wanted: j.crew leather texting gloves

i’ve been on the hunt for cute texting glove for a while now. i found this pair at shopbop, and while they’re cashmere, and probably extremely cozy, they’re sort of blah, design-wise. if i’m going to splurge on gloves, i want to find something a little bit more special. especially given that these gloves will be going all over the place, holding bus railings and subway poles morning, noon and night.

we’ve officially hit frigid, cover-every-open-patch-of-skin season here in new york, which means i’ve got to find a good pair of gloves, pronto. lucky to me, j.crew has all my bases covered, with these chic but classic leather gloves that have been specially treated for smartphone use. i mean, HELLO, genius idea. should i tear myself away from my phone more often? yes. could i do without instagram while i wait for the 7am bus? of course. but do i want to? hells to the no, sister. a girl’s gotta check her instagram feed even when it’s cold!

and for that, i present to you, these j.crew gloves, officially on my WANTED list.

i’ve found my birthday gift

have i told you guys that my feet (well, really just my left one) are falling apart? they are. i broke my sesamoid (a teeny, tiny little bone in the bottom of your foot bed) earlier this year, and spent 6 weeks in a hideous grandma-style orthopedic shoe/boot/sandal hybrid that pretty much resembled the tevas i used to wear at camp…on crack. and my foot got a little bit better, but not much. i then dropped $500 on custom orthotics (ouch, credit card bill), only to find that they didn’t make much of a difference, and they only fit in my sneakers. which would be fine, except that i hate sneakers. see, i’m about as un-athletic as they come, despite my love for bar method and recent affinity for soul cycle. i legitimately did not own real sneakers (besides rainbow sequin converse…) until i hurt my foot. and then i went out and bought a neon pair of nikes. and while i like them, i guess (they’re okay, for sneakers), i don’t love them. i don’t want to wear them. i don’t enjoy looking at them in my closet, nor on my feet.

but you know what i would enjoy looking at on my feet? these babies by new balance. they’re from the retailer’s collaboration with heidi klum (random), and are pretty much as cool as i think sneakers could get in my book. black, gold and coral? SIGN ME UP. and for less than $90 buckaroos, these have “birthday gift to myself” written all over them.

like a fine wine

i’m super into all things wine-colored lately. that includes, but is not limited to: my new oxblood colored faux fur snood from anthro, my stila lipstick, my berry-colored nails, and of course, a good red wine. this weekend, i tried on just about every wine/plum colored lipstick sephora had to offer, and i came away with this one from stila in brigette. i’ve also got this lancome one on order – it was the hands down winner of all the stains, pencils and sticks i tried. below, a few others i loved.

marc jacobs | bite | nars | stila | ysl 

happy thanksgiving!

i don’t know about you, but i’ve got a whole lot to be thankful for.

1. my family. they keep me sane, and prop me up when i can’t stand on my own.

2. my friends. they make me laugh, cry, and keep me on my toes.

3. my cat, penny lane. she is the best kitten i know.

4. my health. my body enables me to work hard, to stretch, to push itself to the extreme. i am in better shape than i’ve ever been, and i feel so thankful for it.

5. my job. i love what i do.

6. the work i do outside my job. i write for others on the side. i keep this here blog. these things keep me from experiencing too much writer’s block, and challenge me to up my game and perfect my craft.

7. my home. it took many years, but it finally feels like home.

8. my city. new york may knock you down from time to time, but it always picks you back up.

9. my exercise routine. i have finally found not one, but TWO places to sweat it out. to let all my worries melt away, and to get in shape while doing so. thank you, bar method, and thank you, soul cycle.

10. inspiration. this city is full of it. my job is full of it. the internet is full of it. i rarely lack for inspiration, and for that, i feel quite lucky.

what are you thankful for today?

holiday gift guide 2013: stocking stuffers

as a jew, stocking stuffers isn’t something i’ve ever gotten to enjoy, but i adore the concept, the idea of stuffing little stockings with tiny little bits of happiness, whether they come in the form of the best red nail polish, the best mint toothpaste, or the best resuable bag. shop the picks below, and i guarantee, you’ll have some happy campers at your house.

ps: even though i’ve got no stockings, i’d still love those happy heart socks. or that new york is my boyfriend clutch (preach. ain’t it the the truth).

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holiday gift guide 2013: paper snob

though kindles and ipads dominate the world, paper hasn’t gone away. not just yet. people may prefer to read their books and their magazines on e-readers, but when it comes to calendars, cards, and pretty pretty prints, it’s all about paper. this guide is for the girl who still prefers a handwritten note to an email, the one who has a framed gallery wall worth coveting, the one who keeps a true calendar on her desk and a true agenda in her purse. you know the type. these gifts are for her.

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you should be reading: the yonahlossee riding camp for girls

anton disclafani’s first novel is “the yonahlossee riding camp for girls.” it’s an odd title, one that catches your attention immediately. the ingredients of the book sound as though they’ve been cherry-picked from two popular genres: historical romance, and YA fiction. happily, these are two of my favorite genres, and i’m happy to say that disclafani delivered on both fronts.

yonahlossee is set at an elite boarding school in the 1930s – a time when american was teetering on a financial cliff; many had already gone overboard – a place where girls are plucked from their wealthy, debunate-style upbringings and shipped away to the blue ridge mountains of north carolina.

our heroine is thea atwell, a precocious, beautiful teenage girl who has been banished from her idyllic florida home after committing what we only know to be an atrocious sin. so atrocious, in fact, that her family, including her twin brother sam, refuse to speak with her. thea is a fierce, passionate young woman, but also selfish, judgmental, and as we soon learn, self-destructive.

