TURN ME ON, DAMMIT!

I can't remember the last time I liked a new movie as much as I liked Turn Me On, Dammit!

The film centers around Alma, a sexually frustrated teenage girl played by Helene Bergsholm, who might just be a long lost Fanning sister.   What's so perfect about this story is not only that it brings to light the amazing fact that teenage girls think about sex, but that it addresses how complex their relationship with sex is.  I think this subject matter is typically portrayed in a black & white sort of way - animal instinct vs. pure romance, and completely skates over what I believe the typical experience is.  Plus, it's overall a very pretty movie (Norway - you are gorgeous) with a great sense of humor. 

Here is the trailer:

And here are some cool posters:

OF COURSE the American version is like a million times less risque, but at least it's cute?


My screen caps are behind the cut, even though they're not super spoiler-y.  You never know, though!

little details

When you don't really have a lot of extra money to spend on silk tie-dye dresses (see Tricia's post about the latest Shabd collection...) because the City of Austin decided to write you not one but two parking tickets because of their inability to correctly sign a parking spot, you have to focus on the little things and fun details you might have otherwise missed - 

Cire Trudon Odalisque Matches, $12 

Cavies aka the best animal EVER. Thanks to Ana for posting this earlier today - you made my day. One day when I have my own house and safe backyard, I'll build a guinea pig play area and have at least fifty of them running around and squeaking. You're all invited to visit. 

Whimsical braided hair styles - must practice before summer!
(also this was a random internet find, if you know its source especially if the source comes with a tutorial, please send it my way)

Revisiting classics - or at least never leaving them behind - I tried buying non-striped clothing earlier this year...it definitely didn't last very long. 

Both images from http://la-mariniere.tumblr.com/

shabd spring '12

My initial reaction to these shots of the Shabd Spring '12 collection? Pure, unadulterated annoyance.

Usually collections have a handful pieces that catch my eye and fewer still I really think about in terms of my actual wardrobe, but this? Fucking nailed it.  I want every single piece and would happily wear it exclusively all spring and summer long - pants, dresses, scarves, and flowy midi skirts in soft pinks, bold oranges, and my faithful black. None of it's too fussy, but it all looks put together. I couldn't want for more. 

SHUT. UP.

sun trails

Caroline's been lusting over all things in the palest shade of pink lately, but I've been having scarily intense daydreams about the bright and bold hues I've avoided since my early teens.  Sunset colors seem to be as good a fix as any for dreary days, right?

One incident in my recent string of bad luck involved my darling Pumpkin knocking over a bottle of black paint while I was working on an Etsy order.  You best believe it got everywhere - the floor, the walls, my chair, and, of course, Pumpkin himself.  He knew he was guilty (cats always know when they've done you wrong) and proceeded to run all over the house, leaving a damning trail of black as I tried to catch the little scoundrel and wipe him down.  Another victim of the disaster? My MacBook charger....a pretty devastating loss for someone currently working exclusively from home, for sure. And as shitty as MacBook chargers are,  I had no business denying that mine hadn't exactly been properly cared for this time around.

Naturally, when Caroline and I headed to the mall to investigate a couple things on her wishlist in person and replace the destroyed property in question, my hopes were not high, so we prepped ourselves for the worst by consuming delicious veggie BLTs and chai lattes. Surprisingly, though, they replaced my charger with no questions asked (I think the paint actually did a good job of concealing the little kitty teeth marks) and I had the kind of good retail fortune that allowed me to break my very long shopping ban guilt-free. I think watching the Lindsay Lohan classic Just My Luck over the weekend definitely had something to do with things going my way.

SUNSET THINGS IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW:

1) My $50 Rachel Comeys.  Literally in every store we stopped in today (including temptresses such as Madewell & Barney's CO-OP), I barely let myself think about giving a home to the nice things - realistically, I couldn't, considering my budget.  But I especially wasn't going to because I knew I wanted to keep my funds available for the one summer purchase I really wanted to make: the perfect, ridiculous platforms.   When I came across the single pair of these babies in the Anthropologie sale section and, despite them not actually being my regular size, they fit like a dream and the price was right...I figured saying no to them would probably be a middle finger to the fates smiling down on me and there was no telling the suffering it would cause later on. Not dramatic at all.  Apparently they had just been returned, too.  Bright orange clogs are not something I always would have been excited about, but I'm so, so into them and I'm looking forward to my feet matching my hair.

2) An Illustrated Guide to Cocktails.  I actually included this on a wishlist way back when on this blog, but only just purchased it.  Another treat tucked away in that magical Anthropologie sale nook that I had visited many times and always previously left empty handed. The illustrations are even cuter than I had imagined - definitely handy to have around when your spirits need lifting!

3) The new issue of The Gentlewoman! Thanks to my darling Dana for shipping it to us.  There's an article about how visible panty lines are gonna be a cool thing now, which confirms to me that it is the best magazine ever. Love the hot pink of this issue, of course.

4) My new drink of choice.  Maybe I should name it? Unless it already has a name? Anyway, I've been really into smoothies lately and picked up some mango-orange juice to blend with a banana, kale, and strawberries - so good!  Last night, I decided to try a splash of the juice in my gin & ginger ale and I'm so glad I did - perfect spring cocktail.  

5) My favorite little cacti. I've had these for a while, but figured if I was doing a hyper posed blogger photo, I needed to include some plant babies. I mean, I already put a pair of my shoes on the table to photograph, so why not?

