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must reads: summer 2014

summer-must-reads

As a rule, I’m not much of a summer person – give me a crisp September morning over a blazing July afternoon any day. But one thing I can’t get enough of this time of year is the inevitable surge of fantastic new reads. Keep your Hollywood blockbusters (seriously, how many Transformers movies are we going to be subjected to?), and give me a cozy evening at my favorite local bookstore any day. best summer books

Just now, my bedside table runneth over, friends – especially since I’ve teamed up with my new friends at Diesel Bookstore, who are geniuses at helping me discover those lesser-known “indie flick” books that are serious gems. I can hardly wait to help you stuff your beach bag to brimming with any (or all) of my new favorites. This time, I’m breaking things up into two categories – Smart Reads and Beach Reads. Because, let’s be honest…when it’s August and you’re sitting by the pool, you don’t always want Shakespeare.

Read on

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looking up

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|  photo via Tom Kondrat  |

Happy Friday, friends! Phew, that was a busy week on my end – how about you? Did everyone get their cardio on? Before we all do our best to duck out of work early and hit up the nearest happy hour (mmm, cocktails…), I thought I’d tell you about a little 10-minute social experiment I’ve been trying.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how much time I spend staring down at a screen. Computers, televisions, iPads, Kindles, and of course, that tiny little iPhone screen we can’t stop making eyes at. Every day, that need for something mindless to occupy my busy brain seems to get a little stronger, and creep up a little faster. Frankly, it’s worrying. (And not just because of this.)

When I was younger, I remember going to visit my grandparents on summer evenings and finding my grandfather – one of the hardest-working men I ever knew – sitting outside next to his vegetable garden, sipping from a colossal glass of iced tea. Not talking on the phone, not fixing anything…just sitting. Enjoying being outside and having nothing to do for a few minutes. These days, I’m starting to wonder whether I’m even capable of such a thing, which is a sad thought.

I’m not talking about a three-week meditation retreat or zoning out in a dark room for hours on end. I’m talking about sitting in a chair with a cup of coffee and being still for a few minutes. Looking up at the sky. Breathing the air. Watching people pass by. Wondering what that crow in the tree across the way is squawking about. In an effort to rejoin the human race,

I have a thought: What if we all took 10 minutes this weekend to look up? If we put down the phone/book/magazine/laptop and drank our coffee without a single distraction? If we saw something beautiful or funny or adorable and just enjoyed it, without Instagramming it? I’ll warn you, it’s harder than it sounds – I’ve been trying all week, and you start to get pretty antsy at the 5-minute mark. Still, I’m going to keep trying. How about you?

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other things: missed connections

{Note: Welcome to my little experiment, in which I take a brief respite from the retail world to ramble on about life in general. If you’re into it, play along in the comments. If not, don’t fret: we’ll have more “life with style” for you next week.}

The other day, I had a bit of a catastrophe. And as I was frantically trying to deal with it, balanced ever so delicately between mortification, terror and the utter hilarity of the situation, my first (and only, really) instinct was for comiseration. I kept thinking, “I have to call someone! Someone has to know this insanity is happening to me right now.”  Read on

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

eileen fisher u neck linen tee

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

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must reads: spring 2014

We are painfully overdue for a Must Reads, aren’t we? If I’m honest, it’s because the last few books I’ve read haven’t done much for me (and in some cases have been downright infuriating. Did anyone else read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle?!). But I’m pleased to tell you that I’m back on a literary high streak – a few of my favorites this month: spring 2014 books Read on

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how to dress like a french girl

french style emmanuelle alt

Emmanuelle Alt & team, image via (for more Parisian style goodness, see my Pinterest page)

Hi, friends! I’m back, I’m caffeinated, and I’m finally ready to start telling you all about that wonderful trip I took. Before I get into the official travel reviews, tips and all of that goodness, something’s been nagging at me. Something I noticed literally nonstop on this trip, time and time again. I’d sit in a café, sometimes for hours, just people-watching. Or, more specifically, scoping out all of those gorgeous Parisian girls whose style we’re always trying (and failing) to emulate over here. And by about Day 6, something clicked. I finally realized they’re all doing the exact same thing. The clouds parted, and the secret formula for how to dress like a French girl was finally bestowed upon me by the fashion gods. Are you ready? Read on

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happy valentine’s day!

valentines-day-tiffany

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

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on having enough, and a winter wishlist

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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

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