photos from eggpress.com
I love sending Valentine’s Cards. (That’s because I love Valentine’s Day: sweet sentiments, pretty flowers, stronger sunlight …. what’s not to like?) So I was thrilled to get an email from Eggpress announcing their Valentine’s collection is available online. My favorite is the card pictured above. How fun would that be to receive? I am buying it for sure. I will either give it to my husband or convince him to give it to me. Not sure how I would work that angle.
another view of my favorite “Couple in Love” card
cute little snail!
My second favorite (and yep, getting this one as well) is the adorable snail card. Don’t you agree? Check out all of Eggpress’ Valentines at eggpress.com.
See you tomorrow with the Five!
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Here we are: it’s Clothing Hall of Fame day, brought to you by Uniform Girl. My uniform of choice? tee shirt (usually long-sleeved), sweater, jeans, and flats. I’ve got it bad for flats, by the way. Above are some clippings from last spring’s shopping obsessions … yep, mostly shoes. So let’s deconstruct my uniform. Clearly, that’s where my hall of fame will come from.
- tee shirt There was a time when this meant one thing, and one thing only: JCrew. I lived for their perfect tee. You could wash it and throw it in the dryer. No twisty side seams (I hate that!) and it didn’t shrink. The wide assortment of colors (complete with great names – a plus) meant that I would just order up a few new tees from the catalog each season. Then, a year or so ago, they changed their tee shirt! It’s not perfect (to me) anymore. It’s too thin now, and just feels different. So, I’ve been on a mission to find a suitable replacement. I like Petit Bateau. It’s comfy, but harder to find, and fewer color choices. Banana Republic’s are nice too, but you’re limited to white and black. I need the “ballet pink” or “cerise” or “harvest” options, guys! In my opinion, this is an underserved market :) The new Garnet Hill catalog arrived today, and these might work, but I’d still prefer that JCrew bring back my old favorite. That’s right, just for me. (In the meantime, this is nice, in soft granite. See what I mean about color names?)
- sweater 9 times out of ten, this means a cashmere cardigan. My favorite sources? JCrew (surprise), TSE, and Mai. One of my best finds of late was a chartreuse Mai v-neck cardigan that I got on sale last winter. But really? It all comes back to color and fit. Sound familiar?
- jeans I think this is as hard as swimsuit shopping. I’m in search of the ultimate jean: not skin tight, but not baggy, and preferably, it should look and feel broken-in and loved. Here’s what I’ve learned: 1.) most jeans are too low-rise for the mother of a 10-year-old, no matter how much Pilates you do, or way too dorky for the mother of a 10-year-old. 2.) I need to have any jeans tailored. Luckily, I’ve found an excellent source that can take in the waist, hem, you name it. 3.) I have not found the ultimate jean yet, but I’m still searching.
- flats Ah, my favorite shoe! I’m hoping that they stay in style for a bit longer, because I cannot get enough. What do I look for? Usually, a pointy toe. Usually, black. And bonus points for something “crazy” about them. Like some jewels, or a strap, or a button. A detail that makes you stop and look just a little longer. For spring, I’m kind of liking these, simply because they’re orange. It’s early, though. Things could change. As I live in snowy and cold Chicago, I’m still substituting Merrells and socks for my flats. Can’t ruin the cute shoes with road salt. Putting those practical boot-shoes away is one of the joys of spring.
Oh, and while I’m wearing my uniform? I’m thinking about my virtual life, and the pretty dresses I’d wear if I lived in the city, and wasn’t on my way to soccer practice. Like this elegant Narciso Rodriguez number.
photo from eluxury.com
As always, please add any comments below. What are your closet go-to’s? See you tomorrow.
Giveaway #2’s winner is Alicia! Congratulations! Send me an email (see my profile) with your mailing address and I’ll get the stationery off to you.
Another birthday is history. We had a nice day. My husband bought me the pink waffle/spa robe that I spotted in the Bloomingdale’s window Saturday night. My son made me a birthday card (complete with typeface quiz), and I baked up some birthday cupcakes (Sprinkles vanilla mix – they were awesome), along with checking off the usual Monday stuff: laundry, ballet, French lesson (I’m through 11 now). Even made it to Chow (cute little shop!) and picked up some foodstuffs. A pretty-good day, I’d say, even without mail delivery.
