Turn your baby into a mop

This is probably the #1 reason to have a kid:

$34.95 Baby Mop Onesie

It's like a swiffer that someday will need college tuition.

For real though, babies are on the floor anyway, and you have to change their outfits all the time from what I understand because they are always puking or pooping, so you might as well get your floors dusted.

They come in Boy, Girl, or Neutral which I sadly assume means blue, pink, or yellow, but I am not sure.

Handkerchiefs in a tissue box

I like handkerchiefs and usually have one in my purse in case my face gets sweaty or I need to blow my nose or wipe off a rainy bag or something.

Saying "handkerchiefs" is much more appealing than saying "reusable tissues" but that is essentially what they are.

And now there is this set that comes with its own tissue box to drive home the point.
I think it's kind of neat.

$6.39 Hankettes Organic Cotton Handkerchiefs

The set comes with 8 washable cloth handkerchiefs and a sturdy box to hold them in so you can pretend they are tissues.

This would be a good gift for someone who wants to go all organic and low waste. Or someone who you want to give the hint to wipe their nose.

Fishtank sink

$4,500 Aquarium Basin sink

So cool!
You can fill this sink with anything you want including fish, hermit crabs, your shell collection, plants, pretty rocks, or even bloooooood.
Why? whatever.

This would be the best sink ever in one of those crazy modern bachelor pads that you see in movies but no one actually has.

Review of Motorola DECT 6.0 Cordless pHone with Wireless headset

Short version: Meh.


$99 Motorola DECT 6.0 Digital cordless phone and headset

As many of you know, I started working from home full time.
Among other fun things such as never brushing my hair, this has meant that I needed to get a landline.
After the line was installed, I hemmed and hawed about which physical phone to get.
I wanted a cordless phone that I could walk around with, and I wanted one with a headset so I could type with both hands while I talked on it and not piss people off with my clicking.

I looked at a few different options and this one was rated pretty well by users and was cheaper than any others on NewEgg.com

So now I have had it for about a week and I am not that happy, but not miserable enough to return it.

PROs:

• it does look like the picture above
• it is very small so it isn't taking up tons of room on my desk
• the parts work and it wasn't hard to set up

CONs:

• the sound mostly sucks--on the cordless or the bluetooth people say I sound too quiet
• the cordless phone feels too light and flimsy
• the button on the bluetooth is too easy to press while putting it in your ear or getting it untangled from your hair, so I've accidentally hung up on people
• the ear wrap thing isn't very comfortable and I don't understand how people with hair use them

If you are looking for a phone, I'd say go with something else. The earpiece didn't turn out to be worth it in this case, and if I was doing it again, I'd get a cool vintage phone with real heft and a handset the right size to shove between my ear and my shoulder.

Other animal items from Madewell? Yup

I loved that bunny cardigan, so I thought I'd check and see if there might be any other animal themed clothes from Madewell for you guys... Turns out there are some!

$108 Counting sheep sweater
The scale of this print is perfect for the sweater, I think. It's not too big and childish, or too small and just looks like a pattern.

$118 Silk horseplay boyshirt
This button down shirt features stylized sketches of horses. I love a silk top.

$68 Horseplay sweatshirt
Interestingly, they enlarged the horse drawings for this shirt, which gives it a whole different effect. Doesn't it look more casual even without looking at the shape/style?

$78 Armadillo muscle tank
Yes, those are little curled up armadillos on the bottom, not just circles.
I am not sure who would pay $78 for a tank top unless armadillos are your favorite animal above all else, but in case they are, this is for you.

$59.50 Llama love scarf
I think you can guess what is going on here. There are llamas all around the edge of this scarf. The name of it is throwing me off a little. Is it "llama, love scarf!" as an imperative? Is it a "llama-love scarf?" Mysteries of the ages.
It's wool, which is good for staying knotted and keeping warm

Double umbrella

$50 Two person umbrella

The conjoined twins of umbrellas.
This is a good idea; how often do you share umbrellas and get caught in the drip area? Like every single time, right?

