I usually am apathetic towards Spring. I enjoy Spring LIFE (tulips, bunnies…), however, I hate stuffy noses and ceaseless strings of sneezes. But if there’s anything that can get someone more excited for Spring, it’s Lula Magazine.
What was once a magazine of questionable existence to me (I used to cross my fingers that liebemarlene would post about it, since she seemed to have better luck than me at finding a copy), Lula is now mine! It appeared at the Borders near work on the exact date that the distributor gave me as its release date (yes, an embarrassing amount of effort to obtain a magazine). Although we are technically in the last month of Spring, thus making the previous anecdote irrelevant in a temporal sense, the Chicago Spring hasn’t kicked in yet. It’s the second week of May AND I am sitting on my back porch AND my nose feels like a dog’s AND I am wearing heattech tights AND legwarmers AND a scarf. Sustained warm weather, where art thou?
1. I like to imagine that Madewell is J.Crew’s rebellious little sister. I am excited for Alexa Chung for Madewell this fall (she’s fantastic!), but for now a Spring dress. That even has “Spring” in its name. Spring Garden Dress from Madewell, $145
2. The secret notes I write in the Spring have to be in pastel, otherwise someone else will deem me to have a frosty, unapproachable soul. Pastel pens for Spring! And they write on plastic! Pilot Latte Gel Ink Pens Pastel Color Series from JetPens, $18
3. If someone was picking my brain to find out what I consider to be the perfect swimsuit, they’d find a picture of this. Even though this is more of a “SUMMER” item, perhaps you people who live in warmer areas can put this to use RIGHT NOW. Perhaps it’s a good thing that I won’t be receiving mine until June (oh additional warning: it’s back ordered because there must be some global consensus that it is a perfect swimsuit). Natalie One-Piece from Anthropologie, $148
4. This reminds me of Little House on the Prairie, and how much I disliked The First Four Years, the only other Little House book that I owned. The Joyous Dress from ModCloth, $75
5. REALLY ADORABLE. I came across these when searching for new plants that I could buy-and-tend-to-and-love (R.I.P. lemon basil plant named “Cutlass”). Petit Coco Casserole Pots from Brooklyn5and10, $13
6. Is there a yellow equivalent to “nantucket red” and “cape cod blue”? Yellow Newport Cordones from TOMS
7. A SECOND QUESTION: Will someone teach me how to properly ride a bike so I can go on bike adventures? Velorbis Studine Classic from Copenhagen Cyclery, $1300
Hi, friends. Like a terrible editor, I got sucked into a hole of moving, traveling, and singing “Just Like Heaven” more times than you can imagine. ABOVE IS AN ALMOST-COMPLETELY-ENCOMPASSING-AGGLOMERATION OF WHAT I HAVE DONE DURING OUR SEPARATION.
1. When we last met, I confessed a profound desire to throw a Johnny Weir party. My adoration has not dissipated, and has unquestionably intensified. Especially since I discovered that we get Sundance channel at home! Therefore, I can watch as much Be Good Johnny Weir as I want (until a certain roommate wants to watch Say Yes to the Dress). The show chronicles Johnny’s skating adventures leading up to the Winter Olympics, and will provoke you to shed tears of sorrow over not being best friends with Johnny Weir. Prancing around in fur hats?! Bubble baths with wigs?! If I haven’t convinced you yet, below is a teaser:
Oh, and PS. I am currently watching Pop Star on Ice, an hour and a half documentary on Johnny Weir, AND, I’m going to see him perform Bad Romance live this week. WIN-WIN.
2. Titus Andronicus recently released an epic second album, The Monitor, a cohesive collection of jangly, danceable punk songs with clever references and battle cries. I love battle cries, and the album makes me wish I was from Jersey. Furthermore, I have the attention span of a chipmunk. Despite this, I gleefully consume The Monitor (whose songs mostly exceed 5 minutes). They’re really nice guys who deserve all the album praise they’ve been getting (an unrelated fact that acknowledges I am biased). ANOTHER VIDEO:
A More Perfect Union
Titus Andronicus | MySpace Music Videos
3. While in NYC, I ate the most delicious cookie I had ever eaten. I’ve ingested many cookies, but all of them are now inferior to the magical Levain cookies. Various fortuitous events led to my introduction to Levain. My sister and brother in law saw Rocco DiSpirito mention his love for Levain on the Food Network + I was a block away from the bakery. The cookies are perfection: they are warm and gooey inside, but slightly crispy on the outside. It’s unfortunate that I don’t live in NYC, and cannot afford to have them FedEx’d to Chicago. This copycat recipe for the chocolate chocolate peanut butter chip cookies, however, is pretty good.
4. Have you ever eaten a sour patch kid, and thought, “self. I wish this was a vitamin.” I have trouble remembering to eat my vitamins, but not when I have One-A-Day VitaCraves Sour Gummies.
