I’m always excited to find a new local boutique to shop at, and near my office at that! Last weekend, while running some errands I noticed that a new boutique had opened up next door to Butter Toast Boutique in downtown Phoenix, so I stopped in to check it out.

Nostra Style House carries a mix of contemporary new designer clothing, locally designed jewelry and carefully curated vintage from Annie Boomer Vintage. Stop in and check them out!

Isn't this vintage evening gown fabulous?

Nostra Style House is located at 906 North 6th Street, Phoenix

Practical Art is located on the West side of Central Avenue just North of Camelback.

One of my favorite places to shop in my neighborhood is Practical Art. Everything in this fun boutique is handmade by Arizona artisans. It’s the perfect place to find a gift for that person who has everything or to find a unique piece of usable art for your home. The staff is super friendly and they always have some sort of treat waiting for you when you visit from fresh lemonade, to tequila to ice cream. Every First Friday they feature a new artist and usually have live entertainment, wine and cheese. So, next time you are in Phoenix stop by Practical Art for a unique piece of practical art to take home.

Make sure to say hello to the friendly staff. They usually have treats for customers.

These glasses and vases are made from recycled wine glasses. We love giving these as housewarming and hostess gifts.

Aren't these plates and bowls cool? We love shopping at Practical Art for unique items for our home.

Practical Art has everything you need for dinner parties too! Cheese plates, knives, servers etc.

Practical Art is located at 5070 North Central Avenue in Phoenix. More photos from Practical Art can be found on Flickr.

A few weekends ago I had a little "CenPho" day. I hit all my favorite places and finally made it to a new favorite, Frances Studio. A spin off of frances vintage, frances studio is your one stop shop for super cute shoes, bags and jewelry. On my visit I spotted Frye boots (perfect for winter), a great selection of Toms flats and wedges and some druzy jewely that has me dreaming of druzy.

Here are a few photos from my visit:

I dream of druzy.

Frances Studio has all the latest Toms shoes.

There's nothing like being greeted by a wall of handbags and shoes!

Frances Studio is located at 10 W. Camelback Road in Phoenix.

Each month Sweet Salvage has a new theme. This month's was a French Market theme.

This refurbished chair is magnifique!

Oui, s'il vous plaît!

I can’t wait to see what theme and treasures the Sweet Salvage ladies come up with for next month!

Sweet Salvage is located at 4809 N. 7th Avenue in Phoenix. See more photos from our visit to Sweet Salvage on Flickr.

Happy “Independents Week!” No, that isn’t a typo, we’re celebrating independent, locally owned businesses with Local First Arizona. This week (June 27 - July 4) almost 200 local businesses are offering a 20% discount when you bring in a Local First “Golden Ticket”.

There are so many wonderful business participating from boutiques to restaurants to professional services. Check out the entire list of participants here and print out a golden ticket here.

Happy Shopping!

The much anticipated CityScape in Downtown Phoenix is celebrating its Grand Opening. This shopping, dining and entertainment district fills a void in the downtown landscape and is accessible via METRO light rail. Many of the businesses are already up and running with more scheduled to open over the next few months. Here's an update on what's there now and what's coming soon.

Designer District
Premium Brand apparel for men and women

West of Soho
Modern Bohemiam fashion at reasonable prices

Par Exsalonce
Full-service salon and day spa

Five Guys Burgers
Casual dining

Urban Outfitters
Clothing, accessories adn housewares for the urban lifestyle.

Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge
Hip bowling lounge with a chance to "eat, drink, and knock down some pins"

Gold's Gym Elite
State-of-the-art co-ed fitness center

CVS
Pharmacy and general needs store

Coming Soon:

The Breakfast Club - Fall 2011

Charming Charlie - OPEN

Chipotle - Fall 2011

Jimmy John's Sandwich Shop - OPEN

Oakville Grocery - OPEN

Rasputin Vodka Bar - Summer 2011

Republic of Couture - OPEN

Sam Fox's The Arrogant Butcher - OPEN

Silk Sushi - October 2011

Stand Up Live - OPEN

Strand Italian - Fall 2011

Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery - OPEN

Vitamin T - OPEN

Yogurtini - Fall 2011

www.cityscapephx.com
Central and Washington in Downtown Phoenix

If there's one thing I love to do, it's S-H-O-P! And Kierland Commons happens to be one of the places I enjoy the most. I love it's selection of stores along with its openess and beautiful setting. It really sets the mood for a great day of shopping. They also have an amazing selection of restaurants, so there's always a place to rest your feet and refuel between stores (never underestimate the need to refuel during a shopping excursion - energy is crucial).

