Thursday giveaway!

Today's giveaway is a BIG one! EmersonMade, the gorgeous fashion line from New Hampshire, is offering a $1000 shopping spree to one lucky winner! Eeks! They make beautiful clothes (including skirts and dresses and T-shirts) and accessories (like flower pins and gold coin necklaces). I'm in l-o-v-e with their jeans, and Toby wears their baby clothes! Their whole countryside life looks so dreamy and makes me want to move to a farm, wear a flower brooch and raise chickens. :)

For a chance to win, visit EmersonMade's online shop (and consider signing up for their Facebook and twitter), and leave a comment below telling us your favorite pieces. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow. Good luck!

Update: Blogger allows a maximum of 5,000 comments -- apologies to those who wanted to enter but arrived too late! Mai from Seattle is our lucky winner. Thank you so much! xoxo

Embroidered book covers

How breathtakingly gorgeous are these embroidered book covers by Jillian Tamaki? She made them for Penguin Books, and rumor has it that they'll be available this fall. SO beautiful. (I'm sure Jane Austen would have wholeheartedly approved. I love Emma's little freckles!)

P.S. More + amazing + book covers.

(By Jillian Tamaki, via Black Eiffel)

Wednesday giveaway!


Today's giveaway is from Moop, the Pittsburgh studio that makes beautiful handmade bags for men, women and kids. Their bags are soft and roomy and perfect for adventures around town. I'm lucky enough to have their blue market bag, and their new waxed canvas collection and Very Useful Tote (both pictured above) are gorgeous. They're offering one lucky winner any bag from their shop--you get to choose!

For a chance to win, please visit Moop, and leave a comment below telling us your favorite bag. A winner will be chosen at random tomorrow. Good luck! xo

Update: Melissa Hall is our lucky winner. Thanks for playing.

Christie's to Auction Elizabeth Taylor's $150 Million Jewelry Collection

Jewelry hounds? This is one of those times when I wish I had a few $mil burning a hole in my pocket. OK. That's not an 'uncommon' thought, but the news that Christie's is auctioning Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry collection is sending my blingy consumption habit into orbit!

Yes, it's true. People.com reports the famed auction house will be putting Dame Liz's baubles on the block - and yes, the stash includes all of her 'big hits' - including Taylor's rumored favorite, The Krupp Diamond(!!!)

Christie's declined to comment on the story, and there is no word yet if the proceeds will benefit Elizabeth Taylor's charity, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation - but you can be sure jewelry lovers the world over will be pushing the paddle hard to get their paws on a little piece of jewelry perfection.

In the meantime, I'm loving all of the jewelry-related tidbits that keep trickling out as the world mourns the loss of an icon. Lorraine Schwartz (famed red carpet jeweler and friend of Taylor's) told People that magnificent gems were a natural part of Taylor’s day-to-day life.

“People always gave her gifts … it was something that she learned to love.” And she took great care of them, too. “She [had] collections and collections, and rooms. She [knew] where every single piece was. [It was] amazing.”

In fact, Schwartz remembers receiving a phone call one morning in 2003 after Taylor had taken a fall. “She was like, ‘I don’t feel good, my hair is dirty but I’m wearing my bracelet,’” she recalls. “I mean, fabulous."

A handy guide to creating the perfect cheese plate

I may or may not be obsessed with cheese (are you, too?), so the fact that we live down the street from Murray's Cheese, the most amazing cheese shop that ever existed, is fabulous and a little dangerous. The shop is packed with incredible cheeses, meats, chocolates, breads and ice creams, and the cheesemongers are geniuses (and give samples!). Toby and I venture over there at least twice a week, and we're both fatter and happier for it.

