Made this Monday: Another pair of Antlers!

My sweet Aunt Jeanette tried her hand at the Antler project I posted about a while ago.  And being the amazingly crafty lady that she is, I think her antlers came out super cute!  (The banners were a digital touch!)

I just can't get enough of this adorable decoration!  Anyone else give this a try?  I'd love to see pics!

Fashion Friday: Disco Nails

Lately, I've been doing my best to keep my nails polished and pretty (something I generally am too lazy to do.)  For this look I used Rainbow in the S-Kylie by Nicole over Trophy Wife by Essie.  The result?  Perfectly sparkly disco nails! 

Happy Friday!

Adjustments

Lately, I have been really busy.  I've been busy adjusting to my new job.  I've been very busy writing.  I've been busy planning all kinds of new projects....The busy-ness is basically at an all time high and when things get like this it's hard for me to know just how to adjust to make everything work. 

What I usually need to do is unplug and take some large steps away from my computer, yet that seems to be the hardest thing for me to do!  I'm obviously a mad blog addict!  (And I'm pretty ok with that, since there are much worse things to be hooked on.)  But still taking a break is necessary every once and a while.  

That's part of what I love about Coachella (and Palm Springs in general.)  It's a place where I can escape the siren call of my computer, relax and let loose with some sunshine and music.  While it can be an exhausting few days, I always feel refreshed when I come back - like the time in the desert rejuvenated me somehow. 

I'll share some more about our Coachella trip later this weekend, but for now, here's an iphone preview! 

Burger Quest: Jacks Classic

There is a purpose to burgers, and it is largely this...

We're driving through the valley one dark winter evening and we're on our way to a comedy club, which is not high on our list of loves. We're hungry, having come straight from work, and we need something quick and easy.

So we're driving along Riverside Drive and lo and behold - here on the corner near the freeway is Jack's Classic Hamburgers, which we didn't really have on the to-eat list, but had heard things about from my father. So we pulled over, a little late, did a highly skilled U-turn and found a spot in the 7-Eleven parking lot.

Jack's has been in the same spot since 1979 and has all kinds of tasteful old burger paraphenalia around the little shack it occupies (burger spots in LA love their retro stylings). And the burger is a taste of old fashioned burger glory. Very straightforward, fresh, juicy but not oozing, not too mayonaisey, not too original, not too ketchupy, fatty, buttery or dry. Everything was just very 'not-too', which is exactly what you want when you're driving through the valley and you need a burger.

The purpose of the burger was fulfilled that night.  Sadly it was too dark for me to get a good picture of it, so you'll just have to imagine it...Just think of a classic burger and you got it.  We think this one will rate very highly overall. Here's the scores for Jack's:

Meatiness - 5
Succulentiousness - 4
Bun - 2
Flavor - 4
Stay Togetherness - 3
Joint - 3

Dance Academy Season 2 on Netflix!

The other night, when I went to put on an old episode of Dance Academy on Netflix, I was ecstatic by what I found...

Season 2 is now available on Netflix!  Hooray!  

Well, almost hooray.  Only the first 13 episodes of the season seem to be available for streaming!  I hope that they will release the second half of season 2 soon, otherwise I am going to need to find the DVD's.   Because even though I know it's intended for teenagers, I simply adore this show!  Check it out if you can!  

UPDATE! More episodes have now been added!  Ask and you shall receive!  ;)


Images from here

Made this Monday: The Jigsaw Journal

I put together this little art journal as a promotional prize giveaway on the Jigsaw-London blog.  In my opinion, it's always nice to get a new pretty journal-- I mean can you ever have enough?


Head over to the site now and leave a comment for your chance to win a journal of your own and a few pretty journaling supplies!

Clothes for Coachella

I actually love packing.  But more than that, I love planning what I'm going to pack!  Here's a peek at the outfits I'm taking with me to Coachella!  (No rain this weekend! Booyah!)

