Category — Housewives on the Internet

One of the perks of a snowy slushy freezing day outside is a chance to curl up in front of a fire inside. With a good book? Mais non, with the stack of catalogues that have been accumulating since the holidays! Today, Moi discovered:

Crows Nest Trading Co

Featuring clothes, accessories and furnishings with a definite western/southwestern flare, the catalogue caught my eye even though by the last page I was a little overdosed with turquoise and antlers. Billing itself lodge decor, I have a feeling Omaha bff J would definitely shop here!

I loved this armoire, particularly the turqoise blue wash. In fact, it reminded me of my recent trip to India (except for the silver cross motif), where the wooden doorways and much of the furniture is painted blue and aged (real or faux) and is a popular US export.

But what I really craved was the collection of peasant-style cotton embroidered shirts. White embroidered with turquoise, green studded with mirrors and beads, black stitched with dazzling flowers and lacework: these were exactly the bobo (bourgeois bohemian) look that I like, and have collected on my travels to Greece, Poland, Hungary, and other Eastern European countries.

Hmmm…. Can Moi get away with rocking the cowgirl rain boots?

The lastest thing to save my sanity and my back is Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets. I discovered these on the shelf at a Walgreens in Chicago, didn’t buy them, thinking I could find them in NYC. Wrong. Sometimes NYC grocery stores are just too small to carry the latest and greatest, and since there is no Target in Manhattan for 1 stop shopping, I was out of luck. Fortunately a couple weeks later I was back in Chicago, and picked up a box that easily fit into my carry-on.

Laundry detergent in Moi carry-on? How did TSA approve that, you might ask. No liquids!

This laundry sheet contains detergent, fabric softner and anti-static. Its small, and fits on my laundry shelf. Its light-weight, and easy to carry home from the market. About $7 for a box of 20.

Moi Tip: I have a front loading combo washer/dryer by LG. Love it! Fits perfectly in my tiny NYC kitchen. But it does have a smaller interior, so I cut the sheets in half. Works great: clean clothes, and a box lasts twice as long. What’s not to like?

Just spotted an ad in the NYTimes for this 8-strand freshwater pearl necklace from Ross-Simons: only $39.95! Honestly, this picture on the Ross-Simon website would never have interested Moi:

Clustered with eight twisty strands of 4-4.5 mm gleaming, white cultured freshwater pearls, it creates an amazingly flattering neckline – for a price that’s pretty amazing, too. Necklace is set with sterling silver hook clasp.: RS

But this ad in the NYTimes immediately caught Moi eye: for that price, a great necklace!

3 lengths available, also in brown cultured pearl. $3.95 shipping fee. Stock up: these are great for birthday, Christmas, graduation or any special occassion gift: perfect for your gift drawer. But hurry…several of the styles are already on back order!  www.ross-simons.com/THEBEST or 1.800.556.7376 offer code: THEBEST

Back in the day the biggest book purchasing question was whether to buy the hardback, or wait for the paperback to come out months later. (Library readers are another post: and YES, I have 3 library cards: one for NYC, one for Chicago, and one for SoFlo).

Now the stakes have been raised: should you buy an e-reader, and if so, which e-reader. I have long been a fan of e-books: I installed eReader on my Palm Pilot years ago, so reading in this format has long been convenient and practical for me. Volumes have been written comparing the Kindle to the Sony Reader to the Barnes & Noble Nook. And no question: reading an e-book is not the same  romantic, magical experience as picking up a much loved, much read favorite novel and reading it again for the 10th time.

An e-reader is not for you if

• you tend to drop your books in the bathtub, and microwave them dry. Yes, Jeff Bezos gave an interview explaining that he wraps his Kindle in a ziplock to read in the bathtub; that’s a visual I can do without. Personally, I’ve never dropped mine in water.
• you want to share your books with 52 of your BFFs. Our Queen Mum received the Kindle last year for Christmas, and she promptly returned it: she likes to share all her books. (FYI: we got her a snow-blower instead.)
• you read mainly gossip and sports and fashion and lifestyle magazines (at least not yet: the industry hopes to get more magazines in e-format soon)
• you constantly lose your books in cabs, hotel rooms or at the beach. These babies are expensive to replace!

But if you’re thinking about it and need that final push to purchase an e-reader, read on!

Moi is an avid reader since childhood, and was an early adopter: I got the Kindle last year for Christmas. In fact, I purchased one for my daughter, and a 2nd for me, wrapped both, and gave mine to TBG to present to me Christmas morning. I’d had it in my gift drawer for nearly 2 months, I barely held out until Christmas day. And as I jetted down to SoFlo after Christmas I was happily reading  James Patterson and having the USAToday wired to me every morning.

Contrary to some in the publishing industry’s initial fears, my reading has actually increased because I don’t have to go to a bookstore to get the latest. I read about it in the NYTimes Book Section or the USAToday Books or Oprah’s Book Club or O Mag Book Reading Room, and moments later its in my Kindle and now, easily accessible through my beloved Kindle iPhone app (OK, sometimes the book is in my Kindle Wish List, but not for long, I’m an avid book buyer.) And I still go to bookstores frequently: I’m addicted to both Borders and Barnes & Noble: I firmly believe in giving books as gifts, as many of my nieces and nephews know 1st hand; I love coffee table books and cookbooks, which are not the targets of the e-book market (at least not yet!) and I just like bookstores: they make Moi happy!

Note: the Kindle for iPhone or iTouch app is free! You still have to buy the books from Amazon, but you do not need to purchase the Kindle. I find it very easy and convenient to read on my iPhone, and I have both the Kindle and BN iPhone apps, and will download the Kindle app for Blackberrys to TBG’s Blackberry when it finally becomes available. Not everyone likes reading on such a small screen, but I can easily adjust the font size, and its very convenient to be able to read when I’m on the bus, the subway, in line at Starbucks, waiting for a movie to begin, or wherever I find myself with a few moments to spare. And I can add books I’ve purchased to TBG’s phone: book sharing! [Read more →]

Moi eyes are lighting up at the tres chic postcard from Swann Auction Galleries announcing the upcoming auction December 16, 1:30 pm,  of “Rare & Important Art Nouveau Posers”. Swann promises “scarce and seldom seen masterpieces by… Mucha, Toulouse-Lautrec, Chéret, Bonnard and Steinlen.”

I’m not sure I’ll be buying, but I’ll definitely be browsing during the pre-sale exhibition:

• Saturday, December 12 10am-4pm
• Monday, December 14 10am-6pm
• Tuesday, December 15 10am-6pm
• Wednesday, December 16 10am-noon

These exhibitions are like an art exhibit: and they’re free! Moi learns alot by visiting auction pre-sale exhibitions: there are always specialists on hand to answer questions. Featured will be a color lithograph poster France-Champagne by Pierre Bonnard, circa 1891.

If you’re not going to be in NYC for the auction, check it out online: you can view the catalogue online, and place online bids! Now that’s smart cyber shopping.

Moi tip: If you’d like the poster but its out of your budget, consider purchasing the illustrated catalogue for $35. Or be chic and cheap like Moi and save the promo postcard!

Santa’s Helper (Moi!) has been busy every day giving you ideas for everyone on your Christmas list. Have you been checking Moi list? I’m checking all my secret sources, and bringing you a fun new gift idea every day, now until Christmas. Did you miss a few gift days? Never fear…Moi saved them all for you!

To make it extra easy, everything Moi recommends can be bought online…and you can avoid the crowds on Black Friday! Catalogue Countdown to Christmas: are you shopping now?

Moi tip: lots of Moi friends have great Christmas gift ideas too, so follow Moi on twitter! 

Type the words “black friday” into google or bing  or twitter and see how many millions of hits you get. Which are the best? I prefer a few major sites:

• blackfriday.info
• blackfriday.com
• bf.net
• theblackfriday.com

Unless you’re in some sort of a media-blocking coma (in which case you’re not reading this) you’re being TMI’d with Black Friday promos:

• Amazon.com has announced this is deals week
• Apple’s ad has been leaked (hasn’t everyone’s ad been leaked? Who’s doing the leaking?)
• iPhone has new apps to help with Black Friday shopping
• Kohl’s is allowing customers to make a pre-BF shopping list and 4am opening
• QVC is promising deals to keep viewers locked to their television screens (Moi likes this idea: the deals come to Moi!)
• Target is promoting a two-day BF sale with 5am door-buster deals
• every national and local paper and news broadcast is providing shopping tips, websites, deal-breaking news to keep viewers on edge and frenzied
• stores are announcing new security strategies to prevent tragedies like that in 2008

What does Moi plan for Black Friday? Maybe a stroll down to Columbus Circle with a Starbucks chai tea latte to see what’s on sale at Williams-Sonoma after Thanksgiving. Wander across the street to Best Buy to check out whether iPhone has finally invented a retractable headset. Drift on down to Bed Bath and Beyond to check on a few items on Santa’s list.

