What to get for a wedding gift

After hemming and hawing over what to get my sister and her husband for their wedding after perusing their picked-over registry, my friend Lauren told me she got her friend a monogrammed ice bucket for her wedding because, judging by the registry, they needed one and she wasn’t about to be remembered for a collection of dishtowels and Tupperware. I immediately went online and ordered my sister and her husband a pair of monogrammed Egyptian cotton bathrobes to keep them warm (and coordinated) in the San Francisco cold.

It inspired an article that I just wrote about the guidelines (and gift ideas) for going off-registry. Some amazing D.C. homewares experts gave me some great tips! Read it here. My favorite item was this pillow, perfect for keeping the peace in a newlywed household:

Wedding registries offend me in a few ways, but mostly because I hate being told what to do and doing what’s expected of me. I don’t feel like a bundt pan or all-clad stainless steel expresses love and appreciation. Now that I am getting married, I am being forced into creating a registry. I already have a set of dishes, utensils and tumblers for a party of 12 but have served 1 for the past 5 years. Whisks scare me. I can barely lift my cast iron grill pan, much less heat it up and cook something on it. I have one pan and one spatula that I love, and every once in awhile I’ll go crazy and use a pie dish.

On behalf of my aunts, grandma, and my mom’s friends, I dragged myself out to Williams Sonoma to learn about what a decent first world kitchen should have these days, and found myself spending a good hour with a woman who wanted to “educate” me about pan sets. I learned that there are pans you can buy that will last you 100 years, but you’ll be buying Pam spray for life and other pans that you’ll have for 20 years but you won’t ever need Pam, however you should use a silicone spatula which need to be replaced biannually.

I came out registered for a taco holder, so my tacos don’t fall over; a lunch meat slicer, in case I ever kill and cure my own instead of picking it up at my local Safeway; and a strawberry corer, for which I have no rational explanation. And, just to be ironic, a stone-age-esque mortar and pestle made of granite, only to be used to make guacamole.

Then I came home, deleted them all, and added the all-clad stainless steel pan set the lady told me about.

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The Perfect Shirt, Part 2

Click here to read my interview with Rochelle for Refinery29. I want that snakeskin skirt!

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Countryside Chic

Band of Outsiders knit sweater / Blue jeans / Old Navy shoes / nette leather shoulder bag / J.Crew leather glove / Coach scarve / Woolrich Men’s 44903 Elite Vest

 

This past week I was doing some research on the best Bed & Breakfasts in the DMV for a Refinery29 story (read it here) and found so much inspiration not only for how to redecorate my bedroom (um, hello golden bamboo canopy bed with cream linens) and how to spend a winter weekend getaway (by taking sunrise horseback rides and then spending the rest of the day sipping Bailey’s and coffee while watching the snow fall on the Blue Ridge mountains, touring Loudon County wineries, or both) but also naturally thought about how I would pack for said weekend. Above, find the perfect countryside outfit that is comfy but so not country: Cable knit, high heeled hiking boots, distressed denim, a men’s utility vest, and the most perfect fur stole (I seriously may order these jeans tonight – they are the perfect mix of ‘I just got attacked by a rabid animal’ and ‘Aren’t my heels cool? Isn’t it convenient that my pants don’t cover them up?’)

Oh, and of course, leather and shearling mittens, my Minnesota cousins taught me that you cannot, nay, should not, spend a winter without leather hand protectors to shield you from the elements.

Below, find my dream bed that I found at Inn at 202 Dover:

A cool, artsy home



Kira Neal has the coolest home ever – plus a great eye for design and art. She inspires me to use more color, and her place has made me want to start collecting modern and pop art to add to the walls of my apartment. I interviewed her for a Refinery29 article about buying a place and wish that we could have included a hundred pictures of all the style she packs into her 2 bedroom condo on U Street!

Here are some of the originals Kira sent over when we were first considering her apartment – guarantee these will make you want to redecorate tonight:

 

Gigee Marie

I love her clutches! Check out my interview with Angela Bright, the designer behind Gigee Marie – she gave me some great tips on starting my own business (including using a free ecommerce template – no idea those existed but now I am determined to use one and  save myself those eBay sellers fees).

D.C. was created for Election Night

Maybe its the mistakes that I made at George this time last year, but there is something magical about election night in D.C.! Click here to read my Refinery29 roundup of the best parties in the District.

Oktoberfest weekend

What can I say, I have a soft spot for Schnitzel – my first trip in Germany was actually just a loooong layover in Frankfurt. I ventured out of the airport for lunch and ended up in a cafe with a waiter who insisted I have a Warsteiner and Schnitzel. After I ate it I tried to explain to him that it was truly an oversize chicken nugget but I am not sure he understood. Anyway, my point is that I’m not really a beer drinker – but I am excited to check out some D.C.’s Oktoberfest celebrations and have some more Schnitzel nuggets.

Read my Refinery29 roundup of the best parties to check out in D.C.

Cardigan alternatives

Its cold out, so I finally pulled all of my sweaters out from the under-the-bed Tupperware they have been living in since March. It’s my favorite part of the seasons changing – and there’s something about a seasonal break from your wardrobe that gives you perspective. And helps you purge.

Something happened in the past six months that has made me detest cardigans. No offense to Jackie O, but they just look tired after awhile. But what to wear with tank tops? Cold shoulders? Light blouses that just won’t cut it in 50 degrees? I researched some solutions to this perplexing problem for a Washingtonian article – read it here.

Outfits For Fall

Ah, it’s 80 degrees and I am wearing a sweater, silk pants, and boots. Mother Nature is so stubborn. What to do with temperature predictions that have a 25 degree margin of error? Dress in layers, of course – and crack out the ankle boots that look good in everything! Read my Washingtonian post with more ideas on wearing summer dresses in the fall. (I just bought the black suede ankle boots in the floral dress roundup – they are going to be a fall staple)

For my fellow fleabags

I took a trip to the Virginia Bazaar last weekend to do a little research for a story, and found the WEIRDEST stuff (think wolf tee shirts, wigs, and every Barbie ever created). 

Thanks to my friend Lauren for keeping me company on the long drive… and for discovering the world’s largest collection of Furbees. Below are some pictures I took of the better picks from this market – vintage glassware, cast iron pans, vintage jewelry, and some amazing spreads from McCutcheon’s (and by amazing, I mean that they were all delicious – and trust me, we tried every single sample… a few times… ) We left with a few jars of Chipotle Mustard and Honey Mustard and I am already running out!

Click to read my Refinery 29 roundup of the best flea markets in the area!