Friday Night Concert

Otis is the be-all, end-all. If you are not at least shaking your head or tapping your feet at 3:00, I weep for your lack of soul.

Flickr Fridays #69

1. Death Cab For Cutie- Melody 12x12 Art Print, 2. .3855, 3. .5392, 4. Time Issues, 5. little raining cloud mobile, 6. Vintage glassware collection, 7. sound of our consciences, 8. sit

Happy Friday, friends! What have you got on your plate? Me, I'm doing a little lingerie shopping. Am I the only one who wakes up one day and says, "Hey, where did all my bras go?" And I mean that in the most innocent fashion, not to say that I'm leaving bras strewn up and down La Cienega Boulevard or something.

Although ... I have been known to do some pretty crazy things on a dare.

Saturday night we're heading to Space 15 Twenty for some art, and hopefully in time to catch Portugal. The Man's acoustic set.

Design Dialogue: Art Clusters

Tali's amazing asymmetrical cluster

I'm so in awe of people who can take mismatched frames, shapes and sizes of art and form a cluster on their wall that looks cohesive. Perhaps it's my symmetrical nature holding me back, but I tend to lean toward one giant piece of art instead of several, lest my OCD kick in and I spend an entire day measuring and leveling to make everything line up perfect. But I'm gonna try. I'm gonna try real hard to make a cluster. Because they're just so damn interesting.

Hildagrahnat

Creature Comforts

Boopsie Daisy

Bird in the Hand

Fashion Forward: Seychelles Sandals

You know it's a rare day when I dedicate a post to one brand of shoes. But I can't help it. I am infatuated with all four of these sandals. And at different points of the day I had each one of them in my shopping cart, about to click "buy." If it weren't for saving, and being a responsible adult, and yadda yadda yadda, all four of these would be on their way to me right now. Instead, I'll just post pictures of them and stare longingly.

C'mon, stare longingly with me. Be careful not to drool on your keyboard.

Light On Your Feet Sandals

Get Outta Town Flats

Liz Sandals

Frequent Flier Sandals

The It List

Five things I'm lovin' right now ...

Blackberries. Can't get enough of them. It's slightly early in the season, but they're ridiculously inexpensive and plentiful right now. I've been putting them in my cereal or in my yogurt or most of all straight into my mouth. Omnomnom. [via]


This advertisement created by OMFG Co. for a hotel. I'd like to reproduce it and hang it in my cubicle. [via]


Bags that look like cameras. This is just the latest in my obsessive streak. See last week's here.


NPR's All Songs Considered podcast. Relaxation + new tunes + no commercials = happy.


Lightning over water. Photo by James Larkin.

Tune Time: Hockey

There's something almost shameful about coming across a band months after their album is released, especially when you then can't stop listening to it. It's like jamming hardcore to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in 2000 and evangelizing to all your friends about this great new band, you might've heard of them, Nirvana. Ahem.

This isn't quite as bad, though, because this album came out in August of last year, and the band is still relatively quiet (or so I think).

The band is Hockey. The album is Mind Chaos. It makes me wanna dance. And sing loudly. The singer reminds me of a cross between Tom Petty and Bob Dylan, and that's really all you need to know. So go forth and buy this record. But first, you can watch this video.

Friday Night Concert

Words cannot describe how thrilled I was to find these videos from 2001. They were taken literally DAYS before I saw The Strokes for the first time at the Howlin' Wolf in New Orleans, forever cementing my love affair with them. These take me back in time, friends.

And THIS. Well. THIS is one of my favorite Strokes songs of all time:



Wait. Did Julian just get kicked in the face at 2:08?

If only someone had filmed the show at the Howlin' Wolf. I would pay a pretty penny to re-live that night.

Flickr Fridays #68

1. Untitled, 2. Red, 3. Untitled, 4. remix 2-14-10, 5. Crushed Sweets, 6. Untitled

Happy Friday, friends! Whew. I just finished a long photoshoot with my mannequin, Ashley, which means there will be another huge store update soon. The photoshoot included so many items that I completely filled a memory card. Now to get all those on my memory-almost-full laptop. Hmm ... see a pattern here?

What are your plans for the weekend? The rest of mine will be fairly relaxing. I see the sun is shining here in the South Bay for the first time in days, so maybe this means another outdoors adventure during which we can kick around the soccer ball. And perhaps a trip downtown for Unique L.A., although my pocketbook is already cowering in fear at the thought of it.

