Preppy Pick - Bell'Invito stationery

I've recently discovered Bell'Invito stationery and I think I'm in love. I know many of you are stationery enthusiasts like me, so I'm sharing this find...

Bell'Invito is a Dallas-based company that makes Italian inspired letterpress stationery.

Here are a few samples they sent me (click to enlarge):Their liners are whimsical and bright, and their cards have delicate details.

I especially love this pretty pink liner:
A few party invites:I love the touch of metallic and the pop of the pastels on these.

Another party invite:The natural color of the paper works well with this bold graphic. And if you've ever stuffed hundreds of envelopes you know that little details like a peel off strip on the envelope flap is a thoughtful, practical touch.

Thick, substantial stock:I don't just want my paper to look great, I want it to feel great too. This heavier stock feels perfect.

For more information on Bell'Invito please visit their website.

(And here's my boring disclosure bit... I wasn't paid and/or compensated in any way for writing about this product line. I simply liked it and thought you guys would too.)

Monty Monday - Basketball

Monty got this giant stuffed basketball rope toy from my brother as a Christmas/birthday present:It might be made for bigger dogs, but that doesn't stop Monty from having fun with it.

He spent the evening trotting behind the sofa, waiting for Chappy to toss the basketball, focusing on the flying toy:He's great at snatching it in mid-air:The huge leaps were usually successful, but he just missed on this one:...and the ball ended up in the bookcase:It was a minor crisis (there was much barking and scratching):He *almost* bounced his way up on to the bookcase to retrieve the basketball:After I took the ball down for him he wasn't taking any chances... It was tug-of-war -- and no possibility of losing the ball to a built-in -- for the rest of night:

Monty Monday - Monty on Dinnerware

Here's Monty curled up in bed:
And here's Monty curled up in bed on his very own super special customized plate:Monty's in good company with his portrait hanging amongst all the sporting hounds.

This was one of our favorite holiday gifts. I have no idea how our friends D & A made this plate for us, but we love that they did. Monty loves it too - he's already thinking of expanding the product line to include Monty table linens, Monty coffee mugs...

Frequent Flyer - 2009 edition

Aside from my hometowns -- New York, NY & New Canaan, CT -- here is my 2009 in cities:

Montego Bay, JAMAICA
Cambridge, MA*
Jupiter Island, FL
Gargnano, ITALY
Cernobbio, ITALY
Paris, FRANCE*
Bordeaux, FRANCE
Trémolat, FRANCE
Sarlat, FRANCE
Varetz, FRANCE
Amsterdam, THE NETHERLANDS*
Delft, THE NETHERLANDS
Bruges, BELGIUM
Antwerp, BELGIUM
Wainscott, NY
Palm Beach, FL
Nashville, TN

One or more nights were spent at each location. Cities marked with an * were visited multiple times on non-consecutive days. For comparison, here is my 2008 in cities.

My cycling holiday in the Dordogne was one of the best trips I've ever taken. I hope there are more unforgettable adventures to come in 2010.

Eames Desk Chair

I decided to get an Eames Aluminum Management Chair for our pied-à-terre desk. I've loved these chairs forever -- the lines, the details, the proportions are all exquisite -- and it goes well with our Art Deco-ish decor.

We've got lots of browns and tans in the apartment so classic black leather wasn't an option in this space. I selected these fabrics and leathers as my top five choices for the desk chair:The top two samples are leather and the bottom four are fabric. I posted this photo on my twitter and loved all the feedback you guys gave me when I was deciding which one to buy.

I ended up going with the 'Mink' leather (it's on the top right above).

The chair arrived recently, and I think it looks wonderful:
It's a little hard to tell the true color with the lighting, so here's a picture with the flash:
And here's one without the flash:I love it. Now our workspace has the perfect touch of chic and contemporary design.

Eames Aluminum Group Chairs.