I've been hooked on this site lately, called Pinterest. It's pretty addictive. It's a virtual pinboard for just about anything you want...inspiring images, a wishlist of stuff, a record of all the cool places you've been. Above are just a few of the things from my wishlist. Or you can check out all of my boards, or those of people a lot more creative than me. Connect with me if you're on it too!
I have a never-ending wish list that's always growing and changing. Here are a few of this week's more tangible wants on the paler edge of the spectrum:
The eve of 2010 is tomorrow and my birthday is a week from today...my brain is whirring with change. But more on that later. With t-minus 7 days until the godforsaken age of 25 is behind me, I'm still making wish lists...the birthday kind. I'd like:
And on the note of pups, in last week's episode of How I Met Your Mother one of the characters goes to this great exhibit--"Les Chiens Erotique." It turns out that it was the work of real-life pet photographer Grace Chon of Shine Pet Photos. I want someone to take a picture of Maya in her underpants! Here are some hilarious photos from "Les Chiens Erotique":
Visit Grace's blog to see more from the shoot, along with some that didn't make it on the show.
When I'm hunting around thrift stores, I try not to have anything specific in mind (a cardinal rule of thrifting, and perhaps life in general, is that if you're looking for something, you'll never find it. You've got to have no expectations--that's when you stumble upon great things...) but there are a few things that I can't stop hoping I come across.
a dress form:
vintage military/field watch:
old maps (specifically those of Charleston or European cities): a leopard-print coat like the one Anne Bancroft wore as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate: old books with funny covers: On an unrelated note, here's my favorite Christmas song;
As I lounge around listening to Christmas music and fighting yet another Hominy Grill-induced food coma, I've been running over the events of the past few days...my Friday night office Christmas party that makes me continue to adore the people I work with (karaoke duets, dance circles, a capella "Happy Birthday" songs...no photos yet) and a Saturday night tacky sweater party with my favorite blonde and redhead combo:
Redhead + Brunette + Blonde = Dangerous.
She doesn't think she's funny, but she makes me snort with laughter.
The inevitable post-outing snack fest. Saturday night's was "cheesy toast." Plus, anything else in the cupboards we could reach.
All of this makes me feel so much more in the holiday spirit. Spangles and sparkles and red chenille and holiday cheer are EVERYWHERE.
Sometimes I start to write a post and then I have to hold down the delete button until the cursor blinks patiently all the way back at the beginning, because I realize that my "college experience regression" antics should remain in blurred memories and in ink in one lone journal, which will remain forever in my possession.
On that note, here's a list of my own personal wants/wishes for myself:
Really know Photoshop, beyond Gaussian Blur, checking image sizing, and all the standard cropping, greyscaling, etc. that I do. So many blogs I read daily are absolutely gorgeous, decked out with fancy Photoshop techniques that I never learned.
Improve my German by reading more (novels, articles, etc.) in the language and actually attending some of the cool German Meet Up group events Charleston has.
Really learn French, rather than pretending I know it by watching one billion French films and convincing myself that I don't really need the subtitles.
Actually stick to this morning routine: wake up, work out, start coffee, shower, eat a real breakfast, spend some QT with Maya, and have a bit o' time left over to read. When I actually accomplish everything, the quality of my day is amped about 1,000%.
On the note of this list, start a journal solely dedicated to my personal lifelong wish list, in the style of the fun book with the same title: The Wish List.
Get everything in order: tupperware, paperwork, finances, the attic, my closet, under the sink, and then my life in general.
Really be thankful: for the most part, I adore my life, but sometimes find my brain straying into the "My life would be so much better if I just had _______" territory. (I know this contradicts this list, but ce la vie.)
Say yes to more opportunities (events, travel, et al.).
Give myself more recharge/reflection time rather than just going, going, going.
So, I got t-boned today. That was pretty scary. It's also a fun thing to add to my "crappy things that have happened this year but will totally help build my character" list.
I am so ready for 2010. It's going to probably be the best, most amazing year of my entire life. Next to 2009, an uneventful year would look amazing.
Here are a list of resolutions I have for 2010:
Successfully grow out my hair, and then get cute bangs (and then dye it reeeeed).
Find someone to harmonize to "Afternoon Delight" with me.
Write in my journal every day, even if it's boring.
Finally open my Etsy store.
