(taken from www.annetaintor.com)

In 1985, Anne Taintor glued the words “intellectuals gone bad” onto an advertisement clipped from a vintage magazine and featuring a pair of proper and glamorous women. Twenty-five years later, what began as one woman’s attempt to make a living working from home while caring for her young daughter has become a thriving and wholly original business based on giving voice to modern women’s secretly subversive thoughts.

(click on the bag to buy one from Urban Girl!) 

Among the new products to be introduced in 2010 is the 25th Anniversary Shopper, a commemorative 15.7” x 15. 5” shopping bag made of 100-percent
recycled materials and featuring images of dozens of the most popular Anne Taintor illustrations from the past 25 years. A perfect gift for anyone who’s had
trouble choosing just one image—now they’re there in a single product. Best of all, 100 percent of the profits from sales of the 25th Anniversary Shopper will be donated to the Global Fund for Women, an organization that shares Anne Taintor’s drive to give voice to and improve opportunities for women everywhere.

OK, Christmas is San Diego was GORGEOUS, but even we have our cold days.  The perfect footwear for that is a pair of good ol' Uggs.  I remember getting my first pair in the mid-90s and lugging them back to New York for a visit.  The confused looks I got told me that the look hadn't gotten far from the West Coast yet.  But NOW!  Everyone loves'em. 

The look is classic Australian/Californian Apres-Surf.  Here's a bit from their website:

The UGG® Australia story began in 1978, when Brian Smith, a young surfer from Australia, took a trip to the United States with a bag full of sheepskin boots. After finding a new home amongst California surfers, the Australia brand began to take shape...In 2003, the UGG® was named Footwear News' "Brand of the Year" and was responsible for the creation of an entirely new category of footwear. From that moment on, sheepskin footwear would be seen on the runways in Milan, Paris and New York; and it all began on the beach in Australia. 

Of course, Urban Girl has a selection in the store and on-line.  Click on the picture below to see our collection.  (By the way - the Moss style that the model is wearing is now 30% off!) 

"For the last 21 years Africa’s longest running war has ravaged the northern regions of Uganda, home to the Acholi people. Over 2 million people fled their homes to seek safety. Some made it as far as Uganda’s capital city, Kampala, where they could only find refuge in a hillside slum, now called Acholi Quarters.

Acholi Beads are made by these refugees living in the Acholi Quarters slum. As they struggle to rebuild their lives, the sale of Acholi Beads provides a vital income and helps share their story with the world.

The beads are made from recycled paper from local printers. They are made by men and women whose families are, in the terminology of international aid and development, ‘vulnerable.’ This means that they don’t have a safety net. If something goes wrong they don’t eat, don’t get medicine, don’t go to school. Acholi Beads are made by 10 people from such families and are helping them go from vulnerable to successful."

I just bought a new Chanel lip gloss.  It is a bit pricey, but it looks great and lasts!  Sometimes it is fun to treat yourself to an expensive lip gloss. This one is called Eclipse and will set ya back about $26.