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30 November 2007

Etsy Holiday Guide: Jewelry

For the second day of the Etsy Holiday Guide, we will be focusing on Jewelry! Don't forget to check out Poetic and Chic, Flutterbyblue, and Sfgirlbybay as they've helped build the guide and may be posting some of their picks too!

pequitobun, chic and charming, etsy, jewelry, handmade, vintage, semiprecious stones

Pequitobun is the artist indirectly responsible for getting me hooked on etsy! She make absolutely fabulous jewelry incorporating recycled vintage elements and semiprecious stones. Each of her designs is unique and meticulously crafted! The two pictured items are my current favorites from her shop and are part of her couture line. She also has several other lines which are less expensive and the perfect place to find a gift for you sister or vintage obsessed friend.

Hoolala, chic and charming, jewelery, frippery, etsy

Hoolala is best described using the shop's own slogan "Delightful Jewellery & Frippery Made in England." I adore the little charm necklaces from this shop, especially the Alice in Wonderland series! Check out the Make Breast Cancer Extinct necklace with the pink dodo and swarovski heart, it is too perfect.

silver, jewelry, butterfly, etsy, simone walsh, marilyn monroe

Simone Walsh creates beautiful, silver sophisticated jewelry. Naturally, the Marilyn Monroe brooch is my personal favorite. If I had an unlimited holiday budget I would purchase this Butterfly pendant for my good friend flutterbyblue who loves butterflies!

made with molecules, jewelry, caffeine, etsy, jewelry, chic and charming, seretonin

The prefect place to find a gift for your slightly nerdy sister? Made with Molecules! Behold caffeine, the source of all my energy and seretonin, the source of all my happiness. Sterling silver molecular jewelry is a fabulous way to remember the molecules that get you through the day. Made with Molecules also makes a fabulous line of ethanol etched glassware.

Magdalena's Atelier, jewelry, chic and charming, etsy

Magdalena's Atelier makes exquisite wire wrapped jewelry with semiprecious stones. I've adored her work for ages, and will one day save up my pennies and splurge on the perfect piece. These show stopping jewels would be perfect for a wife or girlfriend (hint hint). Magdalena has begun selling DIY tutorials describing how to imitate her fabulous style! These tutorials combined with a few supplies would be a great gift for a crafty friend!

Images for each of these shops were lifted from their etsy store.

29 November 2007

Etsy Holiday Guide: Stationary

For the first day of the Etsy Holiday Guide, we will be focusing on Stationary! Don't forget to check out Poetic and Chic, Flutterbyblue, and Sfgirlbybay as they've helped build the guide and may be posting some of their picks too!

crankbunny, etsy, chic and charming, stationary, cards

My undisputed favorite stationary shop on etsy is crankbunny. Crankbunny sells popup cards and hand made puppets designed by Norma V. Toraya, an immensely talented artist and animator. I would highly recommend checking out some of her work on her homepage, including this animation clip. Crankbunny pop up cards are more than a card, they are a piece of artwork that will be cherished by those who receive them for their whimsy and artistry!

chic and charming, etsy, turtle papers stationary, cards

Turtle Papers is another one of my favorite stationary vendors on etsy. This shop carries a wide range of products, from feminine note cards to adorable baby t-shirts. Turtle paper products have been featured in Daily Candy and on the Domino Magazine blog! Their baby products have been baby shower gifts for some of the hottest Hollywood mommies (Gwen S., Angelina J.)! Their designs are irresistibly adorable, and many cases personalizable! Any best fried would be trilled to receive a the Parisian flat note set or Whimsy flat note set personalized with their name or initial!

My final three stationary picks are all etsy letterpress shops. I simply adore letterpress stationary. The printing technique speaks to my affinity for old fashioned craftsmanship, while the products being turned out in these etsy shops are decidedly modern.

sarah ridgley, letterpress, etsy, chic and charming, stationary, cards

The first etsy letterpress shop of note is Sarah Ridgley Letterpress. My favorite items from this shop are the custom monogrammed coasters, which would make a perfect gift for a newlywed! Ridgley also sells adorable stationary sets with skull and crossbones motifs, crown motifs and carnival style mask motifs! Ridgley, an attorney by day, has also had her work featured online at design*sponge.

