Gifts for Preggos

Long time no shop!
Haha jk, I've been shopping plenty, I just haven't told you about it.
Mostly because my shopping lists have changed pretty significantly now that I am pregnant!

Now sample sales are less appealing because who knows when and if I will ever be able to wear those slinky dresses or cute jeans again. I did go to a few, looking for tunics and long tank tops, but it's not the same.
Sob.

Anyway, there are all sorts of fun things out there that I can buy (just not at sample sales), and that YOU can buy for a special pregnant lady in your life, if you so choose.

U Shaped pillow

$99 Comfort U one piece pillow

As you can see, this mofo takes up THE WHOLE BED.
I asked for and got this very model for Chanukah (thanks, Mom!) and made the bed then threw it on top. There is absolutely no room for husbands or pets when you sleep with this thing. But it's so awesome.
It feels like you are at the bottom of a deep padded well, and unlike Baby Jessica, you don't want anyone to get you out.

I slept in it/with it for one night and am looking forward to doing so again later when I need to.
Right now I am only in my 2nd trimester and not yet physically uncomfortable when trying to sleep, so I am saving this for when it will be a real relief, and for when it's necessary. For now, it's not worth taking the whole bed up.


When I show people a picture of me in it, everyone including the healthy 25 yr old boys I work with has asked if you have to be pregnant to get this pillow. Nope, anyone who wants to be alone in a pillow pit can buy one. Though Amazon might try to sell you some nipple cream for a minute afterwards.


Gap Maternity Jeans

$75 Gap 1969 always skinny moto jean
I have these! Mine were on sale though at the time :P
They are faded black, skinny, and have a normal looking top part and some cool stitching around the knees.

Anyway, my favorite part is that the waistband doesn't look different from real jeans so you don't have to worry about finding a top long enough to cover it.
It has elastic inserts in the sides instead of a big broad panel over the top. See?

If you know her exact size, you can get her a pair. Jeans are hard though, sometimes you really just have to try them on.


Loft dress

$70 Ann Taylor LOFT Maternity spotted dress (plus extra 40% off = $42)

This is only available in XS right now, but one review said it runs big so that might be perfect!
Not sure if I need a dress but this one looks kind of cute.


Max your Mat Leave Guide

$60 Max Your Maternity Leave PDF package
Not sure if this one is worth it, but if it can give me even one more day of paid leave, it will be.
I think I want this.
Here is what the deluxe package comes with:

• Easy to read and print PDF format
• Editable proposal template attached
• Instant download access
• 30-minute consultation ($75 value)
• Telecommuting Proposal Package**
• Part-time Proposal Package**
• Combines leave + return-to-work solutions at one low price

 Maternity tights

$12 Zulily Black maternity compression tights
Click Here For My Zulily invite link which gets us both a discount!

These are things that I would rather not buy, bc UGHHHH so annoying to think about buying new staples just bc my belly is big, but would appreciate having so my tights don't press in on the waist.


Right now Zulily also has some maternity clothes by one of my favorite non-maternity brands, LAmade, so that is very exciting!
I love how soft their cotton is, it is just so comfortable.

Here are some things I like:

$22 LAmade Huckleberry dolman top
Click Here For My Zulily invite link which gets us both a discount!

$18 LAmade black Noah supima foldover pants

Click Here For My Zulily invite link which gets us both a discount!

$18 LAmade twist front dress in Twizzler
This also comes in huckleberry (royal blueish) and imperial blue (turquoise) and I like all 3 colors. Not sure which one would look best on me.

Click Here For My Zulily invite link which gets us both a discount!

Verily magazine doesn't photoshop its models

Verily is a new women's magazine that promises not to alter the appearance of the women in it, unlike so many other magazines out there.

I think this is a great and refreshing change, and the images still look very polished and fashionable without looking crazy unrealistic.

I just got a subscription for myself for a year, and I am thinking that they could be good gifts for the holidays too. I want to support this message and this effort. Women can care about fashion and style and all sorts of things found in these types of magazines without wanting to swallow the myth of the 22" waisted pared down models that are pictured.




