photo cred

Seasons are changing and with the coolness and nostalgia, they bring an excuse to shop!! (at least I tell myself that).  There are too many bargains out there in web-land to even list so practice your searches and practice hard.  But before you do, might as well see if any of these picks suit your needs, your wallet, or just your fancy.

Stow away your food, your toothbrush, shampoo bottles, jewelry… pretty enough to display out of your bag.

Tilibags. $8.49 for 12 one-gallon bags

Just another great (affordable) variation on the stripes… I can never have enough.

ASOS Breton Shoulder Detail Top $11.80

This Nature-al Wood Bangle subtly glams up trees or sand.  If you’re lookin’ to maximize the woodsy/beachy effect, it won’t cost much more to add a matching, versatile necklace

J. Jill Wood Bangle 6.99 and Wood and Suede Necklace $9.99

Visit The Spoon Sisters for a sort of unique, kitschy, and charmingly entertaining online gift shop

Designer Duct Tape $4.95

Not quite ready to give up the warmth and light comfort? Are you in love with your European romantic daydreams or an active participant in digital pop culture?  Enjoy these clever and cute tees alone now, and with a sweater come Fall. (The one on the right makes me laugh.)

Tees $9.99 and $7.99 from Urban Outfitters

I heart the graph paper design, and I’ve been looking for some good simple cocktail glasses for my “bourbon  hutch”.  Might just be perfect.

Lexington DOF $1.99 memo graph paper mug $6.48

Cool weather will be here before you know it and a good jacket (preferably one that fits you perfectly both in actual fit and in style) is MANDATORY!!  Anthropologie has a couple of cute choices.  One versatile–with a detachable hood- for several-day wear, and another for lounging on front and back porches watching the leaves Fall.  I took my own advice yesterday and went ahead and purchased the top one.  I’m already fantasizing in anticipation.

Anthropologie Hoodies $39.95

‘course the sun still comes out and shines its fill, no matter how cool the weather.  And i’ve recently learned the value of having a few pairs of sunglasses on hand (more because i consistently lose and break them then for matching with my outfits…but that’s a good reason too).  While I understand the smarts in investing in some expensive sturdy pairs, i am all about layin’ down the Lincoln and gettin’ two stylin’ pairs of shades in return.

Ann Taylor Loft selection of $2.00 sunglasses

self-promoting reminder…

You can still vote!!  You can still vote daily even!!

Some have asked me why i am continuing on when the lead spots currently have about 650,000 votes.

It doesn’t deter me.

’cause Mad Men spot or not -  i’m in it to do the best i can and get as many votes as possible!

I mean- what if Rocky Balboa had given up in the face of Apollo’s reputation?

Fine.  Not exactly the same thing, but I’m in it all the way!

Hullo Friends!  I just returned from a glorious Tennessee cabin retreat in celebration of my roomie’s upcoming nuptials.  It was wonderful.  We swam and made delicious cocktails and ate bacon for every meal, and most importantly- laughed until our guts were achy.  You will soon be required to sit through my show-telling photo display and superflous play-by-play so save up some energy.

In the meantime I was quite proud of myself the other day.  The cupboards were bare and i was in no mood to venture out of my cozy homestead.  No worries.  I’m one of those regular ol’ gals who always comes up with some extravagant meal out of the leftovers and crumbs found around the kitchen (no big deal).  Ok so it wasn’t that extravagant and ok so i’m not really one of those girls and this was an exception, but still – i’m pleased as punch.

So here amigos – is how you make your own delicious tortillas.  It’s easy as heck and requires very minimal ingredients.

I used (roughly) the recipe found here

I did all my mixing and dough-forming and kneading by hand and took care of various other chores while the dough sat and had a rest.  I don’t have a rolling pin so i was forced to use a beer glass.  It did make for some odd shapes at first but it did the trick.

Once one or two dough balls are rolled out, you begin placing them in a dry frying pan while you start rolling out the remaining.  Watch carefully though ’cause it doesn’t take much time at all for it to brown.  Flip over to fry the other side.

Once they’re browned to your liking, you can place them straight on your serving platter or stick them in a barely heated oven (about 200 deg. ) so they keep warm for a while.

Now I confess – mine did resemble a much flatter sort of Naan a little more than tortillas.  I’ve talked to others that also have this problem — can’t seem to find a way to keep them as thin as your typical burrito shell.  But honestly, I don’t mind them being a little thicker…delicious served simply with butter.  And when you fry them up as a quesadilla — as we did recently at a work birthday celebration –they’re perfectly sturdy and provide a rightly crisped encasement for the near-bursting goodness inside.

Of course, they always taste better when there’s a sweet face like this to share them with

(Amelia – daughter of previously mentioned birthday celebratee)

In our fair city, the savagely-titled neighborhood of Butchertown boasts Thomas Edison’s house, the building that formerly housed the oldest operating stockyard, and streets named after historical greats such as John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay.  But unfortunately it has also been well known for its occupation with–and the stinch of–  well…. animals passing on to a better place (we’ll just say that).

