Want/Need/Wear/Read - Melissa Coker, Wren

Even if Melissa Coker of Wren wasn't one of the cutest/coolest ladies out there I'd still have a huge girl crush on her for designing some of my favorite pieces of the season including my go to date dress...always glamorous but never trying to hard - I'm super excited to get my hands on the forthcoming spring collection! Here's a peek at her holiday wishlist (yes, I'm a little behind!)...  Thanks Melissa!

Something you Want: 

 I just moved & am wanting some John Robshaw pieces for my new place 

 Something you Need: 

Desperately need a laptop case 

Something to Wear: 

 Anything Dream Collective. I've been eyeing the snakes eye cuff 

 Something to Read: 

Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel

 Something to Gift:

Friends & family are receiving cozy sweaters to keep them warm

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Nice to see you on the other side...did you have a magical NYE?  I'm a fan I must say - any holiday that revolves around eating, drinking, and dancing is good in my book...we took the girls on a lantern lit hike, roasted some s'mores, noshed on crab legs at my sis-n-laws, quaffed some champagne and the cousins jumped & twirled in a surprise snowstorm with snowflakes as big as their hands - mind you we were home by 9:30...

traditionally I'm not much of a resolutions kind of girl...something about rules & expectations has never been my cup of tea...and I think especially with young children you need to go easy on yourself (my husband would probably say I'm too easy) but flexibility and spontaneity are welcome attributes in my book!  I think the theme of the past few years has been to take a deep breath when I'm frustrated about not doing something on my agenda and say (as the lovely Trina just reminded me) "There's always next year..."  Like the fact that I just sold my ticket to ALT because Miss Lou doesn't like her mama to be away for more than a couple of hours...I'm still feeling a little sick about missing out on the fun but...there's always next year...so this year I intend to work less and mommy more...whew!

and if I manage to cook more, 

declutter more, 

wear a red kimono (holy girl crush right? Joslyn just blogged about this site - instant addiction), 

drink champagne out of vintage coupes (I'm on the hunt after coveting my sisnlaws), 

break out the candelabra once a week (I just bought this and Lila declared our Christmas Eve candlelit feast - "The fanciest meal ever!")

make it to London for our 10 year anniversary sans kiddos (reservations set - places to go? stay?)

revive my vegetable garden

and sneak in more dates with the Mr 

and more brunches with my friends

it will be icing on the cake!

Speaking of work - fall/winter collections have been marked down AND you can take an extra 20% off any order over $150 using "LASTCALL" at checkout...

xoxo, M

Want/Need/Wear/Read - Breanna, Scout & Catalogue

Whoa! Did Christmas just come and go? (and can I breathe a secret sigh of relief?) Hope you all had a fantastic holiday! It was a whopping 50 degrees here yesterday, sunny & NO SNOW! Which was like a huge present to me...I still have a whole weeks worth of designer wish lists to post (which can come in handy if you have some xmas money burning a hole in your pocket - speaking of, have you checked out the major sale over at the shop?)...Next up is Breanna of Scout & Catalogue fame...I know that quite a few of her constellation clutches were nestled in boxes under the tree and I just might of snuck away a neon one for myself...

Something you Want: 

Obviously I'm a sucker for large beautiful scarves and I've been eyeing up this indigo A Peace Treaty wrap for awhile now. 

Something you Need: 

I'm in desperate need of winter shoes and the classic Swedish Hasbeens Jodhpur boots in black are calling my name. (on model photo courtesy of Wikstenmade) 

Something to Wear: 

This is our second true Canadian winter and this time I'm going to be ready for it with one of these amazing recycled fur hats by Rachel F.

  Something to Read: 

If you had the choice to travel into the past or future which direction would you choose? I would definitely head for the past but since time travel isn't an option the lovely book At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson is surely the next best thing. Using the traditional Victorian English home as a guide Bryson takes you through history and shows you how our current domestic habits have been shaped by our past.

Want/Need/Wear/Read - Sonya Gallardo

I love it when multi-facted artists turn their attention to jewelry - the results are always thoughtful & organic... Sonya Gallardo and her Hi/Low collection are no exception...the simple & sexy designs are inspired by Rothko & symbols found in folk art and are already a shop favorite...Thanks to Sonya for sharing her Want/Need/Wear/Read!

Something you Want: Shino Takeda cone hanging planter
Something you Need: Caran d'Ache neon ball pen
Something to Wear: heels by A Detacher
Something to Read: Egon Schiele: Drawings and Watercolors

Something to Gift: color stack bracelet (releasing this Spring).

Want/Need/Wear/Read - Winifred Grace

Yay! I'm back to kick off another week of wish lists with jewelry designer Winifred Grace Gundeck...I'm a huge fan of her glam yet earthy mix and her bold black & gold combinations strike just the right note for this time of year...I'd be a happy girl to find any of her jewels under the tree but this necklace with a bit a bright blue thrown in might be a personal favorite...and Winifred has a big holiday ahead with the impending arrival of her first born! Thanks WG!

Something You Want:

Brunello Cucinelli Wing-Tip Flat Work Boot

what every new mom needs! a $1200 boot! although I do think these would last until I'm a grandmother: impeccably-made and timeless.

Something you Need: Stylish baskets to store baby's toys

 Something to Wear: a custom swimsuit (to accommodate my newest post-baby curves) from awesome NY-based company Malia Mills 

Something to Read: The Happiest Baby on the Black here's hoping!! 

Something to gift: 
I've been wearing this non stop as it is so easy and light. Great layered or by itself, and transitions into Spring perfectly ... some family members will be seeing this under their tree!

Ballet! and a POP- up!

Good afternoon friends! Lila and I had our annual Nutcracker date this morning...we're going on our third year and it really is my absolute favorite holiday thing...something about it just feels magical...I never get tired of the costumes & music...I think I've posted some of these pictures before but I just had to revisit this series Rachel Papo did last year...someday I'd love to take the girls to New York and see the ABT production...wouldn't that be dreamy?

what is your tippy top favorite thing this season??

Speaking of revisiting we decided to throw together a last minute pop-up for the locals! If you are in the Twin Cities come join me this Sunday at Spruce from 11 - 3! I'll be bringing along all the fantastic jewelry collections, new Small Trades tees, Clare Vivier handbags, Matta scarves and more...

Spruce: 4751 Chicago Ave S Mpls, MN  

Happy Weekend - I'll be back all next week with more designer wishlists - yay!!

xoxo

Michelle

Want/Need/Wear/Read - Jennifer Sarkilahti, Odette

Well, we might as well continue in the Brooklyn vibe with today's Want/Need/Wear/Read and check in with yesterday's studio mate - Jennifer Sarkilahti of Odette...another huge favorite around these parts (I've been sporting the rib ring nonstop and her arrow cuffs might be the most popular wishlist item of the season) I'm also totally crushing on her picks...(dreaming of a Jamaica getaway and can personally vouch that those Bea boots are the BEST) Thank you Jennifer!!

Something you want: 

A few days here

Something you need: 

Aesop Hydrating Cream

Something to wear:
 Another pair of Beatrice Valenzuela shoes

Something to read:
An Everlasting Meal:Cooking with Economy and Grace

Something to Give:

A lot of friends and family will be finding Arrow Cuffs under the tree this

year!

Want/Need/Wear/Read - Anne McClain, MCMC

Today's Want/Need/Wear/Read comes from another favorite brooklynite - Anne McClain, the lovely gal behind one of my absolute favorite fragrance lines MCMC...I'd be hard pressed to pick a favorite...Hunter, Noble, Maine...they are all equally dreamy but lately I've been wearing Noble and can't get enough of smelling myself...(Is that totally weird)...and her Dude no 1 Beard Oil is the best stocking stuffer for that hipster boy in your life...  Thank you for sharing your holiday wishlist Anne!!

Something you want:

Michele Quan Bell 

Something you need:

 Cozy Slippers

Something to Wear:

Mociun's Mismatched Triangle Stud Earrings

Something to Read:

the Love Travel Guides

and Something to Gift:

I'm gifting everyone in my family Garden - I think they'll like knowing 50% of the proceeds goes to a farm in upstate New York

Want/Need/Wear/Read - Ilana Kohn

If you been around these parts for a while you know my favorite gift giving mantra for the holidays (via my awesome Mom) is "Something you want,  something you need, something to wear, and something to read..."  For me, it has really helped simplify the more, more, more craziness that can happen this time of year and in the past I've had some of my favorite bloggers chime in...this year though, I thought I'd invite some of my favorite designers to share their wishlists and I'm thrilled to kick things off with one of my favorite discoveries of 2011 (yes, I know - how was I not a fan before??) brooklyn based Ilana Kohn.  