But if there’s a crowd, I’m not going in. I’ll drift on home (with another Starbucks tall skim chai, extra-hot, extra-water latte to sustain me), haul out the turkey left-overs, maybe a glass of champage, and become best buds with my DVR. Maybe drag my laptop over to the couch. Cuddle up with the pup while TBG works (sorry, TBG!) I’m shopping smart this year… I’m waiting for Cyber Monday!

A business friend was married recently, and TBG and Moi needed to find an appropriate gift,  though we weren’t invited to the wedding. We wanted to wish them well on their new life together. You know how it is, we needed to do something, we wanted it to be creative, fun and appropriate: show alot of thought, and not spend too much money.

This is an ND friend, and as in all things ND, we decided the fun part would be the Notre Dame colors, blue and gold; and the Notre Dame passion, football.

Hmmm…original, blue and gold, Notre Dame: that took Moi a little serious mind tumbling…

Voila! The age old appropriate gift, champagne! And our fave Champagne, Veuve Clicquot. Love the widow (veuve in French) and her story as a young widow leading this small French company to the top of the Champagne world. Even better: VC is packaged in gold!

This  VC bottle comes packaged in a fab gold hardcase traveller, with 2 champagne glasses: Parfait! Moi jumped on the internet, and googled and binged and compared prices, and came up with a very reasonable $80 for the set…compared to up to $150 on other sites. This travel set is perfect for picnics, tailgates, days at the beach, movie in the park, anywhere you need to add a little luxe to the menu.

Hmmm…now for the blue part…blue food? blue paper plates, blue blanket, not too expensive…think think think…

Voila! Moi has to read her own blog: custom printed blue and gold M&Ms…perfect! Buy 3 get 1 free. Free shipping. Sold!

Like the Veuve Clicquot idea but look for something a little less, well, gold and a little more romantic? Check out VC’s Rosé Mon Amour line: perfect for an anniversary, Valentines’ Day, or any reason to celebrate.

What are you celebrating? Santé!

Ever since there was a blurb about it in O Magazine a few months ago, I’ve been trying to track down the Tweezerman Zip File, without success. Why? O touted that this would solve all my nail-file-lost-at-the-bottom-of-my-purse problems: Small but easy to find, no more covered in gunky purse stuff (don’t ask) and not snagging everything in sight, including my good nails. It’s a small nail file enclosed in a plastic shell with a little button you “zip” up and down to move the file in and out of its protective case. Sound too good to be true? It was: I couldn’t find it.

O Mag didn’t give any buying hints, so I checked the area drug and beauty stores, no luck.

So I’ve shopped and searched the manicure departments until SCORE! Today Moi found it, right around the corner at my neighborhood RickysNYC. $5.00. I love me some Rickys.

I asked: it’s only been in stock about 2 weeks, so I haven’t been walking right past the display. There were several colors to choose from, I picked baby blue with smiley-faced stars, because blue is Moi favorite color. And added bonus: this was a special promotion, and $1 from every sale is donated to The SmileTrain Foundation, which provides free surgeries to children with cleft-lip and palate. Go Tweezerman!

Give a girl a hand, nicely manicured, bien sur. And give a smile to a good cause.

Moi tip: If you don’t live in NYC and you can’t find the Zip File near you, get it online at drugstore.com

Are you afraid of auctions because you’ve seen it happen in a movie: some poor woman in the 2nd row at a high-price auction scratches her nose and the next thing you know she’s writing a check for a silver-plated bed pan.

don't be afraid to raise that paddle

Most of us are familiar with ebay online auctions, where you can search and bid on everything new and used from clothes to books to doorknobs to dustpans to electronics to wine to cars and houses in the privacy of your own home. But there’s another way to bid on auction items: in person.

I first got the auction bug years ago when we lived in Connecticut. TBG and I loved taking long back road drives through the countryside, often stopping at antiques shops, country stores, tag sales, and eventually, country auctions. Fairly soon we understood how things worked, and although we never needed to bid on a tractor or a bakers’ dozen of chicken coops, we got the hang of it and enjoyed the show. Then we moved to Paris, and I began to spend alot of time at Drouot.

Not familiar? Drouot is a large auction house, over 150 years old, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, with auctions of everything from entire households of

Drouot auction house in Paris

furnishings to a single strand of pearls. I’ve been lucky enough to accompany friends who have successfully bid on a suite of wicker furniture, rings, antique linens, paintings, and tableware. Even more fun is to visit Drouot in the days prior to an auction and inspect the items up for sale: who knows what treasures might be in that locked trunk being auctioned “as is” or that 6 inch pile of sketches? Wandering from room to room listening to dealers, decorators, and doyennes is a real education in antiques (as well as a mini-French lesson!) [Read more →]