Gilded Mae

Another part of my "Me" month included finding happiness in projects and work. This meant walking away from some things and taking a chance on new ideas. Thanks to the encouragement and support of friends (seriously this would not have happened without some lovely ladies pushing me), I've opened an Etsy shop. It's a hobby for now. And one that I love.

Jewelry design and beads is something that runs deep in the family. To say that I've been hesitant towards it thus far is putting things mildly. Perhaps in my "mature age" I've come to embrace it. With open arms.

The inspiration came from a some bangles worn by a friend of mine. Admittedly, what I make right now is still quite similar. But I'm getting my feet wet and learning, and this was the best place to start. Curious to see more?
I just so happen to have a link for you https://www.etsy.com/shop/gildedmae

Please visit!

Date Night at Cinnebarre

Last night Matt and I went out for “date night”. This is noteworthy for a couple reasons. Primarily, because this time last year (or was it two years ago?) we scoffed at the idea of ever labeling an evening as such. We were footloose, fancy free and newly dating. Any day or evening I could spend with him, whatever the plan, was a date in my eyes.

Fast forward to now. Though I still love  every moment we spend together, real life has set in. We run a lot of errands together, eat a lot of home cooked meals, veg out watching reruns, and I wear a lot of sweats. Actually, anytime I’m with Matt and not in sweats, is a big win.

 

Perfect example, this is an instagram pic from Monday. I for one, love my new yoga pants.
Matt saw them and told me I looked like Spider Woman 

But I digress, not the original point of the post. Matt had suggested we go out and do something in the evening. Despite the fact that I was already exhausted at noon, feeling stretched thin with work and outside projects, I also knew that a night out together is less common these days, I had work commitments the next few evenings, and we would be out of town with family over the weekend. Thus, it became our “date night”.

We opted for the traditional dinner and a movie route. I’ve come to discover that the concept, however, was not designed for working professionals in mind. 

I work until 6. Home by 6:30. Done walking the dog and ready to do something no earlier than 7. Most movies start around then. This completely takes the dinner option out, unless you sneak out of work early (not an option for me), fill up on popcorn and candy, or eat a very late dinner. The next set of movie times is around 10, which means getting home a little too late and being tired the next day. Big problems here.

This was a conundrum when it came to planning our evening. Randomly, I remembered Cinnebarre. A dinner/ movie theatre up north that I had been meaning to try since I'd moved back to Seattle. 

 

It was the perfect solution! It was an almost identical experience to the Alamo Drafthouses in Texas, one of the things I've missed most about living there. They even had the same fried pickles! 

Tuesdays happen to be half price ticket nights (note to self, pick another night next time. Parking and seats were at a premium). The food was pretty good. And let’s face it, you can’t top being in a theatre with a glass of wine in hand. No sir.

We saw Her, which I’ve been curious about. All things considered, I liked it and would recommend it. Story and concept aside, what I enjoyed most was the vision behind this future reality. Technology use was less visual, more auditory. People interacted more with their devices than each other, which is already common now, especially in public amongst strangers.
 

The fashion was subtle but fascinating. High waisted pants for all. Sweats (knit material) cut as slacks. Layering of long sleeve tees with other shirts (a nod to a style popular late 90s, early 2000s). Overall, a more conservative look. And of course, the mustache donned by Joaquin was seen throughout the male characters.

Seeing a futuristic LA which resembled more a cross between New York and Tokyo was another great visual element in the movie enjoyed by yours truly.
 

Our evening outing also reminded me of an idea I had a couple years back but never implemented. With February just around the corner, my Happiness Project focus will shift from self improvement, to my relationship with Matt. Perfect timing, since I always think of February as the love month.
 

I want to create a “date night” jar (there’s that term again!) and fill it with all those suggestions/ recommendations people mentions as well as ideas we come across for unique outings. When we are stumped for something to do, or hoping to remember “that one thing we thought of doing that one time” it will be logged and added to the jar.

Caveat here is that we must do whatever is written on the paper we draw.
 

Ideas to include already are two dining suggestions given to me today: The Blind Pig in Eastlake and dessert at Hello Robin in Cap Hill.

Has anyone been? 

Boarding School

Enter my new obsession: Polyvore. It's a new social platform that allows users to create their own inspiration boards. Essentially making those trend pages in magazines obsolete. The weeks I spent creating an application portfolio for my FIDM program? It could now be replicated in an hour or so. Polyvore does for inspiration and trending boards, what Instagram did for digital photography.

Sorry Adobe. You've been outdone, once again.

Here's a sampling of what you can easily create.

