Before we get going with this week’s list, can I ask you a quick favor? My little Shopping’s My Cardio Facebook page needs you…come on over and be my friend, won’t you? We can, like, throw a kegger or something.

And now, business aside…time for our usual Friday eye candy!

What do you think of clogs? I can’t quite make up my mind…but there is something about this particular style of Swedish Hasbeens that I love. The strappy-ness (yes, I just made up a word) does a lot to balance out the heft of the sole, and they look mighty comfy. The balance of that is that they’re not cheap…but I’m told these things last forever.

This print by Julien Pacaud has been open on my desktop all week. I can’t explain the love, but it’s there…it’s like some fictional land I’d very much like to visit. I should really just buy it already.

I am trying so hard to convince myself I could pull off these Rachel Comey zigzag pants. Think you could do it?

Speaking of zigzag (I’m a little more than obsessed these days), I got a little tip this morning that John Robshaw is having a 40% off sale for the next week. I’m annoyed that my quilt from them has rapidly deteriorated (I really need to email them about that), but that doesn’t stop me from wanting this delicious robe. On sale, it’s $57, and Robshaw’s cotton is definitely something I want to be swathed in for as long as possible.

And, okay, one (two) more zigzags…I can’t resist. You won’t be able to either when you see this stunning wallet and crossbody bag (originally spotted by the beautiful Joy) from Deep Dark Africa. I’m so head over heels, there are no words. While you’re there, check out the rest of the site…there are a bevy of world-traveled beauties you won’t be able to live without.

Are you feeling the zigzag love like I am this year?

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone…see you back here next week!

First things first, friends:  won’t you please come over and “like” my new ShoppingsMyCardio Facebook page?  It will just take a second, and will make me oh so happy.  I promise not to have one of those annoying pages that posts 10 times a day and takes up your whole feed…I hate that.

So, I haven’t been being all that good about letting you know where else I’ve been writing lately, and we should remedy that.  Mostly because I’m quite proud of an interview I recently did with Rachel Gorenstein, a woman who’s both the creative director & buyer for one of my favorite shops in Portland and the designer behind one of my favorite boutique labels, Rachel Mara.  Total dream job!  The feature was for a new print magazine (remember those?) called About Face, but you can also check it out here.  Also, this dress, which we featured in the piece, is my latest stalker-grade obsession.  Must. Have. It.

Also, I did a fun little feature for a local site called Neighborhood Notes, all about locally-made perfumes.  And I’ll tell you guys the joke I begrudgingly left out of the feature…the one about how when they asked me to write about Portland perfumes, I was instantly snickering to myself, thinking that a “Portland perfume” would have to be some sort of body odor/bong water concoction.  The locals would burn me alive…but I knew you’d think it was hysterical (because it’s true).

Anyway…on to our finds!

This week was “Preview Week” in NYC.  For those of you who don’t obsess over these things like I do, this is the week that virtually every brand that doesn’t show at Fashion Week was showcasing their new collections for Fall.  I’ll have more to show you next week, but for now, a little eye candy from the J.Crew preview.  For the full collection, check out the coverage from Racked and The Cut…but these are a few of my favorites:

Good bags, in particular, don’t you agree? And those plum wide-legged pants are mine, people.  If you’re now in a J.Crew mood (sorry about that), the good news is that they’re offering 20% off $150+ purchases this weekend.  The code is SUNNY…hey, here’s hoping.

I’m perpetually in an art-buying phase…right now, I’m getting ready to print some of my talented husband’s photography for our walls.  But I came across artist John Murphy’s collages for the second time recently, and fell in love with them all over again.  I’ve always wanted a diptych of these two, but how could I possibly be expected to resist that elephant, with the little flower poos?  (I can’t believe I just said “poo” on the blog.  Twice.)

Thoroughly awesome.

In the “cheap thrills” department, Lands’ End Canvas is having a ginormous clearance sale right now.  While I didn’t have much luck with their denim when I tried the brand a while back, I am sort of feeling I could use a back-up pair of skinny jeans for spring, and these Super Slim Jeans are $29, which is highly tempting.  This cut has almost 50% spandex, so really, how badly could they possibly fit?  I will warn that, in my experience, their denim runs s-m-a-l-l…so, size accordingly.

