today i want to talk about my goals for the year. first, i think i need to go back to the beginning of 2011. i had just started a new job which came with a hefty commute and plenty of overtime. after having been out of the work force for a while and spending most of 2009 and 2010 working on personal projects, i found my new schedule pretty taxing. then work got really busy. between long hours at work, my commute, my social life, familial obligations, and my need for down time, i got very little accomplished on the personal projects front. well, i am no longer ok with that and have declared 2012 the year of DOing.
not only have i recently moved offices to be much closer to home (66% closer!!), i am highly motivated to DO. i used to be quite the crafter! i also used to cook, bake, garden, make jewelry, take pictures, plan parties, and make party decorations. i miss all of those things, you guys!
i have decided it’s all about priorities. no longer is “decompressing” in front of the tv a top priority. am i still going to watch k-dramas during the week? hell yes! but maybe not every waking, non-working moment. am i still going to hang out with friends? of course. i love my friends, they’re a great bunch, but limiting my hang out time for a little while is going to be key in making myself get back into a productive flow. they’re my friends after all, and they understand i gotta do what i gotta do.
so this year my plans include:
• setting up a photo studio in my basement so i can finally work on all the DIY tutorials i’ve been planning to share with you
• setting up a crafting area in my house to work on new jewelry and hair accessory projects
• taking sewing lessons and working on some garment ideas i’ve had (i’m such a bad machine sewer!)
• learning to use photo shop so i can really amp up my blog content
i’ve already begun the process for a few items on my list and am feeling pretty pumped. this year i want to spend more time outside, more time riding my bike, more time making things, more time growing food, more time playing with my dog and more time learning new skills. once i realized the only thing really stopping me from my goals was me, everything felt so DOable! cos duh, it totally is.
{necklace i made circa 2010}
{detail of my jewelry booth for last thursday on alberta st. circa 2009}
{paper flowers i made for a friend’s baby shower circa 2009}
i’m so not ready to let go of valentines day! this year the highlights of my day involved mini cupcakes at work, heart-shaped macarons at home, a fancy dinner & cocktails out, dark chocolate mousse with lavender cream take away, and an awesome card from le husbou. obvs. the way to my heart is through my stomach.
to quote ministry, “… to me every day is halloween”. er, valentines. you get the gist.
though the day has past, i’ve decided to share last years valentines mix with you. i had such lovely responses from friends regarding this years mix i figured last years would be appreciated too. and if you ask me, it’s really the créme de la créme of my mix tape career.
annoyingly, 8tracks was being lame and refused to upload one of the key songs tying last years mix to this years- ‘i love you (me either)’, a ‘je t’aime (moi non plus)‘ cover performed by karen elson and chan marshall, aka cat power. it was supposed to be track two on v.2011. you can listen to it here.
anywhos, please to enjoy VGS valentines {hangover} mix v.2011–
nope, that’s no typo up there, i meant to type valentimes. ok, yes it is a typo, but i still meant it. here is why–
since i don’t have a fun recipe to share with you today like i had planned on, i decided to share some links and vids i love. cos after all, today is all about love!
first off, here is a song/video produced by my friends, international superstars meine heine, to get you in the mood with their sexy panty party–
now that you’re all excited, let’s mellow out with the new chromatics video (i’m so excited for their new album!)–
now i bet you’re feeling pretty crafty. here are the valentines themed crafts i was too busy to make, but realllllly wanted to–
now that you’re all crafted out, how about some cute dude actions?? kim hyun joong put down the fried chicken for a sec and is now modeling for hang ten. i still don’t like his hair that color but the cut is improving–
and last but not least, perhaps your special someone proposes today! hey, it happened to me many moons ago. well then perhaps you’ll be needing these super cute super mario brothers inspired wedding invitations from hello lucky!. i know i’m bummed they weren’t an option back when i was getting hitched–
that’s it for today. me and the mister are headed to a fancy dinner tonight and i am hoping i also come home from work to some heart-shaped macarons from pix and some fentimans rose lemonade. or better yet, a few little pink cans of sofia champagne to mix with the lemonade! are you reading this, mister??
it’s that time again, the weekend is over and monday is here. i spent my time hanging with family and trying out a certain recipe in hopes of sharing it with you guys in time for valentines day. after my third attempt at this recipe, guess what? total baking fail. i don’t know what my problem is but i am getting pretty exasperated! i actually just sent out an SOS to a good friend who is culinary trained and works as a chef, we’ll see if he can tell me what i’m doing wrong. if you ask me, it’s all the fault of my terrible oven which le husbou won’t let me replace. hmpph!
so instead, today i want to talk about fashion. specifically, victoria beckham’s new victoria victoria beckham S/S 2012 line. i first saw her now infamous cat-printed dresses a few weeks ago and instantly fell in love (cats are so HOT right now!). i actually saw the dresses before i knew who the designer was and about lost it when i saw they were the product of posh spice. of course, i have never listened to the spice girls nor have i ever given much credence to any one of that lot but it seems ol’ poshy is really coming into her own! featuring plenty of whimsical animal prints, scallop details and bright colors- it’s like she designed this line just for me. here are my faves from the S/S 2012 line–
i also love the kitteh mannequins used in this harvey nichols display–
and here’s a little video made to showcase the line, directed by quentin jones–
not pictured above is VB’s super cool rain cloud dress which michelle williams got ripped on for wearing to the oscar’s luncheon recently. boo, says i! michelle was chided for looking ‘too precious’ in the whimsical print and high collar. i think people need to lighten up. michelle looked lovely, fashion forward and totally appropriate, i’m sure–
i love michelle, she’s a very talented actress and seems like a real, genuine, down-to-earth sort of gal. my one gripe, or rather critique, would have to be the pixie cut she’s been sporting for a while now. to tell the total truth, i just don’t think pixie cuts flatter ANYONE. sorry. i appreciate that other people like that style but if you ask me, michelle’s pre-pixie styles suited her far better–
valentines day is my second favorite holiday, beat out only by halloween. i’ve never understood the valentine scrooges out there that alternately complain that valentines day is a scam designed to line the coffers of greeting card companies or that they’re single so they can’t enjoy. boo, says i!
i’ve been single during plenty of valentines days and i still found immense joy in seeing drug store isles spilling over with snoopy and garfield chocolate boxes, store windows filled with glittery red and pink hearts and flower shops putting their finest blooms on display. it’s a bright spot in an otherwise dreary month. and sure you can argue the whole greeting card company thing but really, who cares! everyone’s got to make a living and selling cards that brighten a person’s day is so not worth complaining about! hmpph!
as the years pass, i sadly find i have less and less time to devote to the holiday. i can’t remember the last time i made any VD crafts or even decorated at all! the one tradition i keep without fail however is my annual valentines mix tape. and i am so happy to be able to share it with you! i hope you enjoy this mix, it’s totally eclectic, very french and 100% me.
i’m entering the paper mama’s self-photo challenge! after thinking about it, i agree with chelsey’s point of view that it’s important to reveal yourself to your readers so they can connect to the person writing the content. i am a very visual person and personally, i love seeing the faces of the bloggers i read. so here i am!
i took this picture while slaving away in the kitchen last weekend and thought it turned out pretty well, especially since i feel like it’s been a while since i’ve taken a picture of myself that i didn’t hate. in all honesty, i had just donned my super cute owl print apron and was trying to capture that but got a decent head shot instead. c’est la vie, just means i already had a decent entry!
in addition, here is some current info re: me–
Obsessing over…
k-dramas (currently watching ‘city hunter’), finding mirrored gold nail stickers, perfecting a certain recipe so i can share it with you and seeing housse de racket when they come to portland in april!
Working on…
writing down and organizing all the ideas i’ve had lately so i can start working on projects whenever i have some free time- if only there were more hours in the day!!
Thinking about…
lots of changes in the day job right now.
Anticipating…
learning photoshop so i can improve my blog post layouts, learning to sew so i can start working on some personal projects, setting up a photo studio in my basement and re-arranging my upstairs to create a decent work space for myself.
Listening to…
my annual valentines mix (posting tomorrow!).
Eating…
theo dark chocolate with salted almonds.
Wishing…
for reals wishing there were more hours in the day.
well, that was fun! i may just start sharing more of ‘me’ more often! and if you want to participate in the paper mama’s self-photo challenge, just click here for deets. but hurry, chelsey is picking a winner on feb. 13th!
you may have noticed that in addition to my part-time francophilia, i follow korean pop culture a bit too. i mean, in addition to my life-long love of british culture and my past nipo/sinophilia phases. what can i say, i appreciate other cultures! and today i want to discuss k-pop.
in general, i hate mainstream pop music. like, i hate it with a capital ‘detest’. nothing offends me and my ears more than mainstream pop radio and i would rather undergo a root canal than listen to the latest katy perry, beyonce or justin beiber songs. the fact that that sort of music gets made at all just boggles my mind. so why on earth can i stomach cheesy asian pop music?? admittedly, i barely can and it seems to be only by larger association that i break down and buy the like, one album per every five years that i do. nonetheless, i have owned andy lau albums, anime soundtracks, and as of an hour ago, i now own SS501‘s ‘destination’ EP. don’t judge!
as you may have seen me write previously, i got way into k-dramas last year after randomly crossing paths with ‘boys before flowers‘. kim hyun joong, leader of korean boy band SS501, played one of the main roles on the show so it makes sense that SS501 contributed a few songs to the show’s soundtrack- a soundtrack that grated on my nerves and i made endless fun of throughout the series, mind you. but then a funny thing happened- the show ended. suddenly there were no more BBF episodes and i was going through super withdrawal. so what did i do? did i re-watch all 25 sixty-five minute long episodes? of course not! i downloaded the gawd awful soundtrack- and loved it! somehow the inane drivel they used to score the show suddenly had insane nostalgia value for me. which then led to me looking up SS501 music videos on youtube. when i came across their video for ‘love ya’ i was completely blown away and have been hunting for the EP it’s on ever since. check it–
oh em gee, right! the drama! the orchestra! the suits with meshed cut-outs!!! kim hyun joong wearing a cocktail ring bigger than my head! their matching uber-jeweled gloves! and most of all, the dancing. so, ok yeah, the song has really grown on me.
so here i am perusing the interwebs last week when i see that korea’s biggest girl band, girls generation, was on letterman. duh, i had to watch. sadly, what i saw was a total train wreck!
i hate to be judgmental (who am i kidding, whether i like it or not, it’s my middle name), but they really phoned this one in. hello, it’s your american network television debut, ladies. no big, right? the dancing is totally stiff and awkward and there’s no energy. i’ll admit, they pick it up at the end but i still thought “SS501 blows these chick out of the water entirely!”. then i thought, to be fair, i haven’t watched SS501 do their thing live so maybe their music video has the benefit of multiple takes, editing, etc. so i looked up some live clips on the youtube and here’s what i found–
no contest, SS501 wins. not only is their dancing tight and spot on, their energy is high and uh, they are actually signing, no easy feat when you’re also dancing like that. which is why their voices aren’t perfect but i give them kudos for trying both. i actually don’t care if people lip sync for that reason, i’m just sayin’, they went all out.
finally, i looked up GG’s ‘the boys’ video to see how they do with multiple takes, editing, etc. to my relief they got that one right–
i’m glad they can at least make a crazy, makes-no-sense, dramatic and visually awesome video just like their male counterparts. so maybe let’s work on bringing it in the live arena. i mean kim hyun joong can sing live, dance his ass off, star in k-dramas and still find time to schlep fried chicken–
so yesterday i was writing about jason wu’s range for target and how his milo the cat items were the belle of the collection. which led to me to think mugatu-style: ‘cats are so HOT right now!’. everywhere i look, people are tweeting and facebooking cute cat pics, talking about cats and adding their fuzzy likenesses to everything. one could argue that i can has cheezburger started this craze with their lol cat memes a few years back, but whatever the source, it’s time to get your cat on!
happy monday! the weekend is over but the sun is out and shining and it really feels like spring here in portland. i know it won’t last but i’m trying to live in the here and now and dang is it nice to feel the sun on my face.
back to the weekend, i spent most of mine cooking. i have been working on a certain recipe for the last few weeks, trying to perfect it. i came so close on saturday, only to leave it in the oven too long, resulting in a tough and chewy brick. wah! the one good thing that came out of it is that regardless of over-cooking said dish, i definitely perfected an aspect of it’s construction. yay! even if it was pretty much inedible. i will tackle it again next weekend, hopefully the third time is the charm! i can’t wait to share the finished, perfect results with you.
they were so easy and delicious … and i say that as someone who HATES corn dogs! i took them to a friend’s super bowl shindig and they were a big hit. i just discovered iowa girl eats a few weeks ago but she must be very popular because someone else brought her buffalo chicken dip and our hostess said she had almost made mini corn dog muffins too. i am looking forward to trying more IGE recipes in the near future!
this weekend also saw the release of jason wu’s line for target. typically, i don’t pay much heed to target’s designer collabs but seeing yelle’s julie budet in attendance at his release party made me take note. isn’t she so pretty?!
{photos courtesy of zimbio.com}
after previewing the collection beforehand, i decided to make an effort to pick up a few pieces, most notably the black pleated skirt. though i’ve all but weeded black out of my wardrobe, a cute, swingy black pleated skirt seemed like a worthy investment. recalling the craziness of missoni’s target launch last fall, i made plans to get up at the crack of dawn on sunday and get to my local target at least 20 minutes before their 8 AM opening time … then my alarm went off and i decided sleep was more important than cute clothes. ha!
i did however make it there in the evening and was happily surprised that there were a few items left, in my size even! and i have to say, everything is much cuter and nicer when seen in person. here is my haul, including that swingy black pleated skirt—
i have purchased target/designer collab items in the past and have passed on even more as the quality is usually pretty poor. really, i was pretty delighted by how well made the wu/target line is. yes, everything is 100% polyesther but the actual construction, detailing and fit are fantastic. i tend to gravitate towards bright jewel tones, neons and whimsical prints to make up my wardrobe so i decided it was ok to add these few delicate and feminine pieces which are feminine/modern, parisienne and so comme un enfant! i definitely don’t have any pieces like these in my wardrobe and am so excited to have the new additions.
prior to arriving at target, i predicted the milo cat shopper would be THE key piece of the collection and sure enough, the sales associate i spoke to said the bags (and milo print scarves) sold out right away in the AM. a quick ebay search after i got home showed they’re selling for $80-$130 a pop. youch! despite my clothes horse tendencies, i couldn’t care less about bags and while the cat shopper would have been nice to have, i am not too bummed at missing out.
good morning! unfortunately i am still writing from the land of sick- it’s gotten worse and i am home from work today. oh well, that gives me plenty of time to polish off my current k-drama obsession,’hero‘, as well as the rest of ‘downton abbey‘. and don’t tell anyone, but i might also pick up a trash mag when i head to walgreens for meds here in a sec.
but i digress! the real reason i am posting is to share my show & tell contribution to stephanie’s awesome blog, lollipops and roses.
i was pretty jazzed when stephanie asked me to take part in her show & tell series, requesting that i share a favorite object from my house hold. so what did i pick?? you’ll have to click over to see! i’ll just say, it might involve cats and it might involve cheeseburgers. intrigued? duh! head on over and check it out. but really, don’t stop there- lollipops and roses is an awesomely curated collection of vintage love that i know you’ll just adore.
ok, i’m off for tissues, cold medicine and us weekly. then i’ve got a date with the couch and some throat coat tea.
02.16.2012