So, my darlings, I'm thrilled to present this handy guide to creating the perfect cheese plate! I met with Murray's head cheesemonger Sydney Willcox to discover her tried-and-true tips, and the lovely Jamie Beck took photos. Here goes...
Overall pointers for putting together a cheese plate:
* When you invite friends over, buy one ounce per person per cheese; and stick to five to six cheeses total.
* Choose a fun variety of cheeses: different textures, countries, and all three milk types (goat, sheep, cow).
* Serve all the cheeses on one big board. You want your guests to start with the mildest and work up to the strongest, so place the cheeses in "clock order"--12 o'clock being the mildest and 11 o'clock being the strongest.
* Take the cheese out of the fridge at least an hour before serving. Cheese should be eaten at room temperature, when it's at its full flavor and texture.
* Put out a few different knives. Goat and blue cheeses crumble if you use a regular knife, so cheese wires are the best thing to use--if you don't have one, you can use dental floss! Softer cheeses work best with a butter knife. Harder cheeses, like parmesan, are good with a triangle-shaped knife. Cut circular cheeses in wedges, like a pizza.
* If you have leftovers, don't store the cheese in Saran Wrap, which will make the cheese sweat and leave a plastic-y taste. Cheese is living and needs to breathe, so wrap it in parchment or wax paper, and keep it in the most humid part of the fridge (usually the vegetable drawer).
Six cheeses for the perfect basic cheese plate:
(pictured clockwise from top)

1. Cremont is a bloomy, rindy, mild cheese, which debuted last year in Vermont. (The name "cremont" is a mix of "cream" and "Vermont"!) The cheese has both cow and goat milk. Luscious, coats your tongue, fudge-y, cake-y.

2. La Tur is the little black dress of cheeses! Everyone loves it. It's a mix of goat, sheep and cow--which is is pretty unusual. Flavorwise, you get a hint of all three animals--tang from the goat, lingering buttery fat from the sheep, milky sweetness from the cow. The texture feels almost whipped, like savory ice cream! At a party, this insanely popular Italian cheese will disappear first.

3. Pyrenees Brebis. Every single person I've has ever met loves this sheep's milk cheese. It's a huge crowd-pleaser. A lot of flavor, but very harmonious. Nutty, salty, floral, semi-soft. From the southwest region of France, where there are huge herds of sheep.

4. Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. Cabot makes lots of cheddars, but this is their artisanal (read: fancy!) line. What's cool about this cheese is that it's a partnership between Cabot and the Cellars at Jasper Hill--Cabot makes the cheese, which is then aged in the Cellars at Jasper Hill. There's actually a staff of guys (football-player size!) who flip these cheeses everyday, so they'll age evenly. The cheese is wrapped in cloth, which is a more English style of making cheese. Super strong cheddar; you get little crystals. You'll taste peanuts, caramel, earthy flavors. Eat from the inside out; then take the cloth off and then eat the rind--it almost takes like dirt, but it works so well with the other flavors. (P.S. It would make the best grilled cheese you'd ever have in your life.)

5. Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Made with raw Jersey cow's milk in Wisconsin. Very fruity and smooth. The American Cheese Society just named it "Best in Show" for the third time (it's the only cheese to have been awarded Best in Show more than once!). You've gotta try it.

6. Cambozola Black Label is a very, very delicate blue cheese. Just a tinge of that mineral flavor; very buttery with a bit of a cashew flavor. A great beginning cheese for people who think they might not like blue cheeses. (Once you put it on bread and add a grape, it will mellow out, if you’re feeling timid!) Blue cheeses and chocolate also go together really well--a great balance of salty and sweet.

Pair cheeses with: Dried cherries, walnuts, marcona almonds (I love these!), fresh grapes, crackers and French bread.
Yummy! Thank you so much, Sydney and Murray's! Have you tried any of these cheeses before? Do you have a different favorite cheese that you'd recommend? I'd love to hear...

P.S. More cheese-y posts!

(Photos by Jamie Beck for Cup of Jo)

Paris daydreaming

Let's go lie on the cool grass and play a game of Would You Rather. Who's in?

(By Emily Nathan)

Do-it-yourself cloud artwork

Since Alex and I are giving our bedroom a makeover, we've been thinking about new artwork. Well, this is genius: Amber took her a snapshot of clouds and then blew it up on glossy poster paper for $30. Then she framed it in an IKEA Ribba frame. The whole project cost less than $60, and it's gorgeous! Double thumbs up! I'm super inspired.

(Photos by Amber Interiors, via Little Green Notebook)

Bling at Perez Hilton's Blue Ball Birthday Bash

Jewelry sparkled at gossip queen Perez Hilton's 33rd birthday party in LA this weekend, where the blue-themed bash brought out everyone from Dancing With The Stars divas and Real Housewives to Disney starlets and 80s popstars.

In other words? A D-listers dream come true.

What jewelry hound worth their salt doesn't love a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills appearance, right?


Adrienne Maloof Alert! This gazillionairesse has enough in the coffers to create this crazy cart-heavy cuff out her her son's names!

