Kauai: Wait, Why Can't We Live There?

I want to go back....

Shall we go then?  Ok...

Fashion Friday: Gidget Goes Hawaiian

Before I left for Hawaii, I was sure to pack all my favorite 1960's-style, Hawaiian flower print dresses (and yes, I have more than one dress that fits into that category.)  I had it in my mind that this trip was going to be just like Gidget Goes Hawaiian and I was going to do plenty of parading around in cute 60's dresses like these:

Well, let me be totally honest here, the trip wasn't really all that much like Gidget Goes Hawaiian, but I did get to wear some pretty awesome, and perfectly cheesy Hawaiian print dresses, and I definitely got plenty of wear out of all my vintage-style bathing suits (along with a few sidelong confused glances from bikini clad women by the pool.)  Here's just a few pics....

  Outfit Details

First three dresses from Lace Affair | Fourth Dress by Nanette Leopore, found at Wasteland |
Chevron Clutch from Red Velvet | Flower Lei by me!

Busy Bee Lately

This month has definitely been one of the busiest of my life.   Between work and blogs and regular daily life,  I have spread myself rather thin.  I'm hoping that the next few weeks will calm down a little bit and I'll be able to get into a more regular schedule, but in the meantime, here's a look at the fruits of my labor...

I'm particularly proud of this article I wrote for DIY Dancer.  It's a sneak peek into the National Choreographers Initiative - the performance of which takes place this Saturday in Irvine - If you're game, I'll see you there!

Then there is this article I wrote for The Conversation.  If you haven't checked out the show, take a look at all the Best Of clips now on the website - they are really interesting!

source

Finally, if you haven't checked out the Jigsaw London blog, Jigsaw Says, I urge you to take a gander.  There are a bunch of articles on fashion, diy, recipes and travel that I've written over there that I'm quite proud of!  ;)

photo by Shani Barel

Burger Quest: Hole in the Wall Burger Joint

It might be hard to believe that there's that much different between a decent burger and an amazing burger. If you've only eaten, say, 20 different kinds of burger in your life then you might thinking, 'isn't it just, like, a burger'. And we understand. We understand you, plebeian and wrong though you may be.

But the fact is, when you bite into a great burger, you know that it's something special. It's not difficult to score these burgers - it's easy. And when we both bit into the Hole in the Wall Burger Joint burger, we knew. Frankly, we kind of knew as soon as we saw the place.

It really is a hole in the wall, hidden behind a strip mall by a major thoroughfare that gets a lot of traffic due to its being right by the I-405, the craziest, stupidest freeway in the observable universe. It's like a little haven from all that, with chairs out front.

Slight problem for us: it's a build-a-burger place. But we just built the most basic burger we could with the key ingredients - their Beef Burger, the bun they call 'Old-Fashioned', Onion Mayo (the first dressing choice), no cheese (we don't do that), Lettuce, Onion, Tomato and Relish - all of it. No extra stuff. We don't do that. We don't need it....But I must admit I want to try the pretzel bun on our next trip - It looks heavenly!

And it's one the best burgers in Los Angeles.  Maybe the best thus far.

It's very juicy, we had to work kind of hard to keep the juice from getting on our clothes, but we were pleasantly surprised that it was the mustardy relish dripping out, not the fatty juice from the bun.

It was served with the lettuce coming out the sides, which I kind of didn't like, but the boy thinks shows that they emphasize the freshness of their ingredients. And it was all very fresh-tasting. It was straightforward, balanced, succulent and harmonious. Each added ingredient was complimentary of the burger. Every bite was a delight.

Lots of tough burly, maybe Armenian, maybe middle-eastern guys in there waiting for me as I came up to pick our order up. And they're doing a great job. We salute you burly men!

Now for extra fun, here's a little video of me enjoying this burger...

The Scores:

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

"If we bring a little joy into your hum-drum lives..."

Thank you all so much for your participation in my Singin' in the Rain Giveaway!  I loved all your comments and really wish I had a special box set to give to all of you!  I picked the winners via Random.org and the two lucky people are...

Congratulations!  Please email me your shipping addresses asap and thanks again for entering the giveaway! 

Snapshot Sentiment | Hopeful

Hope you are all having a pleasant Sunday!  I'll be back later today to announce the Singin' in the Rain Giveaway winners!

Talking Pictures, Talking Pictures!

Ok, the big moment you've been waiting for is finally here!  I bring you the big Singin' in the Rain Giveaway of 2012! 

I am so proud to have the opportunity to partner with Warner Brothers distribution to offer this stellar giveaway...TWO Lilac and Lace readers have the chance to win their very own copy of the new 60th Anniversary Singin' in the Rain Special Collectors Edition set which includes everything you see here...

Pretty snazzy huh?  Ready to win?  Here's what you need to do - 

  -You must  be a follower of this blog either on GFC, Bloglovin or subscribe to the feed.  And you must leave a comment on this post about what you love most about the movies

For extra entries:

 - Follow me on Twitter or Facebook

 - Tweet this:  "Enter to win a special copy of the new Collectors Edition of #Singin'InTheRain on #Lilac&Lace http://lilaclace.blogspot.com/ @sugrplums26

 - Post about this giveaway on Facebook

Be sure to leave a separate comment for each of these items and each will count as another chance to win! I will choose the winners on Friday Evening! 

Best of Luck to You!  

"Dignity...Always Dignity"

One thing about Singin' in the Rain that you may not realize: It is busting with hilarious lines that have become regular phrases in my life and amongst my family.  There are some real classics in there...All part of the comedic genius that was Betty Comden and Adolph Green.  There was a time in my life when I dreamed of being able to write like them...Uh, actually, that time is still now!  They are awesome and, in my humble opinion, they wrote some of the best films of the 20th century!  

So now here's a bit of Singin' in the Rain Typography fun for you.  Click the images to enlarge and print!  All designed by me, with the cloud and raindrop image from The Ink Nest.  

You can also download the high resolution pdf's here.

Check back later for the big giveaway!

Gotta Dance!

My friend Olivia once told me that she disliked Singin' in the Rain because of the whole "broadway melody" sequence at the end and I can understand how people who may not like watching dance could get bored with this part of the film.  But I adore this whole sequence!  And I love Cyd Charisse too...She is so stunning!

Here's a little clip from that part of the film.  I love how it's essentially a ballet integrated into the story and it basically comes out of no where.  The first part of this video is one of my favorite Gene Kelly dance moments...His choreography is just so classic Kelly and you can tell that his movements are just completely natural and organic - He is clearly enjoying every moment!

I'm Dancin' and Singin' in The Rain...

Today my favorite film, Singin' in the Rain, is released on Blu-Ray  And a special 60th Anniversary Collectors Edition is also being released. This alone is grounds for celebration in my book!

I wanted to do something special on the blog today in honor of the release.  Because, while I know that there are dozens of reasons why I chose to train to become a dancer, nothing inspired that dream more than this film.  And I realize that may sound cheesy, but what can I say?  It's true.  I remember watching it when I was as young as 3 years old and just being blown away by Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor.  Everything they did looked like so much fun, and that was it for me - I was hooked.  I was going to be a dancer and dance in the rain. 

But even if you aren't a dancer, or aren't into musicals, Singin' in the Rain is still a wonderful film that I'm sure you'd enjoy.  From the witty humor, to the Hollywood history, to the fabulous 1920's costumes, to the catchy tunes and sweet love story - This movie is simply perfect.  Obviously I am biased, but I really do think it's one of those films that you can't help but enjoy.  

And of course, there is the quintessential Hollywood movie musical number - "Singin' in the Rain."  There is so much dance folklore around that scene, like how Gene Kelly had a fever that day of filming and was sick as a dog.  It's one of those repeated tales dancers tell each other as a way to encourage ourselves to push through the pain and perform.  It's just such a simple piece, but so brilliant and so well composed - And it really does inspire you to dance!  Well...It inspires me to anyway...But it also just makes me feel happy.  It reinvigorates me and fills me with a joy for life.  Take a look... 

What a Glorious Feeling! 

Now, I hope some of you watched that and I hope it made you happy!  In honor of this epic movie I'm going to be hosting a special giveaway later today and I'll be sharing more fun Singin' in the Rain clips, music and more!  So stay tuned! 

Kauai Continued...

Our recent trip to Kauai was a family affair...Here are some pics from our first day there...

The view from our room!

my parents out to dinner on the first night

my younger brother

my sister in law and older brother

our hotel on the coast of Poipu Beach!