Order up! The Saturday Shopping List

It's the weekend, darlings, and you know what that means. Time to blow the budget! I've spent the past week combing the catalogs so you don't have to. Here's a look at The Catalogette's Five Fave Finds from this week. And please remember to order one for me, too!

1. Dooney & Burke Born-to-be-Wild Handbags, $75-$395 : : Some days you just want to get your giraffe on : : Herrington

2. Italian Ceramic Salt Boxes, $29.95 : : Salt is the new sugar, hon : : Sur La Table

3. Raw amber necklace, $190 : : These genuine Baltic stones are hot, hot, hot : : Art Institute of Chicago Gift Catalog 2007

4. Vintage Garden Quilt, $128-$178 : : Reminds me of the ones my great-grandmother made : : Garnet Hill Fall 2007

5. Life-size mummies, $129-$149 : : They'll be the life of the Halloween party : : Grandin Road

Fe-mail fans

I got a new catalog in the mail recently, one I'd never seen before. Hard to believe, I know. I almost skipped over it since the cover design was so awful. And the logo is hideous - under normal circumstances, this log would have been so out.

But I was bored watching Anderson Cooper - usually I could watch this man breathe - so I flipped a few pages and found some pretty cute trinkets that my mom and sister would probably really love. Like a playful plaque that says: My husband needed more space so I locked him outside!

Silly, inspirational, feminine stuff, hence the name: Femail Creations. Check it out, girls.

Pit watch

No, not that Pitt. Yes, he's a hottie - and you can check him out at pittwatch.com - but these pits are even hotter.

That's right, fire pits are the must-have fall/winter yard candy. Grandin Road catalog has a good deal on its hand-hammered Copper Firepit - offering $100 savings if you order by October 31.

Check back later for my five fave fire pits.

Secret envy

There was a time when I looked forward to getting a Victoria's Secret catalog. Just thumbing through the pages made me feel sexy. Now it just makes me feel old.

I don't even know why I'm still on their list. (Probably because I order the occasional t-shirt or pajamas in a self-delusional attempt to recapture my perky youth.)

For all you young gals out there, VS has free shipping on orders of $100 or more. Use offer code FA77453 or VSFALL (online). Might as well flaunt it while you got it baby.

Frontin with Frontgate

All the mail order deliveries are wearing out the welcome mat on my front doorstep. So I've been shopping for a new one - something with a monogram seems elegant so I turned to Frontgate, the best place for classy home trinkets. But leafing through the catalog, I became obsessed with the front doors shown. They are huge - absolutely oversized, ginormous entries. Makes my front door look like the entrance to a mouse hole.

I'm thinking they photographed this catalog at the Waldorf Astoria or maybe the Vatican. I'm also thinking that unless the mats come in postage stamp sizes, they'll all be way too grand for my brick stoop.

To top it off, the Villa Mat comes with a free companion mat when you buy the larger size (35x70). Sweet. If you buy the smaller size, you get what you paid for plus a free helping of front door envy. Bitter. So very bitter.

Eddie Bauer for shawty and tall

Just got around to going through my fall must-haves catalog from Eddie Bauer and it is sweet. I haven't always been an EB fan, but one winter I was looking for a nice sweater for my long-torso hubby and discovered EB's tall sizes. They fit great!

I ordered him a rugby several years ago and he still won't let it go. It's been in the giveaway pile every year but somehow he sneaks it out. So this year, I'm finally ordering a replacement rugby. (Hey, never said I was as devoted to shopping for him!)

I also love EB's sporty looks for women. I'm more sporty spice than posh spice so their gear is fab for me. They have more buttoned-down stuff, too, but since I'm not a fan of that can't tell you if it's cart-worthy. But I'm in love with this sweater!

UPDATE: Eddie Bauer is offering free shipping through tomorrow. Get your log on soon!

Protestications

I got the ever-persistent Domestications issue in the mail over the weekend. If there's one log I'd love to toss in a fire pit, this one is it. From their bizarre tiger and horse and cheetah bedspreads to their weird poodle comforters, this is one catalog that's gone wildly astray.

The cover proclaims "America's Authority in Home Fashions." I proclaim hell-to-the-no. Authority revoked.

Saturday shopping list

It's the weekend, darlings, and you know what that means. Time to shop! Put down that catalog and pick up the phone (for you talkers) or grab the mouse (that sounds like some kinky game you play in middle school, but I digress.)

I've spent the past week combing the catalogs so you don't have to. Here's a look at The Catalogette's Five Fave Finds from this week. And please remember to order responsibly.

