I love showpieces and statements and dream about custom everything, but there is always a need for sturdy, versatile, well-priced staples in any interior style, especially if children are in the mix. As we gear up to buy and furnish a house, I thought I’d share some solid picks that would look great in any home…
INDOOR/OUTDOOR RUG – HIGHLY DURABLE, WELL-PRICED, AND LOVE THE CLASSIC DIAMOND DESIGN
THESE WOVEN X-BENCHES ARE A STEAL AND SO VERSATILE — USE IN ENTRYWAY, FLANKING A CONSOLE, DOUBLED UP AS COFFEE TABLE, AT FOOT OF BED, IN-A-PINCH SEATING, ETC!
GINGHAM DINING CHAIRS OR SEAGRASS DINING CHAIRS, BOTH AT GOOD PRICES – CLEVER (AND LESS EXPENSIVE) TO USE THESE AT THE HEADS OF THE TABLE AND HAVE MORE BASIC DINING CHAIRS/BENCHES
SIMILARLY, THIS FREE-STANDING CABINET IS A WELL-PRICED WAY TO ADD STORAGE TO A LIVING SPACE, DINING ROOM, OR EVEN KITCHEN
WE HAD AND LOVED THIS SLEEPER SOFA IN THE BASEMENT OF OUR CHICAGO HOME — IT WAS SO COMFORTABLE (NOT ALWAYS THE CASE WITH SLEEPERS!) AND A GOOD INVESTMENT AS IT DOUBLED AS A GUEST BED!
Rothy’s just launched its first-ever archive sale, and I know many of you — including my mom — absolutely love these machine-washable flats for everyday wear. (My mom advises sizing up if in question/between sizes.) These are such incredible shoes, as they are made from recycled plastic bottles and ultra-chic to boot! They almost look needlepointed. I have never owned a pair and am finding the discount difficult to resist — I especially love the loafer style with the fun sporty racer stripe up the heel in this loud paprika color (seen above). Perfect with white denim and an RL oxford when I want something classic or with these drawstring pants and a white tee for more downtown cool. I’m also in love with these children’s sized loafers — mini is not yet wearing a size 10 (the smallest they have) but I might order for her school wardrobe next year. Too cute with tiny skinny jeans and a cable knit sweater next fall.
P.S. Dermstore is offering 20% off cosmetics with code GLOWUP — and I have to put in a little plug for Kevyn Aucoin’s The Sensual Skin Enhancer, with code $38. This is an ultra-thick concealer/contour product that I could not have lived without in the year following micro’s birth, when my skin was a riot thanks to hormones and the circles under my eyes were epically dark. This is heavy duty stuff, but it made me feel alive and presentable on countless occasions. I feel like the unarticulated goal in women’s beauty is to look as natural as possible, with minimal makeup — but there are times in life where you need to pull out the big guns. This stuff will have your back.
By: Jen Shoop
Mini turns four in a few days — !
I have nothing but platitudes to offer on this front, but it is wild that we have a child-aged baby all of the sudden. Or rather, a little human who is all child, no baby. When did that happen? Just yesterday we were rocking her to sleep next to the shower (she loved the sound of falling water when she was two or three months old) and swooning over her every squeak and burble and now she tells me she prefers the W to the R train because the W has “new blue seats” and asks complicated questions like why people go to jail. (Me: “People go to jail when they do something really bad — when they make a really bad choice. They break the law and that is the punishment.” Her: “Oh. Like they kick someone really, really hard?” Later the same week, a congenial police officer chatted with her on the way to school, and said: “Now, you make sure you clean your room and listen to your mom, OK?” After he left, she turned to me, shrugged, and said: “That’s the law and I don’t want to go to jail.” Right on, Officer!)
At four, my baby girl is independent, precocious, organized, creative, passionate, observant, sensitive, affectionate, determined, silly, and impressively brave. She is a prolific artist, bringing home thick portfolios of artwork from school on Fridays and spending several hours each weekend painting and drawing portraits of our family. She loves SpiderMan, the color blue, apples and bananas, dance parties in the living room (especially to hard rock like Metallica, provenance of her father!), reading books with her flashlight, piano music, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, and delivering senseless jokes about coconuts and toilets. She is astoundingly patient with her brother and generous with her affections, often selflessly offering Mr. Magpie or myself the last bite of a prized treat.
