Do You Birchbox?

Have you heard about Birchbox?  We have.  From one of our readers, actually.  What a great gift (to yourself or someone else on your list).

Launched by two HBS grads, Birchbox brings upscale beauty samples to your doorstep for only $10/month.

This month's delivery brought Befine Night Cream, Jouer Lip Enhancer, Jurlique Hand Santizer, and Ferragamo perfume.  The super-cute packaging is also a plus!

Loving for Fall

Essie's new Fall Collection.

My fingers and toes are ready for the change in seasons, for sure!

A Different Kind of Bar

We are dying to try to the Braid Bar at the John Barrett Salon.  You can read about it here.  Now I just need to come up with an excuse to go before summer ends...

Picture from the John Barrett Salon website.

Shirts

Farrell and I were talking about shirts yesterday.  Both of our mothers patiently washed and ironed our fathers shirts when we were growing up, yet this is not something either of us have done thus far in our own marriages.  One of our friends told me that her mother is outraged that she (my friend) sends her husband's shirts out to the cleaner.  Now that I have some time on my hands I'm going to see if I can perfect the ironing of a dress shirt in the hopes of saving a bit of money.  In the end the $2 it costs to have a shirt done professionally may be worth it (ironing has never been a strong point for me), but I'm going to give it a try.

Do you send shirts out to the cleaner?

Green Cleaning Part II

I have to admit that my natural housekeeping wasn't going so well until I found this book at the library:

organic housekeeping by Ellen Sandbeck



The best thing about this book is the assumption is made right off the bat that housekeeping is not fun, even if the results are nice (and necessary to good health).  The second best thing is that the author goes into the science behind cleaning methods, which is reassuring.  Sometimes when I read "green cleaning" blogs I wonder if the writers have any clue about what they are actually recommending.  In particular I have found the kitchen, bathroom and laundry sections of this book helpful.  The most unexpected thing I've learned is that wooden cutting boards are actually preferable to plastic ones:

Cliver and Ak...found that all the wooden cutting boards killed bacteria, while all the plastic ones encouraged bacterial growth.  Wood fibers absorb and kill bacteria...While new, unscarred plastic boards can be successfully cleaned with hot water and detergent...used plastic boards cannot be successfully cleaned.  Vigorous scrubbing...does not remove or kill the bacteria that have lodged in knife scars on plastic boards; running contaminated plastic cutting boards though a dishwasher simply spread bacteria around...  (p. 119

My father, a horticulturalist, confirms that trees have antimicrobial properties.  Who knew?  This whole time I was avoiding using wooden spoons when cooking meat.  I think I'll be investing in some wooden cutting boards before too long.
 

Happy and Healthy Spring Cleaning

We are back from Vermont, which made our car look like this:

It was a great trip.  On the way to Boston we ran across the Simon Pearce factory in Windsor, VT, where we were able to view glassblowing in progress.  It was fun to see the origin of many of our wedding presents.

We also came across The Vermont Country Store, "purveyors of the practical and hard-to-find."

 It was perfect timing, because I was able to buy Kirk's Castille Soap, the missing item in my "natural cleaning" arsenal.  It is my goal this year to be about 75% green in my cleaning.  We live in a coastal area and it just seems like the responsible thing to do.

Of course Sherry and John at Young House Love have a great series of comprehensive posts about just this topic.   One thing I learned is that there is some controversy regarding the safety of Borax, so it may not be wise to jump right into using that on dishes unless you have done your own research.  For the record my favorite book on this topic is Green Clean (pictured above)- the recipes are easy to follow and everything is broken down by room (bathroom, kitchen, etc).

Happy scrubbing!

What's in Your Purse?

Lately, I can't leave home without Fresh's Sugar Plum Tinted Lip Treatment in my bag.  It comes in a few tints, and it the best combination of chapstick and sheer color I've found in while, with SPF 15 to boot!  Totally worth the price tag.

What's your "can't leave home without it" item?

Wedding Wednesday: Diet Dilemma

Over the summer I was at a dinner party helping myself to a second piece of delicious coconut cake when the girl to my left pointedly asked how my wedding diet was going.

Um.

First of all, how rude is that?

Second of all, I did not plan to diet. I always said that I wouldn't be the girl who stopped eating 12 months before her wedding in order to drop two sizes. Unfortunately, my metabolism seems to have hit that late 20's slow down right around the six month countdown mark. Interestingly, women everywhere (including at the doctor's office in Manhattan, where strangers don't interact!) have started whispering that you magically lose five pounds in the last few weeks before your wedding, even if you don't try! Can this possibly be true? Did this happen to any of you?

Regardless, I am hedging my bets and eating five small meals per day. However, if I run into that girl at any more dinner parties, I am going to eat three pieces of cake and tell her that I just lost those five pounds because of good genes.

I Love Your Style

I recently read an interview in Vogue with Amanda Brooks that inspired me to pick up her new book, I Love Your Style. As I get a bit older I've been somewhat lost about how to dress. The realization has set in that what looked cute 10 years ago (do jeans, gray New Balance sneakers, and layered t-shirts count as a "style?") may look sloppy, cliched, or even frumpy right now. I can't emphasize how great this book is. It doesn't bore you with a list of items everyone should own, and it acknowledges the work it takes to develop personal style. I think I am leaning towards a blend of Classic and Minimal...