I’ve been sitting on this Martha story for a bit, waiting for her site to catch up to the magazine. Her February issue is full of How-to’s, from opening wine, the best cleaning supplies, etc. I’m about half way through, and it’s pretty marked up to go back and study. My favorite feature so far is the labeled keepsake boxes. They’re soooo pretty, and the labels are available for download in four sizes (small through extra-large). I love that there is space for a personal note. You could tuck just about any sweet little treasure into a box, add the label, and create a gift that will be remembered and treasured. (I could see keeping baby teeth and/or a lock of hair in the “keepsake” box.) Somehow, I hope to incorporate this into my Valentine’s plans, which at this point do not exist. They will.
See you tomorrow with the clothing Hall of Fame. I’m feeling a little stressed by this one. Have I mentioned I wear a variation of the same outfit every day? See you then.
Martha update: If you are (were?) a Blueprint subscriber, you will be getting Martha Stewart Living as a replacement. Not Weddings.
Hello! Today is my birthday, and true to form, it’s the coldest weather of the year. (Can’t you just feel the cold in the photo above? No, I’m not bitter.) I’m hoping that we’ll bust out of the house today in search of some fruit salad (and lunch, too) from a new source, Chow to Go. Yes, there’s nothing like driving a half-hour plus for fruit salad, is there? You know that I’ll be checking out their pastry case, too. I really have to push myself to “get out”, because I easily fall back into the hunkering down mindset in January.
The upside is, when it’s cold like this, I can find lots of things inside to keep me busy. One of the things I read (and loved) over the weekend was Friday’s NYTimes’ “Winter Day Out in ….” series that featured Atlanta, Boston, Seattle, Washington, D.C. and Chicago. I ripped it out to save for reference, and to give me that “push”. One of the featured Chicago spots is Hot Chocolate. I stopped in right after they opened a few years ago, and sampled their hot chocolate (spectacular!), but I’d really like to eat there, too. Soon, I hope. (I think for brunch or lunch. Their doughnuts are calling my name ….)
Friday’s This American Life episode, Matchmakers, was especially good. My favorite segment featured “Nubbins”. Catch it free on iTunes this week.
I also (finally) watched Sweet Land on Sunday. My cousin has been telling me to watch this since forever, and she was spot on. It was beautiful, romantic, and sweet, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you should. Netflix is probably doing cartwheels since I’ve had this movie at home since October. It’s coming back, guys!
Enjoy your holiday Monday! And Happy Birthday to Laura (lauracrow.typepad.com), too! Cheers, much-younger-than-me-birthday-sharer!
Final reminder: Giveaway #2 is on thru Monday at 11:59. Details at the post below.
Good morning! It’s a cold (5 below zero cold) Sunday here, and I’ve been up since 5:45, courtesy of my well-rested son. So, we’ll get Giveaway #2 started a little early. Have you postponed writing thank-you’s for presents received in December because you’ve been searching for the perfect card? Look no further: these brand-new notecards from Page stationery should suit your needs. It’s a set of six flat cream cards with “Merci Beau Coup” letterpress printed at the top (and sweet light green envelopes). Use those up, and then serve yourself a mug of hot chocolate for a job well done, using one of the snowflake coasters (set of 8).
photo from pagestationery.com
Page stationery’s site features even more fabulous stuff …. check out their gorgeous Valentine’s Day offerings! Love them! I’m smitten with the children’s long-sleeve tees …. so, so cute, the numbered tees are my favorite, I think. (I definitely have a thing for tees lately.) Take some time and look through it all – the pictures really show the range of their work.
For more about Page, see my June 6 blog entry here.
As a reminder, here are the giveaway rules: leave a comment at this post (no anonymous, please) by 11:59 pm Monday, January 21, and I will draw one winner. I’ll announce said winner in Wednesday’s blog post. Good Luck!
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