etsy, chic and charming, stationary, cards, pepperina press, letterpress, vespa

The next letterpress etsy shop on my list is the mod Pepperina Press. This press turns out cards graced with adorable retro silhouettes in pink and orange, in addition to some adorable blue Christmas cards. I am a big fan of the Vespa Cards.

etsy, chic and charming, stationary, cards, thank you, merci, letterpress, pressa russa

Last, but not least, I present the cheeky Pressa Russa which sells letterpress stationary and calling cards, as well as adorable button cards. My favorite button card is the thank you card, that says "Merci!" with a little button portrait that looks a lot like Marie Antoinette! Pressa Russa printing is done on a tiny letterpress with vintage print blocks with charming results. I love the calling cards, which come with a custom matching case for just $16.50...a great deal!

PS: Absolutely Beautiful Things posted etsy greeting cards today too!

Images for each of these shops were lifted from their etsy store.

28 November 2007

Etsy Holiday Shopping Guide

etsy, chic and charmingFor those of you who have been unfortunate enough never to have stumbled upon etsy, it is an online community where crafters and artists sell their wares. There is an amazing selection of jewelry, photography, fine art, stationary, clothing and countless other hand made goods. Unfortunately it is sometimes nearly impossible to find exactly what it is you are looking for without spending ages shifting through search pages, which are organized based on how recently an item was posted, not its relevance to your search. Things always heat up around the holidays on etsy. There are more people looking to buy, and as a result sellers often ramp up their production to meet demand. We are hoping to encourage people to buy beautiful handmade gifts this holiday season and we plan to facilitate that with our Etsy Holiday Shopping Guide! I've talked to several of my fellow bloggers about posting their favorite etsy shops over the next week, so keep your eye on Poetic and Chic, SFGirlbybay and Flutterbyblue for some excellent tips on fabulous etsy shops!

Bow Wow!

dog purse, gossip girl, chic and charming, macys

Just when you thought the Gossip Girl stylists could do no wrong they bring you dog purses. I get that it is kind of a nod to the celebrity obsession with carrying small dogs named tinkerbell everywhere, but I am SO not into it. I might have liked this in third grade. If you think the third grader in your life might like one, they are obtainable from Macy's.

Looking for more Gossip Girl?

27 November 2007

Fashion Icons Unite

barbie, Patricia field, chic and charming, girly, clothes, macys

Every girl grows up loving Barbie and every woman has spent the last decade drooling over the styling of Patricia Field for the lovely ladies of Sex in City...so what could be more natural than the fashion marriage of these two powerhouses? Honestly, despite by affinity for all things uber feminine, I really did not want to like this new line of Barbie clothing. However, this sweatshirt is too adorable. I love the old school Barbie silhouette and the way it has been filled in with vintage Parisian motifs. It is classic, it is girly, but it is not too sweet.

barbie


Inspired by my trip to Macy's, I spent a little while perusing Patricia Field's shop online and discovered several more gems. While I might never wear the t-shirt, I adore the "I want my Dream House" slogan. It would make adorable PJs or workout clothing. The black dress is fabulously Barbie and the perfect sexy LBD! Finally, I loved anything with the retro Barbie silhouette that I first spotted in Macys. The motif graces everything from pocket mirrors to toiletry kits to a preppy polo.
Some images from patriciafield.com

26 November 2007

RIP: My Youth

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I actually put a lot of effort into being cute this morning. I blow dried my hair and put on a cute head band. I wore a skirt with some black tights. I was totally channeling Blair. How did the universe repay me? First, with rain so that my hair frizzed and looked truly hideous. Second, with a grey hair, my first grey hair. Tragic.

25 November 2007

Santa Baby: Luxe tools of the trade

Given my retro sensibilities, it might come as no surprise to you that I have an adorable little vanity table sitting in the corner of my bedroom. The vanity is very charming, except there are a few things that could be improved, makeup brushes being number one on the list. Oh, how I would love to have a fully matching set of makeup brushes! I have a handful of travel brushes from NARS, combined with a mishmash of brushes from Benefit and MAC. Perhaps Santa will be good to me and bring me matching brushes this year for Christmas. The twelve piece Sephora Prestige Brush Set is just the thing!
While browsing Sephora, I came across another darling retro makeup classic: a train case, and in pink no less! So ADORABLE!! Who needs wrapping when Santa could just stash my new brushes in a pink train case underneath the Christmas tree.No!No! is hardly vintage inspried, unless, perhaps, the Jetsons took advantage of such a contraption. It is a new at home hair removal device, which reportedly removes hair while cutting down on 60% of regrowth after 8 weeks of use. At $250 this new technology is hardly cheap, it is however a better deal than laser hair removal.
Images from Sephora.com

23 November 2007

Project Runway Report


One comment: Spit marking. Eww.