On Christmas morning, when we all felt emotional about being so distant from one another, she jumped in front of the iPhone and told my parents-in-law, unprompted: “Merry Christmas! I just love you guys.”
I just love you guys. Who is this tiny human?! It was fortunate we had two active little bodies to point the camera towards, because I was busy dabbing at my eyes.
I am, in short, supremely proud of her. She is the best part of me.
Happy birthday to my angel baby.
Post-Scripts: Birthday Gifts for Four Year Olds.
We had planned to finally give mini the bike/trike we’d initially wanted to give her for Christmas (when we instead purchased the Maileg dollhouse as her big gift). But now that we are gearing up for a move, we have decided to defer the purchase of a bike until we’ve settled into a house and know it will see more use (also, one less bulky thing to clog our apartment for the next few months). When the time comes, I am interested in one of these Public Bikes for her — it converts from balance bike to training wheels to regular bike. I was interested to read the dissenting opinions on balance bikes vs. trikes vs. training wheels from various moms. There are pros and cons for all, and here are a few super cute models to consider in all categories:
We also bought her what she asked for: blue sunglasses and superhero duplos, along with a National Geographic subscription and some new Ooly art supplies and Usborne activity books like this fingerprint set and this painting book. I couldn’t help but buy her a Barbie doll, too, mainly out of personal nostalgia. I loved Barbies from around her age until probably eleven or twelve!
A few other fun ideas for children her age that I know she would love…
When mini was young, I went all in on the crisp bubbles and starched dresses. Over the past few years, I’ve realized the blessing of pima cotton/knit pieces that nail the traditional look but are far easier to launder (and softer and less fussy to boot). These are great everyday pieces for school and play and though I have always subscribed to the notion “dress them up and let them play,” I find myself breathing much easier when mini is mucking around in one of them versus an heirloom-quality Luli & Me dress. Bonus: the knit variations tend to be less expensive than their starchy cotton counterparts.
At any rate, today, I’m sharing some favorite brands and favorite styles for babies, boys, and girls. I have to say I am feeling weepy today realizing that Hill has more or less outgrown the bubble/romper phase — I had no idea when I was packing up his summer wardrobe that he’d be graduating to shorts and polos this year. Meep! Time is a thief! At least I can put him in jon-jons for another year or so…
MINI HAS OWNED SEVERAL OF THESE LUIGI DRESSES WITH PETER PAN COLLARS (TOO SWEET; CAN BE MONOGRAMMED), AND MANY ARE ON SALE, INCLUDING IN THEIR SHORT SLEEVE VARIATION JUST IN TIME FOR SPRING
One final note on pima cotton for littles — it is seriously the softest fabric on earth and holds up insanely well to infinite launderings. I always do a double take when I read something is in pima cotton! The quality tends to be exceptional and something about the construction of the fabric means that you launder it and it almost looks like it’s been ironed when you pluck it from the dryer — it withstands wrinkles very well. Point in case: Kissy Kissy’s peter pan collar onesies (here is the short-sleeve variation), which I bought in multiples in every single size and are gender-neutral. I passed many of them down from mini to micro and they held up beautifully. These are fantastic for layering underneath shortalls and jon jons in cooler weather, and great for pairing with skirts, jumpers, and just as a first layer for girls. They are pricey but I guarantee you will treasure them. I had a girlfriend who bought a few and told me she’d do her laundry just so she’d have clean ones available to use over her other brands. They are so good!
P.S. On the more casual end of the child clothing spectrum: statement sweatshirts worth a gander.
It trickled in like rivulets. DC. Home. What ifs that pooled in the bottom of half-drunk glasses of wine while we’d talk late into the evening, my legs curled beneath me on the couch. Stray idylls in moments of parental fatigue — “can you imagine if we lived closer to our families? Saturday mornings, we could take them over to ride bikes with Doe or run around Liz and Jamie’s backyard with the cousins?”
