Daddy's Day

Today is Father's Day.  Probably like many of you out there who have lost your father, this day is a bittersweet one for me.  On the bitter side, of course, is that I am reminded of how much I miss my beloved Daddy.  But there's more sweet than bitter; I love the opportunity to remember my amazing daddy and, what's more, to celebrate my husband, who is an incredible father.  In honor of two of my favorites, here are some of ways our family is celebrating today:

Cool cards, like this one that we sent to Dallin's dad earlier this week.  I know we live in the age of Skype and Snapchat, but one thing I learned from my father was how to write a real letter.  And nothing beats the perfect card, especially when it is indeed for one very cool pop.

Card by Hearts Grow Fonder
Available on Etsy

"From mail room to board room," as my dad would always say.  Here is the tie that my little H made for her Daddy at church today.  Very chic.  She has also been modeling it for him this afternoon.  I'm not sure who it looks better on.

Old photos.  A daddy/daughter nap, circa 1983, loving every minute of an afternoon snuggle.  My Daddy was a man of few words; he didn't say much unless he really had something to say, so I learned to appreciate moments of silence shared in complete comfort.  Like when we drove across country together to bring my old Volvo out to LA when I was in college; we listened to a LOT of CDs and shared time together I will always treasure.

New photos.  I love that Harper is Daddy's girl; after all, it takes one to know one.  Here is Harper, with Dallin, after a visit to the doctor's and in desperate need of some Daddy love.  It's cool, I totally get it.

Red velvet whoopie pies: my attempt at making Dallin a Father's Day treat.  I say attempt because there are a few things that I learned in the process...  As it turns out, I should read directions before starting a baking project to make sure I have all the ingredients and tools necessary.  For instance, one needs a whoopie pie pan when making whoopie pies.  In the absence of said whoopie pie pan, a muffin tin will work--but maybe not quite as well.  Fortunately, Instagram (what one of my besties calls "the beer goggles of life") makes everything look prettier.  Here's to hoping they taste good too!

Found notes, like this one from my Daddy.  He wrote this to me after he was diagnosed with lung cancer and was going through chemo and radiation.  Despite the physical toll this process was taking on his body, he found the time to sketch out designs with me--cupcakes, ice cream cones, candy...  All the sweet things that inspired my lolly.brand line.  I am grateful to fathers like mine, who inspire their children to dream.  There are so many ways that he lives on.

On Facebook today, there were countless pictures fathers, as well as status updates paying tribute.  I have to admit, it made me a little sad, wistful perhaps, I wasn't celebrating with my own father.  But a while ago, I decided that I would do my best to celebrate my father's life, rather than to mourn his passing.  This day, I have done just that, showing gratitude to the fathers in my life and appreciation for the examples that they are to their children.  I am blessed to know some seriously amazing guys.  And speaking of which, Dallin enjoyed his red velvet whoopie pie, and Harper did too.  Like father, like daughter...  And so it goes.

3 Flavors of Jelly--With Everything But the Butter & Toast...

While I may simply adore attention, I actually detest unwanted attention. Allow me to explain; attention that I can't control makes me embarrassed and awkward. The root of my social anxiety is kindergarten. My kindergarten class loved to do morning exercises, where the whole class would stand up and "shake out" our energy like we were made of jelly, one limb at a time. On one hot summer day, we were shaking our legs, when my jelly sandal took flight across the room; everyone turned...and stared. Though, I couldn't blame my super fashionable footwear, helloooo, social anxiety!

As you probably know, jellies have made numerous style come-backs since my youthful social trauma. In middle school, my beloved friend, India, had a killer pair of stack-heeled jellies that were glittery to boot! Ahhh jealousy, the green-eyed monster. Then, just a couple of years ago, jellies were back on the scene, this time popular as flats. While I wasn't sure I'd ever see them again after that, I'm happy to announce: jellies are BACK--and better than I ever, I venture to say. This time, their main selling feature is the fact that they are waterproof and thus immune to the damaging effects of rain, unlike most flats that get utterly destroyed in a downpour.

So, like the diligent fashionista that I am, I have searched high and low and come up with my three favorite flavors of jelly...

If you like your jelly with a twist, then you will looove the Jelly Raffia Flats by Tory Burch. The pale grey color is a welcomed alternative to basic black and is also a perfect summer neutral. The blinged out flower at the toe makes these jellies anything but boring--and also has that bejewelled look going for it. I'm not sure how well the raffia flower detailing will withstand a sudden summer shower; depending on how important the waterproof component is for you, this may or may not defeat the purpose of this particular pair of jellies. Still, the flower is sweet and feminine, yet completely neutral in tone so it won't compete with your outfit. Price tag: $77--on sale!

If you're not sure you can commit to the genuine jelly look, then start by taking baby steps--and see how things go from there. These Jelly Capri Sandals in metallic gold from J. Crew are a fun, flip-flop version of the standard jelly flat. And what they may lack in surface area, they make up for in glitter (and what fashionista doesn't love glitter, am I right?). Price tag: $19.50--on sale!

Beyonce may suggest that you "put a ring on it," but if you're one of those girls who likes everything in her life to be neatly packaged, then put a bow on it! The New York "Obi" Jelly Shoes by Kate Spade in fuchsia give the jelly flat a more grown-up look, featuring a sling back, peep toe, and contrasting bow detail. While we may have had our qualms about Tory's raffia flower, Kate's irresistible little bow is made of ribbed rubber! Translation: waterproof like whoa. Price tag: $60

So there you have it, three flavors of jelly that have everything but the butter and toast! The best part? Each and every one is under $100 so you won't blow your summer wardrobe budget. If you live in New England like me, then you know we're destined for a few thunderstorms this season, but your footwear doesn't have to be collateral damage this year. Dress to impress with a pair of jellies, and you'll be--appropriately--sugar sweet.

Images, in order of appearance: (1) Jelly shoe quote, thanks to 1337 Mama (http://www.1337mama.com/); (2) Collection of jelly shoes, image thanks to 944.com (http://www.944.com/) (3) Jelly Raffia Flats in pale grey by Tory Burch $77 (marked down from $110), available online (www.toryburch.com); (4) Jelly Capri Sandals in metallic gold from J. Crew $19.50 (marked down from $29.50), available online (www.jcrew.com); (5) New York "Obi" Jelly Shoes in fuchsia by Kate Spade $60, available online from Bloomingdales (www.bloomingdales.com).

If You're A Barbie Girl...

If you're a Barbie girl, then this will be the ultimate tease: Christian Louboutin and Barbie have joined forces in celebration of Barbie's 50th birthday. If turning 50 means special treatment from Monsieur Louboutin, then count me in.

According to Stephanie Cota, Senior Vice-President of Marketing of Barbie at Mattel, it is a match made in runway heaven, for Barbie has a long history of working with various designers and artists who use Barbie as a muse. It was a natural for Barbie, not only with her fashion heritage, but also because of her passion for shoes. She has a billion shoes and we needed to do something special for her shoe collection.

It may be time to dust off the old Barbie collection--even if you chopped all their hair off before realizing, sadly, that Barbie's hair won't grow back (but I'm not speaking from personal experience or anything). The Barbie Collector site dishes that the premise behind the Louboutin line is that Barbie (international fashionista that she is) spent a year in Paris with Christian himself, exploring his favorite places and experiencing his fashionable world. What's more, Christian Louboutin has actually designed three new Barbies, soon to debut. As part of Barbie's Louboutin-inspired makeover, she also gets four pairs of itty-bitty Louboutins to call her own--equipped with their own little boxes and shoes bags.

No doubt, these limited edition dolls will go like, well, limited edition Louboutins! And the VIP pre-sale list is already closed so it looks like we're just going to have to be patient. Be sure to stay tuned for details, and click here to sign up for the exclusive designer update from Net-A-Porter. Ahhh, life in plastic--it's fantastic.

Image: Louboutin for Barbie, email from Net-A-Porter (www.net-a-porter.com). Quotes and additional information from Barbie Collector (www.barbiecollector.com) and M.I.S.S. (www.missomnimedia.com/).

Where the Wild Things Are

With Halloween barely a week away, I've been thinking a lot about costumes. This year, my husband and I have the privilege of attending a Halloween wedding, where festive attire is encouraged. Despite my best efforts to talk my beloved into a theme costume, he has decided upon Max from the infamous Where the Wild Things Are, Maurice Sendak's childhood favorite that was recently adapted for the big screen. And while I will not be dressing as a wild thing, that doesn't mean I can't incorporate a little wild thing into my day-to-day fabulousness.

So where are those wild things, you wonder? Allow me to introduce a few of my favorites--and don't worry, they're friendly...

Within the animal kingdom, I'm partial to leopard print. I love the way the warm golds and browns contrasts against black. I'm especially in love with these leopard print leggings from Marc by Marc Jacobs. As functional as they are fun, they are pictured here with a sporty blazer, white tee, and basic black flats--but could just as easily work underneath a little black dress with a pair of heels, or with a chunky sweater and a pair of high boots. The possibilities are indeed endless. Unlike my man Tim Gunn, who professed his dislike for leggings on Project Runway a few episodes back, I am all about the versatility of leggings. Especially these.

But as you can see, there is more than one way to play the wild card. This stunning animal print dress from Chloé allows you to truly embrace the animal within, while amping up the elegance factor by way of ruffles and silk. As an alternative, Stella McCartney's ankle boots offer a fresh take on zebra print. Made of black and blue canvas, they are nothing if not edgy. With a less-than-sky-high stiletto heel, I envision wearing them with skinny black suit pants for the ultimate in high-power business/fashion.

The moral of the story is that there is a wild thing inside each and every one of us. In the world of fashion, this is fairly standard, but we all know that life off the runway can be a little different sometimes. Not so, in this case--at least, not with an arsenal of animal print in your wardrobe. So now, in the words of dear Max, Let the wild rumpus start!

Images, in order of appearance: (1) Image from Where the Wild Things Are, from Warner Brothers Pictures, 2009; (2) Leopard Print Leggings $68 from Marc by Marc Jacobs, available at Nordstrom (http://www.nordstrom.com/), photo from Cool Spotters (http://www.coolspotters.com/); (3) Animal Print Silk Dress $1,920 by Chloé, available from Net-A-Porter (http://www.net-a-porter.com/); (4) Animal Print Ankle Boots $675, by Stella McCartney, also available from Net-A-Porter.

lollygirl, lollygirl, oooh lolly lollygirl!

They say that good things come in small packages--and the new line of lolly.brand tees for little girls is NO exception!

A few weeks ago, lolly.brand debuted a new line of tees made especially for lolly.girls. These irresistible tees are baby blue and feature the lolly.brand signature cupcake logo in hot pink. Now little girls can be just like mama, nieces like auntie, little sisters like big sisters--you catch my drift. Of course, these littles have an identity all their own--hence the unique color scheme of these tees, compared to the grown-up style.

But now Lolly (yes, I am officially speaking in third person) is itching for some neon of her own--and her Essie punchy pink nails just aren't cutting it! So there may be a hoodie design in the making, featuring fluorescents for the not-so-little lolly.girls--but shhh, that's neither here nor there.

In the meantime, think of the little lolly.girl in your life--and put a smile on her face! Cupcakes and/or tee shirts--or, better yet, cupcakes on tee shirts--should do the trick!


Image: Hannah is wearing the lolly.brand tee for kids, available in sizes 2T, 3T, 4T, 5/6, and 7 for $15 each. Available now by emailing Lolly at ilovelollybrand@gmail.com. This style is also coming soon to the lolly.brand website so stay tuned at www.lollybrand.net!