Image from http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/archives/126053.asp

Black Friday Burnout


Sophia (after purchasing a $20 fake Christmas tree from Target): I think my Christmas tree is better for the environment than a real tree
Marilyn: I don't know it might come out as a wash in the end
Sophia: But, what if I kept my Christmas tree for 10 years, certainly that would be better than cutting down ten trees
Marilyn: Plastic isn't biodegradable, when you throw it out it will still be really bad for the environment
Mom: Besides, your tree will never last ten years
Sophia: Well, what if I bought a REALLY expensive fake tree and kept it my entire life
Mom: All fake Christmas tree end up looking crappy after a few years
Marilyn: I guess no Christmas tree is the best thing for the environment
Mom: OK, Scrooge
Sophia: Well, you could plant your own Christmas tree in your backyard and never chop it down. You would just decorate it every year for Christmas outside.
Marilyn: That would definitely be the most environmentally friendly option.
Marilyn: I really like my new shoes.
Image from www.beyondblossoms.com

22 November 2007

Fetherston, take two


I went back to Target again today and browsed the GO collection to see if anything new had come in, and, surprise, it had! So, I finally tried on the purple tiered dress. The spaghetti strap portion of the dress looks incredibly CHEAP, and I cannot say that the dress was particularly flattering as a dress. I'm not sure what possessed me, but I decided to pull the dress down to see how it would look as a skirt, and it looked incredible. In fact, if the dress had not reeked of wet dog and had been made of silk or cotton, instead of polyester, I might have taken it home with me...but only to wear as a skirt.

I also scoped out the winter coats...which were quite a disappointment! The black one has these weird ruffle details on the shoulders that make them look like some sort of B movie alien costume.

The last thing I checked out was a black long sleeve shirt with a cream velvet ribbon detail. I found the shirt to be flattering and fun, but in the end decided to leave it as I already own about a million long sleeve shirts, which never see the light of day because I end up wearing them under itchy wool anyway.

Still no accessories...maybe next time.

21 November 2007

Erin Fetherston for Target Reviewed

jeans

I went and checked out the new Erin Fetherston collection at Target, and I must say I was quite impressed. The attention to detail was far superior to the last GO collection at Target. For example, the heart shaped buttons that ran through the entire collection were absolutely adorable.

detail
I was also impressed with all of the natural fibers: dresses done in 100% silk, velvets in 98% cotton. There were still some synthetics on the racks, but at least there were more high quality options in this GO collection for the fabric snobs among us. On that note, the cotton velvet suit in black was probably one of my favorite looks from the collection. The coat was sadly a little too small, so I passed on the outfit. But, I should point out that the jacket is very nicely tailored and looks much nicer on the body than on the hanger. I would make a perfect non-cheesy holiday look for some lucky girl! I especially love the heart waist band detail!


velvet suit

The jackets really were the stars of the collection, which I am noticing is a definite trend in the Target GO collections. There was a small evening jacket, lined with a characticture of Erin Fetherston that was not available in the store in my size, and which I have not been able to find online. I think I might go on a Target shopping mission after the Thanksgiving to see if I can find it in another area store.

jacket


Additionally, I thought that the dresses were really adorable, especially the flapper style one in purple. I really wanted the red silk long sleeved dress, which was accented with the cute red heart buttons shown above and a peter pan collar, but in the end it just did not suit my figure. Tragic. There was one dress which I feel was completely unattractive, it was a silk jumper and reminded me of one of the pieces I disliked the most from the Temperley collection.
I was a little confused by the rabbit print. On close inspection, the print is pixelated and a little sloppy. One can only assume that this was the look Fetherston was going for. Why? The print was on dresses, shirts and also thermals. I was relieved to go online and see the thermals actually listed as such, because rabbit print long johns as outwears is a little too over the top!