Widening streams of escape, loudening whispers of promise. D.C. Home. The setting up of Redfin alerts — “just look at this house! Only three minutes from your parents’! Look how much more space you get for your money!” The long walks around Jackie O. Reservoir, spilling out dreams of a future with a backyard and a Weber kettle grill and childhood friends only a fifteen minute drive away. The vision of my father-in-law or brother-in-law dropping by with tools, supervising Mr. Magpie’s handiwork. Tricycles in a driveway; quaint, healthful-seeming chores of mowing the lawn and taking out the garbage for our growing children. Borrowing suitcases or folding chairs from my parents’ garage. Holidays simplified, travel-free. School pick-up, drop-offs at Little League or ballet — all with a car at our disposal. Backyard drinks with old friends who have known us since we were five or six ourselves. Would we consider joining my parents’ country club? What if mini eventually attended my beloved alma mater, Visitation?
Then it came in waves. Meeting my mother for walks and manicures and lunches. Fulfilling her dream of finally taking her granddaughter to the ballet at the Kennedy Center. Cousins growing up together, introducing one another to their little pods of school friends, attending camp and Sunday Mass and everything in between together. I shared some of these fantasies with a friend and she said, “You know, Jen? Life happens between the drumbeats. And I can see why you’d want those pauses with your family next to you.” Then, suddenly, the image of myself, standing uninvited but welcome at the foot of the stairs leading up to the cheerful room where my mother often sits at her desk: “Mom? Just dropping off the dish you lent.” The raiding of her fridge for an apple on the way out. Those willowy, trivial intimacies I have missed. Sitting with my sister on her front porch, barefoot and cooing over her newborn. “Can you pick up ice for the cooler on the way over?” she might ask. My father-in-law on the sidelines at soccer games, my mother-in-law sewing Halloween costumes. Blue crab on their patio, with cold drinks and cicadas and the thickness of D.C. in the summer. Close enough to be there for our parents if they ever need us. Close enough to have them when we need them — which is, frankly, always.
Breakers roared. D.C. Home.
So we did it —
Rearranged our lives, worked through the logistics, calculated timetables and leases and school deadlines, and now we are moving home to D.C. this summer and few decisions in my life have felt simpler, more correct.
It occurs to me that every other move in my life has felt fraught with peril. Each one a tightrope walk into the unknown, with new jobs or impossible timelines or foreign cities or absent networks. Just long, blind lunges into the new. Growth happens there, in those terrifying moments, to be sure.
But this: more of a clear-eyed glide into parts known, and for that I am awash with gratitude. A net beneath us. The sensation as a teenager turning off Connecticut Avenue onto Tilden Street just after I’d gotten my license: a relaxing of the shoulders, a feeling I was safe along that legible corridor where I knew every tree and curb and the cars likely to be parked on the street, and where the only two possible dangers were someone riding too close on my tail and not being prepared for the U-turn I’d need to make at Linnean Ave to curl back up the boulevard towards home, or an over-ambitious left hand turn by an aggressive driver off 29th Place. That is to say: I was still moving, still out there, but at a vastly diminished likelihood of threat. Home field advantage.
Is this what happens in your late 30s? Security begins to outweigh the thrill of the new, the possible? Perhaps, too, we have been re-conditioned by the responsibilities of our lives right now and it has all been amplified by the strain of COVID and the absence of family over the past year and a quarter. And then there is the aging of our parents, the birth of another baby to my sister in a couple of weeks: the pull of family, our hunger for their help. Also on my mind: the age of our children and the mounting desire for more space, less complicated logistics, extra hands. As an example, we had been dancing around how we might get both of our children down to the school that we have loved so much for mini on the subway next fall. One child, when the school was en route to Mr. Magpie’s office downtown (pre-COVID), was perfectly fine. One child, when we had to go out of our way to take her downtown while both of us have been WFH during COVID, has been less than ideal but doable. Two children — especially when one will be in a stroller and Mr. Magpie will still be WFH — looms indomitable. We had explored buying a car for the purpose, but even then: double-parking on a busy street twice a day, running the risk of tickets, maneuvering around parking garages, the unpredictability of traffic especially in inclement weather, the added headache, the cost! (There is a joke that having a parking spot in Manhattan is like taking on a second lease.) No, no, we’re being crazy, we told ourselves. We should move them up to a school closer to our apartment. Then: But we love that school! Mini is thriving there! And it has a great track record with exmissions! And there are no AMI-certified Montessoris in walking distance! And wouldn’t it be weird to move mini for the final year of her Montessori program, especially if we are staying in NY long-term and such decisions do matter when thinking about where she will go to grade school? Do we move back downtown?