My most recent visit to Kierland Commons was for Fashion's Night Out. I needed a little retail therapy after a long week and this was the perfect solution. Kierland is fun any time of day, but evening is especially "magical" with all of the white lights, people strolling around and patios full of happy hour aficionados. Thanks to the celebratory nature of Fashion's Night Out, there was music playing, drinks flowing, deals to be had and a slew of live models showing off the latest must-haves for Fall. The stores really got into the spirit of the evening (Note: although tempting, I steered clear of drinking and shopping - it's hazardous to my wallet!).

Kierland truly has a little bit of everything. Some of my favorite stores include Anthropologie, The French Bee, Michael Kors and Charles David. Of course, they also have the good ol' stand bys like Crate & Barrel, Restoration Hardware, J. Crew, LOFT, Banana Republic and Tommy Bahama (which includes the Cafe). Basically, I can meet all of my shopping needs in one place.

As mentioned, the restaurant selection is stellar as well. Some of my personal favs are The Greene House, Zinc Bistro and Ocean Club (the pretzel bread is to die for.)

But don't just take it from, be sure to check it out for yourself. To see all of their stores and restaurants, go to www.kierlandcommons.com.

Kierland Commons
Greenway Pkwy. and Scottsdale Rd.

So as if you didn't have enough reason to visit a local boutique, restaurant, coffee shop, bar (okay, you get the gist), then this is your week - Independents Week. From today (June 28) through July 4, you get 20% off your purchases at participating members of Local First Arizona, a local non-profit to support independently owned businesses. And because Local First is such a cool organization, pretty much all your favorite places are on the list. (Check out the full list of participating shops.)

But just in case - in all your excitement - you are perplexed about where to visit first, here are a few of our top picks (click their pic to check 'em out):

frances

Urban Cookies

Desert Botanical Garden

The Willows

Bunky Boutique

Heard Museum

See, now your week was looking busier than you thought! To get your 20% off Golden Coupon, and to see a full list of participants, check out the Local First site. Happy outings!

My recent LGO dinner included the Classic Margherita (with egg, of course) followed by a stop on the Grocery side for a Tammie Coe cupcake. Tammie Coe desserts deserve their very own blog post - I'll save that for another day. If you're a bit of a shopaholic like me, then the Grocery can also help you out in that area. They have a fantastic array of items including soaps, candles, kitchen knick knacks, pet treats and more. All of their LGO-logoed stuff is adorable - very retro. And, oh yeah, they have groceries too, including a nice wine selection.

LGO Grocery is also known for it's homemade English muffins that are griddled there every day. These things are so darn good that I'm smiling right now just thinking about them. If, like me, you try one and decide that you can't live without them, then you're in luck. LGO sells them by the dozen and half dozen so that you can enjoy them morning, noon and night.

Well, I think I've rambled on long enough about this fabulous place. Hopefully, you'll get out and give it a try.

La Grande Orange Grocery and Pizzeria
4410 N. 40th Street, Phoenix
www.lagrandeorangegrocery.com
www.lagrandeorangepizzeria.com

Peaceful Soul is a shop just on the edge of downtown Phoenix on 7th Street next to The Main Ingredient, that always piques the curiosity of drivers-by with the furniture sitting out front. While at first I wondered if it was a new yoga studio, maybe a beverage place, maybe a clothing store, I was excited to hear that they had one of the best collections of furniture in Phoenix.

Drop by and you'll find long rooms filled with pieces from around the country, hand-picked by the owner. Every style, every era - you'll find it here. They sell new pieces, consignment and resale, so to go in with an open mind is your best bet.

One part you must check out - the jewelry "vault." It's literally an old bank vault from when the building was constructed as such in the early 1900s. You'll find some pretty great handbags and accessories in there, too.

If you're a local looking for an eclectic resource for furniture, this is your spot.

Peaceful Soul
2501 N 7th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006
602-253-8700