Made you laugh

image via We Heart It

I hope that when I grow old I can be like these two. In love, happy, and silly. I'm not really the "silly" type but I see myself becoming more childlike (in some ways) as I get older. So maybe silly will come too.

Claude Levi-Strauss

"Claude Lévi-Strauss, the French anthropologist who transformed Western understanding of what was once called “primitive man” and who towered over the French intellectual scene in the 1960s and ’70s, has died at 100." - NY Times

Read about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/04/world/europe/04levistrauss.html

As an Anthropology minor I spent many, many, many hours reading Anthropology articles, text, and literature. If this was another time and place I might engage in some witty banter about it but it's not, and you're lucky ;)

Levi-Strauss was always fascinating to me. Reading his words 50 years after they were penned was still exciting, mystifying and intriguing.

I recommend reading his work, if you haven't before. I warn you though - it's not "light reading." It's dense but rewarding when you get down to it. DO IT!

Good Times.

Image via We Heart It

Yesterday was a fabulous day. That kind of blows my mind since 1) it was a Monday and 2) work has been beyond hectic and 3) I didn't have any coffee! Yet still, it was a wonderful day! Want to know what the difference was? Here's what I think it was:

• I wasn't sidetracked by any unforeseen interruptions (colleagues, phone calls, meetings etc.)
• I got to speak with my very best friend by IM. We've been playing phone tag for a week.
• While speaking with aforementioned bff I realized how we are still so much alike, even though we live in different states. I don't just mean in terms of the usual likes/dislikes etc. Life has been full of changes since college and I think that both of our lives definitely reflect that. We discussed some of our current stumbling blocks and it was soothing to my soul. We found out that we're not alone! We're at the same place in our lives, which again, was oddly soothing.
• I emailed with an ex. It was good to chat with him. We tend to keep in touch every few months. He made me laugh and I hope I could do the same for him. His life is a bit topsy-turvy these days.
• I was able to take my time to get through an intensive (and incredibly boring) task

Hilarious

This little ditty made me laugh out loud. Not sure I should admit that but what do I care? lol



PS- I know I've been MIA for an extreme amount of time. I promise to post more soon.

John Hughes.

I was just catching up on some blog reading and I was urged to read this post:

http://wellknowwhenwegetthere.blogspot.com/2009/08/sincerely-john-hughes.html

Wow! I'm always amazed to hear about all these great relationships and life experiences. This one is so very amazing that it seems like a movie in and of itself. Please read it. :)

Baubles Galore

Yesterday I received an e-mail from J.Crew. I shouldn't have opened it... it was pure torture as always! I believe this particular condition is known as too pretty, too pricey.

The items are all so beautiful but I don't have the money to buy them!! My favorite? The second picture - the tiered crystal necklace. The teardrop necklace is a very close 2nd. Swoon!

Living Room Love

No, not my living room. Lately I've been really annoyed by my apartment. My main annoyance is our living room space. We have a combined living room/dining room. Unfortunately B was very insistent on having his desk (a giant, wood lament piece that he proudly bought at Staples) in the living area. We each have a laptop so there is no need for such a massive piece of furniture. However, I digress. I dream of the day when our small space will be warm, streamlined and inviting. I'm in the process of making some small updates which include new artwork, pictures and hopefully a new slipcover for the couch. In the meantime my inspiration folder keeps growing. I just came across this picture:

Beautiful!!! I can't stop staring at this. This photograph is from Kishani Perera's portfolio.

Another favorite is this Candice Olsen design, as shown on HGTV's Divine Design.

This photo is actually from a basement makeover but I love the mix of hard and soft elements. I love the mirrored surfaces, nailhead trim and chic banquette.

(He's) Leaving on a Jetplane

Sigh. I found out yesterday that the boy will be leaving soon for 6 months of training. Bummer. We expected training to be in February, not September. Also, we expected it to be local and not across the country. It looks like most of fall, as well as all of winter and spring will be spent alone. I'm taking my time with this one, trying not to freak out. This isn't the first time we've spent apart but it still hurts.

For now I'm trying to take it day by day and find some time for us to be alone before he leaves. With a crazy and often unpredictable work schedule this is no easy task.

Image via fffound, and flickr

Happy 4th!

Happy 4th of July!




How yummy do these look? If I’m lucky maybe I can snag some of the above at the BBQ today!

But cupcakes or no cupcakes the best part are always the fireworks! They are calling for rain tonight so I’m hoping the firework viewing will still be clear.