Of course, logistics around school, work, and childcare with small children are complicated no matter where you live, but they were growing ultra-knotty for our tastes, and it seemed that most of the solutions were expensive or inconvenient or undesirable, like ceding multiple hours of my day in transit between drop-offs and pick-ups, or paying for a nanny to help with logistics in addition to private school enrollment for two children, or sending them to a non-Montessori, or keeping mini at her school and sending micro to a different school, or moving again.
I have always admired the New York families that raise their children here, but now more than ever — what determination, accommodation, and expense it requires. And what an experience for the children!
So make no mistake about it: we are not leaving on bad terms with New York. I will forever remain grateful for my time here. ILNY. It is dazzling, unknowable, too big for words, still a shock, the most exciting place I will ever have lived. And it is where my boy was conceived and born. Where mini came into her own as a little human with a big personality. Where I settled into myself as an adult — where I owned my interest in writing, where this blog took off, where I came to terms with the shuttering of a previous business, where I began the slow process of reconciling my outsized visions of myself with the reality of the world. It has been kind and unkind to us, but mainly kind. In a strange way, in spite of the challenge of living here during this pandemic, our New York years have been the gentlest of our lives as a married couple: this is where we found a stasis, a rhythm, felt as though we flipped from waiting for the next thing to happen to sitting in the next thing, in wonderment and disbelief. “We live in New York?” we still ask each other. “We have two children?!”
I am proud we made a life here. It is true, I think, what they say: If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. (Even more true, I might suggest, if you make it in NYC during a pandemic.) New York has been an education. We are three and a half years into a city that is exhausting and electric and disgusting and wonderful and where there have been, on balance, far more moments of magic than of malaise. There are mornings where I run through Central Park and feel positively filled with joy. There are moments of snowfall and daybreak and low-lying fog and autumn chill and summer haze where I look out on the city, or traipse down my favorite tree-lined street on the Upper West Side, and I am awash with wonder. What a phenomenal place to live. It presents a breath-taking, movie-set backdrop to everyday life. And everything is accessible, deliverable, only a 15-minute ride away by Subway. The entire world at our fingertips. Interesting people and exciting food and diverse perspectives and provocative culture and — for better or worse — it’s rare I leave the apartment without seeing something worth sharing with Mr. Magpie upon return.
“New York always makes it up to you,” our friends told us when we first moved in, as we shook off a traumatic move to the city. “She’ll come through.” That has proven true. For every strange encounter on the street and icky dripping of mysterious subway juice onto your head (this happens, just ask any New Yorker) there have been life-affirming moments with neighbors and strangers alike. It is equally true, though, that this past year has been rough given COVID constraints and the interminable stretches of weeks spent largely at home in our apartment with two small and active children. I will never forget calling my Dad while still symptomatic with COVID-19 and somehow trying to look after two children without leaving our apartment going on 16 or 17 days, all while we knew so little about the virus but could measure its mounting severity by the number of ambulances we heard careening down the street every other minute and the growing desertion of tenants in our building.
“This is hard,” I told him through sudden tears. It felt like the understatement of a lifetime.
When we first spoke with one of the agents who might be helping us buy a home in D.C., she concluded the call by saying:
“Two children, a dog, a Manhattan apartment, two full-time, work-from-home jobs, during COVID? You must be good people.”
I don’t know if it made us good people, but I feel tougher on this side of things.
I just laughed: “We made it somehow.”
After we hung up, I realized how true that rang. We made it somehow. Not just through a bumpy stretch in NYC, but four stressful moves in under nine years; the building of new lives in two enormous, foreign-to-us metropolises; several major career changes; the births of two children; the purchase and sale of a home; the founding and shuttering of one business and the nurturing of a second–and all while a good distance from our parents and all while knowing in some subconscious sense that we eventually imagined ourselves back in D.C. and therefore never felt truly settled. But God is good. What a ride this has been. So there is another sense of the phrase that emerges: we made it somehow — meaning, we built those opportunities and forged those decisions and invited ourselves to the incredible experiences the past ten years have held. We made our way to that feast. And now homeward we go.
+I am sure this move will have its share of strange emotions but, as of now, it is mainly marked by a sense of purpose and peace. Still, interesting to read my thoughts on our intercity move here. It is always chaotic to move!
+We have so much to figure out ahead of us, but, knowing that we will be buying a car again (soon), I already know I want to buy Clek carseats.
+I ended up buying this birthday dress for mini to wear to school on her actual birthday, and I have a separate Sal e Pimenta one for her to wear to her little birthday playdate the following morning. Too cute!
*Image above via Le Specs, featuring their Air Heart sunglasses in caramel. I own this shape in both black and tortoise but need the caramel for this summer. These are such a steal at under $70 but deliver major high-end-designer vibes. I like that they are somewhat classic and somewhat trendy — perfect mix.
We’ve covered swim for us and swim for our littles, so I had to mention a few new sunglasses discoveries for the entire family. The hunt started with one of mini’s birthday requests: she asked for blue sunglasses. I had immediately added these Weefarers in blue to my basket, but then noticed they’re suited to children under 3, and so found myself on a wild goose chase for cute blue shades* for my little fashionista. I ended up going down a rabbit hole (per usual) and falling in love with Canadian brand Sons + Daughters’ Cat Cat style. They are so good! In a past season, they offered the shape in a great blue color which I managed to track down from the ends of the earth in a small boutique in London after searching through about 45 pages of Google hits. Ha! Once I’m on a mission…! If mini weren’t so particular about blue, I would have snagged the matte pink in a heartbeat.
At any rate, a few other cute sunglasses styles for little beach babes:
THESE WHITE TORTOISE ONES ARE FROM AN UNEXPECTED SOURCE BUT SO GOOD WITH BLACK, DENIM, NEUTRALS, ETC
I’M INTIMIDATED BY THESE EXTREME CATEYES BUT HAVE SEEN MANY CHIC WOMEN PULL THEM OFF WITH APLOMB — AND THEY ARE A FRACTION OF THE PRICE OF THE CELINES TO WHICH THEY PAY HOMAGE
CELINES ARE L’ULTIME, BUT I’VE PURCHASED AND RETURNED A FEW PAIRS BECAUSE THEY JUST HAVE NEVER FIT ME CORRECTLY — MY FACE IS TOO SMALL? — ANYHOW, I HAVE THIS INEXPENSIVE SIMILAR PAIR
We also just watched Bull Durham for the first time and I will be ordering Mr. Magpie a pair of Kevin Costner’s Ray Ban Clubmaster Classics in tortoise this summer.
Update: I am so flattered to have been profiled by my friends at Cloud Montessori, a resource for parents seeking to bring the Montessori way into their homes. Please take a look! Cool tidbit: I first met one of the co-founders, Aliyya, at an executive program in social entrepreneurship at Stanford University a few years ago! So incredible that we crossed paths again in a totally different sphere.
Mini perhaps unsurprisingly talks a lot about her third birthday, so I felt compelled to do it up as big as I could this year, too. One of the children’s mothers said to me: “This is the first thing I’ve put on my calendar in months.” Same, girl. Same.
What advice would you give to a bride-to-be? Any sagacities your loved ones passed along prior to your own nuptials?
I cherished the message I received in various permutations from many friends and family members: to remember that, so long as I said “I do” to the love of my life, the rest was details.
But I have something specific and logistical to offer —
After we said our vows and took our wedding photos, our coordinator had arranged a private room for us with our favorite cocktails and an assortment of the appetizers that our guests were then enjoying during cocktail hour. We had ten minutes to just sit together — to enjoy being alone as newlyweds. I am not overstating when I say it was probably the best ten minutes of my life. Ten minutes to collect ourselves, take a breath, stare at one another with wide-eyed excitement.
I have recommended the same moment of quiet for every bride-to-be I’ve spoken with since!
P.P.S. A lot of you loved this J. Crew dress I featured last week — currently 50% off!
P.P.P.S. Managed to snag a few classic RL oxfords for micro at $36/pop here, once added to cart! These rarely go on sale so I’ll take any price break I can get.
By: Jen Shoop
*Image above via Gigi and Olive — purveyor of darling bridal gifts and accessories, including the bows seen above. On a related note, I just bought mini one of these personalized hair bows for her upcoming fourth birthday. How sweet are this oneor this one for Easter? More embroidered flower finds along these lines here.
**Today is the final day to participate in the Good+ Foundation Amazon Drive, which aims to provide urgently-needed baby gear to families in need. Thank you so much to those of you who have participated!
I love interacting with you all over email, in the comments section, and via direct message on Instagram. As an amalgam, you are a hilarious, bright, observant, discerning bunch. You know how celebrities will say “I have THE BEST fans?” I’m not a celebrity and you are not fans, but I regularly express a parallel sentiment when friends and family members ask after what I do on this blog — “It’s amazing women in conversation. I have the BEST readership. Literally, women you wish you knew.”
At any rate, big love for my magpies this morning.
On a related note, I wanted to share a few messages from my flock asking for specific things that perhaps some of you have also wondered about…
Q: Would you share updates on sleep rituals for your son? He looks so happy in this picture! Would love your advice on adding pillow, blanket, snuggle pal – my daughter is roughly the same age and she’d probably love these things!
A: Cheers to our little May babies! Mr. Magpie and I divide and conquer at bedtime, so we alternate which of us puts which little one to bed. When it’s my turn to put Hill (20 months) down, we brush teeth (he climbs up on a personalized stepstool similar to this) and gestures for me to sit next to him — ha. Then jammies, sound machine, dimmed lights, and I let him pick out two books to read. Then I zip him into his sleepsack (my two favorite brands are Woolino and Kyte), tuck him into his crib with his favorite blanket and stuffed animal (he likes a teddy that used to belong to Mr. Magpie, this small Elmo, and one of these adorable bears from De Buci baby, which I had customized with his name), and he loves his head on a pillow. I currently use two boudoir-sized personalized pillows next to one another (love the ones from Southern Linen — the pillow cover is as soft as a sheet, and Biscuit always does such cute prints), but will likely buy him a full-sized pillow soon. Mini slept with a full-sized pillow under her head from around his age — maybe even younger! (I love the toddler/little kid bedding from Pehr and Lewis.) Once settled in, we say prayers and affirmations, and then read him one final book before I turn off the light.
The last book is a mild concession of mine — he is usually not thrilled when I zip him into his sleepsack and deposit him in his crib, but somehow when I hold the book up and reassure him that we’ll read it as I’m tucking him in, he settles down. Sometimes he starts whimpering again while we’re running through prayers/affirmations, but I wave the book and he settles back in! And then once the final book is over, he’s quiet and calm. (I take care to pick one of his favorite books for this final reading — he and mini have both LOVED the Peek a Who book and its sequel. They never fail to get a laugh out of him! The darnedest thing.)
Q: Do you have a recommendation for a tote for a little boy to take to preschool?
A: My first thought was LL Bean! A classic for a reason, and convenient to have his name embroidered clearly on the front.
Little English also has some sweet ones, and you could always personalize one of the Stoney Clovers in navy/white with the athletic letters.
Paravel also has a cool foldable style that can be personalized — I like the athletic-looking straps and the zipper top could be handy.
A: I would say the sweatshirt runs just a tiny bit on the slim/cropped side, and the sweats just a tiny bit on the roomy side. I took an XS in both — my true size — and find they complement one another nicely in that the top is semi-slim-fit but the bottoms are not snug at all. To be clear: the sweatshirt is not in any way snug or fitted, but it’s not way boxy. I LOVE this set, and I am not a sweats gal. The eyelet detail on the shoulder and pockets is SO cute!
