My summer theme song by Sam Sparro, titled “Black and Gold,” inspired me to create some style guides that are sure to have you looking like the chic-est beauty at the beach this year. ‘Black and gold’ is very old-school gaudy glam and of course my motto for wearing it is, “go big or go home.” I love the look of black and gold swimwear paired with huge chunky jewelry to match. It’s over the top, but it works. (Hey, atleast I’m not suggesting that you finish off the look with some gold lame’ stilettos for your next game of beach volleyball!) The suits are sexy and the jewelry’s affordable, so be sure to check out both lists of products for a new sexy look for this season. My fave: gold cuff bracelets on each wrist. Hottt!

Suit: Black by Despi 2009
Cuff: Dereon Mini Fleur de Lis Leather Cuff

I’m a personal fan of the following types of products:

• anything that displays the word “homeboy” on it
• talking action figures
• anything un-politically correct

Throw Jesus into the mix and I’m in heaven! Based on the items in the Jesus is My Homeboy buyer’s guide, Jesus seems like he’d be a fun guy to party with. I’m pretty sure he was the life of every party back in the day. Check out my awesome miscellaneous Jesus finds and let me know what you think. This stuff makes for great friend presents come birthday or holiday season.

Above: Lookin’ Good For Jesus Mini Kit, Jesus Saves!…The Party T-Shirt, Grow Jesus Because He Is AWESOME, Hottie Jesus White T-Shirt, Jesus Talking 12 Inch Biblical Figure.

P.S.

Having just created my own registry, and making an ongoing list of possible registry items over the past few weeks, I thought that I’d go through and pick out some registry necessities. Even if you feel like you have everything, you have to remember, now is the time to go for things that you may not normally splurge on for yourselves.

Bed and Bath
Frette linens have the splurge department covered- they are by far the most amazing bed linens I’ve ever slept on. Their famous Frette Hotel Collection is 100% Egyptian cotton, 200 thread count and comes in classic styles. Frette also makes amazing towels in 100% thick and absorbent Turkish cotton.  With your new towels, spice up your bathroom experience with the Yuzu Jasmine Hand Soap and Lotion duo. If you decide to go with Frette linens, you may want to add a little pattern to your bedroom with a graphic patterned Marimekko Lehtimaja duvet cover available at Crate and Barrel. They also have complete matching sets if you want to get pillow shams and sheets.

Kitchen
I am a firm believer in spending a little more for quality kitchen ware. Most quality stainless steel kitchen goods will last nearly a lifetime and you’ll find that they actually make cooking easier. You’ll never regret having a good All-Clad stainless steel, heavy-bottom sauce pan or saute pan- it’s amazing heat conductivity will insure consistent heat disbursement, saving you from charred sauces and the like. A good set of Shun Knives, if sharpened regularly, will last forever. And for the baker in the household, a KitchenAid Mixer will always come in handy. There are so many different attachments for the mixer- you can do anything from making fresh pasta to crushing ice. Don’t forget the NordicWare Bundt Pan. Everyone needs to be able to make bundt cake!

Dining and Entertainment
All entertainers should have some crystal wine glasses on hand. Even if you keep them boxed up for special occasions, they are good to have. My favorite glasses are made by Riedel and come in a set of two. You’ll also need to have a crystal decanter like the one from Schott Zweisel. Crate and Barrel’s Cove Dinnerware and accessories (like the Cove Pitcher), although simple in white or blue, will ensure a sophisticated dining experience while letting the food speak for itself.  To dress up your table top a little more while keeping it simple, grab some interesting tea-light holders like the Pixie Candleholder and the Chilewich Bamboo Placemats that come in a variety of colors and shapes and clean up really easily.

I found most of my these registry must haves at Macy’s, Crate and Barrel, Sur La Table and Williams-Sonoma, but there are a ton of great places out there create a gift registry. Drop me a line if you have any must-haves that I’ve missed!

It’s not too early to start thinking about two major June events that usually require some sort of thoughtfulness on your part: Father’s Day and Graduation. This is especially true if you’re shopping for a Dad or Grad gift online (need to factor in shipping time). I have created shopping guides to help you find the perfect gift to surprise your loved ones with this year. For Father’s Day ideas, take a look at my Father’s Day Gift Guide. For guy graduation presents, click on my Guy Grad Gift guide. And for graduation gifts for ladies, check out Girl Grad Gifts.

P.S. Father’s Day is on June 21st this year!

Shown (L-R): Dad/Father Frame, Fog-Free Mirror with AM/FM Radio, Graduation Caricature Print, USB Tulip Hub, Wake Up iPod Speaker and Alarm Clock, and Grad Guy Bobblehead.

Today, I happened to stumble upon Bestow, a unique gift, personal accessories, and decorative home boutique. The best way to desribe the products at Bestow, in my opinion, is a ‘cross between circus/goth and raunchy/romantic.’ This wide-variety boutique offers items, which I’ve included in my Seductive Gifts for Ladies and Home Decor and Accessories guides, that would make very unique and special gifts to bestow upon your loved ones or yourself!

