shop my closet update!

I just updated my shop-my-closet store with about 35 new items and reduced the price on the 20 or so items that have been sitting in there for a while. Lots of spring cleaning going on over here! ;) You can take a peek right here!

apartment tour part 2: my bedroom!

My bedroom is probably my favorite room in my apartment (I know I said that about my kitchen too… it's probably a tie) It's definitely Hubble and Arrietty's favorite too -- they love cuddling up on my bed and lounging in my mountain of pillows. My new quilt is from Target. I know I'm going to get some eye-rolls but it's from the kid's section. I know. But I'm seeing the fact that it came in Queen size as a sign that they knew adults would want to buy it too. My pink alarm clock is from amazon and my bed is IKEA (from like 10 years ago, and I painted it mint.)



My dresses didn't all fit in my closet so I picked out all of my lacy, cream and white dresses and put them on a rack in my room. I'm annoyingly absent-minded though and keep forgetting that I have these here when I get dressed...



I kind of ran out of artwork to hang up since my gallery wall in my studio used up most of the pieces I had brought from home, so I decided to just decorate with dresses! I have all of my prettiest vintage frocks hanging up in lieu of art, but aren't they art in and of themselves? They're beautiful!



The pink one with the big bow and bell sleeves is my all time favorite (close up a little later!) I think even if I did have enough art for my bedroom, this one would still be hanging up. It's a little like sleeping in a giant closet but, come on, that's actually kind of awesome! ;D



I have the makings of a little hat collection hanging on my wall, along with my not-so-little sunglasses collection. You might say I like to buy shades… eek! Also, my giant cat face tote is one of my favorite things ever. I got it on amazon here.



I LOVE this poster for one of my favorite Julie Christie movies, Petulia. It's just so perfect in my bedroom! It's surrounded by my faux-fur collars and my lady tie collection! I'm getting close to having one in every color -- it's one of my life goals, actually.



I keep my brooches on this cute little tiered tray that I got at Target a couple years ago (Their Valentine's Day section never fails to disappoint!) I love vintage enamel brooches -- I actually have a sweet & lovely project in the works that sort of incorporates them, I can't wait to share it when I'm finished! :)



More dresses on the wall (and a robe sitting on an incredibly awesome vintage hanger) My window looks so bright and sunny here but I don't get very good light during the day. I actually take most of my product photos back at home since they come out too dark at my apartment. I always make fun of people on House Hunters who go "oh, this space has simply marvelous natural light" but seriously, I wish I had considered that when I rented this place…



More dresses! Also, that robe on the door is my dream robe -- I must have searched for "pink vintage robe" on etsy and ebay every day for months before I found it and then… I never wore it. I love the idea of wearing a robe and walking around the house like some kind of 1960's screen goddess but when it comes time for PJs I'm only cozy in sweatshirts, t-shirts and flannels.. I can't help it!



I love love love love love how my room looks when my closet door is open. I have no idea why, it just looks so cool to me! Probably because I've actually never had a real closet until now. At home I had a shallow closet with sliding doors, which fell off their track when I was like eight. The idea of a real walk-in closet where I could actually STORE MY CLOTHES? I'm living the dream.



The amazing pink dress with big bow and bell sleeves. I can say for certain that I have known true love. *heart skips a beat* It's from Fancy That Vintage, my favorite vintage etsy shop!



I just realized I didn't get a good picture of this dresser -- oops! There's a slightly better one on my instagram here. I inherited it from my grandmother, and my dad let me paint it purple (he said he'd rather it stay in the family and be purple than get donated or collect dust in the garage and stay dark brown. Wise man, my dad!) My Grandmom Eve loved pastel colors, too, though so I think she'd approve :)

The shoes are from a vintage shopping trip a couple years ago -- my cousin found them and urged me to try them on even though they weren't my size. Low and behold, they fit like a glove. It was meant to be! :) I love the light pink color & little leaf cut-outs!



And a different angle on the dresses. There's only four walls, what can I say? :) I think last time I said my workspace tour was up next and then I posted this instead but really, my office tour will be next. Promise!

