felix the finick

I'm having a real hard time with this boy these days, you guys! He srsly will not eat anything. Except peanut butter, always and forever. And, I can't understand it! Chase and I are both adventurous and fairly healthy eaters, for the most part (we do love pizza). Unfortunately, both of us specialize in desserts. Combine that with easy access to the confectionary run by his adoring grandparents, and it's not surprising that Felix has developed quite a sweet tooth. It's an inclination which may or may not be in his blood; I wasn't always so easy going in my tastes and habits, you know. In fact, I was unbearably picky as a girl and went to bed with no supper many an evening because of it. Which I've always suspected as the reason I never grew as tall as my siblings, who actually ate square meals growing up. Who knows where I'd be today if I'd taken a liking to broccoli as a child? 

I know they say that when little ones are in their (seemingly indefinite) willful phase, you just have to keep presenting the things they wont eat over and over again until they finally come around, while reacting as little as possible to the varied reception of said offerings. Which is fine, only, in this economy? You're just supposed to repeatedly prepare meals that you know full well have about a 15% chance of being eaten? You don't want to waste it, obviously, so then what do you do--take meals in turns, so that you eat whatever he doesn't? Leftovers that you then have to reheat because they're already cold, having been picked at by a two year old for the past forty minutes? No thank you. Not very conspicuous, either, hovering over them while they decide what on their plates, if anything, they deem acceptable, knowing that you'll be left with the refuse. And it's not like he has anyone else to eat with, so it's not a very convivial plan, either--his chef father works nights, so I'm left preparing meals for two one-and-a-quarter most days. 

The solution is probably to go cold turkey and stop serving anything remotely sweet, insubstantial, or routine, forcing Felix, by threat of hunger, to try whatever it is he's supposed to be eating. Vegetables, I believe. Only the problem is, only eats fruit! Fruit, eggs, potatoes, bread, milk, and peanut butter. It's really not so bad, right? Lots of lovely people live on fruit alone, and they seem to be doing just fine. So hopefully, it's nothing to worry about! right?!?!1

forget everything I just said!

All of those ideas were stupid, these are the most magical earrings I've ever seen, and the best mother's day present of all time! Mainly because they're on sale right now at Leif for 55% off their original price. Honestly, even at a discount, this much to much to spend on a mother's day gift (how much are people really supposed to drop on this holiday anyway?) but, aren't they oh so beautiful? 

mothers day gifting, 2014

Mother's Day is a week from tomorrow, you guys! What are you even going to do about it!? Welp, Here are some ideas of mine!

I struggle with the notion that mothers day gifts ought to be domestic, and I don't know if many Modern Mothers truly have time to hang around baking these days. But, Chase gave me one of these pie birds for my very first mother's day, and I thought it was the sweetest most perfect gift! You'll know from personal experience if this is the sort of thing your mother would actually need... $10, Le Creuset

So she isn't the pie-making kind? Rather than suggesting that she prepare you a pastry, how about something a little more functional? I use my Keep Cup every single day, and I bet if she had one, she would too. You can design one in her favorite size and color-combo, or choose the somewhat chicer limited edition cork-and-glass model. Include a gift card to her favorite coffee shop for a more comprehensive offering. From $9.80, KeepCup

Or how about my good old fall-back suggestion, the zippy pouch! I turn to them again and again because, well, ladies love them! There's one for every taste and pricepoint, of course, and you'll have no trouble finding one to suit, but I'm particularly taken with the ones my friend Ogechi makes by hand in Chicago. So chic!  From $50, eyeofthesunoa

I'm so excited to see that Garance Doré has released her own line of stationary! Something about it strikes me as particularly appropriate for mothers-day--so feminine, so stylish! From $4.50, Rifle Paper 

Speaking of feminine and stylish, I just discovered this Etsy site that offers the loveliest hand-made underthings. Sexy and comfortable in equal measure. A floral print always says 'mothers day' to me!

From  $24, Egretta Garzetta

Or tell her she's beautiful with the gift of her own face! Etsy is a great place to find vintage hand mirrors and vanity sets, and you can basically name your own price--I like these ones!

For something a little more modern, this water-resistant sunnylife spearkerbox beach radio is perfect not just for the beach, but for picnics, patios, or anywhere the summer takes her! Keeps smartphones and mp3 devices safe from the elements while allowing you to play your own music anywhere, all summer long! So handy, so cute! $49.99, anthropologie

How about her very own picnic throw blanket to go with it? These are striped to perfection. Go the extra mile and have it monogramed for a mere $8.50, with her initials, or even "mom"! Currently on sale for $39, West Elm

Make it a picnic she'll remember with a box of sea salt caramels from Goumas Confections. You can't possibly go wrong! 

But if you really want to knock her socks off, spring for tickets to that show she's been dying to see. Both paul mccartney and fleetwood mac are currently touring; either are sure to be a hit with mothers across the land! (this mother anyway...)

p.s. Some ideas from last year, and the year before!

put a spin on it!

