Style Inspiration of the Day

Interior of Chantal Thomass's boutique in Paris.

Alice in Wonderland Teabags

Cutest packaging ever!

Lolita: Sweet Dreams

These pillowcases designed by Sydney-based cartoonist Bei Badgirl add a mischievous, Nabokov twist to kawaii sweetness. Purchase these limited edition pillow cases through Stay at Home Club: http://stayhomeclub.com/products/bei-badgirl-pillow-case

Backyard Camping

The Honey Trees have inspired me. Once the weather gets nicer it would be so nice to camp out in the backyard with friends. Cath Kidston's tents with their retro-inspired patterns are perfect for the occasion. The teepee-style tent would also function well as a little reading haven in the corner of your bedroom.

The Honey Trees

Cath Kidston Cowboys Tent, $120

Q-Pot Chocolate Smart Phone

Who comes up with this stuff? Apparently Q-Pot. Why does one's smart phone have to look like a bar of chocolate? It's definitely frivolous, and I wonder if its decadent chocolatey exterior belies a shoddy and inefficient cellular technology--but who knows, it might just be the perfect phone. Anyways, do I want one? Yes! Check out Q-Pot's website for yourself: Q-Pot

Hello Kitty Appliances!

Scream! Hello Kitty kitchen and home appliances available at Target! Now, I'm not that much of a Hello Kitty fan (I'm being honest) but these are adorable. Go to your nearest Target now! P. S. the toaster is purrfect and works like a charm.

Hello Kitty Toaster, $19.00

Hello Kitty Microwave, $59.99

Hello Kitty Popcorn Maker, $129.99

Hello Kitty Sandwich Maker, $37.29

Hello Kitty Ultrasonic Cool Mist Humidifier, $35.99

Hello Kitty Sewing Machine, $124.99

California Move-In Part 1

When my sister came to visit me after I had moved to Berkeley, we decided to decorate my tiny room with pastel colors to create a light and airy mood. We tie-dyed crocheted doilies that I bought at my local dollar store to adorn the walls a la Free People. Then we bought packs of white hangers (also from the dollar store) and entwined them with polka dot fabric, adding bows at the center with fabric glue to spruce them up.

Alice Room

A fascinating look inside artist Meghan Boody's surreal New York loft. One of Boody's secret rooms is reminiscent of Alice's adventures in Wonderland with it's shrunken scale and doll-like decor. Ever since I saw this image on one of the blogs that I follow, Six Impossible Things (http://six-before-breakfast.blogspot.com/), I've been so inspired by this miniature hideaway and determined to create my own little "Wonderland" room complete with a four-foot door. I hope to fill it with curious objects and a little bed where I can feast my eyes and escape the real world whenever I grow tried of it.

Meghan Boody in one of her secret rooms. Photograph by Ofer Wolberger in New York

The Burning House

I was so inspired by Foster Huntington's website The Burning House, where people submit photographs of prized possessions that they would save were their house to be engulfed by flames, that I decided to go about my room and see what I would want beside me on the lawn as I watch my house go up in smoke. It's such a neat concept and it was refreshing and fascinating to see this idea realized on a universal scale with entries from all over the world. Each entry was touching and deeply revealing about their submitter.

Before having discovered this website, I had many times wondered as I was in bed or in the car what I would save if I only had a few minutes to collect my things before it was too late. It made me think of vanitas still-lifes and the uselessness of the things I had accumulated in my room, things of little necessity and yet which each mean something to me and the life I have created for myself. To think that in a moment, it could all be destroyed. However, there are a few irreplaceable items in my room that are of absolute importance to me--that I would risk my life to save. Of course, I would save my family and Gia first and foremost, but let's say they could save themselves. What then would I rush around dumping into a blanket?

Holly Golightly's Flat

Photo of Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's"

The sparse and just-moved-in charm of Holly Golightly's flat in the film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" can be easily achieved with a few key items and eccentric sleepwear. Canadian company Flavour Design now has a replica of Holly's infamous bathtub sofa starting at $3,500 (ouch!). How could something that seems salvaged from a junk yard cost so much? Luckily for us impoverished young people, etsy.com has a selection of handmade tub sofas at a price that won't break the bank. 

Holly's flat wouldn't be complete without a trunk disguised as a coffee table and a vintage suitcase tossed to the side topped with a rotary-dial telephone. For the finishing touches, add a few milk bottles to your fridge (and perhaps a pair of ballet flats), don a sleeping mask, tassel ear plugs, and a men's tuxedo shirt. Oh, and a cat named Cat would be purfect.

Read on to discover cheap items inspired by the Golightly lifestyle.