Catalog Obsession

Confession: I love catalogs.

I feel like I've been reading catalogs my whole life. I love the idea of all those things in one place. It takes all of the guesswork out of shopping, which I hate. I don't think I've ever ordered anything out of a catalog itself,  honestly, but I do read them obsessively and often will buy things from them online. Here are some of my favs for homeowning and kitchening:

- The King Arthur Flour Catalog. My mom got me turned onto this. They have everything from industrial dinosaur yeast to super cute dog biscuit cutters. Their box mixes never fail. And what could be wrong with a place that can sell you a 50 gallon drum of flour?

- Williams-Sonoma. My issue with WS is a deep-seated love of their Provence linens. No, we do not need three different colors of linens for our one dining room table. But I have them. I also have the blue Provence squishy kitchen mat that is fantastic for long afternoons in front of the oven. The cleaning products at WS are perfection as well - my house almost always smells like grapefruits with just a hint of dog. As opposed to the other way around. Their prices can be crazy but if you can catch a sale, it's always worth it.

- LL Bean Home. Best. Flannels. Ever. And when you live in what might as well be Canada in the wintertime, you need those Bean flannel sheets. I haven't gotten to the point of my life where I've ordered the flannel-lined jeans, but that may be coming soon. You can also get funky stuff out of this, too - handmade plant stands from Maine, drums of maple syrup, flannel-covered dog beds. They have a wide selection of pet supplies that I love to peruse.

- PaperSource. This was a wedding obsession that has turned into a lifelong subscription. I had a really hard time finding rubber stamps for the wedding (did you know they don't sell stamps at the Paper Store!?), so I ordered several online from this catalog. Since then, I've ordered craft kids, classroom supplies, and silly, funky, original gifts for folks. Anything that comes out of this catalog is one of a kind. They also have retail stores in MA but my budget prevents me from even thinking about going.