Casual Brunching by carina-vanson featuring slim jeans

Pictures found all on one website, actual products with prices and links, and all images can be formatted. I am already looking forward to losing hours on this site in the next few months.

Costume Changes

This term is usually used in reference to the 4 outfits I average during the day. Different activities call for different ensembles.

For this post the term assumes the more traditional meaning: For Halloween, I donned not one or two, but three separate costumes for separate occasions.

Matt had agreed to be half of a couples costume with me if I promised that I wouldn't dress as something overly conservative or "creative" (translation - ugly).

I make no apologies for taking an adamant stance against the sexy costume movement. Call me crazy but this

Will trump this

ANYDAY. Am I right??


On a side note, while we're reviewing celeb costumes, thanks Chris Brown for giving me yet another reason to wish you dropped off the radar completely. Perhaps next year you'll go as Hitler?


Photos courtesy of GoFugYourself, love those ladies

Moving on.

My first vetoed couples costume idea was for Matt to dress as Mitt Romney and I would go as a binder full of women. While Matt appreciated the timeliness of the costume, he countered that hiding behind a binder all night didn't quite live up to my end of the compromise.

So while he was out of town for the first Halloween party, I dressed up as half of the idea.

 

The "official" costume for the Saturday before Halloween, was a last minute throw together after many ideas had been passed on by either party and/ or were declined due to cost for shipping (overnighting some lederhosen from Germany was hardly justifiable, considering we didn't even don them for the actual Oktoberfest).

Here's what we put together.

And finally, with Halloween falling on an inconvenient Wednesday this year, the only dressing up I did was for work. We decided as a team to go as hipsters. There aren't any actual pictures of the concerted effort because, you know, capturing the outfits for the sole purpose of self promotion via social media is, just, so.... mainstream.

But in case you're wondering, we looked a little like this:

minus the beer bottle.

Sometimes It's Nice Just to be Appreciated

This write up review of a recent styling appointment I had found its way into my inbox this morning. And while I'm not one to toot my own horn, I will certainly allow someone else to do it for me.

Thank you Jillian for your kind words. They more than made my day week.

http://www.jillianharrington.com/index/brining-you-your-fashion-fairy-god-mother

Week O' Love

Happy Valentine's Week!

I thought I'd feature a week-long montage of all the things I'm loving these days. To start, a long overdue review of some products and styles I just can't stop lusting over:

Kate Spade's Topliner Trench coat:

I love the strong lines that give this coat so much detail to a tried and true classic. You can't quite tell from the picture, but this coat carries a bit of a flare in the skirt. It would be adorable to simply wear as a dress too!

All that Glitters:

It seems 29 1/2 is my guilded age as I only have eyes for gold accessories these days.

I LOVE this new product, the Pop Phone. It's a traditional handset that plugs into your laptop (for Skype), iPad, or cell phone. It comes in blue, red, and polka dots, but this gold version has my name written all over it!

My current wallet was a $5 glittered gold Forever 21 find I purchased for my trip to Europe last year. In case the wallet was lost or stolen, I didn't want to lose anything too valuable besides the cash that was inside.  After the trip I received so many compliments on it, I just kept it around as the permanent fixture.
Over time it's lost it's shine and the clasp doesn't really close anymore, but I still love the look of a bright, shiny wallet.

This Kate Spade gold "japanese florals" is a perfect replacement.

Since upgrading to my new iPhone, I haven't found a cover for it. This Diane Von Furstenburg style (though not gold) carries a great daily reminder for myself.

And finally, I came across a great, simple craft to do today to prep for Valentine's dinner.
Paint two glass champagne flutes with glitter craft paint (using a small sponge brush) to add some sparkle to your bubbly.

To make them dishwasher proof, set the paint by "baking" in the oven.

Well Done T Swift

I've been critical of Taylor Swift's look before. Not because I thought it was unbecoming of her, I simply felt that no 18 year old needed to be so married to a signature style. How much liquid liner and ringlets can one girl take?
Youth is the time to experiment...
...with different looks.

I'm glad to see that the "wisdom" that has come with older age, has taught Taylor to branch out a bit. Maybe she'll keep the bangs and flat iron around.

Duh. Pinning.

Pinterest has become my new time suck. If I have a free minute, I'm no longer updating my Facebook profile, wandering aimlessly through friend's albums, or falling into random twitter feeds.... I'm collecting quotes, recipes, crafts, fashion how to's, workouts, and dreaming of a better life through images and placing all these things on the social pin board known as Pinterest.

