Target has given us a lot of discount designer goodies in the past, but in my opinion, it’s about to launch its most exciting collaboration yet. On March 14, the design-conscious megastore will introduce a line of preciously patterned, perfectly priced housewares, clothing and accessories with Liberty of London. For now, we’ll have to be satisfied by the video, and charming “Find Your Patternality” Facebook quiz, but mark your calendars… I’m gunning for a “Martha Grace” print bicycle. Visit www.Target.com/Liberty, or if you’re feeling sneaky, visit the IF THE LAMPSHADE FITS blog for a link to view the complete collection….

As I continue moving into my new apartment this month, I’m especially on the lookout for great interior design ideas. Moreover, the sudden warmer weather—giving us a very welcome preview of spring—has put me in a mood for brighter, even…daring colors (Maybe I’ll submit for next year’s HUE awards?). This is all the backstory to a bizarre, “what a small world” moment I had recently. I was enjoying dinner at one of my favorite sushi bars in midtown—Bamboo 52—and in between some really great rolls, my friends and I were taking in the art. One of my favorite pieces featured…

I’ve been on a business travel tear lately. While I may bemoan the flight delays and hectic schedule, I really do love it. From the cast of characters I meet to the unusual destinations, every trip is its own adventure. (And believe me, I have some stories to tell!) The more I travel, the more I crave stunning hospitality design. From beautiful art installations to sleek wall coverings and bathroom fixtures, exceptional design can completely transport us into another world, even if it’s just for a night or two. So when I read Travel + Leisure’s 2010 Design Awards, I…

If Lisa has a thing for sequins (and believe me, she does), then I am a sucker for skins…specifically, exotic skin handbags. While my unflagging love for all bags great and small is the stuff of legend around our office (and at home, where my boyfriend regularly derides me for storing part of my collection in the linen closet, having run out of room everywhere else), I get really excited about snakeskin clutches. Vintage ones. That, combined with my passion for bargain hunting of all kinds (I’m incapable of driving past a TJ Maxx), has made me a virtual connoisseur…

Before my junior year of college, I was cast in the Black Hills Playhouse’s production of A Chorus Line. As singing, dancing, and smiling are among my favorite things (and, like Lisa—glitter, too!), the experience made for a wonderful and memorable summer. One unexpected bonus included working in the costume shop with “one singular sensation:” Travis Halsey. Also raised in a small, South Dakota town (put your hands up for the prairie!), Travis has gone on to costume several professional ballet companies around the U.S., and is currently with Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. In addition to Joffrey, he also does…

When I casually mentioned to Esther last week that I adored Olympic figure skating, she looked puzzled for a moment, and then laughed. “Oh yes,” she said. “The costumes are very sparkly.” Everyone knows I’m a magpie. If I can find a way to work glitter into a project (like the sparkly hearts dangling from the ceiling at our recent Bloggers Bash) I will. It takes every ounce of restraint I have to not show up to work covered in sequins and rhinestones every day. I know not everyone’s captivated by the Olympic costumes, but the following simply can’t go…

I first fell in love with pub crawls when I traveled abroad. It was a fun way to trot around a European city, meeting other travelers and enjoying myriad brews. The only way I can conceive of improving a pub crawl: making it a food crawl…and that’s just what’s happening this weekend (Feb. 27-28) at the inaugural “Taste of 7th Street” on the Lower East Side. It’s organized by Scoopst.com, a Web site dedicated to offering New Yorkers savings on all sorts of fun-ness. For less than the cost of two cocktails ($18), this mini food tour is offering up…

My love affair with sushi dates back seven years, when my little, high-school hands picked up chopsticks for the first time. Needless to say, I swallowed my pride and requested a fork…but will always remember my introduction to Japanese cuisine. Fast forward to February 2010, when a group of friends and I heard about a Japanese izakaya in Manhattan’s East Village—Kenka. I was given the following description: “It’s fun, it’s wacky…it’s totally us.” With menu items ranging from grilled eel to okonomiyaki (fried rice omelet), octopus to cow tongue, Kenka boasts a spread that spans the most adventurous and daring…

Let me count the ways this chocolatier (conveniently located just a few blocks from the V+P office) amazes, amuses, and inspires. 1.Couture chocolate creations make for the best gifts ever. Exotic truffles, caramel marshmallows and bacon chocolate chip pancake mix will send corporate clients, puppy sitters, family-members-who-have-everything and adventurous valentines into paroxysms of pleasure. Thoughtful, luxurious packaging makes even the smallest nibble impressive. 2. Though its e-commerce site is extensive, a visit to the tiny, tucked-away boutique is the ultimate pick-me-up. Forget martinis: my incognito friend and I recently capped off a crazy week with an ancho-and-chipotle-chili, cinnamon-and-vanilla-bean drinking chocolate…

This seemingly interminable winter weather has me (and, I imagine, virtually the entire Eastern seaboard) dreaming of steamy, sunny climes…and fantasizing about a long-weekend escape. My favorite easy-to-reach, tropical destination? Playa del Carmen, Mexico. A bit over an hour’s drive south of Cancun, Playa boasts all of Cancun’s gorgeous beaches and festive flavor, minus the urban sprawl and Spring Break insanity…or the lion’s share of it, anyway. A popular hangout for stylish European sun-seekers (translation: it’s not yet completely overrun by Americans), it’s the perfect place to soak up rays during the day and slurp margaritas on Playa’s Avenida Quinta,…