I'm constantly impressed by my boss's ability to word things Just Right; even when relaying bad news, she always comes up with a way to get her point across without sounding harsh or disappointing. Today, for example, she was trying to speak to someone who kept interrupting her. Being the boss, she could have simply told them to 'be quiet' 'stop talking' (or heaven forbid, to 'shut up') But instead she replied, 

"please indulge my need for silence"

Such the very perfect thing to say! Now that's she's nailed the wording for me, I think I'll be using that one quite often in future...

a hat for one season

When worn purely For Fashion, I find hats silly and pointless. I don't mean to make blanket statements, but as far as I can tell, the only people who can pull them off are frenchies (see: Jane Birkin, Brigitte Bardot, Clemence Poesy...)

 and the olsen twins, obv.

But there's a time and place for everything, and with summer fast approaching (and with it, my last twenty-something-th birthday) I feel it might be time to take every single magazine's advice and start wearing a sun hat, strictly seasonally, in order to protect my own delicately youthful visage. Because I don't know about you guys but I plan on sunning all summer long--I need it! Only, finding Just The Right Hat isn't always easy. Shape-wise, I'm pretty particular. I look ridiculous in baseball caps, so those are out. I'm afraid anything too nautical would be overkill with the stripes I will invariably be wearing all season long. Fedoras are too structured and indiana-jone-y for my taste, and I feel I'd need considerably more hat-wearing experience to feel comfortable in anything very floppy or wide-brimmed.  It should be made of straw, or raffia, in a neutral color, with as little adornment as possible; something utilitarian, but more safari-goer than gardener.

So to recap, I'm in the market for something understated, summery and soft (but not too soft), with a brim wide enough to block the sun, but not so wide as to make me conspicuous. And wouldn't you know it? The aforementioned Olsen Twins have hit the nail on the head with their recent collaboration with Yestadt Millinery, the results of which topped off The Row's s/s 2014 collection.

A cloche! Of course! Part bee-keeper, part Coco Chanel, equally dramatic and understated, it's everything I could ever want in a hat, and more. Trouble is, these don't appear to be for sale anywhere in the whole internet (though something tells me I couldn't afford it even if they were...) You can buy a similarly-shaped canvas fisherman hat, also by Yestadt Millinery, for $220 at Nordstrom, but that's obviously not going to cut it. So what's a summer girl to do? Googling 'straw cloche' resulted in few tenable options. I did find a couple that might suit, provided that their ribbons are removable, here and here. But by far the closest thing I've been able to find is this pleated straw cloche by Kangol.

Not sure how comfortable I feel spending $46 on a hat, especially one that isn't quite right (the ones for The Row are slightly more belled and asymmetrical, their straw braiding considerably more refined) but I suppose you can't have it all. And wouldn't this look great with my sunglasses? It may just have to do for now. But, I'm still on the lookout for Just the Perfect Thing. Please let me know if you find it! 

nerdalert: way to go, cmucc!

 Isn't Andy Warhol the coolest? I like to think of the native Pittsburgher as a local mascot of sorts for those among us who don't follow the Pirates, Penguins, Panthers, etc. And as much as I love Phipps, my very favorite place to take out-of-town visitors in the citty is The Warhol, which Felix and I have patronized at least five times in the past year. And it's been worth the short trip to the North Side every time; his body of work is almost overwhelmingly varied, and every time we've visited there's been something new to see and learn. For example, did you know the socialite founded Interview Magazine in order to get invitations to parties and premieres? Pretty clever. 

We went just recently for bf's bday, but it looks like we may need to plan another visit soon, because have you heard the news? A bunch of nerds (jk you guys)/my future fellow classmates in the Carnegie Mellon University Computer Club just unearthed a dozen or so of the artist's "digital art experiments" previously and proverbially locked away within the confines of an obscure data format on some junky old floppy disk. Comodore International had commissioned Warhol to generate the digital works, including a manipulated portrait of Debbie Harry, back in 1985 in order to promote the launch of Amiga, their new line of home computers.  They probably looked pretty futuristic at the time, but now they seem digitally primitive, like someone messing around on microsoft paint... in a good way! I wonder how they'll choose to present them at the museum? Can they get their hands on any old Amigas, do you think? 

I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

via the bbc

OR-you-CHID-ing me?

I know you guys probably think that I only talk about Felix these days, but despite all evidence to the contrary, I care about other stuff, too! Like, I don't know, fashion!? Honestly? I was largely unimpressed with most of what I saw last fashion week(s), whichever season they were (see? I don't even remember). But maybe that's because I wasn't paying any attention to the land down under, as they call it. Case in point: how amazing do these ladies look, all dressed up in Toni Maticevski's spring/summer 2014 collection, recently shown at Melbourne Fashion Week?

So fresh! So disturbing! Even a little distracting--the flowers are all I really remember from the collection, which otherwise failed to speak to me despite its being technically rather impressive. It could be that I'm just hard to please--maybeit'sjustmebutforme, not even Rachel Comey is getting it right these days! Regardless, this here is working for me. I haven't been so impressed by a runway accessory since those Balenciaga halos last spring (remember?) He did the same trick with butterflies in 2012

but I much prefer the blooms, don't you? 

Incidentally, if you happen to like things like orchids and butterflies, and you live in Pittsburgh, you should really check out Phipps Conservatory, our local botanical gardens! I recently became a member and I'm so glad I did, as it's probably the most beautiful place in town. I might even try to make it to one of the Tropical Parties coming up this May--hopefully, sporting a head full of orchids!