home schooled by her father, the only doctor around for miles, thea has grown up roaming the 1,000 or so acres of her family’s florida farm with her brother, sam, and her pony, sasi. their only other friend? a slightly older cousin, georgie, who visits the farm with his mother from time to time. uprooted from all that she knows, thea isn’t eager to join the girls at yonahlossee, but she soon finds her place at the school. her classmates are of another class; though thea has grown up wealthy, her florida wealth is nothing compared to that of those who come from up north.

disclafani’s smooth, fluid characterization of the other girls at the camp neatly fills the boarding school stereotypes: the popular girl, the odd girl out, the nosy one, the spoilt child…but they do so with grace. as a reader, you find yourself aligning with a girl or two – the one closest to your own character, presumably. none of the girls are perfect, all have their faults, and as such, they become interesting, if not exactly likable, characters.

as thea begins to find herself at yonahlossee, she loses herself too – in the arms of an older man at the school. her precociousness, her passion, her lust for life – all of these work against her, as disclafani spins a romantic page-turner that, while veering into soap opera territory ever so often, finds itself squarely in the realm of beautiful, perfect, literary fiction.

a must read, i promise. perfect for book club, or trips to the beach, yonahlossee is a can’t miss.

 

 

home tour: cindy sherman’s eclectic farmhouse

i fell pretty hard for cindy sherman’s eclectic farmhouse, as featured in AD. i don’t know that i could live in a home this color crazy 24/7, but i’d certainly stay here for a few nights, and take all that texture in. the space offers some serious inspiration in the form of layered, funky, bohemian patterns, and how to mix them all together. the sunroom below is so cozy and so chic. i love all the eclectic upholstery – the warm, natural wood of the walls and the bright light shining in from the windows allows for some crazy pillow mixing.

meanwhile, the kitchen is actually quite ‘normal’, so to speak. a butcher block island is all clean lines, and is complimented by high, breakfast bar style modern seating. a farmhouse kitchen in all its glory, this room is.

i die for this dining room. here is where the patterns get reigned in, and a simple color scheme does all the talking. this room is proof that simple blue and white can make magic. love that regency style chandelier, especially when mixed with fun, funky embroidered chairs, chinoiserie wallpaper and an antique wood table. simple, yet oh so chic.

meanwhile, the master bedroom is the stuff of dreams. marled wood side tables bring the outdoors in, while the blue and white theme continues, this time, peppered with bronze and gold accents. how awesome are those scones? love.

i mean, i would take a bubble bath in here. i would take nine million bubble baths in here. who wouldn’t?

this is the one room i don’t love. the colors and patterns together just aren’t working for me. but hey – you win some, you lose some.

 

ah, to be sitting outside with a cup of tea and a good book at dusk with this view. i can feel the serenity seeping out from the edges of this image. someday…

holiday gift guide 2013: beauty junkie

the other day, i went into sephora to purchase a clarisonic for one of the folks on my holiday gift list, and came out with three free gifts. why? because i had over 1000 points to use on my beauty insider rewards card. why did i have that many? because i am an bonafide beauty addict. makeup, hair, nails…you name it, i’ve got it. i can’t even bear to show you my makeup drawer (while well organized, i exhibit some slight hoarding tendencies in the eyeshadow and lipstick departments). it’s embarrassing, especially given how little makeup i actually wear on a day to day basis. and yet, i’ve got about 5 different shades of fuschia lipstick. i’ve got at least 4 red lip stains (for the record, my favorite is actually a drugstore brand!). i can’t even tell you how many tubes of lip balm i have. i really can’t. and then there’s the eyeshadow. and the glittery eye shadow, which, yes, is still a thing in my life at the ripe old age of 27. i know there will come a time when i will outgrow glitter, but i simply can’t see that time coming any time soon. maybe when i’m pregnant? there’s something sad about a pregnant woman wearing eye glitter, right?

anywho, suffice it to say, i know my shit when it comes to beauty. i own almost everything i’ve featured in this post, so i can say it’s sarah tested, sarah approved. my personal faves include the best glitter nail polish under the sun (hands down, i promise), my beloved clarisonic (bye bye milia), the best all in one highlighter/shimmer stick i’ve ever tried, body oil so luxurious you’ll swear you’re royalty, and peppermint blotting papers, for when you’re sweating on the subway in your parka come february. trust me, all of these gifts will make the ladies in your life happy (and maybe even some of the gents, too).

now, let’s get to it, shall we? beauty junkies, unite!

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holiday gift guide 2013: office space

have you ever heard the acronym “GSD”? it stands for get shit done, and it’s a modern working woman’s mantra if i’ve ever heard one.  i love technology just as much as the next girl, but sometimes, it feels like we’re all just so damn plugged in. most of us have desk jobs, but our screen time doesn’t end there. we get home, and there’s facebook to check, blogs to read, instagram photos to like and comment on. social media is never-ending, like our to-do lists. i know i’m not alone in feeling overwhelmed from time to time, whether it’s at my day job, or at home on the weekdays, struggling to check items off my list. here’s the thing: work will always be work (even when it’s work that you love), so why not make your workspace pretty? i’m a big fan of streamlined acrylic tape dispensers and gold staplers (desktop glitter! what could be better?). and there’s nothing like a pop of pink, whether it’s in the form of an organizer or some thin highlighters. if you have to take notes, you might as well do so in a bright, cheery, lime green notebook. and if you have to organize documents, you might as well do so in a quirky strawberry folder. because let’s face it. when your shit is pretty, it’s easier to get shit done.

see other gift guides:

all that glitters

gemstones

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