Pop It Preppy

Monogramming can give your place a dash of southern prep without nightmares of ribbon belts, penny loafers, furniture upholstered in Lacoste crocodiles, or Nantucket red curtains.

It's called "neoprep," according to www.urbandictionary.com, which is bridging old-school preppy style with new age collar-popping and critter pants.

Bringing preppy home to your apartment, where the meaning of ownership is most times a monthly rent check-- is inviting.

Place a candle with an "M" or a "F" in the loo or a bar of personalized soap on your bathroom sink.

Maybe spell out your P-R-E-P and hang some script initial plates in a kitchenette? Or create a
sanctuary for your J-U-N-K with some letter hooks?

Inviting some friends over after a friendly game of croquet? Emboss your invites, break out the monogrammed napkins, fill up your candy dishes with some special order Hershey Kisses.

Out for a stroll and to Starbucks, why not wrap your latte with your first initial? But easy on the cologne.

That's it. Without overdoing it, you can pop it with a little prep.

Tray Chic

Do you own a cookie-cutter coffee table? Is there a spot on your ottoman? Is your side table barren?

Stop. Don't throw out your coffee table. Don't buy a slipcover for your ottoman. Don't buy a tchotchke for your table that will end up in your wastebasket in a matter of months.

Why not make it "tray chic?"

Trays are like concealer. They hide stains, lifeless fabrics, and superficial blemishs. They also add dimension and character to an otherwise boring object. (Try using them as a storage device, too -- stack books, place small ceramics or candlesticks, group wine or liquor bottles, or store wine glasses).

Here's some picks for some hot, new trays:

• Go transparent, retro with lucite

• Mirror, mirror on the wall

• A silver-mate

• Go bright and funky

• Take the bull by the horns

• Organize with valet trays

• Cork it

Found your tray? Now, that's tres chic.

It's a "Faux" Sure

Remember back when, when fake was a faux pas? With 7.6 million jobs lost in the Great Recession and the Dow Jones Industrial Average scared of hitting 10,000, faux is about the coolest thing around.

It's faux-fabulous; and here's some ways to bring it home (some and some may not break the bank).

• Jonathan Adler's Mock Croc End Table
• Z Gallerie's Faux Leather Crocodile Frames
• Target's Faux Letter Serving Tray
• Barney's Faux Python Frames
• Pottery Barn's Faux Fur Throw
• JCPenney's Faux Leather Chargers
• Cb2 Faux Pony Chair
  

Go faux it! PETA will probably even friend you.

Trending Twiggy

(ATTN: This has nothing to do with getting skinny.)

Have your shoes ever tracked some leaves inside? Or have you ever found a twig stuck to the fibers of your sweater after an autumn day outdoors? (Um, I have).

Well, now you don't have to feel like you sat in paint or spilled a bite of pasta down your shirt; it's actually stylish to bring a little bit of the outdoors --inside.

A replica of it, anyways.

Here's how to find your own branch, from mirror stands to magnifiers to side tables. (Use the hooks to hang thin-chained necklaces, so they don't kink; or put a selection of birch pillar candles in your fireplace for some wintertime warmth).

1. Twig magnifiers (Jayson Home & Garden)
   
2. Tree panels (JCPenney)
   
3. Twig mirror stand (Anthropologie)
   
4. Branch side table (West Elm)
   
5. Birch pillar candles (Pottery Barn)
   
6. Twig frames from Michael Aram
   

The best part: Fall lasts all year.