fun at C Wonder Store, now at Fashion Island

C Wonder opened its first West Coast store at Fashion Island this Summer.  Christopher Burch's colorful store has a little bit of everything, a shopper's dream, really.

Affordable luxury, bright, bold, patterns...fun...all these words describe this store.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a pre Grand-opening party.  Bloggers and shoppers had the chance to tour the store, mingle and watch the crowds lining up- all before the big reveal.  Did I say fun?

I had such a nice time talking to Kristina of Nook & Sea,  [on the left] and Susan & Jennifer from Tiny Oranges [on the right].  The shoes? Yeah, I'm going to have to go back, there is a pair of flats with my name on them....

Kristine at Nook & Sea described C Wonder "like an explosion between Kate Spade, Victoria’s Secret and J. Crew – could it really get much better than that?"  I think she hit it.

I loved all the gift items with initials on them- specially the plates, I have a thing for plates.  There were so many beautiful initialed items that would make lovely gifts.  The monogram store? -Inspired.  You can purchase a gift and have it monogrammed right in the store.  C Wonder had clothing, shoes, hand bags, fun eye-wear.   Oh, and the pet items!  Fun! Lots of fun, chunky and bright jewelry and a section with ipod and ipad accessories.  Again, the gift-giving possibilities are pretty endless here.

This is a fun store, a great mix of luxury items and affordable-luxury items.  You can shop C Wonder online or in person at Fashion Island.

*this is not a sponsored post and I was not compensated.  I just partied :)

never look a gift-horse [lunch bag] in the mouth

alternate title:  teens are hard to buy for...

A package arrived at our house. 

I opened it, very excited.  Amie had asked for this very cute painted ponies backpack last year and when I finally got around to ordering it, they were out of stock.  So, this school year I was pleased to see they still had them, and they were throwing in a free matching lunch-bag, too.

So, the lunch-bag arrived (the backpack is on back-order) and I unpacked it with glee.  I had escaped sub-par mom status with this successful purchase....  Anyway, I unpacked it with glee, then put it behind my back while I went searching for Amie- intending to ask her to "pick a hand".

Meg saw me pull it out, saw me approaching her direction with an excited smile and the bag behind my back...and she assumed with much alarm that I had ordered it for her- since she loves horses.  She pasted on this frozen sort-of-terrified look on her face.

I realized that she was afraid it was for her,

and she was frantically trying to figure out a way to tell me she really did not want a pretty ponies lunch bag~ without hurting my feelings!  I put her fears to rest.  After having a really good  laugh at her expense...first.

I had to make her pose with it for the blawg....

Alternate title: dumb teen tricks...

good stuff: holiday gift ideas

We are all trying to finish up our shopping, aren't we? I am really appreciating shopping online this year, I really, really, really have no desire to brave the malls. Here are a few gifts and catalogs outside of the mainstream that are very nice.

Wolferman's - it's a catalog full of gourmet english muffins and other baked goods. You can order gift packages, towers, baskets- full of goodies to send to someone. I am ordering one for relatives I do not know well- you can find some nice packages just under $30- they go up from there too, of course.

Chinaberry- one of my all-time favorite catalogs, full of books and gifts. I love this catalog for the detailed and thoughtful descriptions of books, and superb taste in reading. Most of my reading comes from this catalog. I just ordered the Alpha Animals game from this catalog, after trying to get it the last 2 years- I always waited too late and they were sold out, I scored this year!

The Acacia catalog - kind of a "different" catalog, full of things to please a friend into yoga, natural living or thoughtful living...just kind of out there- in a serene sort of way. So, what do you buy for Nana who has everything?? Well, if she has 3 dogs she dresses up...I think this
"while you were gone" dvd might please her. (what will they think of next??)I also snagged some neat yoga socks for me...

happy shopping

gift giving ideas for little ones

Tonight at Barnes & Nobles I stumbled upon these two cute gift ideas. The board book, titled "Gallop!" is really amazing. The graphics, such as the one on the front cover- move much like flip-book type animation, or like old-time filming. Cute text to go with the graphics, any toddler or preschooler would be entranced, I'm thinking. I purchased it with one of my nephews in mind...getting a head start on my holiday shopping. The stuffed caterpillar from "The hungry caterpillar" fame is for my new niece. It's really, really soft.

Speaking of Barnes & Nobles, the roasted marshmellow mocha drink-thingy is very addicting. And good for you, full of calcium, of course.... And, I am a little put out that you cannot buy it at Starbucks. Just saying.

Sky spent the day painting the new bathroom. -apparently the wrong colors. We head back to home depot tomorrow morning and try again.

I recently finished "19 Minutes", "By bread alone" and "size 14 is not fat, either"...yes, I've been on a fiction run. Book reviews coming soon. -"By bread alone" is worth the read just for the sourdough bread recipe and instructions included at the end...besides being an enjoyable read, and besides being by the author of one of my favorite books, "Blessed are the cheesemakers"- (my review *here*).

I am also working on "Confessions" by St. Augustine -(working on a teaching co. lecture series on St. Augstine), and "Lies my teacher told me"...nonfiction just seems to take me longer to get through...

Is anyone else alarmed at how early all the holiday stuff came out? I saw a tree lot set up last week, no trees yet, but still... Sky told me today that he read about stores trying to move the day after thanksgiving sale up to thanksgiving day! ...that's just crazy-talk, people!! So, do you think the stores will try it? Do you think many shoppers would show up?

rambling thoughts for a rambling sort of week...how was your week?