Q: I’m looking for cute tennis shoes for my toddler girls. We have Cientas and Natives, but I’m looking for something they for more active wear, long walks (unless being in NYC you find the Cientas to be durable and long lasting for lots of walking?), etc.
A: I would recommend Superga. I love the classic, simple styling, and the velcro style is amazing for toddlers. Mini has owned several pairs and they hold up really well — the quality is impressive.
Q: Where are your children’s art smocks from?
A: Bumkins! Love this brand (also have tons of their bibs) because you can throw them in the wash! (Also, since they are fabric, their bibs are great in a diaper bag — fold up to nothing!)
I also just found this adorable heart-print smock, which probably wouldn’t work for my children and the messy art/sensory play we do (we need more coverage…), but maybe an older child?
Q: What brand are your daughter’s snowboots? Love Sorels but they are too chunky for my kid.
A: I’m so glad you asked this and have given me occasion to share this on the blog because mini outgrew her Sperry snowboots after one wear this season (barf — see ya, $70), but we’ve had loads of snow since. I ended up ordering this inexpensive Sorel-esque pair for $33 and am impressed with the quality and styling, and I do feel they run more narrow and less chunky than Sorels. (Sperry mentioned above also has a more refined shape to them, but are a pricey gamble given that at least my daughter keeps switching sizes midway through each season!)
On a related note, mini is still obsessed with these thick knit winter socks. I’ve purchased a few packs — they are perfect snow boot socks, but she also wears them almost daily with her Uggs during the winter season on our walk to school.
And if you are looking for an inexpensive snow mitten, these are a solid pick. I’m normally all about Polarn O. Pyret for snow gear (cannot endorse their bib snowsuits enough — they run really big, FYI, but it’s been nice because mini has worn the same pair two seasons and because I bought in navy, can pass down to micro — the quality of POP* is unparalleled), but these came in handy because they could be delivered next day on the eve of a snowstorm.
Q: I’m wondering if you can share any sources for picture frames and/or how you assemble vignettes of frames and objets…I have many surfaces in our new home and many unprinted photos desiring framing! I know you’ve talked about wall art and framing, so perhaps you’ve already touched on this, too.
A: Ooh, I love a good vignette. My personal favorite look is to arrange a bunch of similar though not-matching frames. On our bedside tables and dresser in our bedroom, I have a range of assorted frames in silver in various shapes and patterns, which affords a coordinated but eclectic feel. I have bought many of the ones in our bedroom from Pottery Barn over the years, and specifically have a few sizes of this and this style mixed in with some sterling frames I inherited and a few Kate Spade frames that coordinate with our wedding china that we received as wedding gifts. (My specific china pattern, June Lane, appears to have been discontinued, but you can occasionally find the frames and pieces of the china on eBay. In general, though Kate Spade is another great source for elegant frames — I love this style.)
I love the idea of showcasing a fantastic vintage 3×5 photo with wide matting around it, like this. One way to visually amplify the meaning of a small photo or letter.
If you’re not into silver, I love the styles from Aerin in either wicker or gold.
Finally, one of my favorite little decorating hacks is to frame things like hand-written notes or photographs or cards or prayers or recipes in these inexpensive acrylic stand-up frames.
So fun to mix these in with other assorted objets and lamps and decor.
I love sending personalized gifts to loved ones. There is something so thoughtful and intentional about the personalization factor, even just given how far in advance you have to plan to have it arranged! Below, a roundup of fun gift ideas for your next gifting occasion, nearly all of them under $100 and many under $50, and majority of them from small boutiques.
For gift wrapping, I am in love with the styles from Amy Heitman. How chic is this style?! Other options: these hearts are sweet for a baby gift; I ordered some of this for mini’s upcoming birthday; and this champagne print is just too fun for a birthday or bachelorette. I always keep spools of 1.5″ double-faced satin ribbon on hand — goes with anything and always classic, and also works if you use it to wrap up the monogrammed gift in cellophane. Oh! And Erin Wallace always has the most darling enclosure cards and stickers. I love these!
P.S. A lot of these shops are incredible Etsy boutiques — even more recent Etsy discoveries here!
