This reusable canvas shopping bag by Riley Noehren on Etsy is totally cute and pretty green. I would totally work it at the farmers market - imagine it filled to the brim with fresh, seasonal local veggies, hanging from my beloved scooter as I zip home - so cute, no? Of course this vision would mean I'd actually have to get out of bed before 11am on a Sunday morning, and I wouldn't hold your breath for that... but the bag is cute nonetheless. ;)
Let's take a little stroll down memory pop culture lane today, shall we? I've found a few nuggets from the weboverse that I had to share - any and all of which may place me squarely in the "pop culture whore / likes the same stuff as a 13-year-old girl / slowly rotting my brain away" category. But I don't really care. And neither do you realllly, do ya, Judgy McJudgerson? You know you love it. So let's take a look, eh?
First up: trendy nails.
Soooo, everyone (okay, every 16-year-old) knows Lauren Conrad is, like, the coolest. And everyone knows that all the trends come from Asia before they hit America. Well, LC (Lauren Conrad is known as "LC" for any of those of you who live under a rock...Sara) just got back from Hong Kong and look at the fun mani she brought back with her:
I already covered matte nail polish and gray nail polish (both of which are going to be huge again this fall - though gray nails are now being usurped by "greige" - gray/beige), but is leopard the next big trend in nails? It is kind of cute, but I'm not sure it's the best for everyday workwear...
Next up: silly shower caps.
Thank you, Urban Outfitters, for always selling the most entertaining slash ridiculous products on the planet. Case in point: shower caps that look like animals (cat, shark, and so on), as well as other objects (no, no, UO is not about to leave out the possibility of putting an ice cream cone, raspberries or devil horns on your head!).
Here are some of my faves from their offerings:
The Happy Hippo would make for a cheery start to your day. Or how about something furry and gray on your head (and not just hairs that need a dye job?) The duck bill could serve as a visor to keep water out of your face. Convenient!
Last: I can't not mention the VMAs in some capacity (and throw in both a Twilight and a SYTYCD reference all at once!).
So last year I commented on some of the performances from the VMAs(which are more fully known as the MTV Video Music Awards...try to keep up with the references here, folks...ahem, Sara) and this year I was really into the performance by Florence Welch from the English group Florence + the Machine. She gave one of the few live performances of the night and sang among a flurry of blue-painted dancers. She was awesome, as were the dancers...whose movement looked strangely familiar. Turns out they were choreographed by Travis Wall, a So You Think You Can Dance alum.
Oh, and if the Florence song sounds familiar to you, it could be because it's the song from the Eat Pray Love preview (or maybe, if you actually are 13, it's because another Florence song - Cosmic Love - was used in Twilight).
Check out her live performance - and the awesome dancers - here:
And if you can't watch embedded videos, you can see the video here.
Well, I hope this dose of teenager-appropriate pop culture has brightened your Tuesday lunch break. I'm going back to my normal regimen of important and deep topics now (you know, things like Martha Stewart pole dancing, Obama drinking games, beards, and proper TP loading...those sort of deep topics). Cough. :)
As promised, I'm doing my best to banish thoughts of sunny, sunny summertime and focus on fall. It is definitely helping that the weather has cooled down a bit and is even slightly chilly at night.
Fall always makes me think of back to school, a new season, a new start, and therefore...shopping! But, since I'm supposed to be on a shopping hiatus (damn you, recession!), I've cut back my shopping habits from slightly maniacal to none or to strictly budget finds only.
I've scoped out a few great picks for the fall - all on trend and all cheeeeap - so I thought I'd share a few of them with you....But not all, since I've got to have some tricks up my sleeve still, right? (Tricks of the "yes, I got this at Nordstrom" as I hide the $13 F21 tag variety...) ;)
With fall here, I'm just waiting for the rains to start any day. But since we still have quite a few outdoor activities on the books (the MRE Tug of War, concerts at Merriweather, football games, etc.), some sturdy but comfy boots are in order.
I'm kind of obsessed with the Hunter boot / Jimmy Choo collaboration and one of its offspring, the Carnaby Boa Tall in black: I am not obsessed with the $250 price tag.
For the clothes themselves, trends like neutrals, ladylike style and menswear are all huge for fall 2010, so a classic tan trench is a clutch piece (also good for the aforementioned coming rain). I'm not sure I really need a trench, but this one from H&M is very nearly perfect and it's only 35 dollars: I kind of want to go there today and snap this up before everyone else in Annapolis scoops me on this good find!
I would work it like this: Olivia Palermo is a silly, silly biotch, but she can rock an outfit like none other. That look is so yummy I could die.