rabbit print

The Erin Fetherston accessories were also sadly missing from my Target. I was really looking forward to reviewing the large heart purse. I had not seen several elements of the accessories line until I checked out the go collection online. I am in love with the chunky heart shaped charm and the bow like headband.

access


So, in the end, I was quite a fan of the Erin Fetherston collection at Target! The skirts are very short, and details are incredibly girly but if that is your style these clothes are perfect for you!
Some images from target.com

Neiman Marcus, Payment Snobs


I do love perusing Neiman Marcus. Until last week, in the end, I never actually bought anything at Nieman Marcus. I just admired the goodies. AND THEN, a few weeks ago I took the plunge and purchased something! Yay! So, I handed over my purchase to the clerk, along with the Visa I use to purchase just about everything. Surprise! Neiman Marcus only takes Am Ex, the Neiman Marcus charge card, cash or personal check. I think my actual response to the clerk was "really? Are you kidding?" Fortunately, my purchase was small so I paid in cash...all of my cash.
Image from onetongraphics.com

19 November 2007

Santa Baby: Herve Leger Bandage Dress

bandage

Dear Santa,
I've been a VERY good girl this year. So, I was hoping that you could buy me a Herve Leger Bandage dress in size large. Tragically, Bloomingdale's only has size small in stock in their store, so you might have to work some Christmas magic to acquire the requisite size! Perhaps this is Bloomingdale's way of keeping chubby girls from embarrassing themselves by squeezing their amble bosoms into this fabulous, but very body conscious dress. I don't know why they bother, clearly anyone who can afford this dress can also afford a trainer. But, dearest Santa, you've never been one to hold a few extra cookies, and perhaps some fried chicken, against a girl? Maybe you can throw in a little gift certificate for lipo so that I can look as hot in my new dress as Zani?
Love,
Sophia Charming

16 November 2007

Santa Baby: Stocking Love

stocking

Surely this stocking would be filled by Santa with treats, because only a very nice girl would own something so cute!
Image from anthropologie.com

15 November 2007

Not everyone loves glitter as much as me

Image from http://www.lozives.co.uk/images/glitter/herpes_hung.jpg

14 November 2007

Project Runway Report

runway1

So, I guess I am officially a television addict. Here are the top five lessons from episode one of Project Runway Season Four:
  1. Elisa is nuts and will most likely be kicked off next week.
  2. People who work for Ralph Lauren develop a lovely preppy taste for hot pink and sleek silhouettes (yum yum, Jillian).
  3. I will never tire of the dramatic designs of costume designers turned PR contestants (I miss you Austin Scarlett). Thus, with his silken plum dream, Chris won Sophia's heart in this challenge.
  4. From the looser Simone: Tailoring (ie sewing a dress with only one seam and a hideous "fabric poop") trumps taste (ie a beigey slip dress). Either that or Simone was just not as crazy as Elisa and they wanted to add some drama to the show.
  5. From the winner, Rami: Designers don't care about your boobs. Honestly, if Rami's dress gives a model's boobs the national geographic sag, is there any hope for real women? Most of the judges are women! Hello! Nina should be forced to wear this design next week. OH, and by the way that was a toga inspired dress, and it was described as "new and modern." The only thing less modern than a toga is a loin cloth.
So, did you love Elisa? Did you think Rami's dress was divine? I do love a good debate, so please leave me your thoughts! I also encourage you to leave links to your Project Runway posts in the comments section.

Image source on Flickr

Gossip Girl Gossip


What is up with Momma Humphery (Susan Misner) looking as young as her kids? She is only listed as a guest star, I smell a trip back to the art colony.
Image from http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Stage/3206/images/gracefully2.jpg

Enchanted


I cannot wait to see Enchanted. I hope I can drag my family there over Thanksgiving. I'm just a wee bit concerned that they will not do the fairy tale gowns the justice they deserve.

