8.31.2011

Sorting Through the Muchness -- August Edition...

salad image via sunday suppers

A while back I read a post on Even Cleveland that discussed the idea of sorting through "the muchness", and it just stuck with me...

Between all the lovely blogs and pinterest and twitter and magazines and catalogs I feel like I process an insane amount of stuff each month -- images, pretty things, thought-provoking things, information, snippets of information. So I thought it might be a good exercise if I regularly took the time to think about what's really resonating out of the muchness...what I'm really loving, using, thinking about endlessly.

It's not intended to be a lofty exercise (as underscored by the fact that one of the things I'm thinking about this month is lip balm), but I'm hoping it'll sort of force me to sort through all the clutter and settle in a bit on the things that, well...stuck.

And because you know how I love "the sharing", I thought it would be fun to create a little monthly series based on the 3-5 things that bubbled to the surface.

Here are my "August Things":

Simple Greens:
I am all about salad...I could eat it at every. single. meal. and usually prefer it jammed with nuts and cheese and any number of other sundry tasty bits. But in August, on three separate occasions, I was served a perfect salad that consisted of essentially just really good greens and some herbs (dill was key) tossed with a little homemade dressing (usually some combo of high quality balsamic vinegar, a little oil and some salt and pepper). The salads were game changers. And as such, I've been consuming lightly dressed greens non-stop (occasionally even at breakfast).

Clare Vivier Messenger:
Bryan bought me a navy CV messenger bag a few years ago for my birthday, but it had been out of rotation for a while... It resurfaced during the recent "great closet clean-out", and I proceeded to carry it exclusively the entire month of August... (It was equally at home on the streets of Manhattan and in Marfa's dusty dessert, which I think says something about a bag, yes?) I love this purse. I do.

Burt's Bees Lip Balm in Honeysuckle:
It's not lipstick or lip gloss. It's not fancy or goopy or shimmery or shiny. It's just a sort of simple, beigey lip balm. But I'm addicted to it.

Magazines:
After the folding of all the (seemingly) great ones (i.e. Gourmet, Cookie, Domino, Blueprint...), I was feeling pretty meh about magazines. They were just not doing it for me. But with all the flying I did this month, I ended up giving in and reading almost every single one on the newsstand, and friends... I think magazines are roaring back. Of specific note are Martha Stewart Living now helmed by former Cookie editor Pilar Guzmán (Cookie and Momfilter co-founder Yolanda Edwards is also at MSL now, so double bonus), Stefano Tonchi's W, Partners & Spade's re-branded Lucky, and Bon Appétit, which, under new editor Adam Rapoport, is starting to (almost) fill the void that the closing of Gourmet left in my heart (not to be overly dramatic of course ;-)

I'd love to know...was there anything that stood out for you guys in August? Any favorites you'd like to share?

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

August for me has been about rain boots (lots of rain here and then a hurricane in philly) and I'm loving my black rubber boots that I got from tj maxx (I think) for 20 bucks.

And green smoothies. I've started having one most mornings for breakfast to try to introduce more 'rawness' into my diet. I feel better.

I'm going to try that BB lip balm! I love their pomegranate lip balm.

Joslyn said...

erinn -- oh i've been into green smoothies of late too...major goodness!

tory said...

Orange Lipstick: I have a Revlon shade that I picked up at a drugstore and use as lipstick/blush/the occasional eyeshadow (the all-orange gets compliments like whoa, P.S.)

Whole Foods' Premade Ravioli (in whatever kind you want, really; it's all beautiful): This has been my staple for all of late summer, in truth. It cooks up super-fast, and all it requires is a quick drizzle of olive oil and a shred of romano & you're good to go. Or you can sauté garlic/onions/olives in coconut oil & use is as a sauce. So so so good.

Josie Maran's Facial Cleanser: Finally embracing the oiliness. It's been a revolution.

Lemons: In water, in tea, on pizza (Martha Stewart has an incredible recipe for Lemon & Piave Pizza on her website right now; mandolin the lemons super-thin & holy wow.), with gin... into it like never before.

Cold-brewed Green Tea: It brews in three hours in the 'fridge. Easiest/greatest thing ever.

Nicole said...

such a brilliant idea. i've been thinking the same thing. pinterest/blogs/etc can be so inspiring, yet do i really utilize all the info i'm processing?!
kudos on a great series idea!

The Belvedere- Alyssa said...

I love the idea of a few key things or ideas 'bubbling'. I feel like i'm constantly thinking about saving, remember, pinning, or emailing something to myself-as to not lose it. But in reality a few things stick no matter what. Great post!

Ps. thanks for the green light on the tinted burts, i've been thinking about trying it for a while!

