Category Archives: Things We Like

A Photo A Day on Instagram

Things We Like

One of the things that happened last year was that I became an Instagram addict. If you’ve been under a rock, Instagram is an amazing free app for the iphone. In fact, apple named it App of the Year, i’ts so awesome. (Sorry if my photo up there confuses you….I took a picture of my new camera with my phone….) To those who don’t know, it might seem to be simply another “retro-fit your photos with quirky cool actions!” But it’s so much more. It’s like Flickr meets Twitter/Facebook. There’s a great community aspect and I love it.

The lovely Chantelle from Fat Mum Slim started the January Photo-a-day Challenge.  If you’re on Instagram, or Twitter you may have noticed the hashtag #JANphotoaday. Thousands of people all over the world are taking part. You simply snap a photo-a-day based on the challenge list—things like, “Something you adore” “Where you sleep” “Your Daily Routine” etc) It’s so much fun. It’s not too late to get in on the fun! See the fill challenge list here. You can follow us on Instagram or via Twitter. And if you’re doing it, leave a comment and let us know!

You can view Dottie’s photos online here and my photos over here.

I love the magic of numbers: 11.11.11

Things We Like

I love when numbers work out “just so”. Wolfie’s due date was 04.04.04, but he ended up being born on 04.06.04. Which I think is even cooler. I love “golden birthdays” (like when I turned 22 on August 22). I’m intrigued by interesting patterns. My Oma/grandmother passed away on 10.5.58 and my Opa/grandfather passed away 5.10.85….which is just bizarre. And fascinating.

Today is November 11, 2011 and I love it. It’s crazy to think we won’t ever see this combination of numbers again in our lifetime. Pretty neat. It really sounds so space age…I like to think that back in the 60s, they viewed such a date with awe and a bit of wonder. What would our life be like on 11.11.11? What would we dress like? What great inventions and advances would we have made?  While we may not dress as fabulously as they envisioned or live in glamorous silver space pods….I think if I pulled out a teensy square iPod and told them I had 1,000 songs on it and then paused to take a call while walking down the street and connected to FaceTime so I could actually show off my cute Wolfie….well, I think they’d be pretty impressed. Happy 11.11.11! Do you have any special numbers in your life?

Turn Cute Kiddo Art into Even Cuter Plushies!

Art + Design, Things We Like

This is fabulous. And it was part of my links that are coming up in a bit….but I had to give them their own post so you could see ’em in all their glory.

 

Childs Own will take a drawing and transform it into a one-of-a-kind stuffed animal. I think it would make such an amazing gift for a little kiddle. Of course, Martha Stewart shows you how to do it yourself, so if you’re ambitious you can give it a go! See how over here.

Can you stand the cute? Do you have a favorite kiddo drawing you’d like immortalized? I would have LOVED this as a little girl!

 

The Crazy Target Experience :: Missing Missoni.

Alix's Closet, Things We Like, , , ,

So yeah. Not sure if you heard but this little Italian brand debuted yesterday at Target. No? You didn’t hear? HAHAHA. Of COURSE you heard! You and 1000s of other people because ladies and gentlemen, it wasn’t just a sale. It was INSANITY.

I went to my Target (OK, who are we kidding…I went to TWO Targets) to check out the Missoni scene. And I do mean scene. Target opens at 8:00am. I arrived around 9:15am. I was actually a bit embarrassed, thinking, “Sheesh, I’m going so early!”  I eagerly walked inside, anxious to see the prized garments, only to find….

Nothing. There were literally TWO sweaters swaying in the breeze. As I stared at the empty racks I foolishly thought, “Maybe I’m so early they haven’t put anything out yet?” Ah, little Alix. How naive. A woman strolled past me with a cart PILED sky high (chatting loudly on her phone to a friend, “You want baby stuff? They got baby stuff.”) I then realized I was horribly late to the party. I dashed around the store in hopes of finding some straggler items.

Scarves/hats/gloves? NOTHING.
Bedding or dishware? NADA
Purses? Silky scarves? ZILCH!

A lone zig zag tumbleweed rolled on by….

It wasn’t entirely a bust. As I raced around, I scooped up some tights and socks. Found a couple of rogue scarves in the wrong section…..grabbed a pair of the sassy flats. As I circled around , I discovered some people had put things back, so I was able to snap up some knit tunics and tops.

I saw the luggage which was dreamy and actually very well made, but at $149, for a smallish suitcase…I passed.

They had laptop cases and stationary stuff and lots of little girl and baby things (REALLY cute, though pricey).

As I wandered around, I passed several other women, each with only a few items in their cart. We late comers formed a sort of fellowship….chatting about how crazy it was that nearly everything was gone within an hour. Another woman joined us with a semi full cart and we eagerly peered inside as she shared things we never even got a chance to see. (“Oooh, the glass vase! It’s so pretty!”) One woman said that she was at another Target and the women were positively vicious. Another chimed in that someone tried to steal things out of her cart as she tried on a few items. My friend Tracy (aka Shutterbean) texted me that there was a man with FOUR shopping carts filled with Missoni goodies. Now friends, that’s just wrong. What happened to people?

(Yes, Tracy texted me a photo of the FOUR CARTS.)

