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Monday, August 29, 2011

British Invasion

The VMAs are always quite flashy, but Adele shone in her simplicity. Good music doesn't need the hype. It's art in it's purest form. She is sincerity in action. I hope to have half as much talent and passion in everything I do.



My love for British musicians has been growing especially strong lately. Maybe it's the accents (cliche) or maybe it's a natural charm. Either way, please take me to England so I can listen to these bands forever. Mumford and Sons, Laura Marling, Arctic Monkeys, Ellie Goulding, Kate Nash, Noah and the Whale... I picked this video particularly for the beautiful lyrics and extreme violin playing at the end. I'm a sucker for some strings in a song, especially when the player has the cutest curls. Click here to watch since Blogspot refuses to let me post it straight on the page. We're fighting right now.

I hope you enjoy some Britain in your day. I'm off to have a cup of tea now!




Saturday, August 27, 2011

Style Me


These may not be the best photos of my newly made skirt all styled up, but I liked the artsy coloring and I have yet to perfect the self timer.  I need to hire myself a personal photographer if I want to do "What I Wore" posts. Either that or find a very thoughtful boyfriend!


(Skirt: handmade, Blouse: Nordstrom Rack, Belt: Urban Outfitters)
This skirt is rather plain, but it looks great with a belt and a patterned top. It's still a little bulky so the belt helps cinch it all in. Also, I'll take any excuse to work this top into an outfit since I'm kind of in a polka dot love phase. With my excellant photography skills, I wasn't able to capture my shoes, but they were a favorite, cream T-strap kitten heels. Perfect for running my errands.

P.s. This polaroid app. is the best thing since real polaroid cameras. Try out it. It can be addicting since every time the colors/scratches look different.








Friday, August 26, 2011

Nutella-icious


Yesterday, I received one of my favorite things... a letter... you know one of those handwritten ones. I wish I could say I was better at sending them myself, but I'm a child of technology. I'm working on it, because I realize how much I treasure receiving something special in the mail, so I want to pass that feeling along. But this particular letter came all the way from the forests of Idaho. My Aunt found the most wonderful article about a new "Nutelleria" in Bologna, Italy. Think Starbucks with all things Nutella: pizza, fruit salad, doughnuts. Sounds like my dream. My aunt knows it's one of my love languages. If only I wasn't so health conscious now,  I'd be binge eating Nutella every day like I did in Rome. Luckily, I found the perfect Nutella alternative on this lovely blog that I've been saving for the perfect day (which was yesterday!). Not that it's particularly "healthy", but it's natural and unprocessed and I love that!

I make a mess when I cook. Is there any other way?
Chocolate hazelnut deliciousness!

Since I don't own a food processor, only this dinky chopper, I cute the recipe in half. I also changed a couple ingredients for convenience and preference. Here's my modified recipe:

3/4 cup hazelnuts
2 Tbs. Truvia (instead of white sugar)
1/8 cup + 1 Tbs. cocoa (I used Trader Joe's brand)
1/4 cup organic maple agave syrup blend (once again, TJ's, love it!)
2 Tbs grapeseed oil
1 Tbs almond milk

Chop it up, blend it together and you have homemade chocolate hazelnut heaven. So good on bananas or strawberries. It would also make a wonderful topping for pancakes or waffles, mmm, or crepes. Go crazy!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

So A Sew


I've never sewn an article of clothing before, so yesterday I decided it was time to tackle this new challenge. With this pretty purple and mustard material I found on clearance at Joanne's and the "one hour" skirt video from my previous post, I felt ready to conquer a little morning project. Let's just say this should have been tittled the "one DAY" project. Yes, it's simple, but not when everything chooses to rebel against you (Now I can empathize just that much more with the designers on project runway). And yes, I may have been slightly cocky in my garment making abilities, but I'd like to blame it on the instructions. I chopped off more than 15 inches of width on this skirt to make it fit and the elastic should be smaller than your actual waist size. I was drowning in fabric. Pulling out stitches is the worst process. Not only is it about 5 times as slow as sewing the original seam, but it's like walking backward when you see the finish line. Definitely built some character yesterday! 