Helena - A Diary of Lovely said...

the CV messenger is my fave of hers! and love the blue color

Anonymous said...

I love magazines. I'm almost as addicted to magazines as I am to HGTV. http://pattihaskins.wordpress.com/2011/08/30/hot-hot-hot/ My favorite magazine right now is Garden & Gun. http://gardenandgun.com/ I used to live in Raleigh, NC and it reminds me of that part of the country. Plus it is a fine looking magazine and the articles are interesting.

JWK said...

sorting through the clutter, much needed!!

Shannon said...

I never pick up ms living...except this month I put it in my cart and - wow! my husband and I both thoroughly enjoyed bits of it!

love your purse...I have my mui mui hobo bad sitting near the front door, waiting to be picked up...instead I just grab the dinosaur pouch (filled with diapers, wipes and extra tshirt) and stuff my wallet into the pocket on the stroller! Maybe I should let my mui mui retire for a while - to be rediscovered later!

Fern and Feather said...

I totally agree! Print is back! I am in love with Bon Appetit, Anthology {so happy to finally get my Summer issue} and I have also been loving Sunset... it needs a little redesign {just my opinion} but the content is wonderful. Every issue I am inspired to road trip all around the west.

Anonymous said...

Finding a good pair of clogs that wouldn't break the bank stood out for me. Quite a daunting task as it turns out. I had to wait nearly a month for a pair to arrive from Cape Clogs as they relocated their warehouse. They arrived while I was on vacation, I was so excited to see the box, I ripped it open and UGH. The wood looks like it was shaped by a woodchuck's teeth! Help me out here, anyone who has clog experience... are truly authentic clogs just made like this??? So, finding a replacement pair will rise to the surface in September as well!

Anonymous said...

I bought my latest pair from Olsson clogs http://www.olssonsweden.com/women?page=all and I love them. They are like the kind I used to buy in the seventies, Olaf Daughter clogs. They are made to order from Sweden. Highly recommend.

torrie said...

Love that lip balm (my current favorite :)).

Friday Night Lights (I know I'm late on this, but thanks to Michelle- "Pretty Mommy"- I'm OBSESSED.

Homemade salsa (just love how it's so fresh and pretty, and a little different each time).

Orange nail polish (surprised to find out how many outfits it complements- with planning/trying to coordinate :)).

StyleMint- Ordered 2 t's, and very happy with quality & fit.

Compost bin... Finally started composting and I cannot believe we didn't start sooner. Such a feeling of satisfaction to fill the bucket each day as I cook... instead of the trash!

la la Lovely said...

I love this new little feature. What a great idea! I got myself a little CV messenger bag and I am loving it too... schlep it around everywhere! And I'm totally digging orange nail polish right now, too. You could so rock it.

ps- would love to hear how you make your green shake or what it consissts of.

Anonymous said...

I completely understand! Glad I'm not the only one who feels overloaded at times. I'm also excited about my free subscription I earned (through Philly's Recycle Bank rewards program) of MS Living now!

Mine for August are:

1. Korres Wild Rose Moisturizing cream - it smells divine http://tinyurl.com/44mrgqg

2. My Library Card, and specifically the recent read of Julia Child's "My Life in France"

3. The current interesting and fresh palettes of color. 70s mixed with fluorescents, etc. Fun times!

Anonymous said...

Thanks pattihaskins... I'll check those out! I knew someone here would have a suggestion!

Melissa@Julias Bookbag said...

This month's Real Simple, Family issue was OUTSTANDING -- every single thing in it was great -- articles, recipes, ideas -- everything. Reminded me of the old Cookie mag. I was seriously impressed!

paula said...

such a brilliant idea. That home in Martha Stewart inspired me to no end. Simply beautiful.

Barbie // Fringe and Feathers said...

Another great reason to love your blog!! I'm with you on the resurgence of magazines. It's nice to have print pubs to read again. I'm totally digging MSL. I also really love Anthology. Such a pretty read.

August has been all about my new CV Bando. I'm in love with the shape and it holds an insane amount of stuff (I have a three year old). As with all of Clare's bags, it's just beautiful. (September will be all about my new CV royal blue pebble clutch...yay!)

Red lipstick (which I don't think I've worn since my teen years!). Currently loving J.Crew's Poppy King shade, Nars Manhunt and Lipstick Queen Medieval.

Kid friendly recipes. I've spent a lot of time this summer in the kitchen with my little one making all kinds of yummy stuff.

Please share any tips for making the perfect salad dressing. I can never get it quite right. I've also been on a green kick...salads, macro greens, and lots and lots of pesto.

yumi said...

Thank you for the Burts Bees recommendation. Absolutely love it!! I've been looking for a simple, nude, non-goopy non-shimmery balm. Perfect!