$22 for 1 year (6 issues) Verily Magazine

They have a section that shows how new high fashion styles look on normal bodies, too which is great. Their website has a bunch of articles and good content already up, so even if you don't get a subscription, you can still check it out.

Replacing my Pyrex bowl

One of my first purchases as a new apartment dweller in Brooklyn was a set of 3 stacking pyrex bowls that I got for $15 at a yard sale.

They are yellow and have green flowers on the outside, and are white inside.
I love these bowls and have grown very attached to them, so when my biggest bowl broke last year (I will not name the husband who broke it or who broke my favorite irreplaceable water glasses too), I was upset.

I bought another that I saw at an antiques but ended up accidentally buying the middle bowl size instead of the largest one.

Now on Etsy and Amazon there are a few people selling what I think is the right one, and I want to jump on it, but just the shipping is more than I paid for the whole set initially!
I guess this is what happens when you get attached; you pay for it.

My pattern is called Shenandoah, in case you are interested, and there are really great full sets on Etsy as well.



$9 Shenandoah pyrex bowl with chips (+$10 shipping)
This looks like the best option



$16 Pyrex bowl 8 3/4" size (+$15 shipping)
I'm a little skeptical that this is the biggest size


$30 pyrex 2 1/4 mixing bowl (+15.50 shipping)
This is the most expensive option and it is from Amazon, but I am reasonably confident it is the right size.

Pretty apartment plants that also smell pretty?

Remember when I talked before about houseplants?

I am still obsessing over them.

For our wedding, I took apart all my aloe plants and babies and repotted each in its own container. We gave them to our guests to take home as gifts, and I was happy to see them going to good homes. The events director at the place we got married was skeptical, btw. He said that he liked the idea but that usually no one takes them and that he would collect them for us at the end of the night so we could bring the leftovers home.

(Here they are, all lined up to go)


In his face, though! Bam. My friends (even the ones who were taking planes home!) took all the plants :)
One was left at brunch, probably by accident, but none were unwanted.

Anyway, now I just have the big mama aloe plant and that one forgotten baby. And I am used to having so many more!

We live close to the Union Square farmer's market, and I love walking through there and looking at all the plants. It is hard not to come home with any.
So far I've bought a mint, a rosemary, and a string of pearls (so cute).
I am glad to finally have my string of pearls plant, I've been wanting one for too long. I hope it grows quickly and makes tons of new strands!

Here is what a grown up one looks like:

Mine is still a little baby and its strings aren't hanging over the edges of the small pot I bought it in yet.
It looks more like this:


I still have my fuzzy purple friend Gynura Aurantiaca, called purple passion or purple velvet.
That looks like this:


or at least it used to. Now it looks much more vine-like and stringy and woody. It still has fuzzy purple leaves, but they are few and far between.
I was just reading about them and it is because they need to be cut way back in the winter and the cuttings can be replanted as new vines.
I cut the longest vine just above where a leaf was, and shoved the cut end of the loose part back into the soil. I am hoping it propagates like that and I don't have to do anything else for it. I have tried that once before with this plant and it worked. I guess I just have to be more aggressive about cutting and re-rooting it.

I also have a christmas cactus and a snake plant and a zz plant.
But I want moooooooorrrrrre.

Especially now that I have a balcony!
I am looking for fragrant plants that can make my apartment smell pretty. And flowers! I don't have anything that regularly makes flowers (I guess except the xmas cactus).

A lavender plant would be nice:

$8.95 Lavender 4"
Very fragrant with silvery purple flowers


$14.95 Chinese perfume plant (Aglaia odorata)
This plant has little yellow flowers that bloom on and off all year and are supposed to smell great. I am not sure how it would be indoors- it is meant to be in a very warm Florida-like places, but maybe in a very sunny window it could work. Also it grows to 3-4 feet tall so that might be a very tall house plant soon!



$14.95 Collection of Maypop Passionfruit plants
You get a 2.5" pot of the rare white ones and a 4" pot of the purple one. They produce fragrant flowers and fruit and the purple one can withstand colder temperatures. I might want to buy a more mature one that I know I won't kill as easily.


