:: looklet dot com ::

i am pretty obsessed with looklet.com. i get lost in the pages and pages of various clothes & accessories. it's pretty much becoming a hobby at this point.

while creating absolutely horrendous looks (that are absurd enough to possibly be considered fashionable one day) is lots of fun, i really love picking out pieces that i like but would probably never purchase for myself and putting looks together that are beyond my comfort zone but that either look good or are on trend (or, sometimes, both).

bubble skirt with cropped jacket
floral mini dress with blazer

structured shoulders with caged booties
short suit, stripes & platform gladiators

:: plant. bed. plantbed ::

today i came across an album of pictures from the nashville flood and amidst many sad photos of homes & yards going under water, this particular photo stood out to me because of the neat little plantBED. first of all, i love the bed itself. i have an affinity for this sort of bedframe - there's something very 'girl interrupted'-mental-institution yet country-cottage-cozy about them and i would love one (double or queen) for my guest room. but beyond that, i think the idea of re-purposing it by turning it into a plant bed is very clever.

if the water keeps rising, it might just get a third life and become a raft.

i don't know who took the picture or who that is in it, so if - by some crazy chance -you do, please let me know and i will give proper credit.

and please know that i do not want to seem insensitive to the situation there in nashville - i am deeply concerned for the people and hope that the waters recede quickly and there will be as little damage as is possible from something like this.

:: love, inc ::

the i.n.c. area of macy's (in greenville, at least) is an explosion of gray, yellow and white right now. i don't necessarily like all of the individual pieces, but as a whole, it looks like it was put together with my yellow/gray love in mind! (i do really like the skirt on the top row, the look beside that, and the yellow shirt & ruffled gray cardigan on the third row.)

:: pants (should be) on fire ::

these are quite possibly the worst pants ever. want to not only appear heavy in the hips but a few inches shorter than you are? jodhpur-type-poofy-hipped, pleated, cropped pants are just the thing for you!

it's like they took every possible unflattering aspect of women's pants and put them together here.or you could opt for the saggy-bottom-but-in-the-front-britches seen below.

zara.com via fabsugar

:: chubby birdy ::

i love learning something new. i especially love teaching myself something new through research, trial & error. today, i taught/learned how to add a favicon (i also learned the word "favicon") to my blog. so i designed a couple of different ones and chose the one that stood out the most on the tab/toolbar, but it's still hard to really tell what it is. since -you- probably have no clue what you're looking at, i figured i'd post the larger image here. while i love this chubby little birdy, i would like something that's more legible, so we'll call him a work in progress.

:: a stylish morning out ::

Kelley Smith Style & Gap are hosting a style event at both the Gap and Gap Kids at Haywood Mall on wednesday, april 28 from 9-11am.

stop by for refreshments, great savings, free finger printing for your child's safety, and styling tips from Kelley Smith Style.

all merchandise (excluding denim) at both stores will be at least 25% off!
adult shorts will be 30% off, kids' shorts will be buy one, get one for $10.

click here to email kelley for your coupon.

:: bananaramalamadingdong - part deux ::

at the beginning of march i had the idea for a banana pudding inspired dessert. i promised to give it a try and post an update. here's how to make this treat, based on what i did, what worked, and what i would do differently next time. i wouldn't consider this a success (yet) but it definitely has promise. i can't really give you measurements, because i don't really measure. just make as many or as few ice cream sandwiches as you like and play the meringue quantity by ear.

i used two flavors of ice cream -french vanilla & mayfield banana pudding.

• soften ice cream.
• slice a banana (1/4-1/8 inch) and saute with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. let cool. reserve the butter/sugar/cinnamon liquid and some banana slices for a topping.
  
• using a measuring teaspoon (or melon baller), sandwich one small scoop of banana pudding ice cream between 2 vanilla wafers and banana slices (1 or 2 slices per sandwich).
  
• place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
• place baking sheet in freezer to refreeze. [you could just stop here and enjoy some very easy & tasty ice cream sandwiches - or continue to the meringue/baked alaska portion of the program.]

• click here for very helpful information about making egg white meringue. read this before starting the process.
• in a stainless steel or glass bowl (don't use plastic), beat room temperature eggs whites to stiff peaks.
• remove firm ice cream sandwiches from freezer & cover completely with meringue, making sure the meringue meets the parchment paper lining to create a seal during the baking process.
• return to freezer (for at least 2 hours). ice cream needs to be well frozen.
  
• when you're ready to bake, preheat oven to 425.*
• bake until meringue gets brown tips (approximately 3-7 minutes).
  

* i preheated to 450 and to 425 - my results were not good (because of a limp batch of meringue from adding sugar early and not using cream of tartar). you might want to start out with just a few sandwiches and see what temperature and cooking time works best.

drizzle butter/sugar/cinnamon liquid & some banana slices over the top. caramel sauce would be really good with this, too.

i don't have a picture of the finished product because mine fell completely flat (due to the reasons i mentioned above). my brother & sister (guinea pigs) said it tasted like pancakes. that's pretty much what they looked like, too. the taste was good, execution needs improvement.

:: we are blessed ::

i love the feeling of falling in love with a song for the first time. it reaches down deep. the tune is just right - you can't seem to shake it. the lyrics resonate - you knew them all before you heard them. you're falling and you know it - sometimes you might not even know why.

it happened today. i am blessed.

above all men.

if you have a day’s worth and a good word and a night’s rest after keeping the company of your friends and a woman to greet the morning with then you are blessed you are blessed above all men

if you have a garden or a houseplant is there an old man who gets by from the toil of your hands ‘cause you’re the only one who to buy his floral prints then you are blessed you are blessed above all men

if you have a minute to get it
it’s so simple if you let it
oh if you let it
oh 'cause we are blessed
we are blessed
we are blessed
lest we forget
we are blessed
we are blessed above all men

"above all men" by j. tillman



[click on the song title to hear the song]

:: the only pretty ring time ::

yesterday i decided that since i'd finally taken my Christmas wreath down (last week), i would make a springtime wreath. my original plan was to incorporate a bird or two and some soft, colorful yarn, channeling the talents of katie, the constant gatherer. i'm such a fan of her work; her pieces are super-pretty & whimsical, but somehow manage to stop just short of being too frou-frou or fussy. i knew mine would be more on the side of bland & boring, but i was willing to give it a shot...

until i came across some adorable little clay pots and decided to make a sort of living wreath.

i painted the pots blues & purples. and then i changed my mind and painted them bright "banana" yellow. added some artificial grass for a backdrop. put it all together, added potting mix & basil seeds and hung it on the front door.

and this morning i decided it needed something more - at least until the basil begins to grow - so i added some snippets of little purple flowers.

it's more granny/less contemporary, than i wanted, but it's a work in progress and i love the idea of having itty bitty basil plants growing on my front door (to be transplanted to larger pots when the time is right). and i learned some tricks for the next project!

:: pretties - pretty and charming ::

stavroula.etsy.com

itsbeautiful.etsy.com

thesilverdog.etsy.com

[click on images for direct link]

:: a month in fashion ::

i go to them often. read about them. study, critique, admire, mock, gawk. after all this time, her pictures, his pictures, are like acquaintances. and every now and then i see the makers in motion. in "real life." they are given voices and movement and more personality than i've seen through the images.

i'm such a sap. this video almost made me cry.

partial cast of characters:

fashion photographers & bloggers,
scott schuman & garance dore

former D&G model and current vogue l'uomo fashion director,
giovanna battaglia [love!]


vogue nippon fashion director at large,
anna dello russo


french vogue editor-in-chief,
carine roitfeld

[click on images to enlarge]
photo 1: eddie newton/mrnewton.net
photos 2, 3 and 6: scott schuman/thesartorialist.blogspot.com
photo 4: via trendycrew.com
photo 5: via everydayglamour.wordpress.com

:: what i see ::

i love the free people blog. it inspires me to search more, look more, post more.

blog.freepeople.com

“it’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” - henry david thoreau

:: a new addition ::

i've had this vespa (color) in my "likes & inspiration" file for a while.

and now i'm adding this guy to it. [wink, wink]

thesartorialist.blogspot.com

:: oh, the pictures take me over ::

2 years. the time i've lived in my "new" home. the time i've had to brainstorm ideas for the big wall to the right when you walk in the front door. i've thought of racks, shelves, paintings, collages, art wall combinations.

and the other day i thought about building a decorative bouldering wall. i needed to know if it was even possible (from a safety standpoint) and wanted to get some inspiration. so i started searching - but stopped pretty quickly when i came across these incredible images.

i really don't even have the words to describe how much i love this wall. the colors are perfect for my house. the idea is clever, fun, creative, stylish, whimsical...and functional! (and oh, how i love functional decor. LOVE.)

illoiha.com

via dezeen.com

i am just infatuated. i have already started coming up with things i want to incorporate - including a birdcage (oh, the birdcage!) - amid some lovely white & gray (beginner) holds.

[post title from "simon in the land of chalk drawings" theme song]

:: my awards show has a first name ::

metallics and structure and ruffles, oh my!


while demi moore's dress is a little darker than blush it's close. it's flesh-toned and she really wears it very well. unlike anna kendrick, who i thought was wearing long, sheer sleeves because the dress completely matched her skin. i would love to see her in a deep blue or even purple. she should take cues from the ever-pale anne hathaway. (update: i do think anna looks pretty in the dress, i just think she could be stunning in something richer.)

sarah jessica parker looked amazing in couture chanel. my only complaint is the odd layer of cotton candy-esque wispy hair (not quite messy, not quite neat) above the otherwise super sleek updo (which seemed to be a slightly toned down nod to the runway look - and i like that she went there, despite not really liking the 'do.) her jewelry was perfect! (update: while she looked incredible in action on the carpet, no pictures i find do it justice. the lower portion was pretty bad.)

nicole richie probably won't get much love, but i thought she looked great - totally fitting with her winter kate style of late. this was the first time i have seen her and thought she looked pretty. she's really growing on me. unlike her husband's wayfarers.

zoe saldana will be on many lists - best, worst, dressed, actress - and from the waist up she looks incredible. as strange as the pom poms are at the bottom of the dress, they moved nicely. at times it looked like she was traveling with her own little puddle of dark water.

the worst part, other than the poms, is the seam that runs just right of center (facing her) like a poorly placed lavender, satin scar. (as opposed to a well placed satin scar.)

i don't usually care for penelope cruz, but i did love her dress (the color!) tonight.

i wasn't sure if sandra bullock would continue her good fashion fortune of 2010 or not - but she did. (this picture isn't very flattering.)

charlize theron's swirly boobies were terrible.

diane kruger. only thing to say about this is that i did choose the worst of two pictures i had. but really, when you wear a dress like this, they're all going to be pretty bad.

really, kathy ireland? i thought she was one of the 'real housewives' until i saw a caption.

jake gyllenhaal (who handsomely stopped my fall when courtney love knocked me down the stairs at the greek in la - we go way back) (don't hurt yourself, picking up those names i just dropped) was one of the best dressed men. he and tom ford are just hot.



photos: getty images