Tables and a fun radio from ABC Home.

I love these tables by John Reeves.  You can find them at ABC Home.

And this radio at ABC Home is just adorable.

Gilt, ideeli, hautelook, Onekingslane, Ruelala

I may have mentioned before that I am a huge bargain hunter.  And it always gives me delight to share bargain finds with others. For years now I have been a member of many discount sites such as Gilt, ideeli, Ruelala, Hautelook, Onekingslane. Maybe most of you already have heard of them. I bought so many things from those sites over the years, from shoes to home decor items to kitchen tools  at %70-%90 discounts.

Each site has daily sales dedicated to all kinds of designers, from unknown, small-scale designers who may not even have a shop in your town to high-end ones that you normally can not afford. And whatever your taste or style is, it is practically guaranteed that if you check these sites every single day, you will eventually come across things that you like and they will certainly be cheaper than what you can find elsewhere.  I mean  paying $25 for an item that retails at $350 is just thrilling. For example, today on ideeli's red sale (which gives even more discounts on already discounted items) there were coats at $15 which retailed for $260.

I know I may sound like an advertisement, but, truly, I am just only happy to be sharing any money saving way I know of  with people.

Most of these sites need invites to join, so the links I will give you below will provide those invites. All you need to do is sign up for free.

ideeli invite
ruelala invite
gilt invite
hautelook invite
OneKingsLane invite


 Some of the things I have bought from those sites in the past 2 months are:

Metallic touch

If you are looking for something a bit masculine for your space, this chair by Restoration Hardware is interesting.

 And I like this side table by West Elm:

Beef and broccoli recipe

Above is a picture I took of the beef and broccoli (recipe by Emeril Lagasse) I made. I have used this recipe many times, and each time it came out perfectly. And I just wanted to share it.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
4 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 teaspoons orange blossom honey
1 teaspoon sesame oil
4 tablespoons peanut oil, divided
2 pounds beef flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain*
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1 large onion, sliced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 teaspoons grated ginger
2 large heads broccoli, cut into florets and blanched
¼ cup cilantro leaves
1 ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes
Steamed brown rice, for serving
Method:

Combine the oyster sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, honey and sesame oil. Mix well and set aside until ready to use.

Preheat a wok or a large skillet. Once it has reached a medium heat, add the peanut oil.

Dredge the beef in the cornstarch, lightly shake off any excess cornstarch and add the
beef to the pan. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the onion, garlic, ginger, broccoli and cilantro to the pan and shake frequently.
Add the sauce and stir to evenly coat the beef and broccoli. Cook until the sauce thickens
and broccoli is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Serve immediately with steamed brown
rice.

Architect Terunobu Fujimori

I really enjoy architect Terunobu Fujimori's design projects. There is usually an act of balance going on, like that tree house is so cute, but I would be quite scared to climb on it.

Irregular Choice shoes and Etsy jewelry

I like this steampunk ring and necklace on etsy.com.

 

I love Irregular Choice (they also have a more subdued sister company called Poetic Licence); their creativity rocks. Some of my favourite shoes are from them, but I don't love everything they do; in fact there are quite a number of shoes from them that I do not like and would not wear, and by that I mean "over my dead body" kind of would-not-wear,  but even those that I do not like, I tip my hat to because every single pair of shoes from this brand , even those that are not to my liking, are undoubtedly creative and nothing like you see from any other shoe brand out there, which is why I salute this British brand for being outside of the box. The exception is their men's shoes, which are lacking in creativity compared to some of their women's styles.

Anyway, I have been wearing stuff from Irregular Choice for many many years. My latest buy was these boots last year. I am a sucker for black/white or black/red polka dots AND those cute heels and the quilting-type stitching details and everything else are terribly adorable, but wearable at the same time.

And below I am also posting some of my favourites from their new designs.

New buys, new finds

I bought two decor items this past month. One is a black crocheted bowl, which is shipped but I have not received yet. The yarn that forms it is neoprine rubber, a material which is used frequently in plumbling and the motorcycle industry. The bowls, which are hand-made in Italy, are strong and durable despite their delicate appearance.

  I also bought this  vase by Chapeaux. I got them at Gretelhome.

I was looking at Horchow. And I have to say that 90% the stuff that they sell I am not that interested in, as they are mostly classic or traditional, neither of which I am much into. But they also sell antiques or vintage inspired items, or in rare cases, industrial looking pieces, which is why it is worth a look every now and then. I liked these two items, a kilim ottoman and a rustic/industrial dining table, which I would put together with modern chairs to give a nice contrast, like the chairs I had photoshopped into one of my collage-like decor pictures, which I am posting below. I also photoshopped  Jonathan Adler's Dora Maar vase in that picture, which I have been wanting for YEARS.