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• After three years and one horrifying attempt to give my cat Nibbles a bath, I finally got a grip on the back of her neck and gave her a real soaping (after clipping her claws). It was about 4 minutes of human-like screams and anguish and I recorded the whole hilarious thing! Only, the file is too big to share it with anyone, anywhere and I don’t know what to do about that.
• I had a $9 credit at Sephora.com so I got a big thing of grapefruit body lotion (I can’t eat it anymore because of the Lipitor so, I’ll smell like it), picked out my 3 free samples, then they gave me a deluxe 3-piece sample of face treatments, then they let me pick my free b-day gift of 3 mini lip glosses. In the end, I paid $4. Hell yes.
• This is the perfect combination of my father’s and my style. Love this walnut console table by Gareth Neal.

• As much as I was annoyed by having to switch to Sprint and getting a new phone and all the mess that comes with that, I’m really loving my Blackberry 8530. It’s so much better than my old phone!
• Meeting an awesome lady who has gone through some of the same caregiving mess as I have and understands, giving a kid my SLR film camera that I don’t use anymore so he can develop his passion for photography, overhearing a lady say she was ugly and setting her straight, collecting clothes for couple’s new foster kid who came to their home with nothing – these have been little life-affirming moments of the past week that have made my heart smile.

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• Foursquare. I don’t get it. I don’t mean to offend because I know a lot of people who are waaaay into it but honestly, I am tethered to the interwebs enough as it is, I simply can’t imagine telling the world every place I go. I also don’t give a rat’s ass if you went to get coffee or groceries. I also think it may be a wee bit dangerous. There are a lot of stalker freaks out there and well, when you let everyone know where you are and when you left your home unattended… that just seems to be opening up a potential shitstorm for your life.
• I want these pants sooooo much but I am not paying $168 for them. Anyone know of something similar for less? I really like the slender leg.

• Camelias are blooming and there are buds on some trees in Richmond!

• Warmer weather makes me want to eat like this every day.

• Like spirograph designs, I am really digging this string work for a wall. It would take a bit of time to map out a perfect circle and place all the nails neatly but it is so flippin neat and you could do any type of design in any color.

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• I love wall decals and I love rodents. These are adorable!

via - buy them here

get these here! I just got 2!

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• Alzheimer’s. It sucks beyond anything I thought that sucked could suck. My mom is experiencing the beginning stages of it now. The double-edged sword of her already struggling with MS, is that it’s better that she’s immobile because she would probably wander off or set the house on fire. Right now, she gets fixated on things. For the past six months it’s been her checking account, which I manage. She can’t remember her balance, I have to tell her every day, she doesn’t believe me, we have to call the bank, she thinks there are mystery checks from unknown sources tucked away in drawers that I have to dig through every day to keep her from having a fit… all while trying very hard not to have a fit myself. Before the money stuff, there were mysterious things in the bed with her under the covers that I had to constantly show her weren’t there. There was the broken mirror she said she had cut herself with, the strange plastic bits, the wire wrapped around her finger, her thinking she had pulled her catheter out – all this and she knows intellectually that she can’t move but reality separates itself from her brain every day. This went on for 2 years until we figured out what was really going on. Like I said, it sucks.
• Spring is coming! Can you feel it!? I have a few fashion requests for the general public. Can we all try to avoid wearing scarves when it’s hot outside and can everyone stay away from boat shoes? Oh, and dirty looking dudes in sleazy tank tops… stop the madness. Thanks guys.

• Hipster Puppies! The captions kill me.

- clara is always first to change the subject to politics, but gets 90% of her information from gawker and the daily show

- muffin arrogantly insists that she doesn’t “own a tv,” but still watches mad men and arrested development on her macbook pro

- trigger says the words “bike culture” out loud at least once a day

- lucky thinks this unagi is too salty, and he knows because he lived in japan for a month

• Retail therapy and spoiling myself a bit. I am an extremely generous person but there comes a time when you have to say to hell with a bit more debt and get yourself something you really really want. Having a birthday coming up is the perfect justification – because I’m beginning to feel as though if I don’t spoil myself, no one else will. I can’t wait for these to arrive! They’ve sold out twice already so I put myself on the waiting list and as soon as I received the email, they were mine! I have no idea when, where or what with I’m going to wear them. Yes, I know they’re ridiculous but sometimes ridiculous things just speak to your heart – like my two pet rats, red eyeshadow, that time I let my friends dread my hair, and rhumba panties. No regrets. They can sit next to me on the sofa while I watch Hoarders for all I care.

• I’m finally meeting some of my favorite Richmond Twitter ladies for coffee on Wednesday night! I’m really excited! Between this and my lady friend dinner last week I’m giddy about getting out and about with cool chicks. This winter has driven me mad!

• How does one forget they have a brand new red wool pea coat in a storage closet for oh… say, 8 years!? No idea. It’s from the Victoria’s Secret catalog and I bought it new with tags off of eBay for like $20 one summer, put it away in a garment bag and just recently found it, thinking something else was in the bag. I’m a genius.

• My painting project is coming along nicely. Slowly but nicely. I will post finished pics soon!
• Moggit picks out the most nonsensical and utterly stupid examples of modern design. Hilarious.

via indexed

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• I’m in no way a PETA nut. I love meat – try to buy humanely raised meat/dairy every chance I get, but I seriously will not give it up. I am one pork chop away from being an anemic mess. Anyhow… I hate the circus, I hate zoos, I hate Seaworld, etc. I am sorry that trainer was killed but we needed a wake-up call. No animal should be used for entertainment (under the guise of education) unless it’s already a domesticated breed (petting zoos and pets in general), is receiving medical attention/rehab to be released back into the wild eventually, or there is no way it could survive in the wild on its own for whatever horrible reason.  If it’s possible for people to take a little peek at these animals then fine. Large fish aquariums don’t bother me that much but for christ’s sake! Mammals! Killer whales are intelligent mammals who live in families, travel hundreds of miles a day, have sophisticated modes of communication – all reduced to some deluded  egomaniacal asshat standing on its nose to pop music so someone can make a buck. Give me an effin break! I’ll get my animal education from documentaries thank you very much.
• Let’s get back to the retail therapy thing. I used to be a compulsive clothes/shoe shopper. I wouldn’t make major purchases but stuff starts to add up and after I got rid of over 50 pairs of shoes and purged my closet in preparation for a move, I thought I had seen the light when I saw all that money I had spent get donated to Goodwill. I have been sooo good for almost a year. Well… I really just redirected my spending on my bf’s and my first apartment together. That was healthy and fun spending for legitimate things we needed but it still satisfied something inside me that needed to be excited about something. Lately, I’ve been stressed/disappointed like whoa and well, I’ve caught myself getting sucked into the clothing/shoes spiral again. Today, I went out for an hour to blow off some steam (shop) and had about 20 things in my arms to try on. Had all of it fit, I seriously was going to buy every damn thing and eat ramen until the end of next week. Thankfully nothing fit right (damn tits) so, I stepped back and reassessed my stress and bad habits. This is something I’m going to have to keep in check for the rest of my life.

• Mighty Girl’s 100 Skills Everyone Should Master is great. I still need to perfect #s 34, 38, 44 (the snow chain part), 65 (I hope not), and 68. Not bad.
• These thoughts on NYFW spoke to me. It’s all really getting out of hand.
• Oh these Valentino Glamorous Bow Pumps are perfect! I’ve been wanting nude pumps for ages and these cross the line from blending in to edgy sexiness. Completely out of my price range. Sigh.

• These shoes by Jeffrey Campbell are sold out again but will be restocked in March. They’re just plain sick and I want them – badly. Oh, and wedge heels are coming back in full force for Spring. I am stoked!

They feel a lot like these Givenchy SS2010RTW wedges, no?

• Japanese artist Yuri Fukuda, who calls her line Emogayu, makes beautiful intricate ceramics.

• Sign up for this free online list-making tool to help you get organized. It’s very intuitive and user-friendly. You will love it! Here’s a super cute demo video to check it out!
• I don’t have an iPhone or Blackberry but if I did I would want one of these classy free Jonathan Adler wallpapers!

• I saw Nicole Richie on TV this week wearing this dress and I loved it. Maxi-dresses really are my favorite but I’m so short I always have to get them hemmed. Well, this dress is part of her new clothing line called Winter Kate. Nothing is available in stores just yet but according to the March issue of InStyle (where I scanned the image from), it’s made of silk and will be sold at Neiman Marcus for $260. Love the muted shade and flattering shape. Would look great on any woman.

• Godammit, I’m Mad! is a fantastic fashion-y blog written by one pissed off woman. I heart her.
• Neighbors who are unobtrusive, help out, appreciate and extend kindness and just generally seem to rule at life are cool.

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• Shitty neighbors who are always miserable, passive aggressive, and totally suck at life can eff off.
• I had a humbling blogging experience in regards to this post, about 3 hours after it went up. I had seen the shoes on a blog I follow and traced back to the original source. I was misled and in turn provided misinformation that the designer of the clothing had also designed the shoes, which are blatant rip-offs. Bloggers have to be very careful about their sources and can’t assume anything. I’ve learned my lesson.
• The final season of LOST is driving me insane. I have a bad feeling that way too many questions are going to be left unanswered. There’s just no way they can do it.
• Fighting off malaise, headaches, body aches and general yuck this week is dragging me dooooown.
• Who am I to judge, right? I’m Lara and I will judge the hell out of some things, one of them being an odd little 13 y/o girl who is receiving some serious worship right now in the fashion world. Who am I to judge a child? They’re off-limits right? Well, it would seem so until they become a public spectacle. Other than my beef with the amount of credibility given, and focus placed, total absence of a parental presence, and blatant use of her for novelty’s sake, I think her fashion sense is god awful. I’m sick of it. If you can’t stand the heat… if you want to run with the big dogs… if you want to act like a grown up… you get my drift. Had the blog world been around when I was a fashion obsessed kid of her age… my god.

• grilling in the snow!
• this blog getting nominated by RVANews as a “Best Kept Secret”! Go VOTE!
• Beautiful little terrariums by Lítill (via). I have got to get going on making one! Using all air plants would make it maintenance free.

• Sunday brunch!
• I loved this article demystifying the virginal façade that is Taylor Swift.
• Purging my closet for the millionth time and realizing most of the stuff would be perfect for a friend in FL, packing those items up, being motivated and actually making it to the post office, and making her super happy!
• Getting together with girlfriends at Balliceaux on the 25th of this month! I can’t wait! We haven’t had a girls’ night in forever and since I live 2 blocks away, they’re coming over for drinks at my place first! Yay!
• Okay, this is so disgustingly cute, I could stare at it all day! A baby African pygmy dormouse! (via)

• Stuff My Girlfriend Says is exactly that. This guy is dating a comic genius and my favorite quote of all time is when he “asked her if she thought she’d be good at writing an advice column.” Her answer: 

“No fucking way. I only have two pieces of advice. If you’re under 25 –- shut the fuck up, junior. If you’re over 25 — grow the fuck up, loser.”

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• Scrapbooking. I get it. I really do. What I don’t get is how expensive the supplies are. If you really want to go all out, you could end up spending a fortune just to do one page with maybe 3 pictures on it! I saw a tiny paper punch in the shape of an airplane for $15 this week. $15 for one obscure shape because you couldn’t simply draw an outline and cut it out with a cheap exacto knife. (Don’t get me started on the money pit that is the Cricut.)  I don’t like how the craft stores are so scrapbook-centric these days either, and let’s face it – things go out of style. Things fade and age and what you thought was so cutting edge and adorable today is going to look dated and stupid 10 years from now. It also smells of pre-fabricated creativity for bored housewives, if you ask me. You know what I think is nice if you want to take a little time? A big scrapbook with black acid-free pages, a white gel pen and those sweet old-fashioned photo mounting corners, à la your grandparents’ time.

• Potholes! My god the potholes in this city from all the snow! It’s like driving through an obstacle course to avoid bending a rim!
• The bf and I made an adorable little punky snowman and someone stole it from our front porch! He found one arm on the neighbor’s car in the alley and I found the other by the trash cans in the alley. The plot thickens.

• Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush lip gloss in Strawberry Fizz and Passion Fruit Pop.

• Guilty pleasure TV. I’ve become obsessed with watching in horror and judgement, those who live in abject filth. It justifies my OCD like you wouldn’t believe! Hoarders can be intense and the stubborn/sick families have little time to receive help from eggshell walking “professionals”. I think the help they receive infuriates me even more. Clean House is way more entertaining and a bit silly. The people are blatantly told they live like pigs (aren’t always on the psychologically ill level), and in the long run, have little say in the improvements made to their hovel. Trish Suhr is my favorite of the cleaning team. She’s the organizing specialist and damn, I wish I had her job.
• I can milk a trial size for days, and I especially love the ones that come with a Sephora order. I always skip on the perfumes and go for skin treatments. My recent favorite is Per-fekt Eye Perfection Gel. It feels like cashmere around your eyes and just makes you look… better. Subtly and wonderfully better. At $45 for .3 oz, I’m agonizing over getting the full size. Then, there’s the Fusion beauty line. I was an addict to LipFusion Lip Plump for a while. The stuff is amazing and really works. Instead of just irritating your lips to plump them with a burning sensation, this contains micro marine collagen that is tiny enough to be absorbed by the skin and plumps with surrounding moisture. Well, I just tried LiftFusion Face Lift and it’s insanely good for tiny fine laugh lines. $140 for 1.7oz. Whoa.

• The Hurt Locker (edge of my seat the whole time),  The Fantastic Mr. Fox (adorable, intricate, quirky), Black Dynamite (g-damn hilarious), and The Science of Sleep (weird. so. weird.). All watched this snowy weekend and all highly recommended.

• “It’s on like a prawn who yawns at dawn.”
• Cereal. I go through phases of not being able to get enough, could eat it at every meal, can I bathe in it? The type varies every time, rotating between Frosted Mini Wheats, Reeses Puffs, Cocoa Puffs, Apple Jacks, and currently Cocoa Pebbles.

• The Shiba Inu puppy cam is back up with new puppies! They were just born on January 16! Wait until they start jumping and playing!

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• After more than 3 months of only eating 30 grams of fat a day, my doctor had my cholesterol checked again. Son of a bitch! My numbers got higher!!! I lost almost 10 pounds for god’s sake! I barely ate any cheese! I did eat some delicious hot wings though. They’re my vice and damnit my doctor said I could indulge more than I had been! So, yeah… I get to start Lipitor this week. I’m 30 years old for crying out loud. Thanks mom and dad. While your genes have blessed me with exceptional looks and smarts, your high cholesterol can suck it!
• The redundancy of social media. I seriously had to sit for about an hour and assess who to follow and how, because things were getting out of control. Why be fan of something on Facebook and follow their Twitter if their updates only consist of new blog notifications, when I already subscribe on my Google Reader? I also don’t like my reader getting clogged with post-happy fools. Over 10 posts a day? I just don’t have the time.
• Martinis and the glasses they come in. I will make numerous blind judgements about pretension when I see someone drinking one.

• When I was a kid, my mom let me build a terrarium in this gigantic round glass vase she had. It had tiny plastic deer, soft moss, mini trees, everything! We had to set it on the floor one day and I accidentally kicked it, and was ruined for terrariums ever since. I don’t think I could do anything too terrible to this tiny gem!

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• I didn’t think the chrome look for nails was truly possible. Having tried every silver polish making the claim and being sorely disasppointed, Wendy B shared an out-of-the-box approach to getting cybertastic nails! The directory on the site will let you know who in your area provides the service. I’m definitely hitting up one of the Richmond locations soon!

This lace effect is killing me as well!

• Back in the day, I used to want to be covered in tattoos. I had big serious painful gorgeous plans. Then… I changed my mind. Imagine that. I still managed to get two. One is an Olivia pin up girl on my stomach in flesh tones which is finally fading away after 12 years. The coloring I wanted was so light that no one could make it stick. It would heal and when it peeled, the ink came right out with it. So yeah, over 8 hours of pain for nothing. I couldn’t take it anymore and went to the renowned but expensive Timothy Hoyer (when he was still in RVA and had Alive Gallery). He made it happen in no time. The other tattoo is peonies at the top of my back (done by one of my best friends Scott at True Tattoo). I have been wanting to add a slew of exotic flowers and ivy to my back with a bit curling down my shoulders and up my neck but I vacillate between being ready to make the appointment or totally bailing and making an appointment for laser removal. That’s no way to be when you’re about to permanently mark yourself. Either way… the point of this whole revealing rant was to show you this neat thing I found. It’s some application that will add ivy to your pictures. I haven’t tried it yet but here you go. If only tattoos were that easy.

one day maybe

• Oh! I love me some CERN and they just started the Large Hadron Collider, had some first collisions and Earth didn’t explode! Here are some pics right before they got to banging those atoms! Oh, and I really want a print of particle tracks for my wall. Geek! Anyone know where I could get that done?

•  She’s been blogging for 3 years but I just discovered Kristopher Dukes and I think I’ve found my personal style idol/hero. She hates patterned clothing, loves nude heels, loves simple elegant clothing and sticks with what works, is a product fiend, appreciates well designed luxury, wreaks of sex, called satin elastic ankle pants a year ago, and she is unapologetically superficial in a brutally honest (and sometimes offensive) way. Obviously she has a much larger well-earned income than myself but it’s fun to live vicariously through others sometimes and it’s nice to read down to earth, quick-witted critiques on so many glamorous things I would love to have. Her post format is great – a particular thing broken down into what she already has, what she would rather have, and what she hates. Love it.

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• I looked at my Google Reader the other day and was wondering why the heck I was subscribing to blogs that I couldn’t relate to in any way whatsoever. I’m not going to name names but my life isn’t sparkly and full of rainbows and unicorns. I don’t wear hot pink, nor do I have a constant positive spin on life. I also don’t like wondering where the hell a 25 year-old is getting all that damned mysterious money to waste on total crap. All that being said… I do like a good voyeuristic romp once in a while so I will probably revisit these blogs every blue moon. I just don’t want to see them or the tweets every day. Because I’m going to vomit.
• My hair is taking forever to grow out from my scene boy cut. It’s finally past my shoulders but it’s all sorts of crazy layers and then I gave up on the blunt bangs and they’re growing out at well. So how to you begin to take care of split ends when it’s a mess? I guess I’m going to have to get out the tiny scissors.

I wish

• long romantic walks through my neighborhood
• I love this cheap ornament idea. While you could get a whole box of silver balls for what it would take to make a few of these thumbtack ornaments, they ARE homemade and a few in a cute box would make a neat sentimental gift. My mom and I used to sit at the kitchen table and make ornaments in a similar way, using straight pins, sequins and beads. They were a bit more glitsy and you had lots of color and pattern options.

•  I want to check out this book – One-Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Fabric Projects. Things you can make with just one yard of fabric!
• Being on a doctor ordered low fat diet, I was really excited about this huge post on beans. So very helpful!
• hilarious
• rat snuggles
• dropping my phone in the toilet and it still works!

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A lot of things seem to be really popular right now and I am not impressed.

• Tea towels. These are little thin woven cotton towels with decorative motifs. They don’t absorb a thing!
• Giant bulky headphones.
• Expensive jewelry and hair accessories made out of things I could get for $2 at the craft store.
• Teapot cozies. Seriously?
• Twilight. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson creep me the hell out.
• Friends’ parents on Facebook. They have straight ruined it for me. I barely get on there anymore.
• Furniture made from garbage. 1. 2.
• That bedspread made to look like cardboard boxes. Yuck!
• Perpetual calendars are a pain in the ass.
• Why are Legos so expensive!?
• Moleskines… when you could get a small notebook for $1
• Lomo cameras. I’ve had almost all of them and maybe got 2 good pics out of each roll of film. Total crapshoot.
• Pantone.
• Foursquare. I don’t need the world knowing everything I do and aren’t our online identities self indulgent enough?
• Mustache kitsch.
• Ponchos.
• Drop crotch pants.
• Cleaning products that require the endless purchase of refills when the original tool was an inexpensive one-time buy and worked just fine.
• Criticizing Obama feels like a criminal offense these days.

• My Parents Were Awesome is a collection of photos of parents… when they were young and hip.
• The bf scored a second interview! I’m so proud of him!
• A lesson to be learned – if you see an awesome deal on something you love, grab it immediately. I saw the most perfect pair of round toe, recessed platform, cone heeled, black leather Nine West pumps for a steal a week ago. I don’t know why I didn’t just get them but, sometimes I sabotage myself like that. Anyhow, I couldn’t get them out of my head so I went back to the store today and of course, they were all gone. Every last one of them. So, I bought two other pairs of shoes instead! Ha!

Nibbles appreciates a high heel. I want to pair these with black rolled up trousers, and pretty much everything else. These have a hidden platform which I’m really not a fan of but, this platform isn’t exceptionally high and I love the seam going down the middle of the toe. I needed a pair of simple round toe black pumps since my last pair has been re-heeled 3 times and they’ve stretched so much I can’t keep them on.

Nom nom nom! This is why I can’t have nice things. These are embossed snake with black metallic flat studs, three buckles at the ankle and a back zip. I have no idea what I’m going to wear these with. Maybe those black satin harem pants. Size medium was way too big and I sent them back for an exchange. I think I’m going to have to cut the waist off and re-hem the drawstring pocket to lift them up a bit and keep them low slung. No biggie.

• Exploding Dog Pictures‘ is a collection of quirky, subversive, and often sad little drawings based on submitted titles. Matted signed prints are now available here. They would make a cute gift for someone.

• Going to Target with the bf and him asking me if they carry Yankee Candles… that he had been reading someone’s blog and had heard about this certain candle… so cute! (it’s my favorite)

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• There are two things looming over my head that I need to learn all about. These two posts will help me (and you!) get through it all. First there’s Google Wave and most importantly, there’s Farmville on Facebook. I saw my friend’s farm last week and being an avid SimCity player back in the day, I must do this! Time to get to studying!
• I’ve always been a city girl at heart but now I’m starting to question living in such close proximity to strangers. I love my apartment but I’m beginning to hate my neighbors and I wonder if we moved at the end of the lease, if it would just be the same type of issues with different people in some other city apartment. There’s the certifiably insane girl behind us who screamed bloody murder for an hour one day and got hauled off by an ambulance, after the police beat the hell out of our door thinking it was us. Then, a week later she beat on our kitchen wall because we were talking normally at 10pm on a Friday night. She also complains to the landlord about everything. Thankfully, he knows she’s nuts. There’s the chronic coughing man in the building next door, the hysterical dog barking mania throughout the day, and the loud parties (with a loud fight at 4am when a girl refused to leave). We can barely use the shared washer and dryer because the new tenants have made the “all utilities included” deal a public service to their friends. Then there’s the people below us. I think it’s 4 guys who manage to stink up our apartment on a regular basis with the stench of onions, they play electric guitar at all hours of the night, sound like they’re moving heavy furniture, slam doors and stomp up and down their hallway every single night… who just immaturely mocked me out their kitchen window a few nights ago for hearing me in the sack with my bf because we accidentally left the livingroom window open and well… I’m kinda loud sometimes. A simple note would’ve sufficed. Like, “hey, just so you know… we can hear you.” I would’ve been fine with that and sincerely apologized. I guess I was living in denial, hoping they didn’t hear as much as they did. I’m over it and will be keeping my trap shut until we’re out.

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• on a neutral note – I am pretty passionate about my distaste for the unethical blatant designer ripoffs out there. If you know better, you should do better and pass up on supporting the theft of intellectual property. I was recently asked what the difference is between that and the diy ideas I suggest for recreating designs conceived by others for the home and being fashionable. The difference is that I am not suggesting you mass produce something similar to someone else’s design, slap your name on it as if it was your own idea, and sell it to the public. I think it’s fun to try your hand at new things, to learn new skills and how to utilize unfamiliar materials and tools.  Having an inspiration point to guide you is a good way to start. A lot of home design out there is just as ridiculously expensive as high fashion but some of these things appear incredibly simple to make. If cobbling shoes was easier (and something I think I would even be remotely good at) I would’ve been making my own a long time ago and I would proudly say I made them myself with so-and-so as my inspiration! As soon as you make a profit off of someone else’s idea, you’re treading ethical thin ice.  Hope I cleared that up.

• Comments! I love them! Leave one and introduce yourself! When you comment, I get to see YOUR blog if you have one, and this my friends, is how great relationships begin! I just recently received a comment from Sarah whose blog yes and yes, I had never seen before and well… it’s awesome… and I’m mentioning it here! So there you go!
• The Botany of Desire was on PBS this week and I loved it. It’s a documentary based on the book by Michael Pollan. It talks about how 4 plants that have satisfied humans (apples, potatoes, tulips and marijuana) have thrived and expanded across the world because of our efforts. If you’re into plants, into history, into genetics, into evolution, into the world, check it out. You can watch it online.
• This is both a plus and a minus – I’m not dressing up in a costume this Halloween. It’s a plus because the planning, expense, and usually the sewing can get to be a little overwhelming. It’s a minus because costumes really bring out the nut in me and they’re soooo much fun! Here are some pics from Halloweens past -

This was a zentai tiger suit I ordered off of eBay in 2006. I cut the face out of it but was constantly having to readjust. This costume got a lot of milage at a lot of super fun parties. The nose was a pain but I loved the annonymity. It was skin tight and some chick came up and told me I was “really brave” for wearing it. Compliment? I hope so.

In 2007, I repurposed an old bridesmaid dress  and made the Bjork swan dress. Such a pain to sew! Miles of various types of white tulle strips and at the last minute I magically found a yard of white feather ribbon edging for the bodice part. That really made it.  It was great going to parties and everyone running up to you knowing who you were.

Last year, I finally made a super cuddly hamster costume after talking about it for forever. It was beyond comfortable and I loved wearing sneakers all night. I also made a blinding pink bunny suit for a friend out of the same pattern at the last minute one evening. We took over the town. Everyone wanted to hug me and I wanted to hug them back!

• I have had this first pair of Givenchy shoes from the Spring 2010RTW collection bookmarked for almost a month but hadn’t had the time to look at the rest of the collection. The clothing (and those god-awful hats) didn’t do a thing for me but holy cow these wedges!  So ideal. Have I told you before how much I love a wedge? Like a million times! I wish affordable amazing wedges were more readily available! 

via style.com

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• Grilled Romaine lettuce just seems so wrong to me! I hear it’s very good though.
• After getting my laptop back from being repaired, my external hard drive (that I backed everything up on) won’t work. (Something about partitions and all this other computer garble that I don’t plan on teaching myself.) Well, I tried to hook it up to my folks’ desktop and it too is saying that it needs to be reformatted – meaning I will lose everything. So, I downloaded a freeware version of a data recovery program and everything was working well. The items on my external were being recognized, I could see it all in front of me, then the error reports started popping up (something got corrupted which explains why it wouldn’t work on the desktop either) and just when I was ready to transfer all the items I had painstakingly hand clicked on… the “freeware” program directed me to a website to pay $50 to complete the transfer. What a flippin crock!
• Twinings African Rooibos red tea tastes like bug spray. It seriously tastes like Raid!
• Zombieland was a huge waste of time. The previews were incredibly misleading. There was hardly any zombie killing. Who goes to a zombie movie not wanting to see excessive zombie violence? The female characters (I hate to say it) were unnecessary - very cunning at the beginning, emo in the middle, and pathetically stupid and needing a man’s rescue at the end. The awkward emo guy was obviously cast as some poor excuse for a Michael Cera wannbe.  Bill Murray’s bloated self-indulgent cameo was terrible. Weak. So weak.