Also! I have a shop my closet update coming tomorrow, so stay tuned ;)

who lives in a pineapple under the sea

Isn't the print on this dress the cutest? I probably mention it every year but my favorite part about spring and summer is that fruits and veggies are finally in season and (hallelujah!) affordable. My favorite snack right now is cucumbers with hummus, and I can't wait until the price on peaches and watermelons gets lower as the temperature gets higher! Asparagus already dropped in price to the point that I could finally buy it and I practically did a happy dance in the produce section. I'm a fall/early winter girl (I feel like I need to specify early winter now because late winter this year was just *the worst*) through and through but you reach a point where you're eating your 400th baked potato (slight exaggeration) of the winter and you just wish it would magically turn into a fresh, ripe grapefruit.

dress- c/o modcloth | shirt - forever21 | shoes - bait footwear

lady tie - flapper girl | pineapple bag - h&m

the woman project: hypatia of alexandria

J  from My Life in Lavender asked me to participate in The Woman Project, a series of posts where bloggers write about a woman in history who they identify with, and post an outfit inspired by said woman. I chose Hypatia of Alexandria, a Greek astronomer, philosopher and mathematician, and the namesake of my cat.

I immediately gravitated towards this dress when I was rifling through my closet trying to decide on an outfit, but then I remembered these photos that I took in July 2012 and thought they'd be way more appropriate for this post. The hairdo (which I can't recreate until my hair grows out, which at this rate won't be until 2017, ugh!) and the setting were 100x more perfect for a Hypatia post than my short pink locks and colorful studio backdrop!

Hypatia was born around 350-370 and was murdered in the year 415. I originally learned about her on Carl Sagan's Cosmos series, in which he detailed the events of her murder and correlated it with the burning of the Library of Alexandria. It seems like historical documents are a little hazy on what actually happened, but whether the two events were linked or not, it's clear that her death marked a turning point in the end of classical antiquity and the beginning of the middle ages.

Hypatia existed on the brink of a major cultural shift between the search for knowledge and its suppression. It's actually heartbreaking to think of all of the female authors, even in this century, who used a male pseudonym because the voice of a woman would fall on deaf ears. When 1500 years ago there was a woman who commanded audiences of men, who traveled from miles away to hear her views on philosophy and science. What sort of world were we headed towards before Hypatia was slain? What other brilliant female minds were silenced when she died?

Obviously, for me, the name Hypatia holds way more meaning than it did when I first read her biography. I named my cat the day I met her, but she ended up fitting the name perfectly. She exuded a sort of quiet, classical grace that I imagine my Greek heroine had as well, and when she started speaking, boy could she command an audience ;) My interest in Hypatia the woman has only increased since I chose the name for my kitty, and I hope that more details about her life and legacy continue to be discovered and re-analyzed so I can keep reading new, fresh insights for years to come. If you're interested in learning a little more about her, I highly recommend this book, Hypatia of Alexandria, by Maria Dzielska.

You can read more about The Woman Project and find links to other posts right here!

dress- h&m | shoes- dorothy perkins | bag - modcloth

TCM Film Festival - Part 2

This is basically the only shot of my outfit from the first official day of the festival -- wearing my beloved bait footwear shoes. I have so many pictures of my feet with stars on the walk of fame -- it was like playing an instagram version of "I Spy" with classic film star names.

I got a decent amount of sight-seeing done on this trip, so I'm looking forward to concentrating a bit more on the actual festival when I go back next year. I saw eight films total which I think is pretty pale in comparison to most festival-goers. I think even all of my friends saw more movies than I did (I can't blame sight-seeing for that though, I just overslept every morning. And skipped one movie for a mid-day nap. oops!)



The first movie that I saw at the festival was The World of Henry Orient with Paula Prentiss in attendance! I've seen it before but I don't remember finding it as funny as I did this time. The film is about two teenagers who stalk a pianist around New York City. The teen girls have a very Mary Clancy-Rachel Devery dynamic, with one kooky adventurous troublemaker and her slightly-less kooky stooge. The pianist was played by Peter Sellers. If you think he's usually too over-the-top, in this movie he is not. If you think he's perfectly lovely in his other movies, in this one he's just as awesome but a little toned down. Either way, he's brilliant. And his love interest is a nervous, paranoid married lady played by Paula Prentiss.

Do you ever think that somebody's acting is just SO funny that laughing doesn't seem like a sufficent expression of how joyful they make you feel? I wanted to invent a new form of comedic appreciation for how funny Paula Prentiss was in this movie.  The movie is available on amazon instant watch here.



This is just an awesome mural that I saw on Hollywood Blvd. 

The second movie that I saw was Invasion of the Body Snatchers. My dad is a big fan of 1950's science fiction movies so I knew he'd disown me if I didn't go see it, lol ;) In all seriousness, though, I love me a 50's sci-fi too, and I was pretty excited about seeing this one on the big screen!

I've been to quite a few classic film screenings at repertory theaters and so many times I've been disappointed and annoyed by how many people in the audience laugh at things that aren't funny. I assumed that most people coming to this festival would probably be more respectful, but I was still very apprehensive seeing a movie like this in a theater. Thankfully, the audience was amazing. Nobody laughed, except at lines that were obviously intended to trigger a giggle. The credits were met with applause, and you could hear a pin drop when the movie was playing, it was so quiet. I wish that every movie-going experience could be like this one! The movie is available on amazon instant watch here.

The next movie that I saw was a midnight screening of David Lynch's Eraserhead.



This is me, Millie and Sarah pre-Eraserhead.



This is Sarah, Millie and me post-Eraserhead.

I'm a big fan of Twin Peaks and Blue Velvet so I thought -- yay! David Lynch! I'm in! But this was much more disturbing than I could have imagined. I don't even know how David Lynch imagined it. I'm not sure I can even really describe it? It starts out having a semblance of a plot -- a man finds out his girlfriend is having a baby and they get married. At dinner with his girlfriend's parents he cuts into a cornish hen and the little chicken starts convulsing and oozing a thick liquid. Later on, the baby (which looks kind of like an alien/hairless horse hybrid?) is just constantly crying, in a pitch that lies somewhere on the border between a human infant and a velociraptor. Large worms shaped like pieces of funnel cake start falling from the sky and slithering around. A head explodes.

I'm sure that its reputation as a cinematic masterpiece is apt and I'm just missing something -- I generally try to have an open mind about movies, even disturbing ones, but I just didn't get it. I had a lot of fun attending the midnight screening with my friends, though, and it's going to be a lifelong memory, for sure. Not my favorite movie of the festival though, ha! It's available on amazon instant watch here.

forever daisies

I just re-discovered one of my old crinoline slips and I forgot how much I love them! This one is so subtle but adds a tiny, perfect little amount of pouf to my dresses :) The dress is from Le Bomb Shop and they've extended their coupon code for 10% off this dress through the end of April! Only a few days left, though, so if you want to snatch it up for a discount use code K8ISGR8 at checkout!

Also, in case it wasn't already obvious, I'm back to pink hair! I think I'm going to stick with this for a while -- it almost feels like my natural shade, I'm so comfortable with it. I'm testing out a bunch of different brands of pink as it fades, so I'll do a little round-up review post when I've exhausted all of my options. So far my favorite is still Special Effects cupcake pink, diluted with a substantial amount of conditioner to tone it down a bit. That's what's on my head in these pictures.

dress- c/o le bomb shop | cardigan - old navy (DIY) | shoes - bait footwear

cat nap

I've been so sleepy this week! I've never been out of my own time zone before so I'm not sure if my body is just having a tough time adjusting to the CA/NJ trip or if I'm just worn out. Or maybe I've just been hanging around my cats too much and I'm jealous of their 18 hour sleep schedule, lol ;) Seriously though, as someone who really loves her zzz's I'm pretty envious of how much time cats get to spend fast asleep!

Speaking of cats-- you know you have a problem when you own the same dress in long sleeve and sleeveless. But this cat pattern is just too purr-fect to pass up any variation, right?

dress- c/o oasap | tights - h&m | shoes - delias | belt - forever 21

Giveaway: $40 credit to Ladybird Likes [closed]

Zoe from Ladybird Likes is offering one lucky lady $40 in store credit! I'm a huge fan of Zoe's work and seem to be building quite a collection of her jewelry -- my personal favorites right now are the Cat Lady brooches and basically the whole "I like you nearly as much as..." line -- The Walking Dead, Jurassic Park and cats being the obvious frontrunners ;)



What you'll win: One person will win $40 in store credit to Ladybird Likes

How to enter: Visit Ladybird Likes and let us know what your favorite item is using the Rafflecopter widget below. You can also gain extra entries by following Zoe on instagram, following Zoe's blog and tweeting about the giveaway. You must be a follower to enter (and, please, none of this follow-and-leave as soon as the giveaway is over jazz.. that's super rude!) This giveaway is open to everyone on planet earth.

a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway ends April 28th at 12:01AM EST. Giveaway is over.

