Confession! I am a hoarder! And one of the items I hoard is lip balm. I am constantly on the lookout for the best, most divine, practical, beautiful, tasty lip balm out there. And I can never have too many! The more the merrier! Here are my four favorite right now:
Four Faves.
Spending the last few weeks with my parents has reintroduced me to some of their daily routines… such as my father’s coffee brewing. My father is snobby about his coffee (just like I am with granola, grocery stores, gym clothes, and many many other things). He now swears by the AeroPress, which he likes even more than the French press. And after comparing them all, I totally agree… I am now a converted AeroPress user! Using an AeroPress is a fast, easy and convenient way to brew excellent coffee. For whatever reason, the pressure heightens the sweetness and body in each cup. It tastes like a barista made it themselves.
The Aeropress. Not bulky. Just a little itty bitty goodness of love.
Probably the best 80 dollars (times 2, so 160 total) I have spent recently were on these handmade Indian coverlets for twin beds. Thanks to Etsy and Rajasthan Royals, we now are proud owners of two vibrant, colorful, 100% cotton covers for two twin beds.
Obsessed with Etsy.
Rajasthan Royals creates by hand these beautiful and unique masterpieces. They have a large assortment of beautiful quilts to choose from, or you can even custom ordert. There are quilts, baby quilts, different size bedding, and pillow shams — all are traditional Indian and gorgeous.
So many options to choose from, but you can’t go wrong as they are all colorful, special, and add a splash of pizazz to any room!
Bright green with flowers.
Back of quilt.
Magenta!
Back striped.
Our two quilts for the twin beds.
The highlight of the past long weekend (aside from being reunited with Ken who had to go to the Philippines for a week) was my visit to the store The Meadow. I can’t even begin to describe the pure AMAZINGNESS of this store. It is everything in one tiny little room- cozy, sweet, interesting, unique, bizarre, and simply, pure bliss. What type of store is it? A boutique that specializes in salt, chocolate, drink, and flowers. Seems obscure, but when you think of it, do you really need anything else? (Don’t answer that.)
The store has two different locations. The West Village in NYC and Mississippi Avenue in … Portland, Oregon. How picture perfect is this store? Too cute for words!
The gourmet salt, artisan-made chocolates, cocktail bitters, and fresh flowers all come together to provide an amazing shopping experience. The owners, Jennifer and Mark Bitterman (“selmeliers”) know their stuff! Walking into their store for 30 minutes made me want to learn and discover more about everything they sold.
Rows and rows of salt. Over 120 finishing salts from around the word! Each has its own special mineral and crystal properties. They also carry salt sets to help beginners start learning more about the process of how salt gets made.
Different sizes of crystals, smells, and colors. The thought of adding an extra sprinkle of love to a food dish seems so romantic and delicious.
Different sizes.
The view out the window. Perfect for a movie!
Located in the heart of the East Village, the John Derian Dry Good store is a pot of gold. The moment you walk in, you feel pure happiness, comforted by the luxurious, beautiful, colorful, and happy home goods. The cozy home accessories shop is filled from head to toe with handmade beautiful knicknacks. You will want to buy everything in the store, even if you don’t have pans for your new loot. I wish that the store was my home.
John Derian decoupage plates in our dining room
John Derian Company was started in 1989 by John Derian himself. He makes beautiful decoupage plates, paperweights, platters, bowls, trays, dishes, lamps, coasters, and much much more. His whole collection is handmade in his studio by artisans. He also sells linens, stationary, plates, lighting, and furniture from an assortment of collections (prints by Hugo Guinness, vintage Pakistani quilts, Moroccan lanterns and leather poufs, for example).
Outside. In love already??
Window with gold sparkle.
Paper weights. Amazing presents.
Rustic French plates.
My newest obsession is Goatmilk -. NO NO NO, not like milk from a goat, but a line of clothes for kids (and hopefully soon adults too!) that is absolutely amazing. Simple, pure, organic, cozy, a luxurious necessity!
