I just heard from my friend Lindsey of GreatFull Day that she’s added holiday cards to her fine art photography shop on Etsy. How cute are these little guys?
Each of the eight cards measure 5.5″ x 8.5″, and come with white envelopes. The front of the card reads “Wishing you joy” and the inside says “And a very merry Christmas” (so it is holiday specific). She can also do bigger orders upon request. My kids would especially love these.
Do you love shoes, pretty paintings and all things chinoiserie? Just spotted in Janet Hill’s Etsy shop: the perfect piece of art for you.
If only I had more disposable cash…
We had a couple of “firsts” over the past few days. Both of which provided me with those “teaching moments” that parents are always going on about. Of course, the teaching moments were for me…but I think that still qualifies.
Number one involves the universally anticipated and either loved/hated daylight savings time. Before having kids, I reveled in the extra hour of sleep that autumn daylight savings time bestowed upon us. The annual “fall back” morning was like a holiday – people looked happier, younger and willing to ignore the fact that it was suddenly dark when they left the office. They had an extra hour of sleep, making that early sunset dazzle like no other.
Then I had a baby. And I learned that babies don’t wake up and say, “hey – I have a whole other hour to keep sleeping. Score!” Autumn daylight savings time became a major inconvenience. And I started to much prefer the “spring forward” perk of my baby finally waking up at a far less cruel hour of the morning.
This continued for years until recently. Now that Oliver is five and the twins are four, they rarely torture me with 5:00 a.m. wake up calls. And if they ever do, they’re old enough to be tossed in front of the TV with a snack while I go back to bed. Gaining an extra hour in the morning may not mean that I’ll get more sleep, but that earlier wake up time isn’t unreasonable. It’s the extra evening hour that holds so much appeal for me. The fact that it feels like it’s an hour later when bedtime rolls around should hold great potential for new kid-free time before 9:00 p.m. Or at least that’s what I thought…
Sadly, it was no easier getting them up to bed Sunday night than any other night. And if anything, they fell asleep even later. This is probably due to my own hubris – thinking I could just close the door and forgo the previously required time in their room, making sure they calmed down and fell asleep. At the very least, I thought they’d all sleep in yesterday giving me a little alone time in the morning – but that was another disappointment. Everyone was bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6:00 a.m.
So my first year of “fall back” working in my favor was a total bust. Next time I won’t have such high expectations. Exactly why do we do all of this falling and springing anyway? What percentage of the U.S. population is planting crops?
The other recent “first” is pretty exciting. My first born, Oliver lost his FIRST tooth last night. We have been eagerly awaiting this event for about a month after he first wiggled it at us. I checked that thing every day looking for progress and had recently decided that I would probably have to pull it out myself when he graduated high school.
But the new tooth coming in finally pushed the old one out. And last night around 7:00 p.m. we all jumped up and down cheering for the tiny speck of white enamel lying on the dining room floor.
(Not the best picture I have of Oliver – but definitely the best one of the hole in his smile.)
Now – one would think that over the course of the past month, someone (I) would have procured a Tooth Fairy gift to have ready in the wings. But no – not a single celestial surprise existed in any of our closets or storage spaces. So five minutes into the celebration, I turned to Chris and said, “I guess you’d better run out and buy something.” Go Supermom!
When Chris arrived home, sneaking in the “best thing could find at Rite Aid on short notice”…
(More goofy pictures…he really is a handsome boy…)
…he knew the kids would be upstairs brushing teeth and getting ready for our bedtime marathon. Unfortunately, Cindy Lou Who (Eleanor) surprised him on his way in the door. I didn’t know anything about this until this morning when she announced to everyone exclaiming over the fabulous cheap plastic train set from the Tooth Fairy that “Daddy bought it at the store.” Go Superdad! I wonder if there will be probing questions about why Santa’s workshop produces the same crap we see at Target every week…
Lesson learned – plan ahead for sneak attacks from the Tooth Fairy. And have a good story ready if your cover is blown.
Live and learn…
I have a ton of catch up to do in my design blog reading. But I do keep my friend Anne’s site at the top of my reader, and just saw the recent post about her new Christmas card!
She produces a different card each year, and this one is just as a lovely as the last two. I don’t care much for in your face holiday images of snow covered villages (particularly since half my mail list features zip codes for warm climates). So Anne’s subtle watercolors are right up my ally.
Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas – two of the cards can do “holiday” just as well (blank inside and no nativity scenes or Santa coming down the chimney, you know). And best of all, she offers the option of custom printing a personalized message.