13 November 2007

Fabuless: Erin Fetherston Preview Online

A selection from the Erin Fetherston GO collection is on sale on Target.com NOW! Four items are currently available and selling out fast, with free shipping on orders over $50. Personally, I am waiting to check out the loot in person this Sunday, but if you can't wait head over to Target.com.
Image from Target.com

Adventures with kohl eyeliner

kohl

I've been involved in a slowly builing kohl obsession, which began after hearing my friend wax poetic about the magic of kohl eyeliner on the beauty floor of Neiman Marcus. She related the transformative powers of true kohl, which she was taught how to properly apply by a glamorous Persian friend in college. We were, at the time, standing in front of the Guerlain counter toying with an adorable vial of rich black powder. I found myself back in that very same spot today, but this time I forked over $32 for my very own vial of loose kohl powder. I rushed out to the car nervous and excited and decided I would have my first go at application from the drivers seat (parked, of course). From what I could remember, I was supposed to close my eyelid over the applicator and then drag it along the inner rim of my eyelids...scary stuff for a girl who can still barely put in her contacts. Needless to say the car attempt was a disaster. Back at home I gave application another effort, this time from the comfort of a well lit vanity table. Success, or perhaps sex-cess as the final look is smolderingly HOT. My tip for applying genuine powder kohl to the inner rims of your eyes is to pull the lid away from your eyeball and dab and smear the powder on with the applicator. Don't worry to much about getting the powder in your eye...it blinks away easily and caused me no irritation, despite the fact I must have dumped milligram quantities on to my eyeball. I'm thinking with time I'll become an expert at application and application will be a few simple swipes. Kohl is officially new favorite makeup item! I feel like I don't need to put another ounce of makeup on to look ready for a big night out. Divine! I might have to order deep blue teal color from Sephora!
Image from www.liafail.org/Jack-Sparrow.JPG

12 November 2007

Word of the Moment: Obsessive


Obsessive, as defined by Dictionary.com:
"adjective:

  1. being, pertaining to, or resembling an obsession: an obsessive fear of illness.
  2. causing an obsession.
  3. excessive, esp. extremely so.
noun:
  1. someone who has an obsession or obsessions; a person who thinks or behaves in an obsessive manner."

Obsessive, as defined by Chic and Charming:
noun
:
  1. Adrian Monk
  2. Sophia
Example: A few months ago Sophia's ancient desktop died, taking with it a library of 4,000 songs which were only backed up her iPod. Lately Sophia's iPod has been making a scary clicking noise, which gadget guru Marilyn reports is the first sign that the iPod will soon die. Sadly, said iPod is so far gone that the only way to recover the songs using Media Widget is to import them into iTunes one at a time. It is 12 am...guess why Sophia is still awake...

Image from Yahoo

11 November 2007

Cavalli design for all...maybe not


I was tragically out of town when the H&M Roberto Cavalli collection dropped. But, I decided that I would check in at H&M in Philly when I had a few free minutes to see if anything had survived the mad dash. I walked in and I was very surprised to discover the store was somewhat pristine...mere hours before had this not been the site of a crushing wave of fashionistas battling it out for leopard print? Apparently not. I was informed by the shopgirl that Cavalli had only been released at a select few H&Ms. Cavalli was not in Philly, I called a friend Cavalli was not in Boston, not even on Newbury street. As far as I can tell the H&M Cavalli collection was released in several NYC shops, Chicago and San Fran. Lagerfeld, McCartney, Madonna...these H&M collections went nation wide. So, why not Cavalli? Don't we all deserve a little leopard print in our lives?

I am unable to offer you a review of the Cavalli collection, but for those of you who live in one of the few cities where the collection was sold, yet has not sold out, I can point you to AnnieNYC. After reading her posts it turn out even NYC fashionistas were unable to get their hands on much. She had a spot in line with a fanatic who stood in line from 2 am waiting for the store to open. Yet, by the time she got to the jewelry stand and the evening dresses everything was gone! No refills in sight! She goes on to state if the entire collection was purchased in mass by the first ten customers to resell on ebay, what was the point of doing the collection to begin with?

AnnieNYC really got be thinking. Is a Cavalli leopard print dress wrap dress for H&M any better than any other animal print wrap dress? Better than a DVF wrap dress? Is it worth waiting in line for 11 hours for poorly made clothes just because the original concept for the piece came from a design superstar? While I do love having unique and exciting pieces in my clothing and accessories closet, I am not sure diffusion designer collections are always the best place to find these items. Personally, I've not had the best luck with my H&M pieces lasting beyond a season or two. Generally speaking that is not a problem because I don't invest heavily in the pieces and I don't wait hours to buy them. I would however be quite upset if I waited several hours in line to buy a piece, only to have the seam unravel on the fourth wear. If you take the ridiculous crowds and lines out of the equation, I happily buy disposable designer fashion from Target and H&M. With the Cavalli collection, H&M has taken designer collaboration in entirely the wrong direction. Designers make clothing for H&M and Target in order to bring their designs to a wider audience. These collections are about accessibility, not exclusivity. The limited release of the Cavalli collection, and even then the low stock put out in the stores where the collection was released leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I feel less inclined to go check out future designer collections at H&M because I know it is unlikely that there will even be anything in the store.
Image from AnnieNYC

