Catalog curator: Catching up

I used to have a good system to keep catalogs from piling up: glance through what comes in, keep a few in a special spot in the living room, recycle the rest immediately, and weed the saved ones when the container gets too full. It still would be a good system, had I not started the catalog curator feature; now instead of tossing most catalogs after they arrive, I have to put them all into a holding spot on top of my printer, where they wait for me to post about the cute treasures inside each one.

Well, we did a lot of cleaning out and tossing this weekend, so in the interest of not losing momentum, I'm going to make a pass through the stack, pick out one cute or otherwise noteworthy item, and call it a day.


Garnet Hill: If I were of a mind to buy $70 boots for my 2-year-old daughter, these Merrell Spirit Tibet Snow Boots would be the ones.

Boden USA: I think it's safe to say I've been buying slightly different versions of the same boot for about seven years now. I haven't bought anything at all for a few years, though—and probably shouldn't, since last year I don't think I wore so-called "fashion boots" even once. If I were in the market, though, I love these Leather Fur Lined Boots ($268). It's hard to choose a color, but since this is all theoretical anyway, let's say I'd solve that dilemma by buying all three.
Anthropologie: Lots of turned-down page corners here. I have one go-to black wool jersey dress, but I'm not sure how well it fits post-baby (can I still say "post-baby" when said "baby" is almost 2.5 years old?). The Well-Forged Dress ($188) would be a great replacement.

Tracy Porter: Not my sort of thing—there's a definite Veronica's Closet vibe here—but speaking of go-to classic black items, I love the London Boot ($325), which looks to be a near replica (but in real patent leather, and with a much-needed side zip) of a pair of $80 Franco Sartos I wore until they fell apart.

Land of Nod: Needless to say, it would require in-person inspection, but I predict the bookcase ($449) from the new Oak Park Elementary Collection could be great outside a kid's room, too.


CB2: Mosaic Recycled Placemats ($6.95 each) are shredded and compressed juice boxes: 100% recycled, and 100% great at disguising dried bits of spilled food.

Garnet Hill (#2): I guess I'm in a mood for blue and white (and red), but I can imagine the Fuji Percale Bedding would be a perfect masculine-feminine compromise for a couple's bedroom.

Free People: I'm sure I'm too old for it, but I still have deep respect and great admiration for the Parker Plaid Overcoat ($198).

Sensational Beginnings: Okay, I know they're not cute, but Your Body Puzzles ($24.95 each) for boys and girls are just so strange they deserve a mention.

Catalog curator: Tea Collection, Chasing Fireflies

Taking on Tea Collection almost feels like cheating; I wouldn't turn down a single item in here. But suppose I won a $150 gift certificate and had only 24 hours to redeem it? I guess I'd probably have to choose the Molfrid Floral Dress ($65) and the Fjord Swing Coat ($89). (I love the purple boots shown above, but they aren't for sale here—and my $150 is spoken for, anyway.)

Somehow Chasing Fireflies manages to be both precious and bitchy (case in point: a $4,800 Pumpkin Carriage Crib), but there are some undeniably cute things offered here. Take the Musical Chairs Dress, for instance: Originally $225, it's now on sale for "just" $99.

A $150 gift certificate wouldn't go all that far in the toy section, either, but I'd consider putting it toward all or part of the Twig Crayons Set ($28), Mini Color-My-World Playhouse ($38), Cozy Cube Desk ($198), or Lounge Hound ($148).

Catalog curator: Rockler, Rejuvenation

When I said I page through every catalog, I mean every catalog. There's always something cute, even in Rockler Woodworking and Hardware. Take, for instance, this Hand-Operated Mini-Flocker ($5.99). Not only is the applicator/canister appealing in a found-in-the-basement-at-an-estate-sale sort of way, but think of the many and varied cute uses you could put this toward. Why, you could flock the inside of all your holiday gift boxes, or fancify random wooden containers you own so they are soft and pretty on the inside!
For bigger projects, upgrade to the Air-Assisted Flocking Gun ($59.99)—not quite as cute in its design, but it "propels fibers at a perfect velocity for optimum adhesion on vertical surfaces, corner, and other tricky areas," which is likely worth the tradeoff.

If we ever have the funds to redo our bathroom, Rejuvenation's porcelain fixtures, hardware, and switchplates will be at the top of my list. The Streamline Porcelain lighting collection offers seven styles in black, white, and (my favorite) green; the Chandler Porcelain Bath Hardware covers basics like soap dish, hooks, toilet paper holder, and this adorable cup and holder; and coordinating Porecelain Switchplates add the final touch.

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:

Catalog cute, revisited

So I gave up trying to cancel all my catalogs. Perhaps one day I’ll give it another go. But no matter whether it’s J. Crew, Uline, or the Oriental Trading Company, I just can’t help but look through every page of every catalog that comes through our mail slot and compulsively turn down the corners of pages with stuff that catches my eye, for whatever reason. To hell with the design editors who promise a happier, simpler life if only you would put those unwanted catalogs—and all your other junk mail—directly into a recycle bin by your front door (“Might we suggest a $98 Hable Construction storage box that perfectly coordinates—but not so much that it looks matchy—with the rest of your 8' x 10' entryway?”).

With this realization, then, I bring you a new regular feature: Catalog cute. I would try to articulate my criteria for what is cute, but it’s more difficult than one might think. So much of what people call “cute” just isn’t. What I’m looking for is more than baby animals or appealing and cheery patterns; it has to have that certain je ne sais cute, that special combination of zing and purity that gives me a feeling similar to a completed row of Tetris blocks, disappearing with a quick poof! Brief, fleeting happiness—perhaps not true genius or beauty, but a more human and democratic pleasure. Or something.

