stitchfix two - may 2014

on saturday morning, i found my second stitchfix box on my door step, and immediately busted it open to see what i received.   if you're unfamiliar with stitchfix, check out my post about my first one here.

my initial reaction was good. i had requested items with lots of color, and my stylist was definitely paying attention.   i also had requested dresses and a moto jacket, so i felt pretty pumped when i skimmed the product style cards that were included.

this is what came in the box, in order of appearance (below):

moon collection- steph sleeveless belted floral dress~$58

under skies- bria floral shift dress ~$48

evolution by cyrus- beyonce french terry asymmetrical jacket~$88

c. luce- mike floral print fit & flare dress ~$68

under skies-abbie pintuck button-back blouse ~$48

before trying on this dress, i thought maybe i could like it, despite the rather bohemian print.  it certainly wasn't something i would typically pick out, but i tried to be open minded.  however, once on, i felt chubby and unattractive.   although you can't see it in the picture, the back part of the dress was too loose and baggy.

i hated this under the skies dress at first sight.  while i am more than happy to wear a floral print, this one reminded me of an old lady's wallpaper, and looked something that my mother would wear.  i love my mother, but she's not the most stylish of ladies.  however, i dutifully tried on the dress, and my stylist was right about one thing-- it was a flattering cut, and fit quite perfectly.   bffbf actually quite liked it, but in the end i just couldn't get over how much i disliked the combination of the print and the cut of the dress together.

i really liked this jacket.  i am a huge fan of white and grey, especially together, and it fit well.  however, style-wise it was too sporty, and i was looking for something more feminine that i would actually wear frequently.

this mike floral dress was okay. the fit was about right, maybe only slightly too tight, and i liked the color.  but once again, the style was just off somehow... even though i realize that this floral print is somewhat similar to the print of the blouse from my first fix that i loved... yeah. i don't know what to tell you.  i just felt like this dress was either too old or too young for me-- i couldn't decide which.

the abbie blouse had potential.  i wasn't that big of a fan of the pleats + the lace cut out + the button back together (seemed too busy), but style wise it was acceptable.  i still wasn't over the moon for it though, and unfortunately it was just too loose and made me look too shapeless and chunky.   i may have kept it if it was a size smaller.

needless to say, i didn't keep anything in this stitchfix, and lost the $20 styling fee, although luckily i have a couple referral credits.  i am pretty sure i'll try the service again, maybe in july or august, and see what happens!  overall it was still fun to get the fix, even if it was disappointing that i didn't end up keeping any of it.  fingers crossed for next time!!

a little hut paper quilt collection

while searching for more items that my silhouette could cut, i stumbled across this set of boxes/ paper wall art from a little hut.  several of these fit in nicely with my style preferences, and a few of them even resemble some of my own designs (particularly the second one down on the right).

i purchased her paper quilt collection (a file set of nine), and spent an afternoon cutting, scoring, and taping before putting them above the mantle. the silhouette is actually pretty slow! 

i didn't realize what a pain accurately spacing them out would be.

despite my best efforts, they still appear a little askew-- partially because of the slight curving on the sides of the "boxes".  i decided i don't care.

overall, i'm pleased with the look, and since they were so inexpensive to make, i can always change them out for something else later or make some alterations as i see fit. i'm already contemplating removing my least favorite ones! 

they can also be used as gift or storage boxes, so it's likely i will cut more in the future for those purposes.  

my very first stitchfix: february 2014

first naturebox, now stitchfix-- i'm just trying all kinds of things aren't i?
i first heard of stitchfix a couple months ago, and since i've been grumbling for years that i need a personal stylist, i decided it was a service i should try.

to provide a brief overview, stitchfix is a personal styling service. you fill out a detailed profile online, they send you a box of five items to try on, you pick what you want to keep, send back what you want in a prepaid envelope.  you're charged a $20 styling fee for each box, but that's put toward anything you buy.  if you buy everything in the box, you get a 25% discount (you see how they get you?).  

i initially wanted to receive a box in january, but the first available date i could choose for my shipment was in february -- it seems they've been overwhelmingly popular lately!

i inadvertently "cheated" and saw the list of what i was receiving by logging into my account before i actually received the package... and then once i saw what i was getting, i started a mad hunt across google trying to find images of my items.  i know. i know.  i shouldn't have done that.

i was immediately concerned about the prices (see below) and the fact that i was receiving two pairs of pants. i had requested a pair of skinnies but i was also hoping for a dress.  anyway, i could only find images of 2 out of the 5 items online , and i was still bouncing with excitement when my package arrived.

the clothes come tissue wrapped with a personal note and style cards that give you an idea of what you can wear the pieces with.

this is what came in my box:
sweet rain isaac floral print tab-sleeve blouse - $48
carlsbad lace detailed sleeveless blouse - $58
dear john kelli slim bootcut jean - $68
kut from the kloth danny (jennifer?) 5-pocket knit pants - $78
zad kayla metal teardrop earrings - $32

the sweet rain isaac floral print tab-sleeve blouse was one of the items i managed to find an image of online, and i knew already that i was going to love it.

