chloe for kids

So usually I would say that paying two hundred dollars for an outfit for a three year old seems asinine, but in this case I would trade in 4 outfits from Gap Kids for one of these adorable dresses from Chloe.

i heart purple

So it's not just for eleven year old girls anymore. Purple is everywhere these days.... from wall colors to eyeshadow to ankle boots to cocktail dresses. Here's what I'm loving right now:

i love my job, i just hate the dress code

I know sometimes when you've been up all night because your baby is getting a tooth or your 2 year old is convinced that there's a monster in her closet and spends the rest of the night wedged between you and your husband in your bed (sideways), you wake up in the morning with absolutely no desire to look presentable. But the everyday wardrobe of cargo capri pants, t-shirt you've had since college and flip flops has got to go ladies! Why must our sense of style be compromised as soon as we give birth? I've often heard people say that you shouldn't wear something when you're pregnant that you wouldn't wear if you weren't. So how about dressing how you would if you were the same age but didn't have kids? It takes the same amount of time to get dressed, no matter what you put on. If you want to wear jeans and a t-shirt...fine, but make the jeans skinny and put on a t-shirt with a little shape. Ditch the flip flops and put on some ballet flats and a scarf. Viola! Same amount of time, same comfort level, but considerably cuter. A long tunic and leggings is as comfortable as any pair of sweatpants. Celebrity moms do it all the time. Why? Not because they have more money or more help. But because they are being photographed! So pretend there's a paparazzi at the playground or chant "what would Heidi do?" as you get dressed in the morning. Whatever it takes! Trust me, you'll feel better and be more productive if you look more put together!

short circuit

As it starts to get a little crisper outside, I find myself craving shorts of all things! With some textured tights and booties or a great pair of peep toe oxfords, you can have the sexiness of a mini skirt with the comfort of a pair of pants. And...with everyone from Gap to Chloe turning out shorts this fall, there's bound to be a pair in your price range.

add some sparkle to your life!

Appeal to your inner beauty pageant contestant and throw on some sequins. In small doses it adds some texture and some interest to top off an outfit. Here's a few of my favorites:

This navy asymmetrical dress from Phillip Lim is perfect with just a touch of gold sequins.

This Alice + Olivia tank with attached sequin scarf would look great with skinny jeans and a motorcycle jacket.

I love this goddess-inspired dress from Haute Hippie!

There's also a lot of sequined accessories to add a little pop to your look:

These sequin pumps from Dolce & Gabbana would look killer with a mini black dress.

This statement bib necklace from Anthropologie has a vintage flapper feel.

hours of fun...

While most of my iPhone apps these days are ones designed to occupy my kids in a pinch, I have recently stumbled upon a new one for myself. With the Fake Conversation app, you can set your phone to receive fake phone calls. You can choose the ring tone, time of the call, caller's name, and most importantly the conversation topic. On a bad date? Don't feel like dealing with the girl at the mall kiosk who wants to know if you have natural nails? Try the "excuse to leave" call. When your phone rings, you simply repeat after the voice on the phone.

"Hey"...
"Why, what's going on?"...
"Oh my God"...
"When did this happen?"...
"uh huh"...
"Do you need me to help out?"...
"No, it's no problem"...
"Yeah, I can leave now"...
"I understand"...
"ok"...
"I'll call you soon"...

Or, if you want to sound more important than you are, try the fake conversations that make you sound like a doctor, lawyer, fashion designer, media mogul, music producer, sports agent, or wall street trader. There's also the ever-entertaining "Animal in the house" call or "the coverup" call.

Oh... the possibilities are endless!

spotted...

Perhaps almost as exciting as the season premiere of Gossip Girl on September 14th, is the Anna Sui Gossip Girl-inspired line for Target premiering the day before. She has created 19 looks based on the individuals styles of the female characters from our favorite guilty pleasure. Here are my favorites for each:

Blair: all it needs is a headband and a bitchy glare!


Serena: sophisticated without trying too hard... and showing considerable less cleavage than S would!
Jenny: picture with some smudgy black eyeliner!

Vanessa: hippie-chic on a Brooklyn budget!

Chalkboard Calendar Inspiration

Does anyone remember "If Lucy Fell"? Well, if you happened to miss this 1996 Sarah Jessica Parker/Ben Stiller romantic comedy, check it out...if only for the giant wall calendar that Lucy (SJP) and her roommate Joe paint on the wall each month. While I do not remember much about the plot of that movie thirteen years later, that wall calendar has stuck with me.

Since painting and repainting a wall in my house didn't seem very practical, I have been looking for a way to get the same effect but without all the work. Then, I stumbled upon this chalkboard calendar from Martha Stewart awhile back and loved the concept. I loved the idea of a giant blackboard wall calendar that was both functional and fun. I did not, however, love the idea of making my own chalkboard paint in different shades of gray or the tedious process of taping and painting little gray boxes on my wall. So I combined my "If Lucy Fell" wall calendar with Martha's concept and came up with this:

We painted a large wall in our kitchen with chalkboard paint from Benjamin Moore. I found letters for each day of the week and nailed them to the top of the wall. The fabric "M" and "T" are from Anthropologie. The cardboard "S" is from Paper Source and the rest are from Urban Outfitters. I used a level and liquid chalk markers to draw the calendar and fill in the days with all of our family's activities and appointments. The kids love to see what's going on the calendar for the upcoming month and ask me to draw pictures that correspond to the activities. So, much like "If Lucy Fell", calendar day is something to look forward to at my house too!