Steal This Outfit

Oh faceless lady, where did you get your cool clothes? Not talking, huh? What a snob.

If this outfit doesn't say "creative mom who just might have a blog on the side" then I don't' know what does. I, for instance, would wear it. I would wear it so hard it would beg for mercy. The inner thighs of the jeans especially would.



Here's how us mortals (whose thighs just might not have a 6 inch gap between them) can get the look:

chambray work shirt, Old Navy $26.94

orange skinny jeans, ASOS $31.33

geometric print scarf, Forever 21 $9

vintage navy blue velvet tuxedo jacket, Etsy $18 (eBay, thrift store men's section, Forever 21, J.Crew)

Vintage leather portfolio, Etsy $19

37

So my 37th year of life is coming to a close in a few months. Wow, that sounds so much sadder than it really is! I've always heard women say that they liked their 30s but really came into their own in their 40s. While I'm not (at all) wanting to rush the last 2+ years of my 30s, I think I have some sense of why women say this.

In my 37th year so many things seemed to finally fall into place for me. I understand things clearly that I didn't before and have a sense of calm and peace that grounds me despite my angst-y, searching nature. Some people might call this "having perspective."


PARENTHOOD:

I'm not, and am never going to be, "angry mom".
Sometimes I am tired mom. Sometimes I am cranky mom. But I'm not angry. I think my kids are hilarious and sweet, and it's never, ever their fault if I'm feeling badly. They not only have my love, but my unconditional approval of who they are and everything that entails (including emptying the refrigerator, leaving skateboards everywhere, wrestling all over the house and knocking down furniture). I'm not saying everything they do is o.k.. I'm just saying I recognize it's "part of the package" and I accept that. It doesn't make me angry.

To some of you this comment won't make sense. But if you know angry mom, and especially if you were raised by one, you'll understand why this is important.

ENTERTAINING:

It's ok to serve pizza if it means everyone can come.

Pour half a bottle of Trader Joe's Citrus Vodka and a bottle of Pomegranate Limeade into a glass pitcher, squeeze in a few limes. There. It's a cocktail party. Life is too short to make fun things hard.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Pay the compliment; pay it immediately.

Sometimes I'm struck with respect or gratitude or appreciation for someone and think of just the right way to express it. It's usually in that moment just the right words come to you. Write them down. Make the call. Send the card. Before you forget. Before you have time to overthink it or become embarrassed by your sentimentality. When's the last time you rolled your eyes at an authentic and heartfelt compliment? No one will. I wrote a poem for my best friend and read it aloud at a dinner party. I still can't believe I did that.

FASHION:

Good shoes and bags make cheap shirts and jeans cute. Spend money on these things. Also, a scarf or big necklace turns "clothes" into "outfits".

BODY IMAGE:

You don't have to lose 25 pounds. Losing 3 will make you walk taller.

LOYALTY:

Don't gossip. But especially don't talk about your friends with other friends.
It makes you look small. It makes you seem childish. It suggests you have nothing better to talk about.

THE INNER PERSON:

In your secret heart, don't let the ultimate question be "But was I pretty?" or "Was I thin?"
Other people are thinner and prettier than you. Get a new ultimate question.


Some big ideas for Monday, I know! What age seemed particularly life-changing for you? I would love to hear...

XII Forever, sometimes

A wholehearted product recommend from yours truly. I just came home from picking this guy up. I had to have a bunch of girls dig through the stockroom to find me one, but I would not (let them) give up.

My husband was stroking out in the cavernous new two-story Forever 21, but I was undeterred. I combed the racks (hey, why no whole shirts? You can only get half a shirt now?) while his eyeballs jerked around in their sockets.



I bought him soup after, so he's ok now.

Embellished tribal clutch, $26.80. Really.

Much weightier and spendier-looking in person than I had any right to expect.

Yep, this clutch is CLUTCH!

SHOP UPDATES: Milo Baughman recliner, Moroccan rug, and a unique dresser/nightstand

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Three lovely and unique pieces in the shop now:


A completely refinished/rebuilt/reupholstered Milo Baughman recliner in creamy white:























A fantastic dark walnut modular piece with an extra set of conical legs...combines into a gorgeous highboy as shown, or separates into two smaller chests when extra legs added:

















A cool vintage Beni from the estate of a lovely Eastern European couple that traveled the world in their younger years:

MALM Freestanding FIreplace

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It's the iconic modernist fireplace, right?




I know if I was building or remodeling a Mid Century home, one of these would go smack in the middle and I'd build everything else around it. Besides being the most visually-pleasing fireplace on the market, I've actually heard very good things about the efficiency and heat output of Malm.



This is the Fire Bowl 3 model with porcelain finish in "Slate." I would describe it as a malted chocolate color (a grey-tinged brown). I absolutely love the fat belly of the bowl and tulip-shaped base, which is more unique and less atomic-feeling than the typical cone shape.



Although it is one Malm's original Mid Century designs, they are still in production (bonus-replacement parts and accessories still available!) and this is actually a recent model. From what I understand, this particular model can be installed as close as 8" away from the wall. This is a major consideration if you have a small install space!



Typically these run about $3400, but it's available in the shop now for thousands less.


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NO SHAME

Look, we spend most of our lives trying to avoid embarrassment. I say, we have better ways to spend our time, so let's not pretend. We are all 'tards in our own way; messed up, broken, neurotic, one foot smaller than the other, one boob drooping more than the other, needy, weird, accident-prone and known to fail at things occasionally.

Here's the thing: if you tell the joke first, if you can laugh at yourself, then the laugh belongs to you. No one else can have it. It makes you powerful. They can laugh with you, but not at you. Unless they see you trip and fall, which will look hysterical as you flail around and go "OHHH!" and land weird. We will all laugh at you then, because we just can't help it. You look so funny!

It helps not to wear wide-legged pants and clogs and run down the street. Just a tip from a pro.

Anyhow, you can laugh at yourself and be a powerful, needy, accident-prone, nerd. Or you can run around trying to hide it, which seems rather tiring but it's your choice.


Occasionally the "You might also like..." feature on Blogger dredges up some real winners from my past.

I thought, hey, why don't we share our most embarrassing Blogger moment with each other? Come on. I promise if we laugh it will be with you, not at you.

My most embarrassing post is not only awful and bizarre, it's also totally TMI (although nowhere near as awkward as my friends above). So without further delay I bring you:

FASHION HAUS

I showed you mine, now show me yours.

I DARE YOU

Not to do everything you planned to do today, and at least one thing you didn't.

Don't grow old and orderly and silence the wonders of the universe.

Break one of your own rules, or one of theirs. Make sure you can tell the difference.


Oh, you thought I didn't do this anymore?

You're probably a hipster if:

Eventually all your favorite bands make car commercials.

It's ok Little Joy. You speak Portuguese. I still want to kiss you on the mouth.