I know, I haven’t posted in EONS! But I am obsessed with JewelMint. I found them first in Teen Vogue, which, YES, I still subscribe to even though I am in my MID TO LATE TWENTIES.

The basics: it was created by Kate Bosworth and a friend, and is like the Columbia House Records of jewelry, but not quite as sneaky as Columbia House when they send you like 10 CDs you never asked for. You begin by taking a quiz, and then each month new jewels are selected for you, but you don’t have to buy them. I never buy any of them because I don’t have $30 to spend at the moment (sometimes they email you a coupon and you can get them for $9-18), but I think one day I might. I just look at them online. (You can look at all selections and don’t have to buy the one they suggest.)

I *love* this jewelry because there are some unique BRIGHT COLOR options, but there are more classic designs, too, and lots of silvers, blacks, and golds. They also suggest what you can wear the jewel with, and have pictures of the jewelry close-up as well as on a model, or occasionally a celebrity.

Just wanted to share!  (Maybe I’ll do another post soon — my year in grad school is just finishing and my computer just came back from the shop.)

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.

1. The Savage Detectives 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.)
2. Pack This! I love Knock Knock, and I actually use my Pack This! notepad before almost every trip.
3. Half Pink Hair. I feel like you should either start a road trip or return from a road trip with a new look. I really want this half-pink hair but know that I will mess it up. (Anyone died their hair pink? Half pink? Tips?!) (Found this on Suicide Blonde’s tumblr.)
4. Globetrotter Necklace. I enjoy wearing thematically appropriate jewelry.
5. Bright Backpack! I often carry way too many items for a purse alone, so I just got this Jansport backpack and I am thrilled with it. It’s high quality, has perfect pockets, fits my macbook pro, feels good on the shoulders, and is all of my favorite colors (except blue, but that’s okay).
6. Postcards from Penguin. 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.

I love to go ridiculously, overboard all-out for valentine’s day, wearing way too many heart shaped accessories, way too much pink and red, and usually some kind of heart-shaped, plastic Hello Kitty accessory just to ensure that I don’t look like, you know, an actual adult.

This year, just for you-you-you, I put together the kind of outfit I’d like to wear on the 14th (or perhaps Friday the 13th, to scare away the demons & be sure all can enjoy my cartoonish appearance). The central piece, a dress from Forever 21, is so inexpensive that if you get a little chocolate on it, you won’t be too upset <3 <3 <3.

1. These Sweatheart Sunglasses (Urban Outfitters, $16) come in four colors, so you can choose what level of “overboard” you want to go this Feb 14.

2. I featured Candy Thief and her beautiful, bright, detailed felt accessories after visiting her booth at the Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn last year. This time, she’s really done it with her beautiful (and one of a kind, I might add!) Valentine Headband (Candy Theif on Etsy, $35)

3. This Heart of Gold Brooch (Calexandra on Etsy, $14), while keeping with the V-day theme, is refreshingly glittery and gold which will stand out on the required red or pink top.

4. I <3 this Ruffled Satin Dress (Forever 21, $23) — full pink and ruffly, just like an old-fashioned valentine’s day card!

5. Another subtle accessory, this Pure & Simple Necklace (nanopod on Etsy, $32) is in a slightly ironic “heart-shape.”

6. This Reversible Messenger Bag with Ruffle Flap (31 Corn Lane, on sale for $14) can be navy or green, and either will contrast boldly with your pink dress while the pink ruffle will tie it altogether to the V-day theme.

7. These Shiny Stirrup Tights (American Apparel, $14) add an extra over-the-top pink to your outfit. It’s the final touch that says HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY.

The happy, heart-y, pixely font featured in this post is Pixelpoiiz, and is a free download at dafont.com.

In the past two weeks, I have accumulated quite a few sudden, urgent, and odd obsessions.

1. My first new obsession is quite a lot of work: learning Chinese. If you, like me, have lived your whole life in America with exposure to zero non-western languages, I’ll have you know that Chinese is quite a treat, with its four tones, phonetic spelling (pinyin) and complicated characters. *If you’re interested, I’ve recorded some of my fave sites for Chinese language learning at the bottom of this post, after the jump and next to the asterisk.*

2. Maybe because I’m unemployed, I have begun to love Anthropolgie with such passion that I visit the page regularly to see if something will go ridiculously on sale (fail). Anyway, they have lots of bright necklaces now (Pow! Accessories), including this one which is called a Strawberry Harvest Necklace. It’s only $200! Er. I’ll have to wait on that one.

3. Shout-out to my local library! I forgot how AWESOME libraries are. You can save tons of money and read tons of book and feel very smart. Queens libraries are esp awesome because there is like one every half mile, AND you can take out books for something like 20 days and renew them up to 3 times AND to check out you just put your books on this mat, and it knows what you have and prints out a receipt telling you when everything is due. Magical.

4.  I put the icon really small in my collage because I’m embarrassed. (I like American Idol. Breaking hearts and fueling dreams!) THERE. I said it. I DO. This week is the first time I ever watched it. Lucky for me there were two episodes on. Cara is a bitch, first of all. But I like Simon. I mean, he is too mean. But when he likes someone, he gives them a little wink and he has that adorable accent. And also Ryan Seacrest IS hot. I get it now. But is his real last name really Sea-Crest? Seems too good to be true.

5. I’ve just started reading Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita (yep, thanks Queens Library!). JUST LOOK AT THIS PROSE which is (1) melodic, (2) hysterical: “All at once we were madly, clumsily, shamelessly, agonizingly in love with each other; hopelessly, I should add, because that frenzy of mutual possession might have been assuaged only by our actually imbibing and assimilating every particle of each other’s soul and flesh; but there we were, unable even to mate as slum children would have so easily found an opportunity to do.” (Ah, I love that! Don’t you?)

6. OMG. I stopped in the Forever 21 at Herald Square, and the accessories (second floor) look like CANDY. It’s because there are so many, piles and piles, and they are all really brightly colored. I was in love. While I particularly liked the in store set-up, the accessories this season are really bright and unique, and just a little cheaper than at Anthropolgie. I usually wear “costume jewelry” anyway. That way, I can have a lot more : ).

7. The Reader. In my opinion, this season’s best movie. It has at least two things going for it from the very start: Kate Winslet (I love her), and Stephen Daldry, who directed one of my favorite movies, The Hours. (I don’t know if it’s true, but according to IMDB he’s also slated to direct a production of one of my fave novels, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay.) (more…)

This past weekend I went to the biennial Dodge Poetry Festival in Stanhope, NJ. Just forty-five minutes from the rural-ish town (cows > people) where I grew up, this poetry festival is one of the largest (the largest?) in North America. It always features a few poet laureates and other publicly-ordained-people of poetic fabulousness (Mark Doty, Lucille Clifton, Billy Collins, Franz Wright, to name a mere four).

As I walked around the festival this year, I noticed that poetry festival attendees, mostly middle-aged women, are comprised of two main fashion-groups (male-poetry-enthusiast fashion is a different animal!):

1. Those who do not know how to dress, and obviously do not care that they do not know how to dress. (Example: Trousers. Sweatshirt with large word on it. The most functional shoes possible. Glasses.)
2. Those who dress in earth-tones and shop at Coldwater Creek.

Interestingly, both sets contain more long-haired middle-aged women than the American population as a whole. That hair is either: Long, straight, and unlayered. Or long, frizzy, and sort-of-tamed with a silver barrette. (In case you are wondering, I knew that earth-tones would be in at the Poetry Festival, so I arrived aptly dressed in one of the few neutral colored outfits I own.)

Anyway, enough with the stereotyping! Wait, actually, not enough with the stereotyping. First, I have to provide my guide for your How-To-Dress-Like-Someone-Who-Likes-Poetry needs (see image above, links & commentary below).

AFTER THE JUMP: links, commentary. Also, there may or may be not a picture of what I might or might not have worn to the poetry festival. (more…)

I hope you enjoyed this week’s posts & pictures about the fabulous illustrator Yasmine!

If you like interviews and art, then you’ll be happy to hear that later this month our special columnist Tricia will feature interviews with SEVEN different show-poster artists!

If you miss Tricia, you can visit her school supply posts, which are still loved by all.

Oh, and as for the bracelet above: yes, I kind of love it, in all of its awkward, impaled weirdness. (From regencies.com.) Have a great weekend! (I’m taking another quick trip to Cape Cod for a wedding!)

1. For the bicyclists who want their shorts to nearly double as reflectors!
   Nylon Tricot Bike Short in Lime Green, American Apparel, $28
2. To take down your speedy running times.
   Nike Yellow Chisel Watch, Urban Outfitters, $110
3. Okay, scrunchies are horribly ugly, but the gymnasts didn’t seem to get that memo. So, we can still wear them with a little irony, no?
   Custom Sequin Swirl Two Color Hair Scrunchies (choose your own colors!), She Plays Sports, $5
4. Running shoes that will keep your spirits bright on mile 10 (unless you are keeled over like I would be…).
   Adidas Technicolor Runners, Urban Outfitters, $88
5. Much less boring than most tennis racket cases.
   Tennis Racket Carrying Case, Fred Flare, $30
6. Yes, a really brightly colored suit from Speedo (there are other ones, too)
   Women’s Ninja Leaderback Swimsuit, Speedo, $55
7. For you back handsprings.
   Cotton Spandex Jersey Bodysuit, American Apparel, $36
8. A gold medal! Okay, so it’s a gold locket (er, actually brass), but you can pretend!
   Large Etched Locket Necklace, Urban Outfitters, $34

