I get a lot of PR emails; anyone who's anywhere even close to the blogging world does. We're talking maybe 200 a day (at minimum), which means that I've gotten pretty good at figuring out which emails are from reps who are just sending out publicity blasts to anyone and everyone, and those who've taken the time to figure out what my site is about, and genuinely think that their product might be of interest to my readers. (I also open emails that have funny subject lines, because I feel like the effort to be non-boring shouldn't go unappreciated. And also emails from reps of sex toy companies, because I've been receiving these in vast quantities for the past few months, and - though they aren't unwelcome, per se - I've been trying to figure out why.)

Anyway, a few weeks ago, while laying in my bed dying from the plague, I was scrolling through my emails and saw one from an online boutique called Moon Water. Despite the fact it had a fairly standard "Black Friday Gift Guide Roundup"-type subject line, I opened it, and when I saw that it was written by the husband of one of the owners, who talked about his wife's passion for supporting global craftsmanship, I was all AW I LOVE HIM, and went and checked out the site.

And now I love Moon Water, too.

Upper West Side, NYC

Sooooo many good things happened during the week I just spent in New York (ate at Sugarfish! TWICE! Had the cheese sampler at Casellula! Discovered that the Children's Museum has a horrifying-yet-mesmerizing toilet display that helpfully informs you via highly explicit visuals what "healthy" and "unhealthy" poop looks like!) but have to say, one of the most fun things was tramping around the city with my daughter in matching pom pom sneakers.

Santa's chocolate chip cookies are getting an upgrade this year. (35 Christmas Cookies That Make This the Best Time of Year, via HuffPo.)

Click here to check out all six of my gift guides. They'll be up until December 24, and new ideas are added daily, so keep coming back!

Gift Ideas For Someone Who Is Just Like Me

Gift Ideas For Someone Who Is Just Like My Husband

Here's what I wore to my friend's holiday party last weekend: a black velvet Betsey Johnson jumpsuit from 1998 that I stole from my mom, a black wrap coat I found at Zara that I can't wear without everyone asking me whether I'm wearing a robe, Gwen Stefani-circa-1992 buns, and black lipstick.

It was a Goth-themed holiday party, in case you can't tell; which was wonderful for lots of reasons, one of which was that I didn't have to go shopping for a holiday party dress - because of all the looks in the world, Goth is one I have a decent amount of familiarity with thanks to about three years in the '90s when I thought Fairuza Balk's character in The Craft was pretty much as cool as it gets.

So I didn't need a holiday dress for that party. But I have a few events coming up in the next couple of weeks, including a little cocktail party I'm hosting for stella and dot at my place, and I'd like to look festive-ish. Perhaps some sparkles. Red? Maybe a fancy neckline? ...Heels? (Probably a no on that last one, but you never know.)