Grapes, Daisies, and Georg Jensen on Sale

I really like silver and I really like Denmark, so Georg Jensen is a given.

My husband recently went on a biking holiday around DK with his brother and cousins, and he returned with some pretty, beribboned gray boxes for our girls and me.  (Our son got Lego and he may have been even more thrilled.)

For labor day, Georg Jensen is running a promotion - 10% off their jewelry and watch collections and 20% off their home collections (excluding silver and seasonal).  The sale started yesterday and ends Wednesday, September 5th.  It is only available in the US and only online.  Georg Jensen offers free UPS shipping, and returns must be made within 14 days.

My two favorite jewelry collections right now are Moonlight Grapes (inspired by original Georg Jensen design from the 1920s) and Daisy.  The Daisy collection began in 1940, when a new princess (now Queen Margrethe II) was born.  The country was, of course, in the midst of war and the daisy was seen as a symbol of hope.

Here are some pics:

Moonlight Grapes earrings - oxidated sterling sliver

Design: Georg Jensen, Harald Nielsen and Georg Jensen Silversmithy

Daisy earrings in black and white for the girls. These are the gold plated sterling versions, which I don't see on the US website, but they do have silver.

My Daisy earrings - rhodinated sterling silver with enamel

These are available in white or black enamel and the US website says "white or black on one side and silver on the other" but mine have enamel on both sides (I show front and back in the pic above).

 Daisy bracelet - rhodinated sterling silver with enamel

Design Year: 1940

Again, mine has white enamel on both sides of the largest daisy though the US site says it reverses to silver. I don't know if these pieces are slightly different versions available in Denmark.

You can see Crown Princess Mary wearing a Daisy brooch in her hair here, and in some Moonlight Grapes here.  You can also see Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden wearing the brooch (as a brooch) here.

Any other Georg Jensen fans?

Happy Friday!

xoxo

L. K. Bennett Olive Suede Court

During this summer's visit to the Atlanta L. K. Bennett, the other shoe I purchased was the Olive Shoe in Taupe, a suede round toe court with a 90 mm block heel.  I find LKB's wedges and heels to be a nice comfortable fit for my feet, TTS in a 39, but don't order online because of the shipping fees (detailed in my post on the Cilla wedge here).

The Olive is sold out online at L. K. Bennett but may still be available in stores.  At the Atlanta store they have told me I can call and they will ship.  John Lewis has it online here at a great price if you are a UK size 7.  They also have a very nice selection of other LKB shoes and clothes and they ship to the US for 25 GPB with an estimated delivery time of 4-11 working days.

Also, thanks to my husband's recent biking trip around Denmark, I have some new pieces from Georg Jensen's Moonlight Grapes and Daisy collections.  They have started a Labor Day promotion online today that runs through September 5th so I will put together a separate post with some detailed pics and info.

Happy Thursday!

 xoxo

Zara Blazer with Golden Buttons

Another blazer win for Zara this season.  This one arrived recently and again I am so happy with it that I have a very similar one in navy on the way.  The textured fabric is a silky soft cotton/linen/polyester/elastane blend.  It is fully lined with extra buttons sewn inside.  The care instructions say Do Not Wash/Do Not Bleach/No Tumble Dry.  Made in Morocco.

Crown Princess Mary of Denmark wore this one in London recently - you can see pics here and here.  If anyone can point me toward another Mary style blog - maybe a Danish one? - I'd love it... it appears stylishmary.com has closed.  I do read The Royal Order of Sartorial Splendor already which is a really fun blog if you are interested in what the royals are wearing and like to look at tiaras.

