Best discovery EVER (and of course, made in Portland, Oregon), is a crayon holder. I know, it sounds WAY OVER-DRAMATIC, but trust me, it seriously rocks my world. It made me want to start carrying it around not for the kids, but for ME! Easy, hip, amazing.
crayon burrito!
My whole life, I have worn cheap and childish watches. Way back when, I had the Mickey Mouse watch that sang “It’s a small world after all.” From there, I graduated to a Timex watch with a rastafarian color themed velcro band. As an adult, I have worn a $60 plastic watch…. every…. single… day. Some might say it is time to move on to something nicer and more grown up , but I like the fact that all my watches are simple, cheap, and do their thing. Plus, I prefer inexpensive watches to “nice” ones as the nicer ones are too much of a status symbol, especially in places like New York. Heyyyyy, check out my GOLD ROLEX — if I can afford 30K on my wrist to tell the time, guess how rich I AM???? So, plastic watches are more my jam.
Black plastic chic. With the background of tie-dye pants — making my outfit THAT much more chic.
I have a friend who always wears the most fun, quirky, and playful jewelry. Everything she wears, I want to copy / steal (imitation = sincerest form of flattery) and this time around, I copied her exactly and got the same bracelet from Venessa Arizaga. (Thank you!) And look how FUN and COOL and PLAYFUL it is? I feel like I am 14 years old… youthful and whimsical.
Focus on the middle one with the words. Do you get it??? And yes, I am a “bomb-shell” in birkenstocks. #obvi
Ladies, HEAD TO THE BOOKSTORE NOW (or order on Amazon) to get your copy of Love and Miss Communication. The debut novel from my smart, beautiful, successful, and witty friend, Elyssa Friedland. This book came out yesterday (!!!) and has already been named a “must read” by InStyle Magazine and Popsugar. I couldn’t agree more — I had the privilege of reading it before it came out, and I absolutely loved every minute of it. The novel provided a great look into modern living in New York City through the eyes of Evie Rosen, the main character who swore off the internet (hard to imagine!). I loved every part of Elyssa’s book — the flow, the story, the concept, the humor, EVERYTHING! I could not put it down. And I was fortunate enough to sit down with Elyssa to discuss her amazing book.
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How in the world do you write a book? You are a mom to three kids, a wonderful wife, super social, the PA of Preschool, always perfectly coiffed, immaculately dressed and stunning — AND JUST WROTE A BOOK??? And a great book. How did you fit everything into your schedule?
Happy Monday! A little housekeeping work. For those of you who get the blog by email, we have moved to a new (better) service (Mailchimp). Just a heads up to look for a slightly different email going forward. And if that sounds like an awesome idea and you want to sign up, click here. On to today’s post!
Set of three! Detox, Renew, and Calm.
It’s almost Valentine’s Day, so in addition to purchasing lingerie from Natori, you need to buy flowers! And what is easier than purchasing flowers online / via iphone app with Urban Stems. The lucky ducks that live in the NYC and DC area have access to this brilliant company. Simple, beautiful, and straightforward. The bouquets cost $35 and are a beautiful arrangement of carefully selected flowers imported straight from farms in South America. A bonus: According to the company, the farms used are environmentally-friendly and operate with labor friendly policies for their employees and their families. 90% of the farmers are women. Curious to see the product before I sent it to a secret admirer (my child’s preschool teacher – she is my true love), I bought a bouquet for myself.
Red
Guilty pleasure: reading cookbooks! I love collecting, sorting through, and learning from cookbooks. Although the internet is a terrific place to peruse for recipes and ideas, there is something about the old fashioned, hard cover that I can’t get away from. There are so many cookbooks that I love and use, but currently, here are my three favorite:
Back in June, I highlighted our new Dream Catcher for our bedroom. Not only did I fall in love with the symbolism and beauty of the dream catcher, but so did my 5 year old son. He begged for one of his own, as he wanted to make sure that he only had sweet dreams. Although I love the one in our bedroom, I didn’t necessarily want to spend that much $$ on my son’s (is that selfish?). So I searched and dug, until I found this one! Same type of look and feel, but a fraction of the price!