Go thrifting at least once a week.
Tour every historic home in Charleston.
Less texting, more letters.
Travel: I mean you, NY, LA, and Chicago.
Bake treats, then give them away.
Make more secrets.
Less driving.
More pictures.
More and more and more music.
Whisper more.
Finally try a Pimm's Cup.
Have a tea party with all the girlfriends I've made this year.
Say yes to more slow dances.
Spend an entire day barefoot in the park.
Learn to make really good Indian food.
2010 is going to be a busy year, because this list is just going to keep growing.
Do you know what I really want? I really, really want to live in a big white farmhouse in the country, with green fields with a little stream that cuts through and a tangled forest behind. I want to have lots of rooms filled with pictures and fresh flowers and music that plays in every room and open windows everywhere. I want a home where friends are always stopping by for a day, a week or a month, bringing with them laughter and stories from other places. I want to have two or three or four fat babies who turn into wild and intelligent children with my freckled nose and their father's eyes. Maybe they'll even have a dimple in one cheek like me. I want them to run free and come home smelling like grass and sweat and summer skin, warm from the sun and playing pretend as hard as possible. I want big family dinners on a farmhouse table with a starched old linen tablecloth. We'll eat off of mismatched plates and drink out of my great-grandmother's teacups through meals that last for hours. And I want love. Love with someone who can say it and feel it and make me believe it, too. Roomfuls and housefuls and fields full of love. So much love that the wind whispers it through the open windows on breezy nights. So much love that it shouts louder than fights or fears or old age. Love that's burned into the hearts of our children before they're even born. Love that you can carry with you when you're alone. Love that holds your hand while you sleep. Love that looks straight into your eyes.
And I'd like one of these to use while I'm soaking in the tub.
I pass this house a lot on walks and I could envision many great porch parties, dinner parties, weekend visits, and with that much space to decorate, the opportunities are endless...sigh...
This morning, when I woke up and checked the weather it said: "22 degrees, feels like 11 degrees." In Charleston? NO THANKS!
It's days like today where I want to be the girl in the above commercial for Miss Dior Cherie, directed by the great Sofia Coppola. I want to be a pretty girl, with pretty hair, a pretty dress and pretty apartment, riding her pretty bike around pretty Paris while she eats pretty treats and sprays herself with pretty perfume.
* All-Expenses-Paid Trip to Travel Channel Academy ($2,500 + travel, food and lodging expenses)
* All-Expenses-Paid Trip to Ireland to Practice the Skills Learned in the Aforementioned Gift Image from EJC.net (I want to travel in comfort and style, so roughly $5,000 would do.)
* This mind-bogglingly beautiful Oscar de la Renta dress from Net-a-Porter: ($4,990)
* A future without confusions and questions and crises. (Priceless)
Spain...On the Road Again takes Mario Batali (chef), Mark Bittman (food writer for The New York Times), Gwyneth Paltrow (actress) and Claudia Bassols (Spanish actress) across Spain to show the highlights of the country's cuisine. This show is filled with the most beautiful Spanish architecture, lush scenery and food that looks so fresh that you might find yourself licking the screen. Not only that, but you get to watch two incredibly beautiful (and incredibly thin) women stuffing their faces with paella, lamb, clams, and any and all other Spanish cuisine. It's torture. Also, who knew that Gwyneth can speak fluent Spanish? Apparently, she studied abroad in Spain and has been officially adopted by one of the regions. I hate her. The cinematography is fantastic and the show is so color-saturated that it makes everything look that much more beautiful. Watch it. I spend an hour in total envy of the fact that they are getting paid to eat food, look gorgeous (the ladies, at least) and explore one of the most beautiful countries in the world. How can I get a job like this? Travel Channel...are you hiring? What about you, Food Network? Does anyone have any connections?
Here's a little taste of the show (pun intended), so you can see what you're missing.
Anthropologie is a den of temptation for me. Of course, when their latest catalog arrived on Friday, my heart broke at least a million times for all the beautiful articles of clothing that will probably never be mine. However, Santa Claus has been known to work miracles, so maybe some of these things will be mine, come December. (Yes, I realize that Halloween and Thanksgiving haven't even happened yet.)
Here's a collage of my Anthro drool-worthy items:
Are those ruffles on that blouse and sweater? Surprise, surprise.