heart brownie roll-out cookies

as i was prepping the dough for smitten kitchen's brownie roll out cookies (you see, i was determined to make more heart shaped things for valentine's day), i reflected over my aforementioned affection for the holiday.

to be clear, thanksgiving and christmas are on top of my favorite holidays list, but i suppose you could say that valentine's day is third (or dead last considering i couldn't care less about all the other ones.  i think... mainly because none of them are 'pretty'.).

yes, it's true that i have been in a relationship for every valentine's day since 1999, but i really do mean it when i say that has nothing to do with it!  i have never had one of those swoon-worthy, over the top romantic valentine's day, and nor do i particularly want or expect them.  rather, i look to anniversaries for those moments, because those clearly have more meaning.

my fondness for this day primarily stems from childhood-- i have strong memories of decorating treat bags and eating cupcakes from PTO moms at valentine's parties at school.  every year, i went to the store with my mom and carefully picked out the cards i'd be distributing.  i remember many of them, my card selections ranged from strawberry shortcake, bears in sweaters holding a corresponding colored crayon, and cartoony dinosaurs.  this may be why, as an adult, i've tried to mimic these childish joys at the work place.  so, i printed out these free cards to pass out with these cookies. and because ilikethemSOmuch, i left a slew of them around the apartment for bffbf to find. 

these are the simplest roll out cookies i have ever made. generally speaking, i avoid cut-out cookies because typically i find the dough unwieldy even after refrigerating, and once baked, they tend to be hard and sandy, and i prefer soft and chewy.   instead, these have a semi-soft texture when you bite into them, and are quite tasty.  as you can see, i popped in some color by adding large heart sprinkles that i impulsively purchased during a recent grocery run.

i don't normally buy sprinkles. or eat them.  turns out they're disgusting.

disgusting but cute.

happy valentine's day!

naturebox [stay away from the chickpeas]

i stumbled across a groupon for naturebox a couple weeks back, and thought it'd be fun to give it a try.  the deal was $35 for a 3 month subscription, each box containing five snacks of my choosing.  pretty reasonable as it works out to less than $2.50 a bag.

the box came surprisingly quickly--  based on my account information, i thought it would be well over a month before we received our first shipment, but it turned out to be more like a week.  i was pretty excited when i saw it sitting on my doorstep.

for our first shipment, i chose the following:

flax fortune coins

chili lime pistachios

baked sweet potato fries

praline pumpkin seeds

citrus chipotle chickpeas 

but wait...  when i opened the box, i found that the praline pumpkin seeds had been replaced by oat bran dippin' stix because they were out of stock.  this put a frown on my face since i would have preferred to have been notified so i could make another choice!

i was the most excited about the citrus chipotle chickpeas, which i tried immediately...  and i found myself frowning again because they were the chalky and so NOT good.  

DID I MAKE A MISTAKE? was this going to be a box full of yucky snacks?!

luckily, within two days i had opened every package to do taste tests (i could barely exercise more patience than that) and happily discovered that i liked ALL the other ones, particularly the oat bran dippin' stix, so naturebox gets a pass for throwing that in the box in lieu of the praline pumpkin seeds (that i have requested for box two).   bffbf isn't a fan of the flax fortune coins, but i definitely am.   if given a redo, i would order any of the others again with the exception of the chickpeas.

generally speaking i'm pretty happy with this shipment.  it's always fun receiving packages and in this case, trying new things.   it's particularly nice for me to have small-ish sized snack bags in the apartment, as i'm not a particularly huge snacker-  often snacks go bad before i have a chance to polish them off, unless i have the help of bffbf (in which case they'll disappear in a matter of minutes).   i am confident that we'll be able to finish most of box one by the time we receive box two.   i also value that they're 'healthy', and i've enjoyed how they've added some variety in our work lunches.

i'm definitely looking forward to our next shipment. have you tried any routine delivery subscription services like naturebox before?

2014.

twenty-two hours into 2014 and we were met with a downpour of bad luck.  flight cancellations, delays, lost baggage, car problems, and bad colds have left me so grumpy most days that it's hard to remember what a pleasant holiday season i had.   

it was nearly two weeks of great times with delicious food, family + friends in texas and in new york.  

and... look what i got for christmas. 

hooray!

oh christmas tree

over a week after thanksgiving, and i still haven't fully recovered from all the fooding.  oddly, i was more conservative in my pigging out than usual, but i still feel as if i've accumulated an extra layer of fat that i'm not entirely sure i'll be able to shed!

we hosted thanksgiving this year, and it began days earlier with a beautiful brine and ended with a heavy chocolate peanut butter tart.  

because we were a bit too eager to get the christmas season started, we jumped the gun this year and wound up decorating for christmas the weekend before thanksgiving... even though i've previously sworn i'd never do that.  judge me if you will.

we found this fun little pop up tree from target that took less than five minutes to assemble.

