Taming the Tangle

Style: The Garnet Hill catalog

One of my guilty pleasures is catalog shopping. Granted, I don't often order from catalogs because I can be a tough fit but I do on occasion. One of my all-time favorite catalogs for women's clothing is Garnet Hill. They have great style, great photographs, and a group of clientele that leaves very useful reviews on their website.

The dress that I'm coveting now is the Mirage Knit Dress, shown in this great Miro-inspired print.

Mirage Knit Dress, $98, © 2011 Garnet Hill

 

It would look great with my Suspended Hidden Pearl Pod Necklace!

Suspended Hidden Pearl Pod Necklace, $165, photo by Grant Boyle, © 2011 Kathy Frey

 

I would top it off with simple Hammered Leaf Hooks so the necklace could have center stage.

Large Hammered Leaf Hook Earrings, $56, photo by Katie Lime, © 2011 Kathy Frey

 

Since the dress is sleeveless, I wouldn't be afraid to wear a Floating Pearl Riverstone Bangle to create a unified accessory group.

Floating Pearl Riverstone Bangle, $525, photo by Larry Sanders, © 2011 Kathy Frey

 

And to get ready to walk out the door... these Gentle Souls sandals, also in Garnet Hill, look super stylish as well as comfy!

Gentle Souls Wedge-Hammer Gladiator Sandals, $185, © 2011 Garnet Hill

Peace of mind: a computer backup system

For years I've been thinking about backing up my computer regularly. A few years ago I even bought a program to help me do this, and then, there it sat, in its box. I still have it. How silly! Luckily this isn't one of those sad stories where I wished I'd done it once I'd lost everything... phew! But my mind was getting tired of thinking about it all the time. I was spurred into action last month when my laptop started to run out of space... I couldn't even load images from a new photo shoot. So, from word of mouth from other artists, I ventured into an Apple store to see what was new. Time Capsule is a great product I'd heard about, but it was going to require a system update which I just wasn't mentally prepared to deal with (I have all my program boxes, somewhere... in storage... I think....). Luckily there are lots of other backup drives on the market. How could I resist this cute little number from LaCie... in *orange* no less?

It's a full terabyte... I can't even wrap my mind around that! And it's tiny and durable, which means I could move a bunch of files onto it that I don't need to regularly access on my computer yet it can still travel safely with me on road trips. It also came equipped with a simple backup program that I programmed to run once a week.

My next step may be to research web backup, which this little number also comes with information on. That will be for true security... just in case everything explodes or gets stolen. For now I'm reasonably content knowing that if I drop my laptop or spill a cup of tea across it that all is not lost.

The best part is that I actually do sleep just a little better! Not bad for under $200! Do you have any tips for what you do for peace of mind?

Great Design... for the ladies

Hello, my lady friends! Have you noticed lately (okay, maybe over the last year...) some cool looking stuff in our aisle?

I sure have! Being trained as a designer, I just couldn't resist taking the time to write about how fabulous these new products are. The boxes are cool looking... I wouldn't mind having these sleek little numbers sitting on an open shelf if my bathroom was designed that way. And did you see the closing tab on the boxes? Even that is a beautiful curve, and assymmetrical, too.

The first time I bought these and opened the box, I got so excited by all the colors. And then, when you pull one out, the package is a whole other color! I squealed! What cuteness! On the inside, the pads are even decorated with little swirls. So much attention to detail. Whoever designed these, thank you! It almost makes me look forward to using them.