Fashionable coffee

Coffee, on a normal day, is generally a source of great happiness for me. The deep, rich aroma of a fresh brewed french roast can, far too often, be the only motivation for getting out of bed in the morning. However, today's dose gave forth a happy discovery that put me in orbit while enjoying the mystical confluence of Nantucket Blend, Seattle and "Pedal to the metal." Can you see it!? My nailpolish matches the picture on my most favorite mug sent by my sister who works at Starbucks. See? Coffee + family + fashion = unbridled delirium.

One big beautiful cocktail ring

I've always been a sucker for jewelry.  My tastes developed pretty much from Madonna, circa 1985. Since I wore glasses and a uniform in gradeschool and highschool, that made for some pretty hilarious 'statements' on my part. How my mother didn't laugh me right out the door is beyond me. I'm sure she shook her head and chalked it up to 'expressing myself.'   Now that I've been living in New York for 14 years, I managed to absorb a few tips such as 'less is more' and 'quality over quantity' (however if we're talking those rubber neon bracelets then it will always be quantity.)  Also, the quiet streamlined sophistication of the incredibly rich in this city can be quite perplexing: is it her hair? Wait, no, it must be the handbag. Or the shoes?? I am exhausted trying to figure it out. But one thing I do know is that it's really about quality.  If you can afford it, it's one of the best accessories.  I still have a ridiculous amount of jewelry but I'd say maybe 5 or 6 pieces are really made well with quality materials. I recently attended a Twitter party put on by MomsTrends.com and the topic was accessories so the sponsors were offering 4 prizes. I considered myself duly qualified to discuss accessories what with my many years of experimentation, so it was the perfect kind of evening for me: baby was asleep,  I got to chat with people, drink wine without worrying about anyone noticing my teeth turn purple and I could wear a bathrobe.  Obviously I was plenty happy with that, being a working Mom, so my expectations didn't go any further. However, a strange thing happened. It seems that the random universe conspired to pull my name out of all the attendees and bestow upon me a most coveted, handmade cocktail ring!  This is the Bitsy cocktail ring by Laura James Jewelry. Unfortunately since I slacked on posting this, I fear the ring is no longer for sale on her site (hanging head) but the new collections are amazing - with beautiful bright spring corals and turquoises, pearly ivories and pretty pale yellows.  The best part about this ring is that the band is adjustable. It's made of a firm but flexible brass so it fits perfectly and doesn't slide around my finger like some other cocktail rings I have.  So check out Laura's site - this is the quality, the sophistication and the unique sparkle that will be your best accessory.

Bracelet inspiration

Am sporting my new awesome bracelet from my sister-in-law today. Sometimes matchy-matchy works and I'm totally into it right now.  I've had this dress for a couple years and always wore it with a brown leather belt, chunky wooden earrings, etc etc - things along that line.  Then I got this bracelet and it just... tied it all together. Sigh. I like it when the planets align and outfits fall into place.  Of course, it's hard to remember these moments when my normal morning dress-myself routine consists of digging through my wardrobe in the dark (can't wake the HB and the baby) with a toothbrush hanging out of my mouth, while wearing a towel and a wristwatch (constantly reminding me I'm late.)  So, a nice little take away from today's lesson is:  start with the jewelry and then build the outfit around it.  If that doesn't work, go back to bed. Start over.

Monday wisdom and a pair of shoes

Besides a cup of coffee, what else does one need? On my subway commute into the city I always grab a copy of the free paper (MetroNY) and check the horoscopes. I've never really paid much attention to horoscopes in general because I can pretty much drive myself crazy without any outside help - thank you - but I liked this one just for the pure positive spin on it:  "An authority on the subject might bring it to your attention that something you have is of greater value than you realize. This person appreciates its worth and wants you to as well."  As is true with most horoscopes it's just general enough to really make you think it's actually talking to you, but we all know if it's negative, then it doesn't apply to us. They're talking about someone else.  But I'll take this one for the simple message that we all have something valuable about ourselves that we don't recognize or play up nearly enough. So whether or not there's another person who may know this attribute, YOU should. So take a moment, ponder your greatness, and go forth and conquer Monday!

I know I'll read that next Monday when I'm growling and annoyed at people as a whole, so, in reality, I have a back-up plan: shoes.  I noticed these Aldo beauties on Mascara or Motoroil and have now gone back to her site and to Aldo's site no less than 52 times to 'visit' them.  I decided to give myself an early birthday present and will dutifully post photos of these once they arrive. 

Listening to: New Order "Procession" (How I miss those days.)