A couple months ago, my pinboards were nothing more than things I thought were interesting. I'd repin images I liked. Now, I'm uploading my own pins from sites. I'm using the platform to keep track of my own ideas. Most importantly, I feel challenged to actually put my pins to practice. The result has been new outfit ensembles with clothes I already owned, new makeup ideas (without having to spend $50 and 2 hours at the MAC counter), new hair up dos, recipes, crafts, and decor.

I've decided to add a new blog page to keep track of my pin experiments. Each post will explain the process, if it truly is the "best recipe/tutorial/easy decor idea ever", and my results. Additionally, I'll link my original pins with the post.
(If you care to peruse or follow my ideas before action, my Pinterest page can be found @ http://pinterest.com/carinamae/)

Happy Pinning indeed.

The Best Part of Waking Up

Is not Folgers in my cup.

It's vintage furs delivered to my door. Merry early Christmas from my chic and thoughtful mother!!! (She also sent me JoAnn coupons in the package. This lady knows me all too well!)

Thanks Mum!

Make a Statement

I found out yesteday that a coworker of mine makes jewelry in her spare time. She initially shrugged it off as her "creative outlet" but upon further inquiry, I was able to talk her into showing me her Etsy website.

I was struck by how fabulous her jewelry is! All pieces are reconstructed from vintage jewelry she finds in antique shops and estate sales. Each necklace is so unique, yet they all carry a classic regal theme.
Here are a few of my favorites

Walking in Style

I never attended my graduation from FIDM. Having been a few years older and with a BA already in hand, my time there was mostly for study and much less social than my previous college life at Eastern. I don't regret the decision; I feel I received more than my share of ceremony the first time around.

HOWEVER...,  had I known about this tradition, I might have given the day a second thought. Someone finally thought to bring some style to the drab cap and gown.

These mortarboards are just a few my favorites. There were a hundred or so posted online from this year's class. This trim is definitely giving the Kentucky Derby a run for it's money. Kudos and congrats to the FIDM class of 2010!

Kaftans Are the New Muu Muu

Know for years as the muu muu wearing hippie, there has hardly been a summer day in my adult life that I have left the house without wearing some version of a loose, waist - free, A line top or dress. I love the bold prints and style that comes with a muu muu. Admittedly, the freedom from constraint has never bothered me either. As I progress in my years, I realize that my style must also mature. Thus, I think I'll soon be making the big step over from muu muu to Kaftan. Though very similar in silhouette, Kaftan's are usually made of a finer material and donned as a swimwear cover up. However, with a slip, metallic heels and some chic jewelry, this look can easily be a perfect outfit option for summer afternoons and evenings out.

My inspiration has of course, come from the lady responsible for making them popular once more, Rachel Zoe. Often seen wearing a Kaftan with a vintage print, Ms. Zoe sees these dresses as wardrobe staples.

I couldn't agree more.

And as luck (or good retail) would have it, RZ just happens to have a couple reasonably priced Kaftans premiering in her summer collection on QVC. Though I have never actually purchased anything from home shopping, there is a first for everything! I think this is a great "starter" Kaftan for me. The color is neutral and there is a tie in the back, providing a little more shape to the body than the typical cut.

On a side note: I'm also LOVING this rose gold bracelet from her collection. A perfect pairing to my new wardrobe addition.

Lime Green is the New Black

I came across this editorial photo shoot with the characters of Shrek the other day. Probably not appropriate for all of Shrek's fans, but I love it! Who knew the swamp could be so avant garde?

Photos by Ellen von Unwerth

Quote for the Day. Fashion

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”

~Coco Chanel

Just Beachy

I've surprised myself the last couple summers in the swimwear I've been tempted to invest in. Instead of cute two piece bikinis, I'm attracted to one piece suits. It's not that I feel the need to cover my midriff (though if we're being honest here, other than in a bikini, there is really no appropriate time to show one's stomach in public), or the need for more modesty, I just love the shape and slight vintage look of this swimwear. 

Can't you just picture this heart shaped number with heels and a sarong pool side?

The Kaleidoscope of Pucci

My love for Italian designer Emilio Pucci and my obsession with coffee table books have collided into one beautiful, limited edition masterpiece. Courtesy of my daily news source The Zoe Report, I learned of this magnificent publication due for print in July. According the to publisher Taschen there will only be 10,000 copies made, each decorated in a different signature Pucci print. I DIE!

I can't wait to wrap my head in my biggest brightest Pucci scarf, sit down with a cappuccino and spend an afternoon with the creator of capri pants and logo-ed prints.

Book is available at Amazon and at Tashen's website.