vintage chocolate taffeta twirl dress.
oh how i want this!
unique boutique, $500
liz saintsing clutch.
unfortunately i didn't win the swoon-worthy liz saintsing gloves from fashion is spinach, but that's ok because my consumerlust has zoned in on a new ostrich.
reform school, $175
a whale of a story.
ok, i'll share a story with you because i think it's the funniest kid story ever.
...
i was in preschool in austin (*key part of story) when my teacher decided to tell us a story about a little girl named jessica who fell in a whale. yes, a whale. unbelievable, i know. i mean, a WHALE? but yeah, she just fell right in. what an exciting trip, i bet!
so here we are, my little class of kids, illustrating this crazy story we've just heard. except all the other kids' drawings were WAY off - their whales looked like holes. as you can tell, i was pretty artistically advanced for my age. how dumb those kids were. no one was going to look at their pictures and think 'whoa! that girl's in a whale.'
...
and, that is how i came to learn about baby jessica and the well (or whale, if you're a crazy preschool teacher with a crazy texas accent).
and, here, is some more whale fun for the night:
silver whale hoop earrings by imogene and annie.
etsy, $48
teensy weensy itty bitty whale earrings, also by imogene and annie
if you're looking for something a little more subdued, here's the answer.
etsy, $25
'whale on my pecs' t-shirt.
i'm always a bit leery of pseudo-vintage prints, but this t-shirt looks too lusciously comfortable to let integrity keep me away.
sustainabilitee, $38
baleen whale yixing teapot.
stash tea, $28
ivan the whale coaster by plantsandanimals.
just thought this was too cute.
etsy, $6
'the squid and the whale.'
couldn't have a whale post without mentioning this movie written and directed by noah baumbach. laura linney's amazing as usual and jeff daniels is pretty good, too. if you haven't seen it, i recommend. oh, and extra creepy points for the 12-year-old brother who drinks a lot and wipes his sperm on library books.
amazon, $12.99
and, one more thing ... if you're ever in oklahoma, visit catoosa! home of ... the blue whale of catoosa!
woofer by sander mulder.
i'm sure this made the blogger rounds a long time ago, but i spotted this speaker in modern dog this weekend (apparently i'm one of those people now) and it caught my pretty little eye.
woofer. get it? woofer.
also comes in white.
thanks to the new york times, you can read more about the genius and concept behind it.
sander mulder, $775 (so the times tells me)
toby cafe cup.
lots and lots of clean, white home things at whiteport. like pottery barn, but all white.
these are my favorite. kind of reminiscent of ceramic crumple cups, minus the crinkle.
also! register for their free 'decorating with white' guide and get 20 percent off your purchase.
whiteport, $5.95 (that's in aussie dollars)
natural anne top by sublet clothing.
more thanks to kate who introduced me to pretty organic tops such as the one above, made of cotton and bamboo. so lovely.
green clothing has come a long way. no patchouli stink here.
green with glamour, $103
chip n dip by kenneth cole reaction.
thanks to kate of sole satisfaction for pointing me toward these beauties!
i am in desperate need of some colorful pretties for my feet this spring and summer. i haven't done any real shopping in some serious time (hurry, please, rebate check) and i am about to drop dead of wardrobe boredom.
i'm going to wallow in that sadness now.
zappos, $92
listening to & loving ... she and him: volume one
who doesn't love zooey deschanel? that's right – no one. i mean, she and jason schwartzman were once an item. that says it all.
so turn your attention to volume one, the recent collaboration between the lovely deschanel and musician m. ward. it's got some originals written by deschanel and some covers that she pulls off quite well. (smokey robinson! the beatles!)
you may recognize 'sentimental heart,' something that had been getting a lot of play from me, but until a friend recommended the album, i hadn't thought to listen to more.
faves?