5. A couple of weeks ago, She & Him released Volume 2, a breezy follow-up to Volume 1. I have mostly positive feelings towards She & Him. Zooey always wears nice frocks, a fact that should have no influence on whether I like She & Him, but…it is a factor. Beyond the frocks, my greatest criticism regarding Volume 1 is Zooey’s chalkboard screeching voice pings. Example: the high notes in “Sentimental Heart.” Not cute Joanna Newsom screeches. Volume 2 is much stronger, and a great way to herald the arrival of Spring (sort of…it’s still cold in Chicago). I especially enjoy their cover of “Gonna Get Along Without You Now.”ALSO THERE IS THIS CUTE VIDEO, WHICH MAKES ME EXTRA EXCITED FOR MY FUTURE BALTIMORE BAND AND DANCE NUMBERS:
6. I’ve been watching a few excellent TV dramas, oddly all related to drug trafficking. Whereas watching The Wire is partly educational for my future move to Baltimore, Breaking Bad satisfies my curiosity regarding what it would be like if an accomplished science teacher cooked meth. This curiosity stems from college organic chemistry lab, where the teacher schooled us in lab technique, and our fate depended on purity and yield. Breaking Bad is amazingly engaging and well-written. It’s intriguing to witness the character progression of Walt, the science teacher who cooks meth (and has lung cancer…and has a son with cerebal paulsy…and he’s poor because he’s a middle school teacher). His thirst for power consumes his initial apprehension, and meth cooking grants him courage that he had never been bold enough to exercise prior to cooking meth.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had a special relationship with the marvelous world of Wonderland. I might be a bit obssessed actually, because years ago I started to collect editions of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Pop-up books, fac-simile of the first edition, comics… Anything you can think of. I even own a never worn Alice costume (but I’m still positive it was a good purchase, the day I’ll wear it, beware !).
Whether it’s the colorful characters, the perfect text work, the crazyness of the situations, Lewis Carrol’s masterpiece has touched generations after generations. I’m not so excited by the upcoming Tim Burton movie, because frankly it looks a bit too hideous for my liking, but I should thank him anyways, because this moving has spawn a whole new market for Wonderland fans. Only two or three years ago I had to really scrap the bottom of the internet to find some decent Alice goodies, but now it’s EVERYWHERE. Just this month, there’s has been a pop-up store in Selfrigdes, special collections at Le Printemps, an exhibit of drawing at Gallerie Arludik, and a fantastic retrospective of old Alice movies at the ICA.
So, for your delight, some hand-picked marvels from wonderland :
is a must-have. Not only is it wonderful to look at, there’s also soft fur on some characters, celluloïd paper and glittering objects throughout the pages. I bought a copy a couple of years ago and still spend lots of time just looking at it and drooling.
If you have other Alice goodies and products, please post them in the comments !
I’m sorry for the lack of updates. I’M ALIVE-I MOVED-I DON’T HAVE INTERNET! Here’s a little something to appease your worried little souls.
My coworker, Patrick, gave the above creation to his girlfriend for Christmas. His official title for it is “Zen Rock Garden/Tatooine Playset.” I had heard about his plans to make the playset, but last week was the first time I saw it with my own over-sized eyes. The basin for his playset is a tray (like the type of tray that someone would bring you breakfast in bed with). Ingeniously, he cut a roll of tape in half, and glued them at the handles. Therefore, the playset is both PORTABLE and the SAND CANNOT ESCAPE! On the subject of Star Wars, HAVE YOU SEEN THESE STAR WARS LEGO SCENES? They’re great. (via frites & fries).
Thank goodness February is short! Rabbit, Rabbit!
Due to various circumstances (like an overpowering desire to discuss aspects of the perfect Johnny Weir party), this post is incredibly delayed. And for that, I APOLOGIZE. While I sit here, arrested in my mundane office life, exactly a week ago, I was at Bryant Park enjoying the Tracy Reese Fall 2010 show. My friend, Tiffany Rogers, Assistant Designer to Tracy Reese, invited me to the show. Past Tracy Reese collections have proven that Tracy Reese likes cute and feminine. AND has a certain obsession with florals. Going into the show, I did not know what to expect. I knew that fur and florals were somehow intertwined in her fall collection: both assumptions and intel that I had gathered from Tiffany gchat status (“fur in mouth!”). As I waited for the show to begin (my first fashion week show ever, mind you), I stared at the pretty flowery backdrop, and longed for spring. Which is an inappropriate longing considering I was about to witness a FALL show.
Soon after, however, my lust for warmer days transformed into a crave for crisp fall (and a desire to meet Julia Stiles, who was also at the show, and the teenager in me, of course, flipped out). While still maintaining her dainty aesthetic (my goodness there was a lot of lace), the Fall 2010 show was surprisingly grittier than past Tracy Reese collections.
