A Whole New (fashion) World

I'm starting my new job today! I was recently hired as a Merchandise Specialist for a rather large company, and today is my first day! I'm a little nervous, but mostly excited to be back in the fashion industry. In celebration of today I thought I'd post something from my old Live Journal. This was a post I wrote back in January of 2008 about my very first internship. It's funny to see how I've grown since then and all the things I've accomplished, and over 2 and a half years later I still find the post hilarious.

For some reason I thought it would be entertaining to keep a log of my time interning today. And it was.

6:30 am: Grumble and reluctantly get up for work. Curse myself for going to bed at 1 am last night.

6:40 am: Call friend/fellow intern and tell her to get her butt out of bed.

7:10 am: Get dressed in new, pretty rose pink sweater. Debate adding black choker. Decide to go with the choker.

7:30 am: Call friend/fellow intern again, only to find out she fell back asleep and wasn't going to come in. Am sad because that means I will be very bored today.

7:32 am: Leave for work

7:50 am: Park 5 blocks away from work in order to have free parking. Congratulate myself for being smart and bringing walking shoes.

7:55 am: Call friend from high school to tell him I'm actually awake before 9 am.

7:58 am: Walk into building. Flash ID to bypass security. Feel very important.

7:59 am: Change into fun, black patent leather stilettos for work. Admire outfit in door reflection.

8:00 am: Enter office

8:05 am: Start typing invitations into County Exec's planner. Admire sweater in window as I walk to the printer.

8:10 am: Walk to printer again. Admire decision to put snazzy black flower pin on sweater.

8:13 am: Walk to printer again. Second guess decision to wear black choker.

8:15 am: Decide to stop admiring myself in reflection because it is vain and makes me seem shallow.

9:00 am: Start uploading press releases to their website.

9:05 am: Am lonely without friend/fellow intern

9:19 am: Accidentally type "plague" instead of "plaque". Spend 5 minutes laughing to myself about it. Spend next 5 minutes wondering if the County Exec really would have a ceremony about a tree plague.

9:31 am: Am hungry. Nutrigrain bar not enough to eat this morning. Boo.

10:00 am: Had to man reception desk while regular receptionist went to the bathroom. Ahhhhhhhhhh!!! Realized that I have no freaking clue what I am doing at this job.

10:05 am: Receptionist came back. I didn't screw anything up. Am relieved. No one called while she was gone. They must know I'm there waiting....

10:15 am: Fixed uploading problem that was making it take forever to upload press releases. Am awesome.

10:29 am: Back at reception desk. Answered phone correctly. Am even more awesome.

10:56 am: Still uploading those ridiculous press releases. They hadn't been uploaded since October. Am bored. And hungry.

11:15 am: Still uploading. On January now. Need caffeine.

11:25 am: Walk down the hall to go to the bathroom. Love the sound my heels make on the hard floor. Feel very important for I have an ID card and am wearing heels.

11:30 am: Clock out of work and leave building.

11:32 am: Begin long walk in the cold back to my car.

11:33 am: Kid passes me on a bike. Think about knocking kid off bike and riding it back to my car. Decide stealing a bike in front of the Courthouse is probably not a good idea.

11:36 am: Still walking. Hope my car hasn't been broken into . Driving back with an open window would suck.

11:41 am: Car parked 2 down from mine has passenger side window smashed and radio torn out. Feel bad for person. Feel happy it wasn't my car. Feel slightly disturbed that I had just been thinking about this exact thing. Perhaps should be tested for psychic abilities...

11:42 am: Drive unbroken into car back to my apartment, shove half of a sandwich in my mouth, and run to class.


And that was my morning as an intern.




Oh to be young and in school again. 

Style This: Gatsby Blouse

I've been in business casual mode to prepare for my new job on Monday, so today we're covering office style:

Eve was running late for work - again -  there was no time for a Starbucks stop today. Dashing around her room in a silk cami and pencil skirt, she finally found the blouse she was looking for. Its punch of color and fun ruffles would make her day a little brighter. She slipped on a beaded cuff, some gold earrings, and the dinosaur necklace her boyfriend bought her which she thought was hilarious. She grabbed her iphone, planner, and favorite post it note pad - shapes are so much more fun than plain yellow squares - and threw them into her purse. She slipped on some brown heels and ran out the door. 5 minutes early? Maybe there was time for a coffee after all!

Father's Day Weekend

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day weekend. Our family went up north to Sister Bay, a fabulous little town in quaint Door County.

I had a lot of fun including shopping for antiques (which I had some great finds and have a few projects coming up to share - once they're finished of course!) I scored these crates for $1 each!:

Wine tasting:

Eating ice cream at an old ice cream parlor:

Attending the Fyr Bal, which once was a Scandinavia ritual but now it's just an excuse to make huge bonfires:

Watching fireworks:

And sailing off to the horizon:

Wedding Series Part 3 - Fun Gifts

If you're like me you spend probably more time than you should worrying about what to get the bride and groom. The safest bet is something on their registry, but sometime it's pretty picked over by the time the wedding comes around or maybe you want your gift to be a little more personal. Here are a few suggestions I've come up with for fun wedding gifts that most likely won't be on the registry:

Change of address cards: A lot of couples are moving into new apartments or homes and these are a great way for them to share their new address. There are tons of great cards like this on Etsy so it's easy to find some that fit the couple's personality.

Fun dish towels: Why have boring dish towels when there are so many fun ones available? These newlywed towels are from Anthropologie and come in a pack of 3, but in case the guy isn't cool with cutesy towels in his kitchen there are all sorts of fun, brightly colored (and more masculine) towels on Anthro's website.