First off, then, comes a challenge: Country Curtains. I think I actually solicited this catalog when I was looking for a roller shade to go under our bedroom curtains. I wanted a step up from the cheap polyester kind, but I needed something with a simple mechanism that wouldn’t take up a lot of space and that came in a width to fit our window. Looking around online, this Textured Woven Shade in Natural ($38–$99) seemed to fit the bill, so I sent away for a sample. It really is quite appealing in person, although I never got around to buying one—we rarely open the bedroom curtains, so the cheapy shade that came with the house is just fine. (Plus it’s free.) But I like that I can imagine this shade in both a modern setting as well as a tidy grandma’s sky-blue condo bedroom.

Clockwise, from top left: Pining for You Hooked Pillow, $69; Alice Wool Hooked Rug, $129; Cable Knit Throw, $59; Red Wire Basket, $14; Flea Market Granny Square Throw, $139.

As for the rest of the catalog, well, the curtains mostly seem to be designed for someone else’s house. But the website offers some decently cute home “accents,” including a couple of the hooked-wool variety, which always get me. I love the nostalgia of the “I'm Pining for You” pillow, and the Alice hooked rug’s simple, pretty design and timeless color combo would add a homey touch to a too-modern bedroom or entryway. The granny-square throw isn't bad, although I'm still partial to Garnet Hill's more sophisticated (and, at $328, way more expensive) Haverhill Afghan Throw.

Catalogs photo from Enviromedia.com

Resolution: Finish catalog cleanup

Not exactly "cute," but amazing in their own way: Footlights from Herrington. Here's the catalog description:

Weight sensors activate the LEDs in each slipper as you stand up; built-in timer delays shutoff until you’re safely back in bed. LEDs aim slightly upward for optimum illumination of obstacles. It’s like seeing in the dark—without wearing scary NightVision goggles!

What more is there to say?


Then we have Company Kids: kid stuff that's very similar to kid stuff in other kid catalogs, but in a color palette (especially for "girl" items) that's just not up to snuff. I'm not sure if the Gingham Porcelain Tea Set is truly cute, but the Dog Parka—primarily the one in olive/burnt orange—definitely is.

I have elected not to cancel catalogs from Land of Nod or CB2, both of which usually meet their cute quota in each issue. But I'm torn about Garnet Hill: I like many things they sell, but the fact that we get a catalog almost every week almost cancels it out.

Whenever I want to look at new sheets or towels (or a rug, like the Fair Isle Hooked Wool Rug that we bought last year in 7' oatmeal heather), I'll just go to their website.

Avalanche!

The catalogs are piling up, but I'll do my best to meet the challenge. To me, Sundance is sort of like the coworker you get along fine with but don't really have any desire to stay in touch with when you move on to another job. I'd never order anything myself, but if someone insisted, I wouldn't turn down the the very Anthropologie Sundance-made Wine Tumblers ($60) or the delicate Trousseau Linens in ecru ($215 for a queen set).

Then there's Hanna Andersson, the colorful European kidwear that's priced somewhere between H&M and Oilily, but isn't as stylish as either one. Maybe the prints are just too bright for my tastes, or maybe it's that the clothes look cheaper than they really are—along the lines of the less-cute stuff from Target (you know, the stuff that always has butterflies on it). I'd stay away from the bright colors altogether and go for the little girls' Pure Cotton Eyelet Slip ($29)

or the Classic Swedish Clogs in navy ($26).

I've got 12 more catalogs to address, but they will have to wait.

More catalog challenge

The Y Catalog: I’d never heard of it before, but evidently something I bought along the way landed me on their list. Its motto is, “Taking Seva—the spirit of service—mainstream.” The cover also mentions something about how 10% of everything you spend in the catalog goes toward changing the world, blah, blah, blah. I’m sure their goals are noble, but it’s not my aesthetic—mainly a lot of yoga clothes and accouterments, plus some beady jewelry with a touch of that imperfect, hand-hammered hippie look. Did I mention it’s based in Santa Monica, California?

I’d probably skip the Dial M for Mantra CD and pass on the Neti Pot (which I thought was a somewhat cute little vase until I read that it's one of those things to “gently wash and soothe nasal passages”). But the Grateful Hoodie ($54) could stand on its own, and the Zafu Meditation Cushions (18" diam, $63.50 each) are quite cheery and modern.
I’m also drawn to the Cork Block ($16.95 each); there’s got to be cool alternative use for these, although offhand I can’t think of much beyond using it as a small 3-D bulletin board for your desk. Any other ideas?

The catalog challenge

I'm trying to get myself taken off the mailing lists of most of the catalogs we get, but before I call, I'm paging through each one to find the cute things hidden within. First up: L. L. Bean, which usually conjures up images of plaid shirts for dads and frumpy shoes for middle-aged women with tired feet. But pull a select few items away from their more utilitarian brothers and sisters, and they can almost stand alone as cute—like the Hearthside Slippers in pink plum ($29.95) above. Or how about a cheery yet practical stripe-edged Washable Wool Blanket in rosebud (queen, $99)?


And how many additional uses could you get out of this Maine Guide Plaid Duct Tape ($9.50 for two rolls) versus the standard silver stuff? It would add a cozy fireplace-at-the-lodge feel to gifts wrapped in brown paper.

Or how about upgrading your musty old sleeping bag for a Flannel-Lined Camp Bag in sea glass ($49)?

Finally, for the little kids, you can't go wrong with a classic red Radio Flyer Tricycle ($69):

Up next: Hanna Andersson, Garnet Hill, and whatever else lands in our mailbox.