White, feathers and crystals: the perfect trio.
For those of you who have been reading the blog for a long time (first, huge THANK YOU!), then you have already seen this post. But I can’t help myself and need to include it again because these holiday treats are SO VERY DELICIOUS and addictive. And if you are new to the blog (welcome, and thank you!), enjoy the very best cookie / goodie / chocolate heaven / salty-sweet-thang. Hands down, the best holiday treat. And because you will not be able to stop at just one cookie (or ten of them), better get started on your holiday workout.
One of my all time favorite gifts is the “Birthday Interview Book.” This tiny little book is a simple way of keeping track of your child’s favorite items each year. Every year, on his birthday, we ask Cruzzie the same 20 questions (favorite color, song, friend, meal, etc…) and record it in the little keepsake book. We will start the same tradition with Toosh this May when she turns 3. It is a fun (and smart) way of collecting information about your child as they grow up (tear — not too fast, kids!). And the kids love to answer and record the questions as well! To purchase, go here. It is the perfect gift for your child (or a friend!).
Tiny, little blue book with powerful, meaningful keepsakes.
As the Josie girl, I love everything Josie. The prints, the material, the vibe, the lifestyle, and especially the new fragrance. Launched this past Summer, the fragrance is effortless, confident, and light. Just the right amount of subtle sweetness paired with crisp. The scent is a vibrant accord of crisp Asian Pear and Bergamot (LOVE!), followed by Sampaguita (the national flower of the Philippines), Freesia, and Wild Orchid. The perfect harmony of smells. And now, what is even more amazing is that the fragrance comes in a rollerball! Perfect for your purse, a stocking stuffer, or travel. Cha-ching.
Although I do my fair share of typing on computers and phones, I also spend a lot of time writing, whether it is for thank you notes (most recently for Cruzzie’s birthday party and the donations for the marathon), to-do lists, and / or snail-mail cards. Not only am I particular about the paper I write on, but even more so, the pens that I write with. So I was ecstatic when I was gifted the coolest pen EVER. Swiss made (of course), this ball point pen is not only durable, beautiful, and unique, but it is also easy and smooth to write with. AND it comes with the coolest case ever.
A whole lot of orange going on.
I have a close friend who is hands down the best cook in the world (actually, tied with my mother). Everything she makes in the kitchen is scrumptious, delicious, and out of this world good (she is also beautiful, loving, caring, stylish — damn I have AMAZING FRIENDS!!!!!). So when I was at her house last week and devoured a whole gallon of salad, I had to know HOW DO I MAKE THAT DRESSING? The salad was simple — cabbage and tomatoes — but I couldn’t stop eating it. It was the most delicious two ingredient salad I had ever tasted — all because of the dressing. My friend, embarrassed, said that the dressing was store bought (not her typical style) and said it cost her $17 for the bottle (NYC — your prices are totally bonkers a$$ crazy!).
Salad! But what makes the salad is the dressing….
Call me lazy, but sometimes I would rather pay $10 for a smoothie than find all the ingredients and make it myself. It sounds lazy, but finding the various ingredients, then washing, chopping, measuring them all = too much effort. So what do you know, there is a service (currently only offered in New York City) which delivers packs of frozen fruit / vegetable combinations so you can MAKE your own smoothies without the hassle. And it’s way cheaper than buying smoothies at a store. Ah-mazing, right? Daily Harvest, thank you.
Once again, another friend who is uber talented, smart, beautiful, and accomplished. GEEZ, so inspiring it makes me in awe! My friend, Jennie, is truly an example of an exceptional woman; Harvard grad (not too shabby), mother of two (cutie pa tooties), blonde, beautiful, peppy, energetic, and NOW a founder of the company Me & Ewe. Damn lady. She is also married to the co-founder of OK Cupid (No Big Deal, just some website that matches up MILLIONS of people each year and creates happily-ever-afters) and has entrepreneurial blood running through her veins. Me & Ewe is a sock company — made for kids and adults to match. The idea is fresh, fun, and fabulous. Take a look! So impressed, excited, and thrilled for Jennie’s new company.
I mean, how adorable is this lady? Selling her socks old-school at a children’s library. Everything in this picture is just too cheeky cute.
A proud Oregonian, I was thrilled to find these Locally Grown tee shirts last summer at a local Eugenian store, Plume Red. They come in multiple sizes — even for little ones. A matching family of Locally Grown Oregon shirts! Pinch-cheek-cute!
Locally Grown Clothing Co.
Enamored with anything Oregonian and delicious, I recently stumbled upon (in my mother’s kitchen) the most INCREDIBLE, tasty unusual, and delicious treat, made by a Local Company, Jacobsen Salt Co. A little background: my parents met and married in Stockholm, Sweden, 42 years ago. I also lived there as a 5 year old for a year. Soooo, I feel a connection to anything Swedish (add that to my long list of special connections: Oregon, Paris, hippy, etc..) One of the many Swedish food loves is black licorice, and especially salted black licorice. It is definitely an acquired taste, but if you do like it, you LOVE it. And my mother is royally obsessed with black licorice and stocks up on it when in Scandinavia. So it was a treat for her to find her favorite candy made by a local company. Hip hip hooray!
Catchy name, classy presentation.
In my (small) world, toys > space, so I therefore the need more baskets and organization. My newest set of toy organizers (hiders) are two large straw baskets with multicolored pom poms from Eliza Gran. And how I love them! Unique, colorful, and playful.
The pink pom pom basket
Although I like to change my wardrobe frequently, I never ever ever change my hairstyle. 100% of the time, my hair is back in a ponytail, bun or chignon. My mom even nicknamed me ‘Olive Oyl‘ like Popeye’s girlfriend, as her hair (and mine, too) is always back in a bun. What can I say, I like my hair up! Because it is always up, I am willing to invest in nice, beautiful hair clips.
Truly a sugar addict, my heart and mind fell in love when I was recently gifted a tin of Hampton Popcorn. I had NO IDEA that popcorn could taste SOOOO good. A nibble here, a handful there, and in no time, the gallon tin was almost empty. I can’t even begin to explain the deliciousness of this guilty pleasure.
Classic, classy blue and white tin. With HEAVEN inside.
Obsessed with anything from Portland, Brooklyn, and / or Stockholm, I recently came across the magazine, Kinfolk, from Portland, Oregon. And now, I am hooked. This inspirational, quarterly, ad-free print magazine is a piece of art, not just a magazine. Goodbye, Cosmo, and Hello, Basquiat! (And yes, I had this planned before the New York Times Sunday Styles article yesterday! The Josie Girl and the NYT apparently think alike!)
Cheese from a can???? YUP, that’s right. And amazing, high quality cheese, too. So delicious that you will want to eat the entire can in one sitting!
Jackpot! Pot of gold! Cougar Gold!
Not sure if it is because of my hippy dippy background, but I love crystals. I love wearing crystal necklaces, carrying crystals in my pocket, and ESPECIALLY admiring the rose quartz lamp in my in-laws’ New York apartment. This lamp is my DREAM. Check out its beauty form every angle! HOLY SMOKES it is a beauty.
Perfection
Wanna be a Maui Babe? I certainly do! And my only shot of becoming one is by using Maui Babe products! Created in Hawaii, the lotions, sunscreen and after-sun products are luxurious, soothing, and have the best SCENT EVER. All of the ingredients are natural and found on the island of Hawaii itself.
Yep, as the weather in NYC continues to be frigid, cold, and unbearable, my mind is still stuck in Puerto Rico… so why not finish off the week strong with yet another post on summer clothes? This time, for little girls! And this outfit is my absolute FAVORITE spring dress!
Side view.
