Dimmer Switch

After my last super long post about the house, where I admitted I'd been putting off installing the dimmer switch in the kitchen overhead light fixture, I got a Monday off and decided to just go for it. It was really easy! I think anything electrical can be intimidating for a lot of people, but it's not hard. You just need to have access to your breaker switch and make sure it's turned off!

When I first took the cover off the old switch I was most intimidated, as the screws in my new plate would in no way be able to attach to the wall or the current regular switch box. I shouldn't have fretted because the friendly guy at Ace had already been through this with me twice, and because the new light switch box has differently placed screw holes.

The interior of the wall is, as expected in this house, truly horrible. The wires are wrapped in this gross dusty cloth. I ignored that. Basically you unscrew the original switch in it's little plate, which is easy, pull it gently a little out of the wall so you can get at the screws. In my case the screws were on the side of the original switch and the wires that came out of the wall were pretty thick and substantial, and they just bent around screws coming in the side of the switch box and the screws had been tightened over them to make the electric connection. This is much like the inside of a light socket, how the wires connect. The new switch had an easier kind of connection, where you twist a more flexible multi-strand copper wire around the thicker wall wire, making sure they are making a solid connection, and then you place the little orange plastic wire cap on the connected wires and twist it on.

Ours was a little more complex because it was a three-way switch, meaning there is another switch on the other end of the room that also connects to the overhead light. I didn't realize this the first time I bought a dimmer switch so that's why I had to go back to Ace. Basically in the three-way box, there's a black wire that was also labelled "common." This connects to the black wire from your switch box. The two other wires go to either of the two red wires. It doesn't matter which is which. I didn't have a ground wire which made me nervous, but also, whatever. Anyway after all the wires are connected you just shove them all back there in the box, carefully, not tearing out your connections, and then screw the switchplate back into the wall. Then the cover fits nicely with it's tiny little screws.

Here's the finished product! So neat and tidy. I tried taking a photo of the difference when it's dimmed but it's hard to tell, and the kitchen is super messy since I also just rearranged the stuff in the cabinets, so it's not worth showing. But you know what a dimmer does! I'm excited to have a nice dinner with less harsh, more romantic lighting. The whole project cost about $35 including the fancy 100W equivalent dimmable LED bulb. Not all LED or CFL bulbs are dimmable, so you have to make sure everything is going to work together. Old-school incandescents are of course dimmable but this is the 21st century so that wasn't an option for me. LEDs (and CFLs) do have a bit more blue light, which is less mellow, but you can get them pretty warm, just look for a K around 2700-3000K. These pictures are taken with flash so they don't represent the color of light at all, obviously the light was out while I was poking around the live wires.

How I wake up early and go to the gym

Somehow, although I don't even recognize myself, I have become the kind of person who goes to an hour-long barre class before work almost every day. Before that, I wasn't a total sloth, but I didn't really ever work out for the sake of working out, except for a 6 month-1 year stint of Core Power Yoga a couple years back which hurt my knees. When I started this class in the spring, they have you fill out a little intro with how often you exercise and at that point all I was doing was the odd weekend hike, bike ride, or xc ski, and in the warmer months biking around the city a couple times a week. I have been going pretty religiously for about 9 months now. For awhile now I've been going only to the 7 am classes on weekdays. Not going to lie, it's rough getting up, especially after daylight savings as it gets darker and colder every morning. Here's how I am doing it:

1. Find a workout that is tough enough that you can brag about it a little, but not so tough that you won't go. This is the secret, I think. If it's spin classes or P90x or something called Sweat, I'm scared and disgusted and won't go, but I also want to feel like I pushed myself and got more fit. Bonus points for being able to see myself look more fit, and have other people see it too. If I don't have some trouble walking down the stairs afterwards, it's like, what was the point. Also, find a place with some kind of rewards program since getting fit is nice and everything but saving money is much more motivating. My friend said she used to go to a lunch-hour class where the instructor was particularly attractive as an added motivation.

