Category Archives: myself and i

the sale addict’s dilemma (also, eileen fisher tees on sale!)

I’m sitting here knee-deep in my own neuroses, so I thought I’d let you tag along. If nothing else, it’s proof that you’re not the craziest person you know, which can be incredibly gratifying.

Longtime readers will remember a certain Eileen Fisher linen tee for which I fell madly, deeply, head over heels in love. So much so, in fact, that I’m even beginning not to see its flaws (just one flaw, really, which pretty much boils down to the $128 pricetag). It’s light, drapes perfectly, breathes, hides lumps and bumps…it’s literally the only shirt I want to wear when it’s monstrously hot outside. And I was thinking yesterday – hey, I should buy one of these in black or navy, since I wear it so much. Money well spent, right?

So, I started my usual online hunt, thinking I might track one down on sale. Which I did! $66, plus an additional 25% off, in fact (seriously, if you’re in the market, move fast). Total SMC victory, right? Except – Read on →

2 Comments

Share 'the sale addict’s dilemma (also, eileen fisher tees on sale!)' on Facebook

Share 'the sale addict’s dilemma (also, eileen fisher tees on sale!)' on Google+

Share 'the sale addict’s dilemma (also, eileen fisher tees on sale!)' on Pinterest

Share 'the sale addict’s dilemma (also, eileen fisher tees on sale!)' on Twitter

Share 'the sale addict’s dilemma (also, eileen fisher tees on sale!)' on Email

happy valentine’s day!

I searched high and low for the perfect Valentine to give you this year, friends. But to be honest, nothing has quite captured my heart as completely as this utterly charming Tiffany & Co’s Valentine’s Day campaign. So clever, isn’t it? And really, is there anything that beats a valentine from Tiffany’s…even a fictional one?

However you’re spending the day, I’m hoping you’ll seek out a little extra joy wherever you can. Call a friend you haven’t talked to in ages, send a donation to a charity you admire, or buy yourself a little something special.

And have a wonderful weekend!

xox,
B

1 Comment

Share 'happy valentine’s day!' on Facebook

Share 'happy valentine’s day!' on Google+

Share 'happy valentine’s day!' on Pinterest

Share 'happy valentine’s day!' on Twitter

on having enough, and a winter wishlist

Fantastic to-do notepad by Craft Colorfully

Happy Monday, friends! Wow, I’ve missed you. That winter’s nap was a bit longer than I planned, but the truth is, I was feeling mightily shopped out after the holidays, and needed a bit more time to rev my engines.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about “enough”. As I looked under the the tree a few days before Christmas, I actually groaned to myself – why did we need all this stuff! And, the real problem: where were we going to put it all?! I mean, let’s face it – I can’t even find a place to put everything I own now. My hilariously oversized jewelry box is full, my shoe closet runneth over, and I know it’s well past time to thin the handbag herd. Granted, we moved last year and lost a boatload of square footage in the process. But still. If I can’t even store them all, I’m surely not wearing them all.

So, do I keep buying and adding to the massive piles? Do I institute one of those Draconian “one in, one out” rules my hubs advocates? Go on a major spending freeze and stop all purchases? Read on →

7 Comments

Share 'on having enough, and a winter wishlist' on Facebook

Share 'on having enough, and a winter wishlist' on Google+

Share 'on having enough, and a winter wishlist' on Pinterest

Share 'on having enough, and a winter wishlist' on Twitter

Share 'on having enough, and a winter wishlist' on Email

2014, bring it on

| Images via my friends at boohoo, who clearly know how to party! |

Wishing you the happiest, healthiest year yet, my friends! 2014 will be filled with good things, I just know it. I don’t go in for resolutions, but the idea of making a real effort to slow down, put away my iPhone and look around occasionally is feeling very right to me just now. And maybe finally learning to bake a loaf of bread.

However you celebrate, may your year be filled with light, love, and some very fancy shoes.

xox,
B

3 Comments

phoned-in friday

Friends, I have literally shopped until I dropped. Two separate trips to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, and a third one on the way (I like to take the Hubs in separately, lest he see the full extent of the damage I do solo). On trip #2, I managed to throw my back out while wrestling myself into a silk shirt that was mislabeled as a M (it was an XS, I swear it was). Talk about cardio!

