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January 1st, 2010
Is anyone else’s head spinning from the whirlwind that was 2009? Here we are, in the first day of 2010, and we still have no idea how we got here so fast. Fashion in 2009 was a blast from the past with the return of plaid and flannel button-down shirts, distressed and acid-wash denim, and of course, the 80’s were everywhere. Even we succumbed to the jean leggings with a zippered ankle—and we gotta say, they're pretty darn sexy. Facebook and Twitter took over the world in 2009, as did the swine flu. It was the year of Lady Gaga, "Mad Men," the iPhone and oh-so-dreamy "Twilight" vampires. We said goodbye to the Prince of Pop, the man who taught us that “nobody puts Baby in a corner”, and the squeaky clean image of Tiger Woods. We found a fresh style icon in the new First Lady and learned that some people will build a giant “flying saucer” just to have their shot at 15 minutes of fame in the world of reality television. If 2010 is even half as juicy and entertaining as 2009, we are in for one heck of a ride. Thanks for sticking with us this past year—we can’t wait to bring you even more fashion, style and shopping goodness in the year ahead! |
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Seattle Picks: |
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| 1 | Local Lovin’ Lately we’ve been hearing a lot of statistics about the economy, local business owners, and retail sales. And immediately after that we fell asleep. We prefer to stick to our favorite part of shopping (and not coincidentally, the part we do best), and that’s finding something we can’t live without. Plus, the economy needs us to shop—it’s our duty and we gladly oblige. Lucky for us, we can satisfy our social conscience, business headlines and shopping addictions, all at Nube Green (pronounced “newbie green”). This charming new mercantile in the Oddfellows Building in Capitol Hill carries only local, organic, recycled or recyclable merchandise, and not a single thing that has made a trans-oceanic trip. We found all sorts of goodies to warm our philanthropic hearts, from pillows and jewelry to bags and seasonal plants in compostable pots—even an entire dining-room set made from recycled materials! Plus, it gives us a warm fuzzy feeling to know we’re supporting local artists. If this isn’t something to make our wallets shine red, white, and blue, we don’t know what is. Nube Green Mercantile |
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| 2 | Doin’ It Nawlins Style We admit it: We've done a lot of crazy things in our day. Some we are proud of, others we bashfully hide as skeletons in our proverbial walk-in closets. But we did something we never imagined we possibly could... we ate alligator! Now, we know what you're thinking, "It's all pokey with slime on it, right?" As a matter of fact, ladies, it was delicious! The palate-surprising anomaly came courtesy of Toulouse Petit, a New Orleans-style French restaurant from the creative minds behind Pesos in lower Queen Anne. Here, we not only took our revenge upon amphibian-kind for biting our Southern counterparts, but we learned that these folks are so motivated for authenticity that they fly in their shrimp, crab and other shellfish fresh from Louisiana daily. Because of their efforts you can truly taste the quality in their astonishingly ambrosial dishes such as Toulouse Barbequed Shrimp New Orleans over Creamy Corn Grits, and Dungeness Crab in a Halved Avocado with Béarnaise and Fine Herbs. We advise you follow your animal instincts. Go ahead and get a little New Orleans-happy at Toulouse Petit. Toulouse Petit Kitchen + Lounge |
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| 3 | Dishing It Out Not to mention, we’re guessing that if we serve up dinner on some of these gorgeous dishes, it won’t even matter that we don’t know how to cook. |
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| Chick Picks: | |||
| 1 | Glam Out Your Tea Party In our house, tea time is revered. We have morning tea, after-lunch tea, after-dinner tea, and of course, nighty-night tea. There’s a whole pantry shelf devoted to tea. So when we came across Steven Smith Teamaker teas, it was like they were created just for us. Steve Smith founded Tazo and Stash, and his new small-batch line introduces 12 amazing proprietary blends like “Meadow,” “Bungalow,” “Big Hibiscus” and “Fez,” plus stunning Oolong and Darjeeling blends. Bonus: The chic packaging is hip enough to gift! |
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| 2 | Get ‘Er Done Personally, we are glad to see 2009 go—we have bigger and better things planned for 2010. We are officially declaring 2010 our year. We’re setting goals and sticking to them and its going to make this year our best yet. To keep it stylish (of course), we’ve invested in a Mini Goal Chalkboard from MaryKate McDevitt. The colored frame and hand-painted lettering make tackling a new goal every day cute and fun. Look out world, here we come! |
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| 3 | Brown-Bagging It Speaking of goals, this year we are aiming to bring our lunch to work almost every day—it will help us save our pennies for cute new shoes, and keep us eating healthier, too. However, we have a strong aversion to those smelly reusable lunch sacks, so we had to find an alternative. The snackboxes from Little Happy Shop are perfection. Like little bento boxes, the adorable illustrations, bright colors and playful sayings will brighten the dreariest workday. www.thelittlehappyshop.com |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | Christmas Leftovers We don’t know about you, but our Christmas leftovers include an extra five pounds left on our rear ends. So this weekend, we will be shopping the Lucy sale for cute duds to work off the extra pounds in. With up to half off on yoga, training and running gear, we’ll be back on track in no time! What: Lucy Sale |
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| 2 | January is Sale Month at Velouria Our favorite haunt for great designs and merchandise from indie designers is Velouria—now with two locations for twice the shopping fun. During the month of January, regularly priced items are 20% off, with an additional 15% off already reduced merchandise. You know we’re going to visit both locations—just in case. What: Velouria Sale |
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| 3 | It Doesn’t Stop There Merge is known for their sleek, chic styles that also somehow manage to be effortless and comfy—sounds ideal, right? No wonder we love them so much. Stop in during the month of January and get 30–50% off everything—including brands like Jeffrey Campbell, Poleci and Nicholas K. Make room for your new finds! What: Merge Sale |
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Welcome to 2010, Seattle Picks lovers! Stay tuned for more tips, secrets and scoops on the best that Seattle has to offer in boutiques, bars, restaurants, shopping, spas, pampering and other girly fun—right here, every Friday. (Sign up your friends for a free subscription at www.SeattlePicks.com!) |
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