Dressing in heels

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to dress up a little more. For example, even just adding a pair of black heels to a regular outfit makes such a difference. Here, Susan Cernek looks so pretty. (And I love this Urban Outfitters pair.)

Are you making any New Year's Resolutions?

(Photo by Stockholm Street Style)

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Baby quilts

Loving these beautiful baby quilts and stroller blankets. They're handmade and look so timeless.

P.S. An added bonus: You can hang them on your wall when your baby outgrows them. Sweet.

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Love print

What a cute print. :)

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My blog was hacked.

My dear readers,

My blog has been hacked, and someone is still messing with the blog coding. I wanted to let you know that I didn't write the "happy new year" post (which I've now deleted). If you see any posts over the next couple days that don't sound like me, they probably weren't written by me.

I'm figuring things out as quickly as I can; please hang in there with me!

Love, Joanna
P.S. Meanwhile, Toby and I traveled for 14+ hours today, including a scary emergency airplane landing in New Orleans. Acks, what a day!!

Update: Things seem to be back on track, whew! Thanks for your sweet comments!

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Snowstorm!

Because of the crazy east coast snowstorms, our flight to New York yesterday was cancelled, so we're in L.A. for three more days. Hope everyone with travel plans is doing OK! What chaos! xoxo

(Photo by Mike + Doug Starn)

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Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas from (sunny!) Palm Springs. I can't wait to catch up next week, and I wanted to say a big thank-you for everything this year. It has been a pleasure having you here, and I feel so grateful and lucky to have such wonderful readers. Hope you have a fabulous holiday. Love, Joanna (and Alex and Toby) P.S. Where are you spending Christmas this year? It's so funny to have a warm California Christmas after growing up in Michigan!

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Family photos

Sweet Paul has a bunch of great holiday craft tips, like making your own cupcake toppers and wrapping paper using family photos! Here are his easy instructions...

(Via Card Style)

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Jane Austen comic

Speaking of Jane Austen, here's a little comic. ;)

(By Kate Beaton, via Kat)

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Wedding hair

Isn't this bride's twisted bun beautiful? She looks right out of a Jane Austen novel.

(Photos by Steep Street)

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Chopping onions

Here's a little trick for when you're cooking dinner this holiday: To keep your eyes from stinging while you're chopping onions, put a piece of bread in your mouth and let it hang out. Apparently, it really works! Who would have thought?

(Photo and tip from Faith Durand/Apartment Therapy)

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Home inspiration: Black and white

Loving this print and crib sheet. They both pack such a punch!

(Photos by Mia Linnman and Kjerstis Lykke, via The Boo and the Boy)

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Hello from California

Hope you had great weekend! We're now in California, and the trip out here was a million times easier than I had expected. Toby was super mellow on the plane and slept in our arms most of the way. He only freaked out at the very end, during the drive from the airport to the hotel. Whew! The weather here is grey and rainy (just an observation:), but we l-o-v-e our hotel, which is cozy and comfy, and it's just nice to have time to chill. Here's a photo of Toby hanging with us in a cheesy-but-fun Mexican restaurant at the end of the Santa Monica pier. Kisses to you all, and thanks for your sweet encouragement about the flight! xoxoxo

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Let it dough!

Berlin-based artist Christoph Niemann and his three sons started playing around with cookie dough. How genius are their creations? See more here.

P.S. Their Legos from last year.

(Thanks, Lauren!)

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Have a fun weekend!

My darlings, what are your plans for the weekend? Alex, Toby and I are heading to California tonight! (It will be Toby's first plane ride, eeps! Wish us luck!) We'll be staying in L.A. for a few days, just the three of us. Then we're meeting Alex's family in Palm Springs, where his brother is getting married! They're having a Buddhist ceremony, which I'm excited to see. What are your plans for the holidays? Are you heading home or elsewhere? Have a wonderful weekend, and meanwhile, here are a few fun posts from around the web... xoxo

LOVE this vintage wool bag.

Salad + pizza = salad pizza. YUM.

No way! Patrick Dempsey was on the cover of a J. Crew catalog!

Beautiful tie-the-knot engagement ring.

How adorable that she wore her glasses.

Crikey. I will never, ever do this.

Winter street style.

Isn't this dress pretty? It looks like it's painted.

Cool business cards.

The Hovey sisters just went to Paris! Here are their fab photos.

Surprisingly touching.

Don't you secretly want to try this sip n' swirl straw yourself? :)

And for your last-minute holiday gifts...
The complete Cup-of-Jo Gift Guide from the past four years.

