♥

via.

♥

oh, how i love when the world of fashion and the world of art collide,

and nowhere is it done better than in raf simons' fall 2013 collection for

christian dior. using some of andy warhol's earlier works as prints-

 simons added a colorful pop to classic silhouettes, bringing a touch 

of modern to a vintage brand. LOVE!

(images via style.com)

♥ meet mrs. fields.

my best friend's sister in law just opened a brand new etsy shop,

 selling old antiques and hand-made goods :)

i just adore her fresh take on once-loved items and her proficient needlework!

i had the chance to get the inside scoop on her blooming business, 

and wanted to share a few of her sentiments below. enjoy!

born the daughter of collectors, i grew up loving antique and vintage items. 

i am always drawn to unusual or out of the ordinary objects. mrs fields goods

is stocked with inventory that has either been hand-picked or hand-made

by me, mrs. fields. i make it a point to offer only items that i love and

i always struggle in parting with an item when it sells.

when i am on the lookout for a new item of inventory, i feel as though i am on a

 treasure hunt, looking for one hidden gem waiting for me to take it home. 

i suppose you may call me an emotional shopper- not that i am spending money

 because i am upset- but rather because most of my purchases are made because 

an item reminds me of a moment in time, or a person in my life, and sometimes

 a place that i have been. i currently have for sale four blue & white tea cups

with saucers. when my papa passed away, each of the grandchildren were

gifted a piece of the table setting from the dishes we used every holiday 

when i was a child. i received the precious little tea cup and saucer,

and have used it for jewelry on my dresser for years.

whenever i am out thrifting, i just have to buy them all up

and in selling them, i feel as though i am offering not

just a tea cup- but the love and memories of a happy

family at holiday time. i truly believe that in taking

a vintage item, like a tea cup, and repurposing it

to meet the needs of today's society gives

a tired item a new life. why buy new,

when you can buy history and

personality?

not all of the items in mrs. fields goods are purchased. since the christmas i was

given my first sewing machine, i have been in love with sewing. i find it

to be a relaxing and rewarding hobby. needlepoint has also been a passion

of mine since my mother sat me down and taught me how to cross stitch.

although it is a very intense and time consuming activity, it is another

form of art that i simply enjoy doing. the feeling of accomplishment

from creating something out of raw materials is very satisfying

and through mrs. fields goods i am able to share my

creative passions with the world.

do what makes you happy. i am.

well said, mrs. fields. well said.

♥ super drag.

one of my favorite tv shows to watch on repeat is rupaul's drag race. 

i just love watching the contestants constantly blur the line between male and female, 

over-performing each gender in such a marvelous manner you only pay attention 

to the performance, and forget about everything else :)

in photographer leland bobbe's latest collection, half drag, 

you catch a glimpse of the grand performance of gender

at the midway point. don't you love it?

♥ the berry berry best in berry land.

this weekend, my other best friend, marykate turned 30 :)

and in honor of her summer birthday, i baked this strawberry cake

 to accompany the party that her sweet husband threw her.

although i was far too full to try the cake myself, i heard that it

was given thumbs up all around- which definitely

makes it blog-worthy, in my book!

so here is the recipe, 

(found originally here.)

cake ingredients:

1 box of white cake mix

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 small box of strawberry jello

1/2 cup water

1 cup of vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 a small container of frozen strawberries in juice (defrosted)

directions:

1) preheat oven to 350 degrees

2) mix all ingredients until well combined

3) grease and flour cake pans

4) divide batter into two eight inch cake pans

5) bake for 30 minutes or as long as it takes for a knife to be

 inserted into cake and come out clean

6) remove cakes from oven and cool 

strawberry buttercream frosting ingredients

1 box of confectioner's sugar

1 stick of unsalted butter

1/2 small container of frozen strawberries in juice (defrosted)

directions:

1) mix all ingredients until thickness you want is achieved

2) you may need to add more confectioner's sugar!

3) frost the cake (even in between layers)

4)  and garnish with berries

5) enjoy!

♥ babies are such a nice way to start people.

in case you need some cheering up--

here are some pictures of the funniest,

 most adorable child on earth-

my niece, giada mei.

xo

♥ practice random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty.

a few weeks ago, i met a colorful spirit named feda.

i was at work, rushed and annoyed and underneath a huge pile of denim-

when this lovely lady recognized me from this blog and absolutely

made my day by telling me how much she liked it :)

turns out, feda eid is skilled photographer, and i have

actually featured her work here before!

aside from her blog, where she shares photographs from her 

project life 365,  her website also includes project introspection, 

where she turns the camera on her own fabulous self &

 her extraordinary headpieces.

it was so nice to meet you, feda!

♥ a fool for tulle. part nine.

when i saw this dress featured on the blog, my edit,

i do believe my heart skipped a beat.

i mean, just look at all that tulle.

i think i need to get married again,

so i can have a reason to order it :)

see more pretty dresses here.

♥ BOOM.

while i do not want to wish the rest of summer away--

september 15th cannot come quickly enough.

the 3.1 phillip lim collection for target

is off. the. chains.

i need ALL of it.

♥ happy happy.

don't you just love this print?

i followed the link from my friend, alex's blog,

and became instantly smitten!

what are your plans for this weekend?

after all the traveling and celebrating these past two weekends,

i am looking forward to a whole lot of doing nothing :)

i wish the same for you as well.

♥ i heart thug kitchen.

maybe it's because i enjoy vegetarian cooking with a side of profanity,

but i can't get enough of thug kitchen. i am sure you have all heard about it-

(with praise from the likes of gwyneth paltrow) but if you haven't--

 get ready for a little hilarity and a dash of inspiration 

for your next meal ;)

ps. good news: a thug kitchen book is expected next year! :)

♥

when i saw this picture of ulyana sargeenko on the trendy dwarf,

i immediately thought of similarly petite actress vera ellen,

 and then googled her to see what she was all about.

turns out, she is a russian model, photographer, stylist & couture designer-

 (to name a few of her talents), and her personal style is highly regarded

& highly photographed throughout the fashion world.

images via google.

now here's a woman who truly values the art of dressing up!

check out here latest show below. LOVE IT!