Photos from Country Living Magazine, me and Kristin of Meringe Bake Shop

Cozy Candles

OK, so the candles themselves aren't cozy. I love the vibe a room gets from the flicker of a candle. One candle, five candles, fifty candles... they are all fabulous. Today I'm loving this photo:

All those candles make the room seem so cozy! It makes me want to sit and stay a while. I've decided that I want tons and tons of candles at my wedding reception. No idea when or where it will be as that is the one and only decision I've made so far. (On that note-- if you know of a pretty bit of land in DC/MD I can use, for little $, I will be eternally grateful!)

I found this dining room picture on another blog but there was no photo credit. If you know who or where it was from originally please let me know. I hate not giving credit where it's due. Thanks!

I See Zig-Zags

The Internet is a wonderful thing. A few days ago I entered a giveaway on one of my favorite blogs, Elements of Style, and lo and behold - I won!!

I am the proud owner of not one but two new Twinkle zig-zag pillows from All Modern! Hooray!! I am one of those people that never seems to win anything. But I suppose I can't say that anymore since I did win! I live in a bland rental unit with many of the lovely (read: old, falling apart) original details from the 70's and some updates from the 80's (scratched wood parquet floors anyone?).

I have been wanting some new throw pillows for the living room lately to help brighten the room up. I hadn't found any in my price range which wasn't a complete surprise. Unfortunately with only one income right now we're in super saver mode right now. Thanks to Erin and the lovely folks at Modern Living I now have some great new pillows for free. Yes! Thank you!!

Happy Monday everyone. I wish you all some great luck!

Hello Vera!

Swoon! I've admired these cute little Kate Spade shoes for quite a while now. Practicality got the best of me and I never ordered them. I re-found them earlier this week but I was still on the fence. It was then that I had the bright idea to ask the boy. His response?

"No. I don't like them. It looks like someone pulled a bow off a gift and stuck it on the front."

haha. Love the honesty but it wasn't the response I wanted to hear. However, I took his comments to heart and waited.... another two days. Finally this morning I gave in. I am happy to report that I will soon receive some awesome new shoes:


While I used to live in flip-flops all summer long I've realized that I have done major damage to my feet. I've carefully been considering my summer shoe options. I want something for weekends that will be fun and summery without being frumpy, uncomfortable or a sneaker. (I already have several pairs of driving shoes/loafers or whatever you choose to call them.) Don't worry I will still wear flip-flops but their use will be limited. I think these shoes will work nicely with chino shorts or cropped pants. Wish me luck!

4th and Bleeker

Found out about an awesome new blog today: 4thandbleeker




How gorgeous is this girl? And it's official, we could be best friends because the first post I've ever read is about russell hammond, penny lane and it's all happening. love love love.

Domino Numero Dos

I found out about this from the lovely Joanna...

Domino sale. This weekend. Hamptons area.

Saturday, June 13th, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 75 Main Street, Amagansett (on Rt 27, across from La Fondita); cash only; haggling welcome.

Ugh. Another thing I miss! If you are in the area please stop by and let me know how it goes. Super bonus too.... the local shopping, beaches and food are all fabulous! So even if you leave the sale empty handed it will still make for a great day!

photo by the awesome Martin Rusch

Real Living

Today I'm absolutely loving Real Living magazine. I tried to get a subscription today but after finding the cost for US delivery I think that will have to wait. However, my future brother-in-law is an Aussie so I'm hoping he can pick one up when he is back home on business. Fingers crossed!

Anyway... how did I get on this rant about Real Living? Featured in the current issue is Michelle's (of the blog M.A. Belle and the company Rubie Green) awesome apartment. Check out one of the gorgeous pictures:

My apologies but for some reason I couldn't get more pictures to show up. Visit Michelle's blog and Real Living for more pictures!

photo from Real Living

My So Called Life

Way back when I LOVED the show My So Called Life. It was an amazing and real show. But the one thing I remember and loved the most were the quotes. The dialogue was fantastic. Kudos to the writers for capturing all the angst, confusion, awe, fun, puppy love and ambivalence of being a teenager.

One of my all time favorite quotes is: "Sometimes it seems like we're all living in some kind of prison. And the crime is how much we hate ourselves. It's good to get really dressed up once in a while. And admit the truth: that when you really look closely? People are so strange and so complicated that they're actually... beautiful. Possibly even me."

So what made me think of the show? A great blog post on Hello Lolla. Please go visit her site and scroll down to the My So Called Life post. I couldn't link directly to the post but it's great.