Based in NY, Goatmilk’s mission is to dress children in beautifully crafted, simple clothes. Inspired by European classics, Goatmilk Kidware is the perfect start to a child’s wardrobe, covering the foundation of their clothes! The underwear is not only beautiful and functionable, but also made of 100% organic, prewashed cotton and produced with a resolute commitment to quality, fair trade and the environment. Unbelievable!
The clothing is so simple, pure, unadorned, classic, and beautiful. The look gives the kids a European look (love that!) with a perfect fit. My favorite looks are as follow, starting with the pointelle tank onesie. SO beyond MAJOR!
How cute is this tank onesie? Beyond beautiful.
Baby Zoe couldn’t resist and had to have this onesie tank in her wardrobe! Perfect to pair with shorts (if it is ever warm enough) or underneath her clothes as a base layer.
I don’t drink much, but when I do, it is often with my in-laws, which means champagne (my mother-in-law has definitely rubbed off on me!) Mrs. Natori is picky about her champagne, but me… not so much. What I have discovered is a cute new way to drink it!
PINK! CAN! STRAW! SPARKLE! POP!
Nothing says “celebrate” more than champagne. In a can. In a PINK can. With a straw. A PINK straw. Oh my god, it is like I died and went to heaven!
Sometimes, during the holidays, you just need to give yourself a present. This year, I gifted myself a pair of slippers. Not very glamorous or sexy, fashionable or trendy, exciting or new; but incredibly practical, happy, cozy, and warm. So to me, these slippers feel like diamond earrings.
Hippy on the outside, extravagant on the inside.
Padraig Cottage slippers are my new jam. These slippers are made from New Zealand wool, coupled with a plush sheepskin lining for the ultimate cozy and warm dream. And dream, it is! Like a soft, marshmallow, cushion-y HEAVEN. The hand-dyed crochet wool lets your feet move and breathe without being overly restricted or stuffed.
Hats are like workout clothes: they can be difficult to buy because they seem so damn expensive, but then you end up wearing them EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. So it is worth it in the end. Also, you want nice looking hats (and workout clothes, too) as there is nothing worse than a bad hat in grey cold weather. Eugenia Kim hats are my splurge.
Eugenia Kim launched her namesake hat line in the early 2000s, and won a CFDA award for Accessories Design (2004). She is known for her innovative wovens and inventive, quirky felts and straws trimmed with vintage ribbons and feathers. Her hats and head accessories are sold at Barneys, Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus, Saks, net-a-porter, shop bop, Zappos, as well as 200 smaller boutiques. DAMN girl. But of course, she has her own e-commerce site, so go there! Straight to the source!
Check out the hat selection. LOVE.
I love Etsy. And I love pop-up shops. So while I was on a three hour day-date with my better half last weekend in SoHo (best three hours EVER), I couldn’t have been more excited to stumble across the ETSY HOLIDAY SHOP!
The sign outside of the store. This is what immediately got my attention.
For those of you unfamiliar with Etsy, it is a website that allows local artisans and merchants to sell handmade or vintage items to a broad community. It is a great one-stop shop for anything homemade, and it is a terrific place to find unique gifts. The holiday store does a great job of bringing that web concept to brick-and-mortar. As described on the site, “Imagine a magical place where you can shop directly from the collections of guest curators, meet the artists and collectors of the marketplace in person, learn to make something with your own two hands, and enlist the help of a whole squad of Etsy experts for your gift list. It’s Etsy in real life!” So true, and so magical. But unfortunately, the shop is closing this Saturday (December 8th)…. so go now!
Need a simple stocking stuffer? Fun socks are always the perfect gift as they fit everyone; are bright, colorful and cheery; and come in a range of prices. Socks are like candles: everyone loves them but will not splurge on them for themselves… they are a perfect, easy gift. I try to get Ken to wear fun socks to work with his suits. Help push the movement. No more boring dark work socks!
Add some flavor to your Josie Guy’s suit!
Here are my top sock choices, for you or your guy (excluding my hand knit socks from my mother that I get for every holiday).
Cotton, wool, and cashmere options are available at Corgi, an old school English company.
Hello fun stripes!