Here are a few pictures from my process:





And the finished result! I can't wait to style it. It will be perfect in the fall with some tights and boots (my favorite combination). For now, I'll make it work in our 80 degree weather. Not that I'm complaining. I love my beautiful LA sun! 


Now to find a new project. Any ideas?

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Bows, Bows, Bows


New rule to live by: You can never have too many bows. 
It's amazing that a piece of nothing can become something so cute when tied in the right way. Sigh. I wonder who discovered the bow? Or is it something we've always known to do? Such a practical idea turned into a classic staple. I love it!
I also love this idea for shoe clips (floral bow. dream.). Bows anytime, on any shoe!
And this bow for your hair with a bow pattern? Yes please. 
Oh and these collars with the vintage bow pins. So pretty! I'm proud to say these are made exclusively by the woman I intern for. Sweet Evie. Check out more designs here.
I need to stop finding bow items before this blog becomes a list days long, so one last thing: this adorable swimsuit/bandeau set

P.s. Here's my new project for the week. Maybe I'll add a bow to the waist!


Saturday, August 13, 2011

In a Bottle


Message in a bottle. Genie in a bottle. Fill in the blank. Right now I'm experimenting with flowers in a bottle. If you haven't guessed, my new inspiration is from these pretty glass containers. I love all the colors, shapes, and sizes. I can't bear to part with a single one that passes through our apartment. So here begins my collection of empty wine, tea, and soda bottles, applesauce and pasta sauce jars. Maybe I'll try some traditional candles in a bottle like this or go a little Alice & Wonderland like this and this. Or maybe I'll fill them with fairy lights or cover the outside with decorations. The possibilities are endless! Recycle and reuse right?

Here's a look at my new garden... I snipped a few clippings from the neighborhood vines. Shhh. I hope this survives longer than my other plant projects. I've recently discovered I might have the green thumb of death. My oregano decided to fall over and never get back up again, and my tomato plant is clinging to it's last hints of life. Though, I keep hoping it will magically resurrect with enough water. I'll blame the hot LA sun, but more likely it's my gardening techniques. That's why I'm going the route of hydroponics. At least I can't forget to water?


And here's some more bottles just waiting to be the focus of a new project:


One person's trash is another's future DIY materials!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Art In the Streets

Monday, I was finally able to soak in the amazing exhibit at the MOCA called "Art in the Streets". If you've been in LA at all since April, you probably know what I'm talking about. It's the first major exhibition of graffiti and street art in a major US museum! Impressive. And it only took me 3 months to get my body over there. You'd think the banners on every street pole would keep it a priority in my mind. Nevertheless, I waited until the last day of the exhibit to put my interest into action. I guess I like to live on the edge? At least it was free (Thank you Banksy). I wish I could recommend you go see it now, but you'll just have to believe me... or take a trip to the Brooklyn Museum next year (See how I'm inspiring adventure?).
But honestly, this proved to be an incredible installment. Not only were there beautiful works of art displayed on the walls, there were also recreations of alleyways and people spray painting at night. I was shocked at the many different facets and styles of street art, as well as it's surrounding culture. Some parts were fun and crazy, others were thought-provoking or political. It's something I've always found fascinating, maybe due to my complete lack of street cred. We're always intrigued by the things we don't completely understand, right?

In case you're curious, here are a couple pictures I snagged with my phone:













Sunday, August 7, 2011

Sunday Thoughts

What I've been learning lately, besides my continued obsession with floral and my inability to resist sugar if my life depends on it, is the beautiful expression creativity lends to the human soul. Everyone releases their unique thoughts and ideas in different ways: music, art, film, writing, design, fashion. The list could go on for as long as our imaginations would let us devise new paths for creativity. Sometimes I love observing others' outlets so much I forget to create myself, so here's to drawing inspiration but never ceasing the "doing".

A few Sunday inspirations:

This DIY for Star Lanterns:


This band, Carrollhood:


Autumn forest fairies, hauntingly beautiful: