pi'lo

alphabet pillow

set of 3 vintage hankies hand printed with dandilion

When I find things like this lovely site pi'lo I just want to chuck it all and go to Toronto and work with Heather Shaw. She makes these sweet little things that yes, you can live without, but do you want to? n-n-o-o-o. She has a white on white kind of asthetic, and it's so soothing and beautiful that it's impossible not to look through everything once you have started, you just want to see what it's all about!

handmade quilt

I was lucky enough to find her website today and it just started my day off right. Somehow I felt grounded. Her photographs make her wonderful little things delight in elegance. She says "Everything in this collection is hand made by myself and the wonderful women who sometimes help me. We work out of a coach house studio behind my Victorian house in the heart of downtown Toronto. It is a very calm and soothing space with natural light and plenty of inspiration." see!! don't you just want to go and work with her!

car bingo game

Don't miss her lovely things, I think that they would make terrific holiday gifts that are very special and can become a family treasure. One of my favorites is the car bingo game! But I do love it all....

vintage nurses apron by pi'lo

visit the website by clicking here
visit her etsy shop by clicking here

halloween contest winners!

There were so many amazing costumes.. thank you all for being so enthusiastic and sending them all in so quickly! This year we received almost double the amount of entries as last year. Trust me, the decision was difficult. We all had lots of favorites, but we printed them up and held a totally anonymous contest...

here are our favorites:

obviously there were six favorites... so six winners!! please email me with your shipping address and we will send you a winning handbag!

Again we would like to thank all of you... it was really hard to only pull out these from the many people that sent in their wonderful costumes!

Thank you and let's do this again next year!!

15% off select womens collection until Friday!

matta: surabhi jishnu silk dress

Holiday parties looming.. and what do I wear!? I don't know about you I was trying to figure that out... so I thought that I would help you out a bit with a SALE this week on selected womenswear. I chose some of my favorite labels, Matta, Layla and Erica Tanov and offering them at 15% off until Friday, November 12th, 2010! Use code 'women' during checkout to see your discount.

Just some suggestions would be:

layla: silk ajanta top - navy w/gold print

My favorite top the silk adjanta top - this looks elegant and beautiful ALWAYS! I wear mine to parties and just feel confident as ever! Plus just a tad super-cool because it's so beautiful, the navy blue is the most deep and radiant color and it lights up with the gold print... and here are just a few more suggestions...

Layla: Raj top dark grey with black print

The Raj top has a very elegant back side (below) which I love, a bit of sleek embroidery and it makes the top fit like a glove! You won't believe it! (why NOT look as good from the back as from the front at a party!?)

back side of Layla: Raj top dark grey with black print

Layla: Fareehah dress - navy w/gold print

And just in case you want to stop everyone in the room - I believe you would be either called a Leo or a showstopper!? - you could wear the Fareehah dress, it's georgous, it's gold printed navy cotton, so it does have a feeling of being 'grounded' and not over the top, and casual pockets, I would call this casual elegance!

Matta: raika silk dress/skirt - silver or black

If you are into versatility the Raika dress/skirt is perfectly, perfect! It looks lovely both ways and can look elegant in many, as a skirt or a dress with boots or black tights and high heels... it's all simply easy to look great! The dupatta shawl in white is a wonderful way to add a bit of drama to just about anything (it also comes in navy which is MY favorite...)

Erica Tanov: pink diamond pattern shawl & alpaca belted vest

Erica Tanov: all in one (pink or yellow) it can be a necklace, belt or whatever!

Erica Tanov has a few goodies for us with a pop of color with the feather all-in-one these are great to add to anything you already have to make it fun and special. I love the around the neck for color but they are also great at a belt! and the pink diamond pattern shawl, this will live in your wardrobe all season long with everything! Just that perfect piece to make you feel luxurious - every day!

So you see, we have you covered and remember you can have it all this week 15% off! Use code: women during check out and recieve your discount. Remember sale ends Friday, November 12th 2010. Happy partying!!

visit Layla by clicking here
visit Matta by clicking here
visit Erica Tanov by clicking here

broccoli & sausge pasta :: fast and easy!

This is one of those dishes that you can throw together in minutes, EVERBODY loves it, and it's got a bit of some good healthyness to it.. thank you broccoli! You can also use kale in place of the broccoli, really good too!

I like to go outside and pick bunches from most of my herbs, oregano, sage & rosemary and then I use chopped parsley when I am done too. We put parsley on just about everything! I learned that from my mom, she used to garnish everything with it but I like to actually eat it! It's amazingly good for you and if you add it into everything it makes it all taste better and eventually everyone gets used to it if they don't like it right off the bat.

RECIPE :: broccoli & sausage pasta

1 head or more of broccoli (even two is great!)
2 sausages - you can use pork, chicken, tofu... whatever just squeeze it out of the casing
1/2 yellow onion chopped
handful oregano chopped
handful sage chopped
handful rosemary chopped
salt & pepper
really good olive oil (I use one to cook and then a good one to top off the meal when its ready)
handful of parsley

pasta: you can see in the photos that one time I used papardelle which is great with sausage, or also penne or whatever works too! (I forgot to take a photo of the final meal so I made it again another night, no complaints there!)

