Summertime shopping

Fridays are for long lunches, shopping online, and planning for the weekend. So, I thought I'd fill your spare time with a lil eye candy...

Zhu like? Then click here to receive 25% off on all of it (+ lots more), courtesy of Feather and the lovely ladies over at 25 Park. Just enter FEATHER25 at checkout and voila!—head-to-toe adorbs for your next weekend getaway.

Happy Friday!

Stylish swigs.

Wouldn't these kitschy flasks make great gifts? I'd love to fill one with perfume and display it on my bureau.

'specially that one-handed waterskier.

All available at I Don't Like Mondays.

Today is a good news day...

...if your name is Jen! Congratulations, Jen! You've won a pair of Current/Elliott jeans, courtesy of our Chickdowntown.com giveaway. 

Wear 'em well, sister.

The bird and the bee.

With 14 weeks to go until my due date, I've been reflecting on my own childhood and the various ways in which I tortured my mother. 

There were the times when I'd hide inside store clothing racks while she tried to shop. I wouldn't come out, even when she and the store manager turned off the lights and were "leaving for the night, bye-BYE!" No. I'd stay huddled inside, giggling, scheming, torturing.

There were the times when I'd rig every single button and switch in her car so that, when she turned it on, the radio would be blasting, the wipers would whip back and forth furiously, and my mom would go bananas. 

And, speaking of bananas, there were the many, many times when I'd cover my mom's soft leather purse with Chiquita banana stickers, some spilling onto her work clothes, a veritable "Kick me, I'm a mom" Post-it for all of Shop Rite to see. 

I did all of this to her, my wonderful, loving, intelligent mother, and I expect to walk away unscathed? Please. Payback's a bitch and I am fully anticipating a Queen Bee Part II... in approximately 14 weeks.

And here is my proof:

Yup, there it is. Our little girl. Giving us the bird.

The magical Annabelle

I'm mildly infatuated with Bravo's The Fashion Show, so I snooped around and found designer Anna McCraney's NYC boutique, Annabelle, online. Some of her designs are really gorgeous, but the last featured collection is from '06. Here's hoping she'll whip up another one soon.  

I get all dewy-eyed just looking at them...

B-T-dubs: Today's the last day to enter the Chickdowntown.com giveaway for Current/Elliott jeans... (one entry per person)... so, scurry along!

Animal instinct

I'm drawn to these little woodland creatures and farm animals like you wouldn't believe. So much so that I sort of want to decorate an entire room in horses. And goats. And deer. 

Animal Studs, $16

Berkley Framed Animal Portraits, $38

Taxidermy Collage Wall Art, $60

Horse Ceramic Planter, $18

Wildlife Plates, 4 for $20

All available at Urban Outfitters... and psst!... click here to score 25% off using code 25OFFSALE at checkout! 

Elephant in the room.

Knowing that our nursery will include some elephant motifs, reader Barbara forwarded me a link to these great Elephant Mustard Wallpaper silhouettes by Sons + Daughters. There are many animals and designs to choose from, 95% of which are made from vintage and limited supplies. 

Even better: each silhouette provides meaningful work to developmentally disabled adults. 

 

Click here for more. Thanks Barb!

In the white room.

I love how this tiny apartment in Finland was decorated—crisp white everything with splashes of color. It's so bright and cheerful, I could see myself spending lots of time here.

via Freshome via Alvhemmakler.

Small town, USA.

On Fourth of July Paul took me to Cold Spring, NY to see the fireworks. This little town was celebrating the 400th anniversary of its fire department, so there was a festival with lots of food and live music. We wished we had more time to explore, but a) my right foot is sort of broken (don't ask), and b) finding a spot of grass to watch the fireworks was our top priority. 

So, we'll definitely be back this summer to go antiquing, eat more homemade ice cream and have a picnic along the waterfront. Here are some photos from the day...

How was your holiday?

Bag lady

Yesterday I came across an Elliott Lucca bag that I absolutely love. It comes in about a dozen colors, each of which are like a new delicious popsicle. I had a hard time picking a favorite, so I put together four outfits, one for each of the bags I liked best.