Santa Baby: The Shemergency kit

The shemergency survival kit would make a fabulous present for your favorite girlfriend. This kit would be perfect for hiding in the glove compartment of your car or desk drawer at work for those female emergencies. It would also be fabulous for a bride-to-be to stash at the reception on her wedding day...just in case. The kit contains just about everything a girl could need, including things you would never think to put in a homemade kit, like double stick tape and earring backs!

10 November 2007

Chic Women: Blair Waldorf

gossip3
Ok, ok, so Blair Waldorf is not actually a real person. She is, in fact, a character in the CW tv series Gossip Girl, based on the book series by the same name. Despite this I've chosen to feature her as one of my chic women. Why? First, her style is simply to die for. I love preppy, I love old fashioned, and I love that she does preppy, old fashioned with a modern sexy twist.

gossip5

In addition to my crush on her wardrobe, I am completely obsessed with Blair's hair. She has flowing, shiny dark locks of hair that always look perfect and are often accessorized with some sort of hair piece. I have high hopes that she will rock some adorable vintage style hats before the series is over. I read that in the book she has her locks chopped into a short style at some point. In my opinion this would be truly tragic, tantamount to when Felicity chopped her curly tresses.

gossip1
Poor Blair, her boyfriend doesn't love her...but that doesn't stop her from wearing some mighty sexy undergarments!


I think Blair was cemented in my affection in the latest episode of Gossip Girl, when she climbed on stage in a burlesque club and revealed that under her grannyesque dress she was sporting some might sexy undergarments. Let me first point out that Blair was dressed for dinner with her boyfriend's family after discovering that her boyfriend was still in love with her best friend. Clearly, unless she was hit by a truck and rushed to the hospital, Blair did not believe anyone was going to see what was going on under that dress. So, Blair dressed for herself, she donned some unbelievably sexy feminine armor under her dress to prepare for the rough night ahead. Her choice? A divine silk and lace champagne slip and black seemed stockings! Delish!

gossip2
Chic when she is sleeping...chic when she's awake...chic if she's been bad or good, so be bad for goodness sake!

I further love that the girl maintains her style when dreaming, when sleeping and when lounging around the house. Does it get any chicer than dreaming of yourself as a modern day Holly Golightly?! Could life get any better than being served fresh fruit for breakfast in a silk navy robe? Most of us will never know what real life chic icons wear around the house, primarily because it would be an enormous invasion of privacy. We many on occasion hear some tidbit in an interview, for example the entire world knows Marilyn slept in only Chanel no. 5, but generally speaking we will have to learn how to be chic when lounging from fake style icons like Blair.

Looking for more Gossip Girl?

Image sources on flickr

09 November 2007

Hint, Hint Honey!


I stumbled across an absolutely brilliant online store the other day. It is a rare person who remembers that the appropriate gift to give your significant other for your sixth anniversary is iron. And, an even rare person to think of a perfect present that contains iron! The Anniversary Present is an online store which does all of the work for you. For example, they've come up with a golf weekend outing for your athletic honey on your sixth anniversary (Iron=five iron golf club...). For your ten year anniversary, which happens to be your tin anniversary, they sell a Ferrari driving experience or an adorable picnic lunch in a tin box. Currently, I am most looking forward to my 40 year ruby anniversary, as I am obsessed with rubies...just 39.5 years left to go!

08 November 2007

Bling!

I've noticed that graphic representations of diamond rings have become a serious jewelry trend. The above necklaces is one of my favorite pieces, it is from Carrie Weston for $125. This adorable necklace is crafted out of sterling silver and was originally designed by the artist for her brother, who used it to propose to his girlfriend (now presumably his wife).

