No, I’m not talking about potted plastic plants. With wall decals, you can bring an entire tree inside your home and stick it right on the wall for a modern, unique take on home decor. And it’ll never die! If you get tired of your decal, even if it’s been years since you applied it to the wall, you can easily remove it without damaging the wall surface. Check out my Nature Wall Decals guide to see all the nature-themed wall stickers that I think would look cool in any room of your house.

Shown above (L-R): Treesome, Luxury Bonzai, and Classic 16.

See also: Wall Decals for the Kitchen for kitchen-specific wall decor.

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!

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.

Kidrobot, designer and retailer of art toys and apparel, has been around for 7 years and, since then, has collaborated with top international artists to create hundreds of limited edition, collectible toys that merge urban/street trends with fashion and pop art. Kidrobot doesn’t stop at toys, either. Founder, Paul Budnitz introduced vibrant men’s and women’s apparel lines in ’06, along with tons of Kidrobot accessories to choose from (keychains, books, backpacks, shoes, home décor, jewelry, posters . . . The list goes on).

That all being said, I love the unique aesthetic of the entire Kidrobot collection and have compiled lists of my favorite picks on Kazowie. You should definitely check ‘em out:

Click here to see Cool Kidrobot Clothes for Guys.
Click here for Girl Kidrobot Apparel.
Click here to check out My Favorite Kidrobot Toys.
Click here to view Random Kidrobot Stuff.

I’m totally from the school of thought that believes in having a really clean, minimal living space with just a few interesting pieces scattered throughout that are guaranteed to spark conversation. I love it when someone asks me questions about an object or piece of art that I have. I currently have a vinyl wall shade made by Miranda July (a musician/performance artist/writer/actress) in my apartment that people ALWAYS ask about. It came from one of my art professor’s projects called The Thing Quarterly. If you subscribe, you receive 4 issues (each from a different artist) in a year and they are basically a mystery. The only thing that you know is that you will receive 4 household objects in a year. This is what the Miranda July piece* looks like:

Along with wall art, I’m also am a huge fan of sculpture and interesting household objects; especially ceramics. I’ve found some really unique ceramic pieces that are usually handmade. My favorite is the Carlos Ceramic Nightlight. Not sure where he would live in my house, but I want to own him. The Thornbud Vases by Kathleen Walsh and Ceramic Shopping Bag Vases by Michael Harvey are great alternatives to a plain cylindrical vase. The Bull’s Eye Vase is handmade in Peru and the glaze on it is made by burning mango leaves and firewood.  And who needs a still-life-with-fruit painting when you can have the Still Life Bowl by Barnaby Barford and Andre Klauser that you can change out with a new fruit as you please. Check out some other Interesting Ceramic Pieces in my complete list.

*photo used is not my bathroom!

Ikea’s selling point on its products is functionality. Everyone turns to Ikea to find affordable items that will save on storage space, right? Tubs for under the bed, organizers for the closet, boxes, bags, bookcases, the list goes on. Having a small bedroom full of lots of junk, I can appreciate a good space-saver in my life. Ikea’s products, however, lack character and appeal to me. Everything is just so sterile and plastic-y.

Just for fun, I decided to put myself to the test to see if I could find household items and decor that I would use in my own room that weren’t so darn “Ikea”-ish. I ended up with a buyer’s guide on Kazowie that showcases Stuff from Ikea I’d Actually Buy. Check it out and let me know your thoughts. Ikea has some pretty cute stuff. Who knew?

Does this sound like you?: You wake up and jump out of your blah wood bed in your boring plaid pj’s and eat boring, circular sunnyside up eggs every morning, carefully dabbing at egg on your chin with a white cloth napkin. You run out the door, but not before grabbing your practical black umbrella from your 40-year old wood coatrack.

Um… HELLO, can your life get any more boring and blah?? I want to help you fight those blahsy boring everydaynesses with some shots of Quirky and Fun and Humorous! Eat your gun-shaped fried eggs and wash it down with your mustache-y pint of OJ! Get a view of a relatively clear blue sky under your umbrella while singing in the rain! Water your favorite orchid with a water IV pot! I know, I know… -and you know it, too!- that it would be Awesome!

Not only would your life improve*, but your friends would also come by a lot more often! Just to be amused and awed by your necktie napkins or your conversation starter, elegant popmat placemats.

I have some more quirkified everyday objects on my guide to all things fun and humorous at Quirky Versions of Everyday Things for your contined amusement. The moose butt trophy hanger makes me laugh EVERY TIME. Enjoy!

* Life improving is not actually guaranteed, but, really, how could it not?
…