Boo!

Halloween is THREE days away!! Do you have your costume picked out? My faves in DC and I are all going as pirates. One of my friends, C, is a huge Halloween fan so we have been planning our joint group costume for months. Seriously. Since Labor Day.

Here is a little video that she found on JibJab and had customized... Our dancing skills are pretty accurate, if I do say so myself (I am Frankenstein, btw).

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Anyway, Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I think for four years straight in college I was "Secret Agent T- Queen Princess of the Flower Fairies". My senior year I even made my own tutu with ribbon, tulle from Walmart, and a hot glue gun. It was amazing.

Halloween is one of those days though that I wish I could borrow a child or a pet to take trick-or-treating. While dressing up and going out to bars/parties is fun, nothing matches the magic of a kid (or pet) in a costume.

This is a great gallery of pets all dressed up-- it's much better than the "why pets hate halloween" email that gets passed around every year.

The squirrel-pup is my favorite but there are tons more here.

via New York Mag  

Glee!!

Are yall watching Glee? If not you should be (9 pm on Fox).

Full of great one-liners, fun dance numbers, and quirky, quirky characters it is one of the highlights of my week.

Here is a sample from one of the most recent episodes:

Not That Kind of Girl

"I'm not that kind of girl" I say, as the boy I just met that night tries to kiss me in a dark and crowded bar. I'm not the kind of girl to make out with a strange when I barely remember his name, in front of the whole world. I'm not that kind of girl.

Fast forward an hour and a few more jack and cokes later and there we are- in front of some random bar on some random street in DC. What next. Your house or mine. Together or separate. We call a truce- a few kisses are shared and into the cab we go.

We end up on the futon of a mutual friend; it seemed like a wise decision at the time. There is the requisite amount of fumbling and x leads to y, yet not all the way to z. I am not that kind of girl.

The chirping of birds wakes us way earlier than necessary. I learn that I don't really like sleeping next to someone that I barely know on a futon. He is sweaty and it's hot and I like my own space.

We walk awkwardly to the metro, getting a bit lost on the way as neither of us is in a familiar neighborhood. Sitting there, counting the stops until I am suppossed to change trains, wondering what to do or say next and wondering why exactly this seemed like a good idea to begin with.

"Bye. This was, uh, unexpected," I say, "I had fun."

Monday morning I remember that I know who he works for. I may not know his last name but I remembered his boss's. A quick search leads me to his last name which leads me to facebook. Yep, I stalked. I am that kind of girl.

A few weeks later we pass in the hall, neither one wanting to acknowledge that we recognized each other. I'm not that kind of girl.

About a year later my office moves--- right down the hall from his office. You see, I remembered his boss's name. My biggest fear is now having to share an elevator.

Knowing looks are shared each time we pass each other. Aknowledging yet not, because you see, I am not that kind of girl.

This continues... now it has been almost two years. I wish I could just say hi, ask how he was doing, pretend to be super cool about what happened in that random bar on that random street.

But I can't, you see, because I'm not that kind of girl.

Bump Like This

For the fast few months I have been attempting to work out more consistently. I have actually started running- kind of a big deal for me- and it only works because of my awesome, kick-ass playlist.

It's called "prance" and is on constant repeat when I am at the gym or running intervals in the neighborhood. Here are some of the songs that are included:

Kelly Rowland- "Like This"



Black Eyed Peas- "Boom Boom Pow"




Missy Elliot- "We Run This"



Cobra Starship- "Good Girls Go Bad"



Beyonce- "Freakum Dress"



What are some of your favorite workout songs??
 

Project Update

Since it was a long weekend, I wanted to make the most of it and try and change something up in my bedrooom. I have been wanting to do something for a while but since I rent (and am a pretty crappy painter) I didn't want to paint my walls. So... I decided to paint my bed.

I talked about it in this post but as a recap, here is a photo of what it looked like before:

One of my most favorite colors is a pinky-red-orange-coral. I have a number of sweaters, jackets, shirts, etc. all in this color and pretty much love it. I saw the bed below on Design Sponge a while ago and fell in love. While I am not about to learn how to upholster something and I wouldn't know where to find that fabric I still had a plan.

(see more info here)

When I was telling my mom about this plan she brought up the logistics. I mean- not only would I have to deal with the painting part but it would normally involve taking it apart, getting it down my super steep and narrow stairs, and then putting it back together. So I came up with a backup plan- just leave it in my room, rearrange a few things, and try really hard not to get anythign on the hardwood floors.

Anyway- here is the after photo. I am looking for a new white comforter (right now I am just using my down comforter without the duvet cover and my same shams) but beyond a few drops of paint on the floor I am pretty happy about it.

What do you think??

Planning Ahead

I love the Olympics. No- scratch that. I adore the Olympics. The summer games are my favorite, dating back to the 92 games in Barcelona. I have seen the stadium from the Barcelona games and will always remember going to some of the events during the 96 games in Atlanta. I even kept Michael Phelps as my background on my laptop for an embarrassingly long time.

Last week, when the IOC announced Rio as the location for the 2016 games I was so bummed that Chicago lost out, as it was probably my best chance to attend in person again, although I also started looking at flights to Brazil just in case I experience a financial windfall in the next 6+ years.

However, there is some light on the horizon. The Opening Ceremony for the 2010 games in Vancouver are on February 12th. The save the dates have already been sent for the viewing party at my house (totally not kidding- if you are in the DC area and not creepy, you might get an invite too).

Most importantly- meet my new best friend, one of three mascots for the games- Quatchi. He's a Sasquatch who plays hockey (I am being 100% serious- this is all taken straight from the Vancouver 2010 website and if you go there, make sure to have your sound on to hear him talk).

Apples to Apples

Apple picking on Saturday was quite a success. I ended up going w/ the plaid shirt as I talked about in this post and took everyone's advice and went totally feminine with my accessories- my tory burch reva's, gold bangles, and gold hoops.

I was pretty happy as far as all of that goes except it was super warm to be wearing flannel and jeans but since I had been thinking about this for a while I kept on with my original plan and tried to think cool thoughts. What can I say- I am willing to suffer for fashion.

Anyway, we went to Homestead Farm in Poolesville, MD. There were tons of families with children- next year I may need a child to borrow and drag along as all the kids looked like they were having so much fun and none of my friends (all 20 something young professionals) didn't want to feed the goats, play in the hay bales, or go on the tractor ride like I did. It's their loss...

Last year we went to the same farm and had an abundance of apples- my eyes were apparantly way out of touch with the amount of cooking that I realistically would do. This year we all set a limit for ourselves- 30 apples max. We shouldn't have worried- the crop was a bit sparse this year. There were several rows of Pink Lady apples (my faves) that weren't quite ripe enough but the Golden and Red Delicious apples were pretty tasty. My group- the single girls group as we referred to ourselves as (the others were either married, long term relationship, and just started dating)- actually threw in the towel and ended up going back to the beginning and bought a few bags of already picked apples to round out our meager offerings.
 

Whatever- no one will ever know the difference.

We capped the night off with a feast and a football game-- unfortunately only one was successful (UGA almost broke our hearts on Saturday... sigh). Everything was a little bit apple-y-- we had fruit/veggies and dip, apple bread, baked brie with apple butter (my contribution), apple/cheddar pizza, pulled pork in homemade tortilla bowls with apple relish, swordfish and apple skewers, veggie quinioa (the only non-apple item-- we needed a bit of a reprive), and apple-rum cake. Seriosuly- we all had to be rolled out of there.

Anyway, apple picking is a super fun activitiy that gets you outside and actively doing something. It was pretty affordable too- only $1 or so per pound, much better than what you get at the grocery store, not to mention the satisfaction of knowing that you picked them youself. Apples also are pretty nutritious from what I hear so as long as you don't cover them in sugar, put them in pastry, and bake them- it's a pretty healthy activity too.

My major tip would be to make sure that you hit the orchard at a good time for the variety of apples that you are looking for- otherwise you might have to cheat like we did and purchase some that have already been picked.

Happy fall!

-T

(p.s.- I have included some of my favorite apple specific pictures... a longer post will likely happen later with my pumpkin saga... consider that your warning to have tissues handy as it's pretty tragic)

Weekend Project

Ok so it may only be Tuesday but I am soo ready for the weekend, especially since it is Columbus Day so it will be extended a bit. I have a few things that I would like to get done, including checking out the sales at the nearby outlet mall. My big project is going to be a room (really just bed) makeover.


Below is my bedroom now:

When I finish, the bed will be this color (the red-ish main front color- Martha Stewart Vintage Rickrack, fyi):

 This will be quite the task, especially since I can't figure out how to take my bed apart (much less put it back together) so I am thinking about leaving it in the room and just moving things around a bit.

It could be fantastic, it could be a disaster.

My Favorite Season

While I can't believe that it is already October and I wonder where the summer went, I am so glad that it seems like fall is finally here, or at least on the way. The leaves are beginning to change and it is consistently becoming cooler. This past weekend my friends and I went apple picking (full post to come later this week) and ushered in fall with an apple feast. There are so many things to look forward to- Football season, Halloween, blazers, scarfs, and of course, my birthday. I am going to try and chronicle some of my favorite things about fall in the next few weeks.

Today I broke out my fall fragrance- Burberry Brit. It is woodsy, spicy, and just has all of the essence of fall in a few quick squirts (a little goes a long way). Plus the bottle is super cute with the classic plaid desgin...

Happy fall!!

-T

ps- Thanks SOO much CTB for the shout out... and the encouragement to start this blog- finally!

Taking the World by Storm

For the one or two people that didn't know, Lonny, the online design magazine, was launched yesterday (more info here). This fills the slots left behind after several home decor magazines were shut down within the past two years. With all of the talk of print journalism being eclipsed by blogs (muah ha ha ha) this is a super exciting development.

I have a stack of both Blueprint and Domino that have moved with me many times and I even kind of created a scene last time I went home and found out that my mom got rid of a few issues that I had left behind... what can I say, I like my magazines.

Under the editorial direction of Michelle Adams (see her blog here) and photographer Patrick (www.lonnyphoto.com) features by Eddie Ross (from that show on Bravo and this website) and Grace from Design Sponge I am really looking forward to seeing what they have to offer.

There are many great things about Lonny but the fact that I can sneakily look at it while at work and it conveniently provides instant links to the products featured for impulse shopping is probably a huge plus-- especially considering I have at least 2 months worth of Glamour, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair, Architectural Digest, Martha Stewart, Esquire, and Rolling Stone unread and gathering dust on my bookshelf...

Tweet Tweet

Last night I had the most difficult time explain why I like to twitter to three non-twitter friends. They pretty much it is the silliest thing in the whole world. I tried to explain that if I told them (or anyone for that matter) all of the random thoughts or articles or whatever that I come up with they would no longer be my friends.

I can control who sees these thoughts better than facebook, because really, girl I was in 2nd grade with, I don't care what you had for breakfast. Facebook is for stalking, twitter is for communicating with a select few people that I can carefully screen. Write that down.

Twitter is also great for things like this video:



via

48 Days and Counting

My birthday is in 48 days. A year ago I decided that 24 was going to be my year. So far, not so much. Nothing bad of course, just not the life changing, best year of my life, that I imagined. I have 48 days to make that happen.

In the meantime, I am building my wish list for my 25th birthday. Who wants to buy me this?

via

Weekend Outfit

My friends and I are going apple picking on Saturday. We will then go to my friends house for an apple themed dinner party while we watch football and drink wine. I am pretty pumped, I just am not sure what to wear.

Part of me wants to go all out lumberjack and rock a plaid shirt and jeans like we have been seeing everywhere. This one from Target is in the running, as it is my team colors and within my price range ($15- cheap) because I mean really, how many times am I going to wear a plaid shirt again...

via

Then I remember that I am so not a lumberjack, not a 90's grunge, and will probably look silly trying to look like either.

PS- are these shirts (and other similar designs) button-ups or button-downs? They are referred to equally and I am not sure what the difference is...

Add This to the List of Things I Wish I Thought of First...

There are all sorts of websites out there recording the best and worst of society.

We have Awkward Family Photos...

via

We have People of Walmart...

 via

Now I present to you my favorite-- My Parents Were Awesome!!! Ranging from the adorable to the wacky, this site is precious and I can't wait to search for a contribution of my own.

