In My Bachelor Best

So I have been a fan of the Bachelor/Bachelorette tv show since Jillian's season in 2009. I was intrigued by a pair of red cowboy boots she wore with a black fringe dress. Something about it just spoke to me, and that's when I started googling her wardrobe from the show. And also watching every episode, ever, including the Bachelor Pad spinoff.

Over the years, as the format of the show becomes increasingly predictable to a seasoned viewer, I found myself fast forwarding to the end, when the elimination begins. This is the good stuff. This season, the "winner" wore a one-shoulder gold gown, and the "loser" wore a silver racer back dress. I've seen the Olympics, so I knew how it was going to go down. I didn't particularly appreciate either of their choices, but it got me thinking about what I would wear if I ever go on the Bachelor and make it to the final two. Which I would, because at this point I could write a handbook on this show. And then I would do the crazy switchup where the contestant reveals she has a boyfriend. Bam! Anyway, here are my choices, for the Bachelor, my next (and first) black tie wedding, or in the instance I get famous and get asked to Prom again. Or just for sitting around. Or heading to Trader Joe's. Actually, I went to Whole Foods recently sort of dressed up and it was really awkward. So I don't recommend that. Even if you're like, Hellooooo I am clearly just buying a bottle of cool champagne to share before I go out somewhere really cool, all you sad people who are not doing that!

Anyway, here are my choices, courtesy of Rent the Runway.

I die. Obviously, I am a winner. With the eye of a crow. 

Because I am a fairytale princess and I should be allowed to reflect that with all my netting and flounce. Also, I would have a more princessy look on my face. Because I would rule with a magnanimous fist. Except don't borrow my dress.

This one is aptly named meteor shower. I would expect this song Meteor to play every time I enter a room. Which is by a band I used to listen to a lot in college. Which I hope wouldn't trick my subconscious into thinking I should behave as a college student. That wouldn't be becoming of a lady in such a dress.

And lastly, this number. So floaty and airy and delicate, like a queen of the snowflakes and peppermints. And, let me tell you, I am a fan of the figure skating style mesh. For sure. For always.

Dresses, from top to bottom: Badgley Mischka, Reem Acra, Rebecca Taylor, Catherine Deane.

A few things brightening up my life lately:

This dress I ordered from tobi.com a few days ago that I got in the mail today. Lovvvves it. I found out about the website after gushing to an almost stranger about how much I loved her dress and she told me about the website. Some of it is kind of iffy, but I love this dress! I got two more as well. Because I can’t help myself. Current dress count: 80+

These two, for whom I've been babysitting lately. They’re the artists behind the fine art I featured in my last post.




Finally getting the right materials to make this necklace (tutorial here):

Finishing this heart painting that pinterest inspired. I used sparkles for the last heart:

Receiving this in the mail today!!!! I LOVE SPARKLEZ.

Using it to make homemade cards:

Get excited, Everyone I Know Who Has A Birthday. I’ve got an arsenal of sparkles, blank notecards, and a whole lot of enthusiasm. Um, I even made that gold liner for the envelope. I find myself impressive.

Sometimes the simplest things…

…touch your heart the most.

The best gifts are those that are a labor of love. Do you like my red dress? :)

10 Things That Make Me Happy (Part 2)

6. This picture of my little brother and I, taken in the late ‘90s. The height difference is still there, it’s just opposite now.

7. My collection of books from my childhood. Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, The Secret Garden,  and Every. Roald. Dahl. Book. Published. They’re all worn and dogeared and some of them literally have been chewed by a dog. I used to reread books if I didn’t go to the library often enough and I swear I read all of them 10 times each. Really. I’m not exaggerating. And I went to the library once a week. I have this super power where I can ignore ANYTHING if I’m reading (including time) so I would read whenever I was sent to my room for punishment. Joke’s on you, Parents. The jig is up.

8. Straws. Preferably stuck in bubble water. I have one cup I love a lot that has a reusable straw (that is BPA free TOO!) so this love is not as bad for the environment as it may seem. Aren’t these vintage-inspired straws fun?

9. My grandmother’s engagement ring. She was married to my grandfather when she was 17, and starting having kids right after (8 in total). The ring is delicate and tiny and the one below from an etsy store with vintage engagement rings reminds me of it. She got a different one later on, and my mother gave me my grandmother’s first ring a few years ago after she passed away. It’s interesting to think about how different our lives are. Sometimes when I’m feeling particularly anti-social when I’m out I put it on my left hand. It’s kind of like wearing a post-it that says “don’t talk to me” on your forehead.

10. A vase full of fresh flowers, which I’ve been trying to keep on hand all summer. My favorite flower is the gardenia, but you can’t really buy those by the stem, so I found a plant down the street (bordering a local dive bar, no less) but I hate that I’m taking them away from everyone else (and their own little flower lives) so I haven’t picked one yet. Instead I’ve been relying on weekly 4-5 dollar bouquets from Trader Joe’s in pinks, purples, and yellows.

Those are my things! What things make you happiest?

P.S. Find the first half of my favorite material things here.

10 Things That Make Me Happy

The title of this post suggests it will be one of those popular posts in which the blogger glorifies or laments in list form. Well, it is. Not only that, it’s going to be drawn out across 2 posts.

Last Sunday I watched the new Bravo TV show, “Ten Things That Make Me Happy”. They featured celebutante Kyle Richards of "Housewives of Beverly Hills" Fame, and the self-described “Maker” Jonathan Adler. Richards came off as superficial, naming her Chanel Bags, hair, and a 10 carat diamond ring, but she also included her sweat pants and her homemade lasagna. Adler included a local pizza, a ping pong table, his husband’s shirts, and a hilarious picture of a 3-year-old pageant toddler he has framed at his apartment entrance.

It got me thinking what I would choose if I were to pick 10 things that make me happy – not experiences, or people, or activities, or places – but 10 actual things that I can touch. Here’s my list:

1. White Noise Machines, which for me is a fan I got for $15 on Amazon. I love that it drowns out the noises of the neighbors. It’s something I either adopted from or inherited from my mother, who packs her fan in her suitcase whenever she goes on a trip. I also sometimes use www.rainymood.com when I'm especially missing the Florida daily summer storms.

2. Candles. My favorite candle I’ve ever burned is made for Anthropologie by Illume. It’s called Sweet William’s Way, which is very fitting. The first house I lived on was called Sweet Leaf Lane and the second was called William James Way. I can’t find it for purchase anywhere so I no longer burn it, I just take the lid off and allow the mix of chamomile, lemon and amber to permeate the air.

3. This skirt by J. Crew. I seriously lived in it when I first got it. I even once got an offer from someone to literally buy it off of me. I mainly wear it around the holiday season, but really it can be paired with anything. Except maybe not more sequins. Though I must say, I’ve never met a sequin I didn’t like. And I adore each and every one that adorns this skirt.

It's good for Taylor Swift concerts as well.

4. Bubby Water. I love it. I drink so much more water now that I use the Sodastream machine at home. I like bubbles in the air, bubbles in my bath, and bubbles in my drinking water. Bubbles. They’re the best. 

5. Recipes handwritten by my mother and grandmother. They taste familiar and like home and I love the fact that they took the time to write them down so carefully. I would just send myself a link or pin it or bring Better Homes and Gardens to the store with me, but there’s something that so vividly recreates my ancestry and the bond created between female family members when I think of how recipes were passed down from mother to daughter for centuries. If you don't have the handwritten version, you can give your favorite recipe to Articipe, and then you can have art + your recipe combine.

Those are my first five. The second five will come in my next post. I'm afraid to post it all at once because because what if I think of something BETTER that I didn't think to include when I first wrote this? This does not seem to be a list you can edit.

What are your favorite material things?