07 November 2007

Charming Blogs: jello on springs

One of my favorite movie lines of all time is from Some Like it Hot. Jack Lemon in full drag, marvels at Marilyn Monroe as she wiggles her way through a train station. He exclaims that she is like "jello on springs."So, I have to say it was love at first sight when I ran across the blog entitled jello on springs. I did not even have to read the content to know that this was a kindred spirit. When I did scroll down through the extensive posts I was quite impressed with this fashion blog. You will be too...go check it out!
Image from www.tcf.ua.edu/classes/Jbutler/T577/SomeLikeItHotIllustrations.htm

04 November 2007

Santa Baby: Travel Jewelry Case

Is it too early to start my Christmas wish list? I think not! After all my anniversary and birthday are long gone, so I need a new reason to say when shopping "Honey...wouldn't this make a great _________ present." With Halloween over I can now say "Christmas Present." After all, every department store on the planet is now chock full of holiday gear, and I am extremely susceptible to happy shiny marketing (Apple, I am your devoted slave).
So, to the first entry on my Christmas list. On one of my recent trips to the accessories department in Neiman Marcus, a sales girl explained to me that there have been great advances in leather treatment leading to fabulous metallic leathers with a suede like texture. Fortunatly, for those of us with less than $300 to spend on a gift, Banana Republic has also noticed this innovative "new" leather. Behold the metalic leather travel jewelry case from Banana Republic. The leather is soft, the metalics are gorgeous and the inside pockets are plentiful. This is actually the first travel jewelry case that I have found that has a slot exclusively devoted to earrings. Too fabulous! For those among us who are not so easily distracted by sparkly objects, they also have this case in a sophisticated embossed leather. I have a smaller, similar case from Coach from a few seasons back, and I have to say I think the Banana case is an improvement. The workmanship on each is similar, but the Banana case has a rigid body, which is key if you have a penchant for blown venetian glass beads like me. Also, as I noted before, the earring feature in the Banana case is unique and incredibly useful. The price for this adorable product is still a bit steep at $88, but I would say the case is worth it if you have someone you were planning on spoiling. Like, *ahem* me, darling husband, if you are reading this.

Out of Town


Sorry for the lack of posting, I am out of town! I saw the liberty bell today. It is much smaller in person than one might expect. I'll work on getting a few other interesting little things up over the next few days in between work activities.
Image from onward.justia.com

01 November 2007

Kiss Kiss Dahling

Are you on my space?? If you are you should friend me! I've just joined...and so far I've only been able to friend "The Man" from manvite...I need girlfriends.

Halloween Cocktail Party, Post Mortem

hallow

I survived my Halloween party...even better I managed to have a lot of fun despite all the cooking. My husband has a theory that I love Halloween so much because it gives me the opportunity to wear all of my eccentric treasures...the items that I knew were ridiculously impractical in the store, yet they were simply irresistible. For example, my collection of hats, my hot pink elbow length leather gloves, my fishnets...I continually changed my accessories throughout the party and even let some of my friends play dress up too.

As I meandered through the grocery store collecting the goodies for my party I started to think about how much my entertaining style has changed over the years. When I began my career as a hostess I would invite every single person I knew to my party via evite. These days I choose to curate the guest list and perhaps even hand out real invitations. This is not necessarily because I like the people who end up getting invited more, it is because I'm looking for a certain balance in the guest list. If more than one group of friends is invited I don't want the party to be overwhelmed by any one clique. I still inevitably end up feeling a little guilty about this, but its better that all my guests feel comfortable than to have a friend from the gym overwhelmed and excluded by 50 people from work talking shop.

The invites are not the only thing that has changed: the food and booze has seen a considerable upgrade. Unfortunately, with a transition from pretzels and cheetos to risotto and quiche comes a serious increase in preparation time. I thought that I had done fairly well in choose lots of semi-premade goodies to serve at the party, but I still ended up cooking for the first half of the party...tragic! I think the thing that made me the most cranky was the fact that all of my guests had to look at my disastrous kitchen. I am looking forward to the day when I can upgrade to a home with a closed off kitchen, so that my my mess stays hidden from my entertaining space. I would also love to reach the level where I can hire someone to come in and finish off the last little bit of cooking, keep the platters stocked with food and keep guests glasses full!

Fabuless: Now at Target

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A few fabulous finds from a recent trip to Target:

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And file this under not so fabulous: Isaac Mizrahi blantently ripping off Anya Hindmarch's cute little accessories bags in gross pleather.
Images from target.com and Anya Hindmarch's webpage