slumber party sunday

Yay! It's finally time for another slumber party! After I get my yummy mini banana splits ready, I'm going to paint my nails super bright pink (so cheery!) and sit back to watch this week's movie. It's one of my favorite guilty pleasures, so I hope you like it too! Then -- after the nails are dry, of course -- we can dance around to some fantastic Goldfrapp tunes before settling down for ghost stories & truth or dare! Ready?! Let's get started!




My favorite kind of dessert -- an easy to make one! These look SO incredibly simple and yet so delicious! Also, you can't go wrong with anything bite sized. Stop drooling and get the recipe here! ;)



Ooh La La by Goldfrapp

Twist by Goldfrapp

Strict Machine by Goldfrapp

This is SUCH a guilty pleasure of mine -- Notting Hill (1999) ... what can I say, I have a soft spot in my heart for Hugh Grant! ;D This movie has some really super cornball moments, but oh my gosh I could eat it up. I watch it almost every month, and it always makes me smile! *Spoiler* There's this scene where Julia Roberts (who plays a movie star in the film) says to Hugh Grant "I'm just a girl. Standing in front of a boy. Asking him to love her." And then she leaves, and he goes back to his friends and tells them what she said. The first time I saw this, I was 110% sure they were going to tell him that was a line from one of her movies. I mean, I was actually shocked when it turned out she was for real! haha! Anyway, I always think that's funny now when I get to that part ;-D *End Spoiler!* If you don't have the movie on DVD, you can watch it on Netflix Instant // Youtube // Torrent // Amazon.

I don't know why, since the story itself isn't THAT scary, but watching this put me in a go-to-sleep-with-the-lights-on mood. Some parts seriously scared the living daylights out of me! eek! I guess that's what ghost stories are for though, eh?! ;)


You can answer the truth question in the comments, or participate in the dare on your own (or let me know if you chickened out in the comments ;-D)

Truth: Who was your first celebrity crush?

Dare: Wear all of your clothes backwards today.

Oh Well - The story of Andi B. Goode

You're 80 years old, and Hollywood has purchased the rights to turn your bestselling memoirs into a feature film! What is the title of your movie?

“Oh Well.”

Art house, blockbuster, summer comedy, epic, zombie-apocalypse movie?

I'd like to think it might be a musical, but an indie or art house one - if it were a mainstream movie it wouldn't be quite acceptable for nothing much to happen (which is what the story of my life would look like) but it works well in alternative films. The musical element is just there because I've always wished my life could be like a musical - more for the random singing and dancing than anything else. And it might liven up my life story a bit. Ha!

Who is directing?

Rian Johnson – from Brick and The Brothers Bloom I can tell he has a certain feeling for that 'old timey' quality, if that makes sense, whilst still being fresh and new.

Who is starring?

Christina Ricci c. The Man Who Cried.

What is the plot? Is it a comedy? Drama? Tragedy (I hope not!)?

I tried to look into my crystal ball, as it were, but couldn't really get past my present so I've decided it can just be about me in my 20s (and it's a 'dramedy'):

A young girl, with social anxiety and a sometimes melancholic nature, living in South Australia spends too much time alone except for when she's not, does some knitting, eats pizza and wears vintage dresses, drifting through life with no particular direction.

Did it win an award at the Oscars, Sundance or the Razzies?

I'd say it would probably win a Razzie!

What did you wear to the premiere?

Go visit Andi! -- Blog // twitter // tumblr // flickr

sugar & spice vacation

Just a little note to say that my Sugar Spice & Everything Nice interviews are going to be on a tiny hiatus, since I have some absolutely fantastic guest posts to publish instead! About 10 of my favorite bloggers agreed to answer some fun questions for me, so that I could take some time off while I was moving. Now that I'm staying put, I'm going to publish one guest post each Saturday instead of posting them all in one week.

So Saturday is still reserved for little guest posts/interviews, they're just going to have a different theme for the next few months :) I proposed this notion: "You're 80 years old, and Hollywood has purchased the rights to turn your bestselling memoirs into a feature film!" and then asked bloggers to answer some fun questions about their new film! I think it's super fun, and I even did movie posters to go with all of the posts! I hope you'll stop by each Saturday to check them out!