Another H&M score that falls right in line with the fall trends - animal print being huge again this year - is this cute and cheap cardi for 25 bucks: Screenshot from the Today Show, as found on Full House.
Going back to Payless, I can't tell if these "shooties" by Lela Rose are awesome or kind of crazy:
I think they'd look really good with tights (or maybe even over-the-knee socks) and they're definitely on point with the trends, but I might look like a wacko wearing them...
I'm also tempted to try the faux fur vest layered with other stuff look or over-the-knees socks (with a skirt or shorts, duh), but I couldn't find any good pics to illustrate the look. Maybe that should be a good clue for me not to try them...
Have you scooped up any fun new finds for fall? Any amazing bargains or steals we should all know about?
Folks. I AM BACK. :) I've missed you all! Fo reals. Did you all have nice Labor Day weekends? Ah, the last holiday weekend of the summer. When did it get to be September?? I feel like summer just started and now it will be over - officially - in 19 days! (Though Labor Day weekend really feels like the true end of summer.) Boo.
In the meantime, I'm grasping on to the last semblances of summer, which to me right now is feeling like a nautical tone - for the home, clothes and accoutrement. Here are some of the nautical items inspiring me right now:
The above living room really started off this seafaring feeling for me. I don't like an overly "theme-y" room, but this one is done nicely and without getting too crab shanty. The striped rug, the tufted ottoman and the pseudo-leopard stripe pillows are killing me with goodness. (Also this room kind of looks like a much more chi-chi version of my own living room, so of course I'm in love.) ;)
These sheets are totally nautical with a touch of French provencal - and would be perfect in any crisp guest room. Can't you just picture visiting the coast of Maine, sleeping in a white and blue room, with a lovely ceiling fan overhead and a seabreeze through the window? These would be the sheets I'd imagine gracing that bed. Ahhh....
I would wear a stripey sweater every day if it wouldn't be just plain weird (and slightly dirty, no? or require tons of washing...). Oh yeah, and I'd happily float around all day on a lovely boat in Napoli, too, but that part may be a little less realistic than just rocking a sweater daily...
35 buckaroos for some seaside style in your house isn't half bad. I'd snap this up instantly if we had any doors that needed holding up (I don't think my bathroom door or the front door would work...).
I saw these dishes in person the other day and they are amazing. They're reasonably heavy-weight and the illustrations on them are gorg. They're a little pricey and maybe a bit much for everyday (the octopus tentacle handle on the teacup is both genius and creepy), but I still love 'em.
I mean really. Who doesn't need a pair of gold docksiders in their closet? I know I sure do. (Also please note that I had an identical pair of these when I was in elementary school. They were fresh to death and I wore them allll the time. Such a trendsetter at 10. [haha])
And finally, this fun guy was too cute not to include. We all need a little whimsy, especially when doing nautical, and this guy is pretty good. In fact, I would wear his outfit anytime.
So what do you think? Is this nautical route way too overdone these days? I'm not planning to run out and buy all of these accoutrement anytime soon (or any, likely), but I did love the breezy and clean feeling these pics gave me. Hope it helped you hang on to summer just a wee bit longer!
TGIF: Thank goodness for....fashion? Well this morning that's what I'm taking it to mean. But I may be pushing it with the "fashion" label, since what I want to talk about is not necessarily fashionable to some.
What I've got on the brain this morning is....clogs. That's right, clogs. You know, makes you think boy of a with his finger in the dam, tulips and the paint can. All that Dutch stuff you think of when you think of wooden clogs (or is that just me?). But these are actually Swedish. (Go figure.)
Swedish Hasbeens to be exact. And look who's rocking them: Pay no attention to the ginger sitting next to SJP...don't want to scare you on a Friday morn, now do I?
And another view:
But SJP doesn't stop there. No! She's got multiple colors, of course! More:
Oh, and not just with capris. Here's a fall ensemble (complete with baby): On a side note, her kids are pretty cute. Anyway, back to the clog at hand...
People have been suggesting I buy clogs for years - they're the only shoes that won't hurt your back, they say - but I've been resisting because I either picture little girls picking tulips and clog dancing or my mom disco dancing in the 70s. Woah.
But if they're good enough for SJP, American fashion royalty...I might be swayed... Oh wait, I forgot to mention something about these clogs - made by Swedish Hasbeen and shown here in the Peeptoe Super High style(shown above in "Nature" or "Olive"), in case you were wondering. Here's the thing: I thought to myself, "Fine, fine. Clogs. They'll help with my backaches and at least they'll be reasonably priced." Wrong.
These mammers are $202! Well, they're $154 (converted from Euro) plus $48 shipping from across the pond. Them's some pricey wood-soled shoes man! But are they worth it?
