Friday Fun

Tips for the Nordstrom Sale and More!

July 15, 2021 By kimwheeler 10 Comments

Hello friends. Our summer is in a bit of a lull here and I have been dealing with a few things .. Someone is raising turkeys in our neighborhood. The people aren’t even regular neighbors, but family staying with an elderly neighbor and their kid is in 4H, but he’s not caring for the turkeys and guess what happened? The entire neighborhood has become inundated with flies like you would not believe. They are everywhere.The parents claim they are telling the son to clean it more regularly, but when flies are waiting to get in your home at every door, and making one neighbor unable to even go in her yard anymore, or hang out her laundry, and they are all over me while I work in the garden -it’s ruining summer! I’m one of those people who will try to listen and mitigate, but it’s getting worse if that’s possible…

In better news, I hope your summer is enjoyable and you’ve had time to make a summer bucket list! One of my list items, a San Francisco trip, happened last Saturday. We had a late afternoon high tea at a cute spot called Lovejoy’s Tea Room in Noe Valley. It was something my husband sweetly found for me as I was dreaming about travel and tea rooms..

We loved it ! They have vintage mismatched china and excellent cucumber sandwiches and scones and desserts. Across the street is their Lovejoy’s Attic shop with hats, tea and china and antiques to purchase. We had a good trek around the darling neighborhood of Noe Valley, which has some cute shops and homes and restaurants. We discovered the fantastic Noe Valley Bakery and took home a wheat bread and a seeded levain bread that was so good I had probably eight sandwiches this week. I love discovering new neighborhoods when we go to the city. Parking and getting out there on foot is such a great way to know an area better.

Now about the Nordstrom Sale. Honestly it’s pushed so hard by everyone, I am sometimes a bit reticent to even mention it, but as a former Nordstrom employee I know there are some good things to be had. It’s changed a lot over the years. It was originally begun as a way to sell things during the dog days of summer when retail was VERRRY slow, and people wen’t shopping all the time, as they seem to now.

My personal tips for the Nordstrom Anniversary sale..

–Look first at what your wardrobe and if you can clean it out during summer and see what is missing – And what you keep buying that you need to stop buying!Think about it a bit and you shop smarter.

-If you can get to the store even better. They have a lot that is never listed on the sale. They also have most of the summer stuff marked down and on sale racks.

-It’s the middle of summer, but do you need another pair of booties? If you’ve put them away for the summer, maybe pull out the boots. You may have forgotten what you own. Last year I bought two pairs of booties only to realize I had two similar pairs. Take stock before you buy.

–My top things to buy at this sale are outerwear, jackets and jeans.

–Underwear is a good buy, but the bras I’ve bought always seem to be off. I’ve repeatedly bought my favorite bras on the sale, only to have them arrive and fit and cut seem off. It makes me wonder if the ‘sale’ versions are seconds. I can’t recommend the bras from my own experience.

–Cosmetics can be a good if you need a new regimen or a great gift sets.

-Ask yourself before you buy anything- would you buy this if it was not on sale?

Below are my choices of some chic classics from the sale that every closet can use..

Top of my list are this blazer by Zadig & Voltaire – a cool classic piece with a bit of rock & roll to it with the stars on the shoulder, (also this one with a skull on the back ), these Rag & Bone Boyfriend jeans -which can work for summer too and booties later, with the crop hem, this Bernardo wool coat, this Vince Chunky Wool Blend Sweater, this quilted double-breasted Ralph Lauren coat, this Claire V. Simple Tote ( I bought one at last year’s sale in green leopard), this Gorjana Coin Pendant necklace, the Simplehuman 5x Sensor Mirror (I bought this last year and I don’t know how I lived without it ), this classic and understated pebbled crossbody wallet bag from Tory Burch, and this convertible one, this cute Kurt Geiger Straw Tote is a great buy at $89, these Blondo Waterproof Slip-ons will be wonderful for winter in house and out, and I always get a few of my favorite Natori Bliss Perfection underwear.

And all the beauty special deals here– so much this year!

I plan on doing a big closet purge next week so I’ll post about it soon, and my skincare favorites I’ve been using this summer.

One other thing I wanted to share is a great recipe for making your own falafel. Max did it last weekend and it was so delicious. It was worth the extra work- making them from scratch. The key is not using can chickpeas and soaking them overnight. The falafels were amazing with fresh cucumber from my dad’s garden and tomatoes from our farmer’s market. Recipe here from Once Upon a Chef. Jenn’s recipes are always so good!

I’m hoping to do a day trip to Carmel this weekend – another summer bucket list item, in between swatting flies.

