STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

HeatherLynn · Gucci

STer of the week- Hotcocoa!!

laken1 · Hermes

If I remember correctly, you are a SAHM?
What did you do before?
Do you miss it?
What is the coolest thing about staying home?
Are you planning to return to work or stay home indefinately?

Where is your favorite place to shop?

Favorite food?

My mom didn't work until I went to high school - I remember very fondly that she always came on field trips with us & was home when I got off the bus - I loved that!

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

eeeee, i am so excited to be STer of the week! thank you, heatherlynn.

What is your favorite article of clothing?

right now my favorite is an ivory sweater coat/cardigan by kenzie that i bought at a little boutique on my last trip to traverse city, mi. it's not really anything special but i'm always cold and i can put this on over just about anything that i already have on. it's soo warm and comfortable too.

What is day in the life of hotcocoa like?

a typical day starts with me trying to wake up (alarm clock-less) before my son so that i can squeeze in my shower. when he gets up we snuggle in his favorite spot on our couch (this is my absolute favorite 15 minutes of my day). i make breakfast for the two of us every morning, usually fruit smoothies, toast with honey... maybe some eggs. after we get dressed we're either off to a class (a toddler class for him or a spinning class for me) or running errands. i always make lunch at home unless we have plans otherwise. after lunch i try and squeeze in some "working" time while my son (hopefully) plays on his own. right now i am designing an identity system which includes a gift card and business card for a woman who does massage therapy out of her home and wrapping up some details on a photoshoot that i styled last week. my husband works and works and works (he owns his own business) so i usuallly make a simple dinner for myself and my son. we try to get outside each day too now that the weather is getting colder. a nature walk is a favorite thing right now... we're collecting pine cones (for what? i don't know yet) or just a walk around the block to say hi to our neighbors. i try to make plans once a week in the evening to get out of the house on my own. this week i'm meeting my awesome girlfriends for a cozy evening wine and knitting.

What is your 1st name?

angela is my full first name. i use it whenever i write out my full (first and last) name and when i introduce myself in business situations. conversationally, i am ang or angi (spelled without the "e")

If I remember correctly, you are a SAHM?

yes, i am a stay-at-home-mama.

What did you do before?

i was an art director for a local publishing company.

Do you miss it?

i do not miss waking up and trekking to the office every morning. i do not miss the long hours and working for a boss i didn't care for. as for the work, i still do art direction and design on a freelance basis for my old company so it's a perfect dose of what i loved about the job.

What is the coolest thing about staying home?

besides getting to spend so much time with my favorite little boy, it would have to be getting things done around the house that i never had time for when i worked... organizing my linen closets, painting my dining room, cooking (although i'm terrible). also, making new friends. there are a bunch of great women that i've met that stay home as well. i would have never met them otherwise.

Are you planning to return to work or stay home indefinately?

i'm home indefinately. i tried working on a regular part-time basis from home last year and it was hell. i hated rushing around in the morning getting myself ready and then rushing my son off to my parents house for a 10-14 hour day. i cut back my hours dramatically this year. i don't plan on working until my son is in a full-day of school. i will NOT be returning to an office. it'll be a design business i run from home or teaching art to children... that's what i'm thinking right now anyway

Where is your favorite place to shop?

honestly, online. but my favorite store is anthropologie. not just because i love to shop there but because i find the misc. objects and the ambience in there is inspiring. it's like a giant designer's sketchbook come to life.

Favorite food?

any kind that someone else prepared for me! i'm not much of a foodie and i don't get too excited about anything other than a damn good cookie or a scoop of coconut ice cream.

laken1 · Hermes

Now that you answered, I have some more questions! I just took up knitting as well - how long have you been knitting? What do you generally make? What is your favorite thing that you've made? Have you tried socks? (i hear people love or hate it - right now i hate it)

lynnie · Chanel

you and your son sound so cute! this is making me want kids sooo badly (won't for a while though, i'm 22)

my q's:

what is your favorite thing hanging on your wall?

where do you live?

Please describe the best vacation you've ever been on.

How is your house decorated?

how did you and your hubby meet?

