adios 09!

i hope you guys have a wonderful time kissing this year good-bye and ringing in the new one. here's to stars in your eyes and adventures ahead! big bloggy hugs to each and every one of you.

image by motionslow

the present tense.

i know it's a little late for a gift guide, but since my picks just went up on the shiny squirrel today, i suggest you consider them gifts to get for yourself with all the christmas cash you just scored. i know this lil' book o' polaroids by my buddy steve harrington (published by lena corwin's lines & shapes) is at the top of my wishlist. head on over to see what else you just might need for the new year.

blackheartbreaker.

joan jett is all kinds of badass so when i saw her at jfk last night, waiting for a jet blue flight to burbank, i kinda flipped. she's so tiny and so rock 'n' roll and lemme tell you what, homegirl does not have a SINGLE wrinkle on her face. christmas miracle? fountain of youth? amazing plastic surgeon? who knows, but what i DO know, is that i really don't wanna wait three more months for the runaways movie to come out. k.stew, you bettah do jj justice! judging by the angsty chair throwing in this trailer, i'm gonna give you the benefit of the doubt. cherry bomb indeed.

escape from new york.

it's always a little weird to go from the icy, blizzard-y, snow angel-y streets of new york to spend the holidays with my family in southern california, where elf and christmas vacation are on heavy rotation and we sweat it out in front of the fireplace, drinking hot chocolate despite the mid-70s weather. but boy do i love it anyway. i hope you guys have a wonderful week, wherever you are.

santa baby?

this site has had me cracking up at my desk aaaaalllll day. seriously. i can't stop laughing. can't. stop.

oh man, miranda.

i just want to fall head over heels into these photos of miranda july that amazing photographer brigitte sire took. the teenytinyness here does not do them justice. i highly recommend checking out the real deal. just be warned, her whole site is a mega-crush zone...i fall in love with every single image.

nothing but a heartache.

sometimes, on a bad day, all you need is a little ukulele in your life. i'm not sure i could love the wellington international ukulele orchestra one single ounce more. this rendition of heartache gets me every time. oh, and their new ep? has a version of africa (by toto. yes. toto!!) that will knock your socks off. doesn't my gal gemma rock a mean 4-string? (that's her in the zebra jacket.) also, if you haven't seen this, i think you should. and yeah. that IS bret mckenzie in case you were wondering. oh, those kiwis. always awesome!

really life?! reeeaallly?

closing the feb/mar issue plus a wicked cold means i pretty much feel like this gal here. i'm blaming my m.i.b.a.(missing in blog action?)-ness on double-whammy deadline brain which makes me do things like try to swipe my keys at the subway turnstile, put my phone in the fridge, and forget which clothing items go on first (bra before shirt! undies before tights! this should not be so difficult!!). i have no doubt that you're thankful this lil' blog has been spared. i hope you guys had a loverly week.

image via my perrenial fave audrey hepburn complex

steppin' out.

osborn shoes. where have you been ALL MY liiiiiiiiife?!? yeah, i know these patterns are a little cray-zo, but sometimes all a super simple outfit needs is a tiny dose of bonkers.

thief & bandit stole my heart.

my weekend reached some seriously epic crafty proportions. i braved saturday's slushee weather to swing by good ol' martha's where i picked up my new favorite t-shirt from tie-dye master shabd. (i know. i was there to buy presents for OTHER people, i swear. not sure what happened?) and yesterday's craftacular was cute stuff overload. but one of my fave discoveries of the day was thief & bandit, an awesome little line from richmond, va. she had a really amazing variety of fabric necklaces like these and i'm kinda kicking myself for not grabbing one. or ten.

off the cuff.

now THIS is a look i can get behind. talk about triple-c action: classic, comfy, casual. oh, and cool. what the hell, i'd throw cute in there too. quintuple-c? daaaang.

image via the sartorialist

tales of the city.

this new project from my lovely ladies bryn and caroline is all kinds of awesome. anyone who lives in bk or nyc knows the feelings of intense devotion they inspire. wouldn't it be nice if that were a two-way street? these totes and prints are like little love letters to this amazing place we call home. and the best part? spoon me love me's got big plans so i'll bet a well-designed shoutout to your town is somewhere on the horizon. oh, and did i mention they'll be at the craftacular? yeah, with like 6,000 of your closest friends so i sure hope you can make it.
psst! wanna know who that dapper flannel and killer beard belong to? here's a lil' hint.

the best 2 bucks you ever spent.

were you guys looking for something to do this weekend? well that rules, cause i got your sunday plans right here. if you've never been to a craftacular, it is seriously something to behold. just seeing so many crazy, crafty peeps in one room kinda makes my head explode. you add amazing djs, photo booths, goodie bags, free mags, and a $10 subscription special (perfect gift? i think so!) and it's practically too hot to handle. i will be there aaaalll daaaay looong so please, please, please bring your purty face by the bust table and say hi. i promise i won't bribe you with a beer and a cupcake to take over my spot while i shop my heart out. noooo, i would NEVER!

