Dear Mr. Vernon...

School officially started this last week and what better way to herald in the academic year with an 80's cult classic: The Breakfast Club! This is my second year teaching and it seems that no matter how much prepping you do beforehand in the summer, there is no way around the chaos of the first day back. I'm exhausted!

As a big believer in "a clear space = a clear mind," I spent the better part of last weekend clearing out my closet...or trying to at least! After floundering in a sea of too tight jeans I've been hoarding since college (so tragic), I managed to come up for air with these old favorites. Seeing as it has been a blazing hot summer, these guys were all but forgotten! But there is certainly no doubt that they will resurface for the fall/winter and be wardrobe staples again!

I wear that denim shirt on its own, over t shirts, over dresses, under vests, the whole shabang! 

Shoulder bling!

Love wearing this with some dark jeans and bright red lips! Ooo la la!

This last item here deserves a blog post all its own seeing as it has stuck with me for three years through nine countries and served countless nights as a pillow in airports, street alleys (hey, when in Rome?), and as my loyal dance partner in many a night club! 

Potatos, Potaaatoes, Tomatos, Tomaaatoes

Thin green beans, tomatoes, shallots, rosemary, and garlic
+

A little egg action

=

Throw everything together, add a few Persian cucumbers and olives.

+

Potatoes with rosemary and garlic + sauteed chicken marinated in paprika, parsley, and garlic
+ 

My favorite man :)

= a happy belly.

Diary of a Mascara Floozy

Whoof has the most va-va-voom lashes any girl could possibly dream of. Don't get me started on that natural kohl liner she's got going on. Some girls just have it all. Which brings me to the point of this post: what do those of us who might be a little lacking in eyelash umph suppose to do? Coat those suckers in emulsified wax and pigments of course!

Looking a little haggard without my makeup.

As a self-professed mascara floozy who has trotted up and down every drugstore aisle and make-up counter looking for the perfect formula, I've accumulated quite the collection. With all these tubes of mascara floating around, I thought it might be cool to put together a little series of reviews on drugstore and higher end mascaras. I'm not a make-up artist of any kind AT ALL but I know how much it stinks to have stumpy sticks for lashes, and wanted to share what I could with anyone else who is on the journey for the holy grail. BLAHBLAHBLAHBLAH let's get started. So here is what I'm working with: thin lashes that stick straight out and have a hard time holding a curl.

Cue Voluminous Million Lashes by L'Oreal. First thoughts are that the packaging is pretty swish. The brush is one of those plastic jobbies and what is neat about it is that there are shorter bristles dispersed among the longer bristles, giving the impression that it is going to catch each and every one of your lashes. The majority of the product stays in the tube so you don't have to fret over getting product on the lip of the tube and making a mess.

 Before I launch into my diatribe, here is L'Oreal's claim about this product:

"For lashes that look a million times multiplied and perfectly defined, there’s only one mascara - NEW Voluminous® Million Lashes™. The built-in Clean Sweep Wiping System wipes the brush free of clumps leaving the perfect amount of mascara for an ultra-volumized clean lash look. The Millionizing Brush evenly thickens lashes from root to tip. The result? Lashes look so multiplied, so clean, it’s like seeing millions."

They might have been getting a little carried away with the "seeing millions," but I have to admit that it did a decent job. The first picture is one coat, the second picture shows two coats. It didn't do too much in terms of volume, but it did define my lashes, keep them from clumping, and lasted the better part of the day without flaking, getting smudgy, or misbehaving in any other way. When I first started using this, the formula was a little too wet but after a handful of uses, it has since dried out a little and it much easier and cleaner to apply. I have a sneaky feeling that this mascara works best if you continue to build it up and might be really nice for a night out on the town. The brush is a bit big to get up close to those inner lashes of your eye, but it does fan out the outer lashes quite nicely. Kudos to you, L'Oreal!

Well that wraps up this entry in the diary of a mascara floozy. Let me know what you think or if I missed anything. Thanks for reading!

  
Too-da-loo!   

List of Twenty-Three's

Didn't quiteeee make it to the library today...whoopsadoodle! Instead, Whoof and I had a relaxing morning, read the newspaper, made some nibblets for lunch, and did all our boring grown-up business in the afternoon. 

So this last birthday, I made a "List of Twenty-Three's." I'm not sure where I first heard about this idea, but essentially, you are suppose to create a list of things you'd like to accomplish before your next birthday and the number of items on the list corresponds with the age you are turning. Seeing as my birthday was exactly 2 months ago today (August 9), I thought it might be a good idea to check in with myself and see how things have been going.

***WARNING: Items on this list may appear to be extremely inspired, narcissistic, and a handful may even be impossible given the current state of my affairs, but you're suppose to be wishful and self-doting on your birthday!
1. Go on 23 first dates (told you!).
2. Add $23,000 to savings account (the word was wishful, remember?)
3. Make 2 new boy friends and 3 new girl friends.
4. Survive 23 weeks without Facebook.

Going strong!
weheartit.com

5. Write friends and family "just-to-say-hello" cards on the 23rd of the month.
6. Flex my creative writing for 23 minutes each day.
7. Splurge on a $2,300 ticket to somewhere I've never been! (maybe I'll find an extra 2,300 on the ground of a parking lot?)
8. Run/jog/walk/crawl 23 miles.
9. Build on my MAC lipstick collection up to 23.
10. Frame 23 pictures.

Six so far!

11. Enjoy 23 hours without the Internet.
12. Mail 23 postcards.
13. Read 23 books.

Book 1: Oscar Wilde "The Picture of Dorian Gray" SO SO GOOD

14. Maintain 23 blogposts a month ;)
15. Adventure on a 230 mile road trip. 

California coast roadtrip!

16. Drink 2 cups of water at each of the 3 meals throughout the day.
17. Cook-up 23 new recipes!
18. Swim a 200 freestyle in 2 min 30 seconds.
19. Volunteer 23 hours at a hospital.
20. Challenge yourself to use only 2 makeup products 3 days a week.
21. Create 23 things I am proud of.
22. Try taking 23 minute cat naps.
23. Make a list of 23 items :)

The last one was a bit of a cheat I suppose! Have you ever done this before?

Picture perfect

Hiya! 

Sooooo the next couple of weeks I'll be making a conscious effort to work on my follow-up. The shoes from my last post turned out pretty cool. I'll be sure to snap a few OOTD  photos tomorrow before I make a jolly trip to the library! Fuuuntastic!!!

Well todays post was inspired by all the odds and ends in my scrapbooking bin that I refuse to throw out, but actually haven't put to good crafty use. Just a short time ago, I worked in a cheese shop (read: DELICIOUS + 20 additional pounds). The shop had cheeses from every corner of the globe and you can bet I ate my weight in French bries, English stinkys, Dutch goudas, American cheddars, Spanish manchegos, and everything in between. We even had some luscious blues from Australia and New Zealand of all places! Mmmmm a cheesemonger's life for me!

In any case, with every brand spankin new wheel of deliciousness came an assortment of stickers that the creamery would send along. Before leaving, I nabbed a few of my favorites with the intention of slapping them on my bike, however that never quite happened. A sale on frames at my local craft store over the weekend prompted a lightbulb to go off in my head, and this was the end result. Nothing genius, but I love the color they bring to my bedroom.

The supplies + sissors

Why yes, that is a lamb riding a Harley. 

So so cute!

The end result: super super simple decor, but much better than sitting around in the bottom of a bin! I love the different frames too. There are a few more I'm finishing up, but wanted to share the first couple.

Thought I was being clever :)

Can't decide whether to add "Baaaa-d to the Bone" ha!