Friday Faves

1. Retro Swimsuits

OK, yes, I know it's still March, but this 70 degree weather has me dreaming of summer.




These next two suits and more can be found at Modcloth.
Seriously, how did I live before Modcloth?



2. Orange Soda

When I was little and my family lived in Germany, we used to drive to France on Sundays and pick up a case of Orangina. It was such a treat and tasted like pure heaven. I still love it, and these days you don't have to drive to France to get it.


Izze makes a Clementine soda that is all natural, and completely delicious.


And the classic orange Fanta. Aber natürlich!


3. Seatbelt Camera Straps


We've all seen seatbelts recycled beautifully as handbags, but as camera straps? I LOVE it. So does Nathan. He has two of them.


4. I've always loved Vespas.

I love that they look almost exactly the same today as they did fifty years ago. Austin is the perfect city to ride a Vespa to the grocery store, library, coffee shop, anywhere. Also, they use a really small amount of gasoline, so they're more environmentally-friendly than owning a second car. Honestly, what's not to love?




5. The Blanton

The collection at The Blanton is absolutely incredible-- especially their modern art wing (shown here).

Here's the stunning foyer, which is an homage to Donald Judd, one of my favorite artists ever.

Another one of my favorite works is this installation piece called How to Build Cathedrals.
This piece has some kind of magic, I swear.

As if that's not enough, the museum has a lovely cafe and a fabulous gift shop. that has any number of things you simply won't be able to live without.

Art, coffee and shopping. All at the same time. As if that weren't enough, every Thursday, admission is free. Free!

All things Alice

On Sunday, Nathan and I saw Alice in Wonderland at the Alamo Drafthouse.
It was just what I'd hoped for-- full of whimsy and fun.

In honor of the newest version of this beloved story, here are some Alice-inspired thises and thats.

Why have a pocketwatch, when you could have a gorgeous pocketwatch necklace?


Or, if you don't want to wear an actual pocketwatch, you could always wear a scarf featuring one.

I love this unique glass teapot
and this more traditional ceramic teapot.


Presenting the cutest sugar dish and creamer ever.

And you must have a cup to drink that tea, after all.

I adore these vintage playing cards.


This green frock is by Catherine Malandrino, and so very Alice, I think. Must be the ruffles....
Here's the designer herself in (nearly the same) dress, but I must say I prefer the pintucks on the bodice on the other one.


Here's a Calvin Klein sleeveless shirt dress that's also very Alice, if she were to go to a garden party in 2010.

The original illustrations by John Tenniel show Alice in Mary Janes. These are a tad more grown-up.


I personally always pictured Alice in patent leather ballet flats like these.


Roses for the Red Queen.


We own this peppermill, which would be perfect for the cook and duchess whenever they want to make soup.

I wish we owned these white rabbit bookends.


And here's a classic chessboard.

Lastly, the cupcakes... ah, the cupcakes.

Friday Faves...not, I repeat, not an original idea

I completely ripped this off, thanks to Robyn ala Twitch Vintage. For the record, I did let her know, and I really hope she doesn't mind.

1. Crayola pens


I have one in yellow that I bought here in town at Toy Joy and it cost about five bucks. Using it at work has been incredibly fun.


2. Lemon curd


If you've never experienced this deliciosity, please pardon the name and carry on. We make the Alton Brown recipe, and it's divine. Pour into small graham cracker tart shells, chill for several hours, and top with whipped cream. Or, top brioche. Or, eat with a spoon. Only you can decide what's right for you.


3. Red umbrellas.




We bought a classic red umbrella with wooden handle-- made by Totes at Target for twelve bucks! This one is a bit more, because it's automatic, I suppose?


4. Belts without tails





I've always disliked belts because they have that weird tail-flap that you never know what to do with. I'm sorry to be cheesy, but where have these belts been all my life?


5. Cruiser bicycles with coaster brakes-- because some of us still aren't comfortable with hand-brakes. Also because they're
vintage-inspired and oh-so cute.






OK, I know the last one isn't a real bike, but I couldn't resist.
P.S. My cute sister has the best cruiser bike, and as soon as I find out what the brand is, I'll post it here. Promise.
Happy weekend!

Update: My sister got her bike from Manhattan Cruisers. You can find their website here.

Chutes and Ladders

Remember this?

I always wondered why breaking a cookie jar cost you 63 points, but crashing through thin ice only cost you 21 points. That seemed waaaaay more serious. Still does. But I digress.