$18.95 Corkscrew flower (vigna caracalla)
I've never seen this before! Isn't it cool?
It is a climbing vine and the flowers bloom late summer to early fall, perfect right now, and are supposed to smell good and look like snails.


$10.95 Cinnamon scented wax plant (hoya lacunosa)
This plant grows in a hanging basket and releases scent at night. Wouldn't it be nice to come home to a cinnamonny house? The site says it is an easy grower and likes to be neglected, so it might be perfect for my friend Alex who is great at neglecting plants.


$12.95 Willow-leaf Acacia (acacia retinodes)
This acacia grows up to 8 feet tall in a container and when it hits 4 feet tall, it starts flowering these yellow fragrant puffballs. Cute!


$18.95 Night blooming Mark Twain cereus (epiphyllum oxypetalum)
These plants have large flowers that bloom after the sun sets.
The species was found at Mark Twain's house in Hartford, CT.


$39.95 Candy Stripe Plumeria (plumeria rubra)
So pretty! They look like they are painted. These would die outside in NYC but maybe I could keep them alive by bringing them inside in the winter?


$8.95 Winter Jasmine
Speaking of winter, this one blooms in fall and winter which sounds great to me! That is just when you need flowers the most. It likes to live in containers or baskets in sunny cool windows (so not on your radiator).

(Lavandula x intermedia)

This is the famed azure blossomed lavender developed in the perfume fields of southern France and cherished for its intense scent and floriferous grayish-silver spikes.

Hardy to Zone 5 and higher for outdoors.

Full sun, grows to 12-20" in container, minimum temperature indoors 35°, blooms in spring.

Fragrant! - See more at: http://www.logees.com/Lavender-Provence/productinfo/H8063%2D4/#sthash.zC9rYwZp.dpuf

This is the famed azure blossomed lavender developed in the perfume fields of southern France and cherished for its intense scent and floriferous grayish-silver spikes.

Hardy to Zone 5 and higher for outdoors.

Full sun, grows to 12-20" in container, minimum temperature indoors 35°, blooms in spring.

Fragrant! - See more at: http://www.logees.com/Lavender-Provence/productinfo/H8063%2D4/#sthash.zC9rYwZp.dpuf

This is the famed azure blossomed lavender developed in the perfume fields of southern France and cherished for its intense scent and floriferous grayish-silver spikes.

Hardy to Zone 5 and higher for outdoors.

Full sun, grows to 12-20" in container, minimum temperature indoors 35°, blooms in spring.

Fragrant! - See more at: http://www.logees.com/Lavender-Provence/productinfo/H8063%2D4/#sthash.zC9rYwZp.dpuf"

What I got at the Hatch sample sale

Last week I went to the Hatch sample sale. Let me start by saying that although it is a maternity brand, I'M NOT PREGNANT!
I just really like their flowy silk dresses and wanted to check them out.

Anyway, Hatch had a sample sale in Soho with deals of up to 80% off, and I went the first day.
Even though I got there right after it started, there were already several women who beat me to it and had armfuls of dresses. It wasn't frantic or anything, but I was impressed at the dedication of these pregnant ladies who booked it over to the sale.

There were true samples for $40-$80 and damaged items for $25. Then there were great deals on the stock dresses and jumpers, which were about $75, (down from $329).

I had done my research online first and had an eye out for the Airplane dress and the Soiree dress because I think both of them are so versatile and elegant.
It was hard to tell the materials that the samples were made out of, since they didn't have tags. I wanted the silk dresses instead of the polyester ones, and eventually I figured out what was what.
There were 2 racks of samples and then 3 or 4 of the stock dresses. I was determined to get the best deal, so I focused on the samples, and it paid off!
I ended up with the soiree dress in black silk, the airplane dress in black silk, another shift shirt dress in mint green silk, and a long open cardigan in navy cashmere (with a small hole in the armpit that I plan to sew) for $40 each!

I tried on and liked both the stock versions of the sweatshirt dress and the tank dress, but I decided that for $75 each I didn't need them. Even though that is so marked down from what they usually are.