1. White Tea Shower Mousse, $22 : : The smell of this mousse will turn him into a tiger : : L"Occitane Autumn

2. Faceted Glass Tumblers, $120 : : These glasses give new meaning to shake, rattle and roll : : Red Envelope Fall 2007

3. Cat clocks, $75 : : Minute by minute, whisker by whisker : : Artful Gifts : : Fall Gift 2007

4. Sterling Poker Cuff Links, $75 : : Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve : : Red Envelope Fall 2007

5. Belted Shawl Collar Cardigan, $88 : : Keeping fall under wraps - I like it in redwood : : Eddie Bauer Fall Favorites

Order up

While I love my logs, when it comes to actually placing an order I usually turn to my computer. I mean calling and actually speaking to a person so ruins it. And those little forms in the middle -- is form-a-phobic a word?

But apparently I'm not alone. I've read that more than 4 in 10 catalog sales are completed online. Why call, when you can click?

Pottery Barn's paper trail

Speaking of wood... ever wonder how many trees Pottery Barn was killing with it's log-a-mania? Turns out not as many as I thought.

First, I love Pottery Barn and show that love by ordering the occasional table or bed linen. I even visit PB outlets in Virginia or Pennsylvania, thereby violating my solemn yet seldom-followed pledge to avoid retail establishments. In return, Pottery Barn showers me with love by sending catalog after catalog after catalog. Pottery Barn Bed & Bath. Pottery Barn White Sale. Pottery Barn Kids. Pottery Barn Doors.

But recently I discovered a little green box on the back page touting PB's commitment to using only paper certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. What does that mean? Well, PB says the paper they use comes from responsibly harvested forests that meet strict environmental standards. Now, I wonder if they use soy inks?

Wooden logs

Catalog porn is not quite my thing. I get enough of a carnal rush just looking at Thomas Moser's furniture catalog. I don't need real wood to get off.

But some people do and I respect that. For them, International Male catalog is a must-have. I haven't been on their mailing list since college, but this
New York Times article (from their T Magazine on men's fashions) brings back giggly memories of girls gone wild.

Working is so overrated, but cookies aren't

The Catalogette needs a little sugar after a day at the salt mines. I need Cheryl.

No, I'm sadly hetero, so that's not my girlfriend on the side. But it is my sweet rush.

Cheryl & Co makes one of the best-tasting cookies you can order from a catalog. Try the cut-out cookies, they are my favorite.

Dinner plus a discount

What's for dinner? OK. That's a totally obscene question since breakfast was, like, two minutes ago. But last night while I was thumbing through Cooking Light's September magazine, looking for something to impress the neglected hubby, I came across a 15% discount coupon for Eddie Bauer. Cooking Light is like five bucks, so even if you only save shipping/handling on your order (which can be pricey at EB), it's worth it.

But the discount is only good until October 1, so get your log on now! Here's the code: COOKLHT09.

UPDATE: I also spied a Coldwater Creek coupon to save $25 on a purchase of $100 or more. Now that's cart worthy, for sure.

The mother of all catalogs

Sears catalog always seems so 70s to me. Probably because when I was growing up, it was my mom's favorite. Which means I have far too many memories of Garanimals. Sooooo degrading. For the animals, too.

So what should I find buried in my pile of logs, but a Searsbook called Simply Indoors. And let me tell you, a happy surprise it was. The catalog seems to have matured into something more sophisticated and trendy than I recall. The photography is better, the styling is cool, the product line looks totally modern, especially the Ty Pennington designs.

Sears' first catalog was published in 1893. So for a log that's more than 100 years old, I'd say you've come a long way, baby.

Fall catalog blitz begins

Well, since I just started this blog today, I have technically missed the start of the fall catalog season. Those slick logs have been dropping since the middle of August. I can't remember who was first - I think Land's End, but could have been Crate & Barrel. Since then, I've seen Pottery Barn, Eddie Bauer, Ballards, Restoration Hardware, Home Decorators, Viva Terra, JJill, Frontgate, Hammacher Schlemmer, JCPenney, Spiegel, Talbots, Pottery Barn again. And many more I just can't remember...I'll let you know after I wade through the stack.

But I can say that purple seems to be a common fashion thread. From plums to raspberries to lavenders to royally purped out. I particularly liked the Lands End Sweater Destination log (landsend). Those fluffy sweaters with argyle are hard to resist. (But I will. I have a budget, darling.)

Welcome to my log blog

You know how some people think catalogs are junk mail? I think those people are crazy! I love catalogs - or logs, as my green-thinking husband says snarkily. Well, they may not be environmentally correct, but neither is burning up all that fossil fuel flocking from shopping center to strip mall and back again.

I'd rather shop from home and avoid the mall rats. And I do. Way too often for a gal on a budget. But, hey, shopping is my addiction and catalogs are my crack.

So I've decided to share my love of logs with a blog about everything catalog-related. Because although everyone should shop from home, no one should shop alone. So I'll be here and I hope you'll come back and visit.