- The bf and I have been talking about air plants and then I saw these. It’s unanimous. We must have them (or something like them diy style because they’re kinda pricey and that’s how I roll). (from etsy shop Mudpuppy)
- I’ve been playing around with headers for the blog ever since Thesis updated with an easy header uploader. I’ll probably be changing them on the regular since I get bored pretty easily. Also, ever since I downloaded PhotoMix and realized I could add text, I’ve been back to downloading free fonts like a maniac. I had thousands of fonts when I was a teen but lost them all in The Great Crash of 1998. What. A. Dork. (I had +/- 30 pen pals at one time and took my letter writing seriously.) Fontspace is my favorite source for free fonts since they have everything and you can type your own text in and see what it will look like as you browse.
- This great Tom Binns cuff has the lyrics to The Smiths classic song, “How Soon is Now?” engraved on it. Nowhere in the description at Net-A-Porter do they attribute the song. I think they should. (Update – they added the song info! Yay!)
- So, you know the bf’s baby got fried by a roof leak on August 5th… his baby being a 100-lb wall-mounted 50″ flat screen plasma TV that he just bough in May. Well… I calmed him down in the middle of the crisis with the reassurance that we have renter’s insurance. “It’s okay honey! We’re covered! We’re responsible adults and covered our asses!” I filed a claim, the adjuster came out, they contacted the landlord to confirm damage, etc. Everything seemed to be rolling along just fine until a woman called to tell me that because there wasn’t an actual hole in the ROOF, but rather flashing that needed to be re-tarred, we weren’t covered. Okay. What? I lost it. I could feel violent rage surging through every cell in my body. I cut her off and launched into a tirade, “Oh, I get it. This is one of your weaselly loopholes to get out of paying for our damage. Okay well, I need to calm down before we discuss this any further but I can promise you that I will not be renewing our policy with Allstate and I will NEVER seek out your services for any other property I may need insured in the future!” and I hung up on her. The bf and I looked over the policy and there was nothing stating any of this crap. An hour later and I am still vibrating on the inside but I will definitely be calling someone else tomorrow and figuring out this load of total bullshit. (I swear to god, it just never quits!)
- I finally watched The September Issue and if you get stupid excited about the 5 pound September fashion magazines like I do, you will love it! I have always enjoyed Vogue creative director Grace Coddington‘s luxe editorials but after seeing the struggle she goes through with editor Anna Wintour, I am in awe. You can watch it instantly on Netflix.
- Ask and ye shall receive. I have slowly [finally grown up and] come to the realization that men are not mind readers. No way, right? It is soooo much easier to simply ask for what I want. Feeling overwhelmed with household duties? Ask him to wash the dishes. Feeling frisky? Pounce. Need some alone time? Make it happen. Want a romantic evening out? Make the reservations. Instead of building up resentment and tension, living together has become a lot easier. Showing appreciation for all the little things instead of complaining, not asking him to help with chores when he’s in the middle of something, warning him ahead of time and not springing things/requests/moods on him… these little actions have made for quite the peaceful happy home. I’m getting it all in return as well! Funny how that works out. (PS – What’s with the commercials where the woman stands there holding a full trash bag while her man is watching a game? Take the damn trash out yourself!)
- Sewing machine:
It’s all about good friends dude. Seriously. This post reminds me of when Jen’s dear cat Cleo died about 10 years ago and we buried her in a friend’s back yard. Jen and I (during the grunge days) used to say we wanted Mother Love Bone’s Chloe Dancer played at our funerals but instead we burst into CLEO Dancer as we stood by her little grave and everything was okay. (Oh and I totally started boohooing for Cleo when I heard that song again.)- Sometimes you need a visual to imagine putting different colors together. For your wardrobe, your home, projects, anything… this little tool is a lot of fun!
- An enviable birthday gift haul. Good grief.
- More reasons why I love TJ Maxx/Marshall’s – I got this glowing blue rocks glass for the bf (last one – we keep breaking all the cool glasses), an aqua Kuhn Rikon 12″ non-stick pan (the non-stick of our old pan died), and a Kenneth Cole wallet (my old one was soooo funky) for less than $30. (Oh and an extra pair of cute pink tweezers because I have plucking problems.)
- Another great artist via My Love For You… this painting is by Kristine Moran. I have this weird habit of deconstructing everything beautiful I see to assess if I could do it myself. This is completely beyond me.
