Pouf

This takes the Arkansas pouf to a whole new level. Yikes.

I do happen to think the dress is perfect, however. With the boots.
It'd make a pretty stellar wedding dress.
(image from Christian Dior Spring 2010 via a glamorous little side project)

"You learn as you grow up, if you're intelligent – or even three-quarter witted – that there's no free lunch. You pay for things in various ways. Living, loving, everything else is a matter of the same principles: you learn to work with what you have. And there's nobody today who can't do something to help herself.

"If you can't be pretty, you have to learn to make yourself attractive. I found that all the pretty girls I went to high school with came to middle age as frumps, because they just got by with their pretty faces, so they never developed anything. They never learned how to be interesting. But if you are bereft of certain things, you have to make up for them in certain ways. Don't you think?"

Iris Apfel, self-proclaimed "geriatric starlet."

pink, red, and OCEAN makes this girl want a vacation.
ps kate's copywriters are brilliant. what a tagline! i love it. it truly makes me want to buy up their entire spring inventory.

+

this

Oscar de la Renta. I would like to name these as spring trends. Shimmer and sparkle, more ombre, grey and salmon and teal with pops of neon yellow and kelly green. Champagne. Vintage, sure, what's new. Love the little accent colors. That bright green and the yellow and then the red even. Saturated, darker versions of their base colors.

Of course, the logic backs it all up. It always does.

more green references here and here from the Sartorialist.

I need to dust around my cubicle.

This is unfortunate, since I hate dusting. But not all bad, because it reminded me of one of my all-time favorite children's books, All-of-a-kind Family.

Mom used to hide pennies and dimes around the house whenever I dusted. If I found all of the coins, I had done a good job. We were still finding leftover pennies into my college years.... :)

Kristen, Rachel and I used to sit in the scratchy orange chairs of FMC's library every day after church and read books like this one. All-of-a-kind Family reminds me still of the simple pleasures of life and the sweetness of close family ties. It almost makes me sad that I have a regular and adequate income--how fun would it be to save up pennies to buy sweets, or to make a trip to the library the event of the week?!

Okay, maybe not all that great after a while. But you should check the book out, if only at your library. It's just so sweet. And if you don't love the story, at least appreciate the charming illustrations.

As promised, here is my Christmas Research Report for work. It might have been overachieving to produce it in flash, but it was good practice. :)

The goal is to use these findings in upcoming Christmas card designs. We'll see how that works out.

I'm curious to know what you all think of the trends that I spotlighted? Do you think they are on track, or are you seeing different things? Is too much of what I posted influenced solely by the places I shop?

Today, while searching old emails to find an answer to a web design question that I know I've asked Kirk before, I found a jackpot of old memories, primarily consisting of YouTube videos sent between a few select coworkers.

They are too good (or ridiculous) not to share (and immortalize) on this blog.

Exibit A: the cat massage, which taught me everything I need to know about caring for Beatrice.



Exhibit B: the Terry Gross interview with Gene Simmons which is simultaneously disturbing and hilarious.

Exhibit C: the man Kirk's mom would date



(gotta admit, Kirk, I had never watched this until tonight. It is dead on accurate.)

Alright, that's all for now. If anyone would like to help me with my website problems, please email or call me during work hours, extension x6297. Thank you very much.

PS posted with Jon's assistance.

"All children are artists, and it is an indictment of our culture that so many of them lose their creativity, their unfettered imaginations as they grow older. But they start off without self-consciousness as they paint their purple flowers, their anatomically impossible people, their thunderous, sulphurous skies.

In art we are once again able to do all the things we have forgotten; we are able to walk on water; we speak to the angels who call us; we move, unfettered, among the stars.

We write, we make music, we draw pictures, because we are listening for meaning, feeling for healing. And during the writing of the story or the painting or the composing or singing or playing, we are returned to that open creativity which was ours when we were children. We cannot be mature artists if we have lost the ability to believe which we had as children. An artist at work is in a condition of complete and total faith."

excerpt from Walking on Water, Madeline L'Engle

An excellent excuse for reading as much "silly" children's lit as I darn well like.

I love New Year's resolutions.

(this is consistent with everything in my personality. love to make lists. love to idealize my life. love to plan.)

Unfortunately for all of you, I will not be disclosing my personal resolutions this year on this blog. Just cause.

But let me tell you, they are life-changing resolutions.

2010. Big year.*


2010 started out pretty inauspiciously, with Champagne and Orangettes (per the plan). So far it has continued on in a similar manner. Snow, Sherlock, Sleep, Knitting, 30 Rock, more Orangettes (which sadly didn't make it into work today. because they are gone, because they were delicious).

2010 can't help it. It will be a good year.

*and a big year needs big-time shoes, right? mmmmsopretty.

New Year, New Post

At the urging of my sister, here's my first post in a long time. So hello, cousins and Melanie's friends. :-) One of my resolutions for the year is to contribute a little more to this blog. For accountability, here are my other plans for the new year:

1. Cook more new recipes. Specifically, I'd like to make at least 5 things that currently intimidate me (e.g. gnocchi, mussels, and pot roast).

2. Learn how to knit. Thanks to a thoughtful gift, I have yarn and needles and am waiting on a book to learn. I'm excited!

3. Read at least 5 books. That's a shamefully low number, isn't it? But I've found the past couple years that life (and the internet and tv and...) just gets in the way....

4. Sew 10 items. 2009 was the year of the wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses (and umm...how many other wedding-related crafts?). This year, I'd like to concentrate on items that will be worn or used more than once. :-)

5. Send cards for birthdays to my friends and families. I really have no excuse - I actually have a 'birthday calendar', and I plan to use it this year!