We survived the blizzard!!

Do you remember snow days when you were little? You jumped out of bed, ran to the window and let out a yelp of excitement at the clean, white blanket of fluffy canvas. Those were the days, right? Well, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, if you're an adult living in NYC, snow days are even better.  You stock up on wine, snacks, and start scrolling through your Netflix queue to catch up on all those movies/shows you haven't had the time for. Your landlord has to worry about shoveling the sidewalk while you cuddle up with your warmest blanket and basically do whatever you want. Who doesn't want that?!

Things I (pretend to) hope to accomplish:

1. Dust/sweep my apartment
2. Finally start laying out the quilt I've been planning to make for like two years
3. Polish my nails
4. Clean out the fridge
5. Pick out my Valentine's day heart-themed outfits for next week (pics to follow!)
6. Catch up on Downton Abbey

Sky's the limit really, but honestly, I'll probably just sit around thinking about all the awesome things I could be doing while I watch Downton and polish my nails.

What are you guys doing today?
xoxo
mc

Lost my favorite black cardigan, and Nemo found us.

Every night after I give a shout out to God, and snuggle into bed I do what every red-blooded 20-something does....I think about what I am going to wear the next day.

I like to think about what I am going to wear, and basically have it set in my mind so that when I wake up in the morning all I need to do is stumble to the shower, put on my pre-set outfit and only worry about what I am going to scrounge together for lunch.

Well, this morning I was going to wear my black cardigan. You know, that black cardigan that's the perfect length and looks good with anything? And I. COULD. NOT. FIND. IT. This may sound trivial, but you've all had that moment of sheer panic when you are frantically looking for something in the morning and you are sure that it is under your nose and you just can't find it so it puts you in an even larger frenzy and then you just are like WHATEVER, fuck it. Ain't nobody got time for this.

Yea, that's exactly what happened, except after I looked everywhere in my room, I went straight to mentally blaming my roommate and stomped around the apt like a lunatic, which made it even worse, because by the time I got to the office, I felt really bad for being such a brat. Obviously apologized big time and it was fine. But the point is that I got home and it was right in the corner of my closet where I knew it was supposed to be, hanging there mocking me. Tell me this has happened to you?

Also - blizzard Nemo? Normally I get all frothy when it comes to prepping for a storm. Hurricane Irene, my roommate and I filled our bathtub with water. Hurricane Sandy, we filled everything with water, got two huge bottles of wine and provisions to make nachos (priorities people). And thankfully the most we've ever had to deal with is a slow internet connection. But for this blizzard, I have nothing. Some leftovers in the fridge, and my roommate is making soup. Let's hope we make it out warm and with full bellies.

Stay warm!
xoxo
mc

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

How it took me so long to find this is beyond me. For all you Pride and Prejudice fans out there, enjoy!

How I became VP of Fashion Club

*Warning - this post is freaking long - but I think it's totally worth it*

I've always been obsessed with clothes and fashion, so when someone at my new job asked me if I wanted to be part of the Fashion Club how could I resist? Did you misread that? Does "job" mean "summer camp"? Am I taking up extracurricular activities for my college apps? Nope. Some girl at my job came up to my desk a month after I had started and asked me to be part of her club. The conversation went a little like this:

D: Hey
Me: Hi (clickity clack typing away- when I start a new job, I live by the ANTM motto: I'm not here to make friends)
D: I really like your jacket!
Me: Oh thanks! (It is this great black and white polka dot blazer that I LOVE). I just got it at Ann Taylor Loft for like 60% off.
D: Awesome. (beat) So, you should be part of the Fashion Club.
Me: (chuckle) Yea, haha. My fashion sense is awesome.
(Guys, I thought she was kidding)
D: So, do you know Mike Epstein?
Me: Uhhhhhh
D: Well, he used to be HR, but now I'm recruiting people. T is the President and S is Director of Communications.
(WTF?)
Me: Oh...cool...yea
D: Great! So, you should definitely apply to be part of Fashion Club. You just have to write a cover letter, and send us a picture of your best outfit. We'll review it and tell you if you've been accepted.
Me: Oh....um....okay.

And that's when I thought....is this a mean girl moment? Is this girl just inviting me to be part of this "club" so that I send her a cover letter and get really into it and then she forwards it along to all the other bitches at work and they just make fun of me behind my back? Is this for real? Well....not but a few minutes later did I get an email:

********
Subject: Fashion Club Update

Hello team,

...After observing and studying their outfit choices and color combinations, I would like to invite MCC and R to apply to Fashion Club...

*Reminder* To apply to Fashion Club and be considered for admission, you must send a Cover Letter to S  - Head of Communications-, to our lovely President T, and to myself along with a photograph where we can see your fabulous outfit of the day.

 

Thank you and I hope you two accept this invitation.

********

And like any normal person I forwarded it to all my friends and cracked jokes and wondered aloud to each other whether or not they were actual mean girls. After a lot of LOLing and mulling it over, I thought it couldn't hurt to send out a quick little response: 

********
Subject: RE: Fashion Club Update

Hello all,

Thank you for inviting me to be part of the prestigious and exclusive fashion club! I am honored to know that someone other than myself and my mirror appreciates my daily fashion choices.