- Alas, I won’t be making it to New York Fashion Week this September. I told myself last year that I would go this year but it’s not in the cards/budget. To rub salt in the wound, I actually got invited to a few things this time around and didn’t even register for a press pass! Argh! I don’t like to make promises I don’t know if I can keep but I really really want to try harder to make it next year!
- We have been dragging ass with some weird bug for over a week now. I feel achy, slightly feverish, eyes burning, bronchial tightness. We’ve been going to bed before 10pm most nights and have wasted 2 free weekends that could’ve been filled with fun, instead laying around doing nothing. I saw this picture on Saturday when I was feeling like crap and started laughing hysterically then started sobbing uncontrollably. Sick and tired of being sick and tired.
- Dear People Who Sell Shoes Online, Please quit it with only offering whole sizes. That is so weak! I am a true-to-size 6.5. I cannot squeeze into a 6 and a size 7 will fall off my feet. You are losing out on a huge customer base and I have yet to discover what you are gaining from this nonsense. Just knock it off! Thanks, Me.
- This past Tuesday I got a wild hair and finally redid our bathroom floor. Much like the situation in our kitchen, it was a mess but much more livable. The landlord has hired some real asshats to do work in this building. We had black marble vinyl tiles (Who am I? Liberace?). They were laid down sloppily and there were ripples. I removed up to three layers of old flooring in some spots! We also have a claw foot tub and they never once managed to put the flooring under it! Who does that? It never felt totally clean. I understand older Victorian homes in the Fan district are full of these charming little qualities (this is a college town so why is the landlord gonna care?) and I knew our apartment was a diamond in the rough but come the hell on! Do a good job when you fix something! I got three boxes of discounted out-of-print peel & stick tiles from the same weird place I got the kitchen tiles from. The only neutral thing they had was a grey stone-like pattern. Fine. If I weren’t renting, I wouldn’t put this pattern in my home (or peel & stick tiles for that matter) but whatever. It’s clean. It’s bright. It’s done. (I still need to crawl on the floor to reach and paint the neglected trim beside the tub and repaint the claw feet.) Decades of funk have been removed from my home. $27 and 5 hours of work. (Oh, and my crappy little vacuum decided to fart a dust cloud so, 1 hour of that was spent letting the dust settle and then wiping down every surface in there. Fun.)
- I got approached to do my first product review and I’m really pleased with how it all went down. No one tried to sway me into a positive review nor did they ask for any specifics other than the links I already had in mind. I was compensated with being able to pick out a couple products I adore. It was a lot of fun and I hope to do it more often for companies that I believe in. Blogging about fashion is pretty much a giant product review anyhow so it only makes sense! The post is coming soon so keep an eye out!
- Here’s a big fat review right here – the (corded so it doesn’t run out of steam, heh heh) Shark Steam Mop. I am so very in love with this thing! Get a gallon of distilled water and go to town. The pads are machine washable. The first time you use it, you may get some streaking from all the residue other cleaners have left behind. For $60, this eliminates chemicals and replacement pads a la Swiffer and your floors are sanitized by the power of scalding steam.
- This blog has been at a new host for over a week now and I love it! There’s a lot more you can do with the WordPress.org platform on your own paid hosting site regarding plug-ins/widgets, ads, backups, etc. If any of you need advice on switching over from WordPress.com to the .org platform, please feel free to leave a comment or send an email. I will gladly walk you through the process. It does take a week to transfer over an existing domain. Ugh.
- Isn’t this jewelry catchall adorable? Find it here.
- I don’t have Photoshop so I was looking for something similar to Polyvore where I could add pictures to make a collage of sorts. Snapfiles is where I always go to find freeware software and it’s where I found FotoMix. I think a lot of you will enjoy using it. It’s super easy to figure out. The white background works well for the Polyvore style layouts. I also got Poladroid. It will make any picture look like a Polaroid! You can play with the settings for smudges and tilts. Here’s my first one. God I love her makeup! (at Katie Gallagher)
- Finally switched from IE to Firefox. I feel so 2005… like finally giving up an AOL or Hotmail email address.
- Oh! I found out that the cholesterol medication Lipitor can cause anterograde amnesia (unable to form new memories), which is exactly what my mom has been experiencing for a frustrating 2+ years now. I talked to her doctor and they switched her to something else. Keep your fingers crossed that this mess will settle down since we were seriously thinking it was Alzheimer’s or dementia.