Day 1:

This outfit has to get me through a car ride, and a long first day of concert going.  I decided to go with a comfortable Jigsaw Kaftan, but one that has a LOT of personality!  A bit on the dramatic side, but I like it.  Paired with my flip flops, Esther Williams swimsuit and handmade flower-child headband, I think this may be my quintessential Coachella outfit! 

 

Day 2:

I adore this combo of clothing!  Jigsaw Asymmetrical Tunic over my pink bikini top and jean cut-offs.  I added a funky Anthropologie necklace and pink striped sunnies for extra flair! 

 

Day 3:

A bit more relaxed in a basic Jigsaw tee with floral embellishments, bright yellow shorts and hipster hair-tie, this outfit is sure to be comfy and cool. 

 

Day 4:

The day after the festival, the boy and I want to spend some extra time just chilling Palm Springs and this outfit is perfect for just that!  The straight leg twill jeans are incredibly soft and comfortable and the cape-style top is just the right amount of slouch for a lazy day of lounging and driving.  

Have an amazing weekend!

Beauty Marks: Garden Romance

One of my favorite ballets is The Sleeping Beauty.  I love the story, the music, Petipa's choreography and the costumes, but my favorite part is the Rose Adagio.  Something about that particular scene just makes me swoon - it's so elegant, beautiful and romantic!

Here are a few of my favorite makeup products to use when I'm in the mood to look rosie and sweet, just like Aurora, but I want a dash of theatrical romance to my look as well!

1-Revlon Airbrush Foundation in Vanilla
2-Sephora eyeshadow in Marie
3- Nars The Multiple makeup stick in Orgasm
4-Maybelline eyeshadow in Antique Jade
5-Tarte LipSurgence lip tint in Enchanted
6-Maybelline Full n' Soft mascara in very black

Burger Quest: O! Burger

The Boy went to O! Burger one day on his lunch break without me. He has elected to write his report on O! Burger in the manner of a 7 year old's book report:

O! Burger is in West Hollywood.
It has orange plastic seats.
The menu, though unchanging, is shown on a TV screen. On the TV screen two little men wearing sombreros walk across it every so often carrying a sign saying something like 'Go Organic!'
It sells vegan cookies.
I got served quickly.
I walked back to my office to eat the burger.
The burger was very tasty.
Brown bread bun.
Thousand island-based dressing.
Shredded lettuce.
A succulent, modest piece of meat.

I enjoyed O! Burger and would like to try it again some time. It is a very good burger.

Meatiness - 4
Succulentiousness - 4
Bun - 3
Flavor - 5
Stay Togetherness - 4
Joint - 2

Sixties***Starbursts***

 I want some.  Thinking of bringing in a lot more 60's mod decor into our place and moving away from the cottage chic look...But I can never decide.  Anyway, here are some fabulous starbursts for your viewing pleasure.  

one, two, three, four, five

The Boy's Birthday!!!

Today is the Boy's Birthday!  He's now caught up to me in oldness.  I know I say it alllll the time, but I really love him.  Meeting him and getting to be with him is easily the best thing that ever happened to me.  He makes me happier that I ever thought possible!  So...I'm glad he was born. 

He's the blonde one, in the red shoes

Happy Birthday to my Boy! 

Made this Monday: Typography

The other day, while watching the Wonder Years on Netflix, I was just playing around with some typography and came up with these little designs. It's funny how the names of characters from the TV shows I watched as a kid have really made an impression on my brain...Classic characters from Children's literature also resonate. Do you think I should make one for the Hunger Games?

Pretty Pyrex

As if I need anything more to collect...

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Dresses and Skate Shoes

Happy Friday the 13th!  Since it's kind of a freaky friday, I figured I'd pull a "freaky-friday" and pretend I'm back in high school again!

My favorite fashion statement when I was about 15 was wearing cute floral sundresses with a pair of super chunky skater shoes.  I think I had ES's at one time, and DC's another....We used to have to drive into the valley just to get them, because PacSun and all the cheesy stores in the mall hadn't quite stocked their inventory with the hippest shoes yet.  My brother and I would make the trip to 118 Skate Shop with all the seriousness of a religious pilgrimage. 