Rain Rain

Tonight the skies opened up and it rained as I was on my way to my first softball game. I've never played the game. 2 years ago I hadn't ever watched one. Now, I've decided to give in to some colleagues and play on the office team. What have I gotten myself into? Anyway... tonight the skies opened up and I checked with the ballfield rain-out number for the umpteen time. At 5pm they updated the message -- all games cancelled! I turned back around, as I was en-route at the time, and went home. It was drizzling when I arrive home but nothing too major. I had enough time to make it through the lobby and into my apartment when it started to downpour. It hardly ever rains like that here so it was quite a sight to see. The weather phenom was complete with crazy wind and rain blowing sideways. Eeeks!

On the up side... I have more time before I have to face the softball field. I'm so nervous!

photo via ffffound

Beautiful Weekend

Hope you all had a lovely, long weekend! My weekend was incredibly long since I took a few extra days off. It was great but as I'm sure you can relate it is never enough. On the up side, I got to spend some time back home. Loveeeeeeeeeeeeee it:

Karl Lagerfeld

Fashion icon and the Man of Style himself. Read his musings... http://twitter.com/karl_lagerfeld

Photo courtesy of Francois Lafite (http://www.flickr.com/photos/francois_lafite/2514957076/)

I Love College

Thank you internet for today you have introduced me to Asher Roth. I must confess my love of this song. Don't be fooled - I am not an 18 year old frat boy and my college days were never this crazy. With all of that said... I want to go back to college and experience some craziness. hahaha.

Asher Roth - New Music - More Music Videos

Asher Roth's video, "I Love College" from MTV.com

Great Weekend

Today I've been super tired. Heck, it's Monday so that wasn't super surprising. I was recounting my weekend in an e-mail to an old friend when I realized how crazy it's been. Definitely unexpected too. Want the details? Here goes (huge inhale)...

Saturday morning = early wake-up to gray skies. Figure out if I will have a game today. Lots of phone calls and Internet checks. Confirm that game is on. Stretch. Head to football (co-ed and non-tackle!). It starts to rain... we begin our game. Wet, on muddy fields and I'm the only one in sneakers. I only slip once and I count my blessings. Hang out/grab lunch with 1/4 of my team afterwards. Head back to fields. Wait for word if I need to step in as an alternate on a friend's team. Finally hear back 10 minutes to their game time. Change into a dirty and smelly shirt. Less than 5 mins later I find out that they have someone else. Change out of shirt. Watch game. Head home. Shower, finally!!! Fall asleep on the couch in a towel. Wake up an hour later in a daze. Get ready. Grab ice-coffee on the way to the bar. (Actually finished it in the bar. Awesome/Classy, I know.) Met up with a friend who is moving out of state this week. Have drinks, watch sports on bar TV's and listen to reallllly bad DJ (who mixes Bob Marley, KrisKross and tons of 80's music?!) Friends leave. We stay. Decide I want to dance. Head to English pub around the corner. Get carded. Really young looking girl wearing a "just turned 21" sign is waiting to be let into bar. Feel old. Listen to more bad DJ music. Have no cash. Charge $18 on my credit card so I can get a beer. Beer was gross and the atmosphere was akin to a bad frat party. Went home. Hubs-to-be laughs at me throughout the night. I'm good comic relief.

Sunday... stomach hurts. Confirm that I don't like beer. Move slow, take long shower, etc. Attend a college graduation party. Eat wings = amazing! Chat with my future home loan officer and get his life story. Love hearing from people with multiple careers. Leave graduation party and head to Target on a Sunday evening. No carts and tons of people. Leave with a basket of random things.

Yeah... so that's pretty much it.

image is by James Roper, via ffffound

Domino Tag Sale

Saturday, May 9, 10a.m. to 5 p.m., at 13 West Ninth Street (Fifth Avenue), garden apartment; cash only

I first read about this on Elements of Style blog this morning. By now it's everywhere! You know what I'm talking about... Domino's tag sale! Not only are former staffers selling off their goods but some great designers are too. If I could I would definitely hit up this sale. Read the full article

Photo courtesy of the NY Times

Get Some.

I love the idea of buying local but sometimes big box retailers are so much easier. I can't deny that Target is my favorite place to buy everyday items (and tons of other "essentials" that I discover) and Harris Teeter is my favorite place to buy my groceries. I really appreciate the reminder from the 350 project to take the time to buy local and help out local retailers. These shop owners are members of our community and they need our support, particular in these difficult economic times. I haven't picked out my three places yet but I definitely have some ideas. My number one place is a posh home store that stocks yummy pieces of to-die-for furniture. Luckily they also have some home decor accessories that are more in my price range. Also on my mind is a little stationary shop that stocks fun party supplies and holiday garb. It's my "go to" shop for great cards and "flair" such as the shamrock beads I wore to a St. Patrick's Day party.

I covet

I don't know why... but I do. LOVE LOVE LOVE it. And the Sartioralist took the most breath-taking picture of someone wearing it. Will post that too!

Chair lovin'

Lately I have had my eye on some really nice chairs, including the ones below:

Despite my best efforts to save $$ I couldn't resist. So, thanks to a great deal (thanks Craigs List!) I bought a chair with the upholstery in the first picture (blue and tan silk) and the antique finishing of the wood in the second. I love it and I am thoroughly pleased!

I have to say though, that half the fun was the drive to pick up the chair. We live in an upper-middle class area but there definitely some ritzy areas nearby. Even in our own town there are areas where houses go for upwards of $2 million easy. Still....I didn't realize how huge and elaborate some of these properties are. (If I can't afford it I try not to look... it hurts less that way.) Anyway, I googled the sellers address and got directions. Even with directions in hand I didn't realize that we were heading into the land of McMansions.

We drive about 10-15 minutes away and the homes grow larger and larger, each one more beautiful then the next. They are mansions. No lie, no exaggeration. In fact, on one piece of land there was an advertisement for a developer specifying that they specialize in mansions. Wowza! We find the road we're looking for without a problem. As we drive down the street I realize that these are not just houses, they are properties. They have full size tennis courts etc. I still can't get over it. So much opulence! It was a perfect the day for such a drive... the sun was shining, a warm breeze was blowing and we rode with the windows down. Perfection!

Well That Explains the Crowds

New Yorkers are known to be many things. A breed in and of themselves... For a verbal taste of home I like to visit Overheard in New York because there really is no place like home. With that I leave you with this piece of hilarity...

Lost tourist, complete with map and camera accessories: Hi, can you tell us which direction Chinatown is in?

New Yorker in a hurry: Fool, are you out of your mind? You're closer to the real China all the way up here!

Heard at 104th & Broadway

Sparkly Goodness

So today I was introduced to a chic little store in my neck of the woods. I have yet to visit their actual storefront but their website offered a nice little diversion on my Monday morning. However, what really captured by attention on their website wasn't their cute clothes...

enter Alex Woo jewelry... I swoon!! Absolutely divine. So chic, sparkly and absolutely wonderful. Some of my favorites below:

and the best for last...

All images from Alex Woo

Update

Image courtesy of Readers Digest

Here's an update on my life as of lately:

- I'm still tired and stressed
- My fiance just lost his job
- I realized that it's mid-March and I still haven't filed my taxes yet. I'm freaking out because I don't feel well, have the beginning of a migraine and reading all this legal jargon care of the IRS is making my head hurt.

When did I become a full fledged grown-up? Ugh. For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be older than I was. For the first time in my life I want to be younger. I'll be turning 25 soon and I feel like life since college has been a waste of time. It hasn't, I know. I can't stand all the stress and responsibility and worry. I want to go back to being carefree. I loved school (I'm a book nerd) and everything that came along with it. The economy sucks and lately I've taken to pinching pennies wherever possible -- no yoga classes, eating ramen noodles for lunch etc. I didn't even do this when I was in college! But it's cheap and at this point I am nervous to buy healthy foods. It sucks. I love fresh veggies but they are $$$. Eeks!

Bright Lights, Big City

Lately I've been feeling a little out of sorts. Usually somewhere between sheer exhaustion (due to lack of sleep and over-working) and feeling like everything is a bit amiss I realize that I miss home. I used to think that I was a person without roots. I was happy to move, travel, settle down and move again. Now that I've finally given up that nomadic lifestyle I realize there is a place I had roots. Not to any people mind you but to a place. I miss my home. I miss New York. The city that never sleeps. The city that has creativity bursting at the seems. The city where it's not unusual to see four supermodels in a day.

Today while perusing the Internet I found a beautiful piece of jewelery that made my heart stop.


Ahh, this latest piece will run you $275 here. The apple, mini taxi-cab, old school NYC subway token, deli coffee cup etc. etc. it's all so perfect! Sigh.

Somehow I think that if I had this on my wrist I would spend a lot more time thinking about how much I miss NY. So there is an upside to not having it.

Domino R.I.P

We all knew this was coming... but today it became official on Women's Wear Daily: http://www.wwd.com/media-news/domino-to-close-1953603?justin=1953603

As the economy slumps more and more design magazines are stopping production. (I know, captain obvious right?) Aesthetics aren't as important when people are losing jobs, homes, life savings, 401K's, retirement accounts and many many other precious items. It looks like it is going to take a long time for everything/everyone to rebound. I guess all the decor freaks out there, myself included, will just have to live off old magazine stashes (we all have them), ripped pictures for magazines/catalogues, inspiration boards, flickr searches, interior designer portfolios and of course, BLOGS.