I’ll be mulling over my best outfit this weekend and constructing a cover letter that will knock your matte stockings off your well-manicured feet!

Have a great weekend – Saturday is supposed to be prime Fall-layering weather!

MCC

********

C'mon! I couldn't resist the opportunity to make all those fashion-y sentences! I waited a couple of weeks before actually sending a cover letter. I wanted to get to know these girls. And when I was pretty sure they weren't going to go all mean girls on me, I sent this KICK-ASS cover letter:

**********

Hello all,

I have been remiss and I hope that that has not left you indifferent to my participation in the Fashion Club. I will not regale you with excuses for my delayed response but extend an apology and some awesome photos. Unsure of whether or not you would like a very formal cover letter, I do hope that an  informal “cover-plea” for my acceptance will suffice.

First and foremost, I would like to say again how happy I was when you extended the invitation to join the Fashion Club...People don’t know that fashion doesn't have to be shallow. That it’s not about insecurity or designer labels or status. It is about expressing yourself, your personality, and your character...   

...And, I do love searching the racks for that perfect trendy piece that will update an old outfit and make it fresh and new!

I’m inspired by designers who not only make clothes, but create art. I went to the Alexander McQueen exhibit last year and each piece was an incredible sculpture, each print a unique painting...Of course, like anyone else, I am inspired by magazines, blogs, celebrities, friends, and designers, but my original and constant inspiration is my mother.  I grew up surrounded by fashion. I can still remember my mom running out the door to work with her highly teased hair, brightly colored jackets with sky-high shoulder pads, tight leather mini-skirts, sheer tights and 80’s pumps...living the life of a true fashionista. She constantly changed her style with each season and still kept it classic. She ignited this passion.

As for the photos attached, photo #1, shows that fashion was even a priority at a young age (okay, okay, this one is kind of a joke...I’m 2^nd from the right – my nanny and I decided that a short bob was the way to go for the first day of 2^nd grade – not the best decision).  

Photo #2 stars my Michael Kors trench coat that I got at Marshall’s for like $100! You can see my red/orange/brown paisley LOFT sweater peeking through, and the strap of my red Cynthia Rowley bag (also from Marshall’s for a steal!). 

Photo #3 is from my sister’s rehearsal dinner – I love the pleats on that skirt – that dress made me feel like I had just come from the tennis club. Note the purple nails!

I would love to be part of this club, not only because fashion is great, but also because I am excited to get to know all of you better!

I hope I have made my case and I can’t wait to hear more about what the Fashion club does and everything it entails.

Best,

MCC
********

And that's how I got invited and accepted to the Fashion Club. And finally made friends at work.
Hope you enjoyed this embarrassing display.
xoxo
mc

We have to stop meeting like this.

It's actually really embarrassing how long it has been since I last blogged. A little over one year. So much has happened since we last spoke A YEAR AGO. Let me see if I can break it down for you:

1. I quit my job in publishing and started working at a non-profit 5 months ago
2. I read a butt load of books - yes, I said buttload (Checkout my shelf here)

3. My sister got married in August and I started losing clumps of hair and a significant amount of eyelashes and I looked like a broken doll.

You can't tell because I had some major fake eyelashes :)

4. My hair stopped falling out, and my eyelashes finally grew back by November. Thank goodness.
5. I got invited to be part of the fashion club at work - I'll tell you more about that later.
6. My brother had his third baby - a beautiful baby girl - and I died and went to heaven.
7. Oooo, I bought a sewing machine.
8. I started making more DIY crafts.

My roommate said this one day and I couldn't get it out of my head! I used acrylic paint, stencils for the letters, and drew the little worm :) and I gave it to my bff for her birthday

Bought this Ralph Lauren pillow from TJ Maxx for $16! I looked up monogram letters online and cut out stencils and then taped them onto the pillow before painting them on with fabric paint. I got the idea from Lauren Conrad. She says to use fancy sticky paper, but you don't need it!

9. Pipes burst outside our apt, and flooded our kitchen.

10. Gossip Girl ended and I didn't know what to do with myself.
11. I turned 27 and thought about how when I was 18 I thought I would have figured things out by now and then laughed at my naivete.
12. Other things happened that I am sure were important in my life, but I just can't remember them right now.

But anyway, hi! Great to be back. I guess I should tell you what I'm reading right now, right? Have you guys heard of We Need to Talk about Kevin? Well, I read that book for bookclub a couple of months ago and I couldn't stand it. It was the worst book ever and I wanted to throw it out the window so many times. So, Lionel Shriver wrote that book and I thought I would never read a book by her ever again - but alas, I picked up The Post-Birthday World, and I actually like it. It's kind of like that movie Sideways with Gwenyth Paltrow - where there are two storylines that branch off based on this one decision the protagonist chooses in the beginning. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm hoping that it won't be all messed up in the end and that I won't regret telling you guys that I liked it. So, as of right now, you guys should totally read it. But I'll let you know if the ending sucks and save you the disappointment.

Until next time!
xoxo
mc