Zara Blazer with Golden Buttons   Ref. 7531/750

I have found Zara's *free* shipping process to be very fast and efficient. My orders have all arrived via FedEx in about three days or so and they email order and shipping confirmations and tracking numbers.  They appear to ship out of Massachusetts but there is a foreign transaction fee from my credit card - this percentage varies by cc company - mine is 1%.    

xoxo

Chicken and Spinach Enchiladas with Tomatillo Salsa

I adapted this from a recipe I found in Southern Living's August 2012 issue at my parents' house this summer and have already made it three times.  It's a great chicken enchilada recipe with no sauce and lots of fresh, green ingredients.  Not too heavy or overly cheesy, and very easy to make.  It's also easy to make vegetarian, or to make just some of them vegetarian.

The original recipe can be found here.  I changed it by omitting the green chiles in the enchiladas and the jalapeño in the salsa.  Just wasn't sure how spicy it would be for the kids... the dish has enough flavor without for those who like the milder side of Mexican food.  I usually use neufchâtel in place of cream cheese and I also used more cilantro... and you could easily up the spinach.

You need:

1 cup diced Walla Walla or Vidalia onion (sweet)
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp oil
2-3 c chopped fresh spinach
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
8 oz package neufchâtel
2 c shredded cheese - Mexican blend or colby jack
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
8 8" soft flour tortillas

Tomatillo Salsa

Cook the chicken breasts (I boil) and shred after they've cooled a bit. Set aside. (Saute the onion and garlic while you preheat the oven to 350.  Add the spinach to the onion and garlic and cook until it is wilted. Stir in the neufchâtel, shredded cheese, and cilantro until the cheese has melted and it is well blended.  If you are making some of the enchiladas vegetarian, spoon about 3/4 cup of this mixture on to tortillas and roll.  Place in pan seam side down. Now you can add the chicken to the mixture to make the chicken enchiladas.  Bake them in the 350 oven for about 30-35 minutes.  These can be covered and stored in the fridge overnight before baking.  Top with tomatillo salsa (recipe below) just before serving.

Tomatillo Salsa

2-4 tomatillos, diced
green onions, sliced
cilantro, chopped
fresh lime juice from 1 lime
1/2 tsp salt

Mix this all together and chill up to 4 hours.  Add 1 chopped avocado just before serving.

I served this with Three Sisters Salad and Iced Hibiscus Sweet Tea, using Wild Berry Zinger tea instead of Red Zinger, (and Pink Cadillac Margaritas for a dinner party), all from Southern Living August 2012.

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo

Banana Republic Ashley Bow Flat {new for Fall}

I was so happy with the royal blue Ashleys I purchased in March that I knew when I saw the new range of colors and prints I'd be ordering another pair for Fall.  Or two or three...

I find the padding to be super comfortable and the fit TTS.  Ballerina flats are one of my favorite shoe styles and the Ashley Bow Flats are very nicely done, I think.

I've started with my favorite, the Indigo in a croc print.  They are a very dark blue - almost appearing black in lower light -  but with the flash (fourth pic below), you can see the pattern more clearly.  I still have my eyes on the Bronze and Grey Multi.  And possibly the Brown Multi/Chocolate.

It looks like the 25% off code BRSUMMER25 through 8/22 ($150 or more purchase) works for women's shoes too.  I noticed men's shoes and women's boots excluded though.

Banana Republic Ashley Bow Flats in Indigo

The second Zara blazer I ordered recently has also arrived and I have a great chicken enchilada recipe I just made -- I hope to get those posts up by next week.

Happy Monday!

xoxo

Zara Red Blazer with Gathered Shoulders

**updated 2/6/13 with pictures at end of post to help show the shade of red of this blazer**

My red Zara blazer (Ref. 7659/682) arrived yesterday and it is just as I'd expected.  Actually, I like it even more than I thought I would.  I was a little concerned that the slightly puffy "gathered" shoulders -- while perfectly fine for a 30-year-old Duchess -- might be a bit much for a *ahem* slightly older mom of three who is not dressing to be photographed at public engagements.  No... Zara got it just right for the rest of us too.

