Always on the lookout for a quality slim leather wallet/card holder, this unique design caught my eye and I’ve fallen for it bigtime. Probably one of my favorite accessories (besides a timepiece, or dare I say it- watch), is the wallet. My style began with a sweet florescent Velcro tri-fold from when I was 13 and needed somewhere to hold the $26 from my first paycheck. Then in High School, it was a leather tri-fold with a huge photo-album style insert for pictures. Over time I increased the need for slots, pockets and folds to carry my life in, even developing the notorious ‘fat-wallet’ pattern on the rear-pocket of my jeans. Then I discovered another way (only slightly guided by

A leisure sport long enjoyed by Brazilians and starting to make a comeback on California beaches, parks and backyards, Frescobol is the original paddle-ball. Since just about everything 80’s is making a big comeback, why not smashball? At least these beautifully crafted paddles will bring some class and style to a game commonly associated with plastic and out-of-control kids. Merriment Hardware is a San Francisco company that handcrafts each reclaimed hardwood fresco paddle to order in their small workshop. To show their support for play, they donate 10% of their profits to the California State Parks Foundation to make sure you will always have a place for Frescobol. Each set includes two paddles, a rubber racquetball and a sweet cotton

How cool is this clock? Available as a wall clock or a smaller desktop table clock, the CLOCKTWO is a modern text clock giving you the time as a sentence. Handmade in Germany, these beautifully crafted works of art makes me do a double take as I now mistake my wall for a modern art gallery. Available in several languages (I was considering buying it in Italian to keep up my foreign language reading skills), it is a very unique and innovative way of displaying time. Thanks to technology, we are able to now devolve (or possibly re-evolve) our clocks to an even more ‘analog’ way- straight up words. The beautifully elegant word-search way of hiding the word combinations making

Having been searching for the perfect briefcase for all occasions, I found one in one of the most unlikely places. I took to the internet, which is not usually my style when it comes to style. I prefer to see items such as these in person, so i can feel the leather, observe the craftsmanship and verify the quality. Now that I have, I feel as if I must share it with you all. The leather goods from Saddleback Leather are of the highest quality, unlike anything I have seen from high-end designer bags even. My recent purchase of a leather travel duffelbag opened my eyes to the world of quality handmade products without designer labels. I feel this bag

Being as i just moved, I’ve been spending a lot of time looking for suitable furniture. My favorites overall have been the tufted leather club chairs I have seen from Four Hands furniture. In a dark, weathered leather, these handcrafted with seven stages of staining, sealing and buffing giving it that authentic aged and weathered distressed look. Upholstered seating you would find in an upscale smoking club in Tribeca, or an ultra chic Southbeach Miami nightclub, these individually tacked nail heads create the tufts in the leather which have been antiqued with linseed oil and talc require 8-14 hours to create the finish. The three pictured are the Conrad Club Chair in Espresso leather from the Carnegie Vintage Leather collection,

Just as exciting as a new pair of shoes, is great food. The satisfaction from a delicious meal is unparalleled, a truly worthwhile life enhancing experience. It seems here in the US, this can be a bit of a rarity, especially what is commonly available from grocery stores. I had yet to find anything close to the amazing flavor of cured meats and salami I sampled throughout Italy, until now. Cristiano Creminelli uses choice cuts, prepared in old world tradition using small family farms and organic spices for his handmade artisan meats. There is no need for a cracker or cheese, simply enjoy each variety on its own- the flavors will captivate your palate di per sé. My personal favorites

On my last visit to New York, I stumbled onto a leather textile shop filled with various leather bag designs, from leather satchels to messenger bags and purses. Since I have been on the hunt for ‘The Perfect’ leather duffel travel bag, I was intrigued by many of the label designer like shapes and designs. I quickly became a fan of their ‘Style #102’ contrasting brown leather duffel due to its rugged, handmade construction with a thick and supple leather unlike any I have found previous. A beefy, sturdy zipper and water-resistant green ballistic nylon lining sealed the deal. Well worth a look if you are looking for a designer style at a lower price and much higher handmade quality