'take it back'
'this is not a test'
'i thought i saw your face'
amazon, $9.99
madewell 1937.
thanks to kate at for me, for you for bringing madewell 1937, a new concept store by j.crew, to my attention.
there are some looks i'd love to own, namely the buffalo plaid business above. i might even consider shelling out the $62 for it and wearing until it was threadbare (the more wear, the better).
but, as far as some of the other looks go, i think i'd rather stick with $15 tops from forever21. or the sale section at j.crew.
i still can't afford a regular shop at j.crew, so if madewell 1937 is meant for those younger than myself, think again, folks.
marc jacobs splash.
i had always been tempted by the grass and rain varieties of marc jacobs splash editions but somehow staved off the temptation. after all, i hadn't splashed myself since the junior high days of sun-ripened raspberry (don't judge – you know you kept a bottle in your locker).
but last year i couldn't resist the cucumber edition... which i still have a nearly full bottle of though i used it quite liberally all summer. it comes in a massive glass bottle (mason-esque jar would be more appropriate) and i completely recommend it. so, so, so heavenly.
so now that i've gotten myself all excited about that one again (ah, sigh), i've discovered that dear mister jacobs has a new arsenal of delightful smellies: basil, pear and grapefruit. grapefruit! the. best. fragrance. ever.
sephora, $65
p.s. unfortunately nordstrom.com is down at the moment, but i believe i saw earlier they were giving away a refillable travel-sized bottle with the purchase. i hiiighly recommend that, as well, as this these vessels are not tsa-friendly.
via beauty duty @ hintmag.com.
dandelion dream print.
happy first day of spring, all!
i apologize for the infrequent posting this week. work was busy busy earlier in the week and, when i haven't been at work, i've been ... well, not blogging.
lots of lounging, actually. windows open. breezy.
the weather! all week!
one day was fabulously stormy and gray but the rest have been perfection.
daffodils have sprouted from the ground and bradford pears are blooming.
so. so. lovely.
the print above is from alicia bock's etsy shop.
etsy, $35
mini.
we watched 'the italian job' last weekend and not only has it had me zooming around like charlize theron (no, really, i'm JUST like her), it's left me seriously wanting an original mini. would love to have one for the weekends. wouldn't even mind restoring it!
for now, i'll just have to satisfy that longing with the original 'italian job.'
on a semi-related note, the new mini clubman comes in chocolate. i so desperately wanted my mini to be brown, but settled on a creamy white (which i still absolutely adore) with the hopes of one day giving it a paint job makeover.
(photo you may recognize from a j.crew campaign a couple years ago.)
p.s. cute flickr set of mini mini traveling europe.
have a zesty weekend.
the weather here is absolutely gorgeous and i've got the weekend all to myself.
the boyfriend left me for hipster mecca – aka sxsw – for work, so it's just me and the pugs this weekend. and, boy, let me tell you... have we got plans.
would love to make some of these lemon cookies tomorrow to make the house smell pretty (and my tummy feel happy). but i am also pretty open to jazzing them up a bit with chocolate.
or maybe they should just be made right now?
more sparklebands!
i know, I KNOW. i just posted about the absolutely fantastic headbands at the candy thief's etsy shop. but that girl is busy!
i added her etsy feed into my google reader, and she is constantly adding new items.
i'm getting really anxious and can't wait for mine to arrive. please come soon!
thecandythief, $35
vintageous.
ever since noel, aka miss couturable, introduced me to the wonderful world of vintageous a couple weeks ago, i've been on a very vintage mission.
the hundreds and hundreds (i swear, it's like a thousand) of 50s formal dresses are awe-inspiring. i have never seen so much tulle and chiffon in my life, and i am loving it. (i can't wait to get my hands on a shit-ton of tulle and go to town ... brightly colored petticoats, anyone?)
but, tucked away between the layers upon layers of ruffly, saccharin-colored prom gowns are pretty little gems like these. don't the middle two look straight out of j.crew (go, j.crew), and who can resist the ties on the other two? oh! and the button detail on the waist of the blue one? yum.
vintageous.
