Circle of Earrings

With my new short hair, I have a hankering to wear lovely, colorful stud earrings. But I got rid of most of my studs when I had long hair and only wanted to wear dangley earrings. Such is the circle of life.

This song is totally about accessories.

And just as everything the light touches will one day be Simba’s, these earrings, too, may one day be mine. Although by then I’ll probably have long hair again.

 

With Sequins in Her Hair…

Thank you everyone for your congratulations on my engagement announcement! T.R.S. is one nifty dude, and I’m super-happy.

I don’t know yet what T.R.S’s and my wedding will look like yet,

Other than arriving at the ceremony in a manatee-drawn tugboat

but I suspect it will include this beret. Because Millie is an awesome best friend and knows just what to send a gal for Christmas!*

*And, yes, it’s February. We send our gifts out fashionably late in Interrobangs Land. Ask Chelsie about the presents I sent her this Christmas that included the presents she should have gotten last Christmas. Good thing I didn’t get her that goldfish I was thinking about…

P.S. For those who are interested, or just want another time-waster, I have a wedding board on my Pinterest account. Pop on over and witness the growing love of tulle I never knew I had.

This Just In:

My toes. They are fancy! (Also weird and alien-looking)

I love shiny toenails in winter. They’re a lovely secret surprise (unlike dill pickle chips masquerading as sour cream and onion. Damn lying potatoes).

FYI, this is Revlon’s “Gold Coin” and it meets my two top polish criteria:

1. You only need one coat
2. You only need one hand, leaving the other free for eating chips

And here’s how my shiny toes would look with a dodo tattoo.

Why get a butterfly for metamorphosis when you can get a dodo for extinction?

Chelsie Daily Happy: A Hollyhock Fence

I’m always meaning to take a photo of this flower hollyhock fence when we drive down this particular country road. It is gorgeous!

The fence basically follows the property line along the side of the road, with four rows of hollyhocks, and it goes on for two field lengths of about 50-100 meters each.

S’s mom is going to try doing this along her country property line next spring. If it works out it should look gorgeous as well!

Debbie Reynolds: The Auction

Debbie Reynold’s auction of over 300 costumes and props from her Hollywood memorabilia collection happens tomorrow, and if I had a spare $2,000 lying around, Nina Foch’s wine crepe cape from The Ten Commandments would be mine (and this blog would become a lot less diverse as I’d never take it off)!

Reynold’s collection is amazing – she has Marylin Monroe’s famous white dress from The Seven Year Itch, Judy Garland’s “test dress” for playing Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, and Ingrid Bergman’s suit of armor from Joan of Arc.

What’s even more amazing, given the breadth of the sale catalogue (download a copy here), is that Reynolds is only selling around 10% of her collection. She has to be the most prolific movie memorabilia preservationist there is. And what ties the bow on this giant box of awesome? All the proceeds are dedicated to the planned Hollywood Motion Picture Museum. Museum funding just makes me all tingly.

What piece from Reynold’s collection would you bid on if you had the money and an appropriate hermetically sealed vault to store it in?

The feminine, the pretty, the practical

I know its been a shamefully long time since I’ve posted. That’s what happens with four countries, one new job, countless people to see and things to do….all in less than two months. But since settling in to my new location, I now have the time to have a bit of a breath, and some writing time over a cup of chai. Please enjoy this latest posting…

**** 

Another summer, another stealthy hot country. While last year I was bearing the Vietnamese sun, this year I find myself struggling against the Indian humidity. It two showers a day hot, no need for eye liner as it will just run away, and my hair is a constant matted sweated lump. Yes these days I look about as attractive as I feel.  But as I eat my homemade curd and mango breakfast, looking down at the bustling rural street below, I am captivated at how beautiful and ‘together’ looking the women of my new town are. No matter the heat factor, they walk with a feminine grace,  looking as classy as if they were heading to temple or a special dinner. In fact, I can see they have just come back from the market.

I think this is part because of one four letter word, starting with ‘s’…get your mind outta the gutter, I’m talking about sari. This traditional Indian dress is still the daily wear for the majority of women, well, in this region of West Bengal anyways. It’s the type of fashion that combines necessity with style, of need (cool) with want (pretty).  