But hating to see the waste of an equally permeating history and the charming collective of shotgun and colonial homes, I am so glad that the boys at the Blind Pig have taken full advantage of the unpalatable reputation towards the high goals of generous conversation and happy bellies.

I love Bacon.  What else can I say?  And of bacon there is a-plenty here.  Having said that….this is not a bona fide “restaurant (or food) review”.  It is simply my own documentation and opinions made mostly of pictures.

As for the rest of the experience….get your own.  Head to B-town and drink your bacon from a glass!

I met with my dearest KVG, and still full of the dinner I ate before-hand, I ordered my first cocktail — Ohio River Water Fizz — made with Root Beer, Tanqueray, egg white, house made coffee bitters, and a mint garnish.  KVG had hers with Bourbon.  I should tell you now that most of this account will center around the drinks.  That’s because The Blind Pig has quite the wine/beer/cocktail menu.  Curiosity alone easily induces one too many so be careful!

Next, I tried the Anejo Highball while Katherine ordered some food: The Ivory Bacon with house-made Boudin Blanc Sausage, Bacon (of course), Munster cheese, and aioli.  I tasted and it was good.

And then we had to….  We just had to…. You understand.  The Bacon Manhattan.  Why hello.

No I must warn you… this drink tastes a lot like (can you guess?) BACON!! So don’t be shocked when you take your first sip.  KVG and I determined we like our bacon best as a solid.  But we’re glad we tried.

So to conclude my ameteur not-actually-a-review review, I will just say that I highly recommend the patronizing of Louisville’s own neighborhoods –even the smelly ones– so that we can keep these tasty homegrown gems around as long as possible.  Go.

Dearest Friends, Acquaintances, and Readers I’ve never met but love no less…

You can help make my sweetest dream come true.

You see – this alabaster skin and raven-black hair never had much of a chance  in 1982, 83, 84……2007,08,09..…  But through The 60s in 2010…  It just might be my year!!

And so I ask…no, I PLEAD (i’m not beyond it).  Vote for me Today and Every Day! So I can take my advertising agency role on-screen and play the siren i’ve always known was somewhere there inside me…stuck in 50+ years past.  And tomorrow, vote again.  And the next day, again. Seriously, all it takes a quick click of the mouse.  That’s it!

And if any other bloggers want to come on my side and endorse me to your own readers, well, i will have a special thanks reserved for you in my Emmy acceptance speech.

Thank you all for making my dream come true!

Love,

Wren

Urban Outfitters new Fall line boasts a re-visit to 90s fashion.

But as I looked through their offerings, nothing stood out as particularly unfamiliar. Then I realized that my 60s and Feminine-British-Aristocratic obsessions were fogging up my trend glasses.  And really, we’ve been back in the 90s for quite a while now.

There are a few styles I can appreciate, but mostly- i’m very happy to go back to the foggy view.

(and nothing makes you feel quite so old as when your adolescent decade is already recycling)

P.S.  The photo above comes from one definite 90s WIN!  One of the best (hottest) music videos ever made in my opinion.  Can you guess what it is?

Answer is at the bottom of this post.

Ah!

Plaid Babydoll dress

High-waisted Twig Jeans. Find at Urban Outfitters.

Fresh Blazer.  Also found at Urban Outfitters.

Knee-high socks (paired with School-Girl Chic)

eh

Parachute Pants

Oversized Shapeless T-shirts and Ripped Jeans

Safety Pin Dresses and gaudy hats a la Blossom

And now for that vid… Did you guess right?

I was strolling limping down Chicago’s Michigan Ave. this past weekend (after running a race on a sore leg… more on that later…), drooling over unreachable store display windows, and the new Fall/Winter Burberry Campaign violently caught my lustful eye.  If we didn’t need further proof that brooding pale is back, these larger-than-life sirens make it hard to  look away.

The whole pissed-off vibe is not really my thing but my vampirish skin is still happy to be more and more represented.  Now if we could only get more Joan Halloway-like curves in there….

And oh boy my British Aristocrat wannabe self finds plenty more to devour in what’s covering their lucid skin.  Particulary, I’ll take my pick of that signature European style in shoes and outerwear please.  Only 1,000+ Euro after all.

I admit Mad Men has succeeded in making smoking look kinda cool and sexy again.  But then they don’t show us anyone gasping for their breath or dying of lung cancer after.  So Monkey Said Bear wants you to know we DO NOT recommend smoking, nor are we endorsing it in any way shape or form.  The actual alliterative title of the post should be “Pretend to Pick Your Poison…”

But i will confidently say that I adore the accessories.  This post was inspired by reading this and falling in love with the roulette dispenser on Don Draper’s desk:

(and you may be wondering if the Mad Men posts and references are going to stop anytime soon.  Well, friends…… No)

I went on a search and found some rather inexpensive options – some as quirky and kitschy as heck – some elegant, some modern.  For this post i’m focusing on the vintage.  I just might have to get me one.  But what else could I stock it with besides cigarettes?  Any ideas?

Vintage Reuge Music Box

French Vintage

Gone Global

Soviet Russian Leningrad Box

Mechanical Bird