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February 15th, 2008
It seems so long ago that we had our first Valentine: A chubby bunny of a boy who shyly stuffed a 5-piece, heart-shaped box of Russian roulette chocolate into our hands during recess and then ran away. We, of course, were smitten and giddy. So smitten, in fact, that we ended up accidentally spilling the entire box all over the ground. We tried in vain to adhere to the five-second rule, but alas it was not meant to be, setting the tone for all Valentine's Days to come. Valentine's is a day we now abhor; we are so over the 5th-grade staples of stuffed bears and half-dead roses, bought in a blind panic by our previous amours. This year, however, was quite different, as we were surprised and delighted by our honey with our very own Madame Fortuna necklace (a designer we previously featured). Turns out our gorilla isn't such a Neanderthal after all; he's actually a secret squirrel who subscribed to Phoenix Picks for Valentine inspiration. Lesson of the day: Gather your men and have them sign up for Phoenix Picks—we'll lead 'em in the right direction! And if you haven’t already, add us to your MySpace page as your BFF (myspace.com/phoenixpicks) for more goodness than you can shake a stick at! |
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| Phoenix Picks: | |||||
| 1 | Carrie? Or Samantha? The old “Which Sex in the City girl are you?” thing is dated, but their fabulous fashion sense is still inspiring. Sure, we converted ourselves into Patricia Field protégés every season, and when we moved into a house with our very own shoe and handbag room, we had our work cut out for us. But almost five years later, the room now overflowing with bags and kicks, we're confident we'd get an A+ from our favorite redheaded designer. And it only takes one Italian word to build a closet-full of goodness: Scarpe, which means “shoes.” We took to rolling it off our tongue on a regular basis after our first encounter with this remarkable little shoe and accessory boutique. Scarpe keeps the inspiration flowing and the latest shoes and purses stocked in our happy place, which coincidently looks very similar to the boutique's pretty pink hand-painted walls. Scarpe mixes designer goodies with under-the-radar brands that are about to break. A daily rotation of shoe-obsessed Scottsdale socialites and Valley divas stop in for the latest runway pieces. Perhaps they too are getting prepared for the SSIC movie premiere? Scarpe |
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| 2 | Just What We Needed We like to think of ourselves as being on a fairly even keel: cool and collected under pressure, always maintaining our fabulousness. You'll never see us break a sweat. However, when sidled with a weekend that included baby mama drama and the dreaded death of our computer, it was all we could do to refrain from wailing and gnashing our teeth. Thankfully, hubby-to-be knows how to soothe our fevered brow, and we were treated to an afternoon of wedding-ring shopping, watching him pull some sexy IT moves on our comp, and taking in a relaxing drive and a late lunch at El Encanto restaurant in Cave Creek. We were charmed by our pond-side seats, where we watched ducks and geese quibble over the forbidden tortilla chip shards thrown in by naughty little children who can't read signs. We were also romanced by the mango margaritas. After snarfing down two or three of them (who's counting?), along with a very tasty pollo fundido smothered in evil cheeses, suddenly teeth gnashing and hair pulling were no longer necessary. El Encanto |
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| 3 | Hey, Ricky! Remember the "I Love Lucy" episode where Lucy, working in a chocolate factory, stuffs candy in every possible place? February is that kind of month for us—we've gobbled our way through aisles of post-V-Day chocolates, biting conversation hearts and celebrating the fact that we survived another Hallmark holiday without committing hara kiri. Or returning to a favorite tasty trick—shoving a box of Godiva in our faces, a la Lucy. You see, we’ve discovered a new “lucy” to love. Our new lucy can help us get into our jeans after a chocolate binge—their fabulous fitness wear is centered around positive energy and fashionable, feminine chic. Lucy clothes are comfortable, accessible and made for real women in every shape and size. Most workout clothes are geared toward the already slender-rexi’s—leaving the rest of us intimidated by the daunting prospect of looking good while getting our sweat on. But not our lucy! They deliver with super-cute gear that we want to wear every day. So rather than racing to eat chocolate, we’re now racing to the gym to show off our new lucy fashions!
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| Chick Picks: | |||||
| 1 | Upping the "Cute" Factor We secretly love all things cute. We've decorated our room in cute, we've bought purses and a wardrobe full of cute, our shower curtain is cute, and we've even managed to sneak a grapefruit-scented candle into our gorilla-in-the-mist's cave! So we can't help but squeal in glee over Susie Ghahremani's handmade, animal-themed offerings. From banjo-playing squirrel prints and cat recipe cards to an owl-constellation T-shirt, Susie's endearing animals have a touch of whimsy and fun, making them perfect for a daily cubie dose of "Ahhh ... that's so cute!" |
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| 2 | It's Only Politics So you're off to do a little Presidential fundraising with the tot in tow, and you need a conversation starter to get the cash-flow going. We suggest Emily Allyn's toddler tees and infant onesies, because nothing gets to the core of matter like a little baby talk and a parent who touts their party affiliation proudly. And just in case little Willy gets in the middle of a heated debate, swap out the donkey or elephant tee for the Crab Cakes one. That'll be sure to leave the other side speechless! |
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| 3 | Like Totally Tubular Which is why Tube Your Lash Mascara is in every handbag we own! It gives you gorgeous lashes, won't cry off, but comes off easily with a splash of warm water. Yes, this really means no more oily eye-makeup remover or toilet paper and lotion (a trick we learned in our H-wood heyday)! |
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Hip Happenings: |
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| 1 | Sassy Wheels Our inner feminist wants to kick arse when we watch roller derby queens beat the living snot out of each other. That's why we're pumped for the 2008 Season 3 regulation season opener of the Arizona Derby Dames. Check out the Bombshells, Schoolyard Scrappers, Brutal Beauties and Coffin Draggers. Pull on your ripped fishnets and support your fellow glamazons! What: Arizona Derby Dames 2008 Season Opener |
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| 2 | Sailor's Stitch |
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| 3 | Post V-Day Wrap Up |
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| We don't know about you, but thank gawd it's Friday! We hope you have great weekend and if you're looking for a new place to shop or dine, check out our archives … or send us a message if you've come across something fantabulous! | |||||
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