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

Now that you answered, I have some more questions! I just took up knitting as well - how long have you been knitting? What do you generally make? What is your favorite thing that you've made? Have you tried socks? (i hear people love or hate it - right now i hate it)

my co-workers taught me to knit about 4-5 years ago. (these are the same girls in my knitting circle) my first project was, like everyone's, a scarf. it looked terrible and i decided that knitting wasn't for me. i told the girls i never wanted to knit again. a few years later most of us had left the company and were no longer co-workers, but a few of the girls wanted to start a knitting circle. i didn't really want to knit, but i DID want to hang out with my girlfriends so i had my mother re-teach me the basics. i listened and learned a lot more the second time. my stitches were cleaner and i "got it". so i started over with a scarf project and it turned out really, really nice. right now i am knitting a woven, wool rug. i've been working on it ever since the good scarf... last year. i've never tried socks, nor do i think i ever will!

what is your favorite thing hanging on your wall?

a wax painting by one of my favorite artists, amy ruppel. she does a lot with little blackbird motifs. this particular painting is hanging in my first floor powder room. it has a pale robin's egg blue background that looks amazing hanging on my green grasscloth wallpaper.

where do you live?

rochester, michigan which is about 20-25 miles north of detroit.

Please describe the best vacation you've ever been on.

i'd have to choose my trip to maui in 1998. my husband and i were married there and the trip doubled as our honeymoon.

How is your house decorated?

a classic modern & vintage mix.

how did you and your hubby meet?

through a friend-of-a-friend... but we were not set up on a date or anything like that. i met him in 1994. i was 19, he was 25. a large group of us hung out a couple of times but i really wasn't looking to meet anyone. one evening we hung out, just me, my girlfriend, her friend (a guy) and his friend (my husband) so i was able to talk to him a bit more and get to know him a little. at the end of the evening they asked us if we wanted to go to a "party" that weekend. being single college girls always looking for fun we said, "yes". they took us to an abandoned auto plant in detroit to what was then simply known as "a party" but what has been more recently reffered to as a "rave". this was detroit in the early 90s, the height of underground parties in the city that is home to techno. it was the most amazing live music event i have ever experienced. we had an amazing time and totally "hooked up". we've been inseparable since!

halleybird · Hermes

can I just say that your son is so lucky that you do all that for him? So cool!

favorite book?

political leanings?

do you have any hopes/aspirations for your son when he grows up (other than to be happy)?

small fry · Chanel

okay here are mine first i want to say i think it is great you can stay at home with your son I would love to do that myself

what are your hobbies?

Do you and your hubby ever get date nights?

What do you and your son and hubby do as a family (family time or family night?)

What are you your fav. colors in clothes ?

NCshopper · Hermes

I love reading through the STer of the week threads! I love learning about people and you sound like a cool family. Here are my questions:

* What's your favorite food/meal?

* If you had an all-expenses-paid trip for anywhere in the world and you had to leave tomorrow, where would you go?

* What's your favorite beauty product?

* What's your oldest piece of clothing?

* Where were you born/raised?

* Do you live close to your family?

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

i'm an insomniac tonight, so here's a few midnight answers:

favorite book?

i don’t know that i have a favorite book. i love to read though. the last book i read was "middlesex". besides enjoying the story, i particularly loved parts that referenced history in detroit… the race riots, the indian village home and the speakeasy that was run out of the basement during prohibition... all very interesting to me.

political leanings?

left

do you have any hopes/aspirations for your son when he grows up (other than to be happy)?

self-confidence and intelligence.

what are your hobbies?

trail running and mountain biking (although i don’t get to do it as much as i used to or would like to), decorating my house (which is a neverending adventure) and photography.

Do you and your hubby ever get date nights?

we do… occasionally. our parents are our sitters so when they are available we book them. we usually go out to dinner but never a movie because i always fall asleep in movie theatres. they usually keep our son overnight, so we’ll go home after dinner and mix up some cocktails. in the summer we’ll enjoy them outdoors by our pool/spa, and in the winter we’ll build a fire indoors.

what do you and your son and hubby do as a family (family time or family night?)

my husband works a LOT, so family time during the week is simply a round of hide and seek when he gets home (our son’s favorite thrill right now is hiding... he's 2 btw!). my husband and i always read our son bedtime stories together at night so we all gather together at least once a day. on the weekends we usually stroll around the little downtown area of our city to go out for an informal dinner or coffee and cookies at the coffee shop just to hang out together.