Oh!  Remember that pretty green Cole Haan bag I snagged earlier this month?  Well, nab 25% off the entire (full-price) Cole Haan handbag line today only with code…wait, wait, wait. You have to go to my Facebook or Twitter page to get the code.  Mean?  Extortion?  Nawwww…this is creative marketing, people!  Indulge me, won’t you?

And have a great weekend, friends!

i honestly can’t remember where i first spotted these bold graphic drawings from artist josh cochran.  but i haven’t been able to get them out of my head.  i emailed the artist begging him to make a print available, and he was kind enough to let me know that they were just about to be released!  now, they’re available on his site, and for a very reasonable $55 each (i also love that they’re 13×19…i’m overloaded with 8×10 prints in my life at present).  my hands-down favorite is the museum steps print, but they’re all such perfect scenes of new york, with all its grit, confusion, personality and color.  i can’t wait to have one on my wall.

and now moving from the serious and artistic to the superficial and stylish, i’ve been eyeing this navy coat from asos for months now, but in recent days it’s turned into more of an obsession than anything else.  it looks exactly like the sort of thing you’d be wearing when the sartorialist sprinted across the street to beg to take your photo, doesn’t it?  beyond being the perfect oversized, slouchy hybrid between a blazer and an overcoat, the details are what really make this amazing. i love the buttoned pleat in the back, and as always, am swooning at the mere sight of elbow patches.  at $200, it’s hard to continue being disciplined.

i spied these beautiful canisters at west elm last week, and i’ve been dying to show you.  but they’re not available online…so irritating!  if you happen to stop into a west elm store, look around for these beautiful, heath-style ceramic canisters in the palest sky blue, with a wooden lid, that look right out of a kitchen styled for martha stewart.  oh, and they’re marked down from $70 to $24.99…hmm, no wonder they’re not available online any longer. i did, however, manage to track down a photo:

have a great weekend, everyone!  and if you’re lucky enough to have monday off, well, send a little thought of thanks up to dr. king for handing you that work holiday, won’t you?

the very sweet melissa of zedena designs sent over this beautiful enamel pendant for me a few weeks ago.  isn’t it just lovely?  i’m a sucker for anything enamel, and i love the vintage wallpaper feel this design has.  i can tell you firsthand it does amazing things for a simple black v-neck.  the medallion is my favorite of her designs, but i’m imagining that beautiful little bird would be a perfect gift for a friend that loves music, and it’s a very affordable gift option.  oh!  and i’m told that code JINGLEBELLS will get you 10% off through 12/20, so that’s good news too.

i’m having a serious case of wanderlust these days, especially whenever i see anything related to paris.  these two prints have been haunting my dreams since i first saw them. i can’t resist much of anything that blanca gomez does, but this may just be my favorite of hers yet. and though clare owen’s beautiful snowglobe looks to be out of stock, these etsy folks are so kind, i’m betting she’d reprint if you asked nicely.

this is another handmade find i just can’t get out of my head.  i’m loathe to spend $40 on a mug, but these pretty poppies catch my eye virtually every single time i’m on etsy.  so, perhaps the universe is trying to tell me something about my personal limitations with regard to coffee mug spending.

i’ve had these little pants bookmarked to show you for months now…but really, how often do we talk baby-friendly goods here?  that said, they’re maybe the cutest baby-related thing i’ve seen all year.  even the name is cute:  crankypants!  you’re dying of cuteness right now, i know.  by the way, i do know that $80 for baby pants is ridiculous.  but if you were going to save one piece of your kid’s clothing for posterity, wouldn’t it be the crankypants?   plus, they’re handmade by a knitting cooperative in peru, so you’re basically supporting a village.  how can you say no?

and, lest we get on too much of a ‘handmade’ run today, i’ll wrap up with this amazing vermeil lotus ring from the sundance catalog ($138).  you can find beauty everywhere, people…even in the middle of a hippie-crunchie catalog like sundance.  i’m head over heels for this beauty…and i just know it’s one of those things people would stop you on the street to ask about.

