Me in Melange

a special thanks!

So I have to start Monday morning off with a VERY special 'thank you' to LV for throwing me one fabulous baby shower this past weekend.  It was at this little wine bar in the south of town called wine styles (fantastic customer service there, and really wonderful wine... I thoroughly enjoyed my sparkling pinot noir grape juice, and need to run back and pick up a bottle for home.)  LV had a yummy spread laid out, flowers from the Saturday market were everywhere thanks to my sweet friend, Meredith, and it was just a great few hours filled with girl chatter and baby showering.  I absolutely adore all of my stylish Eugene gal pals and so happy they came out to celebrate.  I truly cannot wait to introduce my little lady to all of them in just a few weeks. :)  signed, me {mamacita CA}

 

My Favorite Event of the YEAR !!

This is our sixth annual, Women Helping Women event and it is my favorite thing we do all year!  The concept is simple....we encourage people to clean out their closets, and find those things they don't wear and donate them to their local shelter for women.  These donations are vital for women getting back on their feet....they often leave their violet homes, with their children and nothing else but the clothes on their back.  In Eugene we have a great place called Women's Space Center For Domestic Violence.  I'm sure in whatever area you live in, there is something similar!  It doesn't matter how much you are able to donate, but just about anything will help (soft goods as well, like shampoo, hairdryers...all those things that women might need when starting over.)  And as our little incentive for your efforts (as if the feeling of giving wasn't reward enough) we give a 20% discount on your purchases thru Saturday (coupon code: IDONATED).  Thanks for taking the time everyone!  Signed, ME {lv}

Slub Cotton

Slub cotton crops up a ton this spring and fall...it is the fabric du jour!  So what is slub cotton?  Well, since I didn't really know either :-), I looked it up.  It has to do with process prior weaving the cotton, where the cotton is twisted, and the slightly irregular "twists" or lumps are incorporated into the weave.  So it has just a little bit of a texture to it.  It has a really airy feel to it which I love, and doesn't cling to your body the same way regular cotton does.  C & C has a new slub cotton that has, in addition t to the texture, twists of white in it which is really cool! Signed, ME {lv} 

I don't needle point, but I might start!

A friend forwarded this to me the other day and I have kept it up on my computer ever since because despite the fact I've NEVER done needlepoint....I'm seriously thinking I might try it!  These are the coolest graphics I've ever seen for needlepoint and might actually inspire me to be a little crafy.   Check out Sublime Stitching it is a really cool site!  Signed, ME {lv} 

My new favorite "sleeper" top!

I did a little shopping over Easter weekend and I'm officially in LOVE with the Filly Overlay Top .  I bought it in the Thyme color, and I think I'll get it in another color too.  It is a sleeper I think...here is why.  It is nice and cropped, and sheer, and done in a very lightweight cotton voile...this makes it perfect to throw on over your bare camis and tanks for a little coverage--yet it doesn't make you hot.  It has a boxy, easy fit, yet because it is sheer and you see your body silhouette, it is still really flattering and you don't feel frumpy.  To me it is the perfect thing to throw on over things I'm not sure I can quite wear in public (like a strappy bare cami when picking up the kids from school--that kind of thing--can't run around showing cleavage at school, you'll get a bad rep).  I had it on the other day with a long ribbed white tank, and my Citizen capri jeans and it was adorable....a little bit retro (circa 1980), and fun!  I also think it will be great over a tank dress (how it was intended by design--to go over the Filly dresses).  I actually don't have one yet, but maybe I'll find a great white tank or strappy dress for it.....

Signed, ME {lv}

what's that twitter I hear?

Ever wonder how we spend our day? (besides unpacking new things and packing up your orders...)   Well now you can have a play-by-play!  Check out our new twitter box on the bottom left of our site... It's still a work in progress, we'll have all the kinks worked out soon enough.  You can also follow us directly on twitter, if you're into it. ;)  I think I just like saying that word, "twitter".  signed, me {CA}

Margaret O'Leary--I MET HER!!