What are you your fav. colors in clothes ?

i actually love all colors and probably own one of something in every color of the spectrum. i love robin’s egg blue but it looks awful on me so i’ll sneak it in somewhere away from my face like a tank peeking out from beneath a brown sweater for instance. i guess if you glanced inside my closet you’d notice more than a few pieces in the range from warm pink to deep berry red. that is one color range that I am particularly drawn to.

* What's your favorite food/meal?

i’d have to say, my mother’s homemade chicken pot pie. it takes a day (or more) to make and it’s not too often that whips one up (once or twice a year), but when she does it’s such a treat and incredibly delicious.

* If you had an all-expenses-paid trip for anywhere in the world and you had to leave tomorrow, where would you go?

fiji. i’ve been wanting to go there for years and years. it’s far away and exotic to me. i love the thought of being halfway around the earth on a speck of an island in the middle of the ocean where my husband’s cell phone doesn’t work.

* What's your favorite beauty product?

laura mercier tinted moisturizer

* What's your oldest piece of clothing?

i don’t actually wear this but i have a tee shirt from 1984 that declares, “Detroit Tigers, World Series Champions!”. i have several pieces of clothing that date back to 1996 when i landed my first real job out of college — mostly classic pieces in black: a merino wool sweater, a silk twinset, a gabardine wool pant suit, an a-line skirt, wool peacoat, and a few dresses. i guess i was wardrobe building way back then and didn’t realize it until you asked this question!

* Where were you born/raised?

i was born in dearborn, michigan and raised in sterling heights, michigan. both are just outside of detroit.

* Do you live close to your family?

my parents have a condo about 2 miles from our house where they stay in the summer months, but they are permanent florida residents. my brother lives out of state as well so most of the time i am without family nearby.

jj · Kate Spade

Ok, I HAVE to ask some questions, because honestly, your cool threadstyles were a big part of the reason I got hooked on stylethread. And how funny that you are a Rochester girl - I grew up in Troy. My ???s are shopping related:

- what was your most recent clothing/accessory purchase that completely DIDN'T work and why?

- what is your best purchase so far this fall?

- when you shop, do you have a plan (like "I need pants") or just buy what strikes you?

- what was you best shopping score/deal?

- how did you pick your screen name?

Meow · Coach

I love your style. I know you shop alot at anthro and I have bought a couple of things from there. The only problem is that the closest one to me is 5 hours away so I have to order online and getting the correct size is a problem.

1. Do you shop online at anthro or in the store?

2. How long have you been shopping at anthro?

3. How long could you go w/o repeating an outfit?

4. What is your favorite season for fashion?

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

k, I HAVE to ask some questions, because honestly, your cool threadstyles were a big part of the reason I got hooked on stylethread. And how funny that you are a Rochester girl - I grew up in Troy. My ???s are shopping related:

hi troy girl! funny, i grew up on one side of troy (in SH) and now i live on the other side of troy (in rochester) i wonder if we've crossed paths?

- what was your most recent clothing/accessory purchase that completely DIDN'T work and why?

oh boy... there have been a few but the most recent one that stands out to me is the darling little pleated tulle top with cocoa colored velvet band around the middle and sweet puff cap sleeves that i just absolutely adore but i ended up returning it because it was way too fussy for me to live with. it didn't work out because i bought it online... and well, things are not always what they seem online. it didn't look as "fussy" on screen. i had outfits planned for it and everything. oh well. sometimes you just have to let it go.

- what is your best purchase so far this fall?

my via spiga brown suede wedge boots. they were semi-pricey, but they are SO going to get worn to death. they are perfect in every way. i'm wearing them today in my threadstyle post.

- when you shop, do you have a plan (like "I need pants") or just buy what strikes you?

i usually buy what strikes me. i feel like i've got my bases covered when it comes to basics so i never feel like "i need pants" or whatever it is. of course i did "need" a new ensemble for a wedding i attended last month, so i do occasionally shop with a plan. things don't beg for me to buy them too often and i never leave stores with an armful of shopping bags.

- what was you best shopping score/deal?

i'm usually not a bargain hunter... i don't even bother with sales (how horrible is that?) but i did buy a perfectly classic camel and ivory wool overcoat by theory at neiman's last call a few years ago. it was marked down and then 30% off of the markdown and i ended up getting 5% more off for using my NM charge. the coat was originally $600+ and i got it for about $130. still a chunk of change, but this coat will last me a lifetime and it fits me perfectly.