Okay, so I know that the Olympics are a classy event, which is why the Olympians show up in opening ceremonies in perfect, Ralph Lauren style. And I know that Olympians have the fanciest of running shoes, the specialist of swim caps, and they are always all decked out in home colors. Olympic fashion ranges from super-cool, to significantly ugly. Usually, bright colors are left behind for a more subdued look, but since you and I are probably not Olympians, we can be in the Olympic spirit without such constraints! Lime green and hot pink here we come!

Click on the images above or the links below to see some of my favorite blog-finds this week! Remember to right click to open in a new window! Have a wonderful weekend!

1. I don’t know why, but I totally love this Oh Deer print from Print a Day. I would love to use this design as ironic wrapping paper!
2. A Binder Clip Typeface?! Creative & cute! (via Swiss Miss, via I Love Typography)
3. Hello! You There! is a web-page that allows you to send anonymous complaints and suggestions to whoever is out there bothering you in real-life. Totally cool project! I can think of a few notes I might want to send… (via Veer)
4. OMG! I am so excited about this movie, Gentlemen Broncos, about a sci-fi author who steals some kid’s writing camp piece for his novel. I’m excited not only because it stars a large-eyed Flight of the Conchords member, and not only because it’s directed by Jared Hess of Napoleon Dynamite, but because it has its own fake sci-fi web-page which copies the creepy / poor design of many sci-fi web-pages out there. (thanks again Veer!)
5. A texting pattern from illustrator John Coulter. So cute and doodley and fun!
6. Okay, so Veer struck gold this week and posted yet another cool thing — a free, online 3D drawing program. You can’t really make anything too detailed, and your need your own 3D glasses, but the idea just seems so cool to me!
7. After my Book Week post on book crafts, I was super-excited to see these cut-out books on Swiss Miss from designer Kelly Blair (who has tons of other cool and colorful things in her portfolio).
8. Love this letterpress print, Gravity’s Rainbow (a rainbow made of sharp objects) from I Am Still Alive posted today on +KN.
9. As I’ve mentioned, I studied ASL (American Sign Language) a few semesters, so I really love these “manual alphabet” necklaces from Lorena Barrezueta posted this week on Design*Sponge.

Instead of tying a string around their finger, the forgetful among us can wear this calendar ring (shown on Open! Design & Concepts). (Okay, so tying a string around your finger won’t help you actually remember the date, but this ring actually will!)

“Gold. For the forgetfuls. The date is set up with three rings which are rotated independently. If you don’t forget to set it up” (Open! Design & Concepts)

(Swissmiss posted this cool band-aid ring yesterday.)

Although many of the accessories at the Renegade Craft Fair this past weekend were fabulous, a lot of them were typical: chain, string, charm. This is not a bad thing, but it just made the bracelets, collars (collars? what?), headbands, and hats at The Candy Thief booth stand out even more.

Above: Candy Thief bracelets made of felt at the Renegade Craft Fair. Look at the pretty stitching & details, like the dark fabric lining.

These accessories all use the same detailed technique of layering brightly colored felt “leaves,” attached with contrasting stitching. Special details include little flowers, buttons, and beads, and a layer of dark fabric inside the bracelets (presumably for beauty and comfort, since felt seems like it might be itchy).

Despite (and because of!) the jagged leafy edges, and a material that some believe is reserved for elementary school art class, these accessories are beautiful & elegant.

Above: We questioned how one of these crazy bracelets would look when worn, so we put one on. And we liked it!

The Candy Thief Etsy Shop allows custom orders on headbands (you can choose your colors and give your measurements) for about $35. There is also a whole slew of already-made headbands for you to look at if you need some Candy Thief eye candy.

Above: Image of a Candy Thief collar. Image from The Candy Thief Etsy store.

The collars, though a bit more daring, would be the kind of accessory to stir conversation and turn heads (in a good way) and look most suitable for a trendy night on the town (though we all know I don’t look down on wearing anything anywhere!). These guys can be custom ordered, too (about $45).

And lastly, but not leastly: I love these adorable bonnet-hats that I am kicking myself for not looking into further, because I don’t see them in the Candy Thief Etsy Shop. With four coordinating fabrics, a little brim, and a tie for your neck, these vintage-feel hats seem perfect for a sunny day on the beach.

Entire coverage of 2008 Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn.