Tolani Scarves....To Be Continued

Hello!

It is Steph here from my couch in NYC (it sure is a glamorous life I lead--ha!) We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our Tolani scarves on the Lower East Side and in Brookline. You Cambridge girls sure are lucky to have them already at your fingertips! At 100% viscose these scarves are light enough to be worn in the spring and summer but also add fashion and warmth in the winter--especially for those of you who don't like scratchy wool near your face.

Anyway, I wanted to share a little story about how we found these stunning new scarves. In November, Brooke and I surprised Hillary Olk Dutcher (formerly of designsbyhillary) for her birthday at her new house in St.Louis. Not only did we get to spend the weekend with our dear friend but we got to shop at her newly re-opened Ivy Hill Boutique! Check out Hill's gorgeous store website at:

www.ivyhillboutique.com.

Ivy Hill is absolutely breathtaking and B and I took our sweet time savoring every single nook and cranny of the shop while of course buying up a storm! Let's just say the Nist and Garber women (and assorted friends) had a very Ivy Hill Christmas and they couldn't have been happier! I picked out a Tolani zig zag scarf for my mom and she just loved it. She was beaming when she wore it out the day after Christmas. As for me, I was sad because I didn't have one of my own! Thanks for introducing us to these fabulous new scarves Hill! You sure did learn from the best!

xoxo

Celebrity MUST have!

Attention fashionistas... You must come in and check out our new Tolani zig zag scarves! They are real stunners and have been captured by photogs on many a celebrity trendsetters...
por ejemplo:

A Lot Of Bag For Your Buck!

Mint Julep is proudly introducing a new line of handbags by designer Jane Marvel. From Boston to New York to those of you cruising our website, Jane’s bags are perfect for our practical-minded shoppers! Each bag comes in a variety of colorful prints that pop.

My favorite in particular is the Computer Messenger Bag, which will fit a 17" laptop and also has enough pockets to hold each and every one of my computer accessories. For all you lucky jetsetters, the Large Overhead Bag is a perfect lightweight carry-on. And the All Day Long Handbag seems to be great as an everyday bag that fits every last odd and end. Each of Jane Marvel’s products are lightweight, virtually waterproof, fully lined, made with an environmentally safe coating, leather-free, and appropriately priced. Plus, every style comes with a freebie tucked inside a clear zip pouch!

Pictured from top to bottom:

Large Overhead Handbag in Stars/Sky Print, $124

Computer Messenger Bag in Plaid Print, $88

All Day Long Handbag in Sunshine Print, $78

Memories....

Because the temperature continues to flirt with the single digits, I thought I'd post some pictures of the Mint Julep girls enjoying the summer months. There is hope! Yippppeeeee!




Gagen's going-away party.

B and Sara with their summer glows!

Stephers and Mandy in summer dresses. I can't wait!

SG, Gages, and Rocky visit Edith Wharton's house. Nerds!

Tan Rachel and Pale Rachel at the beach!

Newest Installment in RK's Denim Addiction.

We all know that I have a denim addiction. Brooke always likes to say that my fingers are blue by the end of a day at the Julep from getting people into new jeans. I love it! Denim shopping can be so difficult and there is nothing better than finding a new jean that looks amazing and makes you feel great. That's why I wanted to share with all of you that my current FAVORITE jean has just arrived at Mint Julep! I ordered these puppies for myself about a month ago and have been bugging Brooke and Steph to get them for the store ever since...I am obsessed! I wear them constantly! Whether I want to be daring and tuck in a funky tank or a silk blouse and throw on a skinny belt and some high-heels for a night out on the town or if I just want to wear a pair of jeans all day that makes my butt look good and stays in place; these are the jeans! Come in and take a look at the Bardot's or just come in to see me for a denim consultation!
xoxo, Rachel K.

yummyyummy in my tummy.

Up here in Boston the snow has clearly been falling around quite a bit. It seems that the weather, through precipitation, truly wants us to remember that the winter will be here for quite some time. Although we are starting to get our springy-spring shipments in to the stores the snow drifts outside aren't melting anytime soon.

In my own efforts, as a non-native New Englander -and vegetarian, to stave off that chill i've been trying to cook up extremely hearty meals. I present to you a recipe (with some modifications) that I found amongst the pages of a very delightful book: Market Vegetarian, by Ross Dobson. Delicious, interesting ideas....

Wild Mushroom Lasagne!!

Ingredients:::
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 quite large white onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
2 bay leaves
2.25 lbs wild mushrooms, sliced thickly
- this I used a fairly even mix of shiitake, button, cremini, and portobella all cut quite evenly but in different shapes, obviously...
1 cup vegetable stock
-I like using "Better than Bouillon" vegetable base, or freshly made stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
12 ounce pack of fresh OR dried lasagne sheets
-whole wheat adds a great texture/flavor to this recipe
3 cups grated cheese
-the original recipe calls for fontina, but I couldn't find it at the store so I opted for 2 cups part-skim mozzarella and 1 cup extra sharp cheddar for a less mellow flavor
.5 cup finely grated parmesan
salt 'n pepper and some additional spices including white pepper, oregano, basil, sage, thyme and red pepper flakes

for béchamel sauce:::
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
.25 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 cups whole milk

DIRECTIONS:::
Heat the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and nutmeg and stir in. Remove from heat and whisk the milk in until mixed very well. Put this mixture back on the heat and whisk/stir constantly for about five minutes until the sauce becomes creamy and saucelike.

Preheat your oven to 350. Heat the butter and oil on a higher temperature in a very large skillet and add the onion, garlic, and bay leaves until the onion has started to soften. Then, add all your chopped up mushrooms and a pinch of the spices (white pepper, thyme, sage, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil) whilst reducing the heat to medium until all the mushrooms are cooked to a tender and even niceness. Then add your stock and tomato paste and stir in thoroughly. Turn the heat back up and let this little guy simmer until the liquid has reduced down to half of what it was. The finishing touch is salt and pepper to your own liking.

To put the lasagna together, line the bottom of a greased dish (I used a rectangular big one and made this only a two-layer lasagne) with some of the lasagne sheets, spread over a third of the sauce and a third of the mushrooms and a third of the cheese. Repeat this process until all of your delish is used up and then put the remaining sauce over the top with a cover of the parmesan cheese. I also drizzled a bit of olive oil for taste lightly over the top. Then let the lasagne cook for 45 minutes until it starts to get a bit bubbly and light brown on top. Let cool a bit and

ENJOY!

Mint Julep's January Sale!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...
the Mint Julep January Sale!!!
Shop all your favorite Mint Julep brands at 25 to 50% off! The sale begins today, so pop over to your favorite Mint Julep location to get first dibs on the goodies.

We look forward to seeing you!

New Year, New Look

Bring some vintage style to your head with these fabulous PISTACHIO headbands! Handcrafted with care from stunning satins, metallic jacquard, colorful brocades and donned with vintage costume brooches, these pieces can add the perfect finishing touch to a party dress or everyday ensemble!

Stop by the Julep and pick one out for yourself!

A Lucky Break!

Look at this shout-out to Mint Julep LES! Featured in this month's New York LUCKY magazine is the silk floral dress from the Beth Bowley Resort Collection.

And the best part? New York's Lucky readers can receive 20% off their purchase when they bring in this coupon!

Glitzy Glitzy!

When this fabulous sequin skirt arrived at Mint Julep, I was in love at first at sight! What says glitz and glamor better than this? Of course LUCKY magazine had to agree, which is why they featured this Plenty by Tracy Reese sequin stunner in this month's issue. Pair it with an over-sized and fashion-forward sweater like shown above or simplify with a black or grey top. Perfect for a special event or a night on the town.

Tracy Reese Sequin Skirt in Gunmetal, $188.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

(click on the image so you can read it!)

Gotta Love Twofer One!

Thanks to Max + Cleo and Molly New York, it couldn’t be easier to achieve that perfectly put-together look this season. Each of these dresses tricks anyone into thinking you have paired a blouse and skirt, but don't be fooled! Each piece is really a two-fer-one ensemble!

Black & White Shannon-Combo Shift Dress by Molly New York, $184.
Raspberry & Tan Colorblock Dress by Max + Cleo, $128.
Two-Tone Silk/Tweed Dress by Max + Cleo, $138.

Resort to This!

It's that crazy time of the year where it's below zero outside, but the designers start shipping their resort collections for the lucky few with tropical travel plans. And the rest of us? Well, we just lust after the beautiful brightly colored pieces that we won't be able to wear until June! Life isn't fair.

Oh well, I'll just close my eyes, crank the heat at the Julep and imagine myself on the sunny shores of Mexico wearing either this floral ruffle front dress by Beth Bowley or this banded stripe strapless frock by Plenty by Tracy Reese. Mmmmm, I can almost taste the pina coladas now...

More of Sam's Faves...

Happy New Year! Sam here from NYC and I just needed to blog about one of the adorable new arrivals to MJ Ludlow! This Lily Mcneal sweater dress with cowl neck and asymmetrical buttons is my favorite pick! A perfect pairing with leggings and your favorite boots or wear it open with a long sleeve shirt and a pair of jeans. Whatever your personal preference, you are sure to turn heads wherever you go!

We're Online, Baby!

Hello faithful blog readers! If you've come this far, you may have already noticed the link to our new online store! It may have taken us almost five years, but it's finally official, Mint Julep is online.

We started small with jewelry and accessories, but we might add clothing down the road. If you're a Mint Julep shopper, you know that we always have something new, so check back often for fun new additions to the site.

Take a peek & tell us what you think!