Shirt by Ketch, shredded skirt made by me, Steve Madden wedges, vintage/F21 jewelry

Just a quick post before I run out to the art museum/grocery store. I woke up so early this morning even though I had no reason to, especially considering I was on the last bus from downtown last night after meeting up with some friends. I hope that the exhibits aren’t too close together in the museum because my skirt is particularly voluminous and I just might bump into things. Maybe I should just go to the children’s museum instead – they’re more fun anyway considering you’re meant to touch everything! It’s probably a germ heaven. Anyway, still going through and catching up on blogs so if I haven’t made it to yours yet, I will get there! Being gone in the blogosphere for two weeks is like trying to catch up on homework – nearly impossible. Oh, by the way, this skirt is the easiest thing in the world to make. If you can handle a little bit of machine sewing + some time to pin the pleats, you too can have your own cream puff.

Kisses.

PS. My hair looks so scraggly. I think it’s time for a cut.

Oh lovely blog! How I missed you. I can’t believe it’s been almost three weeks. I was hoping to post a travel article before I left for Texas, but my laptop decided that it was not going to take any more of my abuse. Luckily, it has been replaced with this snazzy new red thing that has tons of space and I can safely rest it in my lap without having to worry about receiving third degree burns. Regular posting should resume very soon along with some outfit posts that I am so excited about considering my wardrobe is complete again. Wish I had more to post, but I’d just be rambling about how nice it is to be home in Portland. Looking forward to catching up on everyone’s blogs tonight.

Kisses.

CHAOS
Another Magazine, Autumn/Winter 2004
Photography, Willy Vanderperre; Styling, Alister Mackie
Model, Jeremy Dufour at Success Paris

Another collection from this vault of mine. Absolutely love the styling by Alister Mackie. This really makes me want to put on my hammer pants (if I owned a pair) and dance around like a club kid. Truthfully though, I’m more excited to show all of the next scans I have planned – giant, giant knits if anyone can remember the spread. Just in time for fall – I’m pretty sure I’m over summer now that it’s August. I’m ready to start layering the clothes on and wearing boots.

Heading back to Portland next Thursday which I am super excited about – kind of. It is such a double-edged sword because I get to return to my little apartment and the rest of my wardrobe but at the same time, I have to go back to grocery shopping and trying to appear like I’m an adult which I just don’t feel like doing. Being at home this summer has brought back so many memories of being 16, including borrowing the car and asking for a bit of “spending money” when I want to meet up with a friend for a drink or as I tell my father, coffee. Anyway, enjoy your Wednesday!

Kisses.

Just a few things I wanted to share from my day because I just woke up and am feeling very drowsy. On top is my new lambskin rug purchased today. It’s so beautiful and white. I just finished taking a nap on top if it. I don’t think I will ever actually put it on the floor. Second is a coke which I am drinking to help me wake up! These are from Mexico where they use real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. Why we don’t use real sugar in the US is beyond me. Lastly, this is the ring that I bought while at the beach. It’s a gorgeous piece of shell embedded in black wood. It was in the ‘CRAZY SHELL RINGS’ section of the souvenir store. Catching up on blogs for the rest of the night.

Kisses.

As you may know, I’ve was born and raised in the great state of Texas. Every summer that I can ever remember has been a scorcher and it’s just getting worse due to global warming. This being said, I am used to the sun. Very used to it. I haven’t been pale since I was an infant and I absolutely love it. In middle & high school, during the winter months like the rest of the girls, I flocked to the local tanning beds to keep my skin the nicest shade of golden, always crawling into the super-laser-high-pressure-cooker beds slathered in my tingle factor 4 maximum sizzle lotion. During the summers, I rarely used sunscreen & barely covered up despite spending countless hours baking away in 100F heat and sun. The last sunburn I can truthfully remember would have to be about 4 years ago when I traveled down to Port Aransas with my family on a fishing trip. So, with this ‘tolerance’ I think I have, I headed down to the beach several days ago with a crummy little tube of some fancy ‘Orange Gelee’ with an SPF4. I did apply it before heading into the water, allowing it to dry and I did reapply every 2 hours or so. Well, I think this stuff may have helped cook my skin because by the time I was in the car and ready to drive home, I was a tomato. A big scary red tomato and for the past three days, I have been confined to gentle movements and big, loose clothing. And let me tell you, you do not want to feel like this ever, ever. But! Being the there’s-a-silver-lining-to-every-scenario-type-of-gal that I am, I have taken this as a lesson to learn from and have compiled a wonderful list of facts for you, dear reader so the next time you head out into the sun, you are prepared. Always remember that skin cancer is not fashionable.

WHY SUNSCREEN?

Ultraviolet radiation from the sun is classified into three categories – UVA, UVB, and UVC rays. UVC rays are absorbed by the ozone layer while UVA and UVB rays are not. Long-term exposure to UVB rays is typically associated with what we know as sunburn – as well as squamous cell carcinoma and the basal cell carcinoma which, if malignant, can become destructive and disfiguring. UVA rays penetrate your skin more deeply, causing it to sag, turn leathery, and wrinkle as well as other effects of premature aging. Long-term exposure to UVA rays is typically the reason for the development of melanoma which can cause death. Sunscreens help to prevent these conditions by either absorbing or scattering the UV rays before they penetrate into the skin. It is important to remember that sunscreens vary in their ability to protect against UVA and UVB – some do not protect against UVA rays at all so be sure to read the label and its ingredients.

WHAT SUNSCREEN IS FOR ME?

As the owner of your skin, the best judge of this is yourself. There are many types of sunscreens available at your local market, including specialty sport sprays, oil-free products for faces, and no-tear baby formulas which are extra gentle for sensitive skin types. Before you make your purchase, try rubbing a pea sized amount on the back side of your hand or arm to see what it feels like on your skin. Too greasy? Perfect match? Sunscreen is graded using the SPF or Sun Protection Factor and using an SPF 15 (found in many face moisturizers and foundations) is typically sufficient for day-to-day activities where you are exposed to the sun for a minimal amount of time. For swimming and working outside for prolonged periods of time, “water-proof,” “water-resistant,” and “sweat-proof” formulas are recommended. It’s important to buy a sunscreen with at least an SPF of 30 to block out at least 98% of UVB rays. Look for sunscreens labeled “broad spectrum” as these offer protection from both UVA and UVB rays.

BEFORE YOU HEAD INTO THE SUN

Put on sunscreen 20-30 minutes before you go into the sun. Sunscreens work by chemically reacting with your skin and need time to absorb. Don’t be stingy here either! The FDA recommends that an average adult of 5′4″/162cm weighing in at 150lbs/62kg use at least 1oz. of sunscreen every 2 hours. If you are expecting to spend a long day at the beach/waterpark, you should expect to use at least 4 ozs. of sunscreen, if not more! Also, be sure to apply sunscreen evenly and don’t forget about little places like you ear tips, neck, and lips. These usually hurt the worst!

 

DURING AND AFTER THE SIZZLE

I know it’s not realistic to be covered up the entire time you are at the beach but throwing on a long-sleeved cotton top (time to raid your boyfriend’s closet!) for at least 20 minutes every hour or so will greatly reduce your sun exposure time. Just because you have sunscreen on doesn’t mean you get to stay out in the sun longer! Big floppy hats are always great as well and don’t forget those sunglasses. If you are victim of a sunburn (much like myself) there are a variety of products for you as well. Aloe vera gels are very common and there are some formulas with a Lidocaine additive which is a topical anesthetic to soothe burns. Lidocaine is also available in aerosol formulas (Solarcaine) which can be sprayed directly onto the skin. My personal favorite is original formula Noxema. I find that it takes the sting out of the burn and isn’t sticky or tacky like many aloe gels.

WHY I WILL NEVER VISIT A TANNING SALON AGAIN

On July 28th, 2009, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an organizational branch for the World Health Organization released an amazing analysis of 20 studies regarding tanning beds. It has moved tanning beds from the “probably carcinogenic” list to “definitely carcinogenic.” They report that people who use tanning beds before the age of 30 are more than 75% likely to develop skin cancer, including melanoma. This is particularly sad news to me because I loved my tan time. I will never tan again, unfortunately, because numbers like that are too scary to even mess with. But, I still would like to know how often these people tanned as I was unable to find this info. During high school, I went nearly every day though now I usually goerr, went once or twice a month.

I’m excited to never be burned again and I hope you are too. If you are still unsure, try a ’skin cancer’ image search on Google. It’s scary and is something that I hope I or you never have. Remember, it’s always fun to go to the beach – but don’t bring the beach home with you.

Enjoy what’s left of your swim season!
Kisses.

Information collected from The Skin Cancer Foundation and the American Cancer Society.
Images from Mixologies and Google Images.

EXACTLY
Another Magazine, Autumn/Winter 2004
Photography, Nick Knight; Styling, Alister Mackie
Models, Britni at Select – Marta Berzkalna at Storm – Erin O’Connor at ICM
Clothing by COMME DES GARÇONS

Here is another collection of amazing images from my vault of newest scans. Another spread from Another, issue no. 7. I am absolutely in love with all of the satin and highly contrasted images. I still can’t believe that these are from 2004. I would never know it. Once again, if you would like the large version of these images, you can access the directory here. I ask that if you do use these images, please link back to the post/site. Much appreciated!

In other news, I think that the layout is all worked out and what not! I hope you enjoy it. I’m such a minimalist so I hope this isn’t too boring but I’m absolutely in love with it. Thank you for all of your comments as well! Again, if you come across any bugs or if it looks violent or whacky, please comment or use the new contact form to the side.

Kisses!

So, after doing a little house cleaning, ahem blog cleaning, last night, I discovered that things were not really looking all that swell in Internet Explorer. I am a Firefox girl all the way and could really careless about Microsoft’s poor, failed browser. But, considering that a large majority of the internet public still uses it, I couldn’t turn my back on these problems. What does that lead to? Well a new layout! Please tell me what you think. It seems a little fresher to me than the previous. There are still a few things to edit but considering that it is now 5 in the am and I think I’ve gotten carpal tunnel from creating/editing the new blogroll to the side (new links! check em out..), I am putting it to rest for a bit. If you come across anything that seems bizarrely misplaced/sized or if a link doesn’t work, pretty please comment to tell me about it so I can make a fix. I have checked most of the pages, etc in IE, Firefox, and Safari – they seem to all be in order.

