Bubble Gum...POP!

I had this whole deep thinking post in mind about how this was the year I was really embracing being a "grown-up" (because 35 seems to be the time to stop calling yourself a girl?)...how it was sexier, easier, more confident than your giddy twenties and how the women I was really interested in/inspired by were a little more complicated, had a little gravitas, were raising families and being honest about the life they lead while still managing to keep an edge of glamour about them...but then 13 year old Hailee Steinfeld showed up at the SAG awards in this bubblegum dress by Prada and suddenly this looked like a lot more fun, no?  It also ties in nicely with a conversation I had with my sis-n-law this weekend (who has a 13 yr old) about who girls can/should admire these days...if Miss Steinfeld's performance in True Grit and sartorial run this awards season are any indication, she's definitely one to watch!

Cheers!

xo, M

Major, Major Sale - 50- 70% 0ff! (plus a little sneak peek)

Knowing that ridiculously awesome pieces, like this one from Lizzie Fortunato, are on their way to the shop for spring makes my little heart go pitter patter...

and that also means saying goodbye to all the gorgeous F/W lovelies that are left...like this killer bag by Fleabags...but the show must go on so all markdowns are now 50% off or more!! (and when you spend $150 + take an additional 25% off using "wintersale" at checkout...

  head on over!

Happy Weekend friends!!

xoxo, M

Meet You There?

image here
Okay, friends...I've have about 3 more weeks that I can travel before it's lockdown for me and baby to be...my original plan was to make a quick NYC/Boston trip to see my besties but honestly the thought of going from cold weather to cold weather is making me drag my feet a bit...sooooo, why don't we all meet up at the Ace in Palm Springs? Don't you need a quick getaway...somewhere warm, wear caftans, do some thifting, drink some cocktails poolside (I'll just fake it)? C'mon...

Hope to see you there...

xoxo, M

ps - Seriously, I'm not kidding! Feb 5/6thish? Feb 12/13th?? grab your best gal pal or your baby (ahem Jora & Ann)! let's plan it - we can still be spontaneous, right?

Current Crushes

 My entire spring wardrobe in one fell swoop - Oh Steven Alan you get me everytime...

 Kanye bakes? Why not??

 Heath + Commune = yes, please...

via Nadia

Do you ever feel like that kind of parent? Glad to know I'm in good company...

 John Lennon in Rolling Stone

love these snaps of John, Yoko, & Sean in Japan...

my favorite new pants (hey, they have zippers at the bottom - that qualifies as not sweatpants right?)

and if it has to be winter for 3 more months at least I can aspire to this...

photo by Garance

Happy Wednesday! xoxo, M

A Little Substance

image via  Paris Hotel Boutique

I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm a little burnt out on the fashion rags of late...I think it's time to dive into something with a little substance (dare I say it, an actual book - just kidding, I do love to read just can't seem to find the time) So what's on your nightstand these days? I've been wanting to pick up Steve Martin's Object of Beauty and Patti Smith's Just Kids has been getting rave reviews...Chris has Keith Richard's new autobio that I could snag while he's buried in one of his history tomes...speaking of history, I love a good historical fiction novel - the Josephine trilogy is pretty fantastic if that's your thing...I've always wanted a good Frida bio and have picked up Life with Picasso at the library but never started it...any recommendations? Mind you, not too much substance and I like to steer clear of anything too tragic - incest, rape, child kidnapping, etc do not make a good read for moi...

On the store front, I just restocked Dream Collective, so if you've been pining away for one of Kathryn's AHmazing cuffs they are back...(and new goodies for spring soon!)

xoxo, M

ps - thank you, thank you for all your lovely, amazing comments yesterday - you girls are my favorite thing about this little space...

A Splash of this and a Dash of That

Friday night, kid in bed, hubby in Vegas, tivo exhausted, I thought I'd have a little pity party and scan twitter for all the goings on over at Alt...caught a little link "Best in Up and Coming Blogs" and scanned the list for some new reading material - but lo and behold there was my goofy blog (maybe a typo? but I'm assuming the dear, lovely Joslyn was responsible for the mention)...I really wanted to run outside and turn a couple of cartwheels but the -5 temps were a little daunting (and I'm pretty sure that gymnastics and pregnant bellies are a little off limits?)... if you're checking out the list (oh so many of my faves and new ones to discover) here's a little snapshot of what's cooking over here:

Pretty Mommy Cocktail:
Take one slightly frazzled mommy
2 cups unhealthy obsession with fashion
1 heaping helping of 3 year old hijinks and 1 baby on the way
Some good tunes courtesy of the mister (heavy on the cute, indie rock boy variety)
Long Hair, Bangs, Red Nails, and a little leopard print
a bit of good design with a pinch of tacky
a pitcher full of pink
1glass of champagne when no one is looking
2 tsp homesickness for Austin, TX and 3 tsp bitching about Minnesota Winters
A generous TBSP of inspiration from style muses Sofia C, Joslyn, Garance, LA girls HBT & Jeana Sohn, et al
muddle with Lots and lots of love for all my fellow blogettes
throw in a busy little boutique*
shake, stir, stay up too late watching Tivo then wake up at 6 am with a little miss and see what happens...

xoxo, M

images above: a few things I never get tired of: anything by Banquet and esp her new gold heart print, simple & pink plank chair, Willie and Texas nights, a well packed suitcase, an armful of Dream Collective bracelets, a modern icon and an artist's muse...via pinterest

*since this is already a totally self indulgent post I might as well mention my shop, full of things I love, mostly designed by women (with one cute boy - John Robshaw - in the mix), mainly made in the USA, and a healthy dose of sustainable products - whew! - a few highlights - handbags by Clare Vivier, Organic clothing by Stewart + Brown & Lina Rennell, jewelry by Bosquez, Dream Collective by Kathryn Bentley & Laura Lombardi, Virginia Johnson & Matta scarves and lots of other fun goodies...

Two-fer

Lately my mind has been a bit crowded with two distinctly separate concerns...first for the pretty & frivolous - our new bedroom/office is almost ready to start decorating (yeah!!) and even though I'm putting it in the capable hands of Revelry I couldn't resist shedding a little light on the subject, so to speak...

left to right, top to bottom: my longtime obsession from a Kelly Wearstler room, love the simplicity of this table lamp at DWR, dramatic dark pendants at Jayson Home & Garden, and a parisian apartment, totally smitten with this globe pendant & peachy/gold table lamps (and the price!) at West Elm, and 2 versions of faceted loveliness

see more here...

image of Stella M via Happenstance

Now that we have the lovelies out of the way let's talk about the other (much more) pressing issue on my mind...parenting...seriously these last few months have been a bit challenging - I'd like to place all the blame on the ever impossible 3's but to be perfectly honest I'm sure a lot it can be laid at the feet of my transition from stay-at-home mom who dabbles in work to work-at-home mom who dabbles in child rearing...and something has to give...thankfully Carina (who's awesome shop and parenting wisdom never cease to amaze me) had a great post this week about getting ahead of your kids and it has helped me see a little light at the end of the tunnel...it's amazing how simply going to bed with a clean house and a plan for the next day can take a bit of the grump out of the morning...Gwynnie also has a great interview on Goop with Mary Hartzell (co-author of Parenting from the Inside Out - which just shot to the top of my reading list) that was pretty enlightening...and for full crazy mom controversy if you haven't read about Amy Chua head over to the WSJ (although her response really tempered my WHAT!! reaction)...okay, now that I have that off my chest I'm off to pry Miss L away from the boob tube and enjoy a lovely day together...

any advice, my wise friends?

Happy Friday

xoxo, M

ALT- ternative Apparel

Good Morning!! So many of my favorite bloggers are flying off to Utah today for the Alt Design Summit and even though I'm sad that I'm not trekking out there (conflicting schedules with the Mr) I have to say I'm a tiny bit relieved that I don't have to dress to impress for the next 4 days...packing for winter/snow while trying to look uber cool just throws me for a loop...however I couldn't resist a little virtual shopping inspired by a mishmash of my favorite interweb goddesses

All hail the hipster design queen...last year you could spot her fishtail braid and Warby Parker frames a mile away but now she's sporting a cool pixie a la Michelle Williams/Emma Watson...Stripes are her permanent staple and the girl's not afraid of color so she's mixing it up with a poppy Clare Vivier Messenger, a giant stack of dull Diamond bracelets (ahead of the pack as always), a nordic hat for the chilly mountain air and a nod to the heritage trend with some cool Madewell Ring Boots...

Sitting next to her on the panel is everyone's favorite mysterious sophisticate...She has the sexy bangs and ombre hair you've been dying over all season and is dressed in tones that perfectly match her minimal swedish inspired decor...fending off the cold in a J Crew lighthouse cardigan, The lady & the Sailor drapey tee, and Virginia Johnson Zig Zag scarf...she always sports a serious piece of jewelry (today it's a Dream Collective crystal mountain ring) and is planning to hit Sundance later with her Clare Vivier foldover clutch and No 6 lace ups to catch the latest art house fare...

Have fun ladies!! I'll be staying in (below zero temps today - ackk!) and dreaming of a warm weather weekend later this month - anyone want to have a mini Alt 2 in Palm Springs in a couple of weeks? I'm game!

xoxo, M

You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile...

The sun is shining, Lou is smiling...my internet connection is still spotty so I'm ditching the computer and am off to snuggle with L...I think it's going to be a good day...

xoxo, M

photo - Vanessa Jackman

PS - love an awards show for a good fashion debate - thanks for chiming in!  Now on to the Academy Awards...(I'm a terrible tweeter but had fun with it during the GGs - if you want to hop in for Oscar Night you can follow me here...)

Nat & Annie

What's the point of writing a fashion leaning blog if I can't dish about awards shows, eh? So let's get started... First, can we say pretty mommy?? Natalie just blew me away - so, so lovely...(and I saw Black Swan this weekend - whoa! a little bit trashy, a whole lot of creepy, and really fantastic costumes!)
(ps - I'm realizing that there wasn't a lot of love for this dress but I'm sticking by my first impression, maybe a slight case of pregnancy comraderie)

 and then Annie in fleshy shimmery sequins and that back...WOWSA! (You know Rachel Z was at home freaking out with Rog)

 I think Michelle would have been just perfection if they had tweaked the bust line of this dress a bit but who cares when your hair and face look this amazing - she just glows.....

 and Of course I'm crazy about the color of Claire's dress but the real stunner is that ridiculously awesome bracelet, right??

Who were your favorites of the night?? Ricky Gervais had my jaw on the floor, belly laughing all at the same time.....

Happy Monday!
xoxo, M

And The Award Goes To...

 

Ahhhh....Friday! Who else is excited about the Golden Globes this weekend?  Considering I've only seen two of the best picture nominees (The Social Network - really loved and The Kids Are All Right - A+++ for the hotness that is Mark Ruffalo but I really didn't need to spend the other hour watching other people argue) I'm in serious danger of losing my film buff status.   So before Sunday I'm going to try to cram in a rental of Inception and a viewing of Black Swan & The King's Speech...any recommendations?  and then there's Somewhere & True Grit...did I mention that The Town was super, super good?  Also, can't wait to see Mr Hamm, the rest of the Mad Men cast, Natalie Portman's tiny baby bump, cutie pie Michelle Williams and my favorite new man crush James Franco...and of course the gowns, the gowns! (I wonder how a pregnant RZ is holding up?)

Who are your favorite nominees??

xoxo, M

Ballet picture via Nikole

in honor of my newest neighbor - little Clara born yesterday and dubbed the nutcracker baby by Miss L

PS - Don't forget about all the markdowns at the shop - lots of deals and and extra 25% off your order when you enter "wintersale" at checkout - seriously!

PPS - Need a little pick me up in gray January?? this poppy clutch is making me super happy, esp back with some stripes (and I know how you girls love stripes)

Current Crushes

 a round table and a bit of green just look so fresh...

via The Brick House

 a smile, a great hat, some stripes, toggles and not a hint of black in site...

photo by Garance

 cool/tacky chairs that would be perfect for my new office...

via Mrs Lilien

Tell Tale Preserve's breakfast sausage and soft cooked egg savory cake...all I need is a ticket to SF...

speaking of  - their monthly goodie bag of sweets is simply amazing - the best thing to arrive on my doorstep this month

See you tomorrow - my precious interweb time is all up for the day but looking forward to showing off my new space soon ;)

xoxo, M