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!!

Having a Monday on Tuesday...

 via Mrs French

The morning has not gone well...5 am wake up, demanding chocolate for breakfast, and tears for the brief amount of time it takes me to take a shower...whew! Luckily we have ballet class to cheer us up but until then I think I better unplug for the day and try to live by this excellent quote via Torrie:

 

But then I remind myself that perfection has no place in parenting, and "for life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday." -Kahlil Gibran  

Feeling the same way this morning? Here's an excellent article here on how being a "good enough" parent is actually pretty great via Blooma

See y'all tomorrow...

xoxo, M

Shop Talk

Good Morning! Happy Monday...I hate to bombard y'all with shop talk first thing but I spent most of the weekend unpacking and uploading new spring stuff while simultaneously placing fall orders...talk about fashion whip lash!! As mentioned Dream Collective landed and I'm in LOVE - Kathryn's jewelry just has such a gorgeous, organic, earthy feel and I'm excited to mix some her new cuffs back with my existing collection ...(ps - if you are like me and don't have the most delicate of wrists, the cuffs are fantastic because they can be stretched a bit...coversely they can be squished a little for more dainty bone structures)

Laura Lombardi's new pieces are equally stunning - the Remigial Necklace just arrived and is ranking high on my swoon-o-meter

I don't know if I should even mention it, because I can't seem to keep anything in stock as it is, but Clare Vivier's foldover clutches are blowing up! The bright blue seems to be the new must have after Vogue's Lawren Howell was photographed with one...

not to mention that all the cool blogettes are rocking them...Joslyn, Erin, Caitlin, Trina, Heather, Jeana...the list goes on...

(a caveat on Clare orders - because they are so popular we are often out of stock but have them on order so pre-ordering gets you in the queue and we ship as fast as they can arrive!)

I'm newly enamored with the laptop envelope (which just arrived in a hot red patent & navy patent) and the new Bando bucket Bag (we have one in navy)

photos courtesy of Clare Vivier

Okay! Now I'm off to package up instead of unpackaging and then preschool pickup...whew! Tired already...6 weeks and counting til baby - mama needs a nap...

Xoxo, M

ps - I got around to reading Object of Beauty by Steve Martin (don't you love him? and Shopgirl is fantastic) this weekend (kept me up waaayyy too late) Good, solid read...definitely up my alley - a little glitzy, a little trashy with a little substance - I really enjoyed the behind the scenes of the art world although afterwards I felt a little numb towards all of the characters...but would totally recommend - thoughts anyone?   I think Just Kids is up next...

Wooden it be nice...

 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8

Did anyone catch American Masters the other night on PBS? It was all about the singer songwriter movement in early 70's LA...The Troubadour, Laurel Canyon, etc...even though I'm not a huge fan of a lot of the artists featured (except Carole King - Love her...) I was totally digging the Cali vibe and have always loved that era's use of wood...here's a few things I rounded up on pinterest for a more modern interpretation...(btw I'm Revolting finds some of the absolute best images - if you are a pinterest geek I would follow her asap...found via Emily, of course)

Okay, excuse me while I take off to learn Macrame and listen to some Fleetwood Mac...

xoxo, M

ps - I'll be working all day to get new things added to the shop...a few limited edition Clare Vivier laptop clutches, new Dream Collective - swoon!, Lizzie Fortunato Jewels - yeah!! and spring John Robshaw...

Lighter & Brighter - Mission Accomplished!

blood oranges via the excellent Jessica

Hello lovelies...I spent the morning at Lila's school on an adventurous scavenger hunt ( is there a more magical place than pre-k? I wanna go everyday) so just popping in to close out the last day of the Recipe Exchange...if you've been eating along everyone has been doing their best to fulfill my citrus cravings and the super lovely Stephanie of Scrumptious doesn't disappoint - her Roasted Beet, Citrus, Mint, Goat Cheese and Walnut Salad sounds heavenly...thank you to all the wonderful bloggers who participated and helped bring a little warm weather my way even if it was just in the kitchen...here's the full schedule just in case you missed any or feel a case of scurvy coming on...

Feb 9 - Michelle, Pretty Mommy
Feb 10 - Carlie, Twinkling Along
Feb 11 - Torrie, a place to share...

Feb 14 - Tina, Bull in a China Shop Mama
Feb 15  - Carina, Nonchalant Mom
Feb 17 - Elizabeth sophisticated pie
Feb 18 - Myndi The Naming of Things

Feb 21 - Barbie, Birds of a Lovely Feather
Feb 22 -  J.P. Archie, C'est La Vie
Feb 23 - Dyan, Passion Foodie
Feb 24 - Toni,  My Mommie's Closet
Feb 25 - Samantha, Vintage is For Lovers

feb 28- Danielle, domestic dish
Mar 1-  Katie, Salt + Pine
Mar 2 - Stephanie, scrumptious

now I'm off to take part in a little yoga photoshoot for Blooma (I've been promised sleeves and photoshop...whew!)

xoxo, M

Eco Resort - new Stewart + Brown

 While I'm just kicking myself for missing the opportunity to head somewhere beachy I'm hoping that you lovelies have vacation plans this month?? Tell, tell and I will live vicariously...usually a spring break getaway means a suitcase full of prints and vibrant colors but I'm kind of loving the versatility and simplicity of the new Stewart + Brown collection that just arrived...the cardis are lightweight enough for resort but still fit in perfectly to your spring ensembles...the hoodie would make for a cozy beach stroll paired back with the ultra comfy zip shorts and the long Marrakech dress is super lovely for cocktails poolside or under at blazer at the office...liven things up with this new hot pink foldover clutch from Clare Vivier and Bon Voyage!! oh, and did I mention that that S + B uses organic cotton...

above images by the lovely Emily of dull Diamond fame

now before you rush off make sure to stop by Katie's excellent new blog Salt + Pine (I've known for a while that she's a cool girl, fellow Leo and all so I'm excited to get to read her blog now)...she has a super summery Tabbouleh Salad on deck for the recipe exchange and even a cocktail to top it off with...a girl after my own heart!

xoxo, M