Basic French Online

I recently discovered this little shop that I'm so completely enamored with I keep going back for more. If visiting France is not on your agenda at the moment, you can bring a bit of France to you from Basic French. 

For your home...

Beautiful Pitcher...I'd love to be pouring flavored water from here everyday.

Antiqued Silver Glass...aren't these cute?

Make your home, linens and clothes smell like the French countryside with this linen water.

For the kiddos...

Oh how my little guy needs to carry these Babar Suitcases.

 

while wearing this shirt.

and these Little Brown Bear books to help us improve our French.

For you...

I definitely need this dress and, of course, the kiddo and I will wear our Mariniere stripes together.

I would wear these Bensimons in forest with my dress...

while carrying this lovely toile de jouy umbrella.

Give and Get is Here: Take a look at my picks for the little man and grab your discount!

I purchase a lot of my son's staple clothing from Gap and Old Navy.  Compared to other popular boy's brands and stores, I seem to have great luck with sizing (the pants fit!) and style.  Plus, it is seemingly impossible to not find cute items on sale at any given time.  This season's Give and Get sale is a great opportunity to stock up on staples and holiday wears at 30% off!  The sale runs from today through the 14th; the above link will provide you with a printable coupon and online code!  Plus, if you use my link, your 5% donation will go to Feeding America, the largest domestic hunger non-profit in the country. 

Here are my picks from Old Navy.  Mr. Man is going to look good and stay warm.

Look 1: All Dressed Up

 1. Sweater

2. Polo

3. Cords

4. Shoes

 

Look 2: Night-Night 

1. PJs

2. Slippers

 Look 3: Snow Day

1. Coat

2. Snow Pants

3. Hat and Gloves

4. Boots

Look 4: Playdate

1. Sweater

2. T-shirt

3. Oxford

4. Jeans

5. Shoes

How about you?  Do you have any picks for the Give and Get sale?  I may have a few picks for myself, like these, this and, this.

gray and aubergine

sweater: thrifted blouse: banana republic
belt: thrifted pants: jcrew
shoes: target

I wore this outfit for my Great Day St. Louis segment yesterday.  I love the "ankle length toothpick corduroys" from J.Crew and I particularly love this aubergine color.  I think it pairs nice with gray, but lately, I've been liking everything with gray.  However, I honestly don't think it is the most flattering color...it has such a draw for me.

If you too are liking gray and aubergine this season, here are my picks from Lands Ends' Canvas line.

 1. Slim Leg Cords, $44.50

Cute fit, great color.

2. Hooded Blazer, $130.00

I really want this. Reminds me of what I wore for my senior pictures, only cuter.

3. Softest Cowl Neck, $29.50

Very flattering. 

4. Satin Ballet Flat, $69.50

Nice, rich color.

5. Motocross Jacket, $34.99

Like the neck detail.

6. Wool Pleated Mini Skirt, $49.50

With goldenrod tights.

7. Capelet, $49.50 

I want to crochet a capelet in this color.

8. V-neck Henley Sweater, $49.50

Oh, soft and warm.

9. Sideways Cable Cardigan, $79.50

Me, you and a log cabin.

10. Suede Heels, $89.50

Grey suede and wood, perfect.
11. Ragtop Washed Canvas Tote, $12.99
This color is only $12.99.
12. Plaid Wool Skirt, $49.50
Um, I actually wore the complete plaid ensemble for my senior pictures.
But, how cute would this skirt be with an edgy bomber jacket, boots and nice thick tights? Winter, here I come.

turquoise tights and corduroy

jacket: ann taylor LOFT(very old) sweater: unknown (from a clothing swap party) 

skirt: j.crew (also old) tights: merona collection from target

shoes: steve madden

Hello! My lovely and newly married coworker took these pictures of me last week; I really wanted to share these tights and me in glasses.  As much as I hate leaving the family when I have to travel, I do love the opportunity to shop my closet, wear heels, and look a bit more pulled together. We took these at the end of the day; so, the little makeup I had actually applied had long since disappeared. 

I rarely have the opportunity to wear tights anymore, since it would seem a bit strange to get that dressed up to go to the park and/or grocery store.  But, when I do, believe me I take advantage of the opportunity.  I love how a pair of tights can turn a drab outfit into something fun and quirky.  

So, are you a tights person?  If so, what are your favorite brands, styles, etc?  I think Kate Spade makes wonderful tights.  I also like Hue, Merona from Target, and Hansel from Basel.  

Here are a few I would definitely wear...

kate spade

Hue

hansel from basel (these are so cool.)

hansel from basel (only $10 right now)

hansel from basel (also only $10 right now)

My Madewell Sale Picks

Do you like Madewell (J.Crew's sister company)? I'm a fan. See #8, I want to look that effortlessly "parisian-cool" all-of-the-time.  Here are a few of my sale picks, if I were picking. 

1. Dancing Pleats Top, $19.99

2. Lace Panel Tee, $29.99

3. Ahoy Striped Hoodie, $48.00

4. Bensimon Vintage Lace Up Sneakers, $29.99 *I love these shoes.

5. Sweatshirt Sweater, $46.00

6. Jewel-Tone Tiered Dress, $109.99

7. Denim Leggings, $39.50

8.Worn and Torn Midi Shorts, $49.99

9. Skinny Ankle Jeans, $59.99

(here)

On I side note, I'm leaving today for my monthly trip to the Windy City for work.  I'm excited for a lot of "adult time", listening to NPR in the car, the view as I drive down Lakeshore, and, hopefully, the chance to pick up a few items from Ikea for my closet-turned-craft room.  

