Catalog curator: Crate and Barrel, Eddie Bauer

I’ve got a weakness for plaid, and Crate and Barrel’s Nomad Storage Cube ($299) is speaking to me, even though I can’t certify it as 100% cute. Maybe in the right context? For a few more options (and great deals), skip the grown-up stuff in C&B’s print catalog and go straight to the website. I can vouch for the adorability of the Gus Glasses—now just $0.95 apiece—as earlier this year I bought a set of 12 in the highball size after I got fed up with our dwindling set of mismatched vintage glasses. They even feel cute in the hand:

From the Outlet, I like these Appetizer Plates ($1.50 each), which could also serve as trays to corral keys and cell phone or small desktop items:
And I’m sure the Lacey Felt Placemat ($2.95) could be used in any number of creative ways (I just can’t think of any right now):


Not on sale but cute all the same are the Etch Sheet Sets; I’d buy just the pillowcases ($24.95 for a standard set) and use with plain white sheets:


Next up: Eddie Bauer. Usually, gray, wet days beg for fun prints and cute, cheery accessories (see my post about the Cupcake Land boots I got for my daughter), but EB wisely keeps its rain gear understated, so you can use it even when you don't feel like standing out from the crowd. The dog print on the Mini Travel Umbrella ($16.50) is suitable for most any man, woman, or child:


and I like it in the black/red combo on the Tall Rubber Rain Boots ($49.50), too:
But if you’re like me, you really only need heavy-duty boots when the basement floods. For everyday wear, I have to go with EB’s pièce de résistance, these low Rubber Rain Boots ($39.50) that somehow manage to conjure old-fashioned galoshes and old-school sneakers: