Oh happy day...

Happy America!!

Coming soon...

A preview of some items that will be added to the shop in the next day or two...

Kate Spade and the best email campaigns ever

I don't know about you, but my email inbox is completely out of hand. However, no matter how bad it gets, I will never unsubscribe from the Kate Spade emails. (I actually save them online in a special little "inspiration" folder.) They are absolutely delicious in so many ways. Cheeky, fun, cheerful, nostalgic and glamourous! And if you've never peeked behind the curtain, you really must go take a look. Loads of inspiration, free desktop wallpapers, information on their charity events and projects, NY in Spades shows you around the city, and "the things we love" section has loads of links to other fabulous websites.

Speaking of glamour, as in old-school, I really liked this post.

(photos: via Kate Spade)

White House Black Market & Clothes Off Our Backs Charity Auction

The White House Inaugural Collection ... stunning!! Created by White House Black Market and inspired by soon-to-be First Lady, Michelle Obama. I love the names given to each of the designs: The Jackie, The Eleanor, The Ladybird, The Abigail. Very regal, indeed.

You can bid on them at Clothes Off Our Back Charity Auctions. Auction proceeds benefit Clothes Off Our Back’s charities including Feeding America (formerly named America’s Second Harvest), The Art of Elysium, Hope North and H.E.L.P. Malawi. What a great way to support some really worthy causes ... and in the process, possibly score a gorgeous couture gown ~ including the designer's original sketch!

Orange Crush

I just found this unique site called Hel Looks that reminds me of the Sartorialist, but a little edgier and only from the streets of Helsinki, Finland. The website reads: HEL LOOKS is a hobby project of Liisa Jokinen and Sampo Karjalainen. The project is a tribute to Fruits and Street magazines, the pioneers of street fashion photography. I'm a new fan.

The adorable gal on the left is Riika and that FABulous coat is vintage Courreges. I think I love everything about her outfit. Of course, the color is a standout, but the timeless cut and details make me swoon. I like the scarf (I love scarves!), and the hat is so chic - very Julie Christie in Dr. Zhivago. I love hats, but I just can't "do" them because of my abnormally large noggin. (Photo by Pieni Roobertinkatu, Dec 7 2008)

And then there is the darling Marja on the right. A classic, yet chic outfit ~ I really like the cream, navy and black color combination. And those mittens are DARling! They remind me of the pretty nordic pieces at Thistle and Broom. (Photo by Iso Roobertinkatu, Jan 2 2009)

Every Girls Crazy 'bout a Sharp Dressed Man

Dapper, don't you think?

Shameless self promotion: find some similar looks in the shop right now....

On my Christmas wish list...

I can't remember how I found this, but I really like it.

photo via MoveOn and Obama artwork created by Shepard Fairey

Do you twitter?

I just signed up for Twitter. I did not understand what the hell it even was until I signed up.... I've decided it's kind of like instant messaging combined with blogging... sort of.

Keith Olbermann on California's Proposition 8

This is so beautifully said.


Thank you, Keith Olbermann (and MSNBC), for stating this so eloquently and thoughtfully.

No bonus ... husband's job as it relates to Clark Griswold

I know... with the economy as it is, we shouldn't have been surprised. But we were. Not even a "Jelly of the Month" club membership. What the... ?!

At least this made me laugh. (If you are at work, or have small children around - you may want to lower the volume on the last 40 seconds or so...)

technorati claim...

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geezzz....

how does your garden grow...

I spent much of today pulling thistles from my landscaping. Here are a few of the pretties that were in bloom while I toiled away. My peonies are in full bloom, some fading away (top left) and some still in the budding stage (bottom right - can you see that the petals almost look like hands wrapping around it?). The asiatic lilies are as vibrant as ever (top right) and the good Lord help me - I can't remember the name of the little flowers in the lower left corner. You'll have to pardon the pictures - the wind never stops in the midwest, and my digital camera is about 8 yrs old... "ancient" in the digital world.

We are trying to be more environmentally friendly with our gardening and lawn care. Here are a couple of products we've been using.

The Liquid Fence is absolutely amazing. We have been using it for about 2 years now, and it really does keep the rabbits away. It smells terrible for about 1/2 a day, but it's environmentally friendly, pet safe and bio-degradable. A word to the wise, don't spray it on a windy day unless you are prepared to smell like rotten, garlicky eggs. Also - you may want to keep your windows shut on the day of use.

Speedy-Gro is also made by The Liquid Fence Company and it's made of the world's fastest growing, fresh organic kelp seaweed, Ecklonia maxima. It's all natural, environmentally safe, bio-degradable and can be used on indoor and outdoor plants. We've just started using this product, so I can't really vouch for it yet. You can find both products right here.

And speaking of gardening, if I could do it all over - I would have made a concerted effort to include more native plants. The National Park Service redirects native plant inquiries to The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin website. If you are into plants, this is a fun site to wander around in. They even have a recommended species feature that allows you to search by state.