2. Prepare everything the night before. I have the world's longest before-bed routine. I pick out my clothes and earrings and put them in my gigantic purse, along with any products I'll need the next morning to get ready. I grind my coffee beans and set my timer coffee maker with milk already in the cup and put it by my bed so I can grab it right after waking up. I prep whatever breakfast and lunch (leftovers) I'm lucky enough to be taking with me the next day. I have workout clothes already hanging up to put on. I hang them over a floor heat vent, so if I'm lucky they are warm when I put them on. I do my skincare routine at night and I don't even splash water on my face in the morning. This way, in the morning, I lie in bed, drinking coffee, looking at my phone, and cuddling my cat and husband for 30 minutes, then I throw on my workout clothes, brush teeth, put in contacts, and leave in 10 minutes.

3. Soften the blow of getting up in the cold and dark. I recently put a star-shaped lantern in the living room and put it on a light timer so as soon as I open the bedroom door to let the cat in, I can see it's nice soft glow. Hanging star lanterns were popular in Iceland in January when we visited, and I think they are big in Scandinavian winter/Christmas decor because they really help with the long dark winters. I also surround the bed with soft plush things like a faux sheepskin rug and my slippers so exiting the warm bed is slightly less painful. The next step is to get a gradual light alarm clock!

4. Minimal morning routine. After my class, I always shower. Quite frankly I am confused and disgusted by the girls who don't, which is 90% of them. Who are you, non-sweating people? Anyway I really only have 15 minutes from end of class to when I should head out to the train. So I don't wash my hair, I just leave it up, sometimes I wash my hairline/scalp around the bun which, you know, don't knock it until you try it. I've been using DIY deodorant; it's been an adventure. I used to use this spray moisturizer, or the regular lotion version which is provided by the locker room, but usually this step takes too long. If I'm in a hurry I do makeup on the train, but usually I do it there. I mix some SPF lotion with BB cream, or just do the SPF lotion if my skin is even. Sometimes I use some concealer, and/or mascara. Boom, done, out. The endorphin boost from the workout helps me to feel like I look great even if my hair is a mess or I didn't put on as much makeup as carefully as I would for a special event or night out.

5. Second cup of coffee. Eat breakfast once at work. Congratulate self.

*terrible phone picture is from my office window around 4:45 pm, to illustrate early sunsets and late sunrises.

Studio Life: A Tour of My Stuff

So I did move into my own studio -- first time living alone, etc. I now camp out at boyfriend's house a lot and use the internet, because (gasp) I don't have it at home. No internet, no smart phone (that is now a lie because I got a blackberry from work), and no TV. But really, my sweet little baby apartment is too small for a TV.  

I feel like my windowsills are too cluttered with random stuff. But I like it all! My plants are loving all the sunlight, and I can display all the glass and lantern-like things that I own. You can't really see, but I made hanging vases out of old lightbulbs like the Pinterest-addict that I am. And yeah, I have Christmas lights around the windows. I put them up during the first snow fall in November and I think I'll keep them up forever.

My wee kitchen! It fits in the closet. After much delay and frustration, and with the help of boyfriend who almost gave up, I installed a curtain wire from IKEA and put up these IKEA-via-Craigslist curtains so that when I'm not using the kitchen (aka almost always, basically all I do is use the water kettle I got for Christmas, thanks mom & dad!) I can close it away and not look at it. I think boyfriend worries about the potential fire threat of curtain near the burners but I tell him I move it out of the way (and then I don't, good thing he doesn't read this.) You can also see so many other things I like in this photo-- the great sunlight, the dishtowel I bought at the Appalachian crafts center, the green & blue painting I got at STOP thrift store, and the perfectly-sized wall-mounted dishrack I got at IKEA. We went nutz at IKEA this last trip. Oh, and the keffiya that I use to cover up the random stuff in the bottom shelves of my little kitchen storage/counter furniture PIECE. (What are those things called?) (Relatedly I think its funny to call things a "piece" like they're a piece of art. It's like when the friend of my old hipster roommates said she wanted to open a "space" for artists or performances or whatever and I made fun of her to her face, or certain old hierarchicly-superior coworkers constantly saying "utilize" instead of "use" and I died inside constantly, or basically whenever most people talk about "culture." I am a terrible snob.)

