Guess what?! This weekend is the state’s official tax free weekend, which applies to certain items both online and in the store! We’ve got quite a few of the listed items, including

aprons
scarves
t-shirts
scarves
shoes (including sandals)
binders
folders
glue paste
notebooks
pencils
pens
rulers

To top it off, we’ve decided to extend our in-store 40% off sale on selected accessories through the weekend so you can get your favorite items on sale AND tax free!

Plus – just for this weekend, all the Matt Bernson shoes are even more on sale: all the sandals and flats are $100 for the weekend, so they’re tax free too!

With the Fourth of July and Bastille Day past, we turned elsewhere for inspiration. We found it in the bright colors of some of our favorite bags!

{clockwise from top left: Orange woven hobo + limited edition French astrological scarf, “Love, summer of” tote + French silk scarf, Fabulously fun & sturdy Sunshine Cosmos tote by Hable Construction, Turquoise rosette bow clutch}

We looked around and found all kinds of great accessories for summer! These are our favorites, and there are even more in the store and online.

{clockwise from top left: Matt Bernson sandals – 40% off in the store!, wide striped resin bangles from Paris, a variety of colorful wooden bangles, red nautical bag, large & small Italian glass bottles by Seletti, blue bloom compact umbrella}

We love both the luxury of Marie Antoinette and the principles of the Revolution, but we decided to redo our windows in the style of the decadent queen.

Many of us who work here at Toots & Magoo are Francophiles and have lived in a francophone country at one time or another, so we decided to throw a party to celebrate the French national holiday. Our Fête de la Bastille will be next Wednesday, the 14th, from 7-9 pm at the store.

We’ll be making Monacos and Demi Pêches (two popular French ‘beer cocktails’) with lager from local brewery Top of the Hill, and we’ll be eating cake – à la Marie Antoinette – provided by our neighbors at Sugarland Bakery.

Stop by and say hello! In the meantime…check out our favorite Bastille Day items:

The sentiments of the French Revolution are expressed in exquisite letterpressed detail in these cards by Thomas Printers.

These earrings feature the 5, 10, and 20 cent pieces of the former currency of La République Française.

A 1 franc piece makes a lovely charm.

The principles of the Revolution again, here at the top of an antique watercolor featuring a French soldier.

Vive la France!

We just got more of these oh-so-chic French-inspired nautical bags! Last time we had them they absolutely flew out of the store.

We love them because they remind us of the classic French marin look…

…and because they’re great as a cross-body shoulder bag or as an oversized clutch! Perfect for a busy afternoon in the city or a summer evening out on the town.

They’re available in the store and online.

Did you see?! The Daily Tar Heel, the student newspaper at UNC, did an article about Ben Long in this week’s paper! UNC-system president Erskine Bowles chose Ben, a longtime friend, to paint his official portrait before Mr. Bowles leaves to work for the Obama administration.

Interested in seeing what Ben’s work looks like? Stop by our annex gallery (144 East Franklin Street, next to the store) to check out our exhibition featuring a number of his pieces.

Toots is still in France finding new treasures to bring back!

In addition to the jewelry and handbags she picked up last week, she’s bringing back soap from the Martin de Candre savonnerie in the Loire Valley, where she was visiting our good friends at the delightful Moulin Brégeon.

If you missed our last reception with Ben Long (or even if you didn’t!) be sure to catch him this Saturday:

Cocktails and conversation with
Benjamin F. Long, IV

drawings and oil portraits

June 5, 2010
5:30 – 7:30

Mr. Long will be available for commissions over the next several months while he works on the portrait of UNC president Erksine Bowles.

Toots & Magoo Annex
144 East Franklin Street
Chapel Hill, NC
919.942.3339

A portion of the sales on June 5th will go to benefit the Women’s Center of Chapel Hill.

Toots is off in France finding all kinds of lovely new things for the store! She snagged some old favorites as well as a whole collection of beautiful new pieces, and just found these great handbags at the market. It’ll all be available in the store and through the website in about a week, once she hops back over the pond.

Tired of writing your address over and over on bills, letters, and party invitations? Can’t read your friend’s handwriting? Fret no longer! We now carry PSA Essentials, which offers a line of beautiful personalized stamps and embossers. You can put names, single initials, collegiate logos, or an address – or a combination! They have been featured in O Magazine, Southern Living, Brides Magazine, Real Simple, InStyle, and on The View.

The stamps and the embossers can also be used to make your own stationery – both can be personalized with just an initial or monogram – and there’s a variety of ink colors for the stamps. They also have a cool little package of interchangeable designs if you’re looking to change things up a bit! Other suggestions from PSA for using your stamp include

Bookplates 
Luggage Tags 
Calling Cards 
Canning Labels & Cookie Exchanges 
Wedding Accoutrements

Stop by the store and order one for yourself or as a thoughtful gift!

Think you can’t afford a piece of fine art? Think again! Kiki Smith, best known for her sculpture and drawings, is now offering a line of cast silver jewelry through our gallery and website.

These one of a kind pieces of wearable art are inspired by the same themes as her sculpture and drawings, taking on subjects of the natural world including reindeer, birds, stars, and even tarantulas. Kiki begins by carving into wax with her thumbnail, and casts each piece by hand. Given this unconventional technique, no two are the same, but collectively they are an essential part of her oeuvre.

We are proud to be carrying these beautiful pieces in addition to Falcon, her etching and aquatint on mold-made Hannenuhle paper, 2001.