Sadly, I don't have any pictures from high school of myself in this style, but I'm still kind of in love with the concept.  I think it's still so me in a lot of ways and I tried to recreate it with my skater style Nike's.   I may try to bring it back this summer, whatcha think?  

It was so windy I had to hold my dress to keep it from billowing out

See, this is what happens and I look like I've got a bun in the oven, which I DON'T!

 Have a great weekend! 

Beauty Marks: Beachy Keen Makeup

Right now, I'm really loving make up that's light and feminine in soft peaches and sparkly neutrals.  I want to create a warm glow with my makeup that harkens back to summer days spent out on the beach.  Here are my top picks for achieving this easy, breezy look:

1- Hourglass Sheer Cheek Stain in Petal
2- Benefit Hello Flawless pressed powder in Ivory
3- Bare Minerals all over face powder in Pure Radiance
4- MAC lipstick in Out-Minxed
5 - Maybelline eyeshadow in Pink Petal
6- Neutragena Glow Sheers tinted moisturizer in Ivory to Fair
7- CO Bigelow Lemon & Pomegranate Lip Cream

Burger Quest: Gus' BBQ

Gus's BBQ is a fairly famous spot in South Pasadena for good old fashioned southern BBQ - with a smorgasboard offering of Memphis, Carolina, Texas and Missouri flavors. It's got a new old fashioned feel - it's been around since 1946, but looks like it's been updated, even the exterior must have been tidied up recently. It's not remotely the same authentic retro feel as the nearby Pie N Burger, but it is on a really cool retro strip of Fair Oaks that includes an old-fashioned Soda Fountain Pharmacy that's straight out of Bedford Falls in It's A Wonderful Life.

So anyway - they have a burger and they call it Gus's Famous Burger. Some of the most enthusiastic tips we've received about burgers have been for barbeque joints in South LA, so we figured this much-lauded BBQ joint should deliver an interesting burger.

Interesting indeed. The Boy and I differed quite dramatically in our responses, but I felt like I was tasting burger perfection on the first bite. Admittedly, there were some cheats - it came with both cheese (forgot to ask them to hold it) and bacon (cheat everytime). But it had an incredible bun - thick and soft, like Texas Toast and a very strong, Umami taste from the meat and salad that wasn't overpowered by the bacon and cheese. According to the menu, it includes Gus's special BBQ sauce and Garlic Aioli, but we think the BBQ sauce came on the side because we didn't taste it.

The Boy wasn't as impressed with me, but we agreed that the burger itself was weirdly (but not unpleasantly) perfect in its form and texture. It really held together well, almost like a vegetarian patty. The presentation was perfect, considering we got it to go.

The French Life

When I first moved to Beverly Hills, I had a tiny studio apartment and I covered the walls with pictures of Paris.   I felt like if I was going to live in a tiny place, I should at least pretend that my tiny place was in the city of lights.

I've only actually been to Paris once and it was only for a weekend, but it was the most magical weekend ever.  We walked everywhere, even in the rain.  It rained just the morning of the first day we were there and (just like Audrey says in Sabrina) it made the city smell so sweet!

We saw the Eiffel Tower and took the elevator to the top.  We saw the Arc de Triumph, and walked around the Louvre.  We ate in little cafes and drank red wine, and walked up the Seine.  I lit a candle in Notre Damn and bought an Eiffel Tower paper weight.

We walked all over Montmartre, and found lots of the locations used in Amelie.  We even got lunch at the Cafe des Deux Moulins and saw one of the actors from the film walking down a nearby road!  Talk about life imitating art!

We walked up to the Sacre Coeur and looked out across the beautiful city and it literally took my breath away.  I know it's easy to get worked up about Paris and maybe exaggerate it's beauty, but I seriously have never seen such beautiful colors cascading across such beautiful architecture.  It was unlike any other place I've seen.

