I'm going to P-town!

So y'all thought it was a good idea for me to go to Portland over Christmas to help decorate my cousin's apartment and see other assorted relatives. And I thought it was a good idea, too.

Of course, when I told my mother about this plan, she went absolutely apeshit. Apparently Christmas isn't Christmas unless she has her favorite kitchen elf (me) to cook meals, do chores, etc.

Also, I was sad that the plan would not allow me to visit my beloved grandparents.

However, thanks to my resourceful grandmother, I have a plan! I'm flying up to Reno on the 22nd, and my grandparents will pick me up from there and take me to their house. My aunt and uncle will be there for an early Christmas, and I will hitch a ride up with them to Portland.

Then merrymaking, decorating the apartment, visiting relatives, etc. will ensue.

On January 1st, I'll fly back home from Portland.

It's lots of traveling, but as long as it involves little or no driving on my part, I'm ha happy camper. And best of all, I can see tons of relatives AND enjoy Portland! Hallelujah!

Of course, between plane tickets and medical care costs stemming from my mutinous cervix, I'm feeling oh-so-broke. I plan on buying relatively inexpensive handmade gifts from Etsy, and making some goodies (truffles?) at home.

Anyone have hot tips for places to go in Portland? I'll be there for nearly a week. I plan to eat and drink myself to death when I'm not hitting up cool home decor stores, but details/tips are always welcome.

Purple Shoesies!

My latest frivolous footwear purchase is a pair of PURPLE! PATENT LEATHER! T-STRAP HEELS! They are fabulous. I found them at DSW* for 40 bucks. When I brought them home, I realized they are uncannily similar to these Dolce Vita T-straps at shopbop.com (see left), which I have been lusting after lately (complete with happy tail-wagging and excited grunting). Except mine have a rounder toe and a slightly lower, much chunkier heel. Mine also have white contrast stitching.

In theory, purple shoes are totally bizarre. But they actually look really nice with jeans and aren't OMG PURPLE - they're pretty subtle (despite being shiny) and a nice variation on the usual black or brown.

And, they suit me.

when I was younger, I was completely averse to dark (especially black) shoes. I kid you not. Perhaps it's because I have alabaster skin and light blonde hair - I can't successfully wear black shoes unless I have a good amount of black elsewhere in the outfit. Brown, metallic, burgundy, gray, or purple shoes are less severe, and compliment my skin and hair without drawing the eye directly to my feet.**

Oh yeah, and I also noticed that purple shoes are everywhere:

(The last pair are made by Frye and available here; the others are at Zappos and can be browsed here.)

So hey, maybe give some purple shoes a try? They're not as weird as they first seem. More importantly, we'll be shoe buddies.

* DSW is right next to Marshall's, where I was stocking up on undies, bras and kitchen knives (helloooo weird combinations). I think I need to have DSW permanently ban me or something, but then how would I satisfy my shoe cravings?

** As a child, I remember wearing pastel-colored leather strappy sandals and, later, Converse low-tops in slate blue and a very small plum-and-white checkered pattern. Later, in my early teens, I branched out to buying shoes at Ross/Marshalls - a bad idea, on the whole, but to my credit, I once found a pair of scandalously cheap, very cute Doc Martens Mary Janes there. Yes, they are black. I still wear and enjoy those Docs, whose awesomeness and comfort show no signs of abating.

[ Dolce Vita T-straps, $138 at shopbop.com ]

Today's Farmer's Market Haul

• A big bag of smallish Yukon Gold potatoes, to be cubed and cooked with olive oil and garlic, then showered with shredded cheddar cheese
• A basket of sweet tangerines, to be devoured guiltily at all hours of the day and night
• Three pomegranates, to be lovingly dissected and savored

As you can see, I showed serious restraint today.

Stop me, before I kill again

December is always terrible for my pocketbook. I never know what to buy my 67 million* relatives for Christmas, so I distract myself by buying little presents for myself. Then I buy gifts for everyone on, like, December 23.

Latest damage: the hoodie at right, bought at a charming little store called Karmaloop and made by a charming brand called Gentle Fawn. I destroy sweatshirts with remarkable speed, so whenever I can get a nice one for $40, you can bet I'll spring for it. Also, this model is as cute as a button and I have a not-so-secret girl crush on her.

*Ok, I exaggerated a bit. I only have 66 million relatives who are expecting Christmas gifts.

Rock and Roll Lifestyle

Wende suggested we all make a Top 10 (or 11) list of our winter clothing items, and since I do everything Wende says, I complied.

(Rambling Side Note) I hate in fashion books where the author recommends "wardrobe staples" like black dress pants, plain black pumps, and a crisp white shirt. I have all those items, and I wear them about once a year, if that. Mostly, they sit in my closet and remind me of the time I had a job that required business casual attire. With my current lifestyle, I can get away with flip-flops and a T-shirt 60% of the time, and a bikini and flip-flops 30 percent. And the other 10%, I'm nekkid. Maybe in the winter I'll throw a hoodie over the whole ensemble. (this makes me sound like a hobo and/or a beach bum, but....uh...I work in a creative profession, k?)

Someone needs to write a fashion book for people like me. It would talk about hot jeans, comfy tees, shoes you can dance in for six hours straight, sweaters you can throw in the dryer, and how to avoid spending all your money at Anthropologie. (End of Rambling Side Note)

Anyway, in this vein, I tried to make my Top 10 not totally boring.

1. Blush pink push-up bra that I like to show to my friends because it's so cute (dear friends: are you tired of getting flashed? No? OK.)
2. Flannel PJs from my grandma, for lounging/sleeping/"I don't give a fuck" days
3. Kiss Me mascara (slogan: Don't Paint Your Lashes, Tube Them!). It's amazing. Tube your lashes, indeed.
4. ACDC T-shirt. I don't wear it all that much, I just...have it. My Interpol T-shirt would go in this category also.
5. Dark wash, curve-hugging jeans (gotta highlight mah junk in the trunk)
6. Metallic ballet flats
7. Easy-to-wear high heels - this is totally a toss-up between my Dolce Vita peep-toes and BCBG T-straps
8. Black scoopneck sweater. It's totally acrylic and from Express, but it fits like a glove and seems to be aging just fine
9. Hamster undies (come to think of it, I haven't seen these for awhile. If my ex stole them, he's gonna have to die)
10. A fun scarf I can wear in a messy knot. It makes me look like a breezy, cosmopolitan person who just doesn't have time to tie a perfect knot, when in reality I'm a stuck-up bitch. Also, it keeps my neck warm.

Honorary mentions: fitted t-shirts in jewel tones; any and all items of clothing stolen from present or past boyfriends; cubic zirconia stud earrings; my black silk Karanina dress.

P.S. I don't actually wear T-shirts and flip-flops to work. I'm just saying, I could.

P.P.S. Just for the record, I have on black heels, gray wool dress pants, a white eyelet blouse, and a pink corduroy blazer today. But only because there's an industry mixer after work and they asked for cocktail/business casual attire.

Booted

Ok, for someone who claims to be unable to wear boots (my feet like to breathe, k?), I'm really enamored with some of the styles I've found. Specifically, these:

And these too:


Predictably, both pairs are tall and fierce. The first are from Dolce Vita, my favoritest brand of shoes in the world. And the second...you guys, I used to think ankle boots were the ugliest fucking things on the planet. I can't decide if this pair is totally heinous or totally hot, but people on Zappos seem to like them, and I must admit, they are oddly compelling.

Oh but the leather on the Dolce Vita pair looks so soft, and the height is nice for sweater dresses and such.

I don't know. I think a trip to DSW is in order.

Good Taste Runs in the Family

My older cousin (this guy) flew in on Wednesday for a visit. We ate at excellent restaurants, got rained on while exploring the marina, and even headed up to Los Angeles to see improv comedy performed by the Upright Citizen's Brigade. We also saw a couple movies and he got to try my garlicky cheesy potatoes.

All in all, a good visit. And the man was so enamored with the design of my apartment, he wants me to go to Portland to decorate his own home! I'm flattered, but doesn't designing for a family member seem like a risky proposition? Though I haven't seen pictures of his place, I've heard it's beautiful and full of potential. But I can see my cousin sighing with disgust (or erupting with frustration) as I show him a piece of furniture he considers too expensive, or ugly, or just not his style. And as my decorating style is decidedly feminine, I'm not sure how well I would do choosing a decorating scheme for a 30-ish bachelor - a man, I might add, who has lived in his newly purchased apartment for over a year without even attempting to decorate.

Still, I love projects, I love doing favors for people who will (hopefully) appreciate them, and I was fishing around for an excuse to go to Portland over Christmas.

Thoughts?