that’s right, dear readers - i take columbus day pretty seriously, so i’m off for the weekend to visit my family in the frozen tundra.  it’s supposed to be 40 degrees…can’t wait.

so, i’ll see you back here on tuesday with something truly fabulous.  for now, i’m sharing a few things i think i’ll be needing this weekend, and some links to other sites i thought were particularly lovely this week.

(above:  mouton shearling coat by la squadra, $2,875; bop basics fingerless cashmere mittens, $65; giraffe print cashmere scarf by janavi, $375)

*  decor8 alerted me to a site called tas-ka which sells some fantastic euro home goods and accessories.  i’m particularly loving the brooches.  they’re based in the netherlands, but shipping to the US is frighteningly reasonable.

*  this week’s DIY on design*sponge is so cute, i may actually be forced to break out my glue gun.

*  and yeah, i’m pretty sure i’m going to have to order these barack obama barrettes for myself…

happy columbus day!

the lovely always instyle has featured a look today for her “street beat” section that i just can’t get out of my head.  can you believe this woman just got up, went to her closet, and came out looking like that all on her own?  so chic i can hardly stand it…

head over to always instyle to see more pics of this fantastic look, as well as their super-helpful tips for achieving the look yourself.  

what?  i’m not too proud to blatantly copy…er, imitate…

…except that i literally very nearly peed my pants when i watched this just now.  best use of 4 minutes of my life, ever.

huge thanks to the new blog “if you like me, check this box” for broadening my horizons today.  the blog is fantastic - it’s a hilarious take on single life in DC political circles (aka, “what could have been if i hadn’t come to my senses”).  i’ll be using her post about a recent trip to portland (my new stomping grounds) to gauge the friendship potential of people i meet in the future.

in celebration of the democratic convention kicking off this week, it seems only fair to give you some of the more fashionable ways to strut your political stuff.

if john mccain’s campaign started the internet buzzing with his ad mocking barack obama as the world’s most famous celebrity, paris hilton’s rebuttal had it screaming.  of course, after we all stopped laughing, i think there was a simultaneous pause, in which we all thought “wait, paris hilton’s solution to the energy crisis actually makes sense…”.

but since this site is about shopping, not politics, we had to resist the mockery….until we heard a rumor that hilton was designing her own line of “paris for president” tees.  while the line has yet to be released (it will be sold exclusively at l.a.’s kitson boutique), there are hundreds of political tees out there for you.  while not all are fashionable enough to receive a mention here, we have a few gems for you, no matter what your affiliation. as paris would say being political is hot…

“baracking the vote” is definitely the more fashion-forward choice over being a “mccainiac“, so there are more choices out there for our liberal readers, to be sure. still, we’ll do our best to keep you looking fab however you vote.

i love the sir alistair rai barack the vote tee in navy ($32), with proceeds going straight to camp obama. you can also head to your local urban outfitters for the barack progress tee in black ($28), recently rocked by beyonce. another celebrity supporter, halle berry, sported the public library obama rama tee ($22) tee.

after a lot of searching (and laughing) at mccain fashion options (seriously, who wears a mccain muscle tee?), i found some fun tees for the mccain supporters too. my favorite has to be this sassy “i only date republicans” tee ($28).  if that doesn’t do it for you, head over to zazzle, where you can design your own tee. for $38, you can choose a fun tonal stripe tee with a mccain 08 football-style graphic - much more chic than any standard-isuse campaign tee.

saving the best for last, while we eagerly await paris’ official tee, you can create your own over at zazzle.  my personal favorite is the oh-so-subtle “vote paris for president, bitches” ($36), on a white burnout tee. would we expect anything less?

just remember it’s not who you vote for…just get out there and vote!

(EDIT:  sorry…i just couldn’t take that picture a moment longer.)

dear readers, i’m taking a much-needed long weekend to recharge. but, if the powers that be (ie, my darling hubs) smile upon us, i’ll have a lovely surprise next week!

in lieu of my regularly eloquent posts (ha!), check out the new feature to your left (right there under those annoying ads that, sadly, pay the bills). i’ll let you know whenever i find someone else’s opinion out there in blogland utterly fantastic. happens more often than you’d think!

and if you’re still hungry for more, jonathan adler came up with the best nod to patriotism i’ve heard lately…check it out here.

so, have a lovely weekend - rest much, drink much, and save the shopping for monday!

xo,
SMC