Category Archives: Objects of Desire/Fashion

Dec6

Mindful Giving Gift Guide For The Foodie

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Mindful Giving Gift Guide For The Foodie

I believe that the best gifts are those that are meaningful.  By that I mean either globally in the form of a gift that gives back, personally in the form of sentiment, or thoughtfully supporting something the receiver is passionate about. I know I’m not the only one out there passionate about food, so here are a few suggestions for the epicurean in your life.

EAT:

Gifts For The Foodie:

1. Jerusalem the cookbook: If Cous Cous could bring peace, then this book is needed more than ever right now. It is a gorgeous cookbook filled with delicious recipes by two chefs who both grew up in Jerusalem. One a Muslim, one a Jew who met in London as chefs and became friends and collaborators. They have worked  together to create what they have admitted to be a self-indulgent, nostalgic trip to their past in this guide to the flavors of their youth.  This is more than just a cookbook, filled with beautiful photography and regional history it delivers more than just rich flavors of food, but culture as well.

2. Have you noticed the foodie trend this year seems to be flavored sea salt? I think a set of samples would make a great gift to a hostess or for the holidays!

 

 

 

 

3.Combine a gift set of various flavored sea salts with a few flavored olive oils and I think you’ve got the foodie on your list covered!

 

 

4. Throw in some exotic gourmet chocolate from Vosges if you really want to put them over the top!

 

 

 

5. The Dean & Deluca Limited Edition Pantry Feed Bag is a way to feed hungry children along with the food lover in your life. The FEED bag comes filled with pantry staples from Dean & Deluca.

 

 

6. The OXO Be A Good Cookie Spatula 50% of the proceeds of each cookie spatula will go to pediatric cancer research. Not only is this Spatula a great cooking tool, but also a constant reminder to “Be a Good Cookie.”

Dec3

Sea Of Glass

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Sea Of Glass

When our boys were toddlers my friend Michelle and I used to let them walk along side us on the beach while we combed the sand to find beautiful treasures of sea glass. Two states and six years later, when Michelle decided to start a business creating jewelry made from sea glass, she ran into an interesting problem.  The now common practice of recycling has made Sea Glass increasingly more difficult to find.  Part of her desire was to create jewelry using environmentally friendly recycled materials.  When researching alternatives to sea glass she came across recycled glass beads made in Ghana.  She fell in love, and her Lollie Beads creations were born.

African glass beads have been made by tribes for centuries in areas such as Kenya and Ghana, but have seen a recent resurgence in popularity due to the global heightened desire for environmentally friendly products.  The glass beads have a similar texture and translucent look that is reminiscent to that of sea glass.  I love the fact that she only sources her beads from Fair Trade suppliers to ensure that the artists who make the beads benefit directly.  Fair Trade partnerships were created, and strive to ensure that the trade and retail of handmade creative products are produced in safe and fair practices.  Their goal is to continue to improve the working conditions of those in developing countries, to ensure fair trading partnerships between organizations and producers, and to sustain the economic growth of developing countries by linking producers to new trading avenues.

I had first seen Ghana glass beads when through social media I followed my sister-in-law on the ONEMoms trip to Ghana last spring. There ONEMoms helped to  usher in the inaugural vaccine program with the GAVI Alliance.  The ONEMoms team also visited a glass bead factory  on their trip  where they observed how they were made, and posted photos of the resulting gorgeous glass beads that I had never seen anything like before.

 I suppose part of my close bond with my sister-in-law and my friend Michelle comes from sharing the values of caring for the environment, and the desire to give back. It still felt like some amazing full circle somehow when within 6 month they both introduced me to these stunning beads, that had been around far before any of us, but that I had never seen before last spring.  I fell in love with the African continent when I spent six months traveling through it in my twenties. Ghana was one of the countries I did not get to go to, but I tend to gravitate towards anything made in that region, and love to support tradespeople there.  With the holidays approaching I scooped up a bunch Lollie Beads Bracelets to give as gifts, and of course a few for myself to wear too!  Michelle is now selling Lollie Beads at craft shows, a few boutiques, and they can be purchased at www.lolliebeads.etsy.com.  Sea Glass lovers rejoice!

Nov8

Nordstrom Rack Sneak Peek Party & Grand Opening

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Nordstrom Rack Sneak Peek Party & Grand Opening

It turns out that not only does Nordstrom Rack know how to pick great fashion finds for it’s customers, but it also knows how to throw a great party! I had been invited as a blogger to the Sneak Peek event held at the store for the Warwick Nordstrom Rack last night before it’s Grand Opening today.

As an invited guest I received a Nordstrom’s Rack canvas tote goody bag as I walked in the door, turns out it was perfect foreshadowing in which for me to carry home my haul at the end of the night.  Not even the wind and snow of a Nor’easter could keep Nordstrom Rack fans away, and it was worth braving the storm.  There were servers with trays of amazing appetizers, drinks and desserts provided by Blackstone Catering of Newport, RI who roamed the store all night bringing out a non-stop flow of delectable treat after delectable treat.  D.J. John Grammatis who is out of Chicago, but brought in by Nordstrom to its special events, kept the tunes pulsing throughout the store. Pretty cranberry martinis and glasses of white wine flowed, and the not yet opened to the public store was packed with high-end fashion at discounted prices, and an energetic vibe.  I can not tell you how much I have missed having a Nordstrom Rack nearby, I am incredibly excited to have one open up here.