- how did you pick your screen name?

i'm pretty sure i was freezing my butt off in the middle of winter last year sipping a mug of hot cocoa when i chose my screen name.

I love your style. I know you shop alot at anthro and I have bought a couple of things from there. The only problem is that the closest one to me is 5 hours away so I have to order online and getting the correct size is a problem.

1. Do you shop online at anthro or in the store?

both, probably 50/50. my anthro isn't too awfully far away (say a 30 minute drive) but it's far enough away to keep me out of too much trouble.

2. How long have you been shopping at anthro?

i bought my first anthropologie sweater in... i'd say... 1996. i still have it and love it to death. it's big and furry and wooly. i'll threadstyle for you it when it gets really, really cold out. so... almost 10 years!

3. How long could you go w/o repeating an outfit?

hmmm, i dunno! i guess if i tried really hard maybe a month?

4. What is your favorite season for fashion?

fall. but i love fall for so many other reasons too. cider mills, falling leaves & perfect sweater weather!

ranchera20 · Marc Jacobs

I dont think I ever got a chance to see your outfits before but now that I saw them for the first time I love them!!!

What is your most missed memory?

What is your favorite day of the week?

When is your birthday?

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

ranchera20 wrote:

I dont think I ever got a chance to see your outfits before but now that I saw them for the first time I love them!!!

it's been a good long while since i've posted in threadstyle, but thank you for the compliment. to answer your questions:

What is your most missed memory?

i have a terrible memory, so i miss all my memories! kidding. i'm actually not sure how to answer this question but i'd say that the memories that are fondest to me are those of being with my grandmother when i was a child. i was her only granddaughter and first grandchild and she treated me like a princess. i loved her and being with her so much and i know she felt the same. if i could revisit one time in my past, i think a visit to grandma's house would be my choice.

What is your favorite day of the week?

sunday. it's the only day of the week that my husband usually doesn't work, so i get to see him all day long and we all get to sleep in together.

When is your birthday?

it's coming up this month. november 28 to be exact.

ejc423 · Coach

What is one thing (or quality) you really love about your son? Your hubby?

How the heck do you find time to hang out w/ us on ST?

alb · Marc Jacobs

I'll add a few:

What is your favorite "play" activity to do with your son?

How did you get involved in designing cards/stationery/invites. etc. (sorry if this question is a little redundant)?

Favorite movie?

What type of music do you listen to?

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

What is one thing (or quality) you really love about your son? Your hubby?

my son's sense of humor and my hubby's way of always seeing the glass half full

How the heck do you find time to hang out w/ us on ST?

i "sneak" it in, really. usually if i'm on my computer working i'll log in or if i'm returning a bunch of e.mails i'll switch back and forth from work/e.mails + ST. sometimes it's in the morning before my son gets up or at night (like now) when he's in bed and my hubby's taking a shower.

I'll add a few:

What is your favorite "play" activity to do with your son?

right now it's hide and seek. he is truly passionate about it right now. he thinks hiding is the best thing ever and being found is the funniest thing ever.

How did you get involved in designing cards/stationery/invites. etc. (sorry if this question is a little redundant)?

i've been making my own cards since high school... (15+ years). i went to art school to study graphic design so it was a natural progression, really. it's always something i've loved to do. i started out making holiday cards every year way back then. friends picked up on it and asked me to do their wedding invites so i started doing invitations as well. then they started having children, so i started doing birth announcements and shower invites. pretty soon i'll be doing their wedding anniversary party invites!

Favorite movie?

any movie by the coen brothers. probably "the big lebowski"

What type of music do you listen to?

i'm ashamed to admit that i'm not really "into" much new music at this point in my life. i still only have one song on my iPod. it's by 50 cent (i don't even know the name of it!) i love old school rap and hip-hop, i think gwen stefani rocks and i love the white stripes. my husband is more on top of music than i am.

lynnie · Chanel

i lovee the big lebowski- i want the dude's sweater sooo bad. and i really like that bob dylan song- its perf. for the movie.

hotcocoa · Kate Spade

lynnie wrote:

i lovee the big lebowski- i want the dude's sweater sooo bad. and i really like that bob dylan song- its perf. for the movie.

you want his sweater! how funny. my husband just told me today that he saw a bumper sticker on someone's car that read, "this aggression will not stand,... man". i think i'm going to have to put that movie in and watch it tonight.