left to right, from top: angela adams address book and notepad sets (so, so beautiful in person), $14-15; postcarden “season’s greetings” pop-up card, $13; clinique “connect the gloss” interchangeable lip gloss set, $25; cast iron owlet (literally impossible not to love), $18; tocca crema mani viaggio hand cream trio, $18; vosges bacon chocolate chip pancake mix, $12; michelle armas signed antonia 2011 calendar, $30; allo-allo french tea towel, $15; origins “peace of mind” on-the-spot relief (great for men and women – i’m obsessed!), $10; international rescue committee blankets, school supplies or first aid kits, $20-28; happy socks (!), $10; modern madness moustache mug, $14.

{FTC disclaimer: some product samples were provided to help me compile this guide, but as usual, there’s no pay-for-play here.}

i fell hard for amy rice’s work the first time i saw it, and the love hasn’t diminished in the least.  i love the nostalgic feel of her pieces…they remind me of something you’d find in your grandmother’s attic, but infinitely more hip.  this piece is called olivia and olivia’s mom again, and you can find it at the always-amazing art star philly (which also happens to be the home of that jen corace print i’m still dying to own).

20×200 is a constant source of strife for me…it’s like gilt groupe for art.  i always feel that art should be a considered purchase (after all, fashion comes and goes, but art is forever), but the possibility of pieces selling out throws me into a panic.  i’m still sad i missed out on their first matthew tischler series…i really should just take the plunge and get the latest editions while i still can.

doesn’t etui’s float just make you feel instantly relaxed?  it’s like everything good you remember about summer, before you cared about air conditioning, spf or what that ice cream cone was going to do to your thighs.

these two portraits, by anna bergin and tushtush, have had me captivated for the longest time.  i love imagining what these women were thinking while these were being painted, and where they might have been headed later that day.

i think i’m ready for a sno cone now!

i’m a longtime fan of andrew holder, so i’m thrilled to see (thank you, cafe cartolina!) he has two brand new prints available at UO.  they’re both huge (one is nearly three feet tall), and such great examples of his work.  in fact, i coveted his original edition of the jellyfish print (which i promise you will be on my wall soon) for ages, and nearly cried when i realized it was sold out (not that i could have afforded it).  so, as you’d imagine, this new edition is making me extremely happy.

and, from fish to birds:  i’m apparently strangely attracted to both this week.  after owning my iphone for more than six months, i’ve still been unable to find a cover i didn’t hate.  these are actually skins, not true covers, but they’re lovely, aren’t they?  and isn’t that penguin just the cutest thing?  as soon as i spied it, i knew it was by joanna mendicino – she can just do no wrong in my eyes.

and then there are the shoes.  i’m still bitter that the rachel comey diffusion line wasn’t available in my size.  but now they’re carrying some very stunning marais suede gladiator sandals – also not in my size, and equally fabulous.  sigh.

the one low point:  i was going to point out these blue stacked heel sandals, but the color in the catalog (left – sorry it’s horribly blurry) was this fabulous, bold shade, and on the website (right), it’s, well, more blah than bold, don’t you think?  the whole thing has left me feeling sort of iffy about these.

but the rest is good, don’t you think?

as a countermeasure, i thought i’d put together a few of the ultra girly things i’ve been craving this week – nothing makes me sit up straight and cross my ankles faster than a few ruffles and frills.  and hey, if you can’t live it, at least you can love it from a distance.

shopjake.com is one of my favorite fashion browsing destinations – i’m practically a groupie for their buyer.  don’t all of these frills and ruffles just make you feel warm and fuzzy?  i love the idea of wearing any of these with some distressed denim and a flat metallic sandal – just the thing for flawless summer chic, don’t you agree?

speaking of girly goodness, artist jen corace has just released a few new prints at art star.  i tweeted my favorite yesterday, but here it is again, just because i’m so, so, so in love with it.  sigh!

and last but not least, if you haven’t yet caught the anna wintour interview from 60 minutes, it’s well worth your 12 minutes.  i don’t care what the haters say, i heart vogue, and i heart anna wintour.  if you do too, i suspect you’re also going to love in vogue.  it’s a pretty fascinating look at the magazine’s history, and includes reprints of all of their best photo shoots and covers.  really stunning, and worth it for the annie leibowitz alice in wonderland shoot alone.

sigh…mission accomplished.  all of this girly-ness has me wanting to go paint my nails.  happy weekend, everyone!  i hope there is a barbecue, a beach and/or a picnic in your immediate future.