The red looks to me to be a true, velvety red.  The fabric (polyester, viscose, elastane), while not high end (it's a $99.90 Zara blazer), does not at all appear cheap in my opinion.  The smooth, flat weave is just right in this color... nice medium weight. The golden buttons add just a smidge of regal shine and they've included two extras sewn into the lining.  It was sold out there for a sec but is back in stock in all sizes except XL as of this morning.  Mine is a Medium - my typical size in Zara tops.  I usually buy Smalls or 4s in JCrew, Banana, etc, for comparison.

I'm so happy with this one, I have the Blazer with Golden Buttons on the way.  I'll let you know how that one works out when it gets here.

You can see pics of the Duchess of Cambridge wearing this blazer at the London Olympics at What Kate Wore here.  I'll be putting together some Polyvores soon.

Happy Friday!

xoxo

*update 2/6/13*

I've added a couple of pictures below so you can better judge the shade of red of this blazer.  Here it is against a Louboutin sole, Converse sneakers, and Revlon nail polish in #680 Revlon Red:

 with flash

without flash

Chair Change

I spotted this chair at a boutique in Georgia a couple weeks ago and I think it may have finally inspired me to attempt a re-do on one of the similar-styled chairs (dark brown wood with burgundy/green plaid fabric) I have stored in our garage.  This has been in the back of my mind for oh, a decade or so.

I haven't started any research yet... can anyone point me towards a good tutorial or two? Or if you've recovered chairs yourself - any tips?

xoxo

L. K. Bennett Cilla in Latte Patent {+ a Zara impulse buy}

One of my must-visits in Atlanta is L.K. Bennett at Phipps... kind of like The World of Coca-Cola for my kids.  So in July, I stopped in and shopped, finding this Cilla wedge and a pretty suede court I'll review next.

Last summer the sale section at LKB was quite a bit bigger and the prices seemed generally lower. I think I was there in August last time, though, so maybe styles will be added.  Pricing in-store is different than online.  These Cillas were priced in-store at $162.50 - down from $325, so not bad... but I saw them priced at 55 GBP online (around $86).

If you order online from the US though, you pay worldwide shipping. For LKB, that's 45 GBP for your first item (around $70... yes seventy dollars) and about $12 for each additional item.  (It's less within Europe.) You can, however, call a US store to see if an item is in stock and they will ship.  My two pairs were $17 for UPS ground and took about a week to cross the country.

I have been very happy with the LKBs I've purchased and I'm happy to see that Nordstrom is expanding their selection.  Since they offer everyday free shipping, I will be certainly be checking in with them for my LKB collection updates also.

I bought these in my usual 39.  That typically works for me for their wedges, courts, and flats.  I've had to size up to a 40 only one time in a peep-toe wedge that the SAs advised me was running small.

As of this morning, the latte color is still available at LK Bennett online in sizes 37-41, at the sale price.  It also comes in a beautiful red glossy patent which I saw in-store that is sold out at LKB online.  The red is still available here.

I wore these yesterday with boyfriend denim and a white linen blouse.  They were very comfortable and I received a few compliments.  The wedge is about 4" but the 1" platform makes them very walkable.  Good in a shoe, right? :-) My OPI Atomic Orange pedicure may have clashed, but it didn't bother me.

Also, I rarely impulse shop... I usually think about wardrobe additions longer than three minutes... but last night @whatkatewore tweeted about a red blazer the Duchess of Cambridge wore to an Olympic event and I hopped on over to zara.com as soon as I saw it.  I love the look of a blazer and I currently have an eye out for a classic navy one for Fall... but I don't have red either.  So this one from Zara is on it's way.  I'll post pics when it gets here.  Thanks, What Kate Wore! As of this morning, it is shown as sold out in S and M (I ordered a M) but it says "BACK SOON!" next to those sizes... so check back if you'd like one.  I'm sure Zara is getting used to that Kate-sell-out-effect by now and hopefully everyone who is placing an order will get their red jacket.

Happy Weekend!

xoxo