Save The Date!

Good Morning friends!! Happy Halloween! I'm still getting caught up after vacation (at least the suitcases are finally put away and the laundry mostly done) but thought I'd pop in with some news...I'm finally bringing my dog & pony show to the good peeps of Minneapolis...I'll be setting up shop in my one of my absolute favorite spaces in the city, Spruce (Amy does the most gorgeous flowers and has an amazing store if you haven't had a chance to check it out)...all my favorite collections, lots of new!! (Odette, Small Trades, Loup Charmant, A Peace Treaty - online soon too!),  AND special guests like Little Bean's beautiful kids clothing, Pace jewelry by Joslyn of Simple Lovely, and my lovely friend Emily will be curating a fantastic vintage collection from her boutique Collect... so if you're in the cities come hang out!!

Spruce

4751 Chicago Ave S

Mpls

Nov 11th 6-9

Nov 12th 10 -1

speaking of new - I need to do a little housecleaning to make room so all SALE goods are now an extra 40% off (Yep, that's on top of the markdowns!) head on over and enter 40off at checkout...

Okay - I'm off...I have a big date with Glinda the good witch later...who you headed out trick or treating with?

xoxo, M

Beauty Buzz

Jeanine Lobell and family on Into The Gloss

Did you happen to catch Stila founder Jeanine Lobell's interview on Into The Gloss last week?  I loved her fly by the seat of your pants, diy, make it work business ethos...completely inspiring - she's a total rock star mom...

I spent a couple of years behind a beauty counter in college when Stila first came on the scene and Kitten eyeshadow was a MUST have...really the first neutral, subtle shimmery eyeshadow...we were obsessed!  But it's been a long, long while since I've given my beauty routine that much thought so when I passed by a Sephora sans children yesterday in Palm Springs I whipped a u-turn and hopped inside to restock my larder so to speak...
I don't use Stila anymore (and Jeanine sold the company many moons ago) because I try to stick with more eco friendly products without harmful chemicals  - luckily there are some great lines out there that fit the bill!  Here are some of my new favorites:

Josie Maran Mascara - most natural mascaras tend to creep down under your eyes but this has stayed put and gives a little oomph

Josie Maran Magic Marker Lip & Cheek Stain in Jive:  I love a two for one product and am a HUGE fan of cheek stains...they work so well for a natural, flushed look - in fact my desert island product would be blush hands down...I bought Jive which is a bright, of the moment orange

Josie Maran Rapid Eye Makeup Pen in Champagne & Almond: again, two for one sucked me in - gel liner on one side with brush and shimmery shadow on the other...a quick smudge, a fast swipe - consider the beauty ante raised...

Korres Wild Rose Mineral Illuminating Powder - Korres is my other go to natural line and this powder imparts a subtle glow...easy, peasy...

Korres Pomegranate Cleansing & Make Up Removing Wipes - and for those nights when even washing my face seems like too much work I scooped up these wipes to take it all off...

Speaking of too much work...we have only one more day of vacation left so I'm off to sleep so I can soak up as much as I can...Hope you had a lovely weekend - I have much to report soon!
xoxo, M

Simplify: Bathroom-guest blogger Rebecca

I'm still hanging out in Cali so here's Rebecca weighing in with some thoughts on simplifying...

We have a tiny bathroom with no storage whats so ever.  none. nadda. zilch.  Very tiny and old. There are four of us, so if we are not to be edged out by all the "Cranky Baby Bubble Bath" (I love products that project), simplicity is a necessity.

Simplicity in this case means that we all share a standard set of products. One soap, one shampoo and conditioner, awesome proraso shaving cream for mommy and 1 tube of anti-fungal whateverthehellitis for one husband (*gag*).  Our linens are kept to a minimum: 1 white towel each,  face towel, one standard grey bathmat and 1 adorable baby bath hoodie.  I, of course, have my secret stash of mommy necessities, but they are carefully distributed in such a way as to not appear cluttered (a small sad bin in external linen closet in the hall).

Knickknacks are nowhere to be found. Cutesy trinkets designed to make me look like I just traipsed in fresh from the Provence countryside (presumably to pee) are verboten.  No soap-on-a-rope. No Bathe-Me Elmo. The bathroom is a place where things get done.

