Gift Guide Part V: For Your Boyfriend Who Home Brews IPA, Participates in Movember Year-Round And Makes A Living By Selling High Quality Firewood

1. Redbeard Brew Bars Hard Cider Soup $25 A delicious mix of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg that you can steal in the shower.
2. Hickoree's Almond Stripes Bow Tie $85 For when he feels like channeling his inner Zoe Deschanel and being *quirky*.
3. Urban Outfitters Lana Del Rey "Paradise" LP $14 So you can listen to Lana together and cry beautiful tears and try and convince him once again to get a motorcycle so that the two of you can Ride.
4. Santa Maria Novella Tobacco Toscano Cologne $135 Notes of Vanilla and Amber. But, like, in a manly way.
5. Son of a Sailor Echo Flash Drive $34 To up his tech style.
6. Aesop Sonority Gift Kit $110 More man-grooming gifts because they won't buy it for themselves.
7. Invisiplug Wood Grain Power Strips $16 The only kind of power strips he'll use. Ugh, so difficult.
8. Amazon "The Curious Bartender: The Artistry and Alchemy of Creating the Perfect Cocktail" by Tristan Stephenson. No need to hit up the bars when he can make you whatever you want at home!
9. Peachy Apricot Ron Swanson Keychain $8 Because a man needs an image of his idol nearby at all times.
10. Izola Ford Balsam Pillow $32 Words to live by.
11. Etsy Jon Snow iPhone Case $10 One can never have enough Jon Snow. Or Game of Thrones. But mostly just Jon Snow.
12. Best Made Audubon Field Guide Series $60 To help him navigate the great outdoors.
13. Oh Dawn Skateboard $100 The most efficient way to get to work.
14. Blackbird Tees Tea Towel Set $35 So that there's no confusion about housework being a team effort.
15. A cozy for his mason jar coffee mug which I will have knitted myself so sorry not for sale.
16. The Cutlery Commission Silver Plated Spoon $16 To inflate his ego even more.
17. Hermès Playing Cards $98 Can't get more bourgeois than this.

Gift Guide Part IV: For Your Friends Who Are So Wide Ranging And Diverse, You Don't Really Know How To Sum Them Up In A Few Phrases.

1. Tattly One Year Subscription $60 Because these are the best temporary tattoos ever and to receive 8 of them in the mail every month would be like Christmas once a month.
2. Anthropologie Tiled Fado Guitar $3,600. If there was ever a Tiled Fado Guitar to spend $3,600 on, this would be it.
3. Topman White Canvas Backpack $100 For your stylin' guy friends. Or for your stylin' girlfriends. This is pretty unisex, I think. I'd wear it.
4. Duncan Shotten Rainbow Pencils $Kickstarter For your artsy friends. Because then at the end of a long drawing session you can have little rainbows spread all around and it will bring joy and happiness.
5. Mudpuppy Ceramic Skull Planter $42 I would tell you who I'd give this to, but then I'd have to kill you. #secrets
6. Free People Galloon Lace Halter Bra $38 For your friends that don't wear real bras.
7. Darling Magazine Subscription $20 The most perfect magazine for the most perfect friends.
8. West Elm Square Lacquer Tray $24 Can't go wrong with gold monogrammed things amiright?
9. Tina Zellmer Asia Map This beautiful map for your Southeast Asia-wanderlusting friends.
10. Marc by Marc Jacobs Eye Stud Earrings $48 Precious and (again) *designer*.
11. J. Crew Back Up Battery for iPhone $40 Because New York City drains iPhone batteries like it's its job.
12. Dwell Studio Draper Stripe Major Throw $198 For your friends who have long commutes and an obssesion with stripes.
13. Rothshank Wheel Thrown Beyonce Mug $39 No explanation needed for this one. But bonus points if you accompany it with her new visual album (duh).
14. Natural Quilts $50. These hand block printed and natural dyed quilts will brighten up any room.
15. Diptyque Orange Chai Candle $32 Because orange is a happy color and chais are yummy.
16. Wolfum Floral Pop Teepee $325 Who wouldn't want this in their apartment??