Back to reading : )

Anyone else have one of these?

A place where you never get it together, no matter how clean the rest of your home is. This is mine. It sits right next to me. In case I ever need a sailing trophy, three brass candlesticks, and a necklace at my disposal.

Motivation for the Day

Clean Your House in 19 Minutes

(If only I could fold and hang clothing in four minutes...)

Reader Request: Sheets

A reader recently sent in a request that I have also often wondered about….

I have a slightly strange pet peeve...wrinkled sheets. They really bother me, but for some reason no matter what I do, when I take my sheets out of the dryer, they are always wrinkled. Is there anyway to stop the sheets from wrinkling other then ironing them before I make the bed?

flj

The Cutting Edge

I will say, nothing enhances a cooking experience like a quality set of knives. Sure, I made it through many years with sub-par knives and did just fine, but a set of the “real” things doesn’t even compare. Although, when making the switch, you should proceed with caution, as many people I know have had some unpleasant experiences with them (similar to one I had today) resulting in the need for Band-Aids and Neosporin.

That said, keeping your nice knives sharp is important. This maintenance needs to be done annually. National retail chains like Sur La Table offer in-store knife sharpening, charging appx $3 per inch of each knife and running specials every few months. Locally, you may be able to find a better deal – in the Washington, DC area many of our local hardware stores and meat markets will sharpen them for you for a lower price.

You don’t need an uber-expensive set of knives – unless you are preparing for next season’s Top Chef (and if you are, let me know ASAP) – a basic, moderately priced collection from Wusthoff, Henckels, etc is a great starter, and department stores are often running great sales on them!

Happy chopping!
flj

Reader Request: Yellowed Linens

A reader is wondering...
Do you have any suggestions on how to whitened linens that have yellowed? I recently washed some white linen napkins that came out of the washed very yellowed. They were fairly new, so I would like to figure out how to remedy the situation!

Forever New

I was so surprised this evening to realize I have never written about Forever New. This great fabric wash, which can be purchased at Nordstrom, has been keeping my delicates in top form for years. Forever New is great for everything from hosiery to cashmere sweaters (if you dare). It has a wonderful, fresh scent, and is definitely worth the price. - LG

No elbow grease needed....

I was in a local home store yesterday where I stood next to a woman who was purchasing silver polish. Apparently she had never cleaned silver before. I couldn't figure out if a) someone had always done it for her or b)she had never owned silver that needed polishing. Coincidentally, I was on the same mission and went straight for my favorite brand- Wright's Silver Cream. I have tried a few different brands and I always return to Wright's. It doesn't have a strong odor and it takes off the heaviest tarnish. - LG

Going Green in 2008

We hope that everyone had a fabulous holiday season!

Everywhere I look, I see or read something else about the big push to "go green." We have been doing "green" events at work for a while now, actually.

While doing some post-holiday internet shopping, I noticed that Williams Sonoma is now offering a "green" line of kitchen hand soaps and lotions. As a fan of their current line (except for always wanting them to make the lotion in a smaller size than the hand soap), I am sure that these will be just as fabulous, with the added bonus of being environmentally friendly. With inventive new scents like Meyer Lemon Parsely and Olive Oil Coriander, they are definitely worth checking out!

flj

All Wrapped Up

Our apartment is quickly becoming too small for our us, the puppy, and all of our belongings – wedding gifts included. Despite having cleaned out my closet this weekend and begrudgingly parting with 6 bags of clothes (I know, I know), something has to be done!

I love a well-wrapped gift, and consequently have quite an array of gift wrap and accessories. Since we are not quite at the level of the Spellings, who have an entire room in their mansion dedicated to gift wrap, I needed to find a way to house all of my wrapping supplies efficiently. The Container Store (one of my favorites), carries a great hanging organization system. While surfing the internet last night, I saw that one of my favorite magazines is also featuring the same system online! After making room in my closet this past weekend, I am going to head back out and pick up two – we have too much for just one – immediately. Hopefully this will free up the under-the-bed space that our gift wrap currently occupies for more shoes!
flj

Quick Tip of the Day

Wipe down your entire bathroom with paper towels doused in rubbing alcohol for a quick, cheap way to disinfect without doing an entire cleaning. - LG

A Mess of Jewels

Okay, maybe I don't exactly have a mess of jewels. However, as I pack I realize that I do not have my jewelry organized in any respectable fashion. Luckily, I came across a great article in the September issue of Real Simple Magazine regarding how to bring order to your dresser top. Unfortunately, they don't have the information on their website, but it is definitely worth checking out at the library. My favorite suggestion is to buy pin-board tiles from Pottery Barn and then use decorative straight pins to showcase necklaces, bracelets, etc. on your walls. If you do this for your less expensive jewelry, you will have plenty of room in your good jewerly box for the nice stuff. - LG