Luckily for those who missed the sale, they have things on sale online now too (not at sample prices, but still).
Here are my picks from the website:


$174 Soiree dress in black silk (was $348)
Still so happy I got this for $40!


$169 Dinner party dress in red silk (was $338)
I don't think I saw this at the sale but it is so pretty.


$124 Shirt dress short in charcoal crepe jersey (was $248)
This is a little more maternity-only so I didn't try it on, but one woman was wearing it and it looked great on her.


The things that I tried on that I didn't like and looked like a blob in were:
The button down dress
The kaftan
The Slouch dress
The button down shirt
More power to you if you can pull those off!

Some bunny items from UO

I found these cute bunny themed objects at Urban Outfitters and I'm not going to get them since I don't want my house to turn into some weird bunny museum or a crazy hoarder collection of rabbits, but I do think they are cute:


$12 Woodland creature LED nightlight
You get 1 porcelain creature but they don't let you select which one you want, it's just a surprise :(
You might get a rabbit, bird, squirrel, or porcupine. I think they are all pretty cute, but of course I would want to be guaranteed to get a bun.
This would be a great illumination for a bathroom at night.
Probably not as great for a kid's room since porcelain is breakable and not very playable-with.



$9.99 Bunny Cannister
I'd definitely think twice about getting that piece of candy or whatever if I had to decapitate a bunny to do it.
They should sell it as a weight loss container.


$12 Rabbit ears ring holder
We were thinking of having Senator actually be the ring bearer at our wedding, and using his ears like this, but he isn't so good with travel or crowds or doing what he is supposed to do, so we are going to skip that.
It is cute though. And I like the bunny with one ear up and one ear down.

Friends with books!

It's been a great summer for being my friend and writing a book.
Three of my friends have books that have just been released!


$12 Shut Up, You're Welcome by Annie Choi
($9.75 for Kindle edition)

Annie Choi's new book, Shut Up, You're Welcome is out as of today!
You should definitely check it out. It would be a perfect hilarious and entertaining thing to read on a trip or at the beach. It is a series of personal essays in the form of angry letters to different entities that have offended her.

Here is the book trailer, which is an animated video of her reading from an angry letter to Virgin America airlines. It's awesome and will make you want to hear or read the rest.
Annie will be reading at Powerhouse Books in Dumbo next Monday, and you can see her and get your book signed there!

Here is a review from Goodreads that tells you more about it:

From the author of Happy Birthday or Whatever, an outright hilarious and heartfelt collection of personal essays about everything from underwear to musical theater. Annie Choi wants to tell you a few things: She hates musical theater. She thinks sandwiches are boring. She likes camping, except for the outdoors part. She daydreams about cannibalism. At fifteen, her father made her read the entire car manual before allowing her to sit in the driver’s seat. And she once chased down a man who stole her handbag.

All this is to say that Choi is one part badass and one part curmudgeon, with a soft spot for savage bears. But mostly she wants to ask the world: WTF?!

Written in Choi’s strikingly original and indignant voice, Shut Up, You're Welcome paints a revealing portrait of Annie and her family in all their quirky, compelling, riotous glory. Each of Choi’s personal essays begins with an open letter to someone (her naked neighbor) or something (the San Fernando Valley), that she has a beef with. From the time her family ditched her on Christmas to her father’s attachment to an ugly table, Choi weaves together deeply personal experiences with laugh-out-loud observations, all of which will charm you, entertain you, and leave you wanting more.

 Seriously, Annie is one of the funniest people I know and I can't wait to read the book, which Amazon tells me I ordered A MILLION YEARS AGO but still isn't here yet. ARRGH. Maybe I should write them a letter a la Annie.


Next up:

$9.50 William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher

As you might be able to guess from the title or the incredible cover art, this is a retelling of the Star Wars story in Shakespearean style. Including more iambic pentameter than you can shake a stick at!
Ian and Ethan were college roommates so I have the pleasure of 

More about it from Goodreads:

Inspired by one of the greatest creative minds in the English language-and William Shakespeare-here is an officially licensed retelling of George Lucas's epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. ’Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearstome Stormtroopers, signifying...pretty much everything.