(photo by blissful images – the perfect earth day purchase, don’t you think?)

i think most people that know me would agree i’m not the most green person you’ll ever meet.  i refuse to cancel my catalog subscriptions, i can’t be bothered to sort my glass from my plastics, and it’s maybe one time out of ten that i remember to bring those reuseable bags into the market.

but i’m never one to ignore a holiday, especially when there are deals to be had!  so, here are a few of my favorite ways for you to go green with minimal effort this earth day:

terra collection:  our much-loved sponsor’s decadent organic cotton tees are 50% off for the rest of the week, in celebration of earth day.  use code “earthlove” at checkout, and stock up!  every one is beautifully embroidered, pro-planet, and each purchase means a 15% discount to an earth-loving charity.  

suki hair:  i was browsing the aisles of my neighborhood whole foods the other day and saw that my favorite green beauty line, suki, has released a shampoo and conditioner!  naturally, i had to try them immediately.  if you’re not afraid of low-lather shampoo (it’s never bothered me…), this stuff is fantastic!  it smells as wonderful as their lemongrass cleanser that i can’t get enough of, it left my hair so much more moisturized than it normally is, and just generally is making me happy.  plus, it’s vegan – so my northwest cred is intact.

rume bags:  i get a reuseable tote maybe once a week these days…it seems almost impossible to avoid.  but the ones that actually make it into the store are my rume bags, every time.  and when they do, customers and baggers alike compliment them.  they’re huge, have a flat bottom, hold an unbelievable amount of stuff, and are actually pretty cute for grocery bags.  plus, i do love the velcro fold-up thing…very handy.  get 20% off sitewide today with code EARTH.

so, happy earth day, readers – how will you be celebrating?  i hope you’ll recycle a glass bottle for me!

(all images lovingly borrowed from antler magazine)

well, apparently i just can’t get enough of alternative reading material this week.  but yesterday, the lovely and talented decor8 alerted me that the latest (2nd) issue of antler magazine was available online.  the latest in the e-mag world, antler is only published online…which is a shame, as i’d love nothing more than to spend hours poring over every page.  this mag made the blog rounds when it’s first issue released – and, i’ll admit, i wasn’t all that interested.  but seeing a few other e-zines in the last few weeks made me give antler a closer look.  and it is quite possibly my new favorite magazine…with the added benefit of being free.

antler’s site says they focus “on composing a collection of beautiful, inspiring ideas and designs from all aspects of life”.  the real life translation is that i saw one of the most beautifully curated groups of artists, fashion designers, jewelry collections and more that i’ve ever seen – many i’d never even heard of.  best of all, every feature included an interview with the creative person they’re featuring, so you get a little background on your new favorite designer as well.

i knew i was in the right place when i spied a full-page ad for stone & honey designs, who i featured for daily candy way back when.  then i turned to a gorgeous four-page spread of the darling abigail percy‘s designs – another designer i’ve loved for years.

but i discovered plenty of newbies as well.  joanna mendicino‘s sweet ceramic designs – i recalled seeing them once upon a time, but this in-depth look made me fall pretty hard.  and a fashion line called h. fredriksson that is full of beautifully cut silhouettes and modern classics – it’s truly not to be missed.  and then i discovered the incredibly talented anna bergin, whose very real, yet almost ethereal portraiture has me officially obsessed.

i could go on and on, but you could also just take a look for yourself…really, it’s the best new publication i’ve seen release in a long time, and well worth a browse.  if you’re feeling the handmade, indie-design trend at all these days, but want to take it a step past etsy, there’s literally no better source i’ve found.  i can hardly wait until they go print, so i can subscribe.  in the meantime, i’ll be going back to read issue #1 now.  i’d love to hear what you think of antler!