Pico laser-cut heart pendant

Photo: pico.com

Love this organic heart pendant. Made of laser-cut cherry wood. Comes with an 18" gold filled cable chain. Or you can swap out the chain and tie it around your neck with a silk cord or any other chain you like. $65 at picomeanslittle.com.

Oil of Olay Beauty Balm

Photo: drugstore.com

 

My newest find that I'm using and really like. Oil of Olay Beauty Balm cream. If you want to get ready quick in the morning, this is for you. Extremely lightweight. Has sunscreen, evens out skin tone, moisturizes. Doesn't go on orange-y (I bought the light to medium skin color). Oil-free and PABA-free. $11.99 at drugstore.com.

Happy Weekend

Photo: fcit.usf.edu

 

Been living in Miami for over 44 years and had never been to Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden on Old Cutler. I went last weekend with my husband and loved it.

 

Weather permitting, on Saturday mornings there's a farmers market on the premises. Highly recommend the 45-minute tram tour that's included in the entry fee. Our guide was super informative. Also, the Wings of the Tropics Butterfly Conservatory is pretty impressive. Check it out if you've never been - worth the trip.

J Crew Arrow-print shift dress

Photo: J. Crew

J. Crew's May 2014 collection is out, and I LOVE the Arrow-print shift dress in this flax color (also comes in neon green). The print basically acts like a solid so you can wear it anywhere, anytime. Love the blue detailing at the neck and arm holes. Love that it's a shift so it's non-constricting. Good on Mondays when you're feeling a little bloated or fat from the weekend.

 

I would wear this to work with little flats and then on the weekends I'd wear it with flat leather flips or sandals. $98 so not to shabby, especially for something I'd probably wear at least once/week. It'll probably go on sale at some point in the next few weeks, but if you really want it, get it now cause the most popular sizes will sell out quickly.

Serena & Lily rolling storage crate

Photo: serenaandlily.com

Love this great rolling cart from Serena and Lily. Use as a rolling book cart, toy bin or storage for pretty much anything else.  Each crate is detailed with one of four stencils: Soft Drinks, Lemonade, Super Seven or White Star.  Love the bright orange casters.

 

These come in 2 sizes: small for $88 and large for $118. However, I'm pretty sure you can make one of these using any box you want and buying for casters from Home Depot or Lowe's. Leave plain or stencil something on it. Nice little weekend project.

MTV muscle tank

Photo: ae.com

No, don't worry, I'm not going to wear this. But I love it. I was there for MTV's first video ever, in August 1981. Yup. So I have a lot of love for anything vintage-y MTV.

This faded muscle tank is from American Eagle Outfitters. It's from AE's "Lost & Found" line.

It's supposed to look like something you pulled out of the lost and found bin at school! So clever.

It's on sale now for $14.99. Get it for your daughter, your niece, any female you know under 20. It's just too cool to pass up. I even think it would look good framed and hanging on your wall. I want my MTV!!!!

L'Oreal eye makeup remover

Photo: drugstore.com

 

This is my all-time favorite eye makeup remover, L'Oreal Paris Skin Expertise Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover. I think I've been using it for at least 15 years. You can take off eye makeup while you have your contacts on and you won't feel a thing, that's how gentle it is.

 

The only thing is, I've been on an organic beauty product/skin product roll for almost a year now so I'd like to replace this with something that has less chemicals. We'll see. I'm in no rush because I've tried quite a few eye makeup removers, high-end to low-end, and nothing comes close to this one.

 

Available at drugstore.com for $7, but you can usually find it at Target or Walgreens. Although it is often sold out so if you find it, stock up and buy a few.

Frederica espadrille & Shopbop sale

Photo: Shopbop

Shopbop, one of my favorite on-line clothing sites, is having a 25% off everything (including sale items) friends and family sale. But it ends tonight at midnight!

 

One of my favorite finds on the site: the Frederica espadrille by Schutz. $130, so it's a little steep for an espadrille, I think, but with the 25% off and free shipping and no tax, it becomes a little more palatable, right?

