The Forgetful Wife

Weekend reading + a few bits and pieces {7.27.12}

Kate — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 12:30:39 +0000

The Ugly Truth by Ann Bauer in this month’s ELLE stood out for some reason, I just had a feeling I should read it. The delicate topic of Ann’s heart-wrenching story raises questions on how we perceive beauty and the judgements we make about each other based solely on looks. I don’t want to say too much about the article but strongly encourage you give it a read, the message is a good one – and the happy ending is both satisfying and uplifting.

1. A collection of pen drawings by Sylvia Plath.

2. Fun new monthly series over on Theresa’s blog, Inspiration Cooperative – very curious to see the personalized spin her guests put on the assignment.

3. The inaugural post kicking off Victoria’s new weekly series – a great topic tying in nicely with this week’s weekly reading assignment.

4. Quite possibly the most creative thing I’ve seen all week - lipstick stickers. There’s also Chanel nail polish stickers, Birkin bag stickers and all sorts of other luxury goodies. Is it weird that I kinda want to plaster my entire house with them?

Happy Weekend everyone!

Art Love: Card Board Cities

Kate — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 12:30:54 +0000

Getting used to this new blogging schedule, or rather lack thereof has been a little bumpy so please bear with me. As many of you know from personal experience - transitions take some time to get used to.

I’ve been meaning to share Laura Redburn’s quirky and hauntingly dreamy work for weeks – it just felt wrong to keep it all to myself for this long.

I swear I’ve seen that giraffe before, possibly in a nightmare.

There’s a whole lot more where that came from on the CARDBOARDCITIES site. Oh, and it’s all available for purchase. You’re welcome.

Prada Menswear: Fall 2012

Kate — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 12:30:04 +0000

So, Garrett Hedlund and Jamie Bell are cute and all but in my opinion the true standouts of the Prada Fall 2012 menswear campaign (shot by the brilliant David Sims) are Gary Oldman and Willem Dafoe. When I opened this month’s Vanity Fair I literally gasped when I saw these dapper gents looking up at me especially after seeing the runway show to end all runway shows. The clothes are stunning and these gentlemen wear them with an air of mystery and drama. I’m going to stop gushing like a little school girl and let y’all enjoy the eye candy.

images via TOM & LORENZO

A life In Pictures: The Rose Bowl Flea Market

Kate — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 12:30:00 +0000

The Rose Bowl Flea Market was one of those quintessential Southern California events that I’d heard about even before moving to the West coast. The fact that I’ve lived here 4 years and never experienced it was getting to me, so I enlisted the husband to join me on the trip to Pasadena. The experience was just that, an experience. The people watching alone was worth the 1.5 hour long car ride – I loved walking around and observing the real antiquing pros do their thing. The amount of antique furniture, clothing, jewelry and just about every trinket under the (very HOT) sun was overwhelming. I even surprised myself by leaving empty-handed with a plan to re-strategize and come back with the necessary provisions – an umbrella, sun-block and one of those nifty wheely carts. If anyone has any suggestions on how to most effectively traverse that battlefield or any antique shopping tips and tricks, please do share.

~ colorful pillows and spices ~

~ historical western badges & victorian keys ~

~ benches and chairs in the perfect shade of mint ~

~ luggage and shoes ~

~ 1949 calendar, stunning mid-century dinnerware, camera lenses ~

*all images by moi.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…

Kate — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:30:38 +0000

As some of you may have noticed, I’ve been a little MIA lately. The reason for my scaling back is kind of a good one. No, make that a GREAT one. This week I started my new job as an associate editor at Beso.com – the site devoted to shopping. Anyone that knows me (or anyone that has spent any amount of time reading this blog) will surely agree that shopping is a passion of mine. Now I get to spend my days combing the internet and writing about my findings to make the everyone else’s shopping experience easier and more enjoyable – I honestly couldn’t be more thrilled!

What does that mean for The Forgetful Wife? The truth is, I don’t know yet. I love this little blog and I’m so grateful to everyone that drops in to see what I’m up to. I still plan on posting regularly, just not quite as often as I used to. The content will be changing a bit as well. Odds are you’ll be seeing more recipes, original photos and design inspiration and fewer posts devoted to style and shopping – for that you’ll have to visit me and the rest of the kick-ass editorial team over at Beso! Hopefully your curiosity has been supremely peaked, and you’ll head on over to Beso.com and the Beso blog to take a look around. I have a feeling you guys will love it just as much as I do!

A weekend insta-captured

Kate — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 12:30:13 +0000

Whenever we are blessed with such a picture-perfect weekend (which is pretty often here in Southern Cali) I get extremely snap-happy. The weekend was spent doing a little bit of everything but mainly – there was lots of indulging in good food.

I started the weekend off right by getting a much-needed haircut and color spruce up. You know how you’re supposed to get trims every 4-6 weeks or so? Yeah, I haven’t gotten a trim since last year so this was a big deal. A visit to the new Helmut Lang boutique on Melrose is always a good idea. Even though the trip across town is a pain, especially dealing with weekend traffic, the eye candy hanging off the racks is not to be missed. Sunday called for lots of good food and walking around the neighborhood. GJelina in Venice serves up a truly spectacular brunch – the parmesan and herb fingerling potatoes with truffle oil are nothing short of heavenly. And yes, those buckwheat pancakes are just as delicious as they look. A trip to Venice is not complete without an Intelligentsia coffee and a quick stop at Firefly where I scored some of that Washi Tape I keep hearing about. The rest of the day was spent on a leisurely walk with the dogs and preparing for the upcoming week. What did everyone else do over the weekend? Anything fun?

P.S. The winner for the Gift Shop Brooklyn giveaway has been announced! clicky clicky to find out who the lucky gal is.

Weekend reading + a few bits and pieces {7.6.12}

Kate — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 12:30:20 +0000

I cannot express how thrilled I was when I saw the front page of last week’s Sunday Styles section. Right there, front and center, was my ultimate girl crush – Ulyana Sergeenko. Ulyana is a designer/photographer/street style darling (I’ve written about here before in this post) and one of the lovely ladies featured in this week’s Weekend Reading selection. The article is titled ‘The Czarinas Are Back’ and talks about the recent influx of Russian fashionistas on the style scene. These ladies are editors, stylists and writers in addition to being die-hard luxury consumers. Being born in Eastern Europe, I have always kept an eye on Russia’s small yet extremely talented group of fashionistas and couldn’t be happier that they’re getting the notice they deserve. Full New York Times article, right this way!

1. This week Ulyana presented her couture collection in Paris – the only way I can describe it is “Soviet Military Chic” at it’s best! View the full collection here.

2. A while back, the talented folks over at The Coveteur photographed some of Miroslava Duma’s (a prominent member of the Russian “it” girl crew) gorgeous belongings during a stay at The Plaza for NY Fashion Week – here are the drool worthy photos from the shoot.

3. The lovely Erin of LikeWantNeed posted this Kimbra video as part of her Tuesday Tunes series – and just when I finally got that SOMEBOOOOODY!!! song out of my head.

4. I devoured The Perks of Being a Wallflower in two nights. Yes, I know it’s a short book . But seriously, I couldn’t put it down. I can not recommend this book enough – especially since the film adaptation is coming out soon! Please read it so we can all collectively gush about how amazing it is!

Happy Weekend everyone!

Stars and Stripes

Kate — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 12:30:21 +0000

Well, it’s the 4th of July. I can’t believe the lightning speed with which this year is zipping by. Never one to miss put on an opportunity to theme dress, the fourth is MY kind of holiday. I recently put together this post about this summer’s red, white and blue trend. Today, I thought it would be fun to put together a few of my favorite stars and stripes themed pieces. These lovelies are equally patriotic as they are wearable. Anyone can easily incorporate any one of these pieces into my wardrobe!

A very happy 4th of July to everyone!

stars: 1. Barney’s NY star socks 2. Wildfox seeing stars sweater 3. Mathias Chaize star drop earrings 4. Penelope Chilvers mary jane espadrilles 5. Current Elliott star print low rise short

stripes: 1. Lisa Marie Fernandez striped seersucker swimsuit 2. Equipment pajama set 3. LeSportsac beach tote 4. Manolo Blahnik striped pumps

The girl behind Gift Shop Brooklyn + Giveaway!

Kate — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:30:02 +0000

From the moment I laid eyes on them, I’ve been OBSESSED with the whimsical creations of the lovely Annie, mastermind and creative force behind Gift Shop Brooklyn. The fact that all the clutches, makeup bags and shoulder bags, amongst other things, are hand-made in my home town of Brooklyn, NY (and made to order) just sweetens the deal. I recently ordered one of the pieces as a birthday gift for my best friend. After it arrived (beautifully packaged, might I add) I promptly learned why the tag line for G.S.B. is “gifts you’ll want to keep” – parting with the beautifully designed yet functional clutch has proven to be very difficult.

After I reached out to her and professed my love for Gift Shop Brooklyn, Annie was kind enough to answer a few of my questions about herself and her creative process. Oh, and she is also giving away one of her fabulous clutches to one lucky reader! I can’t enter my own giveaway…can I?

So here’s Annie’s interview with the giveaway details right after!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grow up?

There was a time I thought I wanted to be a judge.. ”because all you have to do is make the final decision, and tell people what to do”. I then found out you had to first be a lawyer; I quickly changed my mind. When I was very young I wanted to be a hair dresser, which I think was a more accurate path for me than a judge. I think sewing, styling hair, and designing graphics are all a similar art form. Working with one’s hands, and problem solving the same way. I was always working on some type of art project growing up. I remember I had a ‘nail art station’ set up in my room with acrylic paints and paint brushes, and I would paint all sorts of designs on my nails.

When and why did you decide to start your business?

I think I always knew. I needed to spend time in the real world of corporate companies first however, to gain the confidence and knowledge to actually try something on my own. It was only about a year ago I started Gift Shop Brooklyn. I was miserable at my job, and my husband couldn’t deal with seeing so depressed all the time. So we decided I would quit. I was unsure what my next step would be, so I just started creating. I knew I wanted to start an online shop, and I had so many ideas in the beginning, I wanted to try everything! I did actually try most of my ideas, people seemed to be most interested in the bags, so that’s what I moved forward with. To be honest, I didn’t really know how to sew that well when I first started. I read a lot, and watched online videos, and basically just learned from trial and error. I have always loved working tediously with my hands (basically things that would be torture for most people), I think that’s why I took a liking to sewing. I really want to try jewelry soldering also, but my plate is pretty full at the moment.

What keeps you creatively inspired to come up with new designs?

I usually get ideas in the middle of working on something else. I will see some pieces of fabric together, making an interesting combination; or all of a sudden get an idea for a new shape. Sometimes I stop what I’m doing to try it, other times I have to jot it down so I can think about it for a while. I also do this thing in which all of a sudden I say ‘I need to see some new colors in the shop immediately’, so I will go to my suppliers, and see which fabrics and leathers I respond to. (This is not exclusive to my shop though, I do it around my apartment too) I will love love love something, then out of the blue I will say ‘ I can’t look at that anymore!’, and do a revamp.

Apart from design what are your other interests/passions in life?

Dates with my husband, Alex. Vintage and antique shopping! It can be a problem haha. There’s so much good old stuff out there!! Taking pictures of my cats and sending them to Alex while he’s working. I also LOVE pinterest

You must get pretty stressed running your own business, how do you unwind?

I’m still learning how to do this. I usually run on motivation and adrenaline like a crazy person, then my body will basically crash and burn. Then I start the cycle all over again. I’ve been trying to pace myself and stop working at a normal hour, and not do so much on the weekends. I’ve recently started going to kick boxing class, which is amazing!! You basically kick and punch as hard as you can for an hour which definitely relieves any frustrations from the day; and it forces me out of my apt / workspace for a while.

Giveaway CLOSED!

The winner is…. Linda Mayers-Gabbard! Congrats and please e-mail me with your info!

Giveaway Terms:

~~For a single entry: Follow Gift Shop Brooklyn and The Forgetful Wife~~ ~~on Twitter here and here~~.

~~For an additional entry: Like both Gift Shop Brooklyn and~~ ~~The~~ ~~Forgetful Wife~~ ~~on Facebook here and here~~.

~~Please leave a comment letting me know that you did all of the above (a separate comment for each entry) and wait patiently until a winner is chosen on Monday July 9th!~~

~~Pretty simple, non?~~

~~Giveaway open to everyone. The winner will be picked using Random.org I will announce~~ ~~the winner on July 9th in an update to this post, please enter by 8pm July 8th.~~

~~Thanks and GOOD LUCK~~!

Weekend reading + a few bits and pieces {6.28.12}

Kate — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 12:30:36 +0000

The biggest, and unfortunately saddest news this week was the passing of writer, producer, director Nora Ephron. I haven’t read any of her books, although I’m planning on diving into I Remember Nothing or I Feel Bad ABout My Neck on my next long flight. I’m much more familiar with her films. I can recite ‘You’ve Got Mail‘ from beginning to end and I can always depend on ‘Sleepless in Seattle‘ for a good, healthy cry.

So for my upcoming weekend reading, I can’t wait to get lost in this New Yorker article written by Lena Dunham – the writer, creator and star of one of my favorite new shows GIRLS. It’s about her first, nerve-wracking meeting with her idol, Nora Ephron.

A few bits and pieces from the week:

1. Not quite sure how I JUST NOW discovered Smitten Studio - the lifestyle and design blog of Greenroom Creative Director, Sarah Sherman Samuel. Better late than never.

2. Keeping with the literary theme this week – the trailer to the much-anticipated Anna Karenina film starring Keira Knightley. Very good casting choice in my opinion.

3. A very long but strangely entertaining list of authors and their top ten favorite books. This is the list used to come up with the 10 books in this post.

4. And finally, the ‘When Harry Met Sally’ orgasm scene and 9 other things we should thank Nora Ephron for.

Bon Weekend!

images from here, here, here and here.