I can never have enough candles in my home. And for some reason, candles are one thing that I tend not to be price conscious about. In my closet full of presents (one of the best lessons passed down from my mother), most of the presents are candles. After reading a lot of reviews on candles (yes, they exist), I instantly bought cult-favorite D.S. & Durga. D.S. & Durga is a husband-wife team that makes the candles in Brooklyn (but of course).
Packaging.
This past Christmas, Santa brought my six year-old-Cruzzie (well, um, actually… me) a wireless printer! A polaroid printer! It is my teenage-self dream. Check it out.
The size of my palm. Chic, apple-esque, petite, and functional!
Recently, I was gifted a big coloring poster. YUP, for the family to color on. Apparently, the new it thing is for adults to color to release stress, calm the mind, and channel a worry-free life. SOOOOOOO…..it happened.
Coloring.
Before I get to the post today (and be sure to read to the bottom for a special treat), I want to share three links. First, I am so proud of my beloved hometown Eugene, Oregon for making it into New York Magazine as a weekend escape. To read all about my hometown, go here. And for you loyal readers (a million thank yous!), I am sure you recognize a lot of the places from previous blog posts (Voodoo doughnuts, Spencer’s Butte, and King Estate). Secondly, here is a great article for New Yorkers currently dealing with the crazy-traffic-grouchy-tourist-filled-city! Read it here. Thirdly, this Josie Robe was mentioned as a perfect gift in Kylie Jenner’s blog (who knew) so read about it here! And now, a great last minute gift: this Josie sleepshirt!
How fun is the print? Colorful, vibrant, trippy, and oh-so-fun.
Plastic cups; not very glamorous sounding, but trust me these will CHANGE YOUR LIFE. My best friend, Amy (who by the way, introduces me to 99% of what is cool / hot / hip / trendy / important), told me about them several years ago, but my reaction was “HUH WHAT?? PLASTIC CUPS, WHO CARES?” but then, as always, I listened to her (she = always right and in the know), so I bought them. And sure enough, they *changed* my life. Dramatic, but 13 bucks and you get 16 cups; all super cheery and colorful. You do the math, but I think that is a pretty good deal.
Colorful = happiness!
Before I talk about my new robe obsession, I have to discuss something that makes me so happy; Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton dating. YUP, I know, totally pathetic and oh-so-weird, but I am a huge fan of The Voice. And I kinda feel like I did watching Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf when they were together – same type of butterflies and happiness. Gwen and Blake are just too cute, and oh so fun. So watch this. I promise you that you will laugh and smile.
Gwen and Blake. My pals.
A true sign of a friend is when you receive a gift that shows that they are listening (which believe it or not, people don’t tend to do these days) to your stories. Several months ago, I nauseatingly bored my bestie to death with the fact that I had recently cleaned out the kitchen of our Pound Ridge home, and had thrown out 3 garbage bags worth of spices from 1985. So last weekend, when we visited Pound Ridge, I was astonished to find a huge present from my friend containing SPICES. To anyone else, this might seem like a whoa, cool, gift. But to me, it was beyond thoughtful, considerate, generous, and heartfelt. My friend listened, heard, and responded. Amazing. And let me tell you, these are not just any spices, they are the KING OF SPICES. (I don’t usually get excited by spices, but let me tell you, these are above and beyond any other type of spice!)
Boxes. Yes, they are just cardboard boxes but the contents are magic.
A new fragrance! You’ll remember the Josie by Natori fragrance launched last summer… well, a new limited edition updated flanker is out and it is the PERFECT scent for late summer/early fall — white floral, citrus, floral, musky, amber, and woody! Josie by Natori Exotic Petals (even the name smells good!).
Truth be told, I am not a big drinker (I am constantly in a state of my own drunkenness) and when I *do* drink, I am a super cheap date lightweight (aka fall asleep before double digits)…nonetheless, I am so excited by this Oregon Wine Company, hallelujah-ohmygoodness-bless-the-lord-maybe-ill-start-guzzling-now! WHAT IS HIPPER THAN DRINKING WINE OUT OF A CAN? Big kudos to Union Wine Company … (Flashback to drinking champagne out of a can…)
UnderWOOD!
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
If you live in NYC, then you are more likely to be in touch with certain fashion trends. What does that mean? It means that the common person (like myself) knows about who wore what earrings to what fancy gathering, who is the spokesperson for what company etc….Like Jennifer Lawrence is the spokesman for Dior. And therefore, in the Dior advertisements, she wears certain Dior earrings, wears these earrings at various events, and represents Dior. AND MAN, does she look good! And THOSE EARRINGS!!!! Hot damn, those earrings.
The earrings — front and back pearls, small and big.
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.
I am a huge fan of slip-on comfortable shoes that are hip and easy to walk in. And these Zara Leopard shoes check off the boxes. These flat leather ankle boots are made out of natural cowhide with elastic side panels and white rubber soles. They are quick to slip on, flat to run a marathon with, and a la mode en ce moment. I imagine that my Parisian Girl Crushes are wearing them now, too.
shoes
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.
Every parent thinks that their kids are the cutest in the world. I am no different. I am also aware that they are a little more exotic looking than plain-Jane (or myself). I definitely get stopped a lot in the streets by strangers commenting on how beautiful they are. I always appreciate the straight-forward remarks and admire people’s courage to speak openly to strangers.
Indulgence: Thinking my own kids are cute.
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….
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.
Not sure what is happening, but I am reliving all my fashion trends from college. Overalls, tie dye, and now Rod Lavers. I used to wear Rod Lavers every single day in college. Literally — with dresses (yup, guilty), shorts (cute), and jeans (typical). And what do you know? On trend! Rod Lavers are back in action!
Rainbow of sneakers (courtesy New York Times)
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.
