A little travel log - Cedros Design District - Solana Beach, CA

We got out and did some shopping just up the coast the other day. If you are in the San Diego area then you have got to check out Solana Beach. It is a sleeply little beach village between Encinitas and Del Mar. If you are going by train - it has it's own stop right there across the street from the Cedros Design District. THE place to shop for all things Cool!

One of my favorite places is SoLo, a very nice warehouse with lost of sophisitcated merchants selling everything from vintage religious iconic stuff to mid-century modern pieces and sprinkled with asian antiques and topped with hip childrens goodies. Pictured above is a sweet little bowl of ceramic blue birds - a total must have!

Religious iconic goodness - I would like to get more of that going at Soul of the Rose.

Mixture of vintage silver, asian statuary and bits of whatever!

We always stop at Bon Bon too. These pictures don't do it justice. Imagine Shabby Chic meets a "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane".

They manage to take a sometimes too sweet decor and set it just on it's edge where you think "That's a little spooky"

We finished up with a great lunch out and then went home for a nap....

My Gal Pal Megan - AKA Assistant Buyer

I hope every woman has a gal pal. I really hope they have one like Megan. Yes, by all means she helps me with the buying around here. She can walk down isles and isles of bad gift show merchandise as long as there is an occasional margarita on hand and yet she is sharp as a tack when I veer to close to matronly florals or last season’s has-beens. She is dead on for recognizing a strong trend that we had better follow up on. Buying for Soul of the Rose is just one aspect of my friendship with Megan. We have our daughters and their friendship in common. We are really compatible politically and we share the same fabulous sense of humor – if I say so myself. And though we share a similar sense of style, Megan, so caring, takes it upon herself to remind me of tiny fashion details: “now, you know you can’t wear wedges with those skinny jeans!” And she is always offering to help me with anything: “Perhaps I could walk the dog so you can update your blog!” (We have no dog.)

Megan is always on for an adventure, and she finds fun wherever she goes. She is my most trusted confidant, always loyal and always there for me. I wish you knew her; you would love to have her as your friend. She is creative like nobody’s business, from retail merchandising, to creating a retro cocktail lounge in your home – this is your girl!

Is it too early to begin preparing for the holidays?

I know the answer to this is no. As a gift retailer, I have been planning for and purchasing for Christmas since June. The warehouse is stocked and getting more stocked as I write. Each week I am searching our just a few more things to add the the mix. And, just as Thanksgiving ends I will place an order or two for things that will work for Valentines Day.

However, there is a whole sub-culture that you may not know about and that would be the Haunters, or at least that's what Nina calls the people that really plan out their home Halloween displays all year and work each year to perfect their Haunt. Nina definitely falls into that category and I sort of tag along. Each year I say the same thing, "You know, I am not going to buy anymore Halloween stuff Nina." I always end up with a few new things each year, not really sure how that happens - its spooky!

Nina starts her planning at the beginning of summer. She decides how the house will be laid out - every room gets decorated, completely over the top. We have about 7 staging areas that get really decked out. Each year our party gets larger. Martha Stewart, eat your heart out! Actually, this year I am hoping to perfect my menu. As I write this Nina rattles off a list of foods that glow under black light.

I think pre-planing for other holidays is important too. Thanksgiving is totally over simplified and an overlooked holiday in my estimation. I find it really gets defined by what is served up on the table. This leaves the whole holiday in the dust. For me Thanksgiving is more of a spiritual holiday than a feast. I spend a lot of time journaling and really meditating on what I am grateful for throughout November. I look forward to that time of year when I really reflect about how grateful I am for all that I have experienced. If you have never done this - November is a great month to begin a Gratitude Journal, then you can finish out the month really celebrating Thanksgiving.

We are doing all we can to get geared up around here for all the Fall/Winter Holidays right now. In the next posts I will give you sneak peeks at the new goodies from the shop.

New Office Accesories

Here are a few pictures of my new office accessories collection. This design is called "Script" and is a little European in style. These are hand-made items and each one is a little different, We have desk trays, clip boards and paperweights. These are very limited we only make a few of each design. I have more in the wings waiting to be born so to speak. If you like these check out the Soul of the Rose Office Accessories along with other designs.

I can't just use a regular clip board when checking in merchandise - I've got to have style with function!

This tray is perfect for letters and little "get-to" things on my desk.

I hope you like them - I loved making them.

I Stand Corrected in my View of Twitter

In light of the events unfolding right now in Iran I stand corrected in my previous assessment of Twitter as being a benign e-technological bit of frivolity. Certainly – its true importance has been born out.

Matt’s Mother and Sister are here visiting. His sister left Iran on Election Day. Their family is safe although there are a lot of demonstrations not far from their home near the city. We have had some calls earlier in the week but we fear the lines are down today. We have watched CNN’s coverage off and on all day today. It is very different getting this from their prospective.

Tonight we are off to a party to celebrate their visit with family – it will be a gathering of mixed emotions I am sure. This is Shani’s first visit to the States and already I love her. She is so wonderful, talented, funny, sweet and smart.

Please if you can, pray for the highest good to prevail for Iran’s people. If you do not pray perhaps you can meditate on that. It is so very important.