The Pirate Purse

I recently upgraded my laptop. Now since the size was different I now needed a new case. Apparently everyone with a laptop wants to look like they are going on a business trip. It's totally lame.

So I started a hunt.

In the end I had to settle for a pretty standard laptop case. The bright side to this tale though is that in my searching I found this.



That's right. A purse. With a pirate on it. And not just any pirate. A girl pirate!



And not just a girl pirate! A giraffe with a five o'clock shadow, an elephant blowing bubbles, a dinosaur wearing mascara, and a frog with a lollipop!



And even that's not all! There's also a hippo wearing sunglasses and a hypnotized gorilla with a...whatever that is!

But, even with this giant acid trip of a purse, my most favorite part is the handles.



UPDATE: I totally spaced mentioning who this bag is by or where to get it until one lovely someone wrote to ask. The pirate purse is the Miss MARC Pirate Mabel Tote by Marc by Marc Jacobs. I purchased it through Neiman Marcus.

When life gives you pink lemons...

There is such a thing as pink lemons. I am not kidding. This has pretty much made my week.



As they ripen the skin goes from green and yellow stripes to just plain yellow which is why some of them are not like the others. I'm planning to make lemon bars with them but I would love more ideas, other than pink lemonade.

When seperating wants and needs becomes difficult...

This weekend I went shopping with a friend. One of our stops was the most amazing Twist on NW 23rd. Twist is mostly a jewelry store but there are also some home things as well. As soon as I walked in I saw a wall of animal pillows. I wanted them all but I knew I could only have one. Because really, how crazy is a studio apartment full of animal pillows going to look? I'll keep my crazy slightly more under the surface thankyouverymuch.

So, out of all the animal pillows I chose a baby bird of some sort (there's some debate over whether it's an emu or ostrich).





You can see why I want every single one of these here.

Butter

Butter London is one of my most favorite nail polish brands. They make somewhat out there colors but if you're looking for something wild or happen to find something in their selection that will work for a day to day polish it's guaranteed to be gorgeous.

I've posted before about my new found appreciation for tan nail polish and when this weekend it hit 60 degrees I decided it was close enough to Fall to break out the neutral.



This color is called Yummy Mummy and has a teensy bit of a cool tone shimmer to it but doesn't look sparkly or metallic when on. Here is an admittedly bad photo of it on my nails. I have a chip on my left hand and taking a photo with your left hand while trying to adjust the lens with that same single hand is more difficult than it would even seem. So this is what you get.

My most favorite thing this week.

It's So Amazing!

So, a few weeks ago I went to look at a couple cookbooks I keep on my kitchen counter. When I picked them up all the pages were stuck together. I'm not really sure how this happened since if anything spilled I would have wiped it up but, regardless, the books were no longer functional. I really really love these super simple books so I wanted to replace them.

This was no problem, I found both the books I wanted through the website of a local bookstore as well as a book on curries. So I ordered the books for in store pickup and paid for them online.

Then I got these suggestions for other books I may enjoy as well.



All of a sudden I'm a bit wary of these cookbooks...

Hip Hop Horray...Ho...Hey...Ho...

I hate running. It doesn't really make sense to me. It feels like something you should be doing when you are in danger, not for fun. I do need to start working out more though. I used to do the eliptical machine a lot and that was okay although it can get boring. I love basketball but in Portland there are few chances to play outdoors and at the gym most of the time the boys take over the court. I've taken yoga and all I want to do is talk and giggle which is heavily frowned upon in yoga classes. Spinning would kick my ass.

I needed to find something that would get me excited to go to the gym and not kill me.

That's when I discovered hip hop dance class.

For an upper middle class white girl I have an inordinate love of hip hop. I quite honestly relate to just about nothing when it comes to the lyrics but I love the music. In high school there was a group of boys I hung out with who called me "White Chocolate" due to my love of hip hop. I really can't imagine a more fun workout and I'm so excited to get started. I even went and saw Step Up 3 (it was no longer playing in 3D) in preparation.