 I‘ll never forget the day I called up my friend to tell her that I had just bought 3 pairs of shoes at Payless for $30.00.  It took a few moments for her to stop laughing because back then I was not exactly known to be a bargain shopper.  Times had changed for me though, I was no longer the single working girl living in New York City whose stores of choice were my neighborhood boutiques in SoHo or Barney’s New York.  In those days I would not have blinked an eye at buying myself a pair of $300.00 shoes that I loved, so 3 for $30.00 was quite a change for me. The Payless day was while we were living on my husband’s meager training salary and I was a stay at home mother to our three children.  Needless to say I had to learn to change my shopping habits big time!  I began clipping coupons for groceries and thankfully discovered Nordstrom Rack where I could still find the clothes I loved, at prices I could afford.   I learned so much during that time period that even after my husband’s salary began to increase, I could never go back to my free spending ways.

My love for good quality fashion never waned, but by the time I was through with investing more often in Maternity wear and clothes that could get spit up on than chic dresses, we had moved to a new area without a Nordstrom Rack.   Any city with a Nordstrom Rack that I have visited, I’ve made a point to go, now finally nine years later a Nordstrom Rack has come to me!  (Oh, and those $300.00 dollar shoes from Barney’s, I have to say were so worth it , 18 years and a few new soles later, and they still look good.)

Nov5

Fashion Flash: Don’t Miss Narciso Rodriguez at kohl’s!

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Fashion Flash: Don’t Miss Narciso Rodriguez at kohl’s!

This Wednesday November 11th, Kohl’s launches their collaborative collection with Narciso Rodriguez, one of the hottest designers out there, for their Design Nation line.  Stores debut the collection nationally at 7am, and since this is a limited edition line, on sale for a limited time, if you are a fan, I suggest you find your nearest Kohl’s. If the quick selling Target lines by Missoni and Jason Wu could be any indication, price conscious fashionistas could wipe out the supply in no time. From the Kohl’s website it looks like some great color block pieces, hot patterned pants, and sleek dresses are part of this affordable collection. I had to let you know!! Just don’t push me out of the way when we are stampeding in at 7am, I may not have had my coffee yet!

Oct10

Twitterpated About The ONEMoms In Ethiopia

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Twitterpated About The ONEMoms In Ethiopia

Photo by Gabrielle Blair

Photo by Rana DiOrio

Photo by Liz Gumbinner

Photo by Alice Currah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I cannot tear myself away from my twitter feed these days! I am pretty much a twitter neophyte, (usually I tweet out random things with misspellings to my thousands of followers that I immediately regret), but with the ONEMoms/ONEMums in Ethiopia this week, I am completely hooked on twitter. It has been so much fun to be able to truly follow along with them on their trip to Ethiopia, and to get real time photos and stories from the field.

 

FashionABLE scarf

From their arrival in Addis Ababa, to a visit to Mary Joy Center,  where ONEMom, Supermodel, and Activist Maya Haile and her husband celebrity Chef Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster sponsor ten children. To the FashionABLE factory, where gorgeous scarves are literally saving the lives of the women who make them, giving them an alternative to exploitation and providing a sustainable  business, and education. Those of us following along got a peek at the visit to the Hamlin Fistula Hospital where 90% of the women who are seen and treated are cured.  Each new place bringing photos and stories of hope flying home to us to share. The stories are all bursting with hope brought on by visiting these amazing facilities that are changing lives, saving lives.   The ONE Moms & ONEMums, are part of ONE.org,  “a movement of moms everywhere using their extraordinary power to spread awareness for the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease. These moms are leading a movement to promote education, engagement and activism on behalf of the world’s poorest”.- ONEMoms  ONE.org does not ask for money but for voices.

ONEMoms in Ethiopia

Voices for those without the ability to amplify their own voices. The children, the oppressed women, the ones with no outlet for their grievances but acceptance.  The twelve moms on this trip to Ethiopia are all women with strong voices in media and in their fields, a Publisher, a Pig Farmer, a Lawyer, a Scientist, Food Bloggers, Mom Bloggers, a Supermodel/Activist, and a designer, their diverse backgrounds coming together to send a shared message.  These programs are working, look at the progress, and the possibilities.  You too can add your voice by joining ONEMom.

 

 

 

 

 

You too can follow their amazing journey  and share it with others via SoundCloud, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, ONE Moms blog and the members individual blogs listed below. But I warn you; you may not be able to tear yourself away!

Gabrielle Blair, DesignMom @designmom
Alice Currah, Savory Sweet Life @SavorySweetLife
Rana DiOrio, Little Pickle Press @LPP_Media @RanaDiOrio
Asha Dornfest, Parent Hacks, @parenthacks
Cathleen Falsani, Sojourners @godgrrl
Liz Gumbinner, Cool Mom Picks and Mom101 @coolmompicks @mom101
Jennifer Howze, BritMums @jhowze
Christine Koh, Boston Mamas @bostonmamas
Michelle Pannell, Mummy from the Heart @michelletwinmum
Diana Prichard, Righteous Bacon @Diana_Prichard
Maya Haile Samuelsson, MarcusSamuelsson @GateHaileMaya
Kelly Wickham, Mocha Momma @mochamomma
Karen Walrond, Chookooloonks @Chookooloonks (the trip photographer)