Anyway...I've been reminiscing about my Paris adventure (obviously) and wanted to share some fun French music in honor of that.  This first song has been stuck in my head ever since Megan sang it on Mad Men.  It's so darn cute!  The second video is the lovely Emilie Simon.  I have been trying to copy the look she sports in this performance for-like-ever.  And the last is a clip from the movie Funny Face...It's the closest to how I behaved during my short time in Paris! 

You call that Lilac?

The boy alerted me to the recent debauchery of actress Amanda Bynes the other night and I was so sad to see that the young actress had been driving under the influence.  I will never understand why people do that, regardless of who they are...But I digress.  

While I felt sorry for the young lady,  I must admit I was more interested in the fact that she dyed her hair LILAC.  Lilac.  As in Lilac & Lace.

Personally, I too have been hankering to add some pigment to my own hair, but I think I may just add a few pink streaks....Lilac, while obviously one of my favorite colors, has got to be one of the hardest colors to pull off.  It's not quite purple, it's not quite pink; how do you go lilac without looking like an Easter egg?  And then when it fades I suppose you're stuck with something that looks a bit like this....

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Not so lilac if you ask me.  It seems that the only person that can pull off this tricky shade is the old lady from the the Juicy Couture campaign from years past....

I'm talking about the one all the way to the right... Her hair and her outfit are the same colors of my childhood bedroom.  Look at her! She is beyond fabulous!  

Remember, you are all winners!

You really are and I think you're swell!  But let's get down to brass tactics, there is actually only one of you who can be the official winner of the Postcard giveaway.  And the winner is...

My very own namesake- HEATHER! 

She mentioned she may have some exciting news today, and hopefully these postcards will be an added bonus.

Thanks to everyone who entered! 

Made this Monday: Stitching with Jenny Hart

I was so excited to snag a spot in a Jenny Hart embroidery workshop over at UCLA (my old stomping ground) a couple of weekends ago.  I absolutely adore her pattern designs and was interested in improving my embroidery skills, as I'm not really the best at it...So I took my Mom along with me and we had an amazing time.

The event was held at the Fowler Museum, a home to a myriad of world arts and cultural artifacts, so the program started with a tour of the current exhibit Order and Disorder: Alighiero Boetti by Afghan Women.  It was very interesting.   Alighiero Boetti was an Italian artist who employed Afgan women to hand embroider his designs.  Their work is stunning, and it's an incredible exhibit that explores the skills of these unsung women who brought Boetti's visions to light.  I highly recommend checking it out.   

Then we went into the studio to start stitching.  Jenny explained all the basic stitches and taught us some fancy one's too, like the french knot.  And bonjour!  I finally was able to get one right.  We stitched some preprinted tea towels with her letter designs while Jenny told us about her background and how Sublime Stitching came to be.  It was really a compelling story and she is so inspiring!  A wonderful time was had by all!  

Here's a few photos I snapped during the workshop...I didn't take too many because no one else was and I didn't want to seem too weird.  But hey, I'm a blogger and that's what we do right? 

Jenny Hart demonstrating a trick to knot the end of your thread

My Mom was stitching up a storm!

my tea towel (check out those french knots!)

I had my mom take my picture with Jenny after, but for some reason, it came out all out of focus.  So here's me with the elusive, blurry Jenny Hart...

I feel completely inspired to get working on some embroidery projects now! 

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter All! 

I am spending the day with my family, eating chocolate, watching the Masters and (unfortunately) paying taxes! 

But I wanted to take a moment to remind all of you that today is the last day to enter the Postcard Giveaway!  And I notice that not many of you have participated....Maybe you just haven't thought about the possibilities for these free postcards and so let me give you a few ideas.

-You could have them printed with information about your own indie-business or etsy shop and use them to pass out to friends or include in shipments. 

-You could design your Christmas or other holiday card now and have those printed up for free!   One less thing to have to worry about during the hectic holiday season.

- You could design your very own postcard stationary and start sending postcards to family and friends - More personal than email and you'd help to keep the US Postal Service in business! 


And that's just the beginning!  There are loads of other uses for postcards.  So get on it and leave a comment to enter!

Now that I've reminded you of that, here's some Easter snapshots to brighten your day!

Happy Easter!