Which one would you wear?

Won Hundred Ink dress + Elliott Lucca bag + Linea Pelle belt + Belle shoes + Alexis Bittar earrings.

Won Hundred Ink dress + Elliott Lucca bag + Linea Pelle belt + Belle shoes +  Alexis Bittar bangle.

Won Hundred Ink dress + Elliott Lucca bag + Linea Pelle belt + Belle shoes +  Skinny ring.

Won Hundred Ink dress + Elliott Lucca bag + Linea Pelle belt + Belle shoes +  Gemma Redux earrings.

Psst: I selected one look for today's Feather post...though, really, I'm still torn! Click here to find out which one.

Hold the phone.

I mentioned I'm on the hunt for a good maternity swimsuit. Well, I may have just found the cutest retro number at an amazing price ($24!). 

A cherry tankini bathing suit from TopShop. Done and donesy.

Ketchup and relish.

This Fourth of July, may you catch up with old friends and relish in summer's happiest of holiday weekends. 

And while I'm sharing my deep thoughts, I hope to twirl at least one sparkler, enjoy an orange popsicle, dip my toes in a pool, and munch on home-cooked BBQ food. Happy long weekend, sweet bees!

PS: Don't forget to enter the giveaway for Current/Elliott jeans from Chickdowntown.com. It ends on Wednesday and you must leave your email address to be considered!

Photo snapped at a tiny bistro across the street from White Horse Tavern, NYC.

Michelle Mason

I could easily ditch my whole wardrobe and start fresh with Michelle Mason. Every single piece makes me melt.

More, please.

Around the house and NYC...

The Little Owl, West Village

Peaches in my kitchen

I would like a blue bike, too

Photography love.

I'm so happy to announce my very first sponsor, Ciao, Chessa! CC is a blog by my friend Monica L. Shulman or, as I like to call her, Moni Love. An NYC-based photographer, Monica is entirely self-taught and oozes talent. She knows how to capture the personality of all of her subjects, from New York City to crashing waves to strangers on the street. And you can purchase many of her photographs in her etsy shop.

Thank you, Moni Love, for believing in The Bee. I'm so proud to have your work up on my lil blog. 

Happy birthday, Paquito!

A year and a half ago I brought you home with me. I was on business in Puerto Rico and you stopped me in my tracks—there was no way I was leaving without you. 

My little monchichi, you've made us infinitely happy. Today you will get a burger and even more outdoor time than usual. Thank you for being you, little rascal!

P.S. See Paco's mug over there on the right? Click it (daily if you'd like!) to donate food to hungry animals for free. Paco thanks you.

The Five Things Project

As crazy as it sounds, sometimes I feel overwhelmed when I have too much free time. There've been so many years where I've looked back on a relaxing summer and wondered where all the time went. So, I've decided to do something about it. This year, Paulie and I are enacting the Five Things Project. Here's how it works: 

Both of us made a list of five things we'd like to accomplish each day and by summer's end. The idea is that your list encompasses only the things you really want to do, things that, when you look back on the experience, make you feel like you did something worthwhile. They don't have to be monumental tasks, just things that make you happy. 

Here's a sneak peek at my lists:

Five Things I Want to Accomplish Each Day:

1. Take the dogs on a long walk.

2. Read.

3. Take at least one photograph per day.

4. Eat dinner with Paulie.

5. Spend time outdoors.

Five Things I Want to Accomplish This Summer:

1. Have a tag sale.

2. Take another staycation with Paulie.

3. Spend time with my mom learning how to crochet.

4. Finish decorating our den and nursery.

5. Go to the beach as much as possible.

See? Simple as that! Nothing makes me happier than a good to-do list. So, feel free to join in if you'd like. And for those of you who think this makes me certifiably crazy, I blame the pregnancy hormones. 

Happy summer!

Happy feet from We Heart It.

A-MAZ-ING GIVEAWAY!