Visit her Etsy shop for full details.
I spotted one of these carved pieces in a magazine and had to look up the source…
While I wouldn’t say that the contemporary vibe of Diane Paparo Studio suits my personal taste in furniture, I was quite taken by the few pieces that caught my eye. I would especially love to own one of those chairs. No idea how comfortable it would be, but I’d probably rather look at it than sit in it anyway!
Click on images for detailed tear sheets.
…and I ended up getting my gown for the Oscars.
*Sorry for the awful photo quality – but my camera battery was dead. So I had to use the iphone.
Seriously – how could I say no to couture at those prices??
Eleanor wasn’t that impressed with my find and thought this was a bit more stylish:
Since she claims that her favorite book is “Barbie – A Fashion Fairy Tale” (fun fact: we don’t own a book with such a title and I have no idea where she heard that), I’m not going to lose too much sleep over my choice.
She looked at some of the trims with me…
…but otherwise, she spent most of her time hiding behind a couch with her brother.
Loved visiting with Kathlin…
…while she was racing around of course. And it’s not over yet. There’s still tomorrow (Saturday, November 6, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.)
Here are some images of the pop up shop:
Prices will range from $50 – $150 (orig. $100 – $500) on brand new Fall dresses, skirts, and sweaters for the office, in addition to her cocktail and evening wear. There will also be one of a kind pieces from her Vintage Couture Archives. And as you can see above – there were tons of trims and sashes – all for peanuts. Bring a friend or just mention this post, you can get $10 off your purchase!
There are two other designers featured. Look for cocktail and evening dresses from the 2010 Coco Myles Collection, and jackets, dresses, and separates from the 2010 Renee Dumarr collection.
Here are the details again:
last day: Saturday, November 6th, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Georgetown Visitation
1524 35th Street (at Volta Place)
Washington, DC 20007
No admission fees and free parking on campus!
Thanks again, Kathlin for another fabulous shopping experience!
It was very apparent soon after my son George was born that he was a character. An observation that continues to be communicated to us by friends and strangers alike. I’m not sure what it is though… I mean, he’s a normal little boy. He has all the same likes and dislikes typical to other little boys his age. He looks normal enough – no unique physical traits to set him apart from the rest. And if anything, he strives to be like the older boys who serve as role models in our neighborhood. So why is he always labeled “the little character?”
I’ve given it a lot of thought and have come up with a few reasons. First – he’s on the small side. He also has a little voice, so the general perception of him is “little guy.” Then as if to make up for his diminutive size, he’s kind of loud. Everything he says seems to register at several decibels higher than it needs to be. So it often sounds as if he’s yelling – usually about something you’d rather he not broadcast in public.
Again – neither of these traits are all that unusual for four year old boys. But I think the clincher is his dramatic flair and pronounced air of self importance. There have been numerous blog posts here dedicated to my children’s quirks, and I’ve definitely talked about how George is a screamer. And I don’t mean a shrieky “eek! I saw a mouse!” kind of screamer…I mean a wide eyed, hell to pay, berserker kind of screamer. I really should capture this with the video camera sometime as it’s quite a show. You can literally see the steam coming out of his ears and feel the vibration of his head starting to explode. He is intense.
If it wasn’t so funny to watch it would probably scare us. It also tends to be rather short lived since like other preschoolers, he can alter his mood on a dime. And he never actually hurts anyone or breaks anything, so we’re inclined to just keep an eye on it, but not worry overly much.
One of the everyday things that can set him off is being interrupted while he’s trying to talk. And since he has a motor mouth twin sister who demands an ungodly amount of spotlight time, this tends to happen about one hundred times a day. Usually I can diffuse it by enforcing turn taking (letting George finish what he was saying first of course). But I cringe to think of the wrath that would ensue without swift intervention.
I can’t blame him for taking himself so seriously because he comes by that honestly. I have needed to get over myself already since birth, so I do understand how he feels. And his father is a pretty intense guy, so I think we unwittingly created a monster with our genetic contributions. A perfect storm of DNA that resulted in a four year old George Jefferson strutting around my living room.
Oh my George… I’m so crazy about that little nut. He cracks me up every day with the way he looks at life. He really is a little dictator at heart – he wants to run the show. And everything he does sounds SO important.
All children mix up syntax and use the wrong words as they acquire language and communication skills. But George makes everything sound as lofty and important as he feels. Back when they were toddlers, I tried to teach my kids that instead of just throwing tantrums, they should tell me if they need some attention. George still incorporates this into his meltdowns. Long after I think the issue should have been resolved and tears dried, he will demand that I give him more. He doesn’t just say, “Mommy, come downstairs. I want some attention.” No…that would sound like he was asking rather than directing. He has to exclaim, “MOMMY! Come HERE! I will take my attention DOWNstairs.” Well okay then…
One of my favorite Georgeisms started last month when he began calling the art projects he brought home from preschool his “workings.” How great is that? Like he’s one of the old masters – an artiste. And I can’t get rid of ANY of his workings. Not even a single crayon slash on a piece of paper. Oh no! He likes to lay them all out on the floor and admire them, “Mommy – can I see my workings?” He needs space to stand back and observe. Putting them away before he’s done with the viewing is frowned upon. He takes great pride in his glue and glitter creations.
What inspired me to write about George today though – after what could be considered my longest dry spell of writing attempts to date – was his presumptuous acquisition of an entire DC neighborhood. After picking up the twins at preschool, I planned to take them to my high school’s annual Esprit de Noel (or holiday bazaar). Since none of that would mean anything to them, I just said that I was taking them into the city to get a treat and see some fun things. Eleanor asked where we were going and without thinking much of it I said, “Georgetown.” In pleasure and awe, George asked, “MY town?” To which I replied, “yes George – as soon as we get there, I’m sure it will be.”
In leafing through my decor magazines looking for post inspiration, I found myself sighing (again) at the Oscar de la Renta Home line advertisement for Lee Jofa.
The fabric itself is lovely – but oh, that image of heavy ball gown skirts and magnificent jewelry…
The skirts featured in the ad are actually wearable fashion. Just three of several pieces that will be auctioned off for charity. Proceeds of the auction will go to Casa del Niño, a child assistance service in the Dominican Republic. Each one of a kind item will be available for bid on Bidding for Good through November 30th.
Here are images of each:
This YouTube clip has some great close ups of some of the fabrics as well as a visual display of how his fashion designs influenced his home textile designs:
Opening bids are $750. But even if I could raise that kind of cash, I expect (and hope) that the designs will go for exponentially more than that, raising a lot of money for a very good cause.
The stars aligned for this one. I’m both enchanted and inspired. Who says fashion is a shallow industry!
(Find more details and images of the line in articles on elledecor.com and access.decorati.com.)
I meant to write something about the Project Runway season finale, but finding time to collect the images proved more difficult than expected.
Since it’s been a week, I’m not too worried about spoilers. If for any reason you haven’t heard about the winner and don’t want to know, stop reading now.
I’ll get right to the point and state without any of my typical wishy washyness that I was shocked and in total disagreement about the winner.
I liked some of Gretchen’s work during the season challenges, but I really didn’t care for her final collection. While it was done very well, it was boring. With only 10 looks to send down the runway, the contestants have typically maximized this visibility by going for more couture and a dramatic show. Gretchen went for high styled (after some feedback from the judges) wearability and a focus on what is “now” in fashion. All of that is fine – but there was a repetitive feel to her fabric choices and design and a complete omission of “gasp” moments – either in a good way or a bad way. Whether a collection aesthetically appeals to me or not, I at least expect to gasp in admiration or horror at least once or twice. But this winning collection at best made me go “meh,” and at worst elicited an “ugh.”
I didn’t care for the much praised jewelry she designed (which shouldn’t have been a major factor in the win since it’s about the clothes right?). And I didn’t understand that pink lipstick at all. Bottom line I was SHOCKED that she wasn’t the first to leave the runway after the judges reached their decision.
I honestly thought the clear winner was Mondo.
I could see some of the criticism he received (the weird head pieces and such theatrical styling for his larger than life designs), but I absolutely disagree that it looked like a circus. It looked like a runway show. Heidi made the astute point that almost all of the pieces could be used in everyday outfits (one of his tops with simple black pants, a black turtle neck with one of his skirts, etc.) The presentation of the collection showed the whimsy and inspiration behind the designs and while I’m certainly no fashion expert, that’s exactly what I thought runway shows were all about.
There were only two looks that I totally didn’t get. The first looked like something an old lady on a Carnival cruise would rock as “fun” evening resort wear. It was just wacky:
But in reading some thoughts from more knowledgeable fashion bloggers, I can see that this impression comes from the “tunic” element of the top. It may have looked better in a slimmer silhouette (although you’ll never force me to admire dangling gems on clothing).
The other one was a color blocked number that I have to admit has started to grow on me:
This was actually one of the most talked about and raved about pieces in the collection. The only thing that I can say in my defense is that I do tend to have fashion tastes that can border on “conservative dowager” at times. But cut me some slack – I grew up in DC!
All in all, I thought Mondo put on the best show and showed the most creativity and talent.
My favorite in terms of personal style aesthetic though was Andy.
I loved all of the rich fabrics and detail work…
…and I didn’t even mind the fact that there was little variation in colors. BUT I immediately saw that as a weak point for the competition. That and the head pieces that the judges found confusing and distracting during their pre-show critique. I liked the idea of the story he wanted to tell and could sympathize that he really couldn’t tell that story completely with only 10 looks…but it didn’t change the fact that these “problems” contributed him not making it to the top spot.
But I really never expected him to take last place. Ah well – better and more expert writers have covered this… Specifically Tom and Lorenzo from Tom & Lorenzo – Fabulous and Opinionated. Which brings me to the question of how I could have been blogging and watching Project Runway for the past couple of years and NOT KNOW about this site? It’s pretty fabulous as promised and I’m now addicted. It’s also the source of all of my images (far easier to navigate than the Lifetime website). They even featured images of all of the decoy collections from Fashion week. Here is a favorite look of mine from each:
April:
To be honest, I didn’t really love her collection. It was interesting – but as I said, I’m kind of a DC Ann Taylor girl at heart so there wasn’t a whole lot in there that spoke to me personally.
Casanova:
Um…yeah. This was very glitzy – kind of resort wear meets roller disco. All of the pants were SO tight – but he did have a couple of pairs (above) that had some rather innovative details.
Christopher:
Sigh. I really liked Christopher on the show – but there was nothing very exciting about his designs and his Fashion Week show followed suit. Some pretty and wearable stuff. But nothing very memorable (a point that Heidi once made). I thought the look above was definitely the best.
Ivy:
I actually really liked Ivy’s collection, but I don’t see it as having “top three” potential. There was very little in the collection that gave me pause, but it seemed like a specifically “resort” line. In fact, I could see this being everything that someone packed to wear on their honeymoon in a fantastic warm weather location. Puerto Banus in Spain maybe? I was there for several days of my own honeymoon and could definitely see some of these looks wandering around the pool or heading out to dinner.
Michael C.:
This collection was very pretty and not nearly as dull color-wise as the judges made it out to be when he presented his mini collection. In fact, I would have enjoyed this show far more than the one Gretchen put on… But there were a few things that made me cringe (particularly the see through top of his finale look). The look above was a departure from his usual “effortless dress” and definitely the the one that made you look twice (fun fact: Heidi said during the mini collection judging that she’d wear that top).
Michael D.:
While I do think he’s talented, this wasn’t a collection that appealed to me. But then we’ve already established that I have old lady taste, yes? I liked this dress a lot – great understated drama (and pretty sexy to boot).
Valerie:
This was a super cute look from Valerie’s collection. I liked her work in several of the challenges, but her final collection wasn’t one of my favorites. SHE was definitely one of my favorites though. From her “put your panties on” comment to her moving exit speech (“Scarecrow, I think I’ll miss you most of all…”) How can you not love Valerie?
All in all, I’m a little thrown by this season, especially the last few weeks during which I agreed with Heidi and thought Nina and Michael were smoking crack (the world has turned upside down!). But I’m rather die hard about the things I love. So I’m in for Season Nine. And you?
Note: For tons of pictures, recaps and interviews visit the opinionated and fabulous Tom & Lorenzo!
Don’t forget! This weekend, Kathlin Argiro will be coming to DC for my high school’s Esprit de Noel Christmas Bazaar.
Prices will range from $50 – $150 (orig. $100 – $500) on brand new Fall dresses, skirts, and sweaters for the office, in addition to her cocktail and evening wear. There will also be one of a kind pieces from her Vintage Couture Archives. Bring a friend or just mention this post, you can get $10 off your purchase!
The 2010 “pop up shop” will again be “packed with the ultimate in Chic Dresses, Jackets, and Separates that will take you from desk to dinner to the hottest Holiday party in town.”
I have purchased a few amazing pieces at this annual event – all at a fraction of the price she typically charges. And this year, she’s bringing two other designers with her. Look for cocktail and evening dresses from the 2010 Coco Myles Collection, and jackets, dresses, and separates from the 2010 Renee Dumarr collection.
Here are the details:
Friday, November 5th, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Saturday, November 6th, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Georgetown Visitation
1524 35th Street (at Volta Place)
Washington, DC 20007
No admission fees and free parking on campus!
Hope to see you there!