What do you think? Are they too hein? Or kinda cool? Do tell on this Friday morn! (What do you have to lose? Tell me what you really think... As if you're hard at work...) ;)
Did I really just see this on TV?? An ad for denim....wait for it....diapers. Whaa?! You read that correctly. Huggies has indeed created limited edition jeans diapers. And they're not kidding.
The commercial starts with a Euro voiceover of "My diaper is full -- full of chic." and ends with the tagline, "The coolest you'll look pooping your pants." Oh and don't forget the middle bits: "When it's a number two, I look like number one." and "I poo in blue." That's copywriting gold, y'all.
But don't just read about it, see for yourself: (In case you can't view embedded videos, click here.)
Wow. I'm kind of freaked out by the fact that they're sexualizing a male baby in the ad, but then again, I also think the whole thing is kind of totally hysterical (and gross at the same time...). See? Flip. Flop. Any ad that makes you unsure of whether you love it or hate it must be pretty good. I'm definitely weirded out by the whole thing, but I'm also pretty amused, so kudos, ad agency.
Though I heard they turn your baby's legs blue... Oops.
Oh, and Sarah: Take a look below - this could be soon-to-be-born-at-any-minute baby Caroline in just a few short months. Huzzah! ;) Photo by Amber Porter
Oops! Did I just ruin the surprise of what I'm getting little Caroline for an arrival gift? Darn. (ha ha)
So what do you think? Heinous or hysterical? Would you buy these for your baby?
I'll admit it: I am a big ol' jerk, a grammar snot if you will (I may have mentioned this before). Sadly, if you spell something incorrectly, I'll probably judge. Sorry, but it's true. :| I'm not perfect by any means, but I do like a correctly written sentence.
One word/homophone pair that gets confused a lot (other than "a lot," which is not one word, as some people seem to think): stationery vs. stationary. That's why I love this tote bag: The genius Sapling Press created this helpful tote in case you - or any repeat offenders you know - need a quick reference. It really clears things up, huh? And if you're a mean, mean grammanimal like I, then you're in luck, because these bags are available in the Sapling Press shop here.
We're heading to a wedding this weekend (baaack to Phila), so I've been plotting my outfit. Given the current (and oh-so-fun) economic situation, I'll be wearing one of the dresses I already own - which is totally fine, since I own 8 gajillion (yes, that is a technical term) dresses from the 11 weddings we attended in the past two years (true story). Not one to do a full repeat, I'm looking for something to mix things up a bit. Accessories to the rescue.
I'm thinking of adding a belt and maybe a cardi for the ceremony, and of course, I'll layer on scads of baubles to make it fun and festive. I won't be buying a new purse, but if I had a few extra duckets (42 to be exact), I'd snap up one of these adorable purses from Bagatelles & Co. to compliment the ensemble. At only 42 bucks and offered in a plethora of adorable patterns, wouldn't they make excellent gifts? (I'm thinking they'd be the perfect bridesmaids gifts.) Aren't they sweet and fun?
(And don't you love my excessive use of parentheticals in this post??)
Repeat after me: a knock-off Birkin bag is not the answer (duh, everyone can tell it's obvi not real - unless you're a duchess or a celebrity).
I make an exception for this bag though - and the whole idea of it in general makes me laugh - introducing the "Birkin as tote bag" bag: Heh.
(Like I said, that bag makes me laugh. It's clever.) I spotted these fun Hermes-inspired tote bags on Bag Snob, but the author (Bag Snob Tina) didn't include a link to where you can get one for yourself - because these are evidently now back-ordered until August. Whaa? Maybe it's because they're only 45 buckaroos (as opposed to the $10,000+ price tag on a real Birkin). Extra bonus, these are much more practical for the summer.
I only wish I could get my hands on one for myself. If you're reading this, Bag Snob Tina, please, please send me the link! Pretty please? I promise I won't share it with anyone (other than on this blog...) Okay?;)
Did you all check outLonny magazine the first time I introduced it? If not, you really should go take a look. It's a free, online-only publication with so much home design goodness in there it's unbelievable. It also happens to be perfect for when you're pretending to work at work but not working (ahem). And, if you're an avid shopper (or just want to know where things came from), each issue has clickable links embedded in the web pages, so you can roll over the products/items shown in the photos and access the source straight from the mag.
And in case you need a further kick in the tuckus to go check out the newest issue (which came out Thursday), here's some eye candy from the recent release: Also, I think I need these curtains in my living room (since these didn't go over so well): All photos from Lonny magazine.
With that said shown, hope you check it out and hope you enjoy! (And let me know what you think...)