A HUGE thank you to the bloggers who participated! I'm so excited to start posting these today!! The first one will be up in about an hour, so please check back! :)

Silents & Talkies - A Matter of Innocence (1968)

As you can probably tell from my blog title, I'm a pretty big Hayley Mills fan (if you're out of the loop, "scathingly brilliant" is from a line she used repetitively in her film The Trouble with Angels) so when Casey & I found a dvd of this rare film, I HAD to see it! Being a fan, I was really hoping for something to rival the greatness of The Trouble with Angels or The Moonspinners, but this was definitely a flop. Not just a "what a bad movie" kind of flop, it was pretty much indescribable. I think Leslie Knope sums it up perfectly:

Hayley Mills plays a plain young girl (read: she wears glasses and her hair is not in a fancy updo) accompanying her aunt on a trip to Singapore. Not long after they arrive, her aunt has a heavy lunch that results in her sinking to the bottom of the pool when she climbs in on the ladder. It's the most bizarre death I've ever seen in a movie, and yet it was so funny that my stomach actually hurt from laughing so hard. (I should probably add here, so as not to seem like a total lunatic laughing alone in my bedroom over the death of a woman in a movie... I was watching this with Casey, Millie and Sarah during a chat. They were equally hysterical ;-D)

The movie just keeps sliding downhill from there... Hayley gets un-plained (read: contacts & a fancy updo) and begins dating a very strange hotel escort who seems to be moonlighting as a pimp/pornographer/drug dealer?! And I am 100% positive they changed his name repetitively throughout the film. I won't give away much more (I haven't actually given away anything yet.. honestly all of this takes place in the first 15 minutes or so of the movie, if you can believe it!) in case you want to see it. As strange and mind-boggling as this was, I'd still recommend it. Not every film has to be Citizen Kane, right? There are some wacky little weirdos that deserve some love, and I think this is definitely one of them. It's bizarre but definitely fun to watch, especially if you have some friends to watch it with who love bad movies just as much as you do ;-D

Buy it: ioffer

posh frock friday

dress - h&m

shoes - modcloth

necklace - gift from amber rose

Most of my Posh Frock Friday posts could pass for normal outfits, since I wear dresses pretty much every day anyway. But this dress, I think, definitely qualifies as "posh"! I got this at H&M in New York City a couple weeks ago, and when I picked it off the rack my dad gave me a "oh, come on Kate.. you're never going to wear that" look (it says a lot about me that my dad actually has a special look specifically designed to convey that sentiment, haha!) but I promised him I'd wear it out and about. And I am! So some people at Panera might think I'm stopping there to pick up tomato soup on my way back from a big party.. who cares? This dress is the reason PFF was created to begin with -- we don't have reasons to wear fancy frocks enough in day to day life, so we need to make our own reasons. Mine is "I like this dress so I'm wearing it." ;-D

star stuff

Even if you aren't a fan (yet!) of Carl Sagan, you need to watch this video. I've probably heard this 100 times and it still gives me goosebumps. The haunting Cosmos soundtrack in the background makes it even more poignant. I got the album a couple months ago, and I'm looking forward to fall when it'll be nice enough out for me to lie in the backyard at night, with the Cosmos soundtrack on my headphones, just staring at the stars until I fall asleep.

spot the difference

dress - modcloth

shoes - modcloth

belt - h&m

There are FIVE differences between these two photos! Can you spot them all?! I made the image a little bigger this time, so if you click on it you'll get to see the photo at 600px wide. Also I finally decided to resort to photoshopping some of the differences.. it's just so much easier and frankly, I'm lazy ;-D

If you want to check and see if you were right (or if you want to cheat & see the answers before trying, but I don't advise that) then the answer key is HERE! Have fun!! :)

wishlist wednesday

1. Arizona sun dress from Modcloth // $47.99

2. Chunky wood bangle from Karmaloop // $9.00

3. Summer sisters art print from thepairabirds // $20.00

4. Rays of sun necklace from Modcloth // $26.99

5. Mustard macrame belt from Topshop // $64.00

6. Textured geo ring from Forever 21 // $4.80

7. Wood hair claw set from Forever 21 // $1.50

8. Qupid stiletto pump from Urbanog // $22.80

9. Wood carving skirt from Made With Love by Hannah // $62.00

un, deux, trois

remixed item: black spaghetti strap dress from forever 21

outfit 1: tights - h&m // shoes - target // bag - uo // cardigan - f21 // belt - old navy

outfit 2: lace dress - vintage // shoes - blowfish // belt - old navy

outfit 3: crochet crop top - h&m // shoes - target // necklace - handmade

If you've been here since last July, you might recognize that first photo, and understand why there is a red oval over my face. It was my very first outfit post, one year ago this week. I decided to start doing outfit posts as a way to build my self confidence, but this was obviously a very huge hurdle if I couldn't even find the courage to include my face in the picture!

