elena sandal.

pretty in pink.

toast, £81

the something store.

today, i came across the something store where you can shell out 10 bucks and receive something in return. could be anything. it sounds like something (ha! something!) i could easily become addicted to, given my love for receiving mail and surprises. plus, it'd kind of be like the lottery. i could just keep playing until i win big (go broke).

and! shipping is free (in the u.s.).

among some of the somethings sent out recently?
... a pintacuda.
... a starbucks gift set.
... memory foam slippers.
... a kitchen knife set.
... a clocky (!)
... a rembrandt 2-hour whitening kit.
... clear lens goggles.
... a $20 gas card.

BUUUUUT ... unfortunately for some of us, they don't – i repeat, DO NOT – offer escort or prostitution services, organs or other body parts, fake autographs, herbal drugs such as magic mushrooms, diplomas, crime scene photos, radioactive materials, timeshare properties, brass knuckles and some of our other very favorite things. looks like we'll have to stick to craigslist for those things.

photo by fedewild.

macarons.

i've been really curious and wanting to try to bake some macarons lately. actually i kind of want to make some blue and pink ones for july 4 (real american, i know).

has anyone had any luck with baking their own? they look like they can be whipped together pretty quickly, but i fear it's one of those things you have to time perfectly for them to turn out.

any tips or recipes?

the pretty ones above are from paulette and range in price, but you can get 18 for $12.

vintage umbrellas.

strangely enough, they're to rent. but aren't they pretty?

bella umbrella, (prices vary)

benjamin hubert yum brella bowls.

loving these.

rockett st. george, £50

p.s. these are almost too cute.

tagged!

thank you, ladies of coveiter for including me in your game of tag. am i the only one who greatly misses those "polls" from the aol days? yes, probably.

i'm not going to tag anyone because it's too late for me to think and try narrow it down to five bloggers, but please play along! and leave a comment to let me know when you do so i can learn more about you, as well!

here goes:

What did you do 10 years ago?
it was the summer after my freshman year and i had just moved to a new state. i had approximately zero friends.

Five items on your to-do list:
+ go through all my books and choose which should be resold and which should be donated.
+ shop for july 4 party stuff.
+ prepare my okie goodies for vacation in a box swap. i really am pretty pumped about this.
+ book a mexican getaway.
+ buy a lottery ticket.

Snacks I enjoy:
dry cheerios, grapes, cheese.

What would you do if you were a billionaire?
you would never hear from me again, for starters. i'd start some kind of worldwide (or, nationwide, to be more realistic) spay/neuter program. i'd buy a huge ranch and let sad and sick animals live there. i'd give a shitload to charity (animal, cancer, women's, children's). i'd pay off my bills (hallelujah). i'd make sure my family was comfortable. enough of that responsible, adult stuff though: i'd have the closet in satc the movie. it'd be filled with louboutin and manolos. i'd probably have six or eight homes across the world. yeah. i hope a billion dollars stretches far, because i've got plans.

Places I would live:
i'd give anything a shot once. maine. manhattan. philadelphia. montana. portland. vancouver. prague. madrid. tokyo. india. give me a place to stay, and i'll be there.

Jobs I have had:
file clerk at my mom's office. baby gap sales girl. reporter and editor, in college and in real life.

selima for j.crew crystal-clear glasses.

i am absolutely in love with these frames and wish, wish, wish they could be mine. unfortunately, my insurance won't cover a new prescription (just got one before the new year) and they'd end up being hella expensive.

if i could find a super-cheap clear frame, i'd go for those though. any suggestions?

p.s. i'm sorry i've been absent. work has drained me all week but hopefully in the next couple days, i'll make a comeback.

j.crew, $325

a.p.c. double-breasted trench coat.

in brown.

i love.

sigh.

totokaelo, (price not known because of some crazy scheme to 'accept' registrants on a limited basis. ha. whatever.)

yradier giveaway!

congratulations, quitecontrary1977! you are the winner of the yradier giveaway. please e-mail me your details, and we'll get the ball rolling on your lovely prizes.

and, thank you, paloma for this very sweet offer!

for those of you who weren't as lucky (this time!), you still have through friday to get 10 percent off any of the lovelies at yradier (just enter 'avarice' at checkout).

thank you again, paloma, and all of you who participated!

treat yourself! yradier giveaway!

just a reminder that today is the last day to enter to win about $75 worth of super-fun stuff from yradier, a brisbane-based shop started by photographer & entrepreneur extraordinaire, paloma.

above, a delicious array of takeaway brooches by cat davison (the hot dog's my favorite).

also, remember you still have a week to get 10 percent off your order by entering 'avarice' at checkout. you're greedy – just admit it!

summertime stuff.

lately i've really been missing having a backyard, or even just a patio space. then, once i put together this crazy little mix of stuff, i decided it's probably a good idea i don't have one, or i'd end up like those crazy old ladies with all that backyard shit that doesn't match.

umbrella, santa barbara designs (they sent me a price list, but i can't decipher it. let's just say it's really expensive)
croquet set, joe's sports ($140)
jute picnic cushion, toast (£120)
luxembourg bar, american country home store ($436)
folding chair, ikea ($15)
acorn-sweet-acorn birdhouse, anthropologie ($38)

calling cards.

it'd been such a long time since i last looked for some calling cards, so i thought it was time to revisit the subject.

here are a few picks from etsy, which i've decided is the way to go. the ones below are extremely inexpensive.

these are nice & simple, plus you can scrawl a little message with your number. and i love the little swirly deal.

letterpressed card set
fourteensisters, $3 (for four)

i'm thinking i may go with this design for a while. they are hella cheap. 48 cards for $12.50, or 96 for $25. you get two designs. not bad, eh? oh and free shipping, too.

leaves calling cards
avie, $12.50


these are so fancy and stunning. they've made the blog rounds before, but i don't think i've ever posted them.

art deco peacock calling card
enfinlavoila, $10 (for 20!)


this isn't so much a calling card but it's pretty adorable, and i love postcards.

better than a phone call postcard set
paperthindesign, $10 (for 10)

yradier giveaway & discount reminder!

just wanted to remind everybody you still have three (and a half) days to enter to win $75 or so worth of independent artists' goodies from australian shop yradier. i'll take entries through 11:59 p.m. cst. then will randomly choose one lucky winner.

also, you have just one week longer than that to get 10 percent off at the store. just enter 'avarice' at checkout by june 30*!

go. go now!


*oh my god june's nearly over, and i haven't even touched water. i miss being a kid when summer went on for-ev-er.

wax poetic for prada.

it should be known right away that i'm only advertising this giveaway in an effort to get on winona's good side.

with that said, head over to daddy likey for your chance at this prada wallet.

p.s. overshadow my efforts, and i'll hunt you down. i'm not even joking.

good luck!

tattoo necklace.

somehow, in my young and stupid days*, i managed to avoid the ubiquitous star-on-wrist or butterfly-on-ass tattoo.

i won't say i never commissioned my best friend to design a hibiscus for my shoulder (HA! i KNOW! the WORST idea ever.) or i never heavily considered a four-leaf clover on my foot, but, thankfully, i just never got that far.

despite all that, i still really like the look of sailor-esque tats (ha, i said tats) like this swallow (i like these) or pretty pinup girls.

i'm doubting i could pull off the pinup girl considering she'd have to be thistiny (the smaller, the better for me), but i definitely could rock this necklace.

what do you think?

also, let's discuss the swallow tattoo. now i've got my mind a'whirlin'.

wickedminky, $15

*i hope those aren't over?!

catherine's animals by catherine ledner.

click for big! click for big!

i just received an e-mail about the launch of catherine's animals, a print site from photographer catherine ledner, who is now officially my girl crush of the week.

beautiful wallpaper + amazing animals = one hell of a plus in my book.

sorry i didn't really come up with a way to present these gems in a way that would do them justice. i was just way too excited.

i would love to have a ginormous one (32"x40") but, alas, poor little ol' me can't even afford the smallest (11"x14").

catherine's animals, from $250 to $1,700

p.s. i'm dumb! there's a book, too. i can afford that!

couldn't resist.

speaking of galoshes ...

completely off-topic but i can't say no to a pig in shoes.

a giveaway: yradier reminder!

just wanted to remind you of the giveaway from the sweet paloma of yradier.

ten percent off through the end of the month. just enter 'avarice' at checkout!

ANNNND ...

visit the original post to enter the drawing for $75 (australian dollars, that is) worth of lovelies!

not bad, eh? just enter by june 20! (

aren't the felt mustaches up there just about too cute? check it out here.

hello peacock wooden postcard

it's sleepy time, but i wanted to throw this in real quick.

cute, no?

night owl paper goods, $5.50

jelly ballet flats.

a couple months ago, i faced the reality that my calves weren't shrinking and decided to ebay my beloved, but never worn hunter wellies.

everytime i slipped (*slipped is a huge understatement) a foot in, a vacuum sealed my calves up like the international space station. not comfortable.

but on rainy days like today, i really miss the idea of having them. so until i decide to shell out some cash for another pair of hunters (i'll try the huntress next time – more leg room for the ladies), i'm probably going to have to have these green skimmers to tide me over.

i'm certain they'll fit my calves.

j. crew, $30

swimsuits. what fun.

so, i was completely willing to shell out the $300 or so for this bathing beauty from abaete (because it is that fantastic), but after hours upon hours of trying to find it (or any of those others from the spring or resort collections), i gave up. really. i could not find a single one.

(note to ms. poretzky: should you run across one somewhere in your atelier, i'll take it. any size. i'll lose weight, gain weight. whatever's needed. thank you in advance.)

but, my faith has been restored.

movie star and swimmer extraordinaire esther williams is here to fix all my problems! she now has her own line of swimwear (i KNOW! she's like 86!) ... AND for cheap (and all the way up to size 26)!

so, yes, god bless her, but, i've come upon an entirely new dilemma: white, black or gold?

i'll even add a fun, big flower pin.

tell me what color you'd go with! i'm sort of leaning toward the white, even though it's completely wrong for me.

yum. summer is fun.

(via coveiter.)

esther williams swimwear, $79

p.s. speaking of retro, this is my all-time favorite swim find. got it at ross for something like $25 about three years ago. oh how i loved it. one day it will love me again.