BUST Holiday Craftacular
Sunday, December 6 10am - 8pm
Metropolitan Pavilion
125 W. 18th St.
New York City

shoe down.

camp comfort's duck boot post had me wishin' and thinkin' and hopin' for winter shoes (thanks rj!) and then i saw THESE, which i'm pretty sure i need. they're like a weird femme-hybrid hiking boot (those eyelets! and red laces!)? which is totally not my typical steez but for some reason they have my name written all over those contrasting stitches. hellloooo christmas list.

cape of good hope.

as in, i've been wearing this cape on the regs since i got it and i'm going to continue wearing it with the good hope that the coming days won't be nearly as cold as it was tonight. cause that shit is cute, but lemme tell you what, it is NOT warm. and the hunt for a new coat begins!

and whoa. i don't know about you guys but i am still basking in the thanksgiving afterglow (aka happily stuffing my face with leftovers...including these awesome glazed maple cookies, whaaaat!). i hope your weekend was lovely and amazing!

sticky business.

i know this tape has been around the blog block and back a billion years ago but i totally forgot about it until i was gettin' my holidaze craze in order and realized stella bugbee's patterns are TOTALLY what i want to wrap my presents with. so i bought the set. amazingly that's all i bought. who knew dipping a toe into the world of decorative masking tape would be such a super slippery slope?!? SO MANY awesome colors. and patterns. and designs. and textures. i barely escaped purchasing a lifetime's supply. yow. za.

also, in totally unrelated news: i try to keep my mug off your computer screen but it just happened to show up on two of my favorite blogs yesterday so i wanted to thank those lovely ladies for the shoutouts. the super sweet kate over at la petite choue asked me a few questions that i provided considerably embarrassing answers for so take a peek to find out way more about me than you ever wanted to know. and over at for me, for you, kate (whoa, two kates. coincidence?! i love kates!) posted my gift guide page from the new issue of bust which of course features a few of my favorite necklaces from my favorite necklace-maker. talk about LB overload, you'll never wanna see my face again!

a little house in the big woods.

oooh heeeey, dan, hey shannan. so, i was thinking, is it alright if, you know, i move in with you guys? i mean, i only ask cause it looks like you have a lot of room and could probably use a little help in the garden. todd says you make a killer butternut squash soup and that's totally one of my fave fall meals ever so i know we'll get along great. i brought my suitcase? hope that's cool.





all images via the selby, of course.

r-o-c-k in the bk.

oh man, i had one of those weekends where i just totally fell in love with brooklyn all over again. seriously, this city rules and here are just a few reasons why: a crisp and lovely walk through prospect park, an amazing dining experience at a certain underground supper club, and a trip to the brooklyn museum where i spent hours soaking up who shot rock & roll. if you're here, you gotta check it out. the exhibit's full of iconic imagery and fascinating insights and enough nostalgia to power your sony walkman till you wear out that like a virgin cassette. this is just a teeny-tiny handful of the epic pop culture junkieness. so, so good.
patti smith photographed outside of CBGBs in New York City, 1976.

"It was on the street outside CBGBs where everyone used to hang out between sets. The only lighting was the streetlights of the Bowery. Patti was standing in just the right spot. I was a huge fan of hers. I tapped her on the shoulder and asked if I could take her picture. She put her hand to her face. I knew if I didn't fuck up I'd have a great picture. It was a slow shutter speed so she couldn't shake and I couldn't shake. We had a quarter of a second one-night stand that night. We locked in. I think she trusted me for that quarter of a second. I knew she was in exactly the right spot." -Godlis

frank zappa photographed in new york city by jerry schatzberg, 1967.

mick jagger performing in philadelphia, pennsylvania in 1982 photographed by michael putland.
madonna photographed inside new york city's danceteria in 1983.

"The picture is talking in a way. It's saying ‘Look who I am. I'm not famous but I'm going to be.' She didn't drink much but she liked her Martini. I don't think she smoked. Maybe I gave her the cigarette for attitude. I never saw Madonna smoking cigarettes as much as other people. She never did coke. That's why she was Madonna, why she became as big as she did: because she was always in control." -Maripol

even steven.

against my better judgment (STRICTLY financially speaking) i went to the steven alan sample sale tonight and by some minor miracle managed to escape with just one item: the most perfect, softest, coziest flannel ever made (see above). serrrrussly, guys, i'm wearing it as i type and i am so distracted by its comfort i can barely make complete sentences (or be bothered to spell correctly!). in fact, i'll probably be wearing this button-down just about every day till, oh, i don't know, may. i also had my eye on this coat:and this shirt:

but i really think i made the right decision, for me and my credit line. unless of course, i swing back by on sunday and they both happen to still be there. cause then it was totally meant to BE, right?!? riiiight.

foxy.

i have yet to see fantastic mr. fox (i know, i KNOW! it's at the TOP of my to-do list. have you guys seen it? is it amazing??) but that doesn't stop me from wanting this faux foxtail tie from opening ceremony. of course, that might have more to do with the j.schwartz factor, cause really, where the hell would i wear a faux foxtail tie??

head case.

i'm not typically a headpiece kinda gal, but this lil' fascinator from lara vincent has me convinced that i could be. also...i need a crown? and maybe that sweet little flower chain, too. in which case, i must totally be a headpiece kinda gal. not gonna fight it!

we have a weiner!

i have a serious weakness for erica weiner's jewelry. it's so simple and cool and affordable and vintage-y. if you live in nyc, you've probably seen it, or maybe you've just gotten a glimpse of it through the mass of people that swarm her table every time she sets up at the flea or the craftacular? well, it's worth taking a few elbows to try and nab a piece or ten, trust. she's got a new website a brewin' and if these peeks are any indication, it's gonna rule. i always forget to wear earrings but if i had these studs below, i'm pretty sure that wouldn't be a problem. hearts.