Friday, August 31, 2012

♥ happy weekend!


while i won't be enjoying a three day weekend like most of y'all,
(damn retail job!) the next few days will be packed with lots of celebrating:
in particular: my mom's birthday, the boston visit of my college girlfriends,
and our one year wedding anniversary. hooray!!

what are your plans this holiday weekend?

Thursday, August 30, 2012

♥ a child unlike other girls.


last night, nick and i watched the never ending story (1984),
and while i must admit that i dozed off before i could see the child-like empress
 make her debut (damn allergy medication!), i still remember that amazing headpiece 
that she wore, and have seen them making their way back on the scene lately.

here are some favorites:


antique looking/ hand-made pieces from la sophia.

unique pieces from casstronaut.

romantic chain headband from lovmely.

gothic headdresses from raven eve.

and boho headpieces from funny people co.

will you be wearing this trend?

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

♥ summer love & an interview with silvana from wicked peacock.



last week i had the glamorous occasion of meeting up
with silvana costa & becky brackett of wicked peacock,
to shoot a few summer photos highlighting a 
few fabulous pieces of jewelry


image via silvana costa :)

if the name wicked peacock rings a bell, you may have 
seen a feature i write a while back on this here blog.

since then, wicked peacock has spread its wings a bit,
 becoming a full-fledged "online marketplace,offering
 distinctive accessories & jewelry for the style- savvy."
LOVE!!!

i was very lucky to pull silvana away from her hard work,
 and have her answer a handful of questions about her 
 brand new business venture. enjoy:

1) the last time we spoke, wicked peacock consisted of one designer- you. how did you decide to represent other artists? and how did you decide to keep everything under the name "wicked peacock"?

WP: i started wicked peacock designs, an independent jewelry label about three years ago. i was making jewelry, and getting really great feedback on the work. one day, one of my clients said to me, “oh, i’m so wicked peacock,” and i thought, yeah, wicked peacock is a confident style and an attitude, a form of expression. i realized it’s bigger than “me” and making jewelry. there are a lot of really talented designers whose jewelry also has that feel so i wanted to create a platform to showcase and promote their work.

in terms of the name, i played around with so many others, and nothing stuck like wicked peacock. i figured that i could design jewelry under my own name, but that wicked peacock had a resonance.

2) one of the first things i noticed about you was your crazy/awesome and totally unique headpiece- will wicked peacock be carrying hats/fascinators in the near future?

WP: we are certainly looking to feature hats!

3) being from boston, you seem to have collaborated with lots of local talents- why is it important for you to feature local bloggers and artists on wicked peacock?

WP: there are a lot of very talented people and building a community is important to the wicked peacock culture. collaboration is essential. creating opportunity, making connections, helping support one another, and spreading the love are key.


4) what are your future plans for wicked peacock? will you be involved with boston fashion week in any capacity or be hosting trunk shows/ pop up shows in the near future? (ps. will I be invited??)

WP: we are certainly planning some things for the fall! stay tuned! xo

5) how does wicked peacock differ from other sites which represent artists such as etsy?

WP: etsy hosts a lot creative designers working across many mediums, and is good at what it does. there’s a broad range of craftsmanship on etsy, though, and an overwhelming amount of choice. WP is highly curated and more full-service. we do a lot to promote our designers.

6) i see that one of the major features of wicked peacock is that you offer free shipping. do the pieces ship out from WP directly or from each artist individually?

WP: we offer free shipping as a bonus to our customers! each of the artists ships his or her own product.

7) how did you go about curating such a unique and well-edited group of artists? what is the best way for future designers to contact you?

WP: we search for talent, are referred, make connections, build relationships. we’re always looking for new designers and can be reached at: mailto:contact@wickedpeacock.com

8) who is wicked peacock's ideal customer?

WP: accessory mavens who understand that a pair of sunglasses can take you from jackie O. to O, jackie!  our ideal customer is a confident, style-savvy woman who values hand-made, high-quality jewelry from emerging designers. someone who doesn’t want to compromise on style or craftsmanship.

9) do you plan to feature clothing on WP or to collaborate with any fashion designers in the area?

WP: wicked peacock has always been about jewelry and accessories. we don’t have plans to feature clothing on the site at this time.

10) what is wicked peacock's jewelry philosophy?

WP: it’s all in the detail. 

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

♥ cats are like potato chips.. you can't have just one!

as a certified cat lady, with a fur baby at home and a
small pack of kitties in my backyard, i am utterly 
OBSESSED with the endlessly adorable blog &
 real life foster home for kittens known, aptly,


fostering on behalf of the humane society of tacoma & pierce county,
laurie cinotto and craig miller give each of the little furballs a special name
  ( carmine pettibone, francine darling, pearl mae petrie, wee willard trimble, 
leonard winkler, geraldine dearborn, fiona lively, imogene bartlett - to name a few!)
as well as lots of love, food, care and comfy places to rest and play
until the kitties are old enough to be adopted.

did i already tell you i am obsessed???
well, for the IBKC, it's worth repeating.

Monday, August 27, 2012

♥ nailing it.




 when i was in highschool, i painted my nails every day to match
my outfit. this summer, i have been enjoying a similar renaissance-
( although with much less frequency & detail. )

Saturday, August 25, 2012

♥ once in a young lifetime one should be allowed to have as much sweetness as one can possibly want and hold.


you know that a new cookie should be added to your repertoire 
when your friends ask you to send them the recipe asap--
while they're still in the middle of eating them!

so for their future happiness & your's,
here is the recipe (care of martha stewart):

ingredients:
1 package (14 oz) sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

directions:
1) preheat oven to 350 degrees. set aside 2 loosely packed cups of coconut.
2) place remaining coconut in a food processor alone with sugar, 
salt & baking powder and process until finely ground. 
3) add butter, process until no lumps remain. 
4) add egg and vanilla, process just until smooth.
5) add flour, pulse until a crumbly dough begins to form, scrape down bowl.
6) forming 5 or 6 at a time, scoop tablespoons of dough and roll into balls.
7) roll the dough balls in reserved coconut.
8) arrange coconut balls on baking sheets. 
9) bake for 23-25 minutes.
10) remove & allow to cool completely
11) enjoy ♥



Friday, August 24, 2012

♥ oh my heart.


how fun are these bracelets from kate of o my heart?
i recently ordered one for my bff, carolyn and she loves it ;)

i just adore how kate styles each of them with a big gold watch,
which is like a birthday arm party in and of itself. SOLD!


ps. obviously, kate has a style blog, 
make sure you check it out, if you haven't already!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

♥ think of all the beauty around you and be happy.

today is my other bff, marykate's birthday,
and on this day, i would like to share some of my favorite pictures
from her very own tumblr, much beauty everywhere


as well as a poem, which, with its celebration
 of taking things slowly, feels as if 
it were written just for her.


(margaret atwood poem via this is nice.)

happy birthday, darling :)
may your day be filled with all things beautiful.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

♥ picture perfect.



how precious are these book vingettes from san francisco-based photographer/
book lover, juliette tang? i am in biblio-philic love.

see more of juliette's "still life with books" 
on her flickr account. LOVE!!!!!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

♥ change of a dress.






how cute are these new fall frocks from eshakti?
well, they can be your's for an additional 10 % off
(on top of the site-wide 25% discount!)
 from now until august 31st when you 
use promo code: AG27CHU.

you're welcome.

Monday, August 20, 2012

♥ if the shoe fits..

my little sister, jennie, is a self-proclaimed "shoe whore,"
so when she told me that she found her perfect sole-mate,
i couldn't help but take her valuable authority 
on these charming little ballet flats.

 and playfully cute. 

i think i need a pair. 
or two. or three.




Friday, August 17, 2012

♥ some days i sit and wish i was a kid again.


 this brilliant book fair kit makes me long for the old days when 
the troll book club would descend upon my elementary school & 
take over our little library- filling tables with piles of fresh books, 
racks of bookmarks, kitty posters, and other amazing
 school supplies. did you ever have anything
like that at your school, growing up?

Thursday, August 16, 2012

♥ ordinary people do extraordinary things.


 alber elbaz's winter 2012 advertisements for lanvin are pure genius.
featuring eleven real men and women of all ages, races, and body shapes,

two of my favorites, 82-year old jacquie tajah murdock &
 62-year old tziporah salamon were discovered on one of 
my favorite blogs, advanced style, which celebrates
older women with style. LOVE!!