Making the umbrella wider but not longer is smart, as is the angling of the sides.
Just don't try to walk two abreast on a narrow NYC street, ok?

Would make a cute wedding gift maybe.

Madewell Bunny Cardigan

$88 Rabbit Run Cardigan

Bunnies!
This cardigan is made from like every fiber in the world except for angora (which would have made sense): cotton, viscose, merino.

You can get it in the dusty burgundy color above or the vicuna color below:

I'll take the vicuna color for Chanukah please!

Cashmere friendship bracelet

Isn't this a fun idea?
Check out this article on making friendship bracelets with cashmere wool.
You can use all the regular stitches you remember from summer camp and days on the school bus.

Looks soft!

Skeleton leggings and shoes!

Target is sometimes totally awesome.

Check out these cheap and hilarious leggings and shoes:


$12.99 Target skeleton leggings
Nylon leggings (remember, leggings are not pants)
Is the skeleton pink? I can't quite tell. Oh wait, in the comments it says they are white.

$39.99 Skeleton heels
What do you do with the rest of your foot? I guess you draw on some bones.
I think these are awesome and great for going out and not just on Halloween.

Massimo Dutti actually opening now

Ok, so I got some people excited when Massimo Dutti first announced their NY store last year and I wrote about it here, but now they are really really opening tomorrow!
They are on 5th ave and 54th st.

Check out this article from Racked

They will have mens and womenswear, and will be focused on classic looks.

Did you know they are owned by the same company that owns Zara? I didn't.
Massimo Dutti clothes seem better-made and classier than Zara's to me.

Here's how they've updated the store (which used to be a Zara)

Walnut wood, brass, leather and dark marble are the main components in the design of the new shop, which combines modern lines with classic details.

The lighting has been updated in order to highlight the collections in a more contrasting and versatile way (more directional spot lights with adjustable brightness), while also ensuring the shop uses energy more responsibly

Two grocery tips I am going to try

1. Wash your berries in a dilute vinegar solution to keep them from getting moldy

2. Freeze fresh herbs in oil for later use
I'm always getting annoyed that I don't use herbs fast enough before they get brown or yucky.

Sleeper loveseats under $500 for Carrie

Carrie is looking for a loveseat or chair that folds out to a mattress for guests.
She doesn't want to spend much, and for some reason also doesn't want something insanely ugly or used with bedbugs in it.
Hmm...

Here are some options I found for her:

$479 Cardini Uno black chair
The back of this chair folds out

$199.99 kmart Elite Mali flex fold down futon
This is seafoam on top and brown on the bottom, and also comes in an orange-ish combination.

$251 DHP fold out chair
The cushions unfold and lie flat on the ground (not as elegant as a more raised solution, maybe)

$329.99 Princeton Microsuede sleeper chair
Looks like a comfortable chair

$293 Klik Klak adjustable loveseat
This one might be my favorite for the classic lines

$379 Orlando microfiber loveseat ($299 for the chair)

These both look like good purchases

$486.40 Intermission mocha chair and a half sleeper

Looks very comfortable and classic

$291.65 Cooper Brow PU ottoman sleeper

This one doesn't seem to take up a lot of room or be too clunky

Review of Joe Fresh nail polish

TERRIBLE!
It totally sucks.

Today I went into Joe Fresh to see if they had any cute new fall looks (not really except for these black and white heels), and decided to try out the tester polishes.

There are a ton of colors to choose from, including pretty ones like hunter, cement, and navy and denim which were almost indistinguishable.
I tried on the eggplant (dark purple gray brown) and the dove (medium gray brown).
The colors I tried on are not on their website now.

Both of them come with what is possibly the worst brush I have ever used.
The brush is short and rough and inflexible.
The fibers are really stiff and blunt which means that as you paint polish on your nail and overlap a spot to get full coverage, the brush actually pulls up a streak of color you just put down. So annoying!