I start tomorrow with my friend Craig and am looking forward to giving an update. I'm sure I will make a fool of myself but at least it will be fun and as far as I know you're allowed to laugh in hip hop class.

What I'm Wearing Today

I bought this dress to wear on my birthday this year. I spent the day volunteering at Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls followed by Last Thursday, dinner at Le Bistro Montage, and drinks at Blue Moon. It was mellow and sweet and very different from the parties I had at 21.

I wasn't about to not take the opportunity to wear something fantastic though. It was my birthday.

Today I woke up at 8:26am. I usually aim for leaving the house at 8:30 but can leave as late as 8:40 and be okay. I'm not really sure what happened but I was late so I ran to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and with no time to think saw this dress on the rack and grabbed it. Luckily I wore my hair curly yesterday which actually looks better the more bed head and crazy it gets.

I'm wearing this dress (Ikat Halter Dress by Free People) with a black tank under it so as to avoid that whole side boob thing and this cardigan over it.


Three Quarter Sleeve Jersey Cardigan by Nordstrom B.P. in Sapphire

Along with these shoes.

Greco Sandal by Sam Edelman

And this bag.

Marc by Marc Jacobs Slinky Hobo

I wear my sunglasses (not) at night...

There's something about sunglasses. They're sexy and mysterious, glamorous...and so much fun. There's an effortless cool to wearing a great pair of shades.

The other thing is, they're actually really useful. Not just in the obvious not being blinded while you drive way but by wearing a good pair of sunglasses you're protecting that super sensitive skin near your eyes from sun damage.

I own a massive amount of sunglasses. I have terribly sensitive eyes so if I forget my sunglasses I usually will buy a pair during the day. This has left me with a mix of both high end and low end sunglasses as well as a great pair of vintage air force aviators I bought at an antique store. Honestly, as far as looks go, it doesn't really matter if you buy cheap sunglasses. I've bought pairs at Urban Outfitters, random little boutiques, and Forever 21. All of them look just as good as any of the more expensive pairs I own. And I'm okay wearing them every once in awhile but in general I try to wear higher quality sunglasses because of that aforementioned cancer thing. My dad had skin cancer when I was growing up and had to get a skin graft on his face. It's not pretty and takes a long time to look close to normal.

This weekend I was in a major sunglasses shopping mood. I ended up with these two pairs.


These are by Tory Burch and apparently she doesn't want anyone to buy them because I can find zero info about an actual name or style number. On her site they are called "Oversized Square Sunglasses with Metal T-Hinge" which also describes about a thousand other pairs of sunglasses. The color is Wine/Brown (frame color/lens color). I bought mine at Nordstrom. They are also available at www.toryburch.com


Jocelyn Sunglasses by Kate Spade in Purple Gradient.

These are incredible and I am super excited about them. I love the almost octagonal shape and the colors. I feel like part of the fun of buying designer goods is that they have all these tiny details you just don't get with things that have less care put into them. Here's a close up of the temple:



These are definitely less expensive designer sunglasses. Besides Kate Spade and Tory Burch some great designers to look at are Ralph Lauren, his frames are universally flattering and run around $100. Michael by Michael Kors has some really fun colored frames that are also very reasonably priced and my favorite, Marc by Marc Jacobs. So many great sunglasses with fun subtle details that add a bit of fun to a classic look.

Happening in Threes

So, it's about nine billion degrees here lately.

Okay, that might be slightly dramatic. It's been in the nineties, which may mean nothing to those of you in other parts of the country but I'm in the Northwest! It's supposed to be a steady stream of seventy five degree days in the summer sprinkled with the occasional thunderstorm. Instead, I am dying.

Besides it being too hot to do anything but lay in front of a fan and eat popsicles I am also having the computer break down to end all computer break downs. I have a 13" Macbook Pro. A friend of mine discovered he had some extra student loan money and decided he wanted to use it to purchase a computer. I've been wanting a larger screen so for a moment everything in the universe aligned to get us each what we wanted. I would purchase a 15" Macbook Pro and sell him my 13" one. So, I bought the new laptop on Thursday.

Maybe it sounds silly but I didn't really see the need to tear into the new computer right away. I had the old one and knew that transferring everything might take a few hours. I planned to just do it the next evening.

Apparently the universe was just teasing me before because the next day my laptop started doing this wonderful thing where all it would show was a blue screen. I took it to Apple on Saturday and they replaced something. I picked it up Sunday and everything was better.

Wrong.

Now the computer would act like a computer but when I tried to Firewire all the info to the new laptop it wouldn't recognize it was connected. So, back to Apple on Monday to have them figure it out. Only, and I'm sort of proud of this but also a bit frightened, the Genius Bar guys were stumped. They have no idea what is wrong with it. So, it was checked into triage once again.

At this point I have a laptop that will connect to the internet but has pretty much no other information on it. No music, no photos, no documents. And I will be needing to make my fifth trip to Apple in less than one week to pick up the 13" laptop.

In more complaining news I messed up the muscles in my shoulder and was prescribed pain killers that basically make it impossible for me to do anything other than melt into a puddle which means I have opted not to take them so that I can go to work and drive and not lay in bed for a week. I'm supposed to take these things three times a day for ten days! It's insanity. Instead I am taking massive amounts of Advil.

If anyone has a kidney they want to donate to me let me know.

Photographic Memory

So, I made a fantastic dinner the other night. Red pepper, zucchini, black beans, cheddar, and green chile stuffed enchiladas topped with goat cheese served with lime soaked watermelon, pineapple, and honeydew sprinkled with chile powder and a garbonzo bean, fresh corn, heirloom tomato, cilantro, cucumber salad with a pepper honey vinaigrette. It was beautiful and delicious. One of my friends, Aspen, arrived and I explained to her I was going to take photos while we cooked. I had my camera out on a little table by the kitchen. I started explaining to her what we were doing and got her set up and then I started squeezing the rest of the limes. We cooked. Aspen cut herself. We walked to the store for band-aids. We cooked some more. Then my friend Craig arrived. There were drinks and last minute touches and I put the enchiladas in the oven to bake. We were in the middle of some Dj Hero on Wii before I realized I didn't take a single photo. I figured I could at least take a few of the final product. Then I forgot again! So Friday I decided I would take a consolation prize photo of the leftovers. Then I ate them.

I have no photos of my delicious meal for you. I don't mind though. I mean, I guess I did see it and eat it and maybe some of you mind but I have to admit that when I get really into something and am spending more time enjoying the experience rather than trying to make sure I document it...I get real joy from that. Maybe when I'm old I won't remember the night we listened to Common and The Bird and the Bee and cooked together and played Wii and then went through the Blender list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. But for now I do and I'm glad I was a part of it rather than standing on the outside photographing it.

I do promise to do some cooking by myself and take lots of pictures soon.

Fall Wish List

I cannot wait for it to get cold. I am so looking forward to tights and boots and it being acceptable to wear black during the day. I'm also looking forward to cocoa and pumpkin flavored things and Glee and Gossip Girl and holidays that get me time off work.

Whenever a new season comes it's hard to not notice a shift in mood, dress, activity, and more. I think some people get sad the summer has passed but there's so much to look forward to in Fall and Winter. Including these lovely things.

Pants! We can wear pants again! I love a great dark skinny jean. I live in them all year with the exception of Summer. They go with anything, look fantastic with flats, fit into boots, and can be dressed up or down. Don't listen to what anyone says, skinny jeans aren't just for skinny people.


Lola jean by iT! Jeans in Core Blue

I love wearing black opaque tights with boots in the winter. This dress would look fabulous with black tights, a black pea coat, and some brown leather or grey suede boots. Bonus, there are snaps in the back of this dress to make it fit tighter or you can leave it all loose and boho. Or belt it! Oh my goodness...the options are endless.


Solid Locker Room Crush Dress by Free People in Fushia

Oh hi, I'm just going to stand around looking effortlessly sexy. Don't mind me.