Happy Weekend!

Kim

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Friday Fun Things

September 25, 2020 By kimwheeler 34 Comments

Well hello. I know it’s been too long. Got a little preoccupied the past month with things like looking out the window and complaining about the air quality, stuck indoors while getting little done. My youngest went to college and already came back for a week and is now off again. I don’t know what has been taking up my time, but I blinked and it’s been weeks since I posted so apologies..So much strife going on I thought let’s talk fun things today…

Fall clothes shopping is always my favorite, but with all the home time, I have begun thinking about what I truly need this year. I need very little with this pandemic, but these Sanctuary camo cargo pants popped into my radar on a quick Anthropologie visit. These work for home and for going out. The elastic drawstring waist which makes them a comfy alternative to sweats and leggings and everyone is dressing them up now too. Every wardrobe needs a little camo/khaki it’s a wonderful neutral and transcends the seasons.

I also have these satin cuff jeans in my cart as they are just so pretty and different.. I can see them with sweaters and loafers.

Speaking of sweaters, I am a sucker for ruffles and I bought this cutie at Madewell this week. I wandered down there after a lunch with my dear blogger pals took me out for a birthday lunch at Santana Row. I have not shopped there since the pandemic, but Mary Ann and I popped in there and this sweater just spoke to me. I will wear this with a moto jacket and a long floral skirt or those camo pants. I like the little feminine/ little rocker mix. Madewell is having a 20% off if you’re an insider or sign up. I bought a medium in this in the off white color. The red is also cute and the neckline is a bit more ruffly than shown. It’s very comfy on.

Here are my sweet friends. I could not be more grateful for them in this year of Covid. I have been fortunate to do a couple birthday things with friends this month and after not being together much this year it made me feel so happy. LOVE them so much and I have to show their cute outfits. I think right now any chance to dress up is exciting. Mary Ann and Cindy matched in the cutest black skirt from CP Shades and pretty white tops. Those CP Shades cotton silk skirts are gorgeous- made in Sausalito. CP Shades is a 40 year old California company and the quality of things are so nice. Cindy wears a lot of their cool things.

Elizabeth, aka Contessa wore one of her signature caftans and this stunning one was from Provence and she gave it the Elizabeth treatment with a paper flower, one of her woven bags, arms of bone colored bracelets and a big ring and gold espadrilles.

Her Instagram account was hacked and she is recovering it. Her dress is from Luxe Provence. More about that dress and the woman behind the company on Elizabeth’s post about her. She also just wrote about her new closet her husband built her that has space for all her caftans and woven bags. It is gorgeous!

If you follow my Instagram, I shared photos from an anniversary getaway to Carmel Valley. We stayed at my favorite spot, Bernardus Lodge. We had not the greatest air quality, but we still enjoyed being away and found their amazing gardens we hadn’t seen before. We also had some great meals at their Lucia restaurant.

We were so crazy about their potato leek soup we decided to try to replicate it at home. The best recipe I found is here from a cute blog, Once Upon a Chef with many yummy fall recipes. It is written by Jenn Segal, a former chef. The soup is easy and delicious. Did you know leeks are a super food with so many benefits? The French also believe they help you lose weight! Photo below from Jenn’s blog…

On the health subject, my friend Aimee recommended a great show Max and I have been watching every night, Down To Earth With Zac Efron. He travels the world with wellness expert Darin Olien. I have already learned what kind of water to drink, and what those who live the longest eat, and some other intriguing things. Each episode explores a country and the changes they are making to better on earth. The Iceland episode is stunning and the Paris episode- how they make the best drinking water and dispense it for free all over- is just amazing. Really fun show and motivating to do better things for your body and the planet!

On the way home from our Carmel trip we finally stopped at the new David Kinch restaurant in Aptos, Mentone . They are operating in their parking lot now, but it’s cute and the food is SO GOOD! They have pizzas, spritzes and salads – my kind of food. We split a radicchio Caesar salad that was incredible.. Very cute with a Euro vibe. A fun weekend lunch spot.

One other great discovery I have to share with you all is Olaplex No 4 Bond Maintenance Shampoo and Conditioner. One of my best friends gave me these U.K. gems as a birthday gift! I have always been curious about these products that have a patent and are supposed to repair the bonds of your hair and keep working even days after your shampoo. So far after a week of using both, I am totally a convert. My long fine hair feels thick and soft and I also think it looks a lot healthier. I didn’t have time to blow dry the other day, and ran out which would normally look really bad. I didn’t do a thing and had a few compliments on my hair which is crazy. You are supposed to use it each time you shampoo. You can find them at the Nordstrom link above and also at Sephora.