The guiding principle is that I should be able to take a fire-hose, and clean out my bathroom if needed, with minimal loss of product.  Given the 3 others I share my bathroom with, that eventuality is a very realistic scenario.

le fin

California Dreamin' & A Winner!

What a difference a day makes, eh? Yesterday we spent a chilly morning at curbside check-in and today awoke to a gorgeous Palm Springs sunrise (albeit at 4:30am due to time change - yikes!)  I'm ready to do a little hiking, drink some date shakes, take in a Modernist house tour and use the gift certificate I have waiting for me at the Parker - yay!  Any other great recs ladies? A few days poolside and then we are headed to LA - Viva California!

and....drumroll...winner of the Object + Totem necklace is Anglopologie! Send me quick email with your details please ;)

xoxo, M

Shop Talk + A Giveaway!!

...and I'm back!  It must be reverse psychology but all I wanted to do this week after saying I wasn't blogging was well, blog...today, however, I have a good excuse - new goodies in the shop! First up  - AHmazing silk scarves from Ilana Kohn & Emily Eibel...hand marbled, one of a kind, made in Brooklyn...(It goes without saying I have a bit of a crush on Ilana and am thrilled we will have more pieces from her fall collection in the shop soon! - that is if I don't keep them all for myself..)

the Object + Totem ceramic bead necklaces flew out of the pop up shop so I asked Julie to make a few more for us and voila! Aren't they beautiful? 

and she generously sent a lovely space dyed tassel necklace for one of you lovely readers!  Take a look at her work here, leave a comment below and I'll randomly pick a winner Monday...(my favorite thing about the necklaces? aside from their beauty - they are soft enough to wear with the babe and she likes to play with the beads)

and finally, on the other end of the glam scale, I had to share this shot of Wren's Lizzie Cape from the new issue of Vogue Japan...stunning, eh?

Okay, I'm shutting down and tuning out...have a cozy Thursday friends...

xoxo, M

want/need/wear/watch - Rebecca

Want - Parajumpers Ski jacket 

Need: Parajumpers ski jacket in navy! 

Wear - Hanes for boy's sweatpants (I bought two pairs today!) Really, mommy's can rock the basic sweatpants! 

Watch - a cute little video by Jeana Sohn - very charming!

Every Day Obsessions {27} Rebecca

In My Closet:

Not very much. Quality over quantity. Understated, sophisticated, elegant, within the constraints of motherhood (which is to say, not very elegant at all).
The basics: MiH and Current Elliot jeans, Isabel Marant linen v-neck T-shirts(white, black and nude)
I do own a bit of Dries van Noten and Isabel Marant/Etoile too and am trying to figure out if Raquel Allegra is worth the price.
When in doubt, buy a coat. Ha!

On my feet:

Fiorentini + Baker boots (eternity suede in grey, black soda ankle and tall black pull-on basic flat riding boot). Isabel Marant Dicker boots in taupe, Sorel Caribou Reserve snow boots, Hunter Wellies tall black, LL Bean duck boots and hubby's holey socks at home.

Accessories:

I don't wear accessories, as it adds another item and weight. I do make some exceptions though: Two Tiffany Metro diamond/platinum wedding bands. They are meant to be stacked, which I mention to my husband when I feel needy. One PS1 medium black handbag.

    

Beauty Secrets:

Skin: Vanicream bar soap for face, Vanicream Lite lotion for the body, Clarsonic Mia and Dermaquest B5 Serum (I LOVE this product), and Aquaphor for a hand or two, feet, elbows, cuts, scrapes etc. etc. Love this stuff.
Makeup: Larua Mercier tinted moisturizer, Cle de Peau concealer, Dr. Hauschka's lip care stick. I don't wear eye makeup and only rarely wear lipstick.
Hair: Mason Pearson brush and Shu Uemura hair oil. I don't do anything with my hair ever and since the birth of my second baby, I wash my hair 2-3 times a week vs every day.
Scent:Eau du bebe (for now). Seriously, I can't find one I really love and I've tried, from Creed, to Jo Malone. Some day I'll find it. For some insane reason, I feel heavy with perfume on; another thing I don't need at the moment.

In My Kitchen:

Cookbooks: A few. Some Japanese and Korean. Joy of Cooking, Bouchon.
Gadget: Hubby's old set of Wüsthof Grand Prix knives. Kitchen Aid mixer for baking. Make me an excellent cup of coffee inthe A.M. and I'm good to go.
30 min easy recipe: Bibimbap
Can't live w/o ingredient: Salt

Home:

Walls:Photos of family (minus the new baby, who is 8 months old and have yet to order prints!), and lots, lots of my daughter's artwork. Framed all in black.
Bedding:I don't care much about sheet brands. My only must is white sheets and envelope pillow cases. the picture of the bed is what my bed looks like. Room & Board Ella and white sheets.

Flowers:In the vase, I prefer them to be of one kind of flower vs. a mixed bouquet.
Favorite design source: Everywhere.

zZzZZzzZzzzz

Pop Culture Extra Credit:

On my nightstand:Jessica Fletcher memorial murder kit. Yes, I watch Murder She Wrote to fall asleep, because doing drugs is bad.
On my Tivo: We killed our cable, and survive on Netflix via AppleTV.
In my iPod: I do like everything from classical to Tupac. I kind of have a loathing for Indigo Girls style music, whatever that might be. Also, I don't listen to my iPod, ever. I feel like I'll fall over if I listen to it while moving.

Happy Makers...

via Joslyn - could it be any truer?

Good Morning friends! Long time, no see so to speak...How is your fall shaping up?

We were a gang of sniffles, coughs, and whines all last week so I took some mental health days, put my computer far away, hid my phone and spent some quality time with my girls...

To say I've been struggling to keep it together lately is a bit of an understatement so to that end I'm going to  keep my internet diet going and step away from the blog a bit...I'll pop in once a week (hmmm....maybe I should check in on Thursdays a la Gwyneth?) and you can always find me on pinterest & twitter (short, easy forms of communication seem to be easier these days, no?) and shop news on facebook...

Lucky for you though, my lovely friend Rebecca volunteered to fill in for me a bit and I can't wait to see what she has in store! Rebecca is one of those girls who always looks impossibly chic just wearing white vnecks with jeans (the fact that they are Isabel Marant tees & MiH jeans doesn't hurt) and has minimalist cool down pat...so stay tuned for that...

I'll leave you with a few of my happy makers lately...

flowers from Spruce - my mom sends a bouquet every month...

This painting by Hadley Holliday that nows sits across from my bed...love waking up to beautiful art!

my Beatrice Valenzuela shoes...so gorgeous and soft...

New albums from Wilco - The Whole Love and Ryan Adams - Ashes & Fire...I had a great nostalgia piece on the 20th anniversary of Nevermind in my head and never got around to posting it ...but I will say that if Nirvana was the angsty teenage voice of my generation than Tweedy & co are the complicated adults we grew into...and no one writes sad, poignant love songs like Ryan...le sigh!

also...this stunning, WARM (yay!) Fall we are having, baby giggles (Lila knows how to get Louisa belly laughing and it is beyond infectious), and the fact that we are headed to Palm Springs/Los Angeles in one week!!

What are you crushing on these days?

xoxo, M

Shop Talk

Kathryn Bentley did it again...her new Dream Collective collection is STUNNING! I love the new enamel cuffs and etched necklaces on leather...check out all the new pieces here...

(on a side note - I'm fully crushing on her home featured on Apartment Therapy - isn't it fantastic?)

New Heidi Merrick just landed...the uber chic Lindbergh Blazer with leather lapels and elbow patches & the sweeping Dalmation dress in silk chiffon...and Demi was spotted rocking the Leather Desmond trousers for a recent press appearance...

Gorgeous actress Nora Zehetner spotted in Wren's Kiera coat...

my favorite funny lady, Maya Rudolph, carrying the Clare Vivier messenger (we have them in stock!) in Up All Night (have you watched? I thought the second episode was pretty funny...)

and MCMC 's gorgeous perfume oils are here! I'm partial to Hunter...but they are all delicious - carefully crafted in small batches...swoon!

xoxo, M

ps - if anyone is interested in smelling the new pefumes drop me a line - info (at) shopprettymommy (dot) com with the scent of your choice and I will drop a fragrance card in the mail...