I would very much like to wear this with some slouchy brown leather boots.


Wild Horses Dress by Free People in Black

What is more fun in cold weather than a hot red lipstick? This one is by Dior and stays true to their magical formula that deposits color yet feels and acts like a gloss. I would actually trust myself to put this on without a mirror or liner and be fine.


Dior Addict High Shine Lipstick in Runway Red

I've tried the whole not being girly thing and it doesn't work for me. I love ruffles and lace and sparkle, albeit in a sophisticated way. This top is my ideal way to work a ruffle without looking too young. Throw a cardigan on with some skinny jeans and metallic flats and you've got yourself an outfit.


Sleeveless Layers Top by Free People in Plum

Well, this looks like pretty much the best hoodie ever.


Cosy Cinch Hoodie by Free People in Black

Boots, I loooove you. Seriously. Please be mine.


Billy Stud Boot by Frye in Maple

I would love to throw this on over a black tank dress with some brown leather boots and bare legs on a sunny fall day when it's not so much cold as crisp...perfection.


Cable Pullover Sweater by Free People in Blue

Can you ever have too much nail polish? Can you ever have too much Chanel?


Nail Polish by Chanel in Paradoxal

So, according to the Free People website this scarf is eight feet long. Which sounds about perfect to me. I hate buying scarfs that end up with these weird short little ends hanging down once you wrap them around your neck. This seems just right for snuggling into on those days when you are wearing a scarf for a reason.


Cable Ground Grazer by Free People in Violet

And, last but not least, I would like this haircut. But with bangs. And brunette.

Dinner Party

And by "dinner party" I mean a couple friends coming over to play Wii to whom I promised a home made meal.

Now some of you will know this and some of you won't but I am a vegetarian. I feel fairly competent at making food that I enjoy but when serving people who eat meat normally it can be slightly intimidating to create a meal they will enjoy. Here's where you come in. I need you to tell me which of the following sounds most delicious. Whatever gets the most votes will be what I make this Thursday. I may even take some photos.

Option 1:
Pasta shells stuffed with ricotta, cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, spinach, and broccoli topped with a spicy roasted red pepper tomato sauce and mozzarella served with mixed greens salad with goat cheese, zante currants, and pumpkin seeds tossed with a honey vinaigrette and a side of garlic sauteed green beans.

Option 2:
Gorgonzola polenta cakes topped with caramelized onions and arugula tossed in a honey pepper vinaigrette served with sauteed zucchini and squash rounds and a Greek style spinach salad with feta, kalamata olives, and cucumber.

Option 3:
Black bean, cheddar, zucchini, black olive, tomato, mushroom, spinach, stuffed enchiladas served with a cucumber, tomato, cilantro, corn salad and a lime soaked watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple fruit salad sprinkled with chile pepper.

Cast your vote.

What I'm Wearing Today

It's Friday! And I'm so excited I decided to don lace and sparkles to celebrate.

Today I am wearing this lovely dress. Mine is in royal blue but is no longer available which means I also cannot find an image of it.


Tiered Slub Kint Tank Dress by Lush in Eggplant sold at Nordstrom

Then I threw this lingerie nightgown thing over it.


Tiered Ruffle Slip by Intimately Free People in Antique

Topped that off with a black cardi and threw on these shoes.


Lisa jeweled ballerina flat by Vera Wang Lavender Label in silver

And I'm carrying this bag.


Lil Q Croc Hobo by Marc by Marc Jacobs

The Bag

I am in love with this bag. I'm going to confess something here and I want no judgment. I own three of these.

Now before you get all excited, they're all different colors and different fabrics. I just really love the shape. Also, I've gotten every single one on sale. This one is called the Twisted Q Lil' Riz Hobo by Marc by Marc Jacobs in Brick.

I bought this bag online during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I was so good, really I was. I stayed away. Well, mostly. I only bought one pair of shoes during the sale even though I was invited to pre-sale. They actually asked me to come look at books of incoming sale merchandise before everyone else and order anything I wanted. And I only bought one pair of shoes.