But, I'm super sad to leave my kiddo.  His vocabulary and sentence structure is really expanding and I love his new "catch phrases".  "I'll be light back, mommy!" and "Oh my, that's amazing!" Everything sounds cute in the voice of a two-year-old, right?

P.S. I'll also miss Mr. B. too.

Burgeoning Business or Spare Time Hobby?

This is a sample of some of the jewelry I make with t-shirt yarn and fabric.  If you interested, you can also see some of my other creations if you watch this segment from Great Day St. Louis.  What do you think?  Is this a burgeoning business or a spare time hobby?  

If you go with the former, what do you think is an appropriate pricing structure for such wares? 

Also, what venue would you use to sell them? Etsy? Big Cartel? 

I truly would appreciate any input either positive or negative.  I love making these and, honestly, I like to wear them too.  I'm just not sure if they are "sellable".  Thanks in advance for your input!!!

P.S.  If you haven't already checked out Elisabeth's recipes for Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas and Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding at You Plus Me Equals; then you better get over there to check out the yummy goodness and the beautifully designed blog.

P.P.S. Be sure and visit Jora at Domestic Reflections tomorrow to see what she is cooking up.  Visit, if not for the food, for the chance to "meet" a cool lady!

Sharing with...
Feature Yourself Friday at Fingerprints on the Fridge

Shoes on my feet...

I love love these shoes.  They are comfy, cute and practical--this description fits my day-to-day needs perfectly.  I think I need another pair...note to self...a few are on sale at Madewell now. I shared them here and I've been wearing them ever since.  Try a pair, you'll like love them.

 Last week I posted my desire for Desert Boots this season.  In a brief stop at DSW ( I had a $10 off coupon and was on the hunt for some oxfords) the other day, I stumbled across these.  Oh my, they are comfortable.  And, for $40, they are quite a bit less than my other options.  I will be wearing these with jeans and skirts and I think with a little protective coating they will be great for stomping around in the chilly weather.  

That should do it for shoes this winter.  I dropped off my favorite boots for a little sprucing up at the cobbler; so, I'm nearly ready for the cold. 

How about you, what shoes have you been wearing or what are you lusting after?

*Be sure to stop over at Look Linger Love and check out Cassity's recipe for Chicken Chili and marvel at her lovely kitchen.

**Tomorrow, visit Rebecca at The Reluctant Floridian to see what she's cooking up for fall. 

***Enter to win one of two t-shirt necklaces that I'm giving away at Tales and Trials this week! Here's a peek...

Desert Boots

1.Clark's Originals Desert Boot,$89.95
2. Fringed MacAlister Boots, $69.99

3. Suede MacAlister Boots, $135.00
4. Uhh, I can't find link to these, but aren't they cool. 

5. DV by Dolce Vita 'Bailey', $69.95

6. Mia Desert, $139.95

To be real, I'd rather be scouring the internet looking for some chunky wedges and stacked heels, but I simply have no occasion to wear such shoes at this point in my life.  Thus, I'm considering another favorite, desert boots.  I've been eying this style for a while, and I always come back to the original Clark's (they also make it in a shoe...too cool)or the J.Crew versions. 

What do you think of desert boots?  What's your go-to flat fall shoe?  

Fall Wardrobe Update and Great Day St. Louis Segment #9

 1. striped shirt, navy, gap

2. always skinny jeans (saturated dark wash), gap

3.  cascading always cardigan, olive moss, jcrew

4. Indigo by Clarks, Carle, available at 6pm.com

5. Bensimon, Tennis Lacet in Grey, available here, I purchased mine at Swirl (click here for an invite)

6. striped tee (mine is grey and white), gap

7. stretch slim cargo pants, beigewood (they look and fit much better in person), loft

8. ivory tee (not the one pictured), jcrew

These are a few items that I'll be wearing this fall. Basically, most days I strive for "mommy casual" in a pulled together, yet effortless, way.  I stress the word strive as, quite often, I look like "mommy no-shower".  I'm okay with that, but I've decided to tackle my closet and either 1) sell 2) donate or 3) store everything that I don't where currently.  I have a large closet full of clothes that I mostly DO NOT WEAR.  It's sad, but true.  I still own a lot of dressy "work" items, silk shirts, tight skirts, too fancy for daytime dresses, and tons of HEELS.  I'm not ready to get rid of them (It's hysterical how attached I am to my clothes) as I do use this collection to pull together outfits for the few occasions a month when I am at work, but I want them out of the way so that I can more quickly pull myself together on a day-to-day basis. 

How about you...how to you sift through your closet and what will you be wearing this fall?

On another note, if you missed me yesterday morning on Great Day St. Louis, click here to watch the segment.  I'm demonstrating the technique used to make these...

If it would just cool off, I feel like I could really get in the mood for Halloween.

Sharing with...

Strut you Stuff at Somewhat Simple

Back to cool.

For Mommy

(here)

For Kiddo

(here)

For Mommy

(here)

For Kiddo

(here)

What are you carrying back to school?