But No Elephants?

I'm a big fan of salt and pepper shakers. Since I haven't blogged about any recently, I thought I'd restart the trend with these beauts from kate spade:

Look at these cute little things! Their scrollwork ears and teeny tiny trunks are so adorable I just want to squeeze them. As it is, I'll recommend simply shaking them. Would you bring these elephants into your home?

Buy through kate spade for $30.00.

Image via kate spade.

-Cate-

The Cutest Couple on the Block

You all know how I love me some salt and pepper shakers. And here's another set to add to my ever-growing mental collection: the Mr. and Mrs. Shakers from Anthropologie!

I dare you to tell me those aren't adorable! Whether you buy them for yourself or as a present (either for newlyweds or lovebirds celebrating their anniversary), they are sure to elicit a smile and a sigh of happiness. Or maybe that's just how it goes in my head because I think salt and pepper shakers are the shit.

Buy through Anthropologie for $48.00.

Image via Anthropologie.

-Cate-

Chop, Chop

Sushi is a wonderful thing. No, seriously. It's delicious. And it's not bad for you like so many popular foods. (While there is, of course, a risk of foodborne illness due to the raw nature of some of the ingredients, the vast majority of sushi restaurants are extremely careful about the way they prepare such items.) And while I love going out for a nice meal at a sushi bar, it is not always possible for me to do so, especially ever since my sushi buddy moved away. Sometimes, I am forced to eat my avocado rolls in the comfort of my own home. But, you know, eating sushi with a fork just isn't at all glamorous or even particularly practical.

Last summer, I had an awful lot of free time on my hands. So one day, I decided to go around town looking for packages of single-use chopsticks, like the kind you get at a Chinese restaurant, so I could have a better at-home sushi experience. No dice. I went to five or six stores; no one had them, not even  the ever-trustworthy Gordon Food Service down the road. That's when I started searching online. And I found this totally fantastic website called Mrs. Lin's Kitchen. Mrs. Lin, whoever she is, sells some pretty cool things. Among other items, you can find Asian tea sets, home decor, and--drumroll--a very fine selection of chopsticks. 

I bought a pair for myself, a very pretty rosewood set that has since been damaged (totally my fault) and can't for the life of me find on the website. If I am lucky, I will be able to repair them. If not, I will have to choose a new set. But with so many options, I feel confident that I can find another pair to suit my tastes.

Check out Mrs. Lin's selection of chopsticks and tell me which ones are your favorites!

-Cate-

PS I recently had a birthday, and thought I should give my small but dedicated readership an update on some previous posts, given some of my presents!

1) About two weeks ago, I discussed the iPod Nano from Apple. My brother, sister-in-law, aunt, and grandmother were awesome enough to chip in together to get me the pink one, and it is super-cute and fun!

2) In my second post ever, I bemoaned the discontinuation of my Corelle pattern, Scandia White. When my mother heard about this, she immediately snapped into Action Mom mode and found two of the serving pieces for me! Although I'm still upset that I don't have the Scandia White salt and pepper shakers, I am terribly thrilled to have these new dishes!

My Little China Girl

Two years ago or so, my grandmother bequeathed her lovely pansy china to my mother, and I went down to the house with Mom to help her pack it up and take it back to our home. During the course of the afternoon, we chatted, of course. And then my grandmother asked me if I had chosen a china pattern for myself.

Okay, stop. Rewind. A china pattern? I was then, and remain now, romantically unattached. Apparently she was unaware, because when I told her that I wasn't even dating anyone, she responded with an absolutely incredulous, "You aren't?"

Yeah.

But the truth was, I had put some thought into it, because that's what I do--I think about things I want, as you might have noticed while reading this blog. So I made some vague response, since I had never actually physically looked at china, about wanting plain white dishes with a silver or platinum band.

Later on, I decided to do a bit of research in order to form a more coherent reply, and I eventually settled on Lenox Federal Platinum dinnerware. The simplicity of it is stunning; although there are no flourishes, the delicate yet purposeful curves give just the right flair to the cups, sugar bowl, creamer, gravy boat, and teapot. Also, the collection features many serving pieces, including bowls, platters, and coffee mugs. Best of all, a set of salt and pepper shakers is available, and I have written before about how much I love matching salt and pepper shakers.

This china perfectly suits me and my style. Perhaps someday I will have an excuse to ask for some of it (at least eight place settings, please, so that I can have some boss dinner parties)!

Buy a five-piece place setting through Macy's for $143.00.

-Cate-

Let There Be Plates

About a year and a half ago, I picked out a set of everyday dishes for myself with some help from my mother. The pattern I chose was Scandia White from Corelle, which I've been given to understand actually originated as a CorningWare pattern. My grandmother purchased the dishes for me as a Christmas present. The good news is that CorningWare is still producing some baking and serving pieces in this set. The bad news, which to me is actually kind of devastating? Corelle has apparently stopped production of the dishes themselves.

I really like my Scandia White dishes. Mom and I agreed that it 1) fit my style and 2) would serve me well for a long time. For those of you who are not familiar with Corelle, it is pretty much indestructible. In fact, Mom swears by the brand and has had only two different sets of their dishes in my lifetime (the second of which has a pattern that was only very recently discontinued, and she's had it for at least 15 years), and my grandmother's set has been around for as long as I can remember. But my set? It's incomplete. In fact, it's pretty drastically so. I only have 16 pieces--four each of luncheon plates, dinner plates, salad/soup bowls, and mugs. Of course, this is more than enough for now, since it's just me living on my own. The plan was to buy a second set of 16, along with some of the baking and serving pieces, when I moved into a bigger place or got married. I especially wanted the matching salt and pepper shakers, because I think that shakers are some of the most best accessories a person can use to change up the look of a table or dining room without going overboard.

Luckily, there is a good chance that I will not need any more dishes for quite some time. But still.

When the time comes to expand the set, I may branch out into the Pure White. It is the same shape and color as Scandia White but without the details that make the Scandia White so cool. But for now, I shall mourn the loss of my favorite.

-Cate-