Lastly, this week has been a rough one. Losing RBG was like gut punch at this point in the election year.. The contentious atmosphere could not be worse. I loved this new post on Cup of Joe that shares a lot of ways we can still help in the upcoming election if we are feeling hopeless. We are not powerless. We still have a vote and our voices…

Hope you all have a lovely weekend and more coming soon on fall fashion and home.

xx Kim

Friday Fun, French Stuff and Fluff…

January 31, 2015 By kimwheeler 17 Comments

I have to thank all of you for the kind comments on the last post. I also got some private notes too. You all are wonderful, thoughtful and the nicest readers. I am grateful for all the good wishes for my friend and family and love and wisdom you sent my way.

This week was brightened up considerably yesterday when I attended a French Food Camp I signed up for a few months back. I was glad to have the chance to get away for the day and do something frivolous and fun like this. One of the best parts of having a blog is meeting some extraordinary people I never would otherwise. Elizabeth Kirkpatrick, aka the Contessa and Andrea, The French Basketeer are two such women.

I’m going to write all about the camp given by Andrea and it’s theme ‘Food, France and Romance’, which is perfect for upcoming Valentine’s Day. We learned a lot, ate some seriously delicious food and got oodles of cool tips I really appreciate I’ll share with you. I think I need to use the word oodles more.

The Contessa hosted the camp at her unbelievably gorgeous villa-like home in Orinda. She’s a former antique dealer who enjoyed la dolce vita with her Italian husband and two handsome sons in Florence for many years before coming back home to the Bay Area. I knew her house as soon as I pulled into her street! Urns, a dovecote (with doves!), roses, vines and a Dutch door painted citron! So much beauty from the front step and beyond. I had to control my urge Instagram everything. Contessa’s style is a mix of Italian and French antiques and all she loves. Words cannot describe it.

Andrea, lives in Laguna Beach and splits time between French and California homes. She gives French cooking classes, special dinner parties and camps, some at her romantic home. She also and sources the most coveted French cooking goodies and sells the prettiest market baskets (some below),you can find in France! I bought two and I will show you next week.

You’ll have to wait for my blog for all the deets, but in the meantime you can pop over to Elizabeth’s blog, Vintage Hen House and Andrea’s blog, The French Basketeer and nose around! I promise you will love them both.

Speaking of estates, can we talk? Like what’s up with Downton Abbey? I know I’m not the only one disappointed with this season as a few other friends tell me the same. Enough with the Mr Bates story already and why is Mary getting even more unlikeable? Don’t even get me started on Ms. Bunting. Hate her character for some reason. Something good needs to happen fast. It feels like the show just grinds on right now.

The only good thing about Sunday is The Great British Bake Off before Downton. This show is pure joy. I have learned so much just in a few weeks of watching this. I adore Mary and Richard the judges. Aren’t they always so polite and British when biting into a crappy pie? “A good try, but maybe a bit soggy.” I’m always excited to see what the next week will be. Funny I keep trying to watch the ‘Biscuit’ episode on my DVR thinking it’s a new one when I keep realizing it is the cookies episode. Duh!

Speaking of good escapes, another show my oldest got me into is Sherlock. I put it off for a while because each episode is so long, but finally agreed and I’m crazy about it! So far four episodes in and I’m loving all the characters. I see why Benedict Cumberbatch has so many girl fans. He and Watson are the hottest thing on screen right now.

This week was brightened when I got home to find roses from California Blooms on my porch. I am going to tell you more about them next week, but if you want roses that are eco-friendly and grown in California (most come from South America), you will like this company. I am enjoying the lovely peach ones that smell like honeysuckle to me and a my favorite, white roses. Valentines is coming and if you like white, a portion goes to ovarian cancer, which is very cool.

Let’s talk lipstick like I promised. It’s Friday. You should be thinking about going out, dressing up and sometimes all you need is a pretty new color. I have it on good authority that this Tom Ford is the bomb. My former cosmetic colleague with whom worked with me on some very high profile makeup cases still test runs some of these even though she’s very busy and important now. 😉 Her latest verdict the color Casablanca. She says it flatters everyone. I’m tempted to order one. I have never had a $50 lipstick, but I love everything Tom Ford does. Doesn’t it look like the perfect shade?

This week I accidentally found this lovely American woman, Anne Lipscomb and her cute videos about living in Paris and enjoying life there. I thought this video was wonderful on the very different way the French view older women. She has many videos and they are all uplifting and she’s soothing to watch…