Treehugger

To preface: If you grow up in Oregon, you love trees.  It's just how it works.  If you don't love trees and you live in Oregon, there is probably something wrong with your head.

I wanted a tree house so badly when I was little.  But not so much the kind of tree house that you play in... more like one that you live in.  All the time.  I think I must have been inspired by The Berenstein Bears' home.
In my free time, (you know, when I wasn't doing the important things like watching Power Rangers and Animaniacs) I would draw what I wanted my tree house to look like.  It was always 10 stories high and cut in half, so you could see all the furnishings inside.  It always had one room per floor.  It also had winding staircases, a large kitchen (on the first floor, of course.  Who wants to carry all those groceries up ten flights of stairs?!) a fireplace (probably not such a good idea), a chandelier, and an attic full of dress up clothes.  And there it was, in all its ten story glory, hanging out in a forest canopy.

Well... recently I found out that apparently (at least part of) my dream wasn't so crazy.  About a year ago, I stumbled upon TreeHouse Workshop which specializes in making houses.  In trees.  For adults.

To quote Liz Lemon "I want to go to there."

View their portfolio to see more amazing tree houses

Swell Season: The Movie

I couldn't figure out what to blog about today, so I found myself just cruisin' around the web.  Mostly wasting time (I have a habit of only meaning to be on the internet for 5 minutes, and then zoning out for three hours while watching videos of laughing babies and looking at houses online.)  But then, I saw THIS...



and it rocked my world.

Apparently, during The Swell Season's two-year world tour, there was a documentary team filming them.  The resulting film was aptly titled "The Swell Season" and is opening on April 22nd in NYC during the Tribeca Film Festival.  It looks like it is mostly about Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's much talked about relationship.  Yes please.

I love documentaries because it's like people watching... on steroids.  (And I love people watching.  Probably a little too much).  This documentary will be no exception.  It better find its way to our local theater, Netflix, or DVD... or I'm gonna be super mad.

The Vintage Itch

That title sounds a little like an STD.

Anyway... I know that in my last post I went on and on about how my day-to-day wardrobe is not inspired by anything particularly "fashiony."  Not out of a dislike for fashion.  I love fashion.  But out of a sort of laziness and an overwhelming love of the V-neck.  But now, I realize that my last post is only mostly truth.  Yep, that's right.  Lately, I have the "vintage itch."  And what is more fashion-forward than vintage?

In the last few years, I haven't owned very many vintage pieces - but when I was little I was obsessed.  My mom used to buy me vintage box hats and silk gloves and I would wear them to church.  I was probably overdressed... edging towards flamboyant...  but a four year old doesn't know what that means (I wish I could still wear hats... but I can't find any that will fit my head.  Sad but True.)  Now, I only own 4 or 5 pieces, but whenever I wear them, I feel like a million dollars.

Well, the other day, I saw a link to this blog... and it stirred up my obsession.  It also solidified my desire to start an Etsy.  I have wanted to create an Etsy for about the last 6 months... but I was afraid.  Mostly of failing.  But I have talked to the huzbin, and it's official.  I will start collecting vintage items at the beginning of next month; and hopefully I will have a shop open within the next 60 days.

Wish me luck!

Here are some of the dresses that inspired me:

Summer's Darling Dress

 Cobalt Nightingale Dress

Gardener Street Dress

Let's See What That Big Ocean's Got

Sometimes, love looks like this:


Video source: The Swell Season


And you know what, that is okay.  It's even healthy.  Because when it's all over, when you've pushed through and sat down to talk it out and let it loose, you love each other all the more.

Style Inspiration

Most people's style inspiration is something or someone uber fashiony.  Chloe, Betsy Johnson, Marc Jacobs, Balenciaga, Sarah Jessica Parker, Gaga Gabor, Diana Ross, The Olsen Twins, Boy George, Kim Kardashian.  Something like that.  Not me.
Call me a conformist... but I love the clean, interesting, mass produced simplicity of J.Crew.
Now, don't get me wrong, I wish that was me.  Much of the time, I wish I could be that person who gently picks out their Marc Jacobs (or Marc Jacobs inspired) outfit out of the closet, packs on the accessories, actually DOES something to their hair, puts on their 5 inch heels and heads out the door on time.  But that just isn't me.  I usually put together outfits based on what is clean (sometimes), easy to get to (this usually means that it is laying on the floor), and what will go with a V-neck Tee.  And now, more and more I find that, when I don't spend all my money on food, I am gravitating towards buying outfits based on whether or not they are already put together for me online, hanging on the J.Crew model.

source: J.Crew