In The Real World
Latest Posts
Ikea’s New Sinnerlig Collection by Ilse Crawford
Alright, we know I have a massive love-hate relationship with Ikea. Love the stuff. Hate the place.
What I have learned from past (mis)adventures: do not take your children with you to Ikea. Like, ever. Because they will turn into wildebeests, and you will think that your marriage is falling apart, until you finally make it out alive and realize:
Oh, I don't hate you.
I hate the store.
Easy Slow-Cooker Turkey Chili
Everyone has their little food-isms. Some people get all freaked out by parsley, or can't stand the texture of coconut.
Mine all fall under the category of "Spicy." I don't do spicy. I don't put pepper (which to me is spicy) in anything - literally, not ever, and this was a bit of a thing when I was writing the recipe section of my book because apparently it is very weird to say "season with salt" as opposed to "season with salt and pepper."
Because...everyone on the planet but me likes pepper?
Et Cetera Ad Infinitum And I Can’t
OK.
I am now officially completely overwhelmed by the logistical issues associated with a cross-country move.
The sale of one house, the purchase of another. The sale of one car, the purchase of another. The booking of flights to search for a place to live, and the booking of car rentals and AirBnBs for said search. The filling out of the tens of thousands of forms that you apparently must fill out when you move four human lives three thousand miles, all of which appear to be written in Chinese. And et cetera ad infinitum.
The dogs broke me.
Save The Plants!
You know how sometimes posts are nice and timely? Like, Valentine's Day gift ideas posted a solid three weeks pre-Valentine's Day? Spring break outfit suggestions posted right around the time you'd like to start shopping for a new swimsuit? Et cetera?
Well, this post is the opposite of that. Because if you do what I suggest doing in this post at this particular moment in time, the result will be death. (This is less foreboding than it sounds; we're talking about Plant Death, not You Death.)
Anyway.
Women in Business Q&A: Jordan Reid, Founding Editor, RamshackleGlam.com
Click over to The Huffington Post Business section today for an interview in which I talk epic career failures (and a few successes), how I figured out what the hell I wanted to do with my life, the challenge of maintaining a work/life balance when your life is, in some ways, your work, and how I handle online negativity. And lots of other stuff. It's a fun one, I think.
February Favorites
What I'm excited about this month: all things green and gold, simple silhouettes, a little hint of romance, and a few pieces that are getting me all atwitter about the warm weather that's (theoretically) on its way.
1. Wayfair Moroccan Tea Glasses ($38.99). I have a set of vintage gold-edged Moroccan tea glasses that my aunt found for me at a flea market in Canada and that I use for everything: wine, water, lemonade, to serve snacks, as little mini-vases for centerpieces…everything. And I recently broke one, and was extremely sad about it. This set would make a lovely replacement (isn't that shade of green so gorgeous??).
2. YLighting Rocket dWelLED Pendant Light ($198). Pendant lights run the gamut from crazy-ornate to utilitarian and minimalist, but I especially love the aesthetic of this one: it's got a super-straightforward shape…but it's gold. Best of both worlds.
3. Kelly Wearstler Saint's Hand Sculpture ($225). I'm into all things Kelly Wearstler at the moment (especially this ring, ooooh), and also have a minor obsession with hand sculptures (which can be used to display jewelry, or just set out wherever because they're so freaking cool looking). This one is so striking, so simple, so beautiful.
There’s A Whale In My Pocket
You know how all the kids these days are into late eighties/early nineties fashion? Actual, under-the-legal-drinking-age children who don't even know who Kirk Cameron is are wandering around all "oh I totally invented this bowler hat and chiffon dress look" (no you didn't, that was Winona Ryder).
Well, my darlings, I'll see you your velvet choker and flowered baby doll and raise you A DENIM JACKET WITH A PUFFY PASTORAL SCENE ON IT.
Oh you heard me right.
I feel like there are some things that, when discovered, must be purchased regardless of actual appeal or utility in one's life. Do I have any particular need for a jacket that might actually be the ugliest article of clothing ever created? A jacket that has whales coming out of the pockets?! (Let's not even get into the procession of cows strolling across the back.)
On The Hunt
So, my son has this newfound love for wandering around thrift stores (we call it "treasure hunting").
I understand that this is a pretty bizarre thing for a three-year-old to be into, but bizarre or no, it excites me so much that I have to take him out to do this whenever humanly possible. My parents live just a block away from my favorite thrift store on the planet - the Salvation Army on West 46th Street, where you can find crazy-good furniture and clothing and knickknacks (they call it "bric-a-brac") and - best of all...
Superhero-themed Chutes and Ladders games still in the original packaging (!).
Bleached Out
Just…
isn't this kind of the best color ever? I mean sure, the roots would show about thirty seconds after you left the salon, but I feel like that rough-around-the-edges effect is sort of okay (and also sort of the point) with this kind of color.
My friend E, who has very, very dark hair and has never touched it with even a single snippet of hair dye, was recently telling me that she wants to go platinum blonde and I was all DON'T DO IT (because I am not one of those people with a naturally beautiful hair shade and feel like those who don't have to dye their hair should revel in that particular blessing)…but now I think I may be eating Ye Olde Words. Because I totally want to go full-on platinum. I also recognize that it would kind of destroy my hair, but now that it's short there's a whole lot less of it to destroy…so...