Me, the snob, picking at the broken zipper of an old (vintage. ok, it's vintage) dress I want to sell on etsy. My apartment is tiny, but not too tiny for an ORB and a vase full of Christmas tree branches that I picked up from the ground outside of Big Star. Folding chair and stool: IKEA, blue chair and plaid blanket: grandma's house, bookshelf: left from previous tenant at previous apartment. On the bookshelves are my small collections of cookbooks, journals, fashion magazines I should stop reading, thermoses, and glassware with shiny rims.

New Studio Apartment

So, I'm off to a new apartment AGAIN. Let's see... this past place didn't make the blog because I was too busy to care about posting anything and I only lived there for 6 months. Before that was the apartment with dirty roommates in Pilsen, where I lived for about 8-9 months. Before that, my last place in Hyde Park (1 year), the brownstone with basement bedroom (1 year), my first post-college apartment  with a tiny purple bedroom (1 year), my college apartment (2 years), dorm II, and dorm I. Add in the mix a variety of non-Chicago or temporary living situations, but that's a lot of moving, y'all. Anyway, I signed up for 16 months in order to get a discount & no security deposit. And for the first time ever I'm living on my own!

 I went over to the new place and took some pictures while the previous tenant was packing up. She wasn't home but I totally judged her (kidding. not really).

The main selling point of this place, besides the ALL MINE aspect, is the window. I know it doesn't look like much in this terrible photo, but it faces south over some lower buildings and trees and notably nothing that seems like it will be remotely annoying (flashing police light and alley people were the major offenders, as was the loogie-haucking showering man about 5 feet away from my bedroom window in the most recent apartment). There is a lovely view from the 5th floor and tons and tons of sunlight. Seriously, this is all I've ever wanted. (It really is! Small: check, light: check, quirk: check, see kitchen, radiator: check, also, heat included BONUS POINTS, laundry: on site, check, cheap: check!)

The kitchen is literally in a closet. There is zero counter-space, but don't worry! I am making plans for various IKEA-related storage solutions (like a hanging dish rack) and I got one of those rolling kitchen storage / countertop bar things from my old apartment for free, so I can put that where that sad excuse for a futon sofa is right now. And the fridge will go in the obvious nook where it belongs and the closet doors will go back on the closet where the fridge is now. My sewing machine table and piles of related sewing crap will go in that closet where I can close the door on them.

The red wall and questionable scroll-y painting thing will need to go, to be replaced by "cocaine white" if I have anything to say about it. I have already made this request to the property manager but there appears to be a slight language barrier. I didn't use the word "cocaine" when I spoke to her, if you're wondering. I don't like off-white. Also, there is a bike room in the first floor of the building so I'm not sure why this tenant used crucial studio space for her bike, but whatever.

I probably won't use a rolling clothes rack as this girl did, given my previous failures with such things, but will put my lovely dressers in this walk-in closet / hallway to the bathroom. I think that I'll put my lavender boxes above the first shelf in this and the other closet to extend the vertical storage space, and also because there is no floor space for them.

My own bathroom! I got so excited last time I had my own bathroom and now I have my own WHOLE APARTMENT! Seriously this is all I think about these days. The walls in the bathroom are currently pink and I have requested them to be painted back to white. No pink.

I have not gotten to move in because the apartment does not become empty and painted and clean and available until this weekend. I had to be out of my old place last weekend so I am executing the famous and grueling TWO PHASE MOVE. Yes, it sucks. I hired the pros for Phase 2 because even though some of the most awesome friends ever came out to help in Phase 1 I was still all "never again." But once I get all moved in (and I have big plans -- or small plans, as the case may be -- either way I am blowing up Pinterest at amyinegypt -- that's how I waste my internet time these days) then it will be the most stylish studio the world has ever seen and maybe I will take some after pictures.

California

This post is just a few pictures from my trip to California. I love the fall weather we're having here in Chicago but really do think I would be perfectly happy in a warm, dry, Mediterranean climate every day. I love the little daytime moon in the picture below.

And the last two are from the dorm where I stayed (it was an academic conference).

Hurray for sunshine! The end.

Reflected Light

 These pictures of mirrored ceilings and walls really snagged my imagination. The first is from The Corinthian Club in Glasgow, via Lace & Tea.