Pictured (L-R): Fruits of Cornucopia Eau de Parfum, The Circus 1870-1950, Vice Canister-Downers, Message Pillow ‘Love’, Jeweled Zebra Pillbox, Fruits of Cornucopia Hand/Body Wash.

SHOP FAIRIES HERE

My favorite theory on the origins of fairies comes from the author, J.M. Barrie, who wrote: “. . . when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.” I enjoy decorating my home and garden with unique and whimsical fairy figurines to remind me of these peaceful mythological creatures. I have added some wonderful fairy products to Kazowie, which you may view here. These items make great gifts for any collector of whimsical and wonderful fairies.

Shown, clockwise from left: Itsy Bitsy Petal Fairy Figure, Don’t Piss Off The Fairies Engraved Sign, A Fairy’s Secret Place Sculpture, The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies, and Fiona- the Flower Fairy Sculpture.

In my search for vintage country-themed rooster kitchen decor, I was pleasantly surprised to find a vast array of modern kitchen decor featuring the rooster as well. Since ancient times, the rooster has been a symbol of watchfulness, pride, courage, flamboyance, and vigiliance, among other things. Today, many have chosen to adorn their kitchens with rooster decor in the adorable traditional, French country-style. In my Rooster Theme Kitchen Decor shopping guide, I have included both modern and rustic kitchen furnishings.

The Italian Ceramic Rooster Pitcher makes a great housewarming gift, as it symbolizes good fortune and protection from danger. If you purchase this pitcher, it comes with the legend of the ceramic rooster pitcher written on a small scroll. It is an interesting story from the Renaissance period and the pitcher makes a precious gift!
Pictured: from top left: French Rooster Clock, Coq Au Vin Rooster Kitchen Flour Sack Dish Towel - Set of 3, Kitchen Rooster Canister Set of 4 Country Style, JK Adams Novelty Rooster Cutting Board, Old Dutch 2-Tone Rooster Design Standing Paper Towel Holder, Rooster Message Board, Rooster Wall Clock, and (below) Ricco Deruta Italian Ceramic Rooster Pitcher.

What do bullets, chicks, and weed have in common?

It’s probably not what you’re thinking. . . I’ve never done this before, but I added almost 50 products to one buyer’s guide on Kazowie today. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. And you’re going to think I’m weird when you see the particular item that piqued my interest so much. . .

The buyer’s guide is called 47 Cool Ice Cube Trays. Why? Because there are 47 products, the items are all ice cube trays, and they’re all really cool, believe it or not. I never really thought much about investing in uniquely shaped ice cube molds, but if you’re throwing a party or want to spice up your daily cold beverage, this is the way to go. They’ll make an impression. I’ve included the most inexpensive ice trays I could find on my guide because you’re probably going to want to buy more than one tray of a certain shape, especially if you’re serving up drinks for several people. (It would be a shame to run out of dinosaur fossil cubes and have to switch back to REGULAR ice halfway through the party! Tacky.)

And get this: all the silicone trays featured in the guide also double as jello molds, chocolate molds, baking trays, or even butter-shapers (melt, pour, refrigerate)!

I also found these sick Progressive Ice & Slice ice cube trays, which involve putting slices of lemon or lime in the tray’s wells and allowing ice to form around the slices. If you’re as excited as I am about this, click 47 Cool Ice Cube Trays and select View Per Page: 50! That way, you can scroll through and enjoy all these awesome ice trays at a glance. You will not regret this.

Shown (L to R):Pi Symbol Ice Cube Trays, Fossiliced Dinosaur Ice Cube Tray, Fred Cool Jazz Ice Cube Tray, Silicone Alphabet Letter Ice/Bay Tray Set.

Weren’t floppy disks a cool invention? You could store tons of stuff on them and pop them out at the end of the day so you didn’t waste memory space on your precious computer. USB flash drives are the new floppy disks, except they’re smaller, cooler, and more portable.

They now come in tons of novelty shapes and sizes, because computer geeks like to have fun too. I think one of these puppies would make a cool gift for someone going away to college or someone who just purchased their first computer.

Pictured: An Owl USB Drive, USB Sports Shoe Drive, Sushi USB Drive.

“My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it.” - Mark Twain

With Mother’s Day around the corner, I thought I’d do some preliminary shopping to find a cool and unique gift for my mom. Seeing as how shopping for Mom is not always easy, especially for the one who has everything, I put together a well-rounded list of little household goods, clothing, accessories and art.

Pick Your Mom Style:

Traditional Mom: The Mother’s Birthstone Necklace is something that you could go in on with siblings. Mom will love it and it solves the problem of siblings trying to out-do each other.

Young at Heart Mom: Since some Mom’s wouldn’t buy Uggs for themselves for fear of trying to seem too young, it might be a good idea to buy them for her. The Lo Pro Button Boot is a perfect way for Mom to have a pair that don’t look like everyone else’s Uggs.

Earthy Mom:The Heath Bud Vases , the Felted Wool Nesting Bowls , or the Urchin Bowls could be perfect for the natural mom.

Contemporary Mom: For the Mom who appreciates unique and interesting art pieces,  the Outline Vase, The Table Stories by Tord Boontje or the Flying Colors Print by Ann Tarentino are great little pieces to match Mom’s artsy personality

What’s your Mom Type??