Have I got a treat for you! The fabulous girls at Chickdowntown.com have offered up a ridiculously chic giveaway to one Lil Bee reader—a pair of Current Elliott jeans, valued at $198. Check 'em:

If you're not already addicted to Chickdowntown.com, allow me to school you. This shopping mecca has long been one of my go-to sites, especially for Feather, what with its adorable collection of dresses, jewelry, and my newest obsession, Tolani scarves (our girl Rachel Bilson is a fan).

To enter, simply leave a comment here and include your email address. One winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, July 8th at 5p.m. EST. The giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (sorry, my int'l readers!). 

P.S. If you tweet or are on Facebook, you can sign up to be notified of Chickdowntown.com sales and discounts.

Thanks, ladies!

OCD, the prenatal years?

Hello, and welcome to another week at The Bee! Let's kick off the morning with a recap of our weekends, shall we? I'll start.

1. Chores accomplished:
A. Five loads of laundry.
B. Bedroom closet cleaned.
C. Home office organized.
I. Three large Heftys of old files tossed. 
D. Contents of kitchen pantry rearranged, Sleeping with the Enemy style. 
E. Laptop cleared of 2GB of memory (both dishearteningly tech-nerdy and oddly gratifying).

2. Downtime:
A. Took dogs to off-the-leash time in Central Park.
I. Out of bed at 6a.m. to drive into city.
II. Paul zonked while picking up a bag of poo. 
a. Bee to the rescue with a bottle of Purel.
B. Cat nap in my new clean house.

Mind-bogglingly awesome? Hardly. But all of the above were accomplished before 1 p.m. on Saturday. For someone who has never been a morning person, that is quite a feat! I'm pretty sure those "feel good" pregnancy hormones I've been hearing about since my baby went from a zygote to a plus sign on the pee stick are FINALLY kicking in. Here's hoping they stick around.

And how about you? Did you have a good weekend?

This weekend...

...I plan on sleeping in a little late... going for a long walk... cooking dinner and eating outside... cleaning out my closet (not so glamorous but oh so necessary!)... hanging out with my mom... and eating some fresh fruit (I'm craving peaches and plums!)...  It's my version of jumping on a bed with hot pink balloons and glittery tree lights. What's on your to-do list?

Dreamlight photo by Beth Retro via ffffound.

Designing the nursery.

Yesterday I met with Michele of Lavender & Plum. She's the interior designer who's helping me decorate our nursery, thanks to one very fabulous contest over at {this is glamorous}. 

After talking with Michele and going over her ideas, I'm even more excited to see the room come together. We gravitated toward the same images and color schemes and I absolutely LOVE her aesthetic.

Here are some of the inspiration photos I sent to Michele to get the process started. I'm going for a modern safari theme, with elephants and marigolds and a big, squishy pouf! 

Dylan Infant Girl Room @ ducduc; Jungle wall decals @ Janey Mac; Yellow poof at Anthropologie; Pink elephant sheets @ Design Public; Dwell yellow cashmere blanket @ giggle.

Thank you, Michael + Farrah...

Such a sad, strange day.

Farrah photo from Curious Mel.

Good day, sunshine.

Sorry for the light posting today. This one's actually coming to you from my iPhone. Aren't I high-tech?

I came into the city for a fun appointment (which I'll tell you about tomorrow) and am now taking a lunch/mani/pedi break before meeting Paulie and some friends for dinns and drinks. I miss NYC so much sometimes. Like now. It's 85 degrees here today! Finally some sunshine...

Are you enjoying your day?

Photo: Shawn Kuruneru @ tiny vices via ffffound.

Larger than Lichtenstein

I keep returning to these amazing photos on automatism and wanted to share them with you. They were taken by photographer Laurie Lambrecht when she worked as a part-time assistant to pop artist Roy Lichtenstein in the early '90s. 

Don't you just love the scale and contrast of Lichtenstein against his canvases? It's like he's a part of the paintings themselves.

View more + read more over at Lori's blog.

Via 3 Quarks Daily and Lens Culture.

Slowing down time.