P.S. I've scheduled a few fun posts next week, so feel feel to check back if you're in a blog-reading mood. Have a great weekend. xoxo

(Photo of Alex)

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Baby and kids editor

My sweets, I'm excited to share a little side project: I'm the new baby & kids editor at Beso, a fabulous product discovery site. Every month, I'll be doing round-ups of my favorite children's clothes, toys and products. So far, I've scouted winter gear and holiday gifts, and next up is cute maternity wear. Hopefully it will be helpful to fellow mamas out there! xoxo

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Taboo.

Obsessed.

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A little challenge

Last week, the lovely Chelsea said she "made a pact not to complain for a week." Inspired, I decided to do the same. It has been surprisingly awesome. When I get the urge to mention to Alex how sleepy I am or how our upstairs neighbors seem to be dropping bowling balls on the floor (seriously:), I just keep my mouth shut, and we end up having much more sparkling conversations instead (which we might not have had otherwise). And a funny note: When you don't complain about something, you weirdly forget about it two seconds later! It has been surprisingly liberating and has made me feel light and cheery.

So, thank you, Chelsea! Great idea!

Do you guys want to join in the pact? :)

(Photos from Kate's fabulous pinterest)

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Pie in a jar

Etsy store All Jarred Up will send you a homemade pie (a pie!) in a mason jar. Yum.

P.S. This looks cool, too.

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Maternity wear

Yesterday I stumbled upon this awesome Lucky Magazine story on maternity wear. What a smart idea to try out boxy men's shirts. Both women are so cute, and the one on the right, incidentally, is this illustrator!

(Click on the image to enlarge.)

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Gift Guide Part #7: Your Beloved Husband Who Makes Peppery Eggs, Plays The Rolling Stones for Your Baby and Can Always Make You Laugh.

This red hat, $58, because every guy looks cuter in a watch cap.

A cactus, about $10, for his desk, since it's the manliest plant around.

Dude No. 1 Beard Oil to keep his skin soft and make his beard smell spicy and woody, $65.

An awesome Beatles print, $59.99. (Can you spot Yoko?:)

A bike bag, $55, for afternoon adventures together. (You could fit in a hammock!)

A beautiful and timeless book, since he's now the family photographer. Used from $20.

Pendleton travel mug, $18, to perk up his morning commute.

Lasagna edge pan, $47.95, since you both like the crunchy edges (and what fun for a dinner party!).

A giddy and romantic sunset sail on a schooner in New York City, $50/person. And a kiss.

P.S. More gifts for husbands...

(Book photo, cropped, by The Sartorialist)

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I want to be her

Have you guys seen the amazing new site I Want to Be Her? Andrea Linett, the former creative director of Lucky, stops adorable women on the streets of New York and asks them about their style. Then she features an illustration or photo, along with the girls' fun styling tips, like where to find glow-in-the-dark spider earrings and the perfect black leggings. See her fabulous blog here.

(Illustration by Anne Johnston Albert, and photo by Michael Waring. Via Ruby PR.)

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Pink neckwarmer

Everyone in New York (myself included) seems to wear black all winter. This pink neckwarmer would be such a lovely splash of color on the city streets! It's taking all my willpower not to buy it immediately.

(Via Pennyweight)

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Max Fischer's extracurricular pencil set

Awesome.

(Via Julia)

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Have a good weekend.

My dears, what are you up to this weekend? Alex and I are going to our friends' holiday party tonight, and the dress code is fancy! (Their invite said, "Remember that gentlemen always wear jackets and ties to events such as this. Women: you know what to do.") Alex is wearing a gray suit, and I'm wearing this and this. I'm excited to dress up! Hope you have a good one, and here are a few fun posts from around the web...

Seven reasons to embrace winter.

Nine months in; nine months out.

Antler Co.

I just got these jeans and l-o-v-e them.

The sweetest mittens!

Elvis-inspired.

Cute lovebirds (literally).

Wooden wallpaper is a rad idea.

Another good idea.

Wouldn't you be psyched to get this stocking?

Cool wallet for cool dudes.

Loving this whale for a nautical nursery.

Plus, I shared a mama's gift guide on etsy, and my favorite baby gifts on Beso. Thanks for including me! xoxo

(Photo via That Kind of Woman, my new obsession)

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Cup-of-Jo Gift Guide Part #6: Your Favorite Little Dudes Who Love High-Fives, Zerberts and Giggling Just 'Cause.

Swedish kids clothes with the cutest prints ever.

Pac Man cookie cutters, $18.

Natural, non-toxic stacking tree, $23.

Food Face plates, $10.

NYC-inspired rattles, $16 (including a fire truck and Metrocard)!

Pancake pen for funny family breakfasts, $12.50.

P.S. Plus, gifts for newborns and their sweet mamas...

(Plates via Marvelous Kiddo)

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