A couple's cookbook: If the couple is in to cooking, these recipe books are great for coming up with dinner ideas for 2 people. If you type "couple's cookbooks" into Amazon, you'll get a list of different books. I've never tried any of them, but pick one you think matches the couple - no use getting a meat lovers cookbook if they're both vegetarians!

Staying with the kitchen theme, fun salt and pepper shakers: These shakers are from Anthropologie, but you can find fun, bright, or quirky ones all over.

Last of all, gift cards or money: I know it's not very fun for you, but no couple is ever going to complain about receiving money as a gift. As any newly married couple will tell you, unexpected costs come up, and it helps to have a little extra for a cushion. I like getting the couple a gift card from a store near them such as Target where I know they will be going for little things that eat up petty cash. Much better to have a gift card to spend!

Unless something else comes up, this is the last of my Wedding Series. I hope you enjoyed it and happy wedding season!

Literary Inspirtation - The Scarlet Pimpernel

It's about time we had another one of these isn't it? This week's literary Inspiration is The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy.

Showing your admiration for the masked hero involves wearing lots of red and florals. Secret notes passed between members, destroying evidence by burning it, sipping a mug of ale while waiting for your boat to leave to take you to France to help rescue those threatened by the guillotine. A cloak and various masks and disguises help conceal your true identity.  

Tapas Party

I've had it in my head to throw a belated housewarming party in my apartment, and now that it's finally warm I think I might make it a Spanish tapas themed party.

I would serve:

Links to a few tapas recipes

Along with sangria:

A few variations on sangria

I would decorate like this:

100 Layer Cake

Brides

We would listen to:

Spanish Guitar Music

 

I would wear:

Topshop

New items in the shop

I've been running a little behind this week on posts, I was hit with a killer cold and have been fairly out of commission since last Wednesday. However, I'm feeling better now and I added a few new tops to the store, just in time for our summer sale!

The Crafty Tee - I have been looking forward to getting this top in for months. It's a super soft slub t-shirt with the cutest mini puffed sleeves.

The Pick Up Tank is probably my favorite item that's in the store right now. The picture doesn't even do it justice, it's so fun and random and really flattering and forgiving.

Top of the Class Top, another super soft rayon shirt with these cute little buttons on the front.

Summer Sale Begins Tomorrow!

Style this: Desert Sun Dress

Romantic neutrals are the basis for the Desert Sun Dress

 Daisy loved the spring -the warmer weather after a cold snowy winter, the sudden budding of trees making everything green, the slowly lengthening days. Today was one of those days, and it was the perfect day for brunch with her girlfriends. A neutral colored dress cinched with a pale pink belt set the tone for her outfit. A tan statement necklace, a white flower headband, and a tangle of bracelets nicely accented her dress, while a pale green cropped jacket was the perfect finishing touch in case it became chilly.  She slipped on some nude pumps and was out the door, ready for pastries, mimosas, and loads of girl talk.

Wedding Series Part 2: Day of Emergency Kit

If you are a bridesmaid or maid of honor you already know you are going to be spending the day of the wedding helping to make sure everything goes perfectly. Last weekend I was the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding, and she asked me to prepare an emergency kit to bring along to the wedding. I spent a week doing research and putting together the most complex day of emergency kit ever. I thought I'd share it and save someone else the work of researching it.

Sarah's Awesome Day of Emergency Kit (of Awesomeness)

• Extra hook and eyes (found at sewing stores) great for last minute fixing of bridesmaid dresses
• Brush/comb
• Dental floss/mouth wash/mints gotta keep mouths clean for all those pictures
•  Nail clipper/emery board
• Hairspray lots and lots of hairspray. Preferably of the Aquanet-eque aerosol variety for maximum holding
•  Bride's makeup for touchups
• Compact mirror
• Bobby pins lots of bobby pins. You will need them. 
• Clear nail polish good for everything from chipped nails, to runs in nylons, to gluing things together
• Sewing kit MUST HAVE THIS. No excuses
• Anti-static cling you know, so things don't get awkward
• White chalk we actually used this to cover up a stain on the bride's dress. Very usefull
• Tums/aspirin/any other medications 
• Contact solution and extra contacts if anyone wears them
• Extra deodorant
• Lotion
• Sunscreen if it's an outdoor wedding
• Tissues
• Band aids 
• Hand towelettes good in case people need to touch the bride's dress and their hands are dirty or oily
• Safety pins another thing you absolutely must have
• Spot remover
• Scissors
• Q-tips
• Extra corsage pins
• Curling iron
• Hem tape in case hems come undone or strapless dresses refuse to stay up
• Some kind of non messy snacks make sure no one forgets to eat!
• Extra bottles of water
  

And that is the list! I threw everything into a tote bag, but if I would have had more time I would have found a bag with a ton of little compartments in it and organized everything in there. Also, Target's travel section is a great place to scoop up cheap, travel sized items such as band aids, q-tips, medicine, etc.

Pesto

A few days ago I made the first recipe from my food post, pesto. I love pesto and I was extremely pleased how mine turned out. I used a combination of pesto recipes to make up my own, and I think it turned out great:

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 3/4 cup of Parmesan and Romano cheese, mixed
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 2 garlic cloves
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine basil with pine nuts in a food processor and pulse a few times. Add garlic and olive oil and blend. Add cheese and pulse until blended. Add salt and pepper to taste.

For easy storage, I like to freeze the leftovers in an ice tray, then pop them out and keep the cubes in a ziplock bag in the freezer. This way they are the perfect size for a single serving of pesto on pasta or sandwich!

One of my favorite simple recipes when I don't feel like cooking is to make up a batch of pasta, add some shredded chicken and mix with a melted pesto cube.