Of course, my dear little orange creature snuck his little in to the collection!  I was prepared to be so mad at this guy, but everything actually worked out in my favor thanks to that one horrible thing he did.  Plus he's pretty cute, so I guess I'd forgive him no matter what.

sweet heart sweet light

It's a fact of life that you can never be too caught up in spring.  The major event of my day involved taking a puppy on an ice cream trip, and I'll spend the evening catching up on my reading, iced tea in hand.  Lazy days are not really a luxury I have right now, unfortunately, but this freak out/chill out cycle I have going right now is difficult to control and I'm not sure that I want to. So yes, give me bleary-eyed all nighters as long as I have my carefree springtime evenings to spend in 100% cotton button downs and cutoffs.  

Still, I'm digging these photos styled by Zara Mirkin and snapped by Maya Villager for Oyster featuring clothes by Stolen Girlfriends Club. Makes me long for October in New York and getting dressed in every texture under the sun.  I guess the occasional autumn day dream can't hurt, right?

sorry / not sorry I JUST LIKE PINK, OKAY?

Just another item to add to my "awesome things I like that just happen to be pink" list - 

Dieppa Restrepo Marce Shoe via mnzstore.com

in which i overuse italics because of my feelings

Nancy Sinatra meets Sonic Youth (photo by David Markey), which has nothing to do with this post other than maybe the idea of merging and different generations and whatnot.  Mostly I just love the picture.

I wrote a very long, rambling entry when I couldn't sleep very early in the morning despite being exhausted from SXSW.  It's basic message is that it can be very tricky to be interested in fashion and not be a consumer and that the internet kinda changed how I interact with pretty things. But you can read the whole thing if you'd like!

ADULT TIE DYE

It's always funny / interesting / etc how the things you used to loathe end up being the things you obsess about later. For me it's tie dye. I was never a big fan of it until a few months ago - I always just correlated it to the oversized neon t-shirts prevalent during elementary schools that you paired with some bejeweled biker shorts. But muted tie dye on loose, flowy garments? Yes, please!

I'm usually OKAY about keeping my impulse purchases to a minimum but I couldn't help myself when I saw these Black Crane dresses online at Mohawk General Store. They look ideal for spring in Austin. 

(all images via mohawkgeneralstore.net)

another reason for a better paying job

TWO UPDATES IN ONE WEEK? when it rains it pours around our blog! and only if it rained the APC 2012 fall collection around our house because god knows I need more leopard print shift dresses and dress coats -

as Tricia mentioned, we're both rather excited about SXSW next week! my younger sister is visiting in her first independent spring break trip and i'm very happy to host her. i was feeling pretty anxious about the large crowds taking over the city but the recent warm days have put me in a very optimistic mood - coupled of course by the purchase of lots of bright patterns and colors. 

to celebrate the arrival of spring in austin, i'm buying everything in pink! some upcoming purchases *hopefully*

 

ASOS sunglasses

saltwater sandals in pale pink

the blouse at the end of the tunnel

I'm trying my best to stay positive right now, but the truth is that I'm super bummed out.

I can officially report that car wrecks are no fun.  In fact, they're quite terrifying, especially when you're in the modest sedan crushed between two Texas-sized SUVs.  Fortunately, it wasn't my fault (the girl who hit me tearfully confessed that she hadn't been paying any attention to the road), so it won't be a financial burden or take a toll on my extra guilt-prone conscience.  I'm still without a car for now, though, and have plenty more hours to log on the phone with my insurance company before this mess is sorted out.

Initially, I thought I was physically fine save for a few scratches from broken glass, but learned the hard way that it's normal to experience effects of a crash hours, even days, later.  I started feeling sore that evening, but was able to mostly ignore it due to the heavenly nature of the meal: good friends, a Veggie Royale with chipotle pesto, champagne with lavender syrup, and Radiohead sharing an appetizer at the table next to us.  However, the muscular revolt kept on charging, and by the time I woke up in the middle of the night crying because every inch of me hurt, I figured medical attention was overdue.  I've been on prescription pain killers for about 24 hours now and can happily classify my condition as manageable, though I'm still achy all over and anything that requires me to lift my arms too high or move my neck at all is pretty bad news. Baby steps!

So yeah, this whole story of the accident has very little to do with the following pictures except for the fact that I'm excited about South by Southwest rolling into town and bringing in some faces I don't see nearly often enough around these parts.  According to the timeline my doctor gave me, I should be feeling fine by the time best friends, free live music, and day-drinking are in season.

One of the acts playing this year is Blouse, who I've been hoping for the chance to see ever since Caroline introduced me to them sometime last year and the incessant fawning over their supercoolness began.  Blouses are the best clothing item category, so it stands to reason that a band who decided to call themselves Blouse would have other great ideas, too! There happen to be a lot of photos of the band or featuring their lovely singer, Charlie Hilton, that have caught my eye, so I figured I'd share a few here as a reminder of better times to come. 

by Amanda Smith

 

by Miranda Lehman

 by Brianne Willis

Don't you just want to roll around floors and/or beds in your finest thrifted scores right now, smelling flowers and mussing up your hair in the process?  Because I totally do.

It took me a while to come up with a New Year's resolution (probably because I've never made one), but I'm gonna go ahead and mark 2012 down as THE YEAR OF LIVING DREAMILY, and I'm just fashionably late to the party.