What Are You Reading?

John Waters Role Models

Really good book and such a genius concept:  John Waters writes about his role models, from Johnny Mathis to Baltimore strippers to a former Manson family member. 

It might sound a little crazy but by the end of each chapter I found myself with a new role model too.  I love looking at the world through John Waters'  eyes!

What are you reading?

Design Sponge Party

I went to the Design Sponge book signing party at Anthropologie in Beverly Hills last night.  I was so excited to take lots of pictures and share them all with you... and then-

I had to work all day with lots of unbelievably needy women and was super tired and sarcastic by the time I got to the party.

I was carrying around the beautiful but incredibly heavy Design Sponge book all night so while juggling that with my medium sized clutch and a glass of champagne it made it hard to take pictures.

Said glass of champagne made me not care about taking pictures like, at all.

I was at Anthropologie + I am easily distracted= no good pictures.

Anyway, it was a fun party and it was nice to get dressed up and I got to hang out with my friend Lauren all night.  Grace, the author, was very nice and joked around with us while signing our books.  We spotted some local LA bloggers but were too shy to say hi.  Then we went across the street and drank a bunch of sangria.  Here's a picture of that!  I obviously have my priorities straight.

Surprises

Things I did this weekend:

1.  Worked 3 super long days in a row.  Too many!

2.  Accidentally very lightly scraped a car bumper in the Trader Joe's parking lot.  I left my number and  no one called me (thank you kind person who realized it wasn't a big deal!) but was mortified by an old man who appeared out of nowhere with a camera and snapped pictures of the whole ordeal just in case "I had left a fake phone number".  Stupid old pot stirring man with no life.

3.  Made an early morning trip to the ER, thankfully not for me, and all is well.

4.  Joined a comedy writing/improv group.  I have always wanted to try my hand at comedy writing so I guess we will see if I can actually do it.  Everyone else in the group is an old pro at improv and I told them all about my deathly fear of the stage (absolutely true) and they were all really nice about it and said I could just write.  Thanks guys!

5.  Found time at work to take Instagram photos of myself wearing fierce pointy earrings.  See above.

I did the Instagram update a few days ago but it didn't change anything.  I don't know if my phone is just too old to support the new app?  I read on poco-cocoa that if you hate the new Instagram (and it seems like everyone does) you can delete it and reload from the old version saved on your computer.  Genius!

Things I should have done this weekend:

1.  Cut my bangs.

Bouquet

{Daisies}

Hats Are Back!

According to several fashion magazines and Huffington Post articles, the hat is the new "must have" accessory for ladies this season.

I have always been a hat person.  I was quite adventurous when I was younger, see the bonnet and bucket above, but these days I prefer something a little more fashion forward.  This Philip Treacy inspired number with netting and feathers fits the bill perfectly!
I urge all you ladies and gentlemen out there to embrace all manner of hats this fall.  Let's keep this trend going as long as we can!

Everyday Food

Do you read Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine?

Personally, I love it.  When I was younger, first starting to live on my own and learning to cook, this was my go to source.  The recipes are easy, fast, and most importantly- seasonal.  Plus, there is always a lovely accompanying photo to show you what your dish is supposed to look like! 
I have bought a ton of these magazines over the years.  When I am lacking inspiration in the kitchen, I will pull out all of the current month's issues from years past and go through them for ideas.  Also, their diminutive size makes it perfect to throw one or two in my handbag on the way to the grocery store, that way I will know what ingredients to get.  In short, they are kind of perfect.

Here are links to some of my favorite recipes over the years:

Molten Chocolate Cakes

Cucumber-Watermelon Salad

Roasted Zucchini & Tomato Pasta

Tomato & Grilled Bread Salad

Cashew Chicken

Pressed Salami Sandwich
Plum Upside Down Cake

Random Vacation Photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bay Area Eats

I had a super time last week on vacation in the bay area and I got to eat all the best foods!

1.  Homeroom in Oakland- Perfect macaroni & cheese.  I got the cacio e pepe with broccoli and it was so so good.  Also, don't miss the homemade oreos.

2.  The famous Tartine.  Must haves include: jambon royale & gruyere sammie, croque monsieur, coconut cream tart, lemon bars, and well... basically everything on the menu.  It's just as amazing as everyone says it is!

3.  Miette.  I have been wanting to visit this beautiful jewel box of a store for years and my dear friend Polly was lovely enough to indulge me and take me there.  It's filled with candy, chocolate, cupcakes, a whole wall of licorice, and dreams.  Corny I know but it's so adorable you will want to move in and live there forever. 

4.  We also went to a great German restaurant called Suppenkuche, but it was too dark to take pictures.  It was the perfect spot for the newly cold nights and we had a delicious and cozy supper of braised meats, venison, dumplings, and hearty mugs of beer.  A perfect introduction to fall.

Fall Nail Trends

Nail polish has come back in a big way this year and I am totally on board.  I've been trying out tons of new colors, brands, and techniques and I'm ready to share my favorites for fall with you!

1.  Matching your nail polish to your macaron.  Expensive, time-consuming, and incredibly stylish!

2.  Ah-maz-ing nail stickers from Nail Couture LA.  Nail stickers are the way to go because they are so easy to apply and last much longer than polish does.  I have been using the Sally Hansen brand a lot but these are a step up, design-wise.

3.  A minimum of 2 colors on each nail.  One allover color is for suckaz (unless, of course, you are matching it to a macaron).  Check out this amazing color combination.

4.  Barbra Streisand nails!  Long length is back.  Just watch this performance by Adele at the VMA's and try to deny it.

5.  Painting one nail on each hand with matching glitter.  This is so easy and it really makes an impact.  As seen on Cupcakes & Cashmere.

End Of Summer

I guess it's kind of nearing the end of summer, as much as I don't want to admit it.  It's almost dark by 7:30!  Today marks 2 years since I packed up my van and moved from Portland to Los Angeles.  I think I have to stop saying that I'm new here!  A little bit ago I changed my status on here from "my new home of LA" to "my new-ish home of LA" but now it just kind of feels like home.  Even though I still use my GPS anytime I go anywhere!

  This week is going to be super fun.  Tomorrow I hit the Missoni for Target collection first thing in the morning, then I jump on a plane for San Francisco to visit my friend Polly.  I'm very excited to be doing a little traveling.  A last summer hurrah if you will. 

So posting will be sporadic for another week but I can't wait to greet the fall with open arms, share some yummy comfort dishes, new obsessions, and maybe even some fall makeup tips.  I think this season is going to be a good one.

Things I Bought- On Ebay!

70's Needlepoint Craft Books!

I'm acquiring quite the little collection.  The first one, "Needlepainting A Garden of Stitches" by Eszter Haraszty, I read about over on Cathy of California not too long ago and was hooked.  Ebay had it for super cheap, so I snatched it up.  It's so amazing and colorful, I truly think it would inspire anyone.  I also love the way the book is written, Eszter tells you all about her life and how she created these patterns, and she's not afraid to talk about all her failures and difficulties.  I felt like I was reading a book written by a good friend rather than some dry how-to manual.  I am now an official fan and will be looking for more of her work.

 Since I was on Ebay, I started looking around for Bargello needlepoint books (my latest obsession) and found "Free Form Bargello" by Gigs Stevens.  It is also awesome and super super 70's in both design and tone.  My favorite pattern is the one based around a shark jaw.  So weird that I love it!

Thrift Score

Creamer jugs, tiny pitchers, whatever you want to call them.  I've been lazily collecting them lately. 
I like their shapes and how pointless they are, I definitely don't need them for my lifestyle. 
But hey, that's what collections are right?

Birthday Bouquet!

Spider Mums!

Birthday(s)

Today is my birthday.  September 2nd.  Having a birthday is great of course and I love it.  I always take the day off and I have already received so many great gifts and I made reservations at a delicious new restaurant.  But my birthday isn't just mine alone, my Dad and I have the same exact birthday.

My Dad passed away last December.  It's been a really hard year, although I probably don't need to tell you that.  It's been a lot of learning, a lot of crying and breakdowns.  The strange thing is that I don't remember it very well.  Normally I have an amazing memory but this year?  Not so much.  People keep telling me things over and over and I am still surprised to hear them.  You wrote a book?  That's amazing!  Then I see the look of confusion on their face and I realize I already knew that.  It's ok though, people are really nice and they understand for the most part.  I'm calling it "My Year of Crazy" and I get to be as weird and sad as I want and no one can do anything about it. 

So today, this is what I hope.  I hope that I can enjoy my birthday and use it as a time to remember the good memories.  For the rest of my life, I will share a birthday with my Dad, there will never be a year when it is my day alone and I don't want to be upset about it.  I want to be happy about it.  I am stating my intentions and expecting my brain to follow along in this plan.  It might not be so easy this first year but with practice I think it will get better. 

Happy Birthday Dad.