Not Gonna Sweat It...

As much as I'm looking forward to swingy dresses and sandals, I know that the next few months will be filled with reaching for the nearest, comfiest, easiest pieces I can find...how perfect then is J Crew's new collection of slim sweats?  and a knit blazer is one of my tried and true faves...a pretty soft scarf with pink camels, and a casual pair of Toms...ahhhhh....

and when the weather finally warms up a dash of color back with sage green and some go with everything sandals...done!  Tuck my unwashed hair under a fedora, big sunglasses - I might make the newborn phase a style happening this time around?! Yes, No, Maybe?

xoxo, M

Down The Rabbit Hole

 

photo and room by Ashley Ann Photography via Jora

Ugh, as I mentioned yesterday I'm trying to put together a little post on must have baby gear for new moms and totally got sucked down the rabbit hole of infant website mania...so much cute, if ridiculously unnecessary stuff out there...but one project I can fully get behind is decorating for little ones...putting together a nursery for Lila was a blast and now I'm in the process of switching her stuff over to our old room and then re outfitting her old room for lil girl No. 2...The best thing about kid's rooms is that you can indulge all your crazy, printed, pink fantasies and they just gobble it up.... here's a sneak peek at the first stage:

I know, a little over the top- but we decided to keep her in a full size bed since I STILL end up sleeping with her for half the night (crazy, huh?)...so we just turned our old bed sideways and combined all the girliest pillows & bedding from around the house - no shopping involved...now I just need to rehang all the leftover paper flowers from her first birthday above the bed, frame some art, etc...

With my new found minimalism it's fun to still have a couple of rooms full of print and color, yes??

xoxo, M

Transisitonal...

 Gah! These ladies are killing me with their updated Annie Hall looks - so perfect for the in between weather right now, no? Although finding a great pair of wide legs might be harder than a needle in a haystack...these by Malene Birger look pretty amazing...

and If I weren't in total sweatpants mode I'd pair them back with this Tucker top... 

and some new No 6 clogs and quirky sunglasses...

But alas, I am in true comfy pant phase so these will have to wait until post delivery...speaking of...I need to go down into my scary basement and start pulling out all the baby gear but am trying to pare down as much as possible...what were your baby must haves? We seriously hardly ever used the crib, the stroller, the rocking chair, the....well you get the picture...so I'm working on a little post about it tomorrow and would love your input!!

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend - it's starting to look like spring here ( a little) and if I could finally kick the last of this crazy sinus thing I might get back on track this week - yeah!!

xoxo, M

top image via Miss Moss

Home Sweet...

 

TGIF! The sun is shining! I Can breathe! and smell! and my eyeballs don't want to explode when I look at a computer screen....ahhhhh! Boy, it feels good to be recovering...what have I missed lovelies??  Aren't these flowers my mom sent me from Bastien + Skoog gorgeous?  I love how they mixed in geranium leaves with the tulips and snapdragons...

 

Since I've been out of the loop internet wise I thought I'd snap a few pics around the house of some new favorites...like these Heath bowls (do you like the mix? or should I have gone all one color)...I'd had my eye on them for a while and when Heath said they were donating 25% off to relief efforts in Japan I jumped...

 

 The new Cavern wallpaper in my office...super cool...silkscreened and eco friendly too boot!

 working on mixing up some John Robshaw pillows for the bed...porcelain quilt, Magenta shams, indigo herringbone bolster and primrose pillow? what say you? I need some color!

speaking of color - how about this groovy rug from Lost and Found? and my new craigslist dresser? 

It's all coming along - more pics as it looks a bit more finished...

How have you been friends?? any fantastic weekend plans? I'm packing up Lila today and we're going to hit the town - a girlie lunch, a museum trip, maybe some light shopping...only 3ish weeks til baby! Yeah? Yikes?

xoxo, M

A Collection of Collections...

Thanks so much for all your well wishes...luckily my thoughtful husband (who was actually working very hard in Austin last week) and my rockstar sis-n-law & nieces have been keeping Lila entertained so I can crawl under the covers and moan in solitude...AND my brilliant neighbor (who has an eight week old & 3 yr old) stopped by with fresh, homemade chicken noodle soup - who am I to complain - it takes a village!!

Here are some things I've been working on uploading in between naps...

New, AHHHHMAZING Lizzie Fortunato Jewels - these are unreal...bold and stunning...

New detailed shots of Dream Collective for Spring...love, love, love

and a few new Clare Vivier clutches...

