Little Luxuries: An Introduction

During Spring 2000, I spent a semester abroad in Salzburg, Austria. During the week, we had set meals for dinner, and all 27 students in our program ate together at the scheduled local restaurant. I was vegetarian at the time, which worked out fabulously when the meat meal fell flat. Sometimes it was my vegetarian option that didn't work out so well, such as when I was served dinner consisting of only steamed zucchini and squash. We were sometimes fed unappealing things like a frothy garlic soup, and sometimes delicious things like schnitzel and strawberries & ice cream. Midway through the semester, I un-vegetarianized myself, and fell in love with the schnitzel & kasekrainers of Austria. And the giant chocolate-covered or apple-filled pretzels from the pretzel street vendor. =)

One March night in Rome, after we had been abroad for over a month, we found a taste of home: Planet Hollywood. In a continent that mostly served warm, bubbly water, a restaurant that brought pitchers of ice-water to our table was the closest thing to heaven! Of course, the fruity cocktails were nice too. I have pictures in my scrapbook of us drinking a rainbow of fruity cocktails, with giant smiles on our faces.

Nine years of passed since that night, and I can't tell you what my cocktail with the pineapple wedge and maraschino cherry was, but I can tell you one thing: as we walked to Planet Hollywood, I dreamed out loud to Kelli about opening a boutique called Little Luxuries. Little Luxuries would be about treating yourself well. I pictured pewter, cashmere, and pillows. Little Luxuries would be soft, welcoming, and delicious.

Instead of the brick-and-mortar version of Little Luxuries that I imagined with Kelli, Little Luxuries has launched as a virtual store though Amazon. Little Luxuries about knowing that you deserve deliciously good things in your life, even if they are only sprinkled in. It's about drinking your $3 wine from a $20 glass ... or aerating that $3 bottle so it tastes like a $30 bottle! It's about having a really cute re-usable bag for the grocery store. It's about reading books that makes your soul feel good. We all deserve things in our life that make us swoon. I am very excited to share my Little Luxuries with you, and to hear about your favorite Little Luxuries. I am going to show you things I think are fabulous, books that made me grow, and the equipment in my camera bag. Little Luxuries is also going to be a regular segment on my blog, and I can't wait for the delicious things I am going to feature! =)

Click through Little Luxuries, and leave me a blog comment with what your favorite item is and why. After 9pm on Monday (July 20), I'll pick a winner at random for a $10 Amazon gift card. Be sure to leave your real name or email so I can get ahold of you!

Good luck! =)