Reimagined in glorious iambic pentameter—and complete with twenty gorgeous Elizabethan illustrations--William Shakespeare’s Star Wars will astound and edify Rebels and Imperials alike. Zounds! This is the book you’re looking for.

 Ian has been on a bunch of morning shows and gotten a ton of great press for his book already, but if you haven't heard of it yet, go check it out! His book is also apparently responsible for a peak in google searches for Star Wars this week, which is crazy cool.
Watch the book trailer with actors reading lines from the book in full Star Wars character costumes.

We got our copy about a week ago and the language and writing is shockingly faithful to the original stylings of Willie S.


Last but not least!

$11 New Rules for Blondes by Selena Coppock ($2 Kindle edition)

Selena is a stand up comic in NYC who I had the pleasure of working with at our day jobs (it's true, even I need to supplement my blogging career with real work).

In this book she writes about her stories living the blonde life and shares tips for getting along with other blondes and how to relate to brunettes. It's really funny and a great summer read!

Check out her luscious hair in the book trailer here.
And here's the official book description:

Writer, comedienne, and full-time Blonde, Selena Coppock offers up adventures, misadventures, and golden-hued nuggets of wisdom in a laugh-out-loud anthem for those of us who really do have more fun. . . .
The modern blonde is savvy, wise, confident, capable, and not afraid to laugh at herself when the occasion calls for it. She knows who she is and is prepared to subvert all stereotypes (although she's not above wielding her golden tresses to her advantage), and knows how to be both classy and a little brassy.
In the way only a Boston-bred New Yorker who once won "Best Hair" in her high school graduating class could, Coppock doles out tongue-in-cheek advice about avoiding hair disasters, the consequences of dating a man who cares a little too much about his own hair product, and so much more in an outrageous essay collection that will have even the staunchest of raven-haired beauties considering a trip to the nearest salon.

Selena also has a hilarious blog where she recaps the bachelorette episodes with amazing commentary.

I joined Threadflip

Threadflip is an online store where you can shop people's closets and upload your own closet of stuff you would like to sell.
The way it works is that you set your prices and take pictures, and then upload everything and when a piece sells, Threadflip takes 20% commission.
That is much lower than consignment, which is 50%.



So I joined!
Click to visit my store.
It's still a work in progress and I have to put more stuff in there that I could part with, especially now that we are moving.

Here is a link to Threadflip, and if you join through that link and buy something eventually, I will get $10 credit.

This is what the site looks like:






And you can shop by brand or item type or price.

Loving my F Troupe Bathing Shoes

Now that it is warm and sticky outside, I've been wearing my F Troupe Bathing shoes more often and I really like them.
They get a lot of comments and compliments too!
Probably partially because I have them in bright yellow.


$32.95 F Troupe Bathing Shoe in yellow

They are a mix between jellies, sneakers, water shoes, and sandals.
The side ventilation helps with the inevitable sweaty foot problem, but even with sweaty feet, these never smell. Unlike many other plastic or gel shoes.

I'm wearing them with gray jeans right now, and have also worn them with shorts and sporty skirts.

They come in other cool colors too:


Blue



White


Orange

New apartment and paint color pictures!

We are moving in July and for the first time in basically forever, got to choose our paint colors!

We had the whole range of Benjamin Moore paints to choose from and decided to go with different shades of gray (don't say 50 it's not funny) with blueish and purpleish undertones.

Here is the bathroom:


The wall color is raccoon fur which is a dark slate gray with navy tones, almost black. I think it contrasts nicely with the white tile and looks sharp.


Benjamin Moore Raccoon Fur


The space on the left in this picture is the living room:

The wall color in the living room is a warm light gray called Shoreline.
Benjamin Moore Shoreline

Another picture of the living room in shoreline and an accent wall in Raccoon Fur (which is actually a mistake but looks nice for now)


I don't have any good pictures of the bedroom, but it is Nightingale, which is a warm purpleish gray a little darker than shoreline.

Benjamin Moore Nightingale



The white trim is all Heron White:



And there will be some White Ice as well which is cooler and blue tinted:


This is a nice picture of a bunch of clothespins dipped in some Benjamin Moore grayish paints: