Just Singing in the Rain

My favorite movie of all time, ever is Singing in the Rain.  I love it more than one really should love a movie.  It's a big reason why I wanted to become a dancer.  I adore Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor, and I just wanted to be able to do what they could do.  

Plus the story is pretty awesome.  I love being transported into a technicolor version of Hollywood in the late 1920's.  Seeing the outfits, hearing the songs and imagining what the industry was like back then.  Plus it's hilarious.  Really I think Singing in the Rain is a work of comedic genius...But clearly, you can see I'm a fan.  

So here are some Singing in the Rain inspirations to brighten, or maybe I should say rain cloudy up your day! ;)

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It doesn't rain much here in Los Angeles, but every now and then the "California dew is a little heavier than usual."  For those days, I'd like to dance down the street in this lovely raincoat - so classic! 

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And I am one of those people that inevitably gets soaked even with an umbrella; I'm thinking a bubble umbrella like this one may do the trick...

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Lastly, ya gotta wear some Wellies!

Made This Monday: A Resolution and a Trip

So today's post is a little different than usual.  Rather than a craft that I made, this is something else.  This is a resolution I made to conquer one of my fears and while I am not saying I have absolutely no fear anymore, I can proudly say that I'm making progress.  

You see I am afraid of flying.  And it's a terrible thing to be afraid of, particularly for me, because I have to fly.  When you have a cross-continental boyfriend you have to fly to see him.  Then when you marry him, you have to fly to visit your new cross-continental family.  Flying is inevitable for me, it just has to be done on a regular basis.  

So this is a fear that I really need to overcome.  I spend so much time and energy being freaked out about flying.  I worry about it months ahead of time.  I am a total basket case on board and it's all for nothing because I can't do anything about it.  I'm not in control, I can't leave the aircraft and there's no other way for me to get where I need to go.  

So this Made this Monday is in honor of a trip I just made to England, Ireland and back.  I made it without worrying too much.  It wasn't perfect.  I still freaked out when I saw that the plane for our return from Ireland was a tiny plane with perpellors.  But I made it through.  I let the planes take me where I needed to go.  I allowed myself to sit back, relax and enjoy the flight.... most of the time.  I used some of the techniques I've been working on to overcome my anxiety.  And I held the boy's hand the whole way. 

Do you have a fear you'd like to overcome?  Any other flying scaredy cats out there?  Any tips you may have would be very much appreciated! 

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Fashion Friday: Leonardo DiCaprio's Earrings

Last weekend, the boy and I attended a particularly swanky pre-golden-globe-awards party.  I must admit, it was a lot of fun!  We saw a whole bunch of A-listers, met a couple of them too and I did something that will (in a small way) forever link me to Leonardo DiCaprio.  I outbid him on a pair of earrings featured in the silent auction.  That's right, I won Leo's earrings!  I was so nervous about upping his bid (because c'mon this is Leo we're talking about!)  But in the heat of the moment, I went for it, and I am so glad I did! 

Sure they may not be as fancy as the Le Cœur de la Mer, but I actually think they are way more stylish and certainly, the story behind how I got them makes them exceptionally special.  They are from Blue Nile, which carries a large assortment of gorgeous gems including several different versions of my citrine and smokey quartz gemstone earrings.  So this makes for a slightly unusual Fashion Friday, I know.  But I had to share my new favorite accessory....Now I just need an event at which to wear them....

Dance Academy

It's true that I have an affinity for teen TV shows.  The boy teases me that my taste in television shows hasn't changed much since I was about 14.  And basically he's right.   I enjoy watching shows like Gossip Girl, Switched at Birth, Glee and the Secret Life of the American Teenager.  I know, I'm a total nerd.  But I'm really fine with it...No, really!

Anyway, always on the lookout for a good teen drama, I recently discovered a new show on Netflix from Australia called Dance Academy.  It follows the daily trials and challenges in the life of Tara Webster, a typical 15 year old girl...But here's where it gets good:

Tara is a ballerina who just got accepted to the National Ballet Academy of Australia!  It is a full on teen drama show about dancers - ballerinas - and it's surprisingly good!  I watched the whole 1st season in a matter of days.

I was expecting it to be a full-on television version of Center Stage, and it certainly has it's moments of stereotypical bunhead issues (ie: one extremely competitive student starves herself the week of finals till she faints.)  But the majority of the time, I find the show paints a very realistic portrait of a young dancer's life.  All the students have personalities and interests outside of ballet...They all seem to be playing their age, their actual dancing level, and I found it refreshingly old fashioned.  Each episode has a sort of theme and moral that addresses some common issue we all face growing up.  And I love that! 

The characters act stupid at time -- like teenagers.  In fact, Tara's crush on an older dancer boy is so pathetic it hurts at times.  But the show also really addresses what young ballet dancers give up in order to train the way they do, and how they don't always enjoy it.  And how they sometimes do.  

It's a sweet and simple show, but suffice to say it reminded me quite a bit of my summers dancing at ballet company intensives, and those first few years of being in a company.  As silly as it can be at times, I think it's a wonderful show for bunheads and cool kids alike.  If you have Netflix, check it out!    

Burger Quest: Comme Ca (by the boy)

Search for top LA burger lists on the web and pretty much everyone mentions Comme Ca, the flashy but surprisingly bland brasserie on Melrose on the edge of West Hollywood.  Lots of celebs go there and you tend to read about it the next week in Hollywood Reporter.  At some point, the New York Times referred to Comme Ca's signature burger as 'perfection' and lots of people have quoted that article since. I'm here today to tell you that it's burger nonsense.

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I work within a stone's throw of Comme Ca, so I decided to get the burger for takeout. Make no mistake about the takeout issue: I popped down, collected the burger when it came out the kitchen, walked to my office, which took one minute, and ate it immediately. I practically ate in, so no fancy french chef can tell me that the burger was spoiled by being taken out and that I need to try it in-house.

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It's a sloppy mess of a burger - drowned in mayonnaise and coleslaw, the medium-rare colossal patty dripping with juices, the brioche bun struggling to hold it all together. I don't mind a sloppy good burger, but this was just all the wrong flavors. It left a meaty boulder in my stomach that didn't sit well the rest of the day. Burgers like these are fine for hangovers, but not for a pleasant, sober burger experience. The meat, supposedly the choicest beef in the land, is salty and dour.

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Like everything else at Comme Ca, this burger is fantastically overrated, drab and another poor representation of frenchy-american food in Los Angeles. Don't bother with the restaurant or the burger, which costs a whopping $18. It would be fine for $5.

Meatiness 5

Succulentiousness 5
Bun 3

Flavor 2

Stay Togetherness 2

Joint 3

Let's Run Away to Neverland!

I've always been a fan of Peter Pan. And who isn't?  It's one of those stories that resonates with people of all ages.  It has so many layers and themes.  It is filled with magic and charm, excitement, fantasy, and youthful love. 

One time when I went to visit the boy in England, I insisted we visit Kensington Gardens (where JM Barrie would often go to write and where Peter Pan first met Tinkerbell. )  There's a Peter Pan statue in the park (you can see it at the end of the film Hook) and I insisted the boy take me to see it in person.  I was secretly hoping that somehow, just by being there, I could find my way to Neverland...No such luck.  Even so, I still feel young at heart!  Here are some of my favorite Peter Pan inspired images and finds:

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The perfect "Wendy Darling" dress...It totally looks like her nightgown!

I think I originally saw this on Modcloth

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This necklace is included mainly because of the thimble - or should I say "kiss!"

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Love this cute tinkerbell-ish dress and I adore the model's pixie haircut!

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From the 2003 movie version...

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Made this Monday: Granny Square Sweater ReDesign

So I bought this sweater a few weeks at a thrift store, I thought it may look cute as an actual sweater, but I also had other plans for this baby, and I think I was right to envision a new life for it, as it's not the most flattering thing I've ever put on...

I've been wanting a small granny-square throw pillow for the chair at my crafts table, but was having a hard time finding one in colors I liked and wasn't too pricey.  My solution?  Make my granny square sweater into a pillow cover!  

I simply folded the sweater over a small pillow form, hand-sewed the back closure and sides and presto - pillow!  

Jason Wu for Target.  I think I just found my Spring work wardrobe! 

Fashion Friday - Lemon Lace

Today's Fashion Friday features the latest find in my vintage shopping adventures.  I found this darling dress at Ragtag in west hollywood, and even though it's cut a little strange, I love the pale lemon color, lace overlay and gorgeous puffy sleeves!  I feel like Marsha Brady when I'm wearing this special dress.  Can't wait to sport it at an outdoor spring party...Cause you know I go to a ton of those!  ;)  

The Boy's Bruschetta

The boy has been cooking his way through our copy of the Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics cookbook and let me tell ya, he has already made a myriad of dishes both wonderful and exotic.  However I think my favorite item so far has been the bruschetta.  

This delicious bruschetta was made with bell peppers, which gave it a spicy kick.  It was so yummy!  I am definitely going to put it on my favorites list...It would be great at a picnic!   

Burger Quest: Wendy's

I love the chicken nuggets (bites, fingers, not sure what they call them) at Wendy's.  And I love the sauces they offer.  Anytime I go to Wendy's all I want is the chicken.  I love the chicken so much that  I have never tasted a burger from this international burger chain...That is, until recently.

Wendy's burgers have a special distinction in that they are square shaped.  Does anyone know why?  I like to think that it's mainly because Dave is such a maverick!  Do you remember the Wendy's commercials with Dave?  Oh Dave!

Anyyyway...I wasn't expecting much from the Wendy's burger and I was pleasantly surprised.  It was a decent slab of square shaped meat, all the classic fixings, not too dry, not too saucy - just an all around good burger, who knew? 

And for extra points, the fries were delicious too.  They make them with sea salt so they are actually not as bad for you as most fast food joints' fries.  And I've always liked the Wendy girl's style - Red hair and pigtails, totally cute!  All in all, Wendy's was one of the best unexpected burger excursions we've had so far.  Nothing s ground breaking , but not bad either. 

The Score:

Meatiness: 3

Succulentiousness: 3

Bun:  2

Flavor:  3

Stay Together-ness:  4

Joint : 1

The Nicest Gift

My Christmas present from the boy this year, was something quite special indeed!  Something I really needed and wanted and totally didn't expect.  He had tons of our pictures printed to help motivate me and get me going on my scrapbooking.

 

I used to scrapbook all the time, but now with a blog and a digital camera, I have a lot more photos to choose from and I find it hard to spend the time printing them all out.  He took the part I hate about scrapbooking and did it for me.  Isn't that so thoughtful?  

Not only that, he went to Micheal's and bought a selection of stickers that actually go with the pictures he had printed.  Adorable!  I can only imagine him scanning the sticker aisles for the perfect embellishments to coincide with our road trip pics.  Priceless!  

That boy is a good one!

Made this Monday - IPad Case

I have to admit, I am smitten with my new ipad.  It's such a wonderful tool for keeping my schedule,  tweeting on the go and reading my favorite blogs and magazines.  So to keep it safe and cozy I decided to make a little cover for it.  

I needed an easy project to test out my sewing machine with, and this seemed perfect.  I simply sewed 3 sides of two pieces of felt together, added some extra felt lining inside to give my ipad some extra cushion, added some fabric hearts and embroidered the edges and my name.

I did everything free-hand, and in retrospect it may have come out a bit better if I had done some more planning, but I kinda like that it came out a bit rough around the edges.  To keep the top closed I added a bit of ribbon elastic to the top which I was able to wrap around and tie in a bow for style and safe keeping. 

Do you have a custom case for your phone,  ipad or computer?