Just a quick note...

It's still a work in progress as I teach myself how to master Wordpress, but I am now going to be updating over at my new blog. I made the choice to switch over so that I could control the layout more, and make it easier on all of your pretty little eyes ;)

So bear with me, and thank you... see you there!

Until then, xoxo

So very appropriate

This morning it is super rainy in Portland in that way that we crave as natives here in the city. So gorgeous to watch out the window, and this website is the perfect fit for the day of online browsing. With a great soundtrack and great photos of some of the best trench coats out right now, you can't help but fall in love. Burberry, you've done it again...

Visit Art of the Trench over at Burberry now for some great photos by The Sartorialist himself, some greta rainy day tunes, and some incredible style.

Happy Drooling ;)

TGIF!

I am hoping to get some of my posts up today from NYC, as I was MIA this whole last week due to a little adventure I was on! I promise to update soon as I took lots of pics this time (and I'm out sick again today). In the meantime, a little fun from over at the Nylon Mag blog.

Halloween Memories 2009

This year I had some pretty good memories from Halloween. Here are some of the highlights from 2009:

Going out as Don & Betty Draper for an evening. And boy, does Darrin make a good Don ;)

Walking up to the bar to see a girl raving about her proposal that had just taken place. I sure hope she remembers it...

My fake chest tattoo.

"Marking" my man as they would say on Mad Men.

The great costume swap of 2009.

And one very excited tele-tubby!

Halloween!

So my glorious prior roomies threw a great party on Friday night that they decorated so adorable, had to share! They though of every last detail from the witches' brew, to Bloody Mary in lipstick on the bathroom mirror. Pretty fun!

Our adorable hostesses (Robin Hood & the sexy clown!)

The handmade bat trail leading through the house!

Bats were hidden everywhere!

Cute pumpkins under the counters even!

Very cute decorating though, even entering through a forest of streamers! One of the many reasons I love having crafty, creative friends! What a fun night it was as well, gt us ready to go for real Halloween the next night for sure!

[black & White photos courtesy of Miss Emily]

My love for Red Jackets...

Saw this incredible image over on The Satorialist. I love red coats like this (as you may have noticed by now), and hope that some of the photos from our shoot with my red coat come back good! I've been obsessed with the red coat & dark hair look since I first saw the movie Love Actually. I don't know if it's just her accent, but what a great look!

Photoshoot

As some of you have seen me blog before, we are big fans of our friends over at Honeysuckle Photography. Maggie went to school with us, and has an incredible design eye as a photographer. She photographed one of my dearest girlfriends weddings, and has done quite a few other friends of ours as well. If you haven't checked them out yet, you're missing out!

So Maggie asked Darrin and I if we would be interested in doing a shoot for fun. We thought it sounded like a great idea, and spent the afternoon running around Portland in some of our favorite neighborhoods being goofballs. She posted a few of her first photos on her blog here, and will be posting more soon when she gets done editing. I can't wait to see how the color turns out in some of the ones she took, but hasn't posted yet! More to come...

Upcoming Project

I started a new house project yesterday & Darrin decided to get in on the fun... Caught him in the act ;)

Apparently I need to shop in NYC

I know I have over-posted a bit about my trip & findings... but bear with me. I am fully convinced of the shopping power of NYC. Many things that have been on my list of wants/NEEDS ;) were found there and far cuter/more affordable than expected! A fruitful trip none-the-less!

Long-time list that has been fulfilled:

Cute red winter coat: Every since watching Love Actually years ago, I decided I needed a cute red coat too. I have never found one in the right cut, or the right price range (weird how those two things avoid each other)... until now! Thank you Uniqlo, my new favorite shopping destination!

Opaque Orange Tights: Needed crucially for Beaver games, and even more so now that I have Oregon State Alumni functions to attend occasionally. Who knew I'd have to fly across the country in order to not by them in the Halloween section? Thanks once more Uniqlo!

A new transition purse: I needed a purse that was sturdy this time (sorry old purse, your fake leather started to flake off & I got dirty looks walking into Miu Miu) and that was a neutral tone, without being dull and boring. H&M to the rescue with my new bag. With a flat bottom it never falls over & dumps. Has an easy-access external pocket with zipper, as well as a main top zipper for riding the train, etc.! Trust me the photo doesn't do it justice!

Japanese Masking Tape: As you saw in the last post... the super fun masking tape I hadn't been able to track down!

I finally found it!

So after much obsession and online searching, I had given up on ever finding (let alone seeing in person) the super fun colorful Japanese masking tape that everyone had been raving about online. I saw it on all of my favorite blogs, the Design Within Reach website (albeit sold out), etc. yet nowhere could I track it down. After completely forgetting about it, I walked into the MoMa store in NYC and look at what was sitting on the shelf starring me right in the face!!!

Good eats.

One of the things I loved about NYC, was the quality of design when it came to restaurants, and bars. Whether it was the "speak-easy" bar we went to one night where you literally had to have someone know the bartender to get down there, or the fun breakfast spot we wandered in on, it was all fun, and delicious. I loved how thought out the design of the collateral and the spaces were as well, but maybe they were just my style... browns, oranges, simple type.... and nice industrial spaces. Can't wait to take the boyfriend back fro a few of these!

The Mercer kitchen was a beautiful space under the sidewalks in SoHo... As you can see in the pic below you can see the shoppers walking above. Very cool vibe.

Even the presentation of their shrimp cocktail was beautiful!

Delicatessen was a great breakfast spot. We found it on a side street after getting of the train, and it ended up being a greta place for people watching and a light, surprisingly inexpensive breakfast. Another cool vibe, they even had a giant room downstairs to hang out & work/study. Very hip.

Public School Visit

And no, not the kind where you talk about your profession ;)

I was in NYC for work this past week, and a coworker had to run an errand before heading out to dinner. It was his friends' studio, so I figured why not? Turns out it was a clothing line I have followed for a bit after discovering online. They work in a collaborative studio that is a shared space with a few other designers, an ad firm, etc. Needless to say I was excited to see how designers that I aspire to function in the city (and how fun it looked!).... someday... ;)

A sneak peek at their studio...

I love the details they use. As you can see here. Check them out at their site. They also have a great blog.

With subtle military influence, I like that it is more about the craft on the garments. Very cool pieces. It's so hard to find men's clothing that is well considered anymore. They were a brand I was watching for this reason, and to have the chance to see behind the scenes...? Made me want to move to New York that much more...

NYC is the place to be!

Whether it was street art, the guy selling bubble-guns on the street, or the people I met, NYC was a great experience. Next time I hope to hit those things I had on my to do list, yet missed, but until next time, I'm still exhausted!

NYC!

I'm headed to NYC for the first time on Tuesday morning. A little sad not to be taking along my New York buddy... but maybe he'll surprise me & get to come through work as well! I'll keep my fingers crossed :) He sent me this link with a slew of gorgeous old photos earlier (including this one)... I can't wait!

"An anti-functional accumulation of atavistic monuments engaged in a process of continuous poetic reproduction."

Habit

So apparently I have a habit of taking pictures of shoes... well my feet i guess. It's a weird habit I've had since I was little, and can't explain why. Maybe I like the fact that it's a physical representation of where I've been, maybe it's because I think in color palettes (and I swear some of these shots are my favorite palettes), or maybe because I love shoes... who knows! 

I stumbled across a few of these while sorting photos awhile back, and started a folder... wow how many it turned out I had when all was said & done! And that's just the photos in roughly the last year!

Some were accidents & I just thought they were kind of fun...

Others reflections in dressing rooms...

Even Darrin makes appearances!

Sometimes my shoes add to the environment I think.

Sometimes I think I was just bored waiting for someone.

There's something about reflections...

I even like to mix it up sometimes ;)