Gift Guide Part III: For Your Sisters Who Write Novels in Spanish Villas, Skis Black Diamonds Like a Pro and Weekend In Bali

1. Anthropologie Florabunda Sleeping Bag  $188 Because if you're going to camp in the Colorado mountains you might as well camp in style. 

2. Anna Rabinowicz Agate Coasters $64 Making guests use coasters = official adult status.

3. Crosley Portable USB Turntable $160 So that they can try and be as cool as me (I have this one in orange.)

4. Fort Standard Bottle Opener $80 Saw this at the Of a Kind fair in Brooklyn last weekend. They are SO chic but just a little too pricey.  I was was dying to get one for the oldest sister even though there's currently an alcohol ban in Little India due to rioting #singaporeproblems. 

5. ASOS Foil Print Knit Beanie $10 I think this would genuinely make me leave my apartment in a snow storm just to be seen in it. And when you don't have an option because you have to go to class (sucks to suck) it'll ease the blow.

6. Ariella Elovic Illustration Pet Portraits $30 My roomate is the MOST talented- get one of these incredible personalized pet portraits (and the wrapping isn't bad either)! I think our dog Prada would like it. If she had emotions.

7. Angel Face Botanicals Flower Power Healing Salts $24 One of those gifts that would never be used because it's too beautiful to actually put in your bath. 

8. Marc Jacobs Nail Glaze in Snap Orange $18 It might not be fresh of the runway, but it's a small price to pay for a *designer* gift.

9. Aha Life Naked Sports Bra $40 THIS BRA LETS YOU TAN WHILE YOU EXERCISE. Vitamin D intake and calories burned? Yes please! (But don't forget the spf obvs.)

10. Sahalie McKenzie Fluff Knee Socks $21 More socks. A luxurious wool, cashmere and angora blend. mmmmmm.

11. Kate Spade Saturday The Small Weekender Bag in Cross Dots $160 The perfect feminine bag for those weekend getaways to the beach that they seem to take every weekend.  

12. Frank & Eileen Polka Dot Corduroy Bary Shirt $198 For that J.Crew lovin' tomboy in them.

13. Love Mae Reusable Deer Wall Decals $75 For when the little one goes off to college next year! Gotta snazz up the dorm room. 

14. Seventh Tree Soaps Owl Shaped Soap $13 Soaps in the shape of their favorite animals. Another product that you wouldn't actually ever use. 

15. Penguin Hard Cover Classics $20 Because when books are that pretty, you don't want to put them down. 

 xx

Gift Guide Part II: For Your Father Who Tuned Into ALL Of Your College Radio Shows No Matter What, Buys CDs From Local Musicians In Every Country He Travels To, And Somehow Knows Everything About Everything.

1. Random House "Rise and Fall of Apartheid" by Okwui Enwezor and Rory Bester $75 Just seems like one of those poignant and thought-provoking gifts in lieu of recent events (RIP).

2. Jonathan Adler Brass Devil Pencil Sharpener $95 It's gold and would look lovely on his desk.

3. Are Naturals Fresh Organic Bay Leaf Wreaths with Rosemary $40 Hang it up on the kitchen door for the holidays and continue to use it in your cooking for the rest of the year!

4. Blue Tree 14kt Gold-Plated Slinky $150 For that inner child.

5. J. Crew Marled Socks $17 Isn't it funny how when you're young socks are the worst gift ever and now they are literally the best?

6. This is Ground Cord Tacos $25 for five These leather pouches will stop all his chords from getting tangled. Also they're called tacos. ha ha.

7. Jawbone Mini Jambox $180 Upgrade his old Jambox to these brighter and shinier ones.

8. Mike's Hot Honey $10 Chili-infused honey made in Brooklyn. So whenever he eats it he'll think of his daughter and start crying.

9. We See Beauty Aphrodite of Milos Candle $190 Because why not.

10. MistoBox Case Coffee Roasters- Decaf Marvailla $16 "Fig, Raisin, Comforting" from Guatamala. For the man who only ever drinks decaf, which I will never understand.

11. Boutiques de Musées Leonardo Da Vinci Luggage Label $10 He'll look sophisticated and intellectual as he travels the world.

12. Fantastic Man Magazine $33 for two The older brother to The Gentlewoman (see Gift Guide Part I).

13. Two Tickets to the Monty Python 2014 Reunion Tour $300 Because this man taught you the importance of British comedy. 

14. Lone Flag Bradley Mountain Traveler's Mug $20 For when he visits me in Brooklyn. To fit in with the locals. And be hip.

15. Alexander Wang Black Croc Embossed Coaster Set $55 Feel swanky with designers' more cost-effective luxury items. 

And today is a SPECIAL Gift Guide post because it's also my father's Birthday! So gotta double up on the presents. Happy birthday to the best father I've ever had!! 

Gift Guide Part I: For Your Omniscient Mother Who Is Queen Of Style, Keeps You Up-to-Date On Exhibits At The Met and Daydreams With You About Moving To India

1. Terrain Block-Printed Tablecloth $348 Because you can never go wrong with block printing.

2. Free People Sleeve Shelter Armwarmer $98 Free People is perfect for that bohemian winter look.

3. The Riads of Marrakech by Elan Fleisher $43 Always a good idea to read up on cities before you go there (and we will go there).

4. Knuckle Case The Original $125 Perfect for a woman whose number one accessories are her phone cases.

5. Anthropologie Maharaja Men Pillow $78 One can never have too many pillows, amiright?

6. Ruan Hoffman Plates These aren't actually for sale but he's a phenomenal artist and one can dream.

7. Della Vintage Coral iPad Case $39 A beautiful print handmade in Hohoe, Ghana.

8. Of a Kind Brass Rivet Bangle $119 Of a Kind is a wonderful website- check it out. Expect a post about them soon. 

9. Blade's Natural Beauty Mountain Woman Tea $15 Notes of lemon balm, oats, nettle, damiana, chamomile and peppermint? Sold.

10. Heidi Klein Coconut Beach Candle $36 Because if you can't actually be at the beach, the next best thing would be smelling it, right? But the romanticized version of a beach. Not like dead fish and seaweed. That would be gross. 

11. The Gentlewoman $15 One of my favorite publications. Perfect for the most gentle woman in your life. Which would be your mother. 

12. Tom Ford Sahara Noir $150 Because Tom Ford is her favorite perfumer and because I can then steal it because he is now also mine.

13. Krochet Kids Intl. the Dixon Coinpurse $16 A company that empowers Ugandans to rise above poverty through the production of their hand-knit products. A gift that gives! Double karma!

14. Barneys Fornasetti Silenzio Candle $165 Because candles are perfect and so are sassy victorian women. 

Next Up: Daddy-o!

Postscript: Check out Gift Guides Part I, II, III, IV, V and VI from last year on my old blog Glitterature. 

The Good Parts of Being Alive

I wanted to share my friend Anna's Kickstarter with you all. It's an incredible project and she is one of the most talented choreographer/dancers that I know. I'm honored to have her guest post today. Enjoy and please contribute if you can!
...

My name is Anna Reyes, and I’m a professional dancer, choreographer, and teacher based in Boston, MA. I grew up in Austin, Texas, next door to Chantal and her sisters. We spent many hours together, dancing, playing tag, making plays, etc. My favorite memories prove that we were cool and hip beyond our years: we spent many hours dancing to the Eurythmics (Sweet Dreams are made of this...), jumping and shaking our thangs on the living room couch! {Editor's note: This was my favorite part of my childhood no joke)

My moves are just as sweet as a my former six year old self's moves (and hopefully a little more refined after years and years of studying dance). Yet as all artists have experienced, one can start to feel in a rut, no matter HOW cool her art is. About eight months ago, I was nursing a nagging, restless feeling; I knew I needed to make something, but what? Choreographing for the stage seemed like an obvious answer, but for some reason, I couldn’t get excited about it. I knew creating anything without the excitement behind it would be an arduous, unfulfilling task.

            In the interim, I had the opportunity to star in a short film, “Eighteen,” by acclaimed visual artists Teresa Hubbard and Alexander Birchler. (Check them out at hubbardbirchler.net)  Filmed in Austin, Alex and Teresa were generous enough to incorporate my dance improvisation into their film. Starring in the piece was extremely hard work (two of the three shoot days lasted from dinner time until sunrise!), but equally as exhilarating and fulfilling. Upon returning home from Austin, I had an answer to my restlessness – make my own film!

            I’m currently making a dance film entitled “the good parts of being alive.” The film explores the stages of romantic relationships. A relationship is extremely fluid, more like running water than ice, and is easily shifted by the time and space it inhabits. Time - how long you have known one another, how one feels at a specific moment, whether the time you have together is long or short, limited or unlimited. Space - the location of the relationship, if you share a home or are long-distance, whether the space between two bodies is large or small when you're together, how much mental space one has for his/her partner, etc. Around the same time I began to contemplate time and space in within relationships, a friend introduced me to the artwork of Egon Schiele. I fell in love with his portraits and was immediately drawn to the strange, evocative poses he painted. I was surprised that the poses he chose were so contemporary and dance-like. His work inspired me to choreograph, and to incorporate my ideas and experiences to the framework his art provided.

           “the good parts of being alive” is my most exciting project to date, but it’s not finished yet! I’m running a Kickstarter Campaign to raise the funds for finishing film, paying the artists involved, and submitting the film to dance festivals around the world. If it looks like something you want to be a part of, make a pledge! If nothing else, help spread the word! 

Check out the webpage here and the video below: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/483988747/the-good-parts-of-being-alive

If you need a little encouragement to make a contribution, just picture Chantal, her sisters, me and my sister Paulina, all jamming out in the living room. Make that former six year old's (second from the right) future dream come true! 

-Anna Reyes

A Pleasant Surprise

Okay, so I have to admit, it pains me to write about such a mainstream phenomenon as The Hunger Games (even if I do enjoy the movies. And maybe the books whatever it's fine) but I could NOT ignore this epic soundtrack. 

 Am I the only one who didn't know about this?? I haven't seen the second movie yet as I am loyally waiting to watch it with my fam when I go back home for Christmas (Lorelei, IT BETTER STILL BE IN THEATRES) but this soundtrack is incredible. It's doing what the Twilight franchise attempted to do, and gathered an incredible crew of muscians to write original songs for the movie (and a cover of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Lorde). I must say, they did well. The National, Sanitgold, Lorde, Coldplay, The Weeknd, Sia, Of Monsters and Men, Phantogram, The Lumineers, Ellie Goulding, Imagine Dragons etc etc. Kudos to THG for upping its cool factor. 

My faves? Sia's "Elastic Heart" featuring The Weeknd and Diplo. I think it's incredibly stunning. I also am in love with Matt Berninger so anything by The National is A+ in my book. Oh and the Mikky Ekko piece is quite nice. 

 If you're scoffing to yourself about how lame I am right now then 1) please leave, and 2) before you do, just give it a chance (maybe skip the Christina Aguilara track.. sorry xtina but, like, yawn) and tell me I'm wrong.

How To: Cinnamon Honey Almond Oatmeal Pancakes

This morning I woke up with a strong desire for pancakes. However, I do not allow pancake mix in my kitchen on pretenses of being healthy. DILEMMA. So I improvised. Instead of pancake mix, I used oatmeal (you can also add mashed bananas for added texture). I switched chocolate chips for carob chips (my new obsession), sugar for a drizzle of honey and almond milk instead of cow's milk. I also added a dash of chia seeds because they are the food of the future, and some almonds and walnuts to taste. The results ended up being extremely tasty and nutritionally satisfying (my roommate Ariella can testify! I'm not making it up!)

I apologize for the lack of picture for step two, but there was just absolutely no way to make the lump of eggs and oatmeal look even remotely appetizing on the frying pan. So I decided to tastefully leave it out. But you get the idea.

Let me know if you try it out, and what your thoughts are! Would YOU make the switch to oatmeal? Important life questions that need to be answered.

Have a delightful Sunday! 

xx

Step two (not pictured): Take it to the griddle!

Sit Back, Relax and Listen Up

I don't know if it's the cold (first day of snow in NYC!! 11/12/13 must be a sign for something right??) or the alarming amount of tea I'm consuming or the layers of sweaters I'm wearing, but something has me in the mood for Cabin Music. That's a term I just coined to reference music that is super cozy and makes you want to sit on a fur rug in front of a fire in a log cabin in the middle of nowhere and drink a glass of red wine. Preferably next to a loved one, otherwise this is a depressing scenario. If you've ever watched Alias (me) it would be that music they played every time Jennifer Garner got really sad and essentially re-enacted the scene I just described above minus the loved one plus annoyingly pathetic tears (love ya Syd!). So yes, it'ts a bitter sweet sadness/happiness (I tried to combine those two words but they just end up still being the same word) but there's something about it that makes me feel like I'm doing winter right.