Then the Michelberger Hotel in Berlin (which as we all know is the coolest city in the world) (ok, check out their website, I was just going to cite to be thorough but it's pretty awesome and there's a button that says "it's all too much" that you can push to turn off all the music and animation. every website should have that easily accessible! I think I'm in love) via {this is glamorous} via Design Shimmer. When I was in New Orleans, I stayed a night in the guest room of some friends. They said the room was the only one not yet remodelled in the century-old house, which I only saw in the bathroom, a bit worn around the edges, but completely walled in with mirrors. You have to be pretty vain to like that kind of thing, but I was fascinated with seeing reflections show up in unexpected angles, plus it looks totally glamorous in Hollywood dressing room kind of way.

It all reminds me a bit of this "Swimming Pool" installation by Leandro Erlich. This photo is from the original at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, Japan. Wouldn't it be cool to sleep or eat below that shimmering watery reflective light?

I love light reflected off water, bouncing back on the side of houses from pools, the underside of bridges, the sides of boats. It looks like summer, and it makes me excited and happy and eager to jump in, but it's also so soothing and dependable, even in its sparkling. I would like a house where I can sit and eat breakfast or go to sleep wrapped in that light. Anyone got one?

Dream of New York

A few nights ago I had a dream that I went to New York City. I took a train (only $12, how convenient), it was on a whim, just for the day. I was with some of my favorite friends; I helped one of them apartment hunt in old huge rambling buildings with curving stairways and endless waiting rooms. Then on the train on the way back, I sat across the aisle from a young Barack Obama with his little daughter in his arms! He was very friendly and we talked about how cute she was.

I felt so good the entire next day! The whole dream had a wonderful quality of freedom, happiness, exhilaration, exuberance, and serendipity. It felt like these pictures.

In fact, I've only been to NYC three times. And while it was fun, it kind of tired me out, drained my finances, got me soaked to the ankle in slushy ice water or traipsing through endless blocks trying to get somewhere I thought was much closer. I think I prefer the fantasy of New York to the reality, but if I ever end up there I'll be sure to reconsider.
Images: The Sartorialist; Bonnie Tsang for Pictory via the always-good Aubrey Road; Hafeez Raji also for Pictory; Trey Hill for Pictory, Sandra from Niotillfem on vacation in New York.

Colorful, Imperfect Curtains

Recently I saw a slew of images of curtains that really appeal to me: the random colors, especially the dip-dye look in some of the first few pictures, streamers, different lengths and colors, mixed with a good dose of sheers, letting in tons of light. Maybe I'll hang some of my scarves as a window treatment.

They seem appropriate for the kind of apartment that we have around here, and that I got: rambly 1930s flats with lovely architectural details, covered up by scores of coats of white paint, inhabited by students, artists, hipsters, professors, programmers, and researchers for years and years and years. Nothing is quite new or perfect, neither is it quite old enough to be architecturally valuable, but it has its own charm, and I like it a lot.

Photos 1-4 by Hotze Eisma via Bliss.
Photo 5 from Intelligent Clashing via Even*Cleveland.
Photo 6 by "Alice" on Pia Jane Bijkerk.

South Carolina is Magic

Look at this cool photo my dad took on his morning walk, with his cell phone! I love the way the puddle looks like a little light-filled window. This is the park across the street from our house. I have tickets for a 2-week trip home coming up, and I'm so excited!

In other news, I finally got Project Runway to stream, hallelujah, where have you been all day when I needed you?

Real Pictures I Really Took

These are from the disposable camera that I promised. Some turned out cool, some less cool. There are also some fun ones of friends but in the interest of privacy I'll retain them, but they include The Hideout, Lincoln Kareoke, E's birthday party at the Webster apartment, and a couple crappy ones from Mississippi.
In order: peonies, a strawberry-rhubarb pie, finals week, our kitty, mobile & line-drying.

Apartment Search

The yearly (ugh) hunt for a new apartment is on in full force. I've moved 5 times in the past 6 years, not counting short-term sublets and such. It sucks, moving, especially since I've accumulated SO MUCH STUFF, but at least I know what I like.

