Candle on the Water

Officially speaking, I'm not supposed to have candles where I live. Something about a fire hazard; I'm not sure what. However, that doesn't keep me from dreaming about the day when I can have any flammable material I want in my home. When that time comes, I might pick up this pair of sleek candlesticks:

They're so totally my style, from the stainless steel to the precise construction. I'd put them on the dining table, or perhaps on a fireplace mantle (fire plus fire equals fun, I guess?). And I'd light the candles every night, basking in the glow of my non-regulated home.

Buy through American Château for $14.99.

Image via American Château.

-Cate-

Shaken, not Stirred

Maybe this isn't the kind of thing you should tell people on the Internet, but I have an addiction. It's a long-standing one--started in high school--and it's even worse than my dependence upon matryoshka. Yes, gentle readers, I am hooked on birds. 

I'm not a birder by any means, partly because I'm not that motivated, and partly because the two main sources of avian pleasure for me are flamingos and penguins. Pretty much any item shaped like or branded with one of those two birds will catch my attention. (In fact, there are several flamingos lurking about my apartment as we speak. Plush, not real, which is kind of a shame.) So of course I'm lusting after this penguin cocktail shaker:

Seriously, guys, I'm dying here--it's too perfect, like half 1960s, half The Wrong Trousers, and 100 percent whimsy. If I had more parties (or, you know, ANY parties), I do believe I'd use this at all of them, if only as decoration. After all, if nothing else, it's a great conversation piece!

Buy through Barnes and Noble for $37.46.

Image via Barnes and Noble.

-Cate-

PS Speaking of penguins, how much do I want this to happen to me?