There is a strange Victorian-era poem by Christina Rosetti called “Goblin’s Market” that you may have encountered in college. In it, Rosetti tells the story of a girl named Laura who, enticed by the wares of fruit-selling goblins, indulges and then falls into an entranced and debauched stupor, recovering only when her sister, Lizzie, intercedes on her behalf by putting herself at risk and purchasing more of the exotic fruit for her sister. The poem is frequently presented in a feminist critical lens, as the goblins are lecherous, violent males; sexually-charged language marks many-a stanza; and at least part of the narrative of the poem centers upon the sanctity of marriage and the danger of living outside of it as a woman. There is a sense that Laura’s indulgence at the market is shorthand for sexual dalliance, though the latter portion of the poem complicates this reading when Lizzie apparently purchases something at the market, but retains her virginity: the craven men “held her hands and squeez’d their fruits / Against her mouth to make her eat” but “White and golden Lizzie stood / Like a lily in a flood.” Other critics have interpreted the “fruit” as a reference to opium, and it is difficult not to appreciate this reading, as Laura appears on an insane high, then in the throes of addiction, and finally battling withdrawal, “her tree of life droop’d from the root.” What then are we to make of Lizzie’s purchase of additional supplies, which appears to somehow, inconsistent with the widely understood cycle of addiction, permanently relieve Laura of her craving? There are other highly legible readings, too, especially along the lines of Marxist criticism, given the centricity of the market trope and the buying/selling of goods.
When I re-read this poem the other day, I found the slipperiness of this central metaphor provocative — radical, even. How coy that Rosetti sets the table for these (and other) interpretations but then shifts the board just enough to unsettle the pawns from their squares.
From a metrical standpoint, the poem is similarly wild and free-wheeling, with a jolting meter that unpredictably shifts in poetic feet from couplet to couplet. (Art critic John Ruskin wrote that the poem “violat[es] the common ear for metre,” which is about right. It’s borderline painful to read.)
And there is also something unwieldy about the explicitness — the bawdiness and opulence — of the bulk of the poem against the singsong didacticism intended for “little ones” at the conclusion of the poem:
“For there is no friend like a sister In calm or stormy weather; To cheer one on the tedious way, To fetch one if one goes astray, To lift one if one totters down, To strengthen whilst one stands.”
How can such bromides live alongside stanzas like:
“Though the goblins cuff’d and caught her, Coax’d and fought her, Bullied and besought her, Scratch’d her, pinch’d her black as ink, Kick’d and knock’d her, Maul’d and mock’d her, Lizzie utter’d not a word; Would not open lip from lip Lest they should cram a mouthful in: But laugh’d in heart to feel the drip Of juice that syrupp’d all her face, And lodg’d in dimples of her chin, And streak’d her neck which quaked like curd.”
(!) The scene above is wildly violent (!)
Re-reading this poem in my mid-30s, I think perhaps I missed the shrewd subtext to this poem, which now reads like a knowing wink, or perhaps an unknowable shrug. Rosetti thwarts thematic simplicity, refuses metrical regularity, and defies genre. But there is one element that remains resoundingly consistent and on-tone, regardless of how I read it: the unquestioning devotion of sisterhood.
I’ll take that on board. My life experience has proven the same to be true.
+Interesting to think about this poem, and my reading of it, as I listen to Anna North’s “feminist Western” Outlawed. It is a feminist critic’s daydream. (More reading suggestions here.)
+I’m not big on graphic tees for micro, but this one is too cute with jeans, and my Southern mama friends will appreciate this monogrammed style that I just bought him!
Photo above just the perfect shade of Magpie blue — I couldn’t resist!
Today, sharing a roundup of some of my best recent finds — many of which you ask after regularly (i.e., “can you send me the link to that personalized footie to take my baby home from the hospital in?”) and/or have been effusive about (“I just got the Westman Atelier foundation and I LOVE IT!”) Etvoila — our Magpie Shopping Shortlist. La creme de la creme across all of my posts thus far in 2021.
P.S. More affordable personalized stationery here.
P.P.S. More layette options for a baby here. I know I’ve shared this before, but I just gifted (again!) this Bellabliss footie, personalized with baby’s new initials. Both of my children had a set of these monogrammed — too sweet.