whimsical and fun, it fits nicely in our living room next to the fireplace that we've chosen to block with a tv.  i dislike fireplaces. like a lot. judge me if you will (again).

with the addition of a poinsettia and white lights bordering the room,  it may be slightly untraditional but still quite festive!

how are you planning on decorating for christmas this year?

gala chicken, zion market

mmm... fried chicken.  

oddly located inside the new zion market (here in san diego) by the produce section-- and i do mean INSIDE the market, and not in the food court -- are a few unassuming looking food stands, one which is called gala chicken.  

the chicken is fried to order and comes in three flavors: sweet soy, crispy, gala spicy.  it takes about fifteen minutes, but boy... totally worth it.

customers can sit in chairs lined up at the bar while they wait.

bffbf and i have only tried the spicy chicken, and it's fantastic.  the sauce is quite spicy with a well-balanced sweetness to it, and the chicken is fried to perfection.  i believe the order below was 8 or 9 dollars, and comes with a little container of pickled daikon.  while the price may seem a bit steep, especially considering your back is facing the produce section while you eat, i promise you, IT'S WORTH IT.   

i realize that i already said that in the previous paragraph.  i get repetitive when i'm excited.  also, my stomach is growling like crazy right now just thinking about this.  

gala chicken (inside zion market)
7655 clairemont mesa blvd
san diego, ca 92111
open 11:30am - 3:30pm

tj's pumpkin

no matter where i have lived, fall has always been my favorite season.  i love the crisp scent of autumn, which i firmly believe i can smell even in the virtually season-less region of socal.   it marks the beginning of the holiday season, and the appearance of bin after bin of numerous squash varieties makes me dizzy with excitement.    

the other day i found myself in trader joe's, on the hunt for their pumpkin icecream.  by the time i made it to the check-out counter, i was clutching a couple cans of pumpkin, pumpkin chai latte mix, and pumpkin icecream.  i give the cashier a lot of credit for not making fun of me.   

promptly after i got home, i was shoving spoonfuls of pumpkin icecream into my mouth, and tried the pumpkin chai latte the following morning.  while i highly recommend tj's pumpkin icecream, i found the pumpkin chai latte mix a huge disappointment.  even overly diluted, we both found the drink coyingly sweet. within two days, i also made pumpkin bars, and bffbf made pumpkin pull apart bread, recipe courtesy of kirbiecravings. and then.. i made a pumpkin pasta bake.

today, bffbf requested that we move on to other seasonal squash for a while.   i guess that's fair. butternut? acorn? kabocha?
do you have a favorite squash?      

almost there

the walls in the bedroom, living room, and kitchen are painted.  the red concrete bedroom floor mopped no less than five times and covered with flor tiles.  the master closet carpet deep cleaned.    

we've moved the placement of the couch three or four times and moved the chaise from the left side to the right side.  we've gone back and forth on whether to keep the dining table fully or partially expanded.  

we are 99% unpacked and 99% furnished.  i suppose you can say we ran out of steam for the last 1%.  the likelihood that we will be at 100% by the time we move out is 99%.  

as we found ourselves close to being completely furnished, we found ourselves in danger of cluttering our rather spacious apartment.   we still wanted an end table and we needed more than two dining chairs.  due to our set up, there isn't a great deal of space for a end table, so we searched, with only mild gusto, for a c-table.

most tables we found were the wrong price point, poor quality, or wrong height.  i was about to lose interest in the idea when my friend k- mentioned her stepmother had recently purchased one at world cost market for a very reasonable price, with a solid wood table top and wrought iron legs.  at the time it was even on sale for $59.99, and i also happened to have a 10 dollar off coupon i received in the mail.  we were sold.  it works perfectly in our space.  

thinking of you easel card

nothing like a handmade card to make your day brighter.   i just received this card out of the blue from a dear, personal friend back in texas- thescrappybug on etsy.

i feel so special.

i am always so impressed with her paper craftiness.

i wasn't smart enough to figure out on my own that it was an easel card.  

it's the little things in life.  really.

buy a narwhal + unicorn shirt

my friend tree saw my last post and shared with me this T that she received at a party (i think)... screen-printed... at the party... sounds far fancier than any party i ever go to.

it's pretty funny and cute, so i thought i'd share it with you too.  in case you want to buy one.  they donate gross proceeds to a non-profit supporting domestic violence survivors, so if you get one, you can also give yourself an extra pat on the back for contributing to such a worthy cause.


monkeyandseal.com

baby a's nursery

surprise!  i'm going to be a mommy.

just kidding.

JUST KIDDING.... and i realize that wasn't funny at all.

the truth is my friend a- recently had a baby we'll call baby a-, and today i'm going to share with you her amazing nursery.

kiwi? berry?

have you ever seen these before?

have you ever tasted one? 

have you ever tasted one??

my mom is forever introducing me to new foods, and this has been the latest treat:  KIWI BERRIES.  apparently you can get them at sam's wholesale club.  they are grape-sized but taste exactly like kiwis.

delicious.

crate and barrel marimekko store