Leopard prints, suede, and fur seamlessly unite to create a mesmerizing collection.
Oh! And the loopy scarves! How I wish I had one to hide behind!
I WAS NOT JOKING. The above is a close up of the scarf from backstage (taken by Tiffany).
Afterward, we ate a lot of meat at The Breslin (which is PERFECT INSIDE, and I WISH-I-LIVED-IN-NYC-SO-I-COULD-BE-ONE-OF-THE READERS-IN-THE-COFFEE-BAR-LOBBY-OF-THE-ACE-HOTEL), and took tiny naps before the after party at Gold Bar.
…Which, as the name implies, is filled with gold (like gold skulls, as Tiffany is demonstrating above) and wonderfully creepy paintings. Delightful.
Although he may be ranked sixth after Tuesday’s Olympics men’s short, Johnny Weir is easily the most entertaining competitor in men’s skating. For those of you unfamiliar with him, Johnny is like the product of what would happen if Lady Gaga and Patrick Wolf had a baby that flew out of the womb with ice skates. If my visual is unsatisfactory, please watch the video of his short here. Yes, those are pink tassels.
In honor of this innovative luminary with unbridled creativity and glitter (literally), I decided to cover quintessential components to the perfect Johnny Weir Party. My actions are extremely timely, as the MEN’S FREE SKATE IS TONIGHT. I highly encourage you to watch and throw your own little Johnny Weir party. Although the possibility that he will medal is slim, at least you will have a fine time celebrating Johnny Weir.
SURROUNDINGS
1. Has your rug been on the road to death? Have you always dreamed about getting a hot pink rug? Well, my friend, this is a splendid time to get a pink rug. FACT: Johnny brought pink bath mats with him to Vancouver. Mohawk Home Shag Run in Racy Pink from Target, $100
2. As I hinted moments ago, Johnny Weir is like a skating version of Lady Gaga. It is, therefore, not surprising that Johnny is a HUGE Lady Gaga fan. His love for Lady Gaga extends to the ice rink, as demonstrated in a recent performance to “Poker Face.”
FACT: Johnny brought also brought a poster of Lady Gaga to Vancouver so she could “watch over us.” Lady Gaga poster from Movie Poster USA, $7
ATTIRE
1. FACT: Johnny likes to wear shiny things. THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW MOMENTS IN YOUR LIFE WHERE IT IS APPROPRIATE TO WEAR AN AMERICAN APPAREL METALLIC BODYSUIT (with an even more inappropriate zipper!) NECESSARY ADDENDUM: Johnny also designs his own sparkly onesies, so you should take the creative liberty to further sparkle up your metallic bodysuit. Shiny Zipper-Front Bodysuit in Champagne from American Apparel, $45
World Championships 2006 from Johnny Weir Online
2. Shiny star leggings to avoid an inappropriate crotch reveal if your quadruple lutz living room impersonations go sour. Printed Shiny Leggings from American Apparel, $46
3. FACT: Johnny has been criticized for wearing fur. Silver Indigo Fox All Fur Pill Box Hat from Fur Hat World, $250
picture from delawareonline.com
4. Face and body glitter! Make Up Forever Glitters from Sephora, $13
5. Even more glitter! Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Liner from Sephora, $18
CONSUMABLES
1. For Johnny’s short, he wore pink tassels. Obtain some pink tassels and tie them to martini glasses, only to be filled with…
2. …lemon drop cocktails! This drink is a lemony ode to Johnny’s calming techniques. I cannot take credit for this brilliant idea is from my friend Tiffany, who is obsessed with skating and the Olympics (mutual passions?, read her blog!). We actually ran to Barcelona Bar so she could catch the end of the Pairs skating Monday. Anyways, she sent me this Johnny Weir quote yesterday:
I was nervous last night. So I Pledged everything in my room. Some people eat, some people drink — but I Pledge everything.
3. Sober Sally? Johnny loves Vitamin Water. Shots of Vitamin Water it is!
4. Apparently Johnny barely eats (which is troublesome for a Johnny Weir party), but once a year he will eat angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream.
Does anyone else harbor a desire to throw a Johnny Weir party? Am I the only one?
This is kind of a currently obsessed post in disguise… but since I’ve got road trips on the brain, I thought I’d unite under a single theme.
by Roberto Bolano. I loved this book, and I think it’s the perfect road trip novel for several reasons: it’s long enough to last you, it is told in smaller snippets (diary entries and short-story-like “interviews”) so picking it up and putting it down is not a problem, and it’s about really road-trippy people. (Check out James Wood’s NY Times Review.)
I love Knock Knock, and I actually use my Pack This! notepad before almost every trip.
. Maybe you are wondering why I start trips with postcards. This is because I have to address them and stamp them before I leave or else I will never actually send any. (Besides, most local postcards use very ugly fonts.) But the real reason I’m posting these particular postcards is because I AM SO EXCITED that they are coming to America (…in October… but you can pre-order them!… Penguin always puts everything out in the UK first…). There are 100 Book Covers in ONE box of postcards! (We are pretty in love with book covers here at Stickers & Donuts!)
Note: Background for this post from Mike Swanson’s Blog’s Wallpaper collection.
Hey everybody ! As you may have seen in shops and tv ads, valentine’s day is coming up. To be honest, I’ve never really celebrated it, even when I have a boyfriend. All this cuty-lovey-dovey aspect is a bit too much for much. And anyway, no-one has ever given me a valentine’s day gift or card (and I survived !). But this year, I thought it could be a nice occasion to be creative, give to others and have fun. Whether you are in a relationship, wished you were in one or don’t even want to hear about it, Valentine’s Day 2010 IS going to be fun, with this über-cool list of things to do/buy/offer
I love receiving REAL mail, and this Valentine’s Day, I wanted to send my snail mail friend something exceptionally neat. Admittedly, mailing a surprise-filled tiny box isn’t an original idea. Two Valentine’s Days ago, my sister (who is very crafty) sent me monkey heart socks in a jewelery box. I thought I’d spread the tiny box valentine cheer. To any males who found this/us in pursuit of girlfriend gift inspiration: YOU’RE WELCOME.
SUPPLIES:
Tiny box. You can easily get a 3 x 3 box at craft stores.
A charm + chain for charm + jump ring (if the charm hole won’t fit on the chain). I featured the above carousel in the last pocket-sized treasure post, and it is available at TheseNThose’s Etsy shop.
Card-friendly paper to make a tiny card for the inside of the box lid.
Kraft paper.
Tissue paper.
Three stamps. This is the lazy-Tricia route. I hate lining up at the post office to mail a package, so I’d rather send something by stamps whenever possible. Three stamps is probably excessive, however, I also HATE getting returned mail. I have successfully mailed the same sized box with three stamps, so that’s enough of a guarantee for me. If you have a heavy necklace, you might need more postage (and HAVE to visit the post office, because the box cover can only fit three stamps).
STEPS:
1. Assemble necklace. The carousel horses have manes!
2. Trace the box (length times two!) to make a card for the inside of the box lid.
4. Adhere your card to the inside of the box lid.
5. Tape the necklace to a side of the box so that the charm hangs.
6. Fold over the tissues paper, put lid on box.
7. Wrap box in kraft paper. Make sure you use packing tape, because the post office will reject your box if you use normal tape.
8. Mail!
So say you are sitting watching the news, and they drop a knowledge bomb on you about some historical figure having something to do with today’s troubles and tribulations. If you are like me 84% of the time you think “WHO in the WHERE did WHAT…WHEN? And WHY??” That is where Ms. Kate Beaton can set you straight, with JOKES and COMICS! This helps me, because I can usually only remember things that are funny.
All you ever need to know about Musashi.
Kate is a comic artist from Novia Scotia, currently livin’ it large in Ontario. She tempers her unfailing Canadian politeness by dropping the occasional f-bomb, not to mention the s-bomb and once even the ever-controversial x-bomb, but still does it so charmingly even the Queen Mother herself could not take offense.
Seriously, who doesn’t love the Queen Mum?
Subjects range from those crazy sexy Tudors to dirty old man James Joyce to sexy celibate science genius Nikola Tesla to Fat Ponies. While her usual medium is pencil and pen, recently more shaded comics and colors have been showing up. They’re all nicely rendered; it’s truly the expressions get you.
I normally do not like horses but I LOVE Fat Pony (Click to Embiggen)
Every once in a while we get very lucky, and Kate does some hourly comics. These provide an interesting look into her day-to-day life, which is just as fascinating and hilarious as her scripted comics. In the same vein are her “Younger Self” comics, where Little Kate comes back and has talks with today’s Kate. I’ve never read one where I didn’t laugh and tear up at the same time. Stupid Kate Beaton, making me feel my feelings.
Little Amber would not even talk to me, she’d just read a book (Click to Embiggen)
You can follow Kate all over the internet at her website (Hark! A Vagrant), Twitter and LiveJournal. If you live in Novia Scotia or New Brunswick you can catch Kate as the Ease On Down the Road Artist in Residence at her alma matter Mount Allison University from January 21 to February 18. Several items by Kate are available to clothe your body and smarten up your brain through Topatoco, an awesome online retailer.
I am going to do you a favor and warn you: DO NOT LOOK UP THESE LETTERS
(All images from Hark! A Vagrant’s archive: Musashi, Queen Mum, Pony Hitman, Younger Self Advent, James Joyce Is Going To Corrupt You All)