This dress has been gracing the beautiful women of India for nearly 5000 years.  The cloth can be silk or cotton, adorned with as many prints and colours as your wild imagination can dream up. While you would think that seeing everyone wearing the same thing would be mundane, or boring, but because West Bengalis are not afraid of a lil splash of lemon yellow or emerald green, your eyes are constantly adjusting to  variety of cloths and colours.  You can cross a thousand saris and never see one repeated.

A brief run down:

First layer, the choli. This is a halter style top, with options of short cap sleeves, long sleeves, and ‘scandalous’ tank top straps. A droop in the front to reveal the colar bone offers a seductive, but not revealing touch.  This is typically a solid colour, which may nor may not match the rest of the outfit.

 Second layer, the lehenga. Now this is kinda optional.  If the sari fabric is see through, then you should layer a light, long skirt underneath.  No need to see the whole show, am I right?

 Third layer, the sari. Sari is derived from Sanskrit to mean ‘strip of cloth’…though it can be nearly 9 meters long, so ‘strip’ may not do it justice. But because of the fabric and the loose fitting, 9 meters can feel as light as a feather.  There will typically be a pallu, which is a special patterned adornment, and how you wrap you sari should also be to show this pallu off (its usually so nice, you wouldn’t want to hide it). Taking the sari, wrapping it around your bottom lehenga, you throw the remaining fabric over your left shoulder. With that much fabric, the remaining hang over your shoulder should nearly reach the floor.  

 And voila! The very very basics of sari.

 I must admit, I was a bit confused about the concepts of conservative dress when I first arrive. Curious to know why revealing a mid-drift is considered to be acceptable, where anything above the knee cap unthinkable. But the word according to wiki says that in Indian tradition…”the navel of the Supreme Being is considered to be the source of life and creativity, hence the midriff is to be left bare by the sari”…hmmm, I supposed that does make sense.

 There are many other elements to Indian dress and accessorizing, all with their own double meanings and rich history. Even the sari has a much richer, and more detailed story than I am offering here.…But I have a lot of time coming up in this place, so more will come in time. Its time for daily shower number one. I leave you with the following images of this absolutely gorgeous, traditional fashion.

References: the locals of West Bengal,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sari
(of course),
http://www.wikihow.com/Dress-in-a-Sari
(how to wrap), http://indianfashionshaggy.wordpress.com/2008/08/12/indian-saree-style/ (blue),
http://www.thisnext.com/tag/indian-dress/

(pinkness)bollywoodvogue.com

(wedding black)
http://indiandresssari.blogspot.com/2010/04/black-saree.html

Like the Headless Horseman, Sans Pumpkin*

Last weekend my mum went to a yard sale and came back with a dress form and a bag of authentic Victorian clothing!

What shall I name her?

*And also not terrifying.

G.S.L. Anonymous

Ahem. My name is Katie, and I’m a G.S.L.: Grey Sweater Lover. As evident here, here, here, here and here, I have a bit of a problem when it comes to saying no to anything grey and in sweater form – I just can’t quit them. As I recently mentioned, I currently own six. So what’s the last thing I need?

This!

Lauren Conrad Rosette Sweater

The photo doesn’t do it justice: it’s like a fancy sweatshirt, perfect hip length, 3/4 dolman sleeves, a floral embellishment that’s not annoying, and boy do I look cute in it. Just to be clear, I didn’t buy it. I wanted to (and I had a coupon), but I didn’t. After all, six is probably enough, right? Although, it also comes in burgundy…

Is there a color or style of clothing that you find yourself buying again and again?

Chelsie Daily Happy – Pie and Purchasing

Do you find that you go on tides of purchasing? This week is purchasing week for me. So far I’ve bought two three dresses, material to reupholster the dining room chairs (that project is still to come), a mailbox, a key hanger, and probably more. But not much more. But all that is more than usual. Houses make you want to decorate more, because they are more permanent.

Mailbox and key hanger. The mailbox says POST in front.

Cute bottle of soap. We'll refill it after.

Co-op farm share grab.

We are loving the co-op farm 1/2 share that we purchased. This is only the fourth week and we are starting to see a major increase in the amount of food. This week we got:

• A giant head of lettuce
• 6 radishes
• 6 beets
• 5 turnips
• 1 brocoli
• 6 green onions
• one carton of peas
• one bowl of mixed spring greens
• one bowl of something else kind of arugula looking-ish, with a slight spice
• 5 garlic scapes

It’s been either rainy here, or super sunny, so I think it’s been good farming weather. Today was quite chilly though.

And of course the requisite pictures of pie. (Why yes, that is the rhubarb from the first picture!)

Natural Inspiration – Lobster Chic

There must be something in the air that has people craving to adorn themselves with crustaceans, because people keep finding our blog by searching for “lobster dress.” The Anthro option is one (and check out Tania over at What Would a Nerd Wear looking very cute in her’s), but if you want to rock it lobster style (or just rock lobster it…groan), here are some other options.

For all those formal, black-tie, red-lobster events:

Elsa Schiaparelli Lobster Dress

For those occasions where subtle lobster is more appropriate. That’s right, I said subtle:

J. Crew Lobster Dress

For when you plan on there being nothing subtle about you:

Alexander McQueen “Lobster” Dress

For when you want to go big or go home:

Heal Lobster Dress

For the days when a lobster accessory is the final touch:

Isabella Blow in Philip Treacy

Lady Gaga in what she wears to walk the dog

And for when you want embarrassing photos of your children to blackmail them with later:

Lobster Baby!

If I ever have a kid, I’m putting them in this costume and carrying them around the neighborhood in a big pot on Halloween. Or on Thursday. Whatever.

How I Stopped The Scarves From Scarfing My Closet (Hopefully)

I love scarves. I’m sure you’ve noticed, they show up more often in my oufits than not. I love how they’re flowy, how they add pattern and dimension to my wardrobe, and how they continue to assist me on finessing a personal style that has a touch of Golden Girls-chic.

However, it turns out that I have a bit of a scarf problem. Not in the buying, as I’m the queen of finding them at thrift stores and garage sales and pride myself on never having paid more than $1 for one. Nor in the wearing, as they regularly appear in my wardrobe as necklaces, headbands, bracelets and belts. It’s the storing that has bested me to the point that I finally had to admit I had a problem and find a solution.

Here’s where my scarves were living, on an accordion set of hooks in my closet:

Can’t see the hooks, can you? I had so many scarves piled atop one another that they would routinely fall off the hooks – the muffled thud coming from my closet in the middle of the night convincing me that “The Clothes Beast,” the name The Rocket Scientist gives to my sometimes unwieldy pile of laundry, had finally come to life and was out to punish me for never using fabric softener. This simply would not do.

So, as I learned from The Art of War, or possibly The Hills, it’s important to know your enemy. Here are my scarves laid out on my bed:

Can’t really see the bed, either, eh?

I realized that one of the big problems was that when all my scarves were hanging on the same hooks, the small ones got lost behind the larger ones, and the silk, polyester and satin ones of all sizes just kept slipping off. Hanging was not the solution for those scarves. Then I realized that I had a drawer in my dresser that was empty. I’m still not sure how that happened, but since nothing had been stored in there for over 6 months, it seemed fair game to try as a new scarf home. All the slippery and small scarves got rolled up and put into the drawer. Now, with little fiddling, I can see all those scarves at once.

And the long scarves went back onto the hooks, which now you can actually see!

The cool thing about this system (besides the fact that it exists at all) is that along with it being easier to see all my scarves and decide which one(s) to wear, I can also evaluation my collection as a whole. For example, all my long scarves are in cool colors: blue, green and purple. If I find another cute blue, green or purple scarf, chances are I already have one that fills the same niche. But if I find a red, yellow, or orange scarf…

Now, I’m famous for letting my organization techniques lapse, but I’m going to try to keep this one up – promise!

P.S. Doesn’t the one rolled red and blue scarf at the bottom of the photo look like the pattern is an angry face?

Chelsie Daily Happy – Weekend Shopping

The results of my weekend (Saturday) shopping are as follows:

Print: $20, Frame (Ikea): $20

I cut the side height myself to fit the print. The right side looks practically perfect, but I can tell there is a slight flaw on the left. I will leave that for later though. This is safely packed in the car trunk until next week.

Rhino Pillow: $10 (Sale)

I loved the old looking print for this pillow, and it wasn’t a bad price.

And now for the piece de resistance…

Thrifted jacket: $1 (Dollar sale on all clothing if thrift store!)

Virgin wool with double lining

Closer...

... and around

Natural Inspiration – Swallows

Every year, right around now, the Miller moths emerge in droves where I live, taking refuge in garages, sheds, cars, and on at least one occasion, my shoe (RIP squished moth. And stained shoe).

And when the moths come out, so do the swallows, and oh what a sight to see. The swallows aggregate at intersections, where high concentrations of Miller moths occur, and swoop in and out amongst the cars looking like a mix between acrobats and jet fighter pilots, never hitting the cars or each other but catching hundreds of moths.

So in honor of the swallows, here are some accessories that would be just perfect to wear during my morning commutes, watching the swallows swooping through the sky.

The birds and the bees headband

Swallow Brooch

Vintage Swallow Sweater Guard

Hope is a Thing with Feathers Necklace

I Liked Birds Before They Were Cool Pins

Upcycling ‘High-Style’ Handbags

I was leafing through some book catalogues today when I came across this book. Sounds interesting.

In Refashioned Bags, you’ll learn how to create carryalls, clutches, laptop bags, totes, and more. And all of them will get a unique look, whether from the use of an old wool sweater, an ex-boyfriend’s neckties, extra shower curtains, dad’s hand-me-down suit jacket, a quilt, an umbrella, or even a bath mat. Some of the inventive and one-of-a-kind bags you’ll learn to make include:

• Boho Hobo Bag
• Sweater Computer Cozy
• Dapper Diaper Bag
• Dolce Doily Purse
• Le Zip Sac
• Tux Redux Bag And more!

Helpful diagrams accompany the step-by-step instructions, along with bonus crafting ideas, fun facts, and tips and tricks from top bag designers in the DIY field who work with, at times, unusual materials. By following just a few easy steps that require little more than cutting, folding, gluing, and basic stitching, you’ll be able to add refashioned bag designer to your repertoire.

9 amazon customers gave this book a five star rating, do you?

Invert Shirts (and a Dress)

If you read our blog regularly, you’ll know that I have a soft spot in my heart for invertebrates. If I was an annelid worm, I’d have a soft spot in all seven (or more!), of my hearts, but since my one heart is much bigger than all a worm’s, it evens out. So, naturally I’m thrilled at the plethora of invert motifs adorning shirts for spring and summer. For the longest time, my only invert shirt was the “I Survived Invert Zoology” shirt we received after passing Invert I and II in undergrad (take that, lab technician Greg H.!) With these new shirts, I can be stylish and nerdy. My favorites?

Merona Sea Star Slub T-Shirt

Old Navy Sea Horse Tank

Old Navy Octopus Tank

J. Crew Crawfish T-shirt

Sadly, no crawfish (no matter how sparkely) is worth the almost $60 being charged for it. Now, if it were a lobster…

Anthropologie Lobster Dress

(I’m still anti-Anthro, so I’m posting this under protest)

Eh, not worth the $135 they’re charging for that, either.

My one complaint is that we’re focusing heavily on sea creatures here. Yes, yes, nautical is a big trend for the season, but does that mean no love for our land-locked buddies? I mean, who doesn’t want to wear a shirt festooned with slugs, tarantulas, or earwigs? Oh well, maybe next season…

I just want to point out that I was years ahead of the trend on this one. Back in 2005 I had hissing cockroaches, giant millipedes and walking sticks on my shirts. But they were alive, so not as sparkley.

I “Wood” Like One Of Each, Please

I’m in love. I just discovered molly m. designs and every piece is made with laser cut wood, felt, suede, and canvas. Incredible

This is the problem with having a fall birthday and a winter anniversary with Christmas in the middle – all my gift-getting days happen in the span of a few months.

Although, Ponce de Leon Day is this Thursday… What better way to celebrate a mis-focused search for the fountain of youth than with a new pair of earrings?

My favorites?

Ginko 3

Petiole 1

Facet 2

Vortex 1

Web 4

Elliptoid 2

Triangulate

I wonder if The Rocket Scientist knows how to use lasers…

DIY – Reverse Tie-Dyeing

Proenza Schouler

Tie dye prints are popping up everywhere, and they’re much cuter than they used to be, no? The simple and sometimes random patterns and limited color palates (usually only 2) feel much more sophisticated that the rainbow swirls of yore.

Since I’ve recently gone pattern-mad, I decided I wanted some tie dye pieces of my own. But since I also hate to buy when I can make myself, I hunted through my closet for some pieces to diy myself. The results? A scarf, a skirt, and some leggings. Only one problem: The scarf is navy, the skirt is maroon, and the leggings are dark grey. Dark colors don’t tie dye so well, and the idea of bleaching everything and then dyeing them didn’t appeal to me so much. The solution? Just use the bleach.

Discharge dyeing, also know as reverse tie dyeing, is when you use a dye remover to remove color from fabric (instead of adding dye to fabric). The technique works with all colors, but is definitely the most dramatic the darker a colored fabric you start with. Here’s how it’s done:

Katie Daily Pretty – My New Bracelet

While I’ll never claim to be the best at always being up on the latest trends, I do know that animal prints are going to be big this spring and summer. Hence, my newest accessory. Sarah, you probably don’t want to click to see more…

Katie Daily Pretty – Jun Takahashi “Alice” Dress

Normally, I’m not too much a fan of avant garde couture clothing. I can appreciate the vision and the workmanship, but if it doesn’t look like something I can snuggle on the sofa and eat chocolate ice cream in, chances are I’m not going to wear it (and if you haven’t already, hop on over to Between Laundry Days to read Kyla of Blue Collar Catwalk’s demand that fashion be comfortable – a girl after my own heart). However, I might make an exception* for the Jun Takahashi “Alice” dress.

Pop on over to the Powerhouse Museum’s Object of the Day blog to read the story of this beautiful, weird, and ultimately kind of creepy dress.

AND, is this not the neatest bag? I tell you, just looking at it gets all my synapses firing.

Takahashi Brain Bag

*It’s only a matter of time, really. Today I wore earrings made out of fish bones.

Katie Daily Pretty – Brass Balls* and a Pearl

Yesterday I wore a sundress. Today we got 8 inches of snow. Damn you, fickle weather of the West!!!

Suffice to say, no outfit photo today because I’m mad. I’m ready for sandals and twirly skirts and my favorite denim jacket that I can’t wear when I’m wearing pants because all the pants I own are jeans and I refuse to don the Canadian tuxedo. I’m currently bundled under umpteen layers against my will, and I don’t want to give the weather the satisfaction of documenting for posterity what it made me do sartorially.

So here’s something pretty, instead:

I made this necklace the other night out of some vintage brass ball beads I removed from a sweater so moth-eaten that I’m pretty sure the only thing holding it together were the beads. I love the juxtaposition of the angles and brass against roundness and natural material of the pearl, and it’s so lovely in its simplicity. This was the third necklace I made that night, and the other two are quite complex in comparison, making this necklace a nice palate cleanser. Like sherbet, only not so fruity.

*Should I say “brass ovaries” since I’m a girl?

Katie Daily Pretty – Shamrockin it out

Apparently Wednesday is St. Patrick’s Day. I’d forgotten this. Pi Day I can remember no problem, but ol’ St. Patty has a way of slipping through the cracks in my brain (he shouldn’t feel too bad about this, there are a lot of cracks. Big ones. Crevasses? Canyons? Huge fissures in the Earth comparable to the Mariana Trench?). I think I forget because a) I’m not Irish, b) I don’t drink, and c) I’m not 10, and therefore the determination to wear green doesn’t run as deeply in me as it does others.

Since I remembered in time, I’ll be wearing my teeny tiny pearl shamrock necklace for the occasion. I’ve had it since I was little, so it’s both sentimental and a plausible choking weapon since it was designed to fit around a little neck. My neck is big, largely to support my crack-filled brain (not as illegal sounding in my head as it seems now). The fact that I’m going to need to refashion the necklace to prevent my face from turning blue as the rest of me is wearing green got me wondering about what other St. Patrick’s day jewelry is out there.

After a search on Etsy, I need to tell you: it’s not looking so good. Holiday-themed accessories are always a slippery slope; one false step and all of a sudden you’re at the bottom of the hill wearing a Halloween socks, a Santa pin that lights up, and a t-shirt that say “This is my Easter outfit” (didn’t think I remember that, did you mom?). Luckily for you, I waded through all the St. Patrick’s day cheese (moldy, moldy, green cheese) pretending to be jewelry, and found some pretty pieces. Perhaps I’ll wear one of these next year if my current shamrock necklace doesn’t do me in:

If you want to wear a shamrock, how about one of these:

Jasper and Peridot pendant by Kalliope Jewelry

Vintage Dictionary Shamrock pendant by Olivia Moon

Shamrock Scrabble Tile pendant by Spoiled Royal

If you’d prefer your jewelry just say “Ireland,” and not “ground cover,” try some of these:

Irish Gaelic Text Glass Tile pendant by Crow Biz

Connemara Marble pendant by byAmor

And if you just like green:

Green Adventurine Teardrop pendant by Strands of Light

Recycled Fiestaware China pendant by The Broken Plate

So, have a lovely St. Patrick’s Day and, remember:

“Chaill me mo mhala,” which, if my Gaelic isn’t too rusty, roughly translates to, “enough with the corned beef and cabbage, already!”

Katie Daily Happy – Kathleen Edwards and the Glitter Butterfly

On Monday, Jentine of my edit posted photos of herself in her glitter butterfly shirt, and it reminded me of my own glitter butterfly shirt story, a tale that’s sparkly with a touch of fame.

Two years ago, Kathleen Edwards had a concert here. This was a big deal, as Kathleen Edwards is awesome and Canadian and folksy, and most of the music that you hear where I live is…not (don’t get me started on how much I miss hearing Sarah Harmer, Sarah Slean and Tegan and Sara – hmmm, basically if you’re Canadian and named Sarah, I love you). A few hours before the show started, I was killing time downtown in a vintage/costume shop and who should walk in but Kathleen Edwards and her band!

Normally I would have gone up to them and been all cool (or at least have gone up to them), but at the time I was trying on a glitter butterfly shirt much like Jentine’s (no mirrors in the dressing room so I was out using their communal mirror) and felt a bit, erm, silly. So I hung back, trying to blend into my surroundings (which, when you’re wearing a glitter butterfly shirt would really only work in Liberace’s house), when who should come up behind me and say “Awesome shirt”? Kathleen Edwards! If that doesn’t make us practically BFFs, what does?

I didn’t end up buying the shirt, largely because I was trying at the time to downplay my reputation as ‘the butterfly girl.”* but I keep waiting for someone I know to mention Kathleen Edwards so I can be all cool and talk about how she and I are so tight that she gives me fashion advice. What? It’s sort of true…ish.

*Just to clarify, I was a butterfly girl in a hardcore-entomology sort of way, not a Drew Barrymore/Mariah Carey circa Glitter sort of way.

Katie Daily Pretty – An Open Letter To Sandra Bullock

So Pretty

Dear Sandy (can I call you Sandy?),

Congratulations on your Oscar win on Sunday! I suspect right now you’re feeling a combination of elation, thrill, the desire to do spontaneous happy butt dances all over the place and…dare I say it…a little trepidation? Anxiousness? You just won an Oscar, what are you going to do now (I’m assuming you’ve already been to Disney World)? No need to be ashamed of feeling this way, trust me. I experienced something quite similar when I won the award for Best English Student in 8th grade – once you’re at the top, where else can you go?

If I may be so bold, I have a suggestion. It may seem a bit radical, a tad extreme, and your close friends and family will probably wonder what meds you’ve been on and why in goodness you decided to go off them, but stick with me here. It’s time for America’s Sweetheart to throw everyone for a loop and…are you ready for this?… switch hair with me.

“Now, wait a minute,” you might think. “I’m Sandra Bullock, and my hair, which has always been gorgeous, has reached a new level of shine-a-locity. Why would I switch hair with someone who, with the right eye makeup, has hair that lets her readily pass as Robert Smith?”

Other than the chance to get to break into “Just Like Heaven” whenever you felt like it and have an awesome second career as a busker, you mean? Fair enough. Here are the top 4 reasons why you, Sandra Bullock, should have my hair:

• Cushioning from falling rocks. It’s the natural disaster you never think about, but if John Cusack and 2012 taught us anything, it’s that when the world ends a lot of things will try to hit you in the head. Sure, you could start wearing a helmet, but then you’d have helmet hair. Mine’s gives you the look of helmet hair, but without the pesky helmet!
• Curly hair looks good after it rains. Well, not if it’s a heavy downpour, that ruins it. And you might want to stay away from windy rain, that’ll just mess the curls up. Oh, and light misty rains just make the top layer frizz. But if you’re inside while it’s raining, it’s all good.
• Left un-styled, eventually your hair will resemble a bird’s nest. Then, with a little birdseed I bet you could get some small birds to move into your hair, and later on you can train them to help you get dressed in the morning, a la Cinderella.
• No one’s yet been talented enough and brave enough to make the one movie that still needs making: the epic cinematic story of Rosanne Rosanadana. I know Helen Miren is in development talks to play the part, but with my hair and your comic timing you’re a shoe-in!

And the top reason I should have yours?

• It’s so pretty!

Katie Daily Pretty – Ticking

We’ve had three days of temperatures in the 50s this week, and it’s definitely put me in the springtime mood. This mood will be crushed this weekend when we get another snowstorm but, at least for today, I live in blissful denial.

Since my brain tends to work on fast forward, my current springtime mood has me thinking about summer clothes. The thing I’m craving the most? Ticking.

Old French Ticking

Ticking is a strong, woven fabric made from cotton or linen, usually twilled, with a pattern of a dark stripe on a light background. Traditionally, ticking was used as a mattress and pillow cover, in part because it was easy to produce and relatively cheap, and in part because the tight weave helped keep creepy crawly unwanteds like bedbugs away from the sleeper. According to Dictionary.com (because everyone’s an etymology nerd, right?), the word “ticking” probably comes from the word “tyke” (pronounced “tick”), which comes from the Latin “theca” and the Greek “theke,” both of which mean to case/cover/sheath. Moving on with our lives, look how pretty ticking is when it’s taken off the bed and put on your body:

Hilfiger Denim Ticking Stripe Shirt Dress (or tunic. You know, potato po-tah-to.  Shirt dress, indecent exposure)

Ticking Stripe Pocket Dress

Bliss Ticking Shorts

Ted Baker Ticking Stripes Skirt

Kate Spade Ticking Stripe Carson Tote (isn’t it the rule that when something’s named after you, you get it for free? Hey, Kate, I think I have a lot of purses coming my way)

ASOS Ticking Stripe Bag

The Rocket Scientist and I are planning a road trip this summer to the Great White North, and I think a journal like this would be the perfect thing to chronicle our wacky adventures in:

julieboyle’s

And I’ll carry the journal is this:

DNTX *

*$195.00 is perfectly reasonable to pay for something that will carry memories. Memories, people!

Katie Daily Pretty – Penguin Classics

Part of me loves the mismatched, old and battered look of the books on my bookshelves – books from thrift stores, passed down by my parents, mementos worn out with love from being read and re-read for years and years. But the other part of me says mementos, schmentos, toss the smelly old books and embrace the gorgeousness that is the linen-covered Penguin Classics line.

Penguin Classics

One copy of each, please. With extras of Pride and Prejudice and Little Women. Those ones will get worn out quickly.