 

These go with everything: jeans, shorts, skirts, a dress, you name it. Only sizes 7, 8 and 10 left, so get to it!

Sustainable fashion

Photo: amazon

 

I love fashion. I love reading about its history, about designers and how they started, where they get their inspiration. I love reading blogs about street fashion and how technology has changed the way fashion is so accessible to all of us now.

 

What I haven't sought out is the story behind the clothes we so casually buy and wear and the not-so-pleasant story of how fashion arrives to us so quickly. That's why the next book I want to read is Lucy Siegle's "To Die For: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World?" Siegle writes about the human and environmental cost of fashion. She answers questions like how a $20 dress at H&M got to be that cheap, why is cashmere everywhere now, what it's like to work in a garment factory in India.
 

I heard about the book after reading a wonderful article on Livia Firth (Colin's wife), known as the queen of sustainable fashion, in London's Telegraph newspaper. Her company, Eco-Age, is a consulting business for companies trying to manage "ethics with aesthetics." Firth also uses her celebrity profile to promote sustainable fashion and has come up with the GCC - the Green Carpet Challenge. For example,  at the 2010 Golden Globes in 2010, Firth showed up in a repurposed Christiana Couture wedding dress. For the Paris premiere of The King's Speech in January 2011, she wore an outfit made from one of Colin's old suits. 

 

Livia Firth tries to follow a 30-wear rule, which she says was suggested by Siegle in her book.  If you can commit to wearing something 30 times, it's a huge move in the right direction. I guess it'll make you think next time you go to Target or Zara or wherever you shop. I know I have a lot of items in my closet I've worn at least 30 times. But I also know there's a few things in there that don't come close to being worn 30 times. I'm pretty good at weeding a piece of clothing out that I haven't worn in a long time, but I know I usually get rid of it before I've worn it 30 times, which is a problem.

 

I like that 30-wear rule. Gonna work on it.

IKEA coming to Miami

Photo:IKEA

I'm sure you all know by now that IKEA is soon to open here in Miami, right next to Dolphin Mall this summer. Now you won't have to schlep over to Sawgrass when you need to get something like the Variera plastic bag dispenser. I bought it a few years ago, when IKEA first opened up in Sawgrass. Wonderful for storing plastic bags. $1.99 so you have nothing to lose. At that price, might as well get a few of them.

 

If you have time to burn, got on your pinterest and search "variera ikea plastic" to see other ingenious ways you can use it around your house.

Blue Lizard Australian sunscreen

Photo: bluelizard

Summer weather is pretty much here. This is one of my favorite sunscreens, hands down. One of the pediatric dermatologists at the University of Miami recommended it to me for my girls. Blue Lizard Australian Sunscreen contains 5% titanium dioxide and 10% zinc oxide,  making it a broad-spectrum formula that protects against both UVA and UVB rays.  It has an SPF 30, which means that it provides 98% protection. This non-toxic sunscreen is safe enough for sensitive skin and young children. It's not greasy, won't irritate your skin or eyes, non-comedogenic so you won't break out, hypoallergenic, does not contain artificial colors, and is fragrance-free.

The bottle turns blue when exposed to ultraviolet radiation, so it reminds you about UV exposure and to reapply the sunscreen. It's not cheap, but it's not the most expensive sunscreen out there, either. Blue Lizard is not sold in grocery stores, but you can find it at bluelizard.net, drugstore.com, amazon.com, and walgreens.com.

Happy weekend

Photo: monsyb

This is one of my favorite summer totes. I bought it last year at Target. Love the colored raffia pom-poms and faux bamboo handle. I think I paid $19.99 for this one. Target has some surprisingly unique, well-made pieces for spring and summer that come out around now, if you're looking for a summer look like this.

 

For something made out of raffia or other similar material like it, it's not worth it to spend a lot of money. Although if you take care of the bag and don't get it wet (get a different one for the beach), you can get at few summers out of it, for sure.

