Just maybe

Sorry to jump on your "black flat" thunder, but I just had to share.

I actually tried on a pair of strapy little flats the other day and guess what? No boat syndrome! Maybe I could get behind that whole trend... but I'm thinking more like these.


And way under my usual lusting price of $200 plus, so maybe it IS time to go flat shopping!

the mission: black sandals for under $30

i know you say flats/sandals make your feet appear boat-like, but i am determined to find more of the sandals i love for summer. on my to-do list today was shop for black sandals, so you get to do it with me. $69 from Charles David

$60 for Steve Madden (or $39.99 on the Steve Madden website)

$30 from Nine West
(if only i liked to wear animal prints and had feet the size of a munchkin cuz HELLO price!)

$54.95 by Dolce Vita

and these are only $200 by Modern Vintage

if $500 is the new $300, then for sure $100 is the new $30! you cannot really get shoes anymore for under $100!

$17.99 from payless.

i would actually like these if they were t-strap instead of in-the-toe business. and also i have sworn off cheap shoes.

$87 by Miz Mooz
more flats than sandals, but like these too.

i am also in the market for a floppy, glamorous, large-brimmed hat such as this, but preferably straw, not wool. of course, this will inspire some deliciously dark red lipstick.

happy monday, my happy little swallow.

VROOOM.

that's how i feel. like putting out my hands like a plane and vrooming through the halls of corporate america.

why? not sure. but it feels gooooood.

so i am still pretty inexperienced at this whole design world, but i am more and more recognizing what i love - which is the purpose, right? i know i keep stealing from others, but well, something about the posting over at decor8 today really GOT me. mira!

i love the surprising splashes of color that look well chosen but not too matchy. i appreciate the amazing tent in the above picture - a space for lounging and conversation. i absolutely ENVY the workspace that looks somewhat eclectic and chaotic (i am finding less of a pull towards minimalism - don't tell joel!- especially in my creative work spaces). also, every single one of the pictures is just so bright and airy.

mmmm....like MOI today.

in other VISUALs, i saw these and thought of you and your secret new project. how is that coming along?

happy friday, my one and only umberdove.

(so deliciously irrevent, no?!)

~mme. bklg.

today's pilfering from daily candy

So far, daily candy has been a pretty great resource, and I am loving the email updates. Today I am grabbing two things that I think are strange and bizarre - just the thing we need for our blog.

Designer Bowling Pins. That's right.

Apparently some artists designed these as a fund raiser. It's nuts! PONCHO looks like a great company though - raising money for the arts.

Also, I will be out of town Friday/Saturday with Jean and Jono - they are taking us camping overnight to learn the ropes of the RV...and this girl needs some nature. But Daily Candy sends out a weekend to do list on Thursdays, and there is an artwalk in Georgetown that I would be insisting on our attending-

oh, and - are these the balenciaga gladiators of which you spoke yesterday? i know what you mean! they are horrific and feirce all at once. loving that they are using jennifer connoly.

“If a woman rebels against high-heeled shoes, she should take care to do it in a very smart hat” = G.B. Shaw

I was googling some Christian Louboutin over-the-knee boots for my blog this morning (but instead decided to post the Harper's Bazaar spread), and it made me shoe-crazed this morning.

So, I know I have to twist your arm here (or your feet), but let's go shoe shopping! Ready?

First order of business - the over-the-knee boot. these are obnoxious and a work of art all at once.

i like these, but a bit cheap, no? you have to wonder if the price reflects the quality.

this is the picture my sister sent me for the hair idea - but i fell in love also with her boots. christian louboutin boots - though hard to see in picture and even harder to find online!

pretty sure these would look amazing with a shift dress.

Okay, so I know boots are hard to swallow this time of year, but I seriously think they have saved all my outfits. I can wear skirts and dresses to work without having to prepare by shaving my legs! The bitch about boots is that I want one of every kind, brown with heel, brown flat, black with heel, black flat. I am in the market for brown with heel and black with heel...for the fall.

SIDETRACK:

This is a funny blog about shoes! I wish I could have thought to do something like this!

In my searching for shoes, I got COMPLETELY distracted by this new photo shoot of Nicole Kidman's. Go look at all the shots!

