BYOB(runch)

This post is about brunch. "Brunching" is a thing I did not do enough in college (the amount of mornings I wasn't eating at Half and Half or Winslow's is my biggest regret in life) and I still don't do enough of today. The concept of sleeping in on a lazy Sunday and then rolling up with friends to New York's hottest restaurant to discuss the previous night's cacophony over mimosas and pancakes for hours sounds like all I've ever wanted in life. But when it comes down to it, it takes quite a bit of organization and, more importantly, MONEY. Adding brunch to your list of hobbies and activities can set you back a significant amount each week. So it's something I'm going to aspire to.

 In conclusion, I am job-searching so that I can brunch.

As a solution, I found a temporary substitute: The BYOB.

My good friends Jacob and Sarah were visiting NYC last weekend and obviously wanted to max out their socializing, but trying to meet up with 10 people for brunch in Williamsburg is like trying to get a reservation at the Dorsia in American Psycho. So Ariella and I had the genius decision to host the brunch at our apartment! However, we decide this the night before and didn't have enough time to shop for a full-out brunch. So to make it as easy as possible, we ended up doing a Bring Your Own Brunch. Instead of worrying about cooking for everyone or even bringing a dish large enough for everyone, you just worry about yourself! This is especially convenient when you have gluten-free (and fabulous) or vegetarian friends. Our BYOB still ended up being a little pot-luckish though because I have generous friends who are willing to pick up a dozen donuts and bagels and (my favorite, thanks Hillary!) macarons. It was a lovely get together and I would fully recommend the concept when you're feeling lazy or poor or selfish and don't want to share your food.

I promise Jacob and Steven are having more fun then they're letting on. 

I Wore This

Am I the only one who hates the abbreviation of Outfit of the Day? Whenever I see people hashtag #ootd on instagram I get a weird feeling because my immediate reaction is to try and sound it out and then I end up say "ooh-t-d" in my head and it's uncomfortable.

I digress. 

I often have these moments where I say to myself, "Hey, I kind of like my outfit today. And the world needs to know." But the idea of forcing my roommate to take glamour pics of me or, even worse, posing in front of my camera on a tripod in self-timer mode gives me amateur shivers. So I figured I'd do a more forgiving version of portraiture using watercolor of what I wore when I had people over for  brunch the other day (post to follow on that).

It was incredibly therapeutic and after having done hundreds of fashion illustrations for my major, it was kind of nice to get back into the grind, as rusty as I may be. I'm still deciding, though, if this is something I should do more often. Thoughts?  Also figured I'd go ahead and put some info on what exactly I have on although, not gonna lie, my life is all URBN all the time since I started working for Anthropologie (you can't really not use the discounts, you know?) so sorry for the lack of excitement in the labels on this one.

Necklace: Anthropologie

V-Neck: Anthropologie

Printed Harem Pants: Urban Outfitters

Chunky Platforms: Topshop

Bangles and Bracelets: Chan Luu and a lil sumin sumin I picked up in Uzbekistan.

Looking back, I got every single thing I'm wearing on sale (the Chan Luu I got at 60% off (!) at a great 2nd Street Boutique in Austin). Guess I'm just naturally thrifty. Also that Anthro V-Neck is the softest thing I own, I highly recommend it. 

peace out.

Gold Heads

As many of you know, I went to Wash U to pursue a sculpture major. I ended up switching to fashion because sculpture is something that, no matter what, I'll always be doing regardless of my job. Fashion, however, was something new to learn and would open many more doors than sculpture would. Since moving to New York, I've been searching for the right career path in fashion, but sculpture is something I've consistently kept up with. I rented some studio space in Brooklyn in a beautiful facility with a wonderful community, and I've been spending a lot of my free-time there. I've working on sculptures that are a smaller version of what I did in high school/college  because I just don't have the storage for any more 5 foot sculptures! The process of making these guys is a rather long-winded one, as I have to sculpt them, wait for them to dry, bisque fire them, apply the white glaze, fire them again, then wait until I have enough of them to fill the small kiln (which I have to rent out) to high-fire for the gold lacquer. So all in all it's taken several months to complete all of these.  

Being in studio is my happy place as I just sculpt while going back and forth between listening to NPR to catch up on world news and serious deep-thinking time. The only problem now is forcing myself out into the polar vortex to get there. I'm also trying to decide/figure out the whole "making money" thing as a sculptor- so let me know if you have any ideas! (There are a few more pictures over at my website)

 

How To: Chia Seed Pudding

Were you aware that Chia Seeds have three times the calcium of milk? Along with a healthy dose of omega 3 fatty acids, protein and a slew of other good-for-you things. Soooo the idea of turning this superfood into a "dessert" type substance intrigued me. Introducing the Chia See Pudding. The consistency and texture is a little gooey, so you're gonna have to be into that. Le Pain Quotidian had the most AMAZING chia seed and coconut pudding this summer that I could not get enough of. Here's a link to their recipe, if you're feeling a little more advanced and fancy. 

For the simplest of recipes, just combine the ingredients below and refridgerate the mixture over night and *voila!* you'll wake up to a delicious (and nutritious) snack.

Other flavors you can add and try: pear, ginger, almonds, honey, coconut, agave, raspberry- the list goes on and on. I just made a batch and added carob chips, so we will see how that goes. Bon appétit! 

Friday Night Tracks Yo

I've recently been listening to these songs on repeat and they're great to pump you up to be social and get out of the house on a Friday night and make friends and talk to people and not sit on the couch and read a book and drink tea (not that I have this issue myself... #secretlyintroverted) That said, two wonderful friends of mine, Jacob and Sarah, are visiting the city this weekend, so cheers to that!

Sam Smith. Money On My Mind.

Selina showed me this Brit. He's the voice on Disclosure's Latch and I think he has an eerily beautiful falsetto:

Twin Shadow. Old Love/New Love.

Okay, okay so apparently everyone already knows this song (looking at you Elise+ everyone else), but that doesn't mean it's any less good! Amiright?

Mapei. Don't Wait.

Not sure if this Stockholm-based girl is supposed to be "the next big thing" or not but she is awesome. (Also diggin' this Kingdom remix)

St. Lucia. All Eyes On You.

Why they don't have a music video for this baffles me.

        

Natalia Kills. Saturday Night.

Her eyebrows. That sequin dress. This is a nice angsty/teen-anthem guilty pleasure.

Foxes. Let Go for Tonight.

Similar to above. Mostly just a fresh of breath air because she's not Miley. I think these guys are on the rise. 

And last but OBVIOUSLY not least.

Beyoncé. Drunk in Love ft JAY Z.

I've watched this video everyday at the gym for the past two weeks. Great motivation. It just kills me how they're just like, "Yeah, we're married and we're amazing and we know it and all of you are jealous and you will never have this. Look how cool we are. " Bye.

Let's Compare Accents

I've often said that if I could have any super power, it would be the ability to speak any language. Can you imagine being able to travel the world and communicate with anyone wherever you were? This would come especially handy in Papua New Guinea. Why? (Fun fact alert) Because there are over 820 languages spoken there! That's why! And think of the savings you'd get from not being a ripped-off tourist! When I was traveling in Tibet a few summers ago, I would use my (sub-par) Mandarin to bargain with the vendors is Lhasa, "我是个穷学生。我没有钱！" (I'm a poor student. I have no money!) and they thought it was hilarious, this white girl with a terrible accent, and would give me excellent discounts. 非常好!

Any who, Amy Walker might have the next best thing. This woman can do just about any accent, from the subtitles within London, to the various states of the US. She flawlessly moves from one to another which blows my mind. This is coming from a girl who was raised by a British mother and a Texan father but can do neither accents (I think I've been neutralized.) However, I did play Cecily in a production of "The Importance of Being Ernest" and, for a brief period of time, I was told by several that I had the best accent in the cast. But I think that just happens when you eat that many crumpets and imbibe that much tea. And wear period costumes. 

 Impressed with Amy? Think you can do better? Show me your best Praha accent and I'll be the judge of that. 

Spotted on A Cup of Jo.

Essentials

Check out Essentials by MIJLO. The sustainable backpack company (watch their kickstarter here) asked a few "global creatives" to photograph their most essential possessions accompanied by an equally essential bag. I love the idea and found it fascinating to see what people consider "essentials", ranging anywhere from their favorite lip balm to their laptop and keys. Below are a few of my favorites. But above is my own rendition of the project. I took it a step further, however, and asked myself, "If my apartment set on fire, what would I grab to take with me?" Pictured above are a few of my favorite things and, if you care to know, I'll explain why. Pictured from top left and moving clockwise:

1. The embroidered jacket I bought in Uzbekistan this past summer.
2. The heaviest book I own: a stunning collection of Gustav Klimt's work, given to me on my 22nd birthday by my grandparents.
3. A Hermès bracelet from my mother.
4. Below that is a textile wood block print from India from my grandfather.
5. Totally rad Alexander Wang sunglasses (with gold tips) from my mother this past Christmas.
6. A wooden shuttle I received in the small village outside Luang Prabang, Laos, where I learned to weave on a traditional loom while researching textiles in Southeast Asia. (One heckuva summer)
7. My favorite piece of jewelry, a Mawi necklace.
8. A wonderful gold bow made for me by my friend Jessie.
9. A bottle of Tom Ford's Noir de Noir (my absolute favorite perfumist).
10. A pair of boots I bought in Ibiza several summers ago, made from Moroccan carpets.
11. A vintage golden chain link cape my parents gave to me as a graduation present after my senior fashion show.  
12. Lastly, a leather bag I bought at Portobello Market in London. It's everything I've always wanted in a backpack, and it's lasted through a lot. 

Now for these guys:

What would YOU pack?

Give It 100

Have you heard of Give It 100? I hadn't until just now when Refinery29 posted this video about LaKeisha. Her story is definitely inspiring and heart-warming, but I also find the greater concept of GiveIt100.com to be incredibly fascinating. 

Created by Karen Cheng after she learned how to dance in a year and her video went viral, Give It 100 encourages people to document 100 days of doing something- anything- and sticking to it. From juggling to weight loss to playing the ukelele, hundreds of people are using this platform as a tool for motivation and dedication. Regardless of whether or not people are watching your videos, you're still being held accountable and giving up would be more of a public surrender than just a private one. 

Check out all the projects here but beware, it can be a time-sucker. What would YOU do for 100 days? I think I would try to make myself do a blog post everyday...

Also this guy is my favorite.

How-To: Repurpose New Year's Eve Decorations

Hello! Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday full of food, family, and resolutions just waiting to be broken! Just kidding. I have complete faith in you all. One of my resolutions this year is to read more books and watch less TV. So guess what I did last night? I read a book while watching a movie! Baby steps, right? (I started "Hotel Rwanda" but then I was like WAIT WHAT AM I DOING so before I lost all hope in humanity I switched to the "First Wive's Club" and paged through "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?" by Maria Semple. Blissful ignorance prevails!! How great is this scene from the movie, though? It had me dancing around my apartment and wishing I was a middle aged divorcée.)

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, I wanted to revisit New Year's Eve because that is one of my highest rated holidays. Why? GOLD. Gold everywhere. And sequins. Gold sequins are practically the uniform of New Year's Eve and people will give you the stink eye if you choose not to participate. Therefore my roommate and I decided to throw a party. However, throwing a New Year's Eve party is tricky. There's a lot of pressure for NYE. Everyone has this vision of being at the perfect party in the perfect party dress and receiving the perfect midnight kiss. So everyone kind of waits around for an invitation to said party, but no one is throwing one because they assume everyone else already has plans. So until one brave friend steps up to the plate and bites the bullet (thanks Julia!) there aren't many house parties on NYE (but if you're looking for club parties, New York City is a goldmine).

In light of that, we decided to do the logical thing and host a New Year's Eve Eve party on the 30th. And it was a hit! It was titled "Penultimate: A Beer In Review". We ran out of food and alcohol so that's a sure sign it was well attended, right? Either that or we are terrible party planners. My sister Selina was visiting from Singapore so she, Ariella and I made the trip over to Party City and stared in awe at the millions of options for decorations. Literally some of the most inane things can be sold if you slap "Happy New Years!" on it. We decided to stick with a more modest selection of gold tinsel and gold solo cups  (see below) which should replace the red ones at all college parties in my humble opinion.

After a wonderful night with close friends and even closer strangers, we awoke to an apartment that looked like King Midas had projectile vomited on. (For clarification, that is not a negative description). But, alas, one cannot live in such a state. So what were we to do? Throw out all the gold decorations? What a waste! I decided to find a way to recycle them. My bedroom door was in need of a little sprucing up, so I took the gold tinsel and did a little Sweet Nothing number to it. See below for my DIY on re-loving your New Year's decorations.