I was so discouraged by the behavior of some people. If you buy everything because you want to wear it/use it, more power to you. But those people who greedily grabbed EVERYTHING just so they could resell it on eBay? (Hello Four-Cart Meanie, I’m talkin’ to YOU!) Not classy. Not cool.

Missoni Mania was so out of control, the entire Target web site crashed. THE ENTIRE DAY. I am a huge Target fan, but I have to say they didn’t plan for this very well. Not enough product after the HUGE HUGE hype (ads running pretty much EVERYWHERE—print, TV, web, videos!) is kind of a no-no. I also feel like they need to implement some rules to prevent the crazies from grabbing every stinkin’ thang on the rack (say, “you can not purchase more than two of any one item”).

As I chatted with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Zig Zags (my fellow Target shoppers) we discussed how we couldn’t even really enjoy the experience—it was so nutso you just frantically grabbed what you could.

I decided to snag a mess o’ stuff and suss it all out at home. Here is some of what I grabbed from the slim pickin’s. (And I’m not keeping it all, just so ya know!)

This sweater is really thick and soft and well made…..but i’m not really an earth tone person. We’ll see.

I looooooved this. The sleeves and back are really cool, the front is semi sheer. So pretty. But it made my arms look like Popeye. So it’s going back.

Tights and socks? Cute, cute and cute. (The far left is a scarf from the little girl’s department. Not great for snowy days but for fall and our California winter it’ll be perfect!)

Weeeeeee! The flats! The black and white shirt is very fun, but crazy. I am not keeping it, but I think it would look really cute under a jumper or little sweater vest.

This sweater dress is the grooviest fabric and very soft. I’m not sure it looks that cute on me, so we’ll see.

I really love the flats. Super cute. But in my insanity I grabbed a half size too big. Boo!

My mom is awesome. I called her up to tell her about the maddness. Being a fashion plate of the 60s and 70s, she of course knew Missoni and said she’d check out her Target. She called me up while in the store and said that amazingly they had LOADS of things! (Alas, no throw blanket) We had a laugh attack as I basically guided her through the store (“So the suit case…let me know what you think! No, it’s not with the purses, it’s near the sporting goods and menswear. Yeah. Oooh, they have the umbrella? No way!!”) We had a blast virtually shopping together. I’m sending her some of what I found out here, and she has a bunch of things she’s sending me. Including the flats IN MY SIZE! Yay mama!

Soooooo, did you check it out? Was it all gone or did you score some fun goodies? Here’s a hilarious account of the mayhem at one Houston Target.

Oh, and you know, if you run into that dang throw blanket….let me know!

Missoni for Target. Zigga Ziggahhhhh!

Things We Like

Oh me, oh my! Not since the great Orla Kiely Episode of 2009 have people been this giddy with anticipation over a Target Collection. Missoni, famous for their bold and graphic knits and zig zag chevron patterns, is releasing 400 different pieces this Tuesday. And people are getting ready to lose their fashion-lovin’ minds! Clothing (for women, girls and babies), luggage, kitchen ware and even a bicycle….all sure to be snapped up in no time at all.

Ottavio and Rosita Missoni founded their small knitwear company in Italy back in 1953. In the 60s, they became a favorite of Vogue Editor Diana Vreeland and the rest is history. They were known as a real luxury brand through out the 70s and 80s. By the mid 90s the Missoni name took on a sexier, slinkier look thanks to daughter Angela Missoni. Granddaughter Margherita Missoni has also helped propel the label as the official “muse” of the house—she stars in many of their ad campaigns and is a real star on the socialite scene.
It’s true, the patterns can be a leetle overwhelming—the crazy zig zags are not for the faint of heart. But I love how they have elevated knitwear to an art form:

“Our philosophy since we went into business has been that a piece of clothing should be like a work of art. It should not be bought for a special occasion or because it’s in fashion, but because a woman likes it…and feels she could wear it forever.”  —Rosita Missoni, New York Post  (24 May 1978)

The press photos are a little mad, piling on the pieces in a eye-crossing array of prints, but mixed in with your own wardrobe I think these will be loads of fun. Here are some of my favorite pieces!

 

For little girls, these tunics are really cute (would look great over jeans/leggings) and the little capelet is really pretty fab.

You know i’m cardigan obsessed, so I think this one would be really cool….I can’t decide if the under sweater tunic thang would be sorta slimming (vertical stripes!) or make me look like Charlie Brown’s hip older sister. Hmmm.

These scarves should be an affordable fun way to get yer Missoni on!

I’m not crazy about everything layered together, but I do like mixing fabrics and textures. My friend Pilgrim and I were chatting and trying to figure out if that was a sweater vest up there (yay!) OR a long knit tunic (boo!).

I love these! Those little flats would be a great pop of color with jeans or even tights and a dress. I’m also into the gloves and scarves and that blanket….great for cuddling up on the couch OR as a cozy throw on your bed.

 

I need coffee cups like a hole in the head (I still have a zillion Orla Kiely mugs, not to mention my vintage coffee mug collection) BUT I do love these little guys.

So OK, not every single thing is making me gaga, BUT I’m eager to see it all in person! How about you? Are you going to check it out tomorrow??