Kat Nouri recently wrote to me about her new business, Modern-twist, a collaboration between Kat and independent designers (mostly from the west coast) like Amy Ruppel, Le Vu from Paper*Ink Studio, Sheila Metcalf Tobin, and Simone Rubi. If you plan on attending the NYIGF this month, they'll be in Hand-made booth #5532.

My favorites are the VTB tabs (right column above) because they arrive in this great holder that snaps onto a wine bottle (fun and clever gift), and each holder contains six 'ID' rings for a glass stem where you can write on, and wipe off. They also double as napkin rings. (I bet the HWTM is drooling over these right now. They are *so* her.)

Another product I can see myself using is a Modern-twist table runner. I am very pleased to see these in polyurethane - no washing or ironing, and no stressing if a splash of wine or olive oil lands on them. Just wipe and move on with the party. Very Lo-Mai (Low maintenance). Cute coasters are also available, although I prefer mine with more of a 'grip' to them (like cork or at least with cork or rubber feet) because they hold the glass better for times when someone bumps the table, but that's just my opinion.

The runners and placemats, along with the VTB tabs, are my picks. These aren't available online yet, and so far it doesn't look like they are in stores, so tell all your friends with a storefront to check out Modern-twist. I'm already thinking about Lekker in Boston (perfect fit) and Figments in Providence... Spread the news to modern home stores in your city, and thanks for writing in, Kat!

Psst: Be sure to check out these prints over at Paper*Ink while you're surfing the links above. Inspired by the San Francisco Botanical Garden, her prints are hand silk screened in bold red and blue.

(images from modern-twist)