Inspiration - Butterfly

Went to visit Westbury Gardens today and was able to snap this photo. Lovely place, so inspiring.  Summer is so full of beauty... More to come on Westbury Gardens.

Early Morning Fashion Musings

So now that I've been waking up super early, I've had a chance to read my favorite newspaper, Wall Street Journal, every morning. The reason I really love WSJ is the excellent articles on fashion, designers, style and the business of fashion. This week alone there has been a number of interesting stories, including one about Divorce Sales, where divorcees shed their old designer clothes, bags, shoes and jewelry. What a great idea, I thought. It is always good to make room for the new, and especially so if you have a lot of stuff with "baggage" i.e. stuff that reminds you of a life or a person that you once had. Getting rid of the old makes you fill in the vacuum with new, both figuratively and practically, and thus helps you move on and create a new (and maybe better!) life for yourself.

Another interesting article was about the "new" designer fabric, linen. Linen is being combined with other fibers to create fabrics that work for high end design, such as silk. The paper even had a picture of a $6000 Lanvin wedding dress that had the artful wrinkled look of linen. I loved it because linen is one of my favorite fabrics for the summer. I don't mind the wrinkles, but these new fiber combinations apparently make linen a lot less wrinkly. And - my own wedding dress was a linen blend as well...my mother's old dress from 1971; that dress was a blend of linen and something else that reduced the wrinkling, probably a synthetic fiber, but it still had that linen hand touch feel.

The third article, this week alone, worth to mention, is the new designer online shopping site for Chinese high end consumers, thecorner.com.cn, by the Italian company Yoox.  The site sells luxury items, which by itself is nothing new. The news is in the shipping service they have pioneered with Fedex. The courier will wait at the doorstep of the customer while they open the package, try on whatever they ordered and make up their minds whether to keep the item or not. If only that service would be used in the U.S. I might be ordering online too! Of course this is all designed to encourage the Chinese to embrace online luxury shopping, but what a great convenience that is...

Jet Lag

Usually people hate the jet lag, and I do too when I have to fly east, but coming home to the US from Finland I don't mind the jet lag at all. I actually quite enjoy it and try to make it last as long as possible. It's nice to gain the seven extra hours. You also fall into a perfect work day routine of early to bed, early to rise. So in the past couple of days I have been getting up at around 5 am, which leaves you plenty of time to brew coffee, chat with kids, take a stroll in the garden and watch the sprinklers' early morning shift, read the Wall Sreet Journal (more about that later) and get ready for work (and actually plan an outfit!). If only I would be able to keep this up forever! But knowing myself, one week is about as much as I can stretch it and then the siren call of my favorite shows (especially True Blood) waiting in the DVR, will have me watching TV after the kids have gone to bed, erasing the ability to wake up early... But I am enjoying this as long as it lasts!

Out of Office

I have checked out on vacation for about 3 weeks! I am hoping to live life fully and not be connected to internet during my time off of everything. Have a happy SUMMER!

See U later, Wall Street!

The Best Purchase

Sometimes even the most wanted items turn out to be duds.. I mean those items that we thought about and sweated over, looked for everywhere and went through some pain to acquire - just for them to then find a nice shelf in the closet and never to come out (I could mention some Giuseppe Zanotti shoes here, but I'll just let it be). And sometimes, we get something almost as an impulse, and it turns out so good that we wear it over and over and over. I have to say my best recent purchase has been the Evelyne bag. I wear it all the time and it is so comfortable, practical and of course stylish that I still stop to admire it every now and then when I get a glimpse of myself in a mirror or a window even with the risk of looking totally silly... What is your best purchase of late?

Hermes Evelyne

Babyproof

This necklace has proved to be the best purchase this spring and summer! It really is babyproof, as it has been pulled on, yanked, bitten, drooled on, and otherwise mishandled while on mommy's neck.. The apple does not fall far from the tree and all my daughters, including the 9 month old, are totally besotted by jewellery.

Banana Republic Necklace

Vogue's American Idols

Vogue online picked American Icons of Fashion - and one of the ICONS was Willow Smith! Excuse me, but how old is she again? 9 or something? Am I the only one who feels that it is a bit more than slightly ridiculous to call a child a fashion icon? She is talented, I am sure, she is very cute and enjoys her time in the spotlight (hopefully), but let's get real...she's no fashion ICON. A better word might be - trendsetter? 

Happy 4th of July

The best firework memory I have is watching fireworks from a boat on a lake, upstate New York, at mid summer. New York City's 4th of July firework spectacular is amazing too, with massive crowds trying to get the best spot to see the show, but there was just something extra special about the little lake, the many boats full of people watching the fireworks.

The Best of Long Island

On a certain mood I might be tempted to say it's the Americana mall, but seriously, the real best thing is the beaches. The good thing about living in Long Island is that the beaches are never too far away... These are pictures from the Sea Cliff Beach.

School's out

This has been the first vacation week for school kids in Long Island. My kids have had a sleepover, been at the pool and a picnic at the beach. Oh how I wish I was a kid again...