ANYWAY, back to boots.

Perhaps this Marc Jacobs for my brown/heel need? and only $900!!

I was reading in this magazine about how everyone loves the new peep-toe boot. I am kind of fascinated and disgusted by it all at once. Something like the above

OMG, I really really love these!

perhaps you can tell me why i may have included these?! :)

well, we all know what YOU want to see, missy umberdove. and I will not deny you this pleasure: oh dear, miss marilee wedge - how we long for you. and the marianna wedge...just like umber and madame bookling, the marianna and the marilee two belong together! maybe that should be our new code names for this blog? marilee and marianna?

There is a ton more, but I am anxious to get this to you. Happy shoes to you, Miss Marilee.

(in other news, I can think of nothing else right now than the Chop Chop salad.)

Poufs (you know you make me wanna...)

This is an awful picture but I am really liking these two big, funky poofs. I always want way more little side-piece furniture than is healthy for any one person to have but I think I could make room for either of these. Or both. Or maybe I could make them. Yes, yes, a HUGE pouf that I felted! (I can totally see myself in the kitchen, trying to keep this massive ball over the sink, arms wrapped completely around it, shirt soaked with soapy water, saying "no, I got it just fine, its coming along") And then of course me with 3 foot long knitting needles, trying not to break a window while swinging around those giant wooden sticks. Ok, maybe there are somethings that its just better to purchase. Life lessons I tell ya.

Trying to save you from squats

Actually that is just my lame excuse to be perusing bags on etsy. I know that you are deep into your book, cozy with your tea but I am beyond addicted to my little computer today (a whole week of going without will do that to a girl).

I haven't found the perfect bag (at least for me) but here are some that seem close.



And this one, I fear is the same at the last giant purse you found and posted on: I love the picture and have been seduced by that visual treat when the bag is really nothing spectacular.



And have you seen this seller? I really want to find one that I love but so far, she has not quite made it. But I think the idea is brilliant, just often too blah on the colors for me (the chromophile)



This one does have me lusting a bit.



Ah well, I suppose I really should get dressed for the day. If only this was what I had to wear!

I found it...

This caught my eye, my breath, my heart for you.



And its under $500 (after all, $500 is the new $300, right?). Its from Three Potato Four, which is a lovely little online shop that I frequently drool over. My online boutique will strive to be so fabulous!

friday. day FOREVER of you being gone.

last night, we drove by your house. i said to husband, "joel, i miss kelly." he said..."awwww." lame. but i do.

so i am newly subscribed to dailycandy.com, and they send me emails about seattle and such, it's very great. erin turned me onto this - though she does the savannah daily candy (oooh, new idea. we should totally go to Savannah! you would LOVE it there, it's the most charming downtown city!). anyway, in today's email installment of daily candy, there was a featured portlandier jewelery artist. Her stuff is lovely, but the big deal about her? SHE NAMES HER PIECES AFTER POEMS!!!

Whoa. I was really excited there. But if I were making jewelery, I would CERTAINLY name them after poems.

Oh, yesterday I saw some kitty cats on Craigslist and got so super excited about getting one, gonna start working on Joel for that. I think I will name the cat either Zissou or Huckabee - that way I can call it FUCKabee when it is bad. (have you seen I Heart Huckabees?)

Have you ever seen my parent's missionary website? Well, they have pictures on there - so maybe you want to see? It's my mom and step dad.

While perusing SF Girl today, I found this! I would like to state for the record that I want to be this person - this style. It's exactly what my 30s needs, to go 20s retro!

This entire post actually kicks lots of ass...read the comments. I went to the Noa Noa website, and it turns out they don't have stores in the US, damn America!

I have been aching for some new summer pieces to my wardrobe. I can't get those shorts out of my mind, but KNOW i can find some for cheaper.

So it won't let me grab the picture, but check out this pantry! I am just so over cheap furniture, you know? I want to buy pieces that I will love for a lifetime! This pantry CERTAINLY does it for me.

Well the etsy homepage today was very nautical, so cute...but nothing else to speak of. Maybe it's time I did some treasury finds!

well that was a bad idea. the treasury is super full - still have never been able to get into it.





well i just put about a gazillion new dresses on my esty wishlist - in persuit of that 20s feel. may as well play up the hair, right? some view of wishlist:
well, you can see for yourself.

i took the most fabulous walk today - to deliver some papers. it's the art deco building downtown, just west of the purple cafe - called the Seattle Tower. It was breaktaking! We must go see this lobby next time we are around there. The walk to and from was also rather rejuvenating...sunny but chilly in the shade - a perfect seattle day.

tonight joel and i plan to walk to artemis - the cafe at the north end of bellevue ave. we are gonna have a date. i am looking forward to a nice bordeaux and a lazy night.

tomorrow we are hosting tice and niki for dinner - so must think about preparing a menu for that. sunday we are having brunch at jessica's house, her mother is just so great. we went there last night for dinner- j&j were there too, so it was lovely to catch up. we had some fabulous pasta and very delicious beet salad - lots of wine, a trip down jessica's childhood memory lane, and a game of apples-to-apples - which joel promptly ruined by cheating. i am sure you know his cheats by now.

well, off to lunch. gonna grab a hot dog at westlake center and chat with jackie.

Thursday, day 3 of this wretched kelly-free life.

well i think i already emailed you once. something about camping food.

yeah, so i am researching camping food - and making camping food lists, etc. i found this website which has some good ideas, but i am very interested in your ideas. http://camping.about.com/b/2006/06/30/favorite-campground-food.htm Speaking of the camping trip, we are planning on borrowing Dad's van and driving down on Wednesday, July 9 after work - and would love to have you guys go with us at that point. Unfortunately, that puts us there at like 7pm or 8pm, but this way we can carpool and be the first ones there! I am thinking people will come Thurs or Fri mainly.



Okay, now on to the visual stuff.
What is WITH the esty homepage lately? Lame lame lame.

This picture is amazing.

I was thinking of letting you guess what it is. But you can click on it to find out. Either way, it looks good and you must make it for me.

Perhaps I could do something like this with my chairs:

Though i would have to be careful about the color. I have been reading the Apartment Therapy book about colors, and I am all confused about it. I think my colors are okay, but maybe too strong? We have a bunch of dark colors, no real poppy colors, so I would be inclined to paint my chairs a green - chartreuse like the couch or maybe an orange? Or would this be too much? I have to be pretty careful with it, I think.

Also the AT book says bedrooms should be calm colors and living rooms should be stimulating colors - turns out mine is exact opposite...hah! BUT we all know my bedroom needs the stimulation and the social living room needs calming, so FUCK apartment therapy.

Actually, I am very happy with it so far - I think everyone should read it.

wednesday, day 2 of your absence

it's official. i am getting sick. dang it.

in news: i thought this might be interesting to do together:

Gardening tips for city folk
Seattle Tilth, a local sustainable gardening advocacy group, is holding a series of free classes this summer to teach organic container gardening and composting to apartment and condo dwellers. Several will be held 5-7 p.m. at Victor Steinbrueck Park in downtown Seattle at the north end of Pike Place Market (2001 Western Ave.).
Learn veggie container gardening June 25, apartment composting July 2, culinary herb gardening July 9 and organic pest and disease control July 17. http://www.seattletilth.org/

We do have to pre-register, but it's free.

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Also, I am interested in going to the SAM - impressionists on view there right now. you?

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/exhibit/exhibit.asp

As well as the Asian Art Museum at Volunteer Park, no?

Looks like I will have to quit my job just to keep up with all the things I want to do with you!

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Well, I just took a nap in the lounge, and my throat still hurts. I was supposed to have lunch with Jessica, but had to bail b/c I feel so shitty. I am now eating leftover pesto pasta and wish I had opted to spend money instead on soup.

Here is the etsy homepage for this afternoon. Again, not anything interesting to me.

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oh, isn't this just delicious for the eyeballs?

Love their stuff.

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wouldn't it be fun to take a candace/kelly trip to Portland? We could just wander around and look and local shops and eat fresh farm food and other such "urban hippie" activities...also, I would want to go and see THIS exhibit from SF Girl's blog (i am becoming a rather frequent reader of such things).

smooch, ma'am.

crm