And please feel free to use the Google FriendConnector!
Thank you again dear readers.
My little blog is growing!
I’m in love.

Kisses!

The beach was beautiful. By the time we arrived, the sun was rising, the wine was still chilled, and the surfers were flocking to catch the first waves. Fell asleep sometime around 8am and woke up around 11am, surrounded by even more surfers and the ‘Parking Permit’ golf cart cruising around looking for violators – which included us so we thought it best to scoot somewhere else. Bought lunch and then perused a local souvenir shop where I purchased a perfectly neon inflatable tube and an absolutely gorgeous shell ring. I’m sure to include a photo at some later point – the lighting in my room is terrible at the moment. After shopping, we made it back to beach so I could test out my tube. Simply put.. best.. purchase.. ever.. aside from the ring of course. But it was just perfect as it enabled me to cruise the waves and not worry about what was beneath me. I even made a great friend in a 13 year old kid who was boogie-boarding next to me. We totally surfed the waves together and after they had died down a bit, we found a bed of sand dollars and went diving for them. After I get them cleaned up and bleached, I’m going to try to make a little art project out of them. Hopefully something that will resemble art and not so kitschy-beachy. I wish that the bf and I could have enjoyed the time a little bit more but it turned into a really awful time for ‘us’ if you know what I mean. What a bummer. I tried to enjoy myself however, which was really great. I also wish that I had been able to take more pictures but I didn’t want to involve my camera that much with all of the sand and water everywhere. I have been inspired though to write an editorial on the importance of sunscreen because obviously I need to research and learn more about it. I am horribly burned and am forced into my ultra-slouchy lounge wear. I really don’t like anything touching me right now.

Anyway, I think I’m going to cut this short. This post seems grumpy even though I’m not – I swear! I just watched a really funny episode of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.

Kisses!

P.S. I just realized that this site is loading terribly in Internet Explorer and is pushing the sidebar all the way to the bottom of the page. Seems to work just fine in Firefox and Safari though. I might be switching layouts this evening so excuse me if things look a little hairy for a while. Also – for my fellow Wordpress readers who updated to Firefox 3.5, have you had any problems with your Google FriendConnector? I updated my browser last evening and for whatever reason, my connector went blank! Upon restoring Firefox to 3.0.12, it popped right back up. Is anyone else having this problem?

I really don’t enter blog contests. I’ve never really had the luck in the my life to win things, have my name drawn out of the hat, count the right number of jellies/cotton balls/peanuts in the jar, etc. But I had to make a special plug for the contest Eyeliah is having on her blog StyleSymmetry.com because the Sweetheart Chocolate Truffle hair clip she’s giving away is just TOO cute. It’s super easy to enter the contest – just post a comment on her entry here for your chance to win. Made by DaisyRoseSB, these delicious looking hand-made hair accessories are definitely a must-have. I think Homer Simpson would even be happy with the extra sweet little doughnut clips. Her Etsy shop can be found here. I’ve posted a few of my favorites below. Enjoy!

Too cute right? I especially love the Nutella and Peanut Butter/Banana slices. Submit your comments now!
Kisses.

Literally. Do you ever have those moments when your significant other calls you at a ridiculous hour asking you to go do something even more ridiculous? Well, mine called me at 10:30pm informing me that we were going to the beach and that I should get my things together. Amazing, no? So I just wanted to do a quick post while I wait for him. As you can see, I put my hair in a few rollers in hopes to achieve massive beach curl once I unleash them when we arrive in the sea air. I must do a small plug for these rollers too – they are these Wrap, Snap, Go cushion rollers that my aunt gave me a few years back. They’re one of those late night TV products but I have to say that I really love them. They’re not really for perfect placement curls, but rather an all over curl. But they’re super comfy so you can sleep in them which is just fantastic. I’m not usually a gimmicky-sort of girl, but these rollers and the infamous ‘bump-its’ (bought those too.. I give them a B+ because they’re hard as hell to get out of your head) are the perfect lazy girl’s tools. Anyway, we’re just going for the day, so I have packed no more than a fabulous beach hat, dress and a towel. Oh, and of course my bathing suit and sunscreen. Well, if you can call it that. SPF 4? Does that count? And I’m not planning on taking any sort of flats, just my Anne Klein wedges. Is that stupid? Seems practical to me. I’ve also packed us a cute little lunch sack for banana/peanut butter sandwiches later along with a bottle of wine to drink when the sun comes up. It will be the first time I’ve made it to the beach all summer so I’m definitely going to make it worth my while. Loads of pictures to come.

Oh, and just a little tip because I made a pot of coffee just now for the road.. Take a few tablespoons of cocoa powder and place it with your grounds in the filter and viola! Instant treat.

Kisses!