Something you want:

 I already have a couple of Ermie dresses but I'm greedy and always want more!  Jennifer's textiles are just insanity.

Something you need:

I was in desperate need of a new wallet and just got this amazing one from Rennes over the weekend.  Thank goodness for this thing, I can finally find what I need!  And if it looks good in the picture, it’s even better in person I tell ya.

Something to Wear:

 also have quite a few Brvtvs pieces and wear them all the time.  This one reminds me of a necklace my mom always wore when I was a kid.  That said, I want to wear it.  Everyday. 

Something to Read:

Jane Eyre. This one never gets old.

As for what I’m giving to friends & family:
I’m hoping to have one of these for my partner in marbling crime Emily in time for x-mas.  She’ll look way hot in it. :)
Thanks for including me in this Michelle! :)
xx-i

Thank you Ilana!

I've been living in her Samet Shirt and there are a few lucky girls on my list who might find one of her + Emily's marbled scarves in their stocking on Christmas morning...

xoxo, M

Operation January

pic - Solid Frog via Miya's pinterest

So here's my beef with the holidays (oh, come on, you knew it was coming...) - December is absolutely packed to the brim with so many events, gatherings, and seasonal fun that it becomes well, a bit of a drag and the overabundance of specialness looses it's well, specialness...and then January comes along empty, gray and quiet with it's bleak depressing skies...throw in some car window scraping, some itchy sweaters, some icy sidewalks and by February I'm grumpier than all get out...so last night, while furiously trying to put together a holiday card order and realizing that I would have to pay the express fee to get them anywhere near in time to send out for Christmas..it dawned on me...why not take half my December list and move it to January?  Those Christmas cards could easily be New Year's cards right? That advent calendar I still haven't gotten around to making? Why not have a January calendar with a fun treat or event everyday of the month?  and you know if I skip half my baking projects I might not have to drink smoothies the first half of the new year, eh?  So that's my plan...I'm taking it down a notch in December and turning it up a bit in January...balance...it's a good thing!

A couple of happy makers today...

good Christmas music...digging the She & Him holiday station on Pandora - mostly free of cheese (although a Jessica Simpson track did show up - wah?)

and finding something to put on my holiday wishlist (note to husband - Tom Dixon etch candleholder) that is 

a) something I didn't already buy for myself (oh yeah, I'm one of those)

and b) not so expensive that I'm embarrassed to ask for it

okay - that's it - Louisa is trying out her typing skills so I better close it up and get going!

xoxo,

M

PS - Want to win a $100 Pretty Mommy Gift Certificate?? Like me on Facebook and share the contest link with your friends - let me know you did on here or facebook!  I'll pick a winner on Monday...

Dear John...

Have you caught the American Masters about John Lennon's years in NYC? He seemed like a really good Dad...chokes me up everytime...pay your respects here...

It's LE CATCHing...

Hellllooooo long lost friends!! Anyone out there? or are you all running around trying to get up to speed since the holiday season is in full swing? Our calendar is already packed to the brim with Nutcrackers, reindeers, pomanders, tree trimming, and cookies...oh my!  I really am at a loss as to where to pick up on this blog again so I thought I'd pop in with something simple and fun and then dive into what's been happening around these parts later this week - whew!

Even though I've been tweeting & facebooking daily about the shop I really have made good on my promise to be away from the computer more so I'm feeling a bit out of the loop blog wise...but I did happen to find this gem on Clare's site called Le Catch...written by Lucky's west coast editor, Marlien Rentmeester (that's her on the right with her twin sister in the new Madewell catalog), it's a fantastic hi-low how to get dressed guide...especially perfect for this time of year when  holiday parties can throw you into a sartorial tailspin (although I'm completely convinced that you can almost wear sweatpants if you have one awesomely big statement necklace to throw on...I wore this one Friday night and it was a knockout).  

Hope this finds you all well!

xoxo, M

ps - because it's the season - take 25% off all orders over $150 and FREE US shipping...enter "countdown" at checkout...check out the new arrivals!

pps - I have a handy "Under $50" and "under $100" section - lots of goodies!