 

via

Happy Browsing!!

Back to School

I am absolutely stunned that it is almost October. Where has September gone? Although I am not in school anymore I always think about back to school preparations and shopping for school supplies-- especially finding that perfect outfit for the first day of school. I want to hit up the office supply store for new pencils, folders, and all of the other gear that I couldn't live without.

I have been seeing blackboards and blackboard decals with colorful chalk everywhere lately. It brings back the days pre-whiteboards and projectors in a super fun way...

I really want this blackboard decal for my fridge- it would be a great way to remind my roommates about bills being due, a fun party that weekend, or that we are out of trash bags.

 

via  Etsy

They are used soo cleverly in this bakery located in California, as seen on simplesong. It's a great way to show the changing menu items (the cupcakes look delish too!)

via here

Photographer Sharon Montrose and her husband have an old fashioned schoolroom blackboard in their home. Apparantly her husband surprised her with the below image. I would be so psyched... the bikes are totally adorable and he even created an Etsy site, selling prints of his bicycles (see ChalkChalk).

via  here

See- super versatile, not to mention fun, throwbacks to elementary school. I think that's what I like most about the blackboard- so many options, from lists, menus, to works of art.

Hidden Places

My lunch break 95% of the time consists of the 15-20 minutes that it takes to run somewhere to grab a sandwich that I inevitably end up eating back at my desk. Every now and then, when there is more time, I like to escape outside.

This post from DC on a Dime (see here) talk about the courtyard at the National Portrait Gallery as a great quiet spot in town that most people don't think about. I would add the Botanical Gardens to the list of quiet escapes.

During the warmer weather I like to wander through their gardens but when it is chilly outside, the warm tropical conservatory is a great remedy to S.A.D. that we all try to avoid in the dreary winter months. Even better- during the holiday season they build replicas of all of the DC landmarks out of plants...

(gorgeous photo via flickr user Alicia Griffin)

Project

I am a huge fan of finding pieces of furniture at thrift stores like Goodwill and transforming them into something much much better than they were before. This is something I probably inherited from my father who took me to flea markets and antique shows when I was younger in search of some fantastic find.

In college I found this great side table that had a really neat column but horrendous base and top. Here is what I turned it into:

More recently, I found a coffee table at Goodwill for only $15. It has a great shape and just needed a good sanding and coat of paint. I went with navy, as it is one of my favorite colors these days, and went well with my mustard/gold couch and chair as well as the olive green rug. I was pretty happy with how it turned out. I also went ahead and painted a seagrass lamp left behind by a prior roommate while I was at it. Here is my living room now -- 

For my next project, I want to find something similar to what is seen in the first example in this post from Design Sponge, my go to resource for home decoration tips.

Here is the before--

Here is the after--

Now I just need to find a similar vase...

(photos courtesy of my camera and Design Sponge)

Spotted

My friends and I often joke about finding Mr. One and Only via the craigslist missed connections section. Most of the posts are pretty ricidlous- I mean, who really remembers the guy in the red car they saw at the corner of x and y street on their morning commute? But hey, who knows- maybe the cute guy I made eye contact with at the sandwich shop was soo smitten that he couldn't forget that moment and he had to take his search to craigslist. Yeah- super unlikely to happen but it's fun to talk about.

That is exactly why seeing these illustrations on a Kottke.org post by artist Sophie Blackhall (here is her website) made me smile. Blackhall takes an actual missed connection and turns them into works of art. I really want to give one as a gift...or maybe to keep for myself. This is such a clever idea and you can purchase them on her etsy site.

This is my favorite, I think.

The Bangle

Matters of Style- one of my favorites- did a post last week about bangles. This could not have come at a better time. I love bangles and after a visit home added three new ones to my collection, straight out of my mother's jewelry box (all gold- one solid, one like bamboo, and one with diagonal lines).

One problem with my decision to make the bangle my signature accessory for the fall is that I don't have enough to really integrate it into my wardrobe. MoS had some great ideas - my favorites were the Kate Spade rick-rack ones...

I am definitely going to stalk the Kate Spade website to see if these go on sale. At $65 each (I would want the orange and the blue ones, at least) they are a smidge out of my price range. I am going to have to start paying attention to the vintage/resale stores that I visit regularly to see if they have something similar.

