We’ll Tumbl For Ya: Our Top 10 Blog Picks

Whether it’s the food comas or the last-minute holiday hustle and bustle, there are many reasons why, from time to time, we appreciate a good sit-down-and-scroll-through-pretty-pictures moment. With that in mind, here are the top 10 blogs we’ve been vegging out to lately:

Hello, hypercolors: monsterrrrr.tumblr.com

Well, the name says it all: theimpossiblecool.tumblr.com

We want our lives to look like this all the time: witanddelight.tumblr.com

’90s perfection: razzmatazzvintage.tumblr.com

The blog love child of Jane Austen, Marilyn Monroe and Tim Walker: girlinlondon.tumblr.com

Ah, pop-culture greatness: whateverrforeverr.tumblr.com

Interior inspirations: musesofdesign.tumblr.com

Unexpected (and spot-on) style found here: http://calivintage.tumblr.com/

Vintage photo-booth snaps: http://vintagephoto.tumblr.com/

And, for good measure, some corgi love: http://corgiaddict.tumblr.com

The Ultimate Holiday Reading List

by Sarah Wexler (Brooklyn)

Let’s face it: Winter is here to stay (for a few more months anyway). So why not curl up fireside with a great book that’s so engrossing you hardly even remember the slushy snow that was at the bottom of your boots all week long? Here are our top four picks for doing just that.

1. Paris, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down by Rosecrans Baldwin

When Baldwin gets a job at an ad agency in France, he jumps at the chance to make his lifelong crepes-and-cafés fantasy a reality. But the Paris he finds is a tad different, and he struggles with a language barrier, cultural confusion and bureaucratic nightmares that frustrate him (and entertain us).

2. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

One day, Strayed decides to hike 1,000 miles—alone and without ever having so much as picked up a backpack before—to figure out her life. And she needs to: At 26, she has recently lost her mom to cancer, destroyed her marriage through infidelity and picked up a bad habit or two. As Strayed finds herself lost, thirsty and minus a few toenails, she puts her mind back together in a way that’s riveting to follow.

3. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson

First, you’ll be transported to Lawson’s own version of The Glass Castle, as seen in her childhood in rural Texas, where her dad randomly brings home wild animals (and occasionally stuffs them or uses them as hand puppets). Next, you’ll be sucked into Lawson’s paranoid adult mind, tagging along on awkward trips to the doctor, where she requests the most bizarre of procedures. So funny and crazy, you’ll swear your family is normal.

4. Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

It’s the early ’70s, and sharp literary UK college student Serena gets an interesting assignment: Spy on her very charming and handsome classmate Tom. The request comes from MI5, the British FBI, and Serena gets tangled up as she falls in love with Tom—and unravels more about his true, not-so-lovable identity.

What We Want From the Gift Well Guide

How fun is our Gift Well Guide? We make a habit of scrolling through it daily and deciding what to get everyone on our list (and with 150+ genius gift ideas to choose from, it’s hard to go wrong). But if you’re short on time, check out the top three pieces some of us at Madewell HQ are gifting this season.

KIN (head designer)
1. Monogrammed leather Transport Tote
2. Perfect Ex-Boyfriend Chambray Shirt
3. Anything from Top Hat

JAY (head of visuals):
4. 1717 Olive Striped Beanie™
5. Happy Socks®
6. The Johnnie Oxford in Snakeprint

JOYCE (accessories designer):
7. Cat Ring 
8. The monogrammed leather Transport Tote
9. Printed Sleep Shorts

4 Creative Ways to Wrap Gifts

Remember this scenario? You meet up with a friend to exchange presents for the holidays. You hand over yours, covered in the very finest wrapping paper your local drugstore has to offer. And then you receive theirs, expertly, ingeniously, innovatively wrapped—a work of art in itself. Yeah…oof.
 

So naturally, we asked our aesthetically in-tune graphic design team to give us a lesson in crafty packaging. Get inspired below.

1. Keep it simple and monotone, then add a fresh touch, like a rosemary sprig.
2. Get crafty with white paper and a few rolls of Kamoi Kakoshi™ for Top Hat Tape.
3. Go traditional with festive wrapping paper but tie it with a real ribbon. So elegant!
4. Has your friend or loved one been extra good this year? If so, wrap a coffee-table book in our Perfect Chambray Shirt, then top it all off with a bow. Double whammy.

Cody Foster Takes Christmas Seriously

Attention, tree trimmers: You must get to know Cody Foster, purveyor of all things eye-catching and crafty. Nestled in a tiny town called Valentine, this Nebraska-based company draws influence from Midwestern charm—and believe it or not, its eponymous founder, Cody, actually got his start making ornaments back in ’91 while still in high school. So long story short: Grab a handful of these giraffes, elephants and metallic bulbs and your tree will instantly go from standard to standout.

P.S. Check out this amazing photo of Cody (age 4) getting in on the action.

Travel Dispatch: Giulia’s Italy

To craft our luxe Italian leather boots, we spend quite a bit of time in Italy searching high and low for the best materials. And while we have our own top picks for places to see and things to do, we were really eager to get a fresh perspective on the place from a native. So we asked art assistant/photographer/model Giulia Venturini to hip us to her favorite Italian spots. Check them out below:

1. LA BALERA DI PORTA VENEZIA, MILANO

Who doesn’t love an antique ballroom where you can have dinner and then dance away the night with lovely older people?

2. CIMITERO DEL VERANO, ROME

This 19^th-century cemetery is one of the largest in Italy and has an amazing romantic look. Take a walk there to see its beautiful statues—and don’t miss the secret tunnel.

3. DUOMO OF MILANO

Climbing onto the roof of this iconic Italian cathedral is a must-do. You get to see the gargoyles and statues up close, not to mention have a great view of the city.

4.  IL VITTORIALE DEGLI ITALIANI, LAKE OF GARDA, LOMBARDY

This hillside estate is definitely my favorite spot in Italy. Take a walk in the park and be sure to visit the house-turned-museum, which is full of unique treasures.