar Bud Vase

Spring flowers are blooming, and I think a lovely vase would be a great gift to welcome spring - or a wonderful Mother's Day gift. I love this Planar Bud Vase design by Karim Rashid from Nambé . The full-lead crystal vase has a fanning effect at the opening allowing your arrangement to fall softly along the sides of the crystal. Making any bouquet even more beautiful.

Nambé makes museum-quality art a part of daily life, combining fine materials with hand craftsmanship and design from the world’s most esteemed designers. Check out their Web site - everything is gorgeous.

The Planar Bud Vase is $80.

Tom Ford Sunglasses

I'm kind of obsessed with these Tom Ford Sunglasses. Everywhere I look I see them.

This is the Whitney model, available here for $360.

Reisenthel Bags

I know I have written about a lot of solutions to the paper vs. plastic debate, but I just discovered Reisenthel and have to share. Plus it's Earth Day!

This Reisenthel Mini Shopper is super small and light. Just pop it in your purse (you won’t even notice it’s there) and then it can quickly unfold into a convenient carry-all when you need it. Folded the shopper is 5 ½” by 2 ½” by 2 ½” and the open to 25” by 15 ¾” by ½”.


All Reisenthel bags have a unique design and range from shopping bags to foldable trolleys, bottle-holders and totes.




Reisenthel also has great storage bins, trash cans, laundry bags, magazine storage and more.

Check them out at Reisenthel.com.

Happy Earth Day! And I also think this is a great Mother's day gift - a gift for mom that also helps Mother Earth. :)