Fashion Rewind: Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Every spring around this time, I feel the urge to cut class. To break free and bust loose on the city. Never mind that I've been out of school for awhile now -- I still get this urge. If I were in school, I would have a boyfriend who would pretend there was a death in the family, dress up like my dad and pick me up in a choice car. Then we would kiss passionately in front of Mr. Rooney before gallivanting around downtown Chicago. I would be Sloane Peterson, but instead of my 1980s fringe jacket I'd trade it in for a military inspired jacket because it is 2010 after all.

Arden B. military jacket - 34.99
Roxy fringe bag - 30.88
Revlon lipstick - 6.99
Forever 21 shorts - 19.80
Charlotte Russe cami - 7.50
Urban Outfitters necklace - 34.00
Jeffrey Campbell booties - 99.95

Design Dialogue: Foxy Moxie

Foxes are all the rage in my universe right now. It all started with a lackluster viewing of "Fantastic Mr. Fox." What the movie lacked in interesting plot, though, it made up for in style, so it wasn't all bad. But it didn't come close to my favorite fox movie of all time, the animated "Robin Hood." Damn, was that fox charming. But I digress.

Just when I thought I was done thinking about foxes, I overheard someone in public say, "He's a stone cold fox" (who says that anymore, anyway?) and saw a segment with Michael J. Fox on my admittedly-ritualistic morning viewing of the previous day's Rachael Ray show (burying head in shame). After these incidents, I realized I had "Foxy Lady" in my head all. day. long.

At this point I was going into fox overload so I turned to Etsy for some respite. Without a fair warning I was under attack by more foxes! Foxes are so cute, though, it's hard to stay mad at them, those sly creatures.

Box of Birds Shop

Red Velvet Art

Kristiana Parn

Pretty Little Things

sewinmachine

Matte Stephens

The It List

Five things I'm lovin' right now ...

The Shutter Speed Bag from Modcloth. *Grabby hands*


"Kick-Ass." This movie is self-descriptive.


This deluxe mold collection. [via]


This amazing Aussie's blog. Love her!


And, finally, Syfy's awesomely bad "Mega Piranha." Yes, that piranha just took down a helicopter. This little flick will whet my appetite till "Piranha 3-D" arrives.

Guest Blog: Serial Thrifter's Bargain Bin

I'd like to introduce you all to my good friend Sara, otherwise known as the Queen of Thrift, the Sultan of Sales, the Master of Pinching Pennies, the ... you get the point. In between writing two blogs (Confessions of a Serial Thrifter and Anthropologie Treasurebox) in her area of expertise, she has bravely agreed to write a guest blog here twice a month. I say bravely because I am throwing her a curve ball each time: Her thrifty finds must correlate with a word of my choosing. This time the word is "green." Let's see what she found:

When Vanessa approached me about doing a guest blog for Little Gray Pixel, I was excited and somewhat apprehensive because I wasn’t sure what she wanted me to write about. I needn’t have worried; she soon provided me with both a direction and a challenge when she told me that she wanted me to concentrate on the word “green.”

Oh.My.Gosh. What an appropriate word for a thrift-oriented blog post! Green and thrifting go hand in hand on so many levels! There’s the environmental aspect of thrifting: Being “green” by recycling clothing saves space in landfills. There’s the economic aspect of thrifting: By buying gently pre-owned clothing, you’re saving “green.”

But she wanted something a bit more specific. So, I got to thinking about it and landed on an unusual phenomenon that started with my husband’s favorite color, which is, you guessed it, GREEN. Since my husband is Irish and loves green, I figured that he might like to see me in green sweaters and tops. Before I realized it, I had nine green sweaters, most of which came from the thrift store! Won’t you take a tour with me through the collection?

#1: Banana Republic cowl-neck sweater: This is the most recent addition to my collection. I discovered it in a Goodwill near where I work. I actually haven’t worn this sweater yet because it’s been getting warmer out, but I’m betting it will become a staple next fall.

#2: J Crew “Collier” mint green cashmere cardi: My friends, this cardigan was an exercise in patience. Originally marked at $198, it debuted in the spring of 2009. It is made of 100% cashmere and features an intricate glass bauble design on the front. It was gorgeous, and I wanted it so bad. But $200? Heck no. So I waited patiently … and waited some more … and waited some more. Finally, it was marked down to $98, and I had a free ship code and a code for an extra 30% off, making it a much more reasonable $68. The lesson? Patience!

#3: Ann Taylor LOFT lantern-sleeve sweater: Probably my favorite of the bunch. I thrifted it from a Salvation Army; it was new with the original $44.50 price tag. I paid $5 for it. This has been my go-to sweater throughout the fall and winter here in SoCal, as it’s the perfect weight.

#4: Moth mint green cardi with sequin embellishment: I purchased this lovely little cardi off eBay from a great seller named LunaBeeDesign. I got it for $15.99 -- an absolute steal, when I know it probably retailed for at least $88 new at Anthropologie. I get so many compliments on this one.

#5: TSEsay linen cardi: TSE and TSEsay are brands that I’d never heard of until I saw a beautiful tulip skirt by them in an old issue of Lucky magazine. The brand’s pricepoint is way beyond my limited budget, so when I spotted this army green linen cardi in a Goodwill near my house, I knew I had to scoop it up! I’m looking forward to wearing it this spring and summer.

#6: Anthropologie mint green cardi with wooden buttons: This winter, I developed quite the lust for mint green, as evidenced by multiple purchases. I got this one for $10 off eBay, and I was super impressed by the perfect condition it arrived in. It looks absolutely darling on, and it’s a rare piece from 2009, making it a win-win all around.

#7: Free People boyfriend cardigan: Ah, here we come to the retail thrifting part of the adventure. I unearthed this beauty at my local Marshalls store for $19.99, marked down from the original $148 Free People pricetag, which was still attached. Marshalls and TJ Maxx are great places to get your feet wet when it comes to thrifting. I highly recommend stores like this for the newbie bargain hunter – you’d be surprised at some of the deals you can find!

#8: Theory V-neck sweater: I found this one at the same Wilmington thrift store that’s since closed. I love its deep V-neck design; it has a V in both the front and back. It’s super lightweight as well, making it a great layering piece. I love the color of this sweater; it’s unique and much more versatile than you’d initially think. The $5.49 investment has been totally worth it.

#9: J Crew kelly green cardigan: I found this darling little cardi at a now-closed Goodwill location in Wilmington, Calif. Vanessa may not remember this, but she was with me when I discovered it! I was so pleased with myself; it was missing the J. Crew tag, but the interior tags were still attached, so I was able to discern its origin from the RN number (a great way to figure out the brand).

So there you have it. For a fraction of the price, I have cardigans by Anthropologie, Theory, TSEsay, J. Crew, Banana Republic, Free People and Ann Taylor LOFT. I’m guessing that the original retail total for these cardigans was about $1,000 and I paid $144 total for them, a savings of $856 (which is probably unfortunately about what I need to spend on getting my car to comply with California’s “green” smog laws!!)

UPDATE: 31 things to do before I turn 32

Marking a few things off my list ...

28. Watch a movie at Grauman's Chinese Theater.
It was a gray Saturday. H and I were running late as we shuffled through the throng of tourists standing in the cemented footprints out front, but there was no need to worry about getting a good seat for "Clash of the Titans." Halfway through this snooze of a film I sneaked out to scope out the ladies room, located a few flights of stairs down in Old Hollywood style. As I primped my hair in one of the many full-length mirrors in the butterfly-adorned sitting room, I wondered how many celebrities had stood exactly where I was standing, doing the exact same thing.



17. Try Ethiopian food.
I've driven down Fairfax through Little Ethiopia a gazillion times without stopping, so this was long overdue. We ate lamb and chicken, both of which were flavorful and spicy, but the sourness of the bread was a bit of a turnoff for me so I quickly gave up on it and instead picked up the food with my bare fingers. The best part of the meal was the coffee afterward, served with a bit of mood-setting incense.

Sadly the photos above are not my own. They were tragically erased in an incident earlier this week, but I turned to Flickr, where I found photos whose points of view were strikingly similar to ones I took.
[Images via impalergeneral, abbyladybug and bootsintheoven]

Friday Night Concert

I'm not at Coachella where Vampire Weekend is playing tonight, but pretending we're at one of their concerts is close enough, right?

Flickr Fridays #67

1. Before we begin, 2. owls, 3. the princess's tasks, 4. Untitled, 5. Untitled, 6. Untitled, 7. Untitled,
8. Untitled, 9. Untitled, 10. 3D Rainbow, 11. strawberry, 12. Untitled, 13. All Eyes Are on You

This weekend is going to be "Kick-Ass"! On the agenda: donuts, photoshoot for Taste of Honey (and trying not to inadvertently delete all my images), fun with friends, movies, lazy daydreams, opening all the windows and making vacation plans.

What are you up to, friends?

Media Minded: No Photos Yes Cry (An Open Letter to Canon)

Dear Canon,

I have a bone to pick with you. You know that part in the camera settings that says "Format"? I think it needs a name change. How about "This Will Eff Your Shizz Up"? What, too long? I'd settle for "No Touchy."

And if by accident I do "touchy," I'd like for the exit button to say something like "If You Push This Button Your Photos Will Be Gone Forever" instead of "OK." Because pushing "OK" is definitely NOT OK. When I purposefully try to delete images off the camera you ask me "Are You Sure?" no less than three times but when I am about to unknowingly wipe my memory card clean there is no hesitation, no warning. What kind of crazy system is this? If I'm not touching the little trashcan icon, I clearly do not wish to delete anything.

I take that back. I'd like to delete the moment I pushed that fatal "OK" button. The moment which set off a series of events this evening that I can only define as frantic, desperate and in vain.

So I humbly suggest these subtle, more appropriate "Format" warnings:

• Kiss Your Memories Goodbye, Sucker
• ☠ ☠ ☠ ☠
• Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?
• The End
• Game Over

Sincerely,
Me

Written Word: Using Those Little Gray Cells

David Suchet as Hercule Poirot

There was a summer I went through an Agatha Christie phase, and during this time I was rarely seen without a dog-eared tome with names such as "Murder on the Orient Express" and "They Do It With Mirrors." The "it" in question being murder. What? Did you expect something more sexy than sinister? Then you're not in the right frame of mind to solve crime. You have to have murder on the mind!

Joan Hickson as Miss Marple

I read every single mystery at my local library, then when that collection proved inadequate I bought cheap paperbacks of others I tracked down. I became accustomed to the sleuthing ways of Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot. These books went down smooth as wine, so fast that I was fairly certain by summer's end I had read all of her more than 80 novels. Eighty novels. That's quite a body of work, one I can't even hope to aspire to. The woman must've been writing in her sleep.

Then, the other day at the bookstore, it stuck out like a sore thumb: "Cat Among the Pigeons." I zeroed in on it like a homing piegon. What was this?! Surely I hadn't missed a book! Oh, but I did. And now I'm going to dive in, dust off my little gray cells and help Poirot find the one responsible for this heinous crime.

What about you, friends? Do you enjoy a good mystery?

100 Movies: 64, 65

And the countdown continues in my quest to watch and find something inspiring in every single one of Yahoo's 100 Movies to See Before You Die.

Oskar Schindler: Look, All you have to do is tell me what it's worth to you. What's a person worth to you?
Amon Goeth: No, no, no, no. What's one worth to you!

I watched this a few months ago but kept putting off writing about it because it was so exhausting to watch, which might explain how I've avoided it for more than a decade. It's one of those movies you watch with intensity, admitting it was a great one. Then you never ever watch it again because it's too damaging to your psyche. Liam Neeson is Schindler, the sympathetic Nazi (is this an oxymoron?) who bribes SS officials to keep his business running using relatively healthy Jewish labor and Ralph Fiennes is Goeth, the evil Nazi who is more than happy to exterminate all of them. Neeson eventually runs out of money trying to keep his workers alive and out of Auschwitz, but he manages to do so till the war is over. See, I'm exhausted and depressed just writing this. The only thing inspiring about the events in this film is that they are in the past.

Scottie: You shouldn't keep souvenirs of a killing. You shouldn't have been that sentimental.

Jimmy Stewart has acrophobia. Can't you just hear him say that in his Jimmy Stewart Accent™? He can't handle heights anymore, and this is problematic in San Francisco, what with all the hills. Anyway, his handicap keeps him out of police work, but he gets suckered into following an old college friend's wife, who is supposedly possessed. Of course he falls for this mysterious, off-limits woman (Kim Novak) instead of the awesome Midge, his BFF and an artist with a seriously kick-ass apartment (see below). I will not reveal the plot (there's a TWIST) or its turns (there's ANOTHER twist), but I will tell you that it is a stylish flick from the opening credits to the last scene. I'd expect no less of Hitchcock, though. I'm inspired to return to San Francisco, a gorgeous town of which so far I've only scratched the surface. Oh, and to someday have a room with a view like Midge has in this film.

This Week @ A Taste of Honey

The Jessie's Girl sweater • The Angel of the Morning peignoir set • The Cecilia blouse

Stop by and check out the new sale section!

The It List

Five things I'm lovin' right now ...


These Color Me Katie flats. I adore her blog, and these shoes are just like her: colorful and fun!


The gorgeous green dress Betty wore to Hilda's wedding this week. Only one more episode left of my favorite soap opera. *Tear*


Hanging jewelry from real tree branches in your bedroom.


Oversized square frames.


The King being all sneaky. Even better than when he was creepy.