Enter the store at your own risk!

all photos and layouts by the multi-talented Emily - who's back from Rome and has some new fantastic pieces in the dull Diamond shop

xoxo, M

Sniffle, Sniffle, Cough, Cough

We've been living in a sick bubble for the past week at the casa - now that the little has almost recovered it's my turn...so instead of hearing me whine why don't you check out the Mr's SXSW coverage here and dream of sunshine, bbq, beer and rock'n'roll...not that I'm bitter or anything ;)

xoxo, M

photos of Allison Mosshart of the Kills, and TV on the Radio via Spin

In Bloom

I think I'm in the mood to hit up my favorite flower shop...orange tulips, purple orchids in a Heath vase and those giant leaves are calling my name...ready for Spring!!  Tell me friends, do you have flowers blooming in your gardens yet?

xoxo, M

photos - Refinery 29, Clare Vivier, emmas designblogg

Embrace Your Inner Granola...

all items above from Calypso

Whenever first time mom's-to-be ask me for my pregnancy musts...errr, wait, scratch that...whenever I offer them totally unsolicited advice, as I am wont to do, the phrase that seems to encompass everything is "embrace your inner granola"...Generally I apply this to the physical side of pregnancy, re: get to know your acupuncturist, find a chiropractor, join a prenatal yoga class, hire a doula, ditch the chemicals in your beauty arsenal, eat all organic, indulge in some mayan abdominal massage, and lastly, and most importantly, research your birthing options - consider natural childbirth (seriously, if I can do it, so can you)***

 However, sartorially speaking, there's no better look for a growing bump than earthy goddess - I'm swooning over the spring collection at Calypso and excited to pick up a few pieces to take me through these last weeks and into the newborn phase...(ahem, you thought maternity dressing was difficult - get ready to build your wardrobe around the ability to nurse at a moments notice - think henleys galore, nursing tanks, deep vees, cardigans and scarves)

and being a good hippie mama I better stock up on some matching duds for my littles...I'm in LOVE with Rikshaw's new dresses & rompers

***okay, I don't want anyone to get their panties in a twist - ANY birth that results in healthy Mom and baby is a great birth and thank goodness in modern medicine we have life saving options available to us including c-sections...I'm simply putting it out there that a natural, drug free birth is a great, doable, super good for you and baby option that should be explored if you have a normal, healthy pregnancy...***

So, veteran moms - what are your favorite words of advice to pass on to newbies?

Here's a much more heartfelt letter on the subject I wrote to my friend Kat as she was about to have her first...

xoxo, M

A Little Escape...

Hello Friends! Hope everyone's week is going swimmingly...I've been trying to put together a post all weekend but after the unspeakable disaster in Japan and then a tragic, tragic accident that hit much closer to home I had such a heavy heart that it seemed momentarily silly to chat about the goofy things that are usually filling up my brain...so I gave up and dove into Patti Smith's Just Kids which is one the absolute best books I have read in a long, long time (thanks to all for the recommendations)...even if you are not a fan of her music or Robert Mapplethorpe's work it's impossible to not get swept up in her coming of age tale in NYC...I always knew she was a bad ass but didn't expect her to be so real, unpretentious, and eloquent...

and for all her too school for school sartorial persona, I came to realize that Ms Smith is a closet fashionista - I love this passage about packing to visit Rimbaud's birthplace in France:

"Robert took me shopping for a proper hat, and we chose one of soft brown felt with a grosgrain ribbon. Sam sent me to an optometrist where I was fitted for National-Health style spectacles, in honor of John Lennon. Sam had given me enough money for two pairs, considering my penchant for leaving things behind, but instead I chose a impractical pair of Italian sunglasses that only Ava Gardner could pull off. They were white cat's eyes, nestled in a gray tweed case stamped Milan.

On the Bowery I found an unconstructed raincoat of Kelly Green rubberized silk, a Dior blouse of gray houndstooth linen, brown trousers, and an oatmeal cardigan: and entire wardrobe for thirty dollars..."

Somehow I feel certain that Heidi Merrick's new collection would appeal to both Patti's beatnik side and Victorian sensibilities, no?

Happy Tuesday - the sun is shining here, the snow is melting (might be gone at the end of the week!!) and we all have much to be grateful for!! 

xoxo, M

Hanging With Estelle...

1/2/3/4

Happy Friday lovelies! Today I'm hanging out with Estelle (virtually, that is) over at Under a Pink Moon talking about my creative crush...which is pretty cool considering she's pretty creatively inspiring herself...

I'm super honored she would ask!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend ahead...Miss L is having a sleepover with her cousins and that means DATE night - whohoo...(would it be totally boring if we just went out for dinner and a movie?)

Also, I haven't had the chance to turn on the news but am heartbroken to hear about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which holds a special place in my heart after spending a couple of years there in my childhood...it only takes a minute to help out through the American Red Cross:  To contribute, send a text with REDCROSS to 90999 and $10 will be donated to the relief efforts. 

xoxo, M

More LA Girls...

I'm a huge fan of WhoWhatWear and now have even more of a girl crush on founders Hilary Kerr and Katherine Power after this peek inside their wardrobes on The Coveteur...now that closet visits are all the rage who's would you like a sneak peek into??

xoxo, M

A Little Something...

Something easy and something that goes with everything...

something cool and something funky

something graphic and something colorful

and a couple of these...

is that too much to ask?

xoxo, M

ps - thanks for the kind words yesterday...sorry to get so whiny!!