Blow out

In my previous life I owned a small clothing boutique. One of my favorite items we carried were these soy candles, A Scent of Scandal. They come in more than forty scents and boy do they smell amazing. "Gold Digger"with a carat (carrot) cake scent will have you reaching for the nearest fork, or maybe my 7 month pregnant self had some pretty crazy cravings.
Retailing for $15, these stocking stuffers might be NSFW but they're sure to be a big hit with your friends.

In keeping with the season I'll list a few of their holiday scents but you'll want to check them all out yourself.

Hanukkah Bush  (fir and balsam scent)

Ho Ho Homo   (cranberry relish, with hints of fresh ground cinnamon sticks, orange zest, and a faint hint of vanilla and butter)

Santa's Pole  ( candy cane scented with a sweet blend of fresh peppermint and vanilla sugar)

As they say on the Mexican soap operas, "Escandalo!"

 Click here to get these cheeky candles

And I think to myself, What a wonderful world

Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday.

Every year we pack our bags and leave the

gray skies of Chicago

for the beautiful sunrises of Arizona.

And sitting on the front porch at my parents' house

looking out at the Tucson mountains,

I realize just how much I have to be thankful for. 

And you do too.

So I'll see you in 2 weeks,

and thank you for allowing me into a small part of your world.

 On Thanksgiving, please remember those without.

Putting on the glitz

I love the idea of the glitzy but not gaudy tee. Fantastic with dark skinny denim, black palazzo pants or a pencil skirt, this one item will get you through multiple looks.

 So when I found these tees on 77kids by American Eagle, I knew I had to snap them up for my girls. Their website has loads of casual but on trend clothes for toddlers to tweens at great price points. I loved these tees so much but there was one glaring problem. True to their name, 77kids doesn't carry items for, ahem, the slightly more mature set.

 77kids by american eagle

So I started my search for my own glitzy tee and found it at Laura Dahl.com.

Laura worked for Cynthia Rowley and Catherine Malandrino before launching her line of embellished tops, Wifebeader in 2003 followed by the Laura Dahl label in 2006. She has great casual tops and pants, but most importantly, I found my glitzy tee.

At $162 the price is a little higher than I normally would spend on a top, but when you figure my girls' tees were only $5 each, then this averages out to some pretty stylin' looks for the three of us.

 my glitzy but not gaudy tee

To Sir, with love.

How do I love Sir Alistair Rai scarves?

Let me count the ways........

They come in a variety of rich vibrant colors that work with any outfit.

They are super soft and long and drape perfectly.

They have really cool prints, many with messages of peace and love.

Check them out and I think you'll love them too.

sir alistair rai scarves

Momma's got a brand new bag.

I love Paco & Lupe handbags. They're handmade bags durable and functional enough to use every day. Plus they're super cute. Check their website to see what's available. All prices are in Canadian dollars ($1 CAD @ $.95 USD

 

 

original & trendy

functional & durable

Paco & Lupe

Some things just go together.

Paco & Lupe handbags

Something's not adding up here.

I am not a frou-frou type of girl.
I love dresses and have so many favorite dress lines I want to share. But I love dresses and skirts on other women. My closet is 10% dresses, 5% skirts, 40% tops, and 95% jeans.  Yeah, math was never my strong suit, I know.

However I did buy a skirt recently. Now this was only after this skirt hounded me through 3 states. I first saw the skirt in my favorite local boutique. I tried it on, it fit perfect. It's the skirt to wear when the weather gets cold and the snow is piling up and you are so sick of wearing your jeans for the 10th day running. It was made of flexcel, a knit fabric that made it super soft and stretchy.
It would look absolutely fantastic with a turtleneck and black riding boots.
But I didn't get it. You see my closet is only 5% skirts.

But over the Halloween weekend I went to Michigan to visit friends. On Sunday we drove to lovely Saugatuck to mill around. Walking to a playground so the kids could play in the leaves, I darted in a little shop on the corner.

And there was my skirt.

And she was 20% off!

So there ya go, and now my closet is 6% skirts.

horny toad chipotle skirt

It's not easy being green.

Remember when Kermit sang about hard it was to be green?
Well I discovered how true that was when I saw my 8 week ultrasound and realized I would be changing not one, but two little bottoms for the next 3 years.
I did some quick calculations:
( 2 babies X hourly diaper changes /24 hours in a day-3 hours sleep nightly)
and quickly said goodbye to my plans for cloth diapers.
My guilt over my landfill contribution has been slightly diminished by my discovery of Kate Organics. This relatively new line out of California is made of SKAL certified organic cotton, using low impact dyes, and produced according to fair trade guidelines and a tree is planted for every garment sold through Trees for the Future.
This dress is from the summer line but I think it's beautiful enough to wear for the holidays, alone or with a sparkly cardigan.
Look good and feel good while doing some good.
And I'm still waiting for my kudos from Al Gore.

 Go to “stockists” to see who carries Kate near you.

2009 is the new 1969.

Check out these photos of Ali MacGraw from the late sixties/early seventies. All of these outfits stand the test of time. Yeah, even Photo #6.

Ain't no mountain high enough

Mountain Hardwear was formed 17 years ago by a group of people in the outdoors industry. Backed by Columbia Sportswear, it develops cutting edge designs and products. It's geared for the outdoorsman, hiker, climber, skier.
Now, the only mountains I navigate are the mountains of laundry that accumulate every week living with a set of toddler twins and a husband who works out twice a day. But living in the Midwest, their clothes are perfect for navigating the weather during Nov-March, when the only time you want to be outdoors is when you're making the walk from the valet to the restaurant for your nice warm bowl of french onion soup!
I have this top in black/grey. I wear it with jeans, skirts, leggings. It's so comfortable and flattering. And I look like the athlete I one day hope to be!

mountain hardwear tops

Feet don't fail me now.

This is the Reebok Easy Tone Go Outside shoe. It's supposed to help you burn calories and tone core muscles. Does wearing this shoe mean you can skip the treadmill at the gym? I don't know about that, but I do know I love love how comfortable this shoe is. It may be just wishful thinking on my part, but I swear my legs look leaner and longer when I'm wearing them. Especially with my black leggings and a cute hoodie. (more on that hoodie in the next post)

cool silver shoe

Style means never having to say you're sorry you bought that outfit.

I have reached the point in my life where comfort and fashion should collide. And that collision also better be one of collusion. I want to look effortlessly good, without any one knowing the true effort that went into it. Alas, I no longer have the time to spend hours in front of my mirror trying on different outfits so that when an occasion came up I had the perfect thing to wear. Now I must truly be able to put something on and walk out the door.

My fashion icon has always been Ali MacGraw, particularly in Goodbye Columbus and Love Story. Jennifer Callaverri, oops, I mean Jennifer Cavalleri, annoyed the hell out of me. But she was cool and beautiful and I couldn't look away from her sense of style. Almost everything she wears in this movie would still look valid today, almost 40 years on.
 An effortless, timeless style is what most of us want. This is as true for a 22 year old Radcliffe grad as it is for the 30-40 something mommy navigating the burbs.