NYC Summer Guide

This must be the cutest guide to New York City that I have seen in a long time. So cute that I wanted to share it. Lots of ideas what to do in NYC this summer.

BOOK REPORT

Everything Old...

Becomes New! Like this Coach Bucket bag. I have two of these, in black and in a beautiful light cognac color, somewhere in my closet. I saw the new editions at Net a Porter, and I have to say they still look good. So understated, simple and just right for now. Now, excuse me, I have to go shopping in my own closet!

Speak out or not?

I have been facing some trouble at work lately. I have an unhappy, very verbal and well connected client who is very negative and loves to complain. The problem is that this client's complaints are unfounded, sometimes totally untrue, and not based on real facts, and also not based on what my organization strategically is trying to achieve.

I have tried many ways to deal with the situation, but it's just getting worse. Initially I was very defensive and reactive, then I've been more attentive and pro-active, put in more hours, tried to do things differently, and even had a very direct conversation with this client, which helped for a very short while, but now we are back to square one. I feel like I am teetering on the edge of a blow out.

My boss and other clients have been dragged into the situation. My boss has sympathy for me, and sees the ridiculousness of this client's demands and complaints, but would rather not deal with this headache! My boss's boss, has reamed me out because of this situation - after all, it is my job to keep the clients happy.

I am at a total loss what to do next. I can't fight with my client, the fear being that if I speak out too much, I will get into trouble. But if I don't say anything, I will also get into trouble - and I cannot let this client spread false information around. How to balance the right amount of speaking out and still keep my job - that is what I have been pondering.

In this economy,  I would like to keep my job! And, it would feel so pointless to lose my job now, after all these years and struggling through babies and maternity leaves and balancing work and motherhood to be where I am today. So if all of a sudden I begin to post a lot on the best summer looks, swimsuits or yoga pants, I took the wrong decision and was fired.

To be continued...

Imagine Dream Inspire

Since I cannot take outfit photos of myself that I could actually post online (I may be too critical of myself because of the babyweight issue is STILL there, or then I really am super non-photogenic), here is an outfit picture of my 8-year old's outfit. She is very much into shirts that say something, such as this: Imagine Dream Inspire. And why not, that is a beautiful message. She picks out all her own outfits, and does a pretty good job, if I may say...

New York Love Story

Here is the view from my office this morning:

And here is the view of Central Park South, taken from a Wedding we attended Saturday night:

What a beautiful, diverse city New York is...

And now there is more to love! Trad Home | Lonnymag.com

I did not even have a chance to go through the whole issue..but have to share it as I am so excited that there is now more Lonny to love, in the form of the Trad Home online magazine that they are publishing in cooperation with Traditional Home. What I saw so far was wonderful.

Enjoy

Trad Home | Lonnymag.com

Lonny - Love it!

I love the online Interior Decorating magazine Lonny! The pictures are beautiful and it's full of inspiration.

And the best part is that it's FREE!

Enjoy...


May/June 2011 Issue | Lonnymag.com

Rain on Long Island

This week it has been rain rain and more rain.. My au pair took some beautiful rain photos which I am sharing with you here.

Welcome Home Darling

Happiness is the homecoming of your loved one...especially when he comes home with souvenirs for everyone!

And after having been the single mother to three kids for a few days / nights - the happiness was quadrupled when daddy came home. My hat off to single mothers, it is not easy, no. way. not. ever.

But back to souvenirs. The kids got t-shirts and caps, but my souvenir was the best - a Tod's bag. A beautiful beige/brown color, classic Tod's styling and perfect work-horse size. This will be my new work bag favorite. Had to take it to work right away!

Blogging

I love blogging, but just don't have the time to do it consistently. This is not a goodbye, just a note to say that even if I disappear for a while, I will be back, sooner or later..

Check despair.com for funny demotivational sayings

Motherhood

On the heels of Mother's Day, I have been reflecting on motherhood, and myself as a mother. When I became a mother, I felt that my life was no longer just mine. I take a lot of pride in trying to be the best mother that I can be. When you stop to think about it, the responsibility is astounding - a child's need for the mother is urgent, and a mother's influence is so deep and lasting. Everything you do, all the choices you make and the way you live your life affects your children. I view my children as little miracles, and am still amazed that I have been blessed with three amazing, smart and beautiful babies. It is not always easy being a mother, after all, we are all human and flawed in one way or the other.  But one thing makes it easier, and that is the fact that a mother's love is unconditional. You always want what's best for your children...

The Gown

This is all over the internet, of course, but I have to give it my own nod. Kate's gown is perfection! This will also go a long way to ensure that the Alexander McQueen house will live on and prosper under the tutelage of Alexander's one time assistant, now head honcho, Sarah Burton.

Kids' Art

My daughter's school had an art gallery night showcasing student's art to benefit kids in Japan. The art was really beautiful and I was amazed by the kids' talent. Here is my daughter's piece, combining collage and painting. I hope the school eventually sends this piece home so that I can frame it and save forever!

What would you wear to the Royal Wedding?

I am planning a Royal Wedding Party with my 8-year old for Friday afternoon. Our cablebox will record the festivities that take place on Friday morning (very early NY time) and we will watch later on, after school. The plan is to bring out our most "royalish" china, i.e. Royal Albert Old Country Rose tea cups and saucers, and have a proper English tea with scones and finger sandwiches. My daugher suggested having fish and chips for dinner. I remember watching Princess Diana's wedding as a kid and being awed by the amazing cream puff of a dress.. There has been a lot of hype on what Kate Middleton will be wearing, and I for one, can't wait to see the actual dress! I also can't wait to see what the guests will be wearing to the royal wedding. It is a tough choice -- a day time event that the whole world will be watching and the pictures will live on forever... I hope there will be lots of fun hats and gorgeous outfits. The copycat in me is waiting to pick a couple of pointers for the weddings that I will be attending in the coming months.

Happy Easter

Our traditional Easter grass has been growing for two weeks. The small eggs were a gift from friends from Russia, and the larger egg was a party favor at a party my daughter went to a few years ago.

Finnish tradition calls for decorating boiled eggs with watercolors. Kids always have lots of fun doing this.

HAPPY EASTER!

Tribal Necklace

I am so lucky to have a hubby who loves going to auctions. His recent auction gig yielded this beautiful North African necklace with lapis lazuli stone and steel mesh. I will be wearing this all the time this summer, with a simple sheath dress at work and on the weekends with a t-shirt dress or a white linen shirt and jeans..

Superfoods

Due to a small health crisis - just a scare, thank God - but a serious wake-up call, we have been on a healthy foods kick for about a week now, oatmeal with walnuts and cranberries with a little dash of maple syrup on top (which, by the way, has also been declared a superfood), lots of veggies, brown rice, and no read meat. Yesterday and today I have tried new healthy veggies. Kale, which is somewhere dubbed as a superfood and the most healthy vegetable of all, was a pleasant surprise. I sauteed it with some olive oil, garlic and leftover pesto. Yummyyyy! Even the kids loved it, and asked for more. Another new try, fennel, was good too. I made a chicken sauce with lots of coriander powder (my absolute favorite spice), lemon juice, lemon zest and diced chicken breast (and some salt and pepper, of course). It came out really good too. Eating healthy feels so good, you really are what you eat, because in a just week, I see my energy level is up and I just feel more healthy. And it is now easier than ever, because healthy stuff is available everywhere.

MNG = Mango for JCPenney's

When I heard that Mango was going to do a line for JCPenney's I was very skeptical. I am not a fan of JCPenney's and their efforts in recent years trying to be more hip have not been all that successful. Recruiting Mango is a continuation of those efforts. Last weekend I found myself passing a JCPenney's and when I looked in the door, the first thing I saw was the MNG section. Of course curiosity got the better of me and I had to take a closer look. It was not all that exciting, but it wasn't bad either. The prices were definitely a bit more than other JCPenney's fare. Some of the MNG accessories were really cute, and I ended up buying the spring nautical inspired necklace below.

Fat Stigma

Because I have been struggling with my weight, I noticed a news piece in NY Times about Fat stigma. Fat stigma has of course existed in the fashion industry forever, where even the so called plus size models are pretty much normal (but gorgeous) people to anyone outside of the industry.

Fat stigma is now becoming the norm all over the world, even in traditionally "fat" cultures and places such as Hawaii and Samoa. Skinniness is becoming the desirable state and overweight people are seen in negative light. All over the world they are viewed as lazy, poor, unintelligent and are being passed over for promotions and salary increases.

The public health announcements and advertizing campaigns admonishing against being overweight due to the many health risks are contributing to fat stigma. There is also a lot of discussion of increasing the health insurance premiums for obese people, or denying care until they can lose weight. The latest state to join the movement is Arizona, where Governor Jan Brewer is about to make a similar proposal. And why do I care? Because unless I can get my weight under control, I may soon be one of the stigmatized fat people. And anyone who's been there, trying to lose weight, knows how complex and difficult and hard that process is...There are also many obese people that are so because of illness. To deny care, or increase insurance premiums for them would be irresponsible, in my view. What do you think? Where do you draw the line?

Put Your Own Oxygen Mask On First

I am beginning to understand why it is so hard for me to lose the baby weight this time. I am simply too stressed out, tired and busy to focus on my own needs, relax and quiet the mind (never mind listening to the body). Stress makes me eat, as silly as it sounds! I should add something to the top of my already long list of things to remember: Put your own oxygen mask on first. I need to take the time to care for myself, however impossible it seems, in order to be able to care properly for others. I want to be happy about myself, be a positive example and role model to my daughters. I want to be a strong, healthy, independent, intelligent, interesting, fun, self confident and stylish woman with a clear sense of her self and abilities, and healthy values. I would like to think that most of the time I get there, or close. But this weight issue is bringing me down... How do other women do it?