It's Sale Time!

The Clever Girl Winter Sale Has Begun...

Savings of 50% on select

Clothing

Jewelry & Accessories
Homegoods

...and more

Shop early for the best selection of sizes and styles.

How cute is this?

Ok, check this out. A family in Florida built this teeny, tiny snowman in their front yard. The recent super cold weather has hit even sunny Florida. This little guy is about four inches tall, has chocolate chip eyes and a baby carrot nose. It's just too cute not to share...Stay warm everyone!

Too Long Away

Yes, I've been away a while--the Christmas season got the better of me. I apologize, and offer a brief update...

Clever Girl was happily buzzing with business all season, and our shelves have been in need of constant restocking. Many a gift was wrapped, and I must declare the men of Western Springs to be very good (if a bit last minute) shoppers. Scarves and mittens, cozy PJ's, sweaters, jewelry, books--you name it--we sold it. Santa did a lot of shopping...

Our Clever Girl open house back on December 10th was a great success. Tasty nibbles, cocktails and great Christmas music made for a cozy, candlelit evening that raised lots of money for the Anti-Cruelty Society, and put us all in a festive mood. Thank you to our great customers that braved the coldest night of the year to support the cause.

As they say, all work and no play, well, that's not good. I was happy to sneak out one day to celebrate the December birthday of a dear friend and raise a glass of Christmas cheer. We gathered at Roberto's in Elmhurst, (click here) and were taken care of by the most delightfully charming Italian gentleman...he added to the fun, good food, and good friends. If you haven't been there, get going!

Several trips into the city this season were great outings as well. There are a lot of terrific exhibits at the Art Institute right now, and the Victorian Photo Collage was at the top of my list. (click here) This did NOT disappoint, and if you hurry, you can still see it. I found it very inspiring... Lunch in the Modern Wing at Terzo Piano was an added bonus.

Our annual Clever Girl Christmas party was a ROARING good time (Just imagine all those clever girls gathered together at once!) We laughed, had a marvelous party, and greatly enjoyed exchanging gifts and relaxing together. The Clever crew is simply the best--and I love them all!

At home, our family tree was trimmed with the hundreds of ornaments we've collected over the years, and I think it was the most lovely we've ever had. The tree twinkles in the front window and is simply beautiful. The sweet scent of pine has filled the entire house all season, and I so cherish the ritual of putting it up with my Mom each year. Her whole house is an English Christmas dream come true, and seeing her beautiful decorations can't help but make me happy and ready for Christmas.

As we close out the year, new items are already arriving at the store. We've got fresh deliveries of all sorts of goodies and will continue to bring you the very best a clever girl could want. Thank you all for your support and friendship this past year, and I look forward to seeing everyone in 2010.

Happy New Year!!!

Holiday "Jam"

Well girls, Thanksgiving is one week from today--as if you didn't already know that. In an ongoing effort to assist the Clever Hostesses of the world, we offer a recipe that's sure to please, tastes delicious, and looks like great effort was put forth--yet is SUPER simple. If you can hold a spoon, you can make this recipe. Seriously.

Rich, creamy goat cheese pairs perfectly with the ripe pears, tart cranberries and sweet raspberries in our favorite Stonewall Kitchen Holiday Jam, and the little hint of orange liqueur flavor in the jam adds a wonderful richness. Make this and you'll instantly become a superhero hostess. Grab the little tart shells as you do your Thanksgiving Day preparation, and pop in to pick up some of this oh-so-tasty-jam here at Clever Girl. Chill a nice bottle of Riesling and let the good times roll. Trust us--you'll be a holiday hero!

Fruit & Goat Cheese Mini Tarts

Makes 30 mini tarts

Ingredients:

3 oz. mild goat cheese

5 Tbsp. Holiday Jam

30 mini phyllo shells

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Fill each phyllo shell with 1/2 teaspoon of goat cheese and top with 1/2 teaspoon of Holiday Jam

Bake until filling is hot, 8-10 minutes

Serve

Here we go again...

Oops, I did it again. Yes, yet another copy of Pride and Prejudice has been added to my collection. But really, how could I be expected to resist this cover? I was just milling about in a book stall, at O'hare Airport of all places, when this caught my eye. Ruben Toledo has done the artwork, and it perfectly captures Elizabeth Bennet's rejection of Mr. Darcy. Toledo has done drawings for Harper's Bazaar and Vogue among others, and I just LOVE what he's done here. If you don't have our dear Jane on your bookshelf, you're in for one of the best stories ever told. Get this book!!!

Happy Orange Day!

Trick or Treat!

Perhaps it's the season we are now in, but it seems that orange is popping up everywhere I turn, and I'm talking about more than just pumpkins. I've always rather liked orange in its more subdued tones. Melon, Terracotta, and Sunset variations of orange do have a certain richness to them. It's amazing how the color orange, used properly, and in the right shade can be quite sophisticated. Hermes has know this since 1837, when they chose a burnt orange as their signature color for their iconic boxes. Great mixed with the dark brown, right?

Or, to see how just a single, well placed piece of orange, perhaps mixed with pink, can keep a room or an outfit from becoming too sugary and bubblegum sweet. It adds just the right punch.

How pretty is this room? The orange trunk really does the trick here, doesn't it? Keeps the pink at bay and grounds everything around it. Love it! So, while Halloween may soon be over, I don't think the orange needs to depart just yet...there's a lot we can do with this interesting hue. For now, a happy and safe Halloween to you all.

Tick-Tock

Time is Running OUT!!!

Chic-Lit must be ordered NOW!!!

Clever Girls always want to offer the perfect gift, and deliver it on time. However, some things do require a bit of planning. This is one of those things.
...If Santa is to tuck one of these little gems under the tree, a bit of preparation is in order. The absolute last day to order deadline is Saturday, November 28th. No exceptions. So you must decide now: Bracelet, necklace, cuff, charm. You make the call--just make it soon. Tick tock, tick tock. I know that seems like a long way off, but it's not, that's only a month from right now!


Sure, you've got a little bit of time, but why wait?
As they say, beat the rush, order now. Operators are standing by...

Pumpkin Time

Yes, it's time. Off to the pumpkin patch in search of a worthy orange orb to hollow, carve and decorate. Ever since Martha Stewart demonstrated all a girl can do to a pumpkin with a drill it's been pure bliss when October 31st draws near. The two pictured above were part of last years collection. They sat on the porch rail in Maine quite happily, and were "lit" (with candles, not booze) every evening awaiting All Hallows' Eve.

I spend the tail end of fall in Maine, and often bring home several pumpkins to carve. Out East, pumpkins are taken rather seriously as evidenced by our local pumpkin boat races. The annual Damariscotta Pumpkin Regatta is the fastest pumpkin-boat racing in Maine, maybe even The United States. Fourteen pumpkins, weighing between four and seven-hundred pounds are converted into "boats" and raced on the Damariscotta River. This was started years ago when several local men began musing about what to do with a 700-pound pumpkin they had grown to show at the county fair. They decided to hollow it out, attach a motor and cruise around the cove near downtown Damariscotta. Thus began the Pumpkin Regatta races...quite a sight to behold, let me tell you.




The pumpkin crop is rumored to be a bit scarce this year due to all the rain, so I'm prepared to devote a fair amount of time in the quest of the perfect specimens. Mine won't be motoring down any rivers, but they will reach their true calling in style and have their time to shine. Happy Halloween!

House to Go

I freely admit to being a bit of a collector--as different things grab my attention, off I go seeking more of them out. For a long time now I've been gathering bits of truly ancient history in the form of fossils and coral. Setting them out, or using one as a paperweight is a great way to enjoy them and marvel at how old they really are. My current favorite, an Ammonite fossil was a gift from my mother. (It's the spiral shaped one to the left.)

Millions of years ago, this was the actual home of a sea-dwelling creature living somewhere near present day England. Only the last and largest chamber, the body chamber, was occupied by the living animal at any given moment. As it grew, it added newer and larger chambers to the open end of the coil. As the little creature needed more room, he simply grew it--round and round in a beautiful spiral pattern. No building permit required! Really rather a clever system, don't you agree? But, can you imagine toting your whole house with you everywhere? I think not...but it is amazing to think this heavy, rough fossil that was bobbing around in the English sea millions of years ago now has my roof over its head. Clever indeed!