Miguelina

Living room update: Look at how far we've come!

Since the world economy is tanking and everybody's just consumed by the election (which is just a week away - THANK GOD) we figured it was the perfect time to go shopping for furniture. Why? Because everything's on sale and we're tired of watching CNN.

People, I think things are moving along. FINALLY.

Here's a reminder of our living room looked like in March (remember, we had been living in this house for almost a year by then):

Sad, no?

Then July came along, and we bought some furniture:

Things were starting to come together, but we were missing a focal point. Since I'm a blogger I just photoshopped it into place:

Guess what? The couch is here AND we bought drapes! It's a miracle! Take a look:

Decorating the living room? It's on!

I hate to break this almost perfect streak of me not writing about anything of substance to share actual news with you, but screw it. I'm so excited I can't help myself!

Surely you remember the sorry state of my living room? No? You have more important things to think about you say? No worries - here's a reminder. (Blogging is so useful sometimes!)

How cold and unwelcoming - but no more! Ladies and gentlemen, I now present you...Furniture!

TA-DA!

Isn't it exciting! We now have actual chairs where you could sit and chat if you ever were to come visit:

And here's a view of the room:

I know what you're thinking, "Roxanna? How can we say this nicely...your three chairs and rug are cute and all, but how could we possibly visit? There's no place to put our drinks, you have no couch - and the sun! It'll be in our eyes!"

Friends! There's no need to worry - the couch is on back order and will arrive, oh, probably never. You know how these furniture people are. I also know that the curtains will be some sort of shimmery gold, but the saleswoman pissed me off so now I need to find someone else to make them.

I was, however, very pleased to see a picture of a couch that looks very much like the one we are waiting for on the cover or House Beautiful and it just so happens to be shown with curtains very similar to the ones we want:

The couch will go in front of the windows here:

Apparently I couldn't be bothered to pick up the toys before taking the picture, but I could be bothered to "Photoshop" the couch into the living room. See? It even came with a coffee table! If only life were so simple!

Next up? Deciding what kind of tables to buy. Should we go metal and glass like on the magazine or should we go wood?

I don't know what to do. What say you?

Fit to a tee

I've been on the lookout for summer clothes that are easy to wear and even easier to care for. (Remember the Great Dress Search? I may be a bit too obsessed with "machine-washable" clothing.) I just worry that caring for two kids and working from home makes it way too easy to fall into the t-shirt+jeans+flip-flops rut. I want to look decent - even if I don't have to!

Don't tell anyone, but I actually like wearing jeans and tees. I figured that there has to be happy medium; so I went shopping the other day and was delighted to find these t-shirts:

They're exactly what I needed! They're literally as easy to put on as a regular tee, but they're so interesting that they can't help but dress up my jeans and skirts. And I can look decent, even when all we have planned is an afternoon at the park. AWESOME.

(Purchased at Anthropologie.)

(Like you couldn't tell.)

Hello! Are you bored?

Wanna see pictures from my wedding? I just posted some at Aisledash.

Belt tightening: It's all relative

You're probably aware of the economic gloom gripping the world - unless, of course, you're not. It seems that no one is immune, not even Vogue, my beloved purveyor of guilt-free frivolity. Whenever I feel guilty for buying something for myself, all I have to do is pick up the latest issue and tell myself, "At least I didn't spend $900 on flip-flops," and go on with my life.

This month's issue has a helpful piece called "The Economists" where their editors show us that "being chic without breaking the bank is, indeed, possible." I was intrigued (how could I not be?) so I took a look at it. DUDE. Do you know what they call "budget" shopping? A $500 per item limit. That means that you could spend $495 on sunglasses and $350 on flowers and $310 on a cuff bracelet and $475 on (gorgeous) green flats and they'd still consider it "budget shopping."

I love you Vogue, I really do. But don't jump on the frugal bandwagon when you don't have a clue. I'll stick to looking at your pretty pictures for inspiration and go elsewhere for budgeting advice, thankyouverymuch.

The video below gives you a taste of what they're talking about. It's unintentionally hilarious.

At the other end of the spectrum is Target. I'll confess, I'm not a big fan of Target (too much stuff and way too many people in one place.) But it was hard to miss the 5-piece luggage set on sale for $49 on the cover of their Sunday circular:

$49! What a deal! Too bad you'd have to be an idiot to travel with so much luggage these days. Don't you have to pay a check-in fee of $15 per bag - each way? Better spend your $49 towards one decent carry-on. Because - surprise! This set is nothing but junk.

You say you want a revolution? Here you go:

This is a brilliant idea and, like most ideas that have the potential to change the world, it wasn't mine. Dammit.