{Why do I do this to myself? The thing is, while the Sale’s not packed with pieces that are particularly “exciting”, it is chock full of workhorses. Truly, the pieces I buy this week are the ones I wear nonstop all fall and winter. Are you the same way?}

So, as I sit here with a heating pad on my back until my painkillers kick in, I’ll leave you with a few links worth investigating.

Janna Conner, one of my very favorite jewelry ladies, is offering 40% off sitewide through 7/17 with code SU13 (only 20% off the fine jewelry). I just got her beautiful lapis coin earrings, and it was all I could do not to order these ones too. Her quality is outstanding, and her prices are amazing – especially now.
My sweet friends at Woonwinkel in Portland are having their annual summer sale, and it starts today. If you’re into modern design, you’ll most definitely want to take a look. I really, so badly, want this knitted basket. And remember that gorgeous clock from my house redo? Half off, baby!
I don’t care what anyone says, I think these gladiator sandal/boot things are just terrible. Am I alone?
Really feeling all of the relaxed, easy weekend wear in this post. If only the rest of us could make rumpled look so chic.
I’ve been Insta-crazy this week – you should definitely check it out. If nothing else, you’ll get a peek at my newly-revamped shoe closet (also known as: proof that I may need to buy something other than ballet flats) and the cutest dog on the planet.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! I’ll see you back here on Monday, with an exciting new collaboration to tell you about. You’re going to love it!

2 Comments

what to wear to the hospital

Friends, don’t be jealous, but I’ve spent the last few days at a very exclusive resort. It’s invitation-only, painfully difficult to get into, and while the room service isn’t exactly five-star cuisine, I did have staff at my disposal 24 hours a day, and all the clear liquids I can drink. (Except vodka. They frown on that.)

Because I generally think SMC should be a happy, shiny place (who wants to read a depressing style blog? Not this guy.), I don’t often talk about the less-glittery, really-real reality of life. But Victoria reminded me recently that maybe we should all try to be a little more “real” out here in the interwebs, lest you go around thinking the road I travel every day is paved with rose petals and free nail polish.

So, I’ll tell you. For the last ~~too many~~ few years, I’ve had a rotating circus of nebulous, annoying, uncomfortable, but not-at-all-life-threatening health problems delivered to my door by the powers that be. When you notice I’m not my usual chatty self on Twitter, or I miss a few days of blogging here and there, it’s probably because I’m on a little health holiday. My system has a funny way of being pretty insistent about its vacation time.

Rather than bore you with the gory details (except to say I’m fine, don’t worry, but feel free to send pretty things and happy thoughts), I thought I’d put some of this expertise to good use. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned after all this time, it’s what to wear to the hospital. Read on →

11 Comments

Share 'what to wear to the hospital' on Facebook

Share 'what to wear to the hospital' on Google+

Share 'what to wear to the hospital' on Pinterest

Share 'what to wear to the hospital' on Twitter

Share 'what to wear to the hospital' on Email

a little inspiration, and your very own printable!

Not long ago, I was doing my best to catch up on my RSS feed (all 900+ articles, thank you), and something Garance Doré had to say stopped me in my tracks. She was talking about her plans for the new year – resolutions and such – and somewhere in the midst of a ramble I couldn’t totally make sense of, she repeated something a professor of hers had once told her:

Read on →

proud to present: zagat portland

Well. I had big plans to tell you about face cream today, friends. But instead, this arrived on my doorstep.

Finally! After months and months of exhaustive cardio, I can show you what I’ve been working on all this time. Meet the 2013 Zagat Portland City Guide! I was lucky enough to work with some of the best writers in town (including my dear, dear pal, Jen Stevenson, whose foodie cred is second to none) to cook up this insider’s guide to all things PDX: food, nightlife and (of course) shopping!! And I’ll admit – I’m pretty darn proud of it. I’m on Amazon.com and everything, you guys. Big day for me!

If you’re a local and want the skinny, or have PDX on your travel agenda, I’d be super flattered to know I was tagging along with you, tucked in the bottom of your very stylish handbag. In a non-creepy, non-Lilliputian sort of way, of course.

Nab one right here…I promise not to autograph it.