So I was at the latest apparel show, seeing fall groups, and was in the showroom that represents Margaret O'Leary, Roam & Om Girl.  I was actually viewing the Roam line, and next to me was the woman asking question.  Turns out she was Margaret O'Leary, THE Margaret OLeary!!  Totally NOT what I expected, but i think what I expected was probably a little odd.  I just remember seeing Margaret O'Leary for so long--way before I owned a boutique.  I remember seeing it boutiques when we lived in Seatle, before we even moved to LA, way before we had kids.  So I guess in my head I thought whoever "Margaret O'Leary" was, she had to be kind of old.  So I envisioned an grandmotherly Irish woman who ran the company from afar.

Well, she isn't old.  She is probably about 50.  She has two kids.  She had a sort of bohemian San Francisco/Berkley style.....long skirt, lots of layers, pretty, with short brown bobbed hair.  She was very friendly, and I acted a bit struck.  She has a store in San Francisco (actually, I think she may have two), and she carries Margaret O'Leary of course, but also other lines (like Roam).

So, it is on that note we start the margaret O'Leary trunk show today.  Lots of amazing spring styles.  This really was one of my favorites spring collections.  So stock up ladies, because we won't have Margaret O'Leary for awhile (to be honest I wasn't impressed with the fall collection at all, so we won't be carrying it until it wows me again).  Coupon code:  MOL for a 20% discount on all styles.  These are pre-orders that will ship within the next week!

Have fun!

Signed, ME {lv}

ahh.... vacay.

So besides the bright blue Carolina sky to warm my skin and give it some much needed vitamin D, I now truly feel like I'm on vacation when I glanced to see all the new goods that arrived in my absence at the shop.  The girls have been busy bees!!  And I do enjoy just being able to browse the new things like they just magically appeared (although I know all the hard work that got them up there, thanks to Jess and Lauren!)  Anyhoo, I love being here on the east coast, but I can't wait to get back and see these lovelies in person... thought I'd share a few of my favorite new arrivals. 

              

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!  (and I hope you start feeling better LV :)  signed, me {CA}

My favorite thing about Sex in the City (the movie)

I have a nasty head cold, and as a result have found it necessary to veg out on the sofa watching movies I've already seen before...such as Sex in the City (the movie).  What I love most about that movie (beside the outrageous fashion, and semi-soap-opera-sort-of-real-life-drama) is the fact that NO ONE wears jeans.  No one.  Maybe it is a New York thing.  I don't know being a West coast gal.  I love my jeans, wear them entirely too much.  That being said, I get really sick of them, and wish I could wear "outfits" everyday--that don't include any kind of denim.  Kudos girls from Sex in the City...you all probably wear jeans in real life, but you sure glammed it up for the movies!  Signed, ME {lv}

Funny story I must share!

I just have to share this funny story, because I'm convinced women everywhere will understand how funny it really is.

I'm upstairs hanging out with the kids, and I hear running and muttering downstairs, then I hear my husband bounding up the stairs going from one end of the upstairs to the other between bathrooms yelling in the most distraught "I-just-dropped-my-ice-cream-cone" voice-as close to crying as a person could get...."whyyyyyyyyyyyy is there nnnnneeeevvvvveeeerrrrr any toilet paper???"  I laughed my you know what off.   Damn that toilet paper fairy, she is always forgetting to stop off at this house.   Do you think there is a man anywhere who actually realizes someone has to go out and BUY toilet paper, and it doesn't just magically appear neatly stacked under the sink??  

Big Sigh.  I think I deserve something new and pretty just for having to live with a man :-)--they are so much work!   Signed, ME {lv}

WHY do I do this?

This is classic ME...I do it all the time and it drives me crazy.  I sign up for something, or plan something that sounds GREAT 3 months prior, but when it actually happens I am wondering WHAT WAS I THINKING??!!  Volunteering at the school.....camping.....spin class (o.k, this is always a bad idea)....those are just a few examples.  Cara left for North Carolina today because for some CRAZY reason I thought it would be fun to send her home to do a baby shower and now she is gone for the next 8 days.  Gulp.  So Jess, Amanda and I are tackling things ourselves and I'm wondering why I am allowed to make any decision that is more than 48 hours away.   At least we'll be busy with cute new stuff arriving.  I just checked the radar and there is Stewart + Brown, Nanette, Margaret O'Leary and Eileen Fisher in the next week!! 

Signed, ME {lv}