I like it small. I grew up in a pretty small house: you could always hear when other people were home, never had to deal with stairs, absolutely packed closets. Now, living in a big house, it freaks me out that I never know if I'm home alone or not. I've noticed that other people, like my future roommates, like space to spread out, but not me!

I like light, lots of light. Ideally, I could just nap in a sunbeam. Living in the basement has been tolerable mostly because I do get morning sunshine for a couple hours, filtered through trees, which is actually very nice. (not that I've been awake for it since school ended!) Light is especially important in a kitchen, which is a rarity in apartments around here.

I like quirk. Unlike my love for small living spaces, I think this comes from the fact that the house I grew up in was a subdivision developer's cookie-cutter model, the same as every other house in the neighborhood (I mean this almost literally). We looked at an apartment in an old Victorian without a right angle in the place, and I was in love. It has a loft with a ladder, exposed brick chimney, attic-like ceilings, a theater curtain to keep the heat in, a stained glass window with built-in-bookshelves, a falling-down balcony, bizarre raised closet floors, a rather hideous black tub, loads of bay windows. But it also was a bit pricey, had a possibly too-strange landlord (he lives in the back, accessible only by ladder), and no space for bikes or a dining room table. Well, I think there was space, but I digress. Anyway, I'm a total sucker for "vintage."

I like radiators, especially accompanied by the magic words "heat included." I'm from the south, I get cold, and they are much better to snuggle up to than a vent that never seems to put out enough heat anyway.

I like not going to the laundromat. It was ok when I lived basically above it, but I don't anymore, so there.

And finally, I like cheap. Boy do I like cheap. I like cheap so much. Have I mentioned how much I like cheap?

Well, that's enough of my boring post about apartments.
picture via Bliss. I think I picked it for the sheepskin rug, the rest of it is meh.

A Southern Belle?

Is it weird that when I see these images, I don't even look at the model, striking though she is? I look at the light coming in the windows, the spanish moss hanging from magnolias, tired old boards, green filtered through humid air. I really miss the South! I went to Mississippi for spring break, and if I can get together some photos that aren't lame, I'll post them.

This is Tao Okamoto by Camilla Akrans for Vogue China April 2010, found here, via Aubrey Road, which I found in turn by Ill Seen, Ill Said. I guess I want to know: is this model Japanese, judging by her name? Yes, says Wikipedia. Is her height, pale skin and hair, and rather European features the beauty standard in China? I really hope not, as gorgeous as she is. Turns out they made her blonde for this editorial only, she's been in Japanese, Russian, American, and French Vogue too. And she's not even as tall as me (but giant in Japan)! I guess I was just weirded out at this very American cultural reference (the belle in the Deep South) in a Chinese fashion magazine.

Galaxy Fashion Quest

I really like pictures of space. (I found this sweet blog full of mostly galaxy photos via d.sharp, which is a blog frequently featuring artsy stuff that I enjoy.) My dad was into astronomy, and we did a lot of telescope-squinting, planet-identifying, and constellation-naming. I remember going to some field in a state park one summer night for an astronomy lesson from a park ranger. I don't remember any of the lesson, but I remember the fireflies in the woods on the edges of the field, the tall grass, and the glow-in-the-dark night sky print on the sweatshirt of another little kid. It was like being in a dome of little jumping dots of light.
Maybe that's why I liked this dress from Mociun so much. It's like a grown-up version of the glow-in-the-dark night sky sweatshirt. I found it from Moseyblog. (whew it took me so long to dig up that link! I kept misspelling Mociun.) Vain and Vapid were also all over it last fall or whatever (it's fine, I know I'm behind). Mociun, based in Brooklyn, has got some cool stuff and is sold all over the internets (Beklina, bird, others) but really I only care about that space print. There's still a shirt left in it, but it's size large and $72, so that's a big TM for me (tough mustard).
This photo is from a remarkable 15-year-old photographer on Flickr, Olivia Bee. I don't know what she was doing to make this cool light effect but I love it, and it reminds me of that starry field.
Finally, everything Shabd is similar in the tie-dye galaxy print way. The website is dope and minimalist and features a picture of a galaxy next to each category of clothing, so it's obvious that the inspiration was the awesomeness of galaxies. I have no memory of where I found out about Shabd, lace & tea, which is a favorite blog for gorgeous pictures and fashion, posted about them in April, but I emailed myself the link back in December. Who cares?

Moral of the story? I want tickets to the Hubble 3D Imax movie, where I will completely die of dorky happiness. It's $21 at the Museum of Science and Industry. That is as much as I spent on a tube of lipstick today. Admittedly, it was very high-quality lipstick from Korres at Sephora, my new favorite place-- they let you try everything on! I got it in Red, I can't resist a simple color name, and it has a minimum of evil stuff to ingest. I tried on like six different red lipsticks, and while Clinique had a nice color that didn't make my teeth look yellow, it was full of evil stuff.

Summer! Biking! Pilsen! Rooftops! Elation!

On Thursday I biked to my internship in Pilsen. It was 80* and sunny and on the way back, incredibly windy. I went up the lakeshore path from 47th to 18th, and then got really confused trying to cross over Lakeshore Drive and the Metra tracks. Some nice runner ladies pointed me in the right direction. After you cross the Metra tracks, you're in this surreal place with castles, which turn out to be townhomes and the US Soccer Federation. Then, after some industry and a terrifying bridge made of metal grating, the river glinting below your lurching tires far below, you're in Pilsen. The tamales vendors smile and wave, mothers take their kids to school, stores are opening. By Damen, the street smells like tacos. Later in the day, I went for a walk to the park, bought some pastries at Central Bakery, developed my photos, bought ice cream, ate a salad outside in the sun. In the afternoon, I biked into a strong wind full of dust and blowing trash and "hola, guapa!" to Little Village, where I bought some incredible coconut water with pulp (from Thailand via Mexico) which was summer in a can, along with some chilis and granola, and sat on a front stoop talking and people-watching.

On the way home, I biked down Cermak to Halsted, and then took Halsted south to 31st St, where I passed what I think is the hill from photographer Paul Octavious's daily photo essay (he took a picture of some hill in Chicago every day for a year, photo above, found via Cup of Jo). Then through more blowing grit and a strange conversation at stoplights from a guy on a motorbike (my word for "not as loud as a motorcycle should be but didn't look like a moped") who just seemed to want to share his general elation. I went through Bridgeport and across the Drive onto a grueling ride into the wind down the path, where I got smoked by some guys in matching spandex uniforms and even, hilariously, by the pudgy one who brought up the rear. I blame this on having small tires. Even 53rd street was hopping; what used to be a generic movie rental place and was closed for a long time is now open as a garden shop with a hand-drawn sign. Adorable!

My roommates and I spent the night drinking on the roof, where we stayed for varying portions of the wee am hours. Yesterday afternoon I spent on the roof in the sun with more drinks (gin & tonics, strawberry daiquiris made with fresh strawberries!) and a rotating cast of passer-by friends. The buds on our front yard tree that had been closed shut the night before had little lime green filaments escaping out. We stayed up until sunset, watching the birds reeling out of the west and the streetlights turning everywhere below us a cozy summer orange, the sky turning purple, the clouds dividing the sky. Today it's raining, so it's back to the glowing rectangles and reams of papers for me.


I was reading blogs, specifically Bliss, and came across this cute skirt, which is part of Frei designs, sold super-sustainably in Chicago by designer Annie Novotny at her storefront Workshop, which is on 18th Street and I must have biked right past. This is from the Frei website, can you believe it?:

"Supporting healthy labor practices and environmental sustainability.

Made with carefully-chosen materials:
• 80% organic
• no agrochemicals
• fast-renewing resources
• low-impact or no-impact dying

Sewn in Chicago by workers who receive a fair and living wage.
Shipped using recycled materials"

And to keep it fashion-blog-esque, what I wore:

To work on Thursday, a green-ish gray corduroy knee-length A-line skirt that I made with my grandma probably when I was in early high school and have mended and patched countless times (perhaps the most worn and most versatile thing I own besides jeans), and a blue & yellow striped v-neck t-shirt that my grandma made me recently from a pattern I adapted from a dress (bodice & neckline lowered). I also brought a thin, long, (holey) mauve cardigan I got from Unique not long ago but only had to wear it for half the morning ride.

Thursday night on the roof: the shirt and some tight jeans that I bought at Unique and cut off at the knee, maroon suede bedazzled flats that I found in a free bin in my boyfriend's apartment building.

Friday, before I realized what a perfect day it was outside: jeans & piggly-wiggly tshirt. I have been offered $50 for this t-shirt after a show in Wrigleyville from a guy at a Taco Bell, and regret to this day having not sold it. I could always get another one for $5 at the grocery store back home. The Piggly-Wiggly also featured prominently in the conversation of the Dirty Hippies of Memphis, more information on that later.

Friday, after I realized it was a perfect day to make strawberry daiquiris and lounge on the roof: ragged old hand-me-down Abercrombie shorts, which are perfectly too big and threadbare, and a white eyelet camisole that I got from a roommate who was purging possessions. Blankets: my mom's floral comforter from high school, an unfinished piece of blue & black buffalo plaid wool that I liberated from grandma's fabric stash.

Today in the rain: pink Minnetonka moccasins I got at a thrift store, jeans, lacy pink cami from Unique, boyfriend's old threadbare blue and white striped buttondown.

Oh, and on Tuesday, I went to Village Discount in Pilsen, and got huraches from Brazil (which I'd been wanting since last summer) and are going to take some breaking-in, some Capezio dance shoes (practically new! magically comfortable stay-on-your-foot black heels, my work shoes for all the non-summer and non-snowing days), a textured off-white old Ralph Lauren scoopneck t-shirt, 3 children's books (only one of which I could bring myself to donate to the book drive I bought them for, the others are too gorgeously illustrated and strange to get rid off) and a 2008 planner featuring Japanese woodcut prints that I plan to cut out and use as postcards.

Cannelle et Vanille + Escape from the Meringue Crevasse

I'm entering the world of google reader so I have a place to keep straight all the blogs that I sometimes read. When I get organized, I'll clean up my blog links here so that I only include those that I really read a lot.

I wanted to pitch this lovely food blog, Cannelle et Vanille, which has some of the prettiest food photography I've seen. It got me wanting to figure out how to set up a light box myself.

And then I remembered another food blog, Omnomicon, which is both funny and has beautiful pictures, and the post I read a long time ago about how to take nice food pictures. It has some really helpful advice about light balances and f-stops and so on that I attempted to employ when I made some little mountain climbers to climb into the crevasse in the lemon meringue pie that my roommate made.

Isn't it awesome? I spent a lot of time taking pictures of it, so perhaps I can dig the better ones out soon.

Wintery Goodness

I'm planning a New Year's Eve party, so this post is some accumulated images of sparkly winter goodness, party-related or just pretty. Top photo is from unruly things, which came in turn from style me pretty, which came from wedding photographer Steve DePino. Whew! I hate listing links like that, but it's nice to share blogs and one must give proper credit where credit is due. Can you believe it's from a wedding? My cousin, who I have been visiting, is newly engaged and I wasted some time reading Bride magazine, which is an ABOMINATION, and if I ever get engaged I don't want any bridal magazines anywhere near me because they make me feel terrified and inadequate.

This is from fieldguided, a lovely blog from a girl in Toronto (hooray! for my fellows in the Great White North). The fairy flower paper lamp is the Tord Boontje Midsummer Lamp, and I want one.

Wouldn't it be nice to curl under here for some tea in that cute heart mug? I have a white down comforter and this makes me want to put up my Ikea mosquito netting around my bed even though my room is teeny tiny. The netting curtains were only $6, but I haven't taken them out of the wrapping--impulse buy. This photo and the next to are from {this is glamourous}. They are all by Anna Inghardt , whose flickr stream is just full of all-white snowy Swedish dreamy stuff. While I'm in proper citation mode, I might as well give the secondary source, the blog Quenchant of the Curious. Shall I put in it APA format, or do you prefer Chicago Style? (I know I do!)I hate having a cat, but I like them in principle.

Nothing like day-long winter car (or worse, Greyhound bus) rides to make you want a soft white fluffy bed to lie down in!