- I’ve been pondering the time wasted on over-explaining and dumbing down. Lately, there’s been a radio commercial asking people to bring their Civil War memorabilia to a show like Antiques Roadshow. They say that they want to hear your stories, where it came from, family history etc. I wondered why they wasted radio time when they could have just said, “prepare to give provenance”. I really dislike when people tease the use of a “five dollar word“. Those beautiful concise words that sum up entire concepts are my favorite! (Is there a word for that?) I think when you cater to a deficiency, you encourage it. Why is it so hard to look things up and learn something new instead of complaining when someone is proficient with the English language? PS: my friend MJ‘s boss sent her this and I just about died (I love semicolons):
- I’m seriously thinking about buying a foreclosure home. Not now (maybe in a few years) but I’m researching FHA loans and the entire process. It’s a serious long-term goal I’m setting for myself. It’s too far off for the bf to panic but my parents are being super supportive. Considering my mom was a real estate agent & FHA inspector and my father owns a construction company, I have access to tools, discounted supplies, advice and help. We’re a land investment type of family. I’ve stepped up my game on saving up for a down payment. I’m getting my ducks in a row all Suze Orman style over here! Whether we’d like to live in the home or flip it after some fixing up, this will all be based on situation, location and the state of the property (and the economy) upon purchase. At this point, it’s all about patience, saving up and research. Scary exciting stuff!
- I finally went to the South of the James Farmer’s Market. I am in love with that place and so glad it’s going on until December 4th! I bought grass-fed beef from a local farmer for cheaper than at the grocery store. (It comes frozen and sealed so you can make it back home safely.) We bought beautiful heirloom cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, blackberries, and had tacos and breakfast burritos. I’m getting flowers, bread and more next time! Perfect way to throw together a special weekend dinner and get yourself out of the house on a Saturday morning. Here’s a Flickr pool of Richmond farmer’s market photos.
- This particular comic is wonderful! It compares Orwell and Huxley’s fears for our future. Yeah, we’re screwed.
- For all you suckers out there (I’m one of them), aren’t these lipsticks adorable? Of course, after a few uses, they’ve lost their charm but good grief! So cute! $25 each here. (via and all over the web now because us suckers for cute… we are legion)
- Oh hey! Did you notice I changed the look of my + & – posts? No big deal but I think it’s simple and cute!
- This post from DI$COUNT about what luxury is to them… yes.
- This entry from Postcards from Yo Mamma. Seriously, why? It happens to me all the time.
- The bf went out of town two weekends ago. While he was gone, I picked up a box of his favorite chocolates. He brought me back French tarts from a bakery we love in Maryland. This is why I have my next entry in the minuses…
- I don’t own a scale and judge my weight by my jeans. There’s no denying they’ve been a bit snug lately but the cold hard truth hurts. I went to the doctor 2 weeks ago and got weighed. I’m back to the most I ever weighed, about 2 years ago- 128lbs. Two years ago it was sitting on my ass drinking beer. This time, I barely drink, and it’s from sitting on my ass and bad food choices. This may not be a big deal to some of you but it’s kind of a big deal to me. I like the way I feel and look when I’m around 120. My body does not like this extra weight. My skin changes. I physically feel like yuck. I’m only 5’1″ and it means that if I don’t reign it in, I have to buy new clothes and I am NOT buying a new wardrobe because of laziness and shoving cheese in my face. Things have gotten real around here in the food department. It’s salad time but, I hate the gym. Hate it. I would rather all that sweat and effort have some instant results so, hard labor is more my style. Yard work, psychotic cleaning, etc. It’s on.
- We had a big rainstorm on Thursday and on the sofa, while I was being a dork on my laptop and the bf was being a dork on his Xbox, we heard a loud pop. The bf saw a flash of light and the TV cut off then back on. We sat stunned for a second wtf-ing a lot and then ran to check it out. Water. From the ceiling. Leaking. On the 50″ plasma TV the bf bought himself after his tax refund. His baby. Fuck. It’s still working but of course something has been fried. How crucial? No clue. Thank god for renter’s insurance. I’m gonna make a call on Monday and see what we need to do. Oh, and the landlord needs to fix that leak.
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- One of the coolest handmade gifts I’ve ever seen: Anabela from the blog Feildguided is starting a new feature of people’s homes called “Homebodies” and was allowed to take pics of Melinda Josie’s adorable home. Josie is the creator of this great kitty buds fabric (in addition to many other wonderful things). Anyhow, her fiance carved this as a Christmas present for her. It’s Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird in her ham costume. Amazing.
