New favorite: Boho Mag

I adore magazines. Sure, sometimes they're not exactly what I would call feminist, but the ones I continually go back to (Self, Real Simple, skirt!), are magazines that feed my soul--while also giving me new things to covet.

I may have a new one to add to that list, after a glance through the premiere issue of Boho. It promotes itself as "100% recycled, re-styled, re-used," and it's printed on 100% post-consumer paper, processed chlorine free and recycled certified. Wow. Here's a magazine that practices what it preaches!

The content is all about empowerment (although not of the in-your-face variety), but also includes wellness, beauty, fashion, and lifestyles. Not only that, but it's really pretty, too.

The Sample Life

While on sabbatical in Colorado ("on sabbatical" meaning unemployed), I once wore the same pair of pants for five straight days. I know. I'm gross.



But if you ever put on the Cloudveil Run Don't Walk Pants, you won't want to take them off. They are hands down the most comfortable clothes I've ever had on my body. It's like they're lined with babies' bottoms.

When I ordered my second pair, my husband asked, "How many pairs of those do you need?" My answer was two. Now that I've found them in the new 2008 Bluegrass color, I've changed my answer to three.

At full price you might be sticker shocked, but thanks to the Cloudveil Store at KL Sport, I never pay full price for my Clouveil gear. Their sample sale section offers the latest looks at up to 50% off.

Kate O'Brien's 2009 Calendar

I discovered Kate a few months ago and shared her talent with you, but I just have to bring her up again, because her 2009 calendar is now for sale:

It is fantastic, and I am ordering one for myself (and possibly one for my sister, too) right now.

$23.75 -- Get it here.

Lurrrving Mirror Mints

I don't keep a compact in my pocketbook (too lazy for midday touch-ups) so these Mirror Mints are a match made in self-conscious heaven. As the name suggests, it's a tin of mints with a mirror on the inside. After I eat my everything bagel, I can freshen my garlic breath while checking for poppy seeds between my teeth!



They come in three fun flavors: Chocolate City Chic, Peppermint Glam Girl, and Citrus Fly Girl. At $3 each with adorable packaging, they make great add-ons to gifts or a great "just because" gesture on their own.

Available online at my new favorite shopping site, Tobi.

Coveting Red Ruby Rose

Another one of my favorite Etsy shops is Red Ruby Rose--the creator, Rowena Dugdale, is a photographer, illustrator, and crafter from Bristol, UK, and uses the most gorgeous prints and silks for her clutch purses.

This one is my current favorite. I love the print, and the inside is lined in the most beautiful shade of blue dupioni silk (I am such a sucker for blue!).

Yellow Peony silk-lined clutch, $75

Her other clutches are just as gorgeous, though, and I bet you would get compliments on them all night long.

Green and gold silk-lined clutch, $75

Yellow seedheads silk-lined clutch, $75

Lurrrving Hadley Hutton

It's just one of those weird things: I hate birds, but love bird images on clothes and accessories. My most recent online bird find is from illustrator/artist Hadley Hutton.

Her prints are fresh, contemporary, and available through her online sale.


$30 at hadleyhutton.com.

More prints available at her Etsy store: hadleyhutton.etsy.com.

True Lurrrve: Kate Szabone

Etsy is one of my favorite things -- I spend a lot of time on that site, cruising around for new, fun things. One of my other favorite things is jewelry, especially anything with aquamarine, which is my birthstone. It's also the centerpiece of my favorite piece of jewelry of all time, my engagement ring:


I'm a fan of simple, classic jewelry. I'm not big on the trendy stuff, because I also have expensive tastes, and that means most of the jewelry I buy has to be more of an investment than something that will go perfectly with my newest favorite outfit. (I do make a few exceptions, though: I bought these because I thought they were pretty, and I always get compliments on them.)

I've been back to visit Kate Szabone's Etsy shop several times since I first discovered her, and now that I've discovered this gorgeous set of rings ($360), I know what my next jewelry splurge is going to be.


I'm also seriously coveting this gorgeous set of bangles ($265), featuring a large blue aquamarine.


I love Kate's jewelry for its simplicity and organic lines. I've been dying for a pair of her hand-hammered hoops for months, and I love the interesting combinations and shapes she uses. And, if you're looking for a beautiful, simple engagement set -- she's got you covered.