This is where I look for praise.

I'm not sure how many of you know how the anniversary sale works but they get all brand new Fall merchandise in in July and mark it way down. After the two weeks or week and a half or whatever it is that the sale lasts, everything gets marked back up. My theory is this partly gives them an idea of what will sell well and won't so they can have a better idea of what people want when they order all their Fall stuff. But I've never been a buyer for a department store so I could be way off.

Then the last day of the sale came with an email to my inbox announcing it's end. And I couldn't resist. I just needed to take a tiny peek.

Which led to this bag.

Music I am Loving

After spending a week at Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls and hearing not only all the awesome campers but also the bands that came to play at lunch every day I was in need of an influx of new music to my library. You know when your self just craves creativity or air or whatever it is that makes you feel good? That's what this was. This was no casual want, this was a bona fide need.

Magic vs. The Machine, Nextdoor Neighbors



There was a band that played at camp one day called Nextdoor Neighbors. It's made up of two local girls and is a keyboard/electronic band. I swear, as soon as I heard them I knew I needed to hear more. I stood around awkwardly hovering waiting for all the kids to be done getting autographs so I could ask if they had an album for sale. They didn't have one with them so that very evening I went to a local music store here, Music Millenium. They didn't carry it either so I ended up purchasing it on iTunes. I've been listening to it over and over with only brief breaks for the rest of these albums.

Mines, Menomena



While I was at Music Millenium I saw Menomena had a new album. This is a local band as well but they're fairly well known in places other than Portland as well. I can't even explain how amazing this band and this album is. It's melancholic and achingly beautiful without being depressing. And every single track is perfect.

She & Him



So, pretty much everyone knows about She & Him. If not, it's Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. Zooey sounds pretty much the same as she did in Elf, 500 days of Summer, and that Cotton commercial. Together they have a very sweet 50s sound that makes me want to dress like a Stepford wife and go dancing in between martinis and playing with my pearls. Their first album was wonderful and this one doesn't disappoint either.

Witching Hour, Ladytron



The other day I was getting frozen yogurt at this place I love but for some reason is always playing rave music. I seriously don't get it. There are always different people there so I don't think it's their choice but I'm not sure what the company is trying to achieve with their music selection because it doesn't sound cool, it just sounds way too intense for frozen yogurt.

Anyways, I heard a Ladytron song and I know this album isn't anywhere close to new or current but I forgot how much I like it. I started listening to it in my car and it's upbeat without being too electronic, which is a thing.

What I'm Wearing Today

Today I'm wearing this lovely little summer themed number with some shoes with pizazz and the requisite black cardi for work.


Lanai Breeze Dress by Eley Kishimoto for EK Jam Factory, sold at Anthropologie


Sequin Krowwn flat by Steve Madden in black

These shoes are seriously some of my favorites. They take the simple black flat to the next level by utilizing one of my most favorite things. Sequins.

Last Thursday

We have something here in Portland called First Thursday. It takes place on the first Thursday of every month in The Pearl and involves lots of wine, art galleries, happy hours at pretentious restaurants and saying "Dahling!" before participating in the double cheek kiss.

That's not completely accurate but it will provide a sufficient mental picture for comparison.

Last Thursday is quite different. It's a super energetic street art festival that takes place the last Thursday of every month in the Alberta arts district. The street gets shut down to cars and everyone wanders about watching street performances, eating from food carts, participating in installation art, and purchasing handmade goods. It's fantastic.

The whole thing has an environment that can be really hard to explain so I give you photos, which I hear are worth thousands of words. These are from my birthday.


A giant rocking horse.


People selling baskets.


Some guys teaching each other break dance moves.


A woman selling toasted marshmallows.


Some chairs making up a face.


Music!


A traveling fountain.


Giant hula hoops around adorable people.


This...


and this...


live here where you can pay a small fee to help decorate this lovely gentleman's vehicle.


You can pick designs here and have a shirt screenprinted for you to your exact specifications.


A place to tell your secrets.


And my favorite, the photo booth.