Anyone who pretends not to look at tabloid magazine covers knows that America is very, very interested in babies of celebrities. To feed that insatiable hunger, most every celebrity of childbearing years has had a baby of late. People Magazine’s Web site has found the perfect mixture of star-obsession and shopping with their Celebrity Baby Blog. The Blog features a section on what gear celebs buy for their babies. Because we know there is an instinctive maternal urge to buy your baby something that Nicole Richie’s baby has, we’ve rounded up a few recent items. Laila Ali, of boxing and Dancing With the Stars fame, is expecting a son and has a Mutsy 4 Rider Light stroller ($699) waiting, as well as a Luca Glider for $895, baby shoes by Pediped and a $50 Jelly Baby changing mat by Kuster. Julianna Margulies wheels son Kieran Lindsay in a Bugaboo Cameleon ($900) and uses an $80 Skip Hop Via messenger diaper bag ($79). Actress Gretchen Mol has an 11-month-old son named Ptolemy and he sucks a Gerber soft center pacifier (2 for $3) and rides in a Bugaboo Frog ($759). Singer Sheryl Crow and son Wyatt Steven cruise in Kolcraft Countours Lite stroller ($70, pictured) and the baby wears an eco-T from Tiny Revolution, $25. Celeb-dad Matthew McConaughey strolls tiny Levi in an Orbit Baby’s Orbit infant system ($900) with bassinet ($240). In an amazing double-celebrity, double-baby sighting - Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow, with Apple and David -  were seen walking both with Paltrow’s green Phil and Ted’s Sport double stroller, which costs $510. And, short of Brangelina’s twins, the most ogled child in America has to be Suri Cruise. On a recent outing, she carried Jellycat’s My Little Friend Bunny ($12). Must you have more? The Baby Chic 101 blog keeps tabs on every celeb and their baby buys. (Lisa Marie Presley, expecting twins, just spent more than $18,000 at chic Petit Tresor).

You can’t buy love. But you sure can surround yourself with beauty that is good for the heart and soul. That notion would seem to be the organizing principle behind the eclectic offerings at Rian Rae Interiors & Gifts, which specializes in unique but comfy home décor pieces that make use of elements found in nature and are, quite simply, beautiful to behold. They’re also so sensually and texturally alluring that you might just long to reach out and touch them, like these geometrically shaped hand-crocheted pendant lamps ($224; pictured) or this French crinkle pendant made of white glass ($379). The Bamboo Cloud chandelier was designed by a Thai artist using traditional bamboo-weaving techniques in a nontraditional way ($690). The roof of this handcrafted lantern ($1,898) is covered with oyster shells. Cuddle up on the couch with this crocheted wool throw ($148), and put a cup of hot tea on this coffee table made from an antique Fench pigeon basket ($1,385). For seating, try a cotton-filled jute flower pouf ($118) or this cast-aluminum Moorish stool ($250). The indoor/outdoor Pascal chair ($424) is made from recycled aluminum and styled after a 1940s Paris flea market find. These silver-plated brass salt and pepper shakers are modeled after dried lotus pods ($58). Protect that tabletop with wood slice coasters of eucalyptus wood ($27) or lacy filigree coasters set in wooden holders (back-ordered but available by pre-order, $53). Check out these whitewashed wood wall hangings: a carved stag head ($324) and angel wings ($42). For gift ideas consider a rustic wall-mounted wire photo holder ($38), vintage-looking Parisian paper globes ($26), or this jewelry tree of harvested Manzanita wood ($98).

One frustration of vacationing in faraway lands is the desire to bring back way more souvenirs than you can carry — not the made-for-tourists junk, but the countless everyday items that are different enough from our own household wares to capture the flavor of a place, or simply to feel like the perfect tool for a certain job. The folks behind Kiosk appear to have felt this pain intently enough to invent a solution: They bring back enough of these goods that they can sell them to others and finance the shipping costs. The NYC-based retailer is a bit like a fashion boutique, in that most of its stock only lasts a few months: one month they’re featuring Glitter Girl Whistles (pictured) and plastic rope from Mexico, the next they could have booze and fishing lures from Finland. This is both the charm and the frustration of exploring the store’s online catalog: Once yesterday’s import is gone, it’s gone. The exceptions are those items Kiosk has decided to stock permanently, which range from the utilitarian (Japanese metal clips) to the totally whimsical (colorful plastic bird-shaped whistles from Mexico). The unifying factor, according to the store’s curators, is that they seek objects that are “humble, straightforward and beautiful for their simplicity and directness.”

My taste in furniture is a bit old school. More French Country meets shabby chic than contemporary-modern, which can seem cold and uninviting. Take this chair for example: made of 30,000 paper tissues for a “cloud-like atmosphere.” But I’m cozying up to furniture with a modern bent after looking at modernreproductions.com, which specializes in reproductions of the best of mid-20th century modern furniture. Their items, unlike the originals they mirror, are livable  and fairly affordable, like this comfy arm chair ($899). (Compare it to this pricier version at $3,529.) The chair is a version of one created in 1958 by Florence Knoll of the Bauhaus school of design. Swivel and turn in the miniature egg chair, a replica of Arne Jacobsen’s 1956 signature piece. Sit any way you want in the Ox-chair reproduction. The orginal was created in 1960 by Hans J. Wegner, a noted cabinet maker who became a member of London’s Royal Society of the Arts. Imagine cuddling on this iconic couch ($3,500), available in more than 40 soft, natural colors. It’s a replica of sculptor Isamu Noguchi’s original. Noguchi was the set designer for many of Martha Graham’s best known dances. Dreamily stretch out on this couch ($1,800) based on a 1929 Ludwig Mies van der Roh original. Take a look at this Frank Lloyd Wright table replica at $3,500, or let the teens “hang” in the acrylic and chrome-plated bubble chair ($1,500, pictured). The original was designed in 1963 by Eero Aarnio, who recently received Europe’s most prestigious award for industrial design, the ADI Compasso d’Oro Award, for his Trioli chair for toddlers.

Being a fool for wienie dogs, I’m always on the lookout for dachshund-inspired objects and books, but my amazement at Fuzzy Nation Couture’s faux-crocodile red dachshund ($180, pictured), Burrberry chihuahua ($59), and bronze pug ($140) handbags has led me to several wacky animal-inspired fashions. If you’re saying, “But what will I wear with those nutty handbags?” Fuzzy Nation also offers newsboy hats ($32) and brooches ($12) to complete your ensemble. Carnaval and Mardi Gras 2008 may be over, but Halloween costume parties can give you reason to wear Laurie Jacob’s Blowfish Bra ($250) from her Spiky Bras collection. The padded push-up bra is made of 100 percent breathable synthetic, and the designer promises that “proceeds from all sales will go to my eventual analysis.” Over at Etsy, artist Neile’s Butterfly Wing Jewelry combines fine silversmithing with an eye for design and a love of butterflies. “The butterflies I use are farmed all over the world, and harvested after their natural death. No butterflies are killed for my use,” Neile reassures, for guilt-free shopping. Also at Etsy, check out the Cool Kitten Skirts like this one ($43.95) by Koosi, an artist from the Netherlands, or this “seriously cool” one from Kinchi ($43). Cool? I don’t know about that, but they’re awfully cute if you’re into kittens. Whatever species you adore, go get your wacky animal groove on.

You know what’s tough about shopping for antiques in Paris? Having to pay the airfare. Kinda turns that $35 bargain lampshade into the most expensive thing in your living room. Enter Paris Hotel Boutique, which isn’t actually in France at all (it’s the web outpost of San Fran vintage shop Past Perfect), but it does stock treasures rarely found together in one place in the States. Some of the shop’s wares, like this $1,100 pair of 19th-century chairs, are bulky enough to require bend-over-backward special shipping arrangements, but plenty are easily shipped. This beautifully deteriorating cast-iron mirror ($255), for instance, or a jeweled crown ($585) that’s thought to be around 100 years old and, though originally designed for a statue of a saint, might make some lucky mortal queen for a day. Full pages are devoted to an array of china and silver goods bearing the mark of various fine hotels, but few are as distinctive as a cute tiny frying pan (pictured) evidently sold as a souvenir by Paris’s Restaurant Lasserre ($75). Try explaining that goodie to guests who know you’ve never had a passport in your life.