 

There are so many places you can get the look and pay very little. Check out Target, Marshalls, TJMaxx, Anthropologie sales, Nordstrom sales and ebay. I like this on weekends with a white t-shirt, dark denim tailored shorts and any kind of flip-flops.

Blood and champagne

Photo: bloodandchampagne

Amazing décor blog, titled bloodanchampagne.com. Strange but catchy title. All pictures, no text. A feast for the eyes. Enjoy.

Organic beauty

Photo: shopharpersbazaar.com

This would look lovely on my pinkie finger. Dezso by Sara Beltran's delicate, 18kt rose gold cuff ring, with a diamond-centered chione coral teardrop at each end. Stunning. $670 at barneys.com. Polished 18kt rose gold and pear-shaped diamond. This one will sell out.

Happy weekend

Photo: amazon

I have a great love for all things 1960's and 1970's. Here's a book I've been wanting to get for a while, Leroy Grannis' Surf Photography of the 1960's and 1970's. Beautiful pictures taken by Grannis, a surfer himself, of surf life in California and Hawaii during those years.

 

Before there was the GoPro camera, Grannis suction-cupped a waterproof box to his board, allowing him to change film in the water and stay closer to the surfing action than other photographers of the time. And even more amazing, Grannis didn't pick up a camera until he was 42, when he made a career out of photography. Just goes to show you, it's never too late.

 

This unlimited popular edition can be found on amazon for $89.99. But the original limited Collector's Edition (there were only 1,000 of them) sold by Taschen, the art book publisher, sold out in record time. There's one on ebay right now, signed by Grannis himself, with a buy it now of $650 or you can make an offer. Cowabunga!

Saltwater sandals

Photo: saltwatersandals.com

Saltwater sandals are some of the comfiest sandals you will ever wear. They scream SUMMER!! Did any of you have these when you were little? I did. In white. They bring back a lot of memories

 

The Hoy Shoe Company in Missouri has been making these for over 60 years. They look exactly the same as they did when I had them in the 1970's. Except now, they come in some great new colors.  I really like this patent yellow leather version. $42.95 on zappos.com. Saltwaters are super trendy right now, but they've never really gone out of style, nor will they ever.

DIY African Juju hat

Photo: thenester.com

LOVE this African Juju hat pictured on the wall in this room. Juju hats have been appearing in the décor world for years now. Saw it all the time in Domino magazine before its demise. I'd love to have one in hot pink or creamy white, although I really like this yellow one (yellow doesn't mix in with my look, but this one is very, very tempting). The bad news is they run about $400, and I don't really wanna pay that much for feathers, you know?

 

The good news is that the DIY world via pinterest, etc. has gotten a hold of the Juju hat and run with it. So, if you're slightly crafty, you can buy the materials and make one yourself. I particularly like this one from the blog," ...Love Maegan":

 

Photo: ...lovemaegan

 

There's also instructions from Lisa Quinn on the LiveWell network's website for another beautiful one.

 

I'm the un-craftiest person on the planet, but my  mom and sister are SUPER crafty. Maybe I can convince them to whip one of these up for me if I buy them the supplies and throw in  a manicure/pedicure from my manicurist, Ines. Gonna work on it.

Why reading fiction matters

Photo: amazon

 

 

I love to read. Always have. For so many reason, too many to number. Fiction, non-fiction, anything.

 

Well, lo and behold, there appear to be lots of other reasons why reading fiction, in particular, is beneficial. A recent study suggests that people who read fiction are better able to understand the emotions of others. NPR had a story last week on the topic of the social and personal benefits of reading fiction. Check it out here.

 

On that note, I'd like to recommend one of my personal favorites, the 2001 novella, Shopgirl, by Steve Martin (yes, Steve Martin the actor/comedian). It's not too long so you can get through it quickly. Charming, moving, smart. I think you'll really like it. The 2005 movie, starring Martin, Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman is a quiet, touching film. A surprisingly well-done adaptation of the book. Hope you like them.