♥ "mother" has such a nice ring to it.

as a celebration of our new role as "mom," my sweet cousin, jaimee,

bought my sister, lissy, and i our own stack of mother's rings from

etsy shop, sheri's designs. (remember jaimee's wedding bands?)

lissy's stack includes the gem stones for each of her daughters as

  well as a puffy heart and my stack, which i neatly piled around my

wedding rings, has the gem stone paired with a hand-

stamped band that reads henry on one side and

nicolas on the other :) LOVE!!

with mother's day just around the corner,

this would be an original way to celebrate 

that wonderful mom in your life! 

xo

♥ #whatispretty?

after the release of her latest video for pretty hurts,
beyonce followed up with her own social media movement-
asking people everywhere to share #whatispretty 
on instagram and twitter.



while i do love the message that is made in the video,
and the much-needed dialogue that has begun regarding the
unnecessary pressure women feel to always be beautiful,
and the lengths they will go to achieve that perfection
that, when you look in magazines, seems so
attainable, if you buy certain products,
or find a new way to starve yourself,
i feel there is a responsibility that beyonce,
as one of the most influential people of our time,
owes to the public, and maybe would buy
into the whole #whatispretty thing alot
more if there were actually a moment
in the video where she wasn't so
 damn PRETTY.

instead of cursing the darkness,
i'd like to see someone light a candle
for where we, as a culture, need to go.

♥ what was lost is found.

a million years ago

i wrote a blog post about

original street photog, vivian maier,

and now i am so excited to share that

a documentary has been made about this

incredibly talented, mysterious woman.

it looks like a MUST see!

♥ a sweet distraction.

please excuse my lack of posting--

i am completely obsessed with this baby

and finding it very hard to think/write about anything else.

i mean, can you blame me?

♥ fun without sun.

never one for hosiery, i went bare-legged all winter-

garnering many of those typical "aren't you cold?" comments

but also some not-so-welcome comments about the state of
my pale, beat-up legs.

 i don't know if it was this particularly cold winter season,
my tendency to walk into things and fall down alot, or
 perhaps pregnancy messing with skin pigmentation-
but i must say, my legs are looking rough.

which is why when i was asked to review a few
sunless tanning products from irish skin-wear brand,
  karora, i jumped at the chance!

i was sent the express bronzing mousse, which promises an easy,
 sun-kissed look in only an hour! you can leave it on for up to three hours
 if you have the time and want a deeper tan. i was provided with an applicator mitt,
which made lathering on a dream, and compared with the tanning lotions i have
tried in the past, the bronzing mousse goes on thicker and more evenly
without leaving the crevices between your fingers and toes
looking like you're auditioning to be an oompa loompa.

...and did i mention how good it smells?
it's like i visited a tropical paradise for a few short hours-
the mousse blends into the skin well and washes off easily.

and here are my legs after a much needed color boost:

thank the sunless gods!

ps. find karora products now at ulta!
pps. here are some videos on how to apply the products.

♥ tomorrow's people.

my sweet baby henry is a multi-racial mutt.

a brilliant blend of chinese, french, scottish, italian and german-

he has become what my friend debbie and her husband affectionately

 call their mixed children, "tomorrow's people."

when i saw this national geographic feature on the future faces of america, 

i could not help but think of my own brother and sisters and the beautiful,

 racially-ambiguous children that we are adding to

the american population :) 

ps.chris noth speaks about a post-racial society.

♥ twinsies.

i just spotted the enormously adorable tumblr, zoey and jasper, 

on honestly wtf, and i can't get enough of how cute it is! 

photographer grace chon's rescue dog & her little boy 

make the perfect pair in their twin looks. 

i think i might have to make a copycat tumblr

starring my two babies: henry and talula!

what do you think? ha!

♥ white out.

being on maternity has afforded me a bit more time to

enjoy classics like, the postman always rings twice (1946).

in this film noir, actress lana turner plays cora smith-

the unhappily married wife of an innkeeper, who falls

for a drifter named frank and together they plan to

murder her husband and make it look like

an accident.

throughout the film's many twists and turns,

the white costumes worn by cora remain consistently impeccable-

allowing her innocence to shine through in each scene,

no matter how devious her character is.

with summer just around the corner (fingers crossed!),

i am looking forward to wearing lots of white in the

coming months- here is a bit of inspiration:

costume designer:irene lentz
images via google

♥ stuffed with love.

perhaps since having a teeny little baby,

i have developed a penchant for all things tiny-

which is why i am feeling a considerable fondness for these 

small handmade bunnies & bears by etsy maker,

  oh albatross.

henry needs one in his mini crib, like, now.

♥ brighter than sunshine.

with warmer temperatures finally setting in, i am thrilled at the prospect of

trading in my shaggy winter jacket for a light-weight trench coat, kicking

  my fuggs to the curb once and for all, and breaking out my ever-

expanding yet rarely-worn assemblage of sunnies.

my latest addition are these oversized beauties from warby parker's

new spectrum sun collection. the tortoise shell color guarantees

that i can pair them with nearly anything in my wardrobe-

even (if this unpredictable weather calls for it-)

a winter jacket.

♥ be still, my heart.

♥ i got you, babe.

  

cher is performing tonight in boston (my bff, timothy, is going!!),

and while i am sure a show of that magnitude is not to be missed,

i would also like to recommend that you rent a silly film from ages ago

starring her younger self and husband, sonny bono 

called good times(1967).

the costumes are so over the top, so colorful and so definitively seventies

that one cannot help but wonder when/ if bell bottoms will ever come back

in style? i hope not soon :)

♥ best foot forward.

now that i have given birth to an eight pound whopper,
 what remains of my body feels like trying to fit a square peg into a round hole,
 when it comes to getting dressed.

what am i to wear during this tough, but necessary, transition period?
i am clueless- and taking suggestions!!

thankfully, with the help of the lovelies at guess,
 i can at least  tell you with some certainty
what i will be wearing on my feet :)

meet the auran perforated flat sandal in black.

they're a sleek mixture of hard leather and soft suede,

 dainty detailing and shiny gold hardware-

i can hardly wait to take a stroll 

around the block in these

bad boys.

and while baby henry and i probably won't be attending an outdoor festival

 any time soon, it doesn't mean a girl can't dream!

 here are some fun accessories that would definitely add a bit of 

bohemian flair to a pair of cut off shorts & band tee,

or in my case-- a  flowy post partum dress ;)

♥ i believe in the church of baseball.

have you ever seen the baseball rom-com, bull durham (1988)? 

nick put it on the other day, and i was hooked! i think it must have

 something to do with susan sarandon's character, annie savoy's gypsy-

eqsue wardrobe, which includes stacks of antique silver bangles,

figure-hugging basics and lots of unexpected accessories-(like

that amazing bird cage fascinator and asian umbrella.)

LOVE!