I was going to kick myself for not coming up with this first, but I decided to spread the word instead. I'll let The Elegantologist explain:

June 7th, 2008 will mark the 230th anniversary of Beau Brummell’s birth. I propose that the 4,000 - 6,000 readers I have mark the event with a day of celebration of personal style. Our mis-en-scene will be the world at large. 

Make it a point to gather several well-dressed friends (the more the merrier) and head for a local watering hole, museum, theatre or other public venue. Dress better than you have to. En mass, a statement will be made. Beauty will be in the eyes of the beholders and maybe, just maybe, someone will think it’s a movement. The news media will pick up on the sudden reëmergence of elegance. Strangers will be compelled to rethink the day’s shabby wardrobe choices. Long dormant manners will see the light of day. Heads will turn and polite smiles will be exchanged.

JUNE 7, 2008 - Mark your calendars. Have fun and be fabulous! I can't wait!

Coco

In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different. - Coco Chanel

This is my favorite photo of Coco Chanel. I love the cool confidence in her eyes, her carefully styled hair, the creamy strands of pearls casually piled up on her shoulders. Heck, I even like the way she's defiantly pointing her cigarette at us, daring us to question her.

It's a photograph of a woman who has confidence - in her intelligence, her taste, her femininity. The picture of a lady in her lipstick and pearls, she's also as cuddly as a porcupine. The magic of being a girl is that you can run the world in earrings and heels, if you choose.

It's a beautiful picture and, in my eyes, it's enhanced by the obvious colorization. I love colorized photos! They're much more honest than the photo-shopped atrocities that get passed on as the truth nowadays. We all know that no living human being is actually that flawless in appearance - the colorization is more art than journalism, although when I was little I thought that the past really was saturated in color.

Here's the non-colorized picture. It's still beautiful, just not as striking:

Elegance is refusal. - Coco Chanel

Chanel's life story is quite interesting, and while she made some questionable choices, I think that the essence of her story is inspiring. How she became an orphan and learned to sew from the nuns who raised her. How she rebelled and became a cabaret singer (which earned her the "Coco" nickname). How the rich women around her mocked her for being skinny in a time when voluptuousness was the ideal, and for not wearing the expensive and complicated clothes that were fashionable at the time.

How instead of striving for what she couldn't have, she made the most with what she did. When a wealthy suitor offered her anything she wanted, she opted for a lease instead of diamonds. How she opened her shop, and designed clothes made out of inexpensive and wearable materials that would fit and flatter her skinny frame. How her famous "little black dress" was inspired by the shapeless frocks of the nuns from that orphanage from so long ago. How she freed women from the corseted and petticoated clothes she was supposed to aspire to.

The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud. - Coco Chanel

The photo above is from the same 1936 photoshoot. I like that picture too because it shows a less stylized, more relaxed Chanel. She was in her fifties by then, and while I love the colorized and airbrushed photo I also appreciate the beauty of reality.

More photos and quotes after the jump

(Photo credits: Parisenimage)

True Luxury

That's Salma Hayek and her fiance Francois-Henri Pinault, the billionaire CEO of PPR (the company that owns luxury houses Gucci, Balenciaga, Boucheron, etc), pushing the most basic of strollers - a Graco.

That, my friends, is the true meaning of luxury.

My favorite definition of luxury is "a pleasure out of the ordinary allowed to oneself." It has nothing to do with flashy logos or things that are expensive solely for the sake of being expensive.

Why spend a fortune on a "luxury" stroller when your baby couldn't care less? The Graco is practical and safe. (Of course, they're probably wearing thousands of dollars in beautiful clothes - just look at her gorgeous coat - but they can afford it. And they get to enjoy looking good for each other. Good for them.)

What a breath of fresh air.

(Photo from People en Español)

My harshest critic...

"You are not a princess today!"

What my three year-old said after seeing today's outfit (sweatshirt+jeans+slippers - SO SUE ME.)

Clever and pretty is a dangerous combination

Two incredibly adorable things I've come across this week:

The Shoe Wheel

It's like a hamster wheel, but for shoes...er, it sounds stupid, so just look at it:

It looks gargantuan, but in the end I think it might be practical. I'm just not sure if I need one.

Spinning the shoes might be fun though.

Latico Loose Change Clutch

Now this one might actually solve a problem. Have you noticed how when cashiers hand you your change they place the bills on the palm of your hand and then they pile the change on top? Why is that? Do they think that it makes it more likely that you will dump it in the Tip Jar if it's inconvenient?

Personally, all it does is slow me down and piss off the customer behind me. What good does that do? But I digress.

This little clutch is cute and it has a little slot on the side so you can drop in your change just like if it was a piggy bank. Or a slot machine. So clever!