fashion

I don't know any man who would wear this.

I found this for sale on gilt.com.  I'm sure it's still available if you want to look it up.

Yesterday evening we went to Roseville so I could browse in Anthropologie.  I wanted to look at some pretty things after being inside that dismal federal building for our interview.  Anthro always has the best window displays.

I tried on these grey and white polka dotted pants.  They were really cute but had so much stretch that they were more like leggings and may have made my legs look a little sausage-y.

They are also way too expensive for novelty pants (I learned that any pant that isn't a solid colour is a novelty pant according to the j.crew website.)  They are $178.  I would have bought them if they were less than $40.

I bought a blouse I'd tried on a couple of months ago that had been out of my price range at the time but had been marked down twice since my last visit.  It would have looked really cute with the polka dot pants but then I wouldn't have been able to pay for groceries for the next 2 months.

These are my new summer sandals.  

It's so summery out and now I'm officially ready.  I even got a tiny sunburn on my arm over the weekend from sitting on the patio at Bows.  I picked out some sandals from DSW last night.  Usually I never have any luck there but these are very close to what I was looking for.  The tassels look cute in person.  In this picture they're overwhelming the shoe.  Just wait, you'll see.  80 degrees this weekend!

Sunny beaches and blue skies

It's pouring outside, I've arranged buckets in the back room to catch drips and now I am picturing myself on a sunny beach, preferably in the South of France.

Dress and swimsuit from anthropologie, royal blue bag from Marc Jacobs, shoes by Chie Mihara

oooh!

ahhhhh!

Almost two years ago (!) I was STRANDED in Nice for an extra day because of a train strike.  I stressed for a bit trying to get another hotel to stay in and re-book my train ticket but then enjoyed my extra day on the beach.

Train strike notice at the bus stop

Vive les chats!

I can't leave the country while my legal status change is being reviewed and that makes me itch to go somewhere even more.  Once I'm working again and we save some money, the plan is to go on a honeymoon somewhere beachy and warm.  Maybe Hawaii?  Neither of us have been.

Stay dry this weekend!  Tonight I'm making pizza for some lady friends and having some wine.  Cozy times.

Hot buns

This book has been out for a couple of months but I just reserved it from the library.  I'm excited to read some of Hockney's quotes on creativity and art from the series of interviews.  Some of  his quotes over the years are highlighted here. 

If you're anywhere near London, why not check out his current exhibition?  There's a short interview on the main page about the enormous size of his "pictures" and how they likely wouldn't have even been painted had he not been approached by the gallery for this (current) exhibit.  Interesting!

Today I'll be doing some more painting of my own, of the un-creative variety; I want to finish painting the doors in the kitchen and the laundry room and then start on the window frames.  

I've been making the job easier by listening to a handful of shows on BBC Radio 1, including my usual listens to the Essential Mix, and Annie Mac's dance radio show.  Until yesterday I didn't know they had a dancehall show but they do!  All good painting music.

This photo looks like it could be from an anthropologie catalog:  

One old door, with a patch of vintage green paint: $1099.

I unscrewed a weird sliding lock from the pantry type door in the photo above yesterday so I could sand and repaint the door.  I uncovered a small patch of minty green paint underneath which appears to match the kitchen tile exactly.  I am really curious about what the kitchen has looked like through the years.  I've always though it would be a nice idea to have some sort of log somewhere about the different transformations houses have been through, throughout the years.  Our house was built in 1948.  Almost 65 years old!  How many families with different tastes have lived here before us?