-cook pasta as per directions on box
-saute onion, sausage, herbs in your favorite oil (I use sesame or olive)
-when pasta is done, save a cup of the water (if anything its good luck!) and strain pasta and put into the saute when the meat is done, add salt and pepper and saute a bit if you need more liquid use the pasta water.. this is what it's for! and toss around making sure you get all of the goodness from the pan onto your pasta! do this for about 1-2 minutes.
-top off with about 1-2 tablespoons of really good olive oil and toss (if you need more water you can add it too, it should not be dry)
-put into serving bowls or large pasta serving bowl and garnish with chopped parsley

easy and did I mention really CHEAP, this meal can cost you about $8!!
everyone will love it! and if they don't their crazy!

OMG! - martha stewarts family room!

Nonchalant Mom is listed as a FAVORITE BLOG on the Martha Stewart :: Living in the Family Room Blog!! I can hardly believe it... who do I thank... can I call Martha!! I guess I have had my moments when I have gushed over her, her recipes, her crafts, her gardening tips... you name it! She is one inspiring lady, so I am happy that she finds inspiration in Nonchalant Mom! Hooray!!

The above photo is one of my favorite things to do and thank you ladies from Martha Stewart for reminding me to do this with my kids! I like to take these leaves and write the date on them with a sharpie and send them out to friends (especially those who live in NYC and do have a yard full of them!!), or use them as placeholders at the Thanksgiving table, and much more! ...OH, I'm even starting to SOUND like Martha now...

Thank you Martha Stewart people!! I love you too!

click here to visit the Martha Stewart :: Living in the Family Room

call me a traitor but it's for a good cause... does that help!?

Yes, I love this car! I am a bit of a car monkey and my son and I are always driving down the road saying... "OH! that's my car!" to which he says... "NO, that's MY car" (usually it's a Hummer or something awful like that... ). Well there was something that I loved about the Tommy Hilfiger advertising campaign, and I decided it was the CAR!

Today, I found that Mr. Hilfiger has donated said car to a charity auction that is being held by WWD, apparently WWD has their 100th anniversary this year so they have a charity auction going on and MY CAR is in it!! Gosh if I only had that extra $35,000 lying around.. I could have it! and for a good cause no less... I don't care that all the logos are all over it... but check out the interior, it's looking pretty sweet!

...and it's for a good cause....
tempting to anyone (click here to find out more about this car)....

click here to visit 'Charity Buzz' where you can bid on anything you like!?
(and the car for me if you like...!!!)

jennie menke - garden wrap up...

My little garden doesn't come close matching up with my friend Jennie Menke's 'FARM', she calls it a garden but I call it a FARM by my standards! In her most recent post she came up with some terrific information on closing up your garden, planting garlic, and using every bit of your apples for juice, jam and apple sauce!

here is her task list:
(excerpt taken from her blog - click here to read all)

What amazes me to no end is that the final tasks never actually seem to end. I’ve been doing these final tasks for what seems likes weeks now and I’m still not done!

• Harvest the apples
• Dig the carrots
• Cut the raspberries
• Harvest the kale almost done!
• Dig the beets
• Finish transplanting the herbs almost done! Just found 2 more…
• Put the tools away
• Clean up the pumpkin beds
• Burn the diseased tomato plants
• Cook and freeze the kale
• Make applesauce and apple jelly
• Make pies didn’t make pies. just froze the apples with sugar to make into pies.

I’m probably missing stuff. But even then, as you can see, I’m not nearly done. Harvesting the kale, it should be noted, is about a six hour job, since I strip the stems out of the leaves before I cook it. I tried leaving the buggers in last year, but they seriously depleted our eating enjoyment. So I listen to my book on tape, hunched over a bucket for hours while my shoulders tense up and I cut the leaves from the center stems. I have one more pile to stem before cooking it all and freezing.

God, do I wish I still lived in Minnesota to share in her bounty!! On my last visit to the great state she gave me a bag of her fantastic Asparagus and I can't even tell you how delicious...
so if you are a gardener... read her blog for inspiration, and if you DON'T have a garden, don't get scared by this list... believe me, my garden doesn't do ANY of this, but you reap what you sow... right!

Thank you Jennie for all of your great blogs!
click here to visit her blog and see the entire story!

Ladies Night at Nonchalantmom!

Please join us for wine and some savory snacks, new collections and a fun night!

There will be some deals and special surprises!!

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4th - 5 - 8 pm

365 MAIN STREET

WAKEFIELD, RI 02879

Don't hesitate to email me or call if you have any questions.

Annual Halloween costume contest

mermaid

Last year we held a really fun halloween contest so we thought we would keep it going...

So, send us your costume photos and we will post the top 10, the top 5 costumes will receive a JE TAiME bag! Boo - yahooo!

Please send in to me at: carinanonchalantmomcom

Next sunday we will announce the winner!

creativity
originality
colorful
simplicity
just send them in and we will post them!

glo-guy!

Shampoodle - in perfect trend!

This Fall the shampoodle collection could not be more 'on-trend', they have it all... the plaid, the Sgt. Pepper look and the scarf print inspired prints... and then what they always do just right the too-cool-for-school (but in this case PERFECT for school) knit seperates, tuxedo trimmed pants and just the right top! And then they called it The Little Brittan Collection, those crazy Brits inspired the folks at Shampoodle in this way:

same shirt by the way, on an 8 year old (boy) AND a 5 year old (girl)!

Little Britain Collection
Cheerio, dapper lads and lasses!

We felt the urge to make a collection inspired by the city we fell in love with as teens, and the country that has inspired millions with its brilliant art, music, fashion and literature over the centuries. The Little Britain Collection for autumn/winter 2010 is Shampoodleized scarf patterns and tartan suits mixed with Sgt. Pepper inspired fleece jackets and workers denim, translated into childishly comfortable clothes. Enjoy!

When I first opened my box from them I thought it myself... oohh hhooo this is CRAZY! The kids got in on at and we had to hold an impromptu photo session on-the-spot! They picked out their own outfits and loved every minute of it! Honestly, I have never seen them react like this to a collection! AND there has never been more from one collection that they had to have so many 'personals' (industry parlance for I want MY OWN please). So yes, those are my kids running around town in Shampoodle everywhere!

So thank you Shampoodle! For always being an inspiration, and always knowing what's right! (or maybe it's just because those Swede's... they are so smart! wink, wink!)

Shampoodle is available in sizes 0 months - 8 years!
and there are some pieces that YOU can have as well... may I suggest the Mick Jagger inspired Rolling Stone knit pants! --Truly something for everyone!


click here to visit Shampoodle on Nonchalant Mom

Los Angeles trip :: part II

(dosa space at 818 broadway)

The last two days of my LA trip with Jann were so jam-packed, I wanted split the blog into two parts... so you will have to refer to Part I if you have not already read it by clicking here. The last part of the trip was really what we came to LA for in the first place. Jann (Lucky Fish) was invited to be a part of an event, by designing tea towels, to support The Edible Schoolyard that was put on by Dosa, Lost & Found, and The Chez Panisse Foundation at the Dosa showroom in Los Angeles. First of all this was the most beautiful location for an event, a large open warehouse loft space that Christina Kim (Dosa) renovated into a simple yet impeccably appointed space. And not to mention Alice Waters was on hand to sign books and talk to everyone, I am completely in AWE of her, she is an amazing person.

in front of Lost & Found

The event was Sunday, so on Saturday Jann and I met with Jamie of Lost & Found, if you are in LA you cannot miss this very special store, located at 6320 Yucca Street, and if you live in LA you probably already know about it! Jamie is incredibly talented and has that very special eye for anything very cool or simply well designed (but with character), and we got along instantly! Together we hauled everything downtown and began to set up... AFTER a little shopping in her store that is... couldn't resist!

Jann folding her tea towels

dosa collection

Then it was downtown to get things in order at the showroom. We arrived and Dosa was set up so beautifully... simple racks in the middle of the room... the collection was play of midnight, stars and patchwork of fabrics that all created a deep and elegant display. And we went to work to set up the Lost & Found area which included the Lucky Fish tea towels, which were a special print made for the event, inspired by the Edible Schoolyard by Jann. So we folded tea towels for hours! delightful if you ask me, and with the company at hand... wonderful way to pass the afternoon.

alice and kids from one of the schools

If you do not yet know about the Edible Schoolyard it is a foundation which supports schools to create a garden, children plant and care for the garden, and then include the harvest in the schools lunch program. There are a number of schools throughout California that are involved in the program and there is a project in Brooklyn that is now in the works. Click here to find out more or to donate to the foundation. Check out their Journal to see what is going on in the garden right now! click here.

The Wood Spoon in LA

After we set up we went to have dinner at Wood Spoon just around the corner at 107 9th Street. Amazing food, again California has the best fresh tasty food, but this was Brazilian, fresh and delicious! I would say Brazilian Macrobiotic but I don't think that is the way she would describe it! It's just plain delicious.

Then we thought we would go back to work when we walked by the Orpheum Theater and Yoko Ono was there with her Plastic Ono Band! We ducked in for the second half of the show and I couldn't believe my eyes when Lady Gaga got up on stage in a black catsuit and sang together with Yoko! an amazing show that ended with everyone together singing 'Give Peace a Chance!' it was the perfect day... again... in LA!

preliminary food setup

chefs came from all around to pay tribute to Alice Waters! sitting down is the chef from Gjelina

The next morning was the day of the big event, we didn't even have time for coffee and we were up and out the door, following our GPS lady downtown! We arrived and Chez Panisse was laying out a beautiful display of food! It shows how elegant something simple is when it's made in a loving way with fresh ingredients (as is everything from Chez Panisse). The room was all set with beautiful dark crimson dalias and a warm LA breeze blowing through the windows. The event was beautiful and lasted into the night. It was so good to see so many Nonchalant Mom fans at the event too! Thank you for coming!

Jann and her tea towels!

We almost got out of there without a hitch, then we got to the Airport and I saw Jann start to panic... yes, she lost her passport!