'the little zoo.'
god forbid i have kids anywhere in the next quarter century, but i can't help but thinking these would be absolutely perfect in a nursery or growing kid's room.
actually, i can't help but thinking i could use a few in my own room (i'm a growing kid, after all).
reprinted from polaroids by e.soule, the images are then mounted onto wooden frames.
my favorites (from her flickr gallery): elephant on a map, zebra, turtle in a jar, 2 sheep with wool, talking birds... ok, i could go on forever. i love them all.
for now, i'd settle on a set of four or five of her beautiful prints.
e.soule, $25
via how about orange.
laurel headband.
sometimes i just want things a little too badly. this is one of them.
made by thecandythief from wool blend and acrylic felts and accented with vintage buttons.
adorable. love, love, LOVING the colors in this one. but, i wouldn't mind one in every color!
thecandythief, $35
'hello' card set.
this might look awfully cute with my 'you never call' print.
this screenprinted card set by megancreates of massachusetts is just one of many springy, adorable designs (letterpress, also).
megancreates, $10
felt alphabet keyring.
how i never came across this stationery & office goods site before, i don't know, but i'm in love. gray felt? you know i love.
thanks, design sponge.
kikki.k , NZD $13.68
sunday swoon.
it's been a while since i got completely sucked into the world of polyvore. and, given what a slow day it's been, i thought i could kill a couple hours building fabulous outfits i can't afford. 
above, yellow&gray getaway. who wouldn't want to take off for the weekend looking like that?
above, creatively titled 'ohsoglam.' 
and, now, i bring you... the way i really dress. on the weekend anyway. exciting, no? yeah.
the fabulous prada sandals are an exaggeration but don't they look much better than ballet flats?
hanes white t-shirts and cheap gray jeans (not the $200 variety)... that's what you'll find me in.
the marc bag i've been carrying for about a year and still haven't tired of it. in fact, it's just now becoming worn in and even more wonderful.
so, yellow vespas, cavalli bangles and prada pumps are not exactly what i've got right now. but someday!
summertime! + free crewcuts shipping.
so far off, of course (hello, surprise snow a second ago) ... but does this photo not make you want to be there right now? specifically, it's the skirts. i want one for myself right now. in every color.
tulle ballet skirt
j.crew crewcuts, $65
enter BIKINI at checkout on orders over $100 for free shipping.
(rant: does anyone remember when every j.crew catalog came with a code for free shipping and $20 off an $80 purchase? and it wasn't even that long ago. god, those were good days.)
'allusion' print by yellena james.
loving the work of yellena james. reminds me of my budget meeting doodles. except for, you know, the fact they never look like that.
poppytalk handmade, $20
'on the rocks' glass tray.
i forget how i stumbled upon these the other day, but i thought they were lovely and dreamlike. definitely had me wishing i was at the beach.
etsy, $70
salad plant.
"These leafy salad servers stand upright in their own pot and will give life to any table setting. The pot can also be used for mixing (and serving) your salad dressing. They are also the ultimate salad decoration when stuck into the salad upright!"
via elmanco.
black + blum, (available in march)
pantone mug.
i've written about other pantone products here before but i thought these mugs were too cute to pass up.
i seem to have a gazillion mugs, and i'm much more likely to eat cereal from them than drink coffee, but i always love a cute and quirky mug.
my favorites? process yellow c and green 5757c.
pedlars, £8.50
a texas designer's map of the world.
i was born in dc and have been in oklahoma city for 10 years (this month!), but for most of everything between that, i was in texas. despite being there only a handful of years (but formative ones!), i strongly identify with and have a strong attachment to the state in terms of growing up.
so when i came across this design by talented texan dj stout, i was delighted.
it's so ... BIG. and i love the retro aesthetic. i'd love to have my very own print to frame (hint, hint, mr. stout).
"To illustrate his theory that a Texan’s favorite pastime is bragging, Austin resident DJ Stout has created a 'Texas Designer’s Map of the World' as a part of a promotion for Sappi Fine Paper. Based on the concept of a Texas Brag Map, the poster elucidates the worldview that everything is bigger and better in the Lone Star State. 'It’s part of our Texas heritage and our collective sense of humor,' explains Stout. 'My apologies to the other smaller, less interesting states on the map.'"
see and read more at pentagram.
coudal partners' fresh signals.
6x6" 'sometimes' print.
erin tyner's 'sometimes' print is from her 'half awake' series featuring tiny people figurines. take a look at yellow and under these waves.
also check out the pieces in her glass tree series. gorgeous.
via modish.
etsy, $16