WINNER: Ashley Hanney

happy easter!

Happy Easter! I can't believe how quickly this sprung up on me this year... I feel like it should be closer to Valentine's Day or something! It's probably because it didn't start to feel like spring until this week, I was caught off guard! :)

Yesterday my dad and I went out to get our Easter meals from Whole Foods (my grandmom makes ham so we pick up meat-free meals instead) and stopped at Princeton Record Exchange for Record Store Day. I walked away with Faithless by Marianne Faithfull, Strange Mercy by St. Vincent and two Beatles albums (I'm kind of obsessed after seeing A Hard Day's Night last week.) I already have Faithless and Strange Mercy on itunes but there's something about being able to play them on my turntable that I can't resist -- I'm a diehard analog girl, I can't help it.

dress - modcloth | cardigan - old navy | necklace - c/o ladybird likes

tights - target | shoes - asos | scalloped basket - walgreens

TCM Film Festival - Part 1

I didn't mean to abandon my blog while I was on vacation... oops! I was just having so much fun!! I think I only got to take two proper outfit posts, too! Yikes! Touristy snapshots will just have to suffice for now. I was really happy with all of my outfits so I need to share them anyway :)

The first day was pretty amazing. My friends and I have known each other for five years but this was our first time getting together as a group. We've been discussing it ever since we met, dreaming about our "five year epic meetup" but I think all of us were doubtful that it would ever actually happen. We all have busy lives and the thought that everyone would be able to drop what they're doing for a week to meet at the same time seemed so unlikely! But when the TCM Film Festival idea came up, we all jumped on board. We originally met through our classic film blogs (I used to blog regularly at Silents & Talkies before I started Scathingly Brilliant) and it was just SO fitting.



Left to right: Millie, Me, Nicole, Sarah, Casey

On our first day we went out to eat at a cute little restaurant and then split up temporarily. Casey got to go to a really cool TCM social networking party, and the rest of us played typical tourists on Hollywood Blvd. I majorly freaked out at Grauman's Chinese Theater. I've been dreaming about seeing Frank Sinatra's handprints since I was thirteen, so that was beyond exciting for me. (That's me with Frank's prints in the picture at the top.)

Some of the highlights of the trip were seeing Alec Baldwin in person (Jack Donaghy!) falling in love with The Beatles at the Hard Day's Night screening, seeing my all time favorite movie, Sunday in New York, on the big screen (I wept with happiness, omg!), two midnight screenings (I've been trying to get people to go to midnight movies with me forever and nobody ever wants to do it with me!), late night chats with Millie, and I finally got to go to Disneyland!! At the end of the trip I also got to meet up with Danielle and Diana, too! All in all this was one of the best weeks of my whole life. I can't possibly fit everything in one post so I'm going to break it up by day, with some non-vacation posts in between so you don't get sick of it too quickly ;)

dress - red velvet (by elsie from a beautiful mess) | shoes - c/o bait footwear

the walk of fame

I'm in California!! Yesterday we went to the Chinese Theater where all the hand prints are and it was just absolutely surreal. I got to see Frank Sinatra's hand prints (ahhh!) I just kept geeking out over every name I saw. Barbara Stanwyck! Fred Astaire! Hayley Mills! Gary Cooper! Be still my heart!

I'm having such a fun time with my friends. The five of us have been friends since 2009 when we met through our classic film blogs. I've met two already before (hi Sarah and Nicola!) but this is the first time all five of us are hanging out together and it's just SO MUCH FUN! I'm so sad that the trip is only a few days, I want to spend more time with them! I also think I need to come back here with my family at some point, I just keep running into things that my parents & my brother would flip out over. I sent Kyle a picture of Tim McGraw's star on the walk of fame yesterday and I'm pretty sure he has never been more jealous of me in his entire life lol ;)

dress- c/o blue window vintage | shoes - bait footwear

headband - sunshine and carousels