Thankfully, these posts have helped in that department. I'm a lot more secure in dressing the way I please, and that girl with the red oval for a head would be super glad to know that I'm not ashamed to show my face anymore. I have my off days when I think I look like crap, and almost every day of the week I wish I had a big red oval floating over my giant behind when I go out in public, but for the most part I'm very happy with who I am, and how I look. And it's pretty much all thanks to these posts.

If anyone out there reading this has been on the fence about starting to outfit blog, I say go for it! It's made me so much more happy with my appearance, and in a town where jeans and t-shirts are the standard uniform, I no longer feel embarrassed to step out in my fancy dresses. It's done wonders for my self-confidence, and not feeling insecure about how you look on the outside really makes you feel amazing on the inside!

Style Idol - Brigitte Bardot

//image links back to the source

lemonade on the veranda at five

dress - c/o Jojo's Vintage

shoes - blowfish

belt - forever 21

Discovery: as long as I wear tall platforms, maxi dresses can work on a 5' tall girl! :D And it's a good thing, too, because I'm pretty much head over heels in love with this dress. It's from my sponsor, Jojo's Vintage, and you'd really never guess it was over 30 years old because it's in like-new condition. I love anything vintage, but when something has lasted so long in such a pristine state, you really feel like it was meant for you. And the cotton is so light and airy, all I want to do is lounge in my backyard sipping lemonade and watching squirrels scurry up the giant trees that block out the passing traffic next to my house.

hello again

dress - dorothy perkins

shoes - c/o blowfish

belt - forever 21

I've been a busy little bee this last week. I dyed my hair back to red (pink will definitely see a comeback someday but for now, I'm a redhead) which makes me feel so much more like me again. I also realized -- quite excitedly -- that since my moving plans fell through I had a boatload of savings that didn't have a specific use anymore. Hello shopping spree! ;-D

I know, I know, I'm super irresponsible but hey, retail therapy works wonders for me! (And half of my savings are staying put, so I wasn't totally insane!) I went a little wild at H&M (and also picked up a few goodies there for a giveaway next week!!!), ordered a modcloth dress I'd had my eye on (I'm wearing it in the spot the difference post this Thursday) and finally placed an order from Dorothy Perkins. I've been obsessed with their dresses since Kaelah mentioned them in a post a while back, and now that I own some I'm even more obsessed! They're great quality, really unique and affordable! AND my order was at my doorstep less than a week after I ordered, which is amazing considering it shipped from the UK! No sooner had it arrived and I had 4 more dresses in my shopping cart.

I also got my new adorable red flats in the mail from blowfish!! I've wanted red flats for ages, and these are absolutely perfect! And they definitely live up to the whole "blowfish makes the most comfortable shoes on the entire planet" thing! Like walking on air!

And lastly, I re-launched my funny artwork etsy shop with a new name, Puns Intended. I really wanted punintended but it's taken (taken usernames are probably my biggest internet pet peeve. ergh!) so this was the next best thing. I haven't really worked on this line of paintings in a while but I think I might pick it up again soon. I have a couple ideas floating around my head just begging to be put on canvas ;)

Before I go.. I want to move on as though nothing ever happened here. However, I just have to say how thankful I am to everyone who commented, sent me e-mails & tweets and surprises in my mailbox over the last week. There aren't words to express how grateful I am to have such amazing friends. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

posh frock friday

dress - peacock plume

shoes - modcloth

necklace - c/o branchbound

earrings - forever 21

How beautiful is this necklace from Branchbound?! I decided to style it like a collar for this outfit, but I also wore it the other day as a necklace with a v-neck, and it looked so adorable! I love versatile pieces like this that can either act as a simple accessory, or completely transform an outfit.

I'll be on a little blogging hiatus now through July 24th. See you later! :)

Do you want to comment, but have no idea what to say? Trust me, I've been there! So to make things a little easier, here is a question you can answer if you can't think of anything else to say! :)

Would you rather be able to fly, or be invisible?

spot the difference

sweater - h&m

skirt - h&m

shoes - c/o blowfish

tights - no idea

necklace - vintage

collar - luminia

There are FIVE differences between these two photos! Can you spot them? If you give up, or want to check and see if you were right.. here's the key! But no peeking until you've tried playing the game ;-D ps. my pose doesn't count... it's way too hard for me to stand exactly the same way in the two pictures so just fyi that will never ever be one of the five differences :)

When I'm going out shopping, I usually wear a dress, so if I want to try on a shirt in a store, I'll find a skirt or pants to pair it with. In this case, I picked up this sweater first and then grabbed the skirt just to have something on my bottom when I tried on the top.. and I fell in love with the combination, so I got both ;) It was actually about three months ago, and I've worn this outfit quite a few times since then but I don't think I've ever snapped photos of it for my blog! :)

ps. aren't all the crazy wires on my wall absolutely adorable? :p I'm aching for the day when everything electronic goes wireless lol

a little sponsorship post

The big ole' move is coming up really soon (going to apartment hunt next week! eep!) so to help cover some of the expenses that I'm racking up in the process I thought it would be nice to do a little 2-months-for-the-price-of-one deal on my sponsorship ads! :) If you buy a spot before the end of July, your ad will stay up for 2 months. My prices are super duper affordable, starting at only $5! So take a peek at my rates here, and if you're interested just shoot me an email!

ps. I was annoyingly busy today & didn't get a chance to do a wishlist wednesday post, but I promise it'll be back next week! :)

un, deux, trois

remixed item: sprinkled with sweetness dress from modcloth
outfit 1: sweater - f21 // shoes - marshalls

outfit 2: sweater - f21 // belt - old navy // shoes - blowfish // locket - handmade

outfit 3: sweater - old navy // shoes - modcloth // belt - h&m

Can you tell how much I love these dresses? Ugh, I think I could easily wear this and my navy one every single day. It'd be super monotonous, but I don't care! I'm taking this one along with me to Canada next week when I go apartment hunting. I'll be north of the border next Wednesday through Saturday, but I'll have blog posts scheduled for while I'm gone. And I have to bring my laptop to do flapper doodle work anyway, so I'll probably still check my e-mail and comments while I'm there :) I'm thinking of doing a little house-hunters style post when I get back where you guys can guess which apartment I picked?! Fun? Yes? No?


Do you want to comment, but have no idea what to say? Trust me, I've been there! So to make things a little easier, here is a question you can answer if you can't think of anything else to say! :)

If you had to spend the rest of your life wearing one outfit you own, what would you pick?

Style Idol - Julie Christie

// image links back to the source

golden black and white

dress - forever 21

sweater - h&m

locket - handmade

shoes - target

I've had this sweater for months, but I've had the hardest time thinking of ways to wear it! I think it works great with this little black minidress, though. It's just the right shape and length for a boxy cropped sweater. Speaking of which, how hilarious is it that this is a "cropped" sweater?! ha! I'm so short, cropped sweaters hit me where normal sweaters hit most people. I love being short though.. you can always hem something to make it shorter, but you can't really add fabric to make something longer. And you can wear heels without feeling too tall! We short people pretty much have it made ;-D

Do you want to comment, but have no idea what to say? Trust me, I've been there! So to make things a little easier, here is a question you can answer if you can't think of anything else to say! :)

Which item in your closet is the hardest to style?

treasure hunt

dress - forever 21

belt - forever 21

shoes - modcloth

I got this cellphone handset last week and decided it would be super neat to get an old vintage rotary phone to store it on! So this weekend we headed out to the flea market to look for one. I haven't been vintage shopping in ages, and I had so much fun! I found my phone, and some other vintage goodies too! I got two 70's pots, a classic movie picture book, a super funky bright necklace, and a set of frog salt and pepper shakers. I also *finally* got the funnel cake I've been craving for the last two months. Along with a jumbo cup of fresh lemonade! yum!

I'm going to paint a pink stripe on the cream phone so that it matches my pink handset, and hang it on the wall in my new apartment!! I'm not going to have a landline, so I'll be using my iphone for all of my calls, and I love that this handset reduces 99% of the radiation emitted from the phone. I'll feel a lot better about using it so often now!

ps. If my hair looks slightly different it's because I dyed it ... again... when I went to fix the bottom, I ended up re-dying the top, too, so it's much lighter than it was last week. It's a wee bit too blonde for my taste (more obvious in person than in these photos), but I really love it! It's definitely a work in progress, but I'm really happy with it :-) Also I *love* the way it looks with bright pink lipstick!!

Do you want to comment, but have no idea what to say? Trust me, I've been there! So to make things a little easier, here is a question you can answer if you can't think of anything else to say! :)

What is your favorite flea market find?