wiksten fall 2009 sneak preview

Indigo striped dress in 55% hemp/45% cotton, coming soon. Stay tuned for more details.

samma necklace

photo taken by Elly

I went to Jumelle and tried on the Samma necklace I've been obsessing over, and here's a photo. I LOVE it. Jumelle carries other awesome Samma pieces too, but this is my very favorite. Carla, the manager there, is so nice. Jumelle stocks jewelry that is mostly from local designers, and she let me try on a bunch of stuff and gave me all the details. All of their jewelry is amazing. They also carry Aesa (local) and Polder (French), two of my favorites. I didn't buy anything because I need to pay the rent more than I need to bejewel myself, but that necklace will be mine some day.

In other news, Anabela wrote a really thought-provoking blog post yesterday in response to my post about Bodkin. Check it out!

Also, I made myself a new top yesterday. I'm feeling way too lazy to photograph it on myself today (I really hate having to do that), but I'll show it to you tomorrow.

bodkin + ankle boots for fall

photos from the Bodkin website

I love these photos from Bodkin's fall collection. The colors are beautiful. You know what's cool? The fact that the scarf in the third photo was dyed with only vegetables, fruits, and plants to achieve the most perfect shade of purple. (Read the description at the bottom of the photo for details.) And I love that all the fabrics in Eviana Hartman's clothing line are organic and sustainable, and not in a trendy, gimmicky way. Her blog details her search for ecologically friendly means of production, so you know it's for real. (Sometimes I get the feeling that some companies slap the word "organic" on products without even really investigating the source.)

I think these are the clog ankle boots that the models are wearing in the Bodkin fall look book. I've been searching high and low for the perfect high-heeled ankle boots for fall. These are really cute, but I'm not sure they're it.


I found some other clog ankle boots on the Urban outfitters website that I like even better. They're Swedish Hasbeens. So cool, right? I love them in both colors.

Now these Rachel Comey Penpal short boots would be the perfect ankle boots for me, but I'd really rather have them in black. I can't find them in black anywhere. But then again, it is only August. I guess I'm just anxious.

These black ankle boots are pretty sexy. I like the shape, but I can't decide whether they might be too rock 'n roll for me. Also I was really hoping for an ankle boot with a stacked wood heel.

Buying any of these boots would be an investment, which is why I have to make sure I get something that will last me for years. If money was no object I would probably get the Rachel Comey boots in black and the tan Hasbeens, so that I would have one dressy pair and one casual pair. Keep dreaming.

sprout home

When Elly was here, she and I took a trip to Sprout Home, one of my absolutely favorite stores in my neighborhood. You see, I have a problem. My apartment is where plants come to die. I recently had three tiny plants that belonged to the guy I'm subletting from, and well....they suffered a terrible fate at my hands. It's not that I don't try. I do. It's just that I never know what I'm doing. So I went to Sprout Home to replace my three dead plants with new ones. The guy at the store was so freaking nice. He helped me find plants that were easy to take care of and guided me through the care that each would require. I came out of there with the three most adorable plants I've ever had. That was several weeks ago, and the plants look great. No withering.

The store is beautiful too. Filled with air plants and terrariums, it reminds me of a place that Alyson would love to hang out in. I bought a good portion of my Christmas gifts there last year. If you don't live in New York, check out their website for a fantastic selection of modern planters and fun children's stuff.

mociun fall 2009

photos by Kara Healey from the Mociun website

Isn't it beautiful? I can't wait until it's here.

elly in new york

I guess I blogged this out of order because Elly came to see me in New York before we went to Connecticut. Elly had never, ever been to New York City before this! What an adventure, gang. I thought I'd share with you our day dorking around the city together. It was one of the most fun days I've ever had. Here's a photo of Elly in my kitchen before we left.



Here we are at Purl Soho. This place is the best. We asked the staff a gazillion questions about knitting and felting. I even bought a little felting kit for us to do a project together, but we never got around to it. What could be better than shopping for yarn and fabric with your best friend? We're both so obsessed with knitting, and Elly really inspired me to get back into it after a summer hiatus. She's much more experienced than I am, so I love asking her questions.

Elly bought Tova a beautiful dress at Makie, and we oohed and ahhed over everything they had. I was SO not allowed to take pictures in here. I got scolded. Big time.


When I said we were "dorking" around Manhattan together, I wasn't even kidding. We went to Muji, and I tried on this sweater/wrap thing, and I had no idea how to wear it. So I decided to try to make it into a diaper. In the middle of the store. Yes, I'm the biggest nerd ever. I kept expecting us to get kicked out because we were laughing so hard. Also, how cute does Elly look in that hat?

We went to Madewell and tried on some jeans and stuff, but we didn't buy anything. I really love that store.


We also went to Steven Alan! And got cupcakes at Billy's Bakery nearby! The perfect combination. Steven Alan is simply wonderful. The sales girls were so fun and joked around with us. I want that shirt I tried on so, so, so, so bad. I'll have to save up. Though I did happen to score a pair of very nice Isabel Marant jeans on sale for seventy-nine bucks. Can you believe it?

Shopping with Elly was a new experience for me, because since we're both seamstresses and knitters, we looked at the hems and seams of everything we tried on and discussed construction.


After a full day of shopping, we met up with Melissa back in the "Burg" and walked to Marlow and Sons for dinner. Melissa was very excited about having oysters but discovered, oops, she actually hates oysters! I think she had them confused with clams, hehe. I thought the oysters were pretty darn awesome. It was so cool to have dinner with two of my best friends who had never met before because it was fascinating to see each of them through the other's eyes for the first time. Elly told us everything about Sweden (where she lived for almost a year), and we also had one of the most interesting conversations I've ever had about marriage.

I wish I could have more days like this with Elly, but to quote Elly's daughter Tova, "Sometimes life is just hard, right Mom? When you have to say goodbye to your best friend?"

mountain poster

Caitlin Keegan is now selling prints of her "Mountain Poster", which I blogged about here. Yay! Can't wait to get one.

meryl streep is awesome

Awesome, I tell you. I went to go see Julie and Julia last night, and she was so adorable. Right now I'm in the middle of knitting and watching Doubt (another Meryl Streep movie we happen to have from Netflix right now). I had to take a break for blogging because she's just so good.

On an unrelated note, guess who I ran into at Whole Foods today? We had never met before, but we stopped and chatted. It was fun. Also kinda weird. I'm telling you, New York is such a small place. I'm always running into people I know. (Or in this case "know" from the internet.)

mystic, connecticut

I went away to the country for the weekend with Elly and Joe. We met up with Elly's husband Doug and daughter Tova at Doug's parents' house in Mystic. I've never been to Connecticut before and really had no idea what to expect. It was very quaint. All of the houses were incredibly old, somehow in a charming, non-"decrapidated" way. (Sorry, that's my sister's made up word for a mixture of decrepit, dilapidated, and crap. She's really cute when she says it.) I was almost expecting to see Benjamin Franklin peek his head out of a window.

Doug and his dad Dave took Joe out on the ocean for some fishing, and we ate the fish they caught for dinner. At dinner I accidentally said "That's what she said" in front of Doug's parents. Doug's mom Judy let us go through all her vintage knitting patterns (so fun!), and Elly and I walked around town during the art fair. My favorite memories are of running around the backyard with Tova, roasting marshmallows, and playing pinball in the basement.

If you're reading this, Elly, I really miss you already! And Doug and Tova too.