I hope that Domino will still live on in blog form. It would be incredibly crushing to have it just vanish.

The Best Notepads EVER

Stationary.

Most people think post-it's, maybe some lined paper in the office and that's it. Bland paper to write lists, notes and other necessities. Other people have an appreciation of paper quality, color, texture, weight, design, etc. etc. I have a slight stationary addiction. I've been coveting these notepads for well over a year now. When I first saw them they were sold in a wonderful set:




I don't remember the exact price but I clearly remember thinking that was an outrageous price for some paper that wasn't even custom or cardstock! Sigh. I still want them. A year later and I still want cute pads of paper with quotes on them.

At the current time they are sold in packs of 8, by quote. On the up side, they come with chic little bamboo pens and the have printed new quotes! Unfortunately I think these sweet little bits of paper will have to continue to party at the Townhouse a little longer. Like the rest of the world I'm trying to not throw my money away. These days I can't justify spending that much on paper even though the pricing has decreased. (Scratch that -- the pricing was really just altered since you now only get one design, in a smaller pack. Who knows if the actual price per item has decreased!) I'll continue to lust from afar....

Snowy.

The first real snow of the season started about 7am. As it continues to fall I become and more and more like a cat:

Yup.

Carine Roitfeld.

As seen in Paris at the Dior show. Photo taken by the Sartorialist.

Eh.

I was looking for inspiration and found this:


http://flickr.com/photos/moonbuggs/475716721/

Paper love.

I've always loved stationary... cards, journals, notepads, thank you-notes. I love them all. I'm attracted to bright colors, bold designs, patterns and chic quotes ( CharlotteMoss, hello!)

In the last few months I've decided to try my own. What brought about the idea? Simple enough - I got engaged, starting looking at letterpress invitation suites and knew there was no way I could afford that. Seems like I have expensive taste! After looking at lots of graphic items I decided that I would try my hand at the design process. So far it's interesting but my lack of design tools is proving to be a bit frustrating. I am using 3 (yes, THREE) programs to create/edit my creations. I don't have Illustrator. Ugh. I'm wondering if it's worth the investment.

fun little quote....

Image from quotablecards.com

Optimism.

I decided to check Apartment Therapy today and noticed a quote posting:

"Optimism is a strategy for making a better future. Because unless you believe that the future can be better, it’s unlikely you will step up and take responsibility for making it so. If you assume that there’s no hope, you guarantee that there will be no hope. If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, there are opportunities to change things, there’s a chance you may contribute to making a better world. The choice is yours." -- Noam Chomsky

Hmm... it's got me thinking about my life lately. I used to be so much more of an optimist. I think somewhere along the way of "entering the real world" I sort of lost that idealist vivacious hope. I am still optimistic about some things but less so about others. I think that's where the idealism comes in. There's optimism and then there is blind hope.

I relate to the last two lines in particular, "If you assume that there is an instinct for freedom, there are opportunities to change things, there’s a chance you may contribute to making a better world. The choice is yours." I think that now, for the first time in a while, I'm confronted with my own expectations versus those around me. Have you ever felt like that before? How do you decide which road to take? I think I'm reaching a point where I need to shake up my life again. The main decision seems to be which path to take... the optimistic/ idealistic one, with no clear road signs, or the easy, fall-in-line marching order. How do you manage optimism without being short-sighted or idealistic?

Resolutions.

Lately I've been thinking about resolutions. It's still early enough in the year to be a major buzz word. On other blogs I've seen some/read some postings about New Years Resolutions. What can I say? That's not me. I am not really a "resolver"... is that even a word? I don't want to make resolutions for several reasons....

1. I don't make promises I can't keep. I like to think that my word is worth something and I try to keep it that way. I'm not going to make a promise (even to myself) that I know I won't or can't keep.

2. Sure, there are things that I would LIKE to work on so that my daily quality of life is better. That being said, there is nothing that I really need to resolve to do. Sure, I need to save more money and treat myself better but hey, I can work on that.

3. I'm stubborn and very much live by the "all or nothing" philosophy. As straight-edge as I normally tend to be there is something in me that has always hated rules. This is only really evident when I'm told "no" or "you can't do that" because that is at the point that I find myself thinking "just watch me..." It is a mindset that works well with challenging expectations but not so much with resolutions.

This year, I'm hoping for love, excitement, laughter... good things.

Image from flickr, EleganceisRefusal.