Taylor Armstrong wore this serious blue gemstone statement necklace to go with her perma-smile.

And my favorite BHHW, Kyle Richards, rocked it with this cool winged pendant thing happening. Like!

Other bejeweled divas were 80s chaunteuse, Deborah Gibson, who wore what appeared to be a sapphire and diamond choker and a crazy cuff with her blue sequined mini.



And Disney diva, Selena Gomez, was Perez's personal arm candy in blue jewels that appeared to be painted on.

The "hot mess" highlight was the why-is-she-still-famous? Aubrey O'Day, in a blue Little Red Riding Hood get-up with some strange strands. Huh?



It's never dull, right? Thoughts?


Tragedy of the first position


This adorable video has been making the internet rounds, but I can't help reposting it! She's trying so hard! Ahh, I can't stop laughing. What a sweetie. :)

P.S. Ballet boys and marshmallow willpower.

Jewelry Sample Sale Scoop! 20% Off For Insider Readers

Sample Sale Coupon Codes!! Who doesn't troll the Internet searching for them when you want to engage in some shopping therapy, right?

Well look no further, jewelry hounds! Sample Sale sensation, JewelClub - known for their 'secret' sales and crazy prices - is giving Jewelry Insider readers an additional 20% off their stash of fine jewelry that's already priced way below retail (70% - 80% off).

Just use INSIDER20 at checkout through Monday, March 28th!

The discount is valid for any style at any price. So if you want spend the tax refund on a carat-heavy diamond right hand ring  - now is the time!

3/4 ct Diamond Ring: Retail: $1749; JewelClub Price: $565.47 Insider Price: $452.38!
Or that cocktail ring you've been wanting for the little black dress? Done!

Black & White Diamond Pearl Ring: Retail: $579 JewelClub Price: $190.13 Insider Price: $152.10!

Or for those fashionistas that are uber-organized? Stock up on gifts for your girlfriends.

Ruby & Emerald Cherry Pendant: Retail: $329 JewelClub Price: $125.41 Insider Price: $100.33!
Trust me. When they open a little white box instead of a grocery-store-bought bottle of cabernet, you'll be the hit of the dinner party.


Throw in JewelClub's FREE shipping policy, and you've got yourself one heck of a Sample Sale Scoop!

My thanks to the folks at JewelClub for deeming us all worthy of their super secret sale coupon code for the next few days (the offer is valid until midnight EST on Monday, March 28th).

Shop, sparkle and save, my shiny sisters!!

Have a smoochy weekend.

My darlings! What are you up to this weekend? This week, Alex and I went to the insane play Sleep No More. It felt almost like a haunted house: Everyone in the audience had to wear white masks, and you wander silently around a four-story warehouse in Chelsea. The whole warehouse is designed to look like the setting of Macbeth, and it's incredibly elaborate--from children's bedrooms to a detective's office to a moonlit graveyard. You go up twisting staircases, open creaky doors, explore empty rooms, open drawers and rifle through papers, feel your way down dark hallways...it's really spooky! I made Alex hold my hand the whole time and only freaked out once when there was a strobe light. Now and again, actors will come into the room, and everyone will watch them, until they dart off again. It was, as Alex would say, "a trip." (New Yorkers, you can read more here if you want to go!) Anyway, hope you have a fun weekend, and here are a few great posts from around the web...

Liking these quirky braids.

Awesome dinosaur.

Peanut butter and jelly cupcakes.

Regarding Mad Men: agreed!

What a beautiful wedding dress.

Just got this polka-dot skirt and love it.

The cutest way to tell your parents that you're pregnant!

And a sweet way to announce an engagement.

Organic fruit delivered by bicycle. Awesome.

How to make twins.

Good to remember when you're feeling passionate about something.

An Iceland video if you're feeling wanderlusty.

Love this identity.

A beautiful farm wedding.

And a big thank you to Refinery 29!

(Photo credit unknown, via Leigh)

Toby gets the giggles

A little video from last weekend. Apparently the word "gulp" is secretly very, very hilarious.

P.S. Toby's laugh has changed so much! Here was his very first giggle at two months old and a belly laugh at four months old.

Lindsay Lohan's Jewelry Trials Lead to...Trial

In a move as dramatic as a Mean Girl slap, tabloid queen Lindsay Lohan rejected a plea deal for stealing a $2500 necklace from a Los Angeles jeweler - forcing our favorite jewelry headline to (gasp!) stand trial for grand theft and risk a three-year jail sentence.

Paris Hilton? Eat your heart out!!

According to the always-legitimate news source, TMZ, Lindsay's felony grand theft case will now be assigned to Judge Stephanie Sautner - who's considered a tough but fair judge - and the preliminary hearing is set for April 22.

The bad news? Lohan faces both jail and prison as the case moves on - jail,  if Judge Sautner decides Lindsay violated her probation, and prison, if Lindsay is convicted of grand theft.

The good news? If Lindsay is found innocent at trial and if Judge Sautner agrees NOT to rule on the probation violation until a verdict is reached in the grand theft case, Lindsay could get off scot-free.

Let's face it. What would life be without Lindsay roaming the streets with her mean case of sticky-finger syndrome? And I'm dying to see the courtroom couture! Fasten your seatbelts, looky-loos. April isn't looking so bad after all...

Ocean print

Alex and I are giving our bedroom a little makeover, and we've been looking for artwork to go over our bed. How calming and lovely is this ocean photograph? Laura Bell took it while on a ferry in Scotland, and the circular shape makes it feel like she's peeking out a porthole window. Beautiful, don't you think?

Street style cutie

Pink lipstick. Men's watch. Wide-leg jeans. Sold.

(Photo by the Daybook, via Wit + Delight)

Elizabeth Taylor: Jewelry Lover, Movie Legend


I was deeply saddened to hear of Elizabeth Taylor's passing today. Not only was she a groundbreaking movie star and a noted philanthropist (I actually named my beloved cat, Taylor, after her. Yeah. I'm that person.) -  she shared a passion all of us here hold near and dear to our hearts.

Jewelry.

No one personified the "lower jaw drop' jewelry moment quite like Dame Liz, so in honor of her memory here's a list of what I consider to be her top 5 gob-smacking glitter possessions for your drooling pleasure.

And for those of you moved by her life to reach out, I read that fans are encouraged to make donations to her beloved charity, The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation, a cause for which she raised over $50 million throughout her life. Wow.

1. Cartier Ruby and Diamond Necklace

Elizabeth Taylor was given this stunning Cartier creation by her third husband, Mike Todd, who tragically died in a plane crash thirteen months into their marriage. She writes of the piece in her book "Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry"

"I'd never seen anything like that in my life. I probably never will again. He was so generous, and he just took such care of me.  I felt so protected. And loved."  (Indeed!)

2. The Taj Mahal Diamond

For Elizabeth's 40th birthday, Richard Burton presented her with the historical Taj Mahal diamond - a flat heart shaped stone with inscribed Arabic, surrounded by rubies and diamonds and a yellow-gold necklace.

"I would have liked to buy the Taj Mahal for Elizabeth", joked Burton, "but it would have cost too much to transport it."

3. La Peregrina Pearl

Another gift from Burton, the Peregrina Pearl is thought to be the finest example of a pear-shaped natural pearl, weighing in a 55.95 carats. 
The stone was once owned by the infamous Queen Mary Tudor of England and was set in a stunning necklace by Cartier in 1969.
 
4. The Krupp Diamond

Richard Burton's first big purchase for his wife was the 33.19 carat Asscher-cut Krupp Diamond. Originally belonging to the Krupp estate, it was given to Miss Taylor in 1968 and was mounted on a ring, which made frequent public appearances.


The Krupps were a German family that supplied munitions to the Nazis and "helped knock off millions of Jews", Taylor writes in her book. "How perfect it would be if a nice Jewish girl like me were to own it."

Meow!


5. The Taylor-Burton Diamond

Last but certainly not least is the record-breaking rock Burton purchased for Taylor that was the most expensive stone in the world back in the day clocking in at $1.1 million.

He acquired the 69.42-carat diamond from Cartier - the jeweler who also set the stone in a necklace for Taylor to wear to the 1970 Oscars. (see my rave about the piece here for more on that).

Taylor later sold the diamond treasure to raise money for a children's hospital.

There are certainly many other jaw-dropping jewels associated with Elizabeth Taylor - the Bulgari emeralds, the bejeweled headresses, the tiaras - but these are my top 5.

Please weigh in with other Elizabeth Taylor jewelry thoughts you'd like to share. And raise a glass tonight in honor of Dame Elizabeth Taylor Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner Fortensky. What a life.