A NEW (NAUTICAL) YEAR

It's the New Year! Time for a fresh start! Even though those half-glass-empty prediction analysts keep telling us that most resolutions don't last more than a week. Ignore them! You can lose 25 pounds, learn French, win a marathon, become an astronaut, and win the lottery - all by next month! And you should look great doing it. You should dress like you're looking to a new horizon. Or sailing off into the sunset. In other words:  now is the time for nautical style. New resort collections are everywhere, but my favorite is Ann Taylor. And won't the great prices help you save on that other resolution - budgeting?

LOVE this necklace! Talk about stylish boat bling!

A few final stripes from Australian Vogue...

/Images/Ann Taylor/Australian Vogue via swingfashionista.com/ Deck picture, thefashionimaginarium.blogspot.com/

OLD THINGS FOR A NEW YEAR: THREE UNDER $30

Where are you going this year?

Paper is out. Care to read? Pick up a Kindle! Want to write a note? iPad! Need to jot something in your calendar? I'll take a piece of paper, thank you. Because there's nothing as satisfyingly human as attempting to decipher whether you scrawled "3 cups sugar" or "8 wups super" on your grocery list. Entertainment value aside, big leather agendas these days cost as much as a fancy tech gadget. So if your New Year's resolution includes watching your budget and pounds (which could be the same thing, if you're British), invest in a pad - an inexpensive paper one. Here are the best bets for making chicken scratch stylish on the cheap.

1) Bang for the Buck:  Lilly Pulitzer, $24.95. Perfect for the professional (multiple calendars!), student (includes a full school year in addition to the calendar year), and mommies (lots of note space and a few stickers for the kids), it's also a steal. The thick cover withstands more abuse than most leathers, and you won't feel sad about a few ink stains soiling the inside. Comes in two sizes.

2) Over-informed:  Jonathan Adler's paper agenda, $18.95, comes stocked with daily, weekly, and monthly options, as well as odd bits of information. But why not? Adler makes your pillows, PDA, and pottery fabulous - let him do the same for your day. 

3) Living dangerously:  the Kate Spade spiral desktop calendar, $20.00. Peppered with charming illustrations by artist Jenny Bowers, this planner has months of pizzaz - but only a few days of writing space. For those who either keep only a few engagements, or write very, very, very small, it is grid-month calendars only. Just bring along a magnifying glass!

BONUS - The Lightweight. If you're one of those rare creatures who can carry a clutch without stashing all your extra needies in a) your car, b) your pockets, or c) your boyfriend's pockets, this is the agenda for you! Moleskine's classic design, the Colour a Month Planner, $20.00, is divided into 12 separate notebooks. When January's done, toss it onto the shelf and move on to a new month and a shiny new notebook in a bright color. A fresh start every 30 days!

/Images: picture one, Kate Spade. Others, all companies as attributed./

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD

If Santa Claus can go around the world in one night, why can't we travel the Christmas decorations of the world in one blog post? Tell Rudolph to polish his nose, and grab a cup of hot coco - we're going to see some beautiful sites!

Paris, Galeries Lafayette

 Rome, The Vatican 

Rome, Piazza Navona

Rome, The Colosseum 

London, The London Eye

London, Westminister Abbey

The Mall, Washington, DC

China, The Bird's Nest

Hope you enjoyed the trip! Merry Christmas friends!

/Images: Paris, venere.com/ Vatican, smtkofc.org/ Piazza Navona, discoveryguidedtours.com/ Colosseum, motelcorsi.it/ London eye, freechristmaswallpapers.net/ Westminister Abbey, photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/ Washington mall, dc.about.com/ China, newshopper.sulekha.com, original Associated Press./

BEAUTIFUL THINGS

Woe is me. With a bad cold and a hectic schedule, I haven't been out to many parties this season! Right now, I'm just looking forward to a cozy evening with hot chocolate and wrapping presents - because I have to get things done (these fabulous gifts won't wrap themselves). So what's a girl looking for fun to do? Plan for New Year's, of course! Now's the time to take advantage of those marvelous Christmas sales for New Year's cheer - pile on the bling with bracelets, load up on luxurious watches, and garland yourself with necklaces. After all, 'tis the season to shine!

Ann Taylor

Talbots

Kate Spade

Ann Taylor

Anthropologie

Images, companies cited. Gold foil, heathersanimations.com. *luxurious watches is a paid advertisement.

COLD WEATHER STYLE

It happens at the worst times - first it's the sniffles, then that cloudy, rather lost feeling, followed by a desire to become prone on whatever the nearest, softest, flat surface happens to be. Oh, the winter cold. All is not lost! Turn on the telly, grab your coziest robe, and cuddle up to these stylish cold-relievers, guaranteed to make you feel that the world is a little less cruel.

P.S. And even if you're not feeling sick - these treats will make for a relaxing weekend!

/SHOPPING/1. Michael Kors Jet Set Slippers/ 2. Otis Batterbee Eye Mask/ 3. Butterflies and Vines Herbal Heat Packs/ 4. Vintage Domino Magazines/ 5. Tea Forte Ginger Lemongrass Tea/ 6. Michael Aram Botanical Tea Pot/ 7. Lynx Faux Fur Throw/ 8. Clayton Gray Home Aqua Tissue Box/ 9. Jo Malone Citrus Candle/ 10. Kate Spade Illustrated Mug Series/

MY HEART IS IN PIECES

I'm waiting for a Hollywood director to make a thriller based on a girl who constantly haunts shopping websites - and then, mysteriously, gets sucked in and haunts them FOR REAL.

SCENE

A mod loft in TriBeCa. Late evening. We see a white laquer parson's desk piled with several issues of Vogue and a Prada handbag. In the center is an open Macbook Air.

Fashionable girl: [sitting down at desk] "I'm just going to click 'buy' and order this fabulous hand-loomed ikat pillow from Uzbekistan! It's perfect for my new Baker couch!"

[eery music]

The haunting, pixilated face of a woman appears on the screen. 

Fashionable girl: "EEEEEEeeeeeeeeek!" 

The pixilated face mouths "noooo," swipes the coveted pillow from the shopping cart, and disappears.

Fashionable girl: [weeping] "Now I'll never have my beautiful imported throw pillow!"

END SCENE

Yes, it would be a really scary movie. Especially if the Baker couch was in a very hard to match color. Anyway, I spend a lot of time "haunting" my favorite home decor websites, and one of my favorite spots is Pieces. Founded by Atlanta interior designer and tastemaker Lee Kleinhelter, Pieces features a mix of stunning vintage and modern favorites, and it's one of those websites that ALWAYS has something you want. One of those websites you do NOT visit when your bank account is low but your mood is ebullient. (It also has great shopping features, like a search engine just for colors.)

Dear Santa: please shop here.

Their website is so great, I thought the bricks and mortar version in Atlanta had to be even better - and it was. Prepare for some pretty!

A set of Jonathan Adler chairs cozy up to the table.

Flame stitch pillows in white arm chairs flank a pink murano lamp.

A gorgeous metallic speckled cowhide rug. I'm obsessed with these - remember?

The store mascot: a white Golden. He matches the pillows!

This stunning couch is vintage, repainted in a beautiful white laquer.

For shopping (and most of the items picture above), visit here. Happy haunting!

P.S. The customer service is also great. I had a thank you note for stopping by in my inbox before I even got home!

/Images/my own, courtesy of Pieces/

CHRISTMAS LANTERNS

I've been traveling quite a bit lately, but I'm glad to be stopping for a brief respite to decorate for Christmas with my Mom! At my parents' home, Christmas has always had a bit of an Asian flair. They lived in the East for years, and collected some truly beautiful decorations, like these exquisite golden lanterns.

These are also lovely - dozens of painted little paper lanterns with dancing tassels.

In the dining room, a set of golden pagoda lights delight some kabuki dolls.

I love these lantern lights so much that I would love some of my own. Unfortunately, they're rather impossible to find, but here are some options available in less ornate styles.

/Collapsable lantern lights/ bronze pagodas /bamboo box lights/ lattice work lights /large round lanterns/ box lights/ pagoda ornament/ homemade lights via Flickr (for a how-to, click HERE)/

The lanterns we decorated with are Japanese, but of course, the Chinese do beautiful lantern art as well. Here are some gorgeous examples from an exhibit a few years ago at Taipei 101 (photos by Theresa). Beautiful!