- Today, I had a lady day with my dear bff Jen (have you checked out her new food blog yet?). I had a half day at work and met her in Carytown after she got her wig smoked. We ate a great lunch at Can Can, talked and talked, and then wandered around checking out a ton of shops we had never been to. We went to Roan. Holy hell! I didn’t know those brands were sold in Carytown! I pawed Lanvin, Chloe, Jason Wu, Alexander Wang (still not impressed), Oscar de la Renta, Givenchy, Jil Sander… all in all, we were dying in there.
sigh, Louboutin
At Need, Jen did her own version of Man Repeller in this sweet union suit.
I also spotted this Miu Miu knockoff. No bueno.
At Pink, I was sooo tempted to get this bag. I’m still thinking about it. A cross-body bag would be nice. We finished up with margaritas at Nacho Mama’s and called it a day. Phew! I’m worn out!
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- I get the whole #firstworldproblem hashtag on twitter. Really I do. People like to complain so it’s a way of acknowledging that your bitching is really whining when there are so many bigger problems out there, but you’re going to whine anyways. (Example: “Why do I always manage to get the shopping cart with the bum wheel? #firstworldproblem”) These tweets get on my nerves like no other. Really? Are we starting to feel that damn guilty for the lives we lead? Feeling guilt for the only life we’ve ever known? No matter how many sad things you see in the news, you will never truly know how people in third world countries feel. Do all of them want to be like us? No. Get over yourself, and if you really want to make a difference, donate to a charity and move on.
- I am half Serbian and I am so ashamed and disgusted with a new movie that has come out called Srpski Film (A Serbian Film). Here is a review by one of my most adored bloggers. I am so incredibly sick and tired of “art” being an excuse for depravity. Political statements can be made in so many ways other than this.
- Everything I’ve added to wish lists or bookmarked for further contemplation ends up being sold out before I decide to purchase. Either it’s a sign that I need to quit shopping or I need to make up my mind faster.
- No way in hell.
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- The 7th of every month is the bf’s and my day to remind one another of how awesome it is that we met! Today marks 1 year 8 months together. xoxo
- Pictures from Africa’s Fashion Week in South Africa. I love the 3rd picture.
- This is for my friend Jen. We’ve known one another since 8th grade. She just started a food blog and I’m super excited for her. I was going to do a big post to introduce her blog and scan a ton of old embarassing pics of her but I think she’d much rather I just tell you to check out her cooking adventures and add it to your reader. She’s hilarious and a damn fine cook!
Who does this remind you of Jen?
- I love stationary and silly stupid me wants some mini MOO cards for the blog. I don’t have a logo so I’m using one of their Ready Made designs by artists. I’m digging this set with 36 different designs.
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- This guy is the epitome of a creep… the type of person that chills my bones.
- A ton of pictures of the same damn thing on blog posts – this goes for design and fashion. I don’t need to see that lamp from every damn angle. I don’t need to see that outfit in a 10 different poses. One full length and a few detail shots are plenty. I get it.
- I keep adding things to online wishlists to think about. Everything sells out before I’m ready to buy it.
- So, a few doors down from me, there’s a huge house with a huge family who runs their own business. They also have dogs and a poor little cat who has gotten lost in the shuffle. (This I found out from my neighbors across the street because I’m incredibly nosy.) I discovered “City Kitty” months ago, roaming the streets at night. She had tags, which I assumed were for the cat getting lost, because I sure as hell would want someone to call me if they found my cats dodging cars. I called both numbers on her tags repeatedly and no one answered. My bf was getting annoyed with me so, I let it go. Well, City Kitty kept coming around my front steps. She’s so scrawny you can feel each individual vertebra and ribs. I have been feeding her and so has our nice neighbor upstairs. I finally got sick of it one day and left a passive-aggressive note to end all notes for the owner expressing my concern that she may have worms and needs to see a vet. It’s been over a month and the cat is still a sack of bones. I talked to my vet yesterday and I have 4 options: 1 – bring the cat in and pay for it all myself then take the owners to small claims court and I will probably win but maybe not. 2 - call animal control and get the owners in trouble. The cat runs a risk of being taken away and being put down. 3 - have a face-to-face with the owners which will probably get ugly because I have a big mouth when I’m pissed off and this whole thing is really burning my ass. 4 – mind my own damn business. Now I need to take my own cat to the vet and get him vaccinated for everything under the sun, well beyond what an indoor cat needs, because City Kitty could not only have worms but feline AIDS, leukemia, distemper, and god knows what else that I could track into the apartment. What would you do?
June has been kicking my ass.
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