Four years ago this week, Paul and I drove cross-country. It was a whirlwind, spur-of-the-moment trip, made more adventurous by the fact that we'd only been dating for six months and I'd just quit my job. Throwing caution to the wind, we piled into Paul's tiny Wrangler, our chocolate lab in the backseat, and headed west.  

Before we left, Paul had an idea. What if we both took at least one photo per day? At the end, we would each give the other an album with one picture from each day of our trip. Done. 

This summer will be decidedly more low-key, but I'm going to reinstate the one-photo-per-day rule. It's something simple you can do to slow down time, take a breath, and savour the minute details.

Here are a few from our summer on the road...

Wyoming, San Diego, Colorado, New Orleans, Indiana.

The Best Things on etsy.

Last week I stumbled upon etsy site The Best Things, thanks to Joanna. It's chock full of perfectly imperfect vintage gifts, many of which I scooped up for Paulie's first Father's Day, like...

A miniature bear with a missing rhinestone eye.

This pair of mugs for our morning coffee/tea. There's nothing like a hot beverage in a glass mug, don't you think?

Multi-colored serving dishes for the cook... to match our multi-colored kitchen.

A dated but working alarm clock, so we don't have to use the alarm on Paulie's iPhone. (I knew this would be his favorite!)

An old-fashioned nutcracker with someone else's initials monogrammed on the cap. (This will look special on our new bookshelves.)

UPDATE: My mom just informed me that the HMS inscription stands for His Majesty's Ship. I love it even more now!

An apple for the teacher.

And something for me... (woops! I had to! This vintage purse was only $7.50 and has a hidden zipper at the bottom, see?)

I highly recommend this darling little shop, which is constantly being updated with new (old) finds. Now, scurry along and snag yourself a treat!

Today is the greatest...

Want to know why? Because today is my very LAST day of working in an OFFICE, hopefully EVER!

I've decided to take the plunge and work entirely for myself, from home. So far I have a bunch of projects lined up, one of which I'm excited to share with you sometime next month, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this takes me.

I'm hoping it leads to more free time for decorating my home, hanging out with my family, reading, writing, going to the beach, and making room for one little bambina.

My wish for you is that you all make a promise to do at least five fun things for yourself this summer...and then DO them. Anything at all, whatever makes you happy. Salute!

Cherries by Jen Marie Photography.

Visions of Sugar Plums

The sweet miss Charlotte Mills emailed me about her beautiful etsy shop, Plum Pretty Sugar, and I wanted to share it with you. It's a line of clothing, accessories, and household items, all of which are deliciously dainty and feminine... kind of like the Anthropologie of etsy shops.

What I like most about the collection is the patterns. Have you ever seen a pillow that you love and wish you could spin it into a wearable confection? Plum Pretty Sugar does just that. Take for example this darling design, called Beckoning Creatures.


It's available in a duvet, as seen below in this gorgeous room, as well as curtains, table covers...

...and cozy lounge pants.

These eye-catching cuts would be perfect with white summer capris (and would work with my pregnant belly!)...

And while I'm loving so many of her pieces, I think my favorites might be her airy, summery shorts. This pair, made of cotton voile fabric from India, is just dreamy:

I'd pair them with a white tank, a beaded necklace, and flip-flops.

Gorge!

Jimmy Choo and H&M

Get ready...

This November, Jimmy Choo will partner with H&M to create a line of women's shoes, bags, and clothing, as well as men's shoes and accessories! Let's just cross our fingers that they stock the stores with more than four items a piece. Here are some of the tasty treats I'm hoping to see in the collection.

P.S. For those of you who can't wait to score affordable Choos, Saks is having a huge sale right now and the three pairs above are on sale for more than 50% off!

The Boss.

Friday night we came home to an unexpected treat: not far from our house was an outdoor concert with a Bruce Springsteen cover band that was AMAZING! The best part was that we could hear it from our own backyard. So, we sat on our patio eating spaghetti and clam sauce and listening to the free show. Perfection.

It got me to thinking about my very first concert. I was 12 years old when I saw The Cure with Love & Rockets and The Pixies at Giants Stadium. Robert Smith was wearing more makeup than I was!

How about you? What was your first show?