I am pretty adept at handling different brushes and textures of polish, but the Joe Fresh brushes and polish were so hard to work with that I gave up on getting an even finish.
The polish itself is not dense with color and is more gel-like and thin than I wanted. This also leads to streaks.

Also, it stays wet forevvvvvver.

Both my nails got nicked and look terrible. Now over 2 hours later they still feel not dry, and if I tried to dent one I am sure I could. Oh wait, I just scraped it by accident and it is totally ruined now.

The 3 for $10 deal might seem like a good deal and the colors might look cute, but trust me and save your money and time for Sally Hansen or Essie.

Etsy Finds of the Day: State bird and flower prints

Dutch Door Press on Etsy sells these pretty prints which they make using images of the official bird and flower from each state.
These would be great gifts, I think.

Here is New York:

$15 NY state print
That is the rose and eastern bluebird

Here is Massachusetts where I grew up:

$15 MA state print
Black capped chickadee and mayflower


Oregon:

$15 OR state print
Meadowlark and Oregon grape


Maine:

$15 ME state print
Chickadee and white pine cone and tassel

Or you can buy all 50 at once

$500 Set of 50 state bird and flower prints

Winter shoes at Target

I had the chance to check out some of Target's new shoe offerings in person, so I want to tell you which ones to get and which to avoid.
As usual, some look really cheap close up.

DON'T BUY:

$34.99 Kalina cowboy boot
Looks ok but silver accents in front are tacky

$34.99 Kole ankle boots
Sadly the weird felt fabric on these is awful. Too bad bc I like the shape and pattern.

$39.99 Magaska riding boot
The material is really thin and flimsy

$34.99 Kylin ankle boot

I thought these would be cute but the shape is off and the heel is too high and the material sucks.

Now on to the better stuff:

DO BUY:

$29.99 Kaelyn Ankle boots
The shape is nice and the suede looks like it would last at least 1 season.

$59.99 Kathryn Engineer boot
These are sturdy and thick and real leather. Get some.

$34.99 Keilani boot
I was surprised at how much I liked these. They are tough and cool and didn't look too plasticky.

$34.99 Kamoni wedge
These have a nice stacked wedge heel and an elegant narrow shape.

$34.99 Kalama shootie wedge
The material isn't the best, but I think this is a good price for the boot and it looks nice.

Fancy gifts from Neiman Marcus

Yay! The crazy expensive gift guides from Neiman Marcus are out!

Here is what you should be getting your loved ones this year. Because otherwise you clearly don't care about them at all!

$170 Magic cube keyboard
Oh, you type on a physical keyboard? How retro.
Mine is made of light.

$175 Cufflink box
Guys! How do you keep your many many cuff links organized?
You don't? Seriously? WTF is wrong with you?
Also, guess how many cufflinks come in this $$$ box?
If you guessed 0, you'd be correct.

$1,495 Stourbridge Quilted jacket
I looove this jacket. It's quilted but slim and has motorcycle styling.
I also could probably love that guy who is modeling it. Heeeyyy, how you doin?

$3,550 Loro Piana cashmere robe
Looks like a normal bathrobe, but costs more than 2 or 3 months rent.
But maybe you could live in it instead of your apartment? Then it would be worth it.

$1,900 Roberto Coin dragon paperweight
You think you're too fancy to shove your papers under the keyboard like the rest of us?

$795 Baby Quasar MD
I have no idea. Ask a Trump or something.

$1,090,000 His and Hers watches Van Cleef and Arpels
This is worth it because uhhhhh they tell time.

$100,000 Luxury hen house
Oh America. I see we have clearly gotten far enough past the housing bust and sympathy for poor people with underwater mortgages to have re-entered the realm of buying pretty things for our animals that cost more than 2 average Americans make in a year.

$99,500 Jet pack
There is no way I would be a multi-millionaire and not own this. I'd probably buy this before getting a car.