(image via Matters of Style)

Outfit Help!!

So I have a major JCrew addition that has gotten a bit out of hand recently. My closet can only hold so much before I have to seriously think about giving away/selling things on ebay. That said, I have added some great pieces to my wardrobe, and thanks to great sites like Gigi's and others, I haven't really regretted any of my purchases. My only problem is finding somewhere to wear my new outfits.

Here is what I put together on polyvore with my newest purchase- the ruffled edelyn lawn dress in navy. This is my first, gut instinct, on how I would put this together. I like it- technically- though I feel like it is a little too trite and expected (not that I am going to break any fashion milestones or anything. Anyone have any suggestions on how to improve? 

Navy dress by tkn1118 featuring J Crew belts

SVH Here We Come!

It's made the rounds since the news broke but I am so psyched that Diablo Cody is working on a script for the Sweet Valley High movie (see the news here). I loved the SVH books... Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield and their boys and their friends and their drama were a big part of my adolescent reading. I also watched the tv show from the early 90's after school while I would eat cheese toast as a snack (here is the imdb info for those that need a refresher: SVH).

The first season is even on DVD (hint hint- my birthday is in November and I will even provide you with the amazon link to make things easier).

I'm not alone in my love for the Wakefields- two friends of mine (conviently named Elizabeth and Jesscia) went as the twins to an 80's throwback party a friend of mine hosted a while ago.

PS- if anyone is super obsessed, you can follow some of the most loved/hated characters (Todd Wilkins or Lila Fowler anyone?) on Twitter-- Lemondrop has all of the info.

Have a happy Saturday!!

-T

(image from amazon.com)

Decorating my Imaginary Castle

One day, when I win a million dollars in some serendipitous way, I plan to have a pretty amazing castle/apartment loft/brownstone/Victorian manor/cabin in the woods/bungalow in the suburbs. It will be decorated eclecticly, with a mix of old and new items that I will have collected over the years during all my anticipated travels.

Currently, I am actually pretty happy with the way that my house is decorated, considering my meager budget and all. Periodically I plan on posting images of my current house and redecoration attempts as well as dream furnature, budget be damned.

Here are some things I spotted this weekend, both from Decoriam in Old Town (more info here).

First, this chair and pillow. The chair is great- has great bones. It would be a great side chair in an entry way, with a fun upholstery  job. I love the ikat look with this pillow- just haven't seen a great example within my price range. Someday...

Then, this ottoman. Orange isn't exactly one of my favorite colors but at the same time, the mix of bright plastic-y and vinyl orange and the mirrored legs (I am sure this has an official name I just can't find it right now) are so fun!

It's a Lovely Day in the Neighborhood

On Saturday I participated in a 5k benefiting the Friends of New Orleans (see here). Since this was in my neighborhood, two of my friends met at my house and walked to the race site. While on the way, one of my friends mentioned how surprised she was that the people she passed actually acknowledged her presence. Apparently this doesn't often happen in her neighborhood, a more urban area of the city.

It is kinda amazing how few people actually say "hello" or "good morning" or even just nod while passing on the street. That is exactly why I love my neighborhood and my neighbors. I know my the people that I live around- not necessarily well enough to be invited in for a cup of tea- but enough to say hello, good evening and recognize them in passing. I have watched the yellow lab across the street grow from a teeny puppy to a bounding adolescent dog and smile and wave to the elderly man next door as he cuts his grass.

That is all I am asking for.

Bookclub

So I hosted bookclub tonight- my first time. Wow I love my friends!! Moving to a new city was super scary-  I didn't know what I was in for when I left small town SC (college) and GA (hometown) for the big city of Washington DC but now I can't imagine myself anywhere else.

My least favorite question is probably "What next?" I refuse to answer- only wanting to think about the here and the now-- and after many nudges from my friends I have decided to create a blog. Here I plan to discuss the "here and the now," whether that involves the awkward boy scenarios, work drama, dreams of a different life, redecoration plans for the house I share with two roommates, or just daily minutia that drives me crazy- all in anticipation of my best selling memoir that, I am sure, will hit the shelves in a few years.