Side note: I was in a boutique in Brooklyn last weekend that sold "Cabin Spray".  I want to buy a cabin so that I can buy this product. Then Ron Swanson and I will have a good laugh and dig into our freshly hunted venison.

Want a taste of what I'm talking about? Go to Pandora and play any of the following channels: Angus and Julia Stone, Great Lake Swimmers, Ray LaMontagne, Avett Brothers etc. etc. Nine times out of ten Mumford counts. OR *shameless plug* my boy Matt G. has a good amount of CM on his KWUR show every Tuesday at 7:00pm EST (kwur.com- check it out)

It usually involves some ethereal harmonization, several acoustic string instruments and a deep, baritone manly-man voice paired with a delicate, sickly-sweet female one. Yes, it's sappy, but it's the perfect soundtrack to listen to as frost consumes us. I really wanted to do a GoT reference but I think I've over used the phrase :( 

My Top Five Cabin Songs of the Moment (best when taken with a mug of Sleepy Time Tea):

BONUS TRACK;
Got it from this Sony commercial ha


Into the woods? Yay or nay? 

How To: Glitter Cards

I've had quite a few birthdays and house warming parties to attend recently (I'm so popular) and my go-to has been doing a little watercolor and ink illustration of the receiver (everyone loves a portrait of themselves). But if you want something a little more simple but with some sparkle factor, here's a great way to pull together a card when you remember last minute or just don't want to spend $10 on stationary.

Working for Free

 I would just like to have a quick chat about the Condé Nast-internship debacle. To bring you up to speed, Condé Nast (big, important magazine company) announced last week that they are ending their famed unpaid internship program. This Refinery 29 article showed some of the reactions from people in the industry and I must say, for the most part, they make me angry. 

A reaction that makes sense:

One that does not and makes my blood boil:

To address the downside of terminating this program: Yes, having an internship at a magazine is a wonderful way to make connections, gain experience, and be in the right place at the right time for when an entry-level position opens up. It's a way to get your foot in the door without needing to have an excessive amount of previous experience. 

HOWEVER, there is NO reason why this "opportunity" should be unpaid. The industry's outlook on interns is that they are lucky to be there, they should be thankful that they've been given this chance  and they should feel fortunate and grateful. 

But let's look a little closer, shall we? Interns are completely exploited to do free work for these companies. FREE! Why is the practice of someone working 8-12 hours a day 5 days a week for a company without any compensation being seen by our society as the company doing them a favor? 

To have a full-time, unpaid internship means that you have to have the funds to pay rent in NYC, food and transportation without an income. The concept is 100% geared towards wealthy, privileged college students who can afford to do so. So then you might say that no one is forcing you to get an internship. But guess what? False. Internships are such a norm now that no one would hire you, even for an entry-level position, unless you have several of them on your resume. The worst part of this all is that, because unpaid internships are technically illegal, they "pay" you in college credits. So what if, say, you graduate college and still don't have enough internship experience (me)? Tough luck. No one will take you on because you are no longer applicable for college credit. But no one will hire you because you don't have enough internship experience. So this horrible cycle continues until you find a place that will let you intern ("let"??) for free.  

So moral of the story is, I completely support this movement against internships. Obviously Condé Nast will still need someone to go get their coffee, make copies and pack boxes, but whoever is doing that will now be getting paid. With such a huge corporation making a stand (not that this was a political statement on their part, more of a way to prevent future law suits) this will completely change the whole culture of pre-career careers. What will be the new internship? Will we revert back to the days of yore when you had an apprenticeship and learnt from Masters in a symbiotic relationship to hone your craft and add to their inventory? 

Last weekend I attended Teen Vogue Fashion University, and hearing the reaction from the other girls on this subject in our Facebook group was insane. The majority of them are in highschool and went to this workshop in the hopes of finding a way into the Teen Vogue internship program (a Condé Nast publication). Networking to the extreme, these girls were ravenous for tips on how to make your resume stand out, which the Teen Vogue editors were giving plenty of advice (because little did they know). Following the announcement, these girls were making the interns who are currently suing Condé Nast the enemies! In reactions not unlike slut-shaming, they were blaming the victims of exploitation as the demons who "ruined" it for the rest of them.  One girl wrote, "Two self-righteous people single-handedly ruining it for everyone else the industry. Sigh." Another added "This is so frustrating, like thanks so much to all the whiny lazy interns who made this possible" and "So many important people in the fashion industry started out as interns. This is horrible."

Well guess what, people ADAPT. This is not the end of the world, it will just mean that more PAID entry-level positions will open up that will need less experience.  

Agree? Disagree?

Happy Friday!

Hello lovely readers! Sorry for the slow week, I had a lot on my plate (career changing plans(!), Late Night with Jimmy Fallon tapings *look for me in the audience tonight! Front row center*, and reuniting with old friends (read: college friends)). 

What do you have planned for this weekend? I'm going to a NYU Slam Poetry competition tonight to spice things up, a birthday brunch for my friend Emma at Norma's (should I get "The Zillion Dollar Lobster Fritatta" with caviar? Literally $1,000. No joke.) and also planning on doing a little vintage store touring of Manhattan on Sunday. 

This past thursday I mapped out all the best vintage stores in Brooklyn (according to the interweb) and had a wonderful time exploring both my new neighborhood and the thrifty nooks within it (FYI my favorite was AuH20 Vintage). On that note, there is a legitimate brooklyn vintage crawl on November 2nd that I am VERY interested in attending. It ends at Brooklyn Bowl for a little after-partying. Anyone want to go with me? Check it out here and lemme know: Brooklyn Vintage Crawl.

Have a wonderful weekend, and here are some links from around the world wide web to keep you busy:

I want to see this movie at some point soon. Has anyone seen? Looks potent.

Going to attempt to pull off this hairstyle sometime this weekend.

The best animated short ever created.

How great are these Elizabeth 1 Ladies Panties?

The Primate Awards.

A pretty print.

Have you heard of Phonebloks? I think I'm sold...

What a wonderfully cozy house in this Kip & Co ad.

xx

Public Service Announcement

Just so that everyone is aware, there is a blog dedicated to Bruce Springsteen's Butt.

This was discovered through the Buzzfeed titled, "15 Reminders that Bruce Springsteen is a Stone Cold Fox" (worth a gander) which was introduced to me by my insightful sister Lorelei.

Please enjoy this sensual soundtrack as you gaze upon His HEINIEness (see what I did there???)
 (Fun fact: a young Courtney Cox at 2:20 lucky dog):

A few of my favorites <3

 

Oh and then there's this:

Now try and get back to work mwahaha

The Grand Budapest Hotel, or, That Time Tilda Swinton Wore a Ton of Old Lady Makeup.

Wes Anderson's latest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel could not have debuted its trailer at a better time. Anderson is now thrown back into the spotlight and therefore my tentative Halloween costume (a character from one of his previous films) is now less random and lame! Hurrah! (I'm sure I'll do a costume post eventually, please don't die of suspense.)

Wes Anderson is a filmmaker I've come to enjoy and appreciate more and more as time goes on, and if the trailer is any indication, I think this might be one of his best features yet.

Thoughts:

 I don't think I've ever seen Ralph Fiennes play such an airy character, and I think M. Gustave H might possibly be the anti-Voldemort. Also, if you were expecting a less-than-stellar cast, think again (read: Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Jude Law, Bill Murray (obvs), Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson (obvs), Léa Seydoux, Tilda Swinton, Jeff Goldbum and Jason Schwartzman (obvs).)

 I always forget about Ed Norton, and then his awful, nasally voice pierces the silence and I fall in love with him all over again. Does anyone else find their admiration for him hard to validate? How did he manage to break into the acting world with that voice? I'm trying to picture his very first audition. So many questions.

My only criticism is that the narrator voice of future Zero Mustafa (the Lobby Boy) has such a radically different accent from young Mustafa. But why stop at him? All the character's accents are all so mishmashed, considering it takes place in Hungary, that I guess you just have to give up on that front.

How is Saoirse Ronan so cool? Please stop, you are like ten. 

The lilac/purple theme throughout the trailer? Into it. 

Bringing "darling" back.

Hotel is 100% pure and unadulterated Wes Anderson, so if you're not into his style, don't hold your breath. And as the Times so wonderfuly put it, it has his signature "rose-colored nostalgia for something that never quite existed in the first place." Ha, so true.

Also, just throwing it out there, I will eventually be throwing a Wes Anderson themed party. Whose in?

Tangerine Snail

Made this little guy for breakfast this morning. Mostly because I was in the mood to play with food after my sister Selina showed me this creative mom, but also after I saw the snail on Pinterest (where creativity goes to die). As everyone knows, food is much more fun to devour when shaped like cute little animals! Especially in escargot form so you can feel all fancy-like. 

(But real talk- shape Mac 'n Cheese? Soooo much better than the original, whose with me?)

omnomnom

BONUS: My favorite escargot joke from childhood. We all have them, so please share yours in the comments below!

...

A snail bought himself a snazzy fast car but took it in to get a more eye catching color. At the car paint shop, he asked that the car be painted neon yellow and have a large red ‘S’ printed on each side.

Confused, the worker asked, “Why a big ‘S’?”

Grinning, the snail replied, “When people see me drive past, they’ll notice and say, ‘Hey, look at that ‘S’ car go!’” 

...

So good right?? My parents read this to me every night before bed.

The Gold Standard: The Ultimate Accessory

Would anyone like to buy me this iPhone case from Miansai? It's solid 14K gold and only $10,000. 

Let me know! Thanks!!

The Power of Beyoncé

Has anyone ever listened to Beyonce's "Best Thing I Never Had" and wondered if she was singing about food? Because I have. And I realized, hey, this could be a great dieting strategy.

It's happened to all of us: somehow, a full pie makes it's way into your kitchen and sits on your counter top and stares at you. Maybe an apple, ginger and rhubarb or some sort of raspberry/boysenberry mix. Irrelevant. The point is, it can be a major distraction and it's dangerous.

This is how you overcome that inevitable moment of weakness: blast "Best Thing I Never Had" and sing to that pie at the top of your lungs. Channel your inner Sasha Fierce and tell that pie how much it sucks to be it right now (see visual below).

And that is how Queen B has her body.

So go ahead. Listen to the song below and tell me it doesn't make you want to exercise discipline whilst clad in some sexy wedding lingerie (seems to be a rather bizarre outfit choice given the intended recipient of the song but who am I to judge.)

How glad are you that you read this post today? #totallynotawasteofyourtime

ACL Style or Lack Thereof

 As I mentioned in a previous post, I was home for Austin City Limits last weekend. I had a fantastic time romping about with old friends, eating Chi'Lantro tacos (THE BEST), checking out new bands and reminiscing with old favorites (cough cough Okkervil River). But this year I also went armed with a camera in the effort of trying to get some good style shots of the blithe and sunburnt festival-goers (try being the operative word here).

 I'm ashamed to admit that it was an incredibly difficult endeavor. I figured running off between sets to snap a few pics would be a slice of cake but instead I missed half of Lissie trying to hunt people down. Yo Austin: Step. Up. Your. Game. People go to Coachella PURELY to be photographed for style blogs and probably don't even realize it's a music festival. Sure, ACL is about the music, but lets have some pride in our style, shall we? What happened to Keeping Austin Weird? 

Below are the few shining stars I came across, but next year, let's do better hm?

(P.S. Anyone beg to differ with me on this? Maybe all the Glamazons were trolling about while I was at Grimes. Who was killer btw.)

I cheated on this one because she's my friend Lauren but she's also super stylish so bonus points. Hi Lauren.

She also took my picture for her atx style blog. (Ha! Please ignore awkward stance.)

She was so sweet. Great texture/print mixing.

This girl was on every ACL style blog post. Way to be.

        

Crop tops for daysssss.

 

That low-V. Daring.

 

mmmm GoodPop.

Oh and here's a little collage of some atmosphere pics from the weekend taken by both myself and my dear friend Skinney after he gently commandeered my camera. Look out for him, he's a NatGeoPho in the making (I just made that term up, I think).

Annnnd the half of the Strasburger tribe that could make it <3