If I were to construct a Chutes and Ladders gameboard that represents my life in the last 24 hours, it would look something like this:

Instead of fixing my hair, I slept in = chute
I got to eat dinner for free at Z'Tejas = ladder
I was on local TV = ladder
I looked kind of fat = chute
I said some intelligent things = ladder
I'm pretty sure I said the non-existent word "high-interestly" = chute
I got to meet the superintendent = big ladder
I forgot to turn in my already overdue library book = chute
A gas station attendant said I looked like a girl from America's Next Top Model = ladder

I think that leaves me somewhere near the middle-to-top of the board. Now, if I can just avoid the massive pitfalls of drawing art on the walls and carrying too many dishes at one time, I think I'll be OK.

So it's been a week and two days since the SCBWI conference.

The one here in Austin, mind you. Not that I would've complained at all about making a jaunt up to NYC. But it just so happens that we have a ton of really talented and prolific writers right here, in our own neighborhood.

Since then, I've been thinking through all the information, going back through my furiously-scrawled notes, and most importantly, working on my own writing.
Some of the time I write at the coffee shop, some of the time at the library, and some of the time in my office-- where I can see the infamous wall of rejections any time I want.



I've also been feeling really inspired, and I wish there were a non-cheesy way to say that.

One of the agents who spoke at the conference, Mark McVeigh, said something that I heard as a challenge. He said (along with a bunch of other really helpful things), "Try to write outside your genre-- Rub your Muse the wrong way and potentially free yourself up."
I took that on and decided to write my first children's book. Which sparked the dreaded question, "Did you illustrate it as well?" The answer? "No." But still! It was a pretty big deal. I'm thinking of writing a children's book every week or so, just for fun, while I'm revising my YA novel. Because... well, why not? Apparently my Muse likes to learn new tricks.

I also loved everything Kirby Larson, author of Hattie Big Sky, a 2007 Newbery Honor Book, had to say.


Her session was called "First You Throw Away the Map." I mean, come on-- how great is that?
She talked about her story, her process, how there isn't one right process, and she offered some really practical wisdom as well.
When she began to talk about how writing equals hard work, it's like I felt the NYSE bells go off in my head.
She quoted Madeline l"Engle: "The moment of inspiration isn't a moment. It must be worked for."
and Samuel Goldwyn: "The harder I work, the luckier I get."

That was the second of about 127 things I needed to hear at the SCBWI conference. It made me come back to my computer, and dig back into my writing. It was just what I needed. Like that Cars song that sold its soul to a last-ditch Circuit City ad campaign.



I've got a ton of notes from the conference, WAY too many to include here, but please email me if you'd like my notes from any of the sessions. (Other than the illustrators' session. I did not attend that one-- as I said already, I'm not an illustrator, and the world thanks me.)

P.S. Here's the other thing about my wall of rejections. Even if they were all rejections in the end, quite a lot of them started as requests-- for partial or full manuscripts, so seriously! If that won't motivate me to keep working hard and writing, I don't know what will.

Work coffee etiquette

I realize Emily Post never wrote about how to approach the conventions of coffee at work. But I work with a person (known henceforward as Ms. Aardvark) who really doesn't know the first thing about the social rules of the shared coffee pot.

Exhibit A:


As you can clearly read, you must wait until the coffee is finished brewing before you remove the carafe. Perhaps Wonder Woman or some superhero equipped with superfast speed and agility would be able to remove the carafe, pour a cup of coffee, and replace it before any coffee dripped out and got cauterized on the two-dollar burner. Unfortunately, you, Ms. Aardvark, do not possess those powers. You do, however, have the ability to read. And the signage is clear and concise. You wouldn't choose to ignore it day after day, would you, Ms. Aardvark?

I'd also like to draw your attention to a common container for coffee:



You may also be familiar with this variety, used often when traveling from one place to another:



Some people even choose to use this type of container for coffee, when they want to have a large amount:



You could realistically bring any one of these containers into my room to retrieve some coffee for yourself.

(Although I would accuse you of bogarting if you used the thermos.
And I'd be right.)

What you wouldn't use, Ms. Aardvark, would be a plastic shaker like this:



These containers are typically used for mixing salad dressing, or... well, they're mostly used for salad dressing.

Furthermore, you wouldn't pour the coffee into the salad dressing shaker through the pour spout, causing everyone to wonder if the pour spout were clean, or if you'd in fact, just used it as a sippy cup and thus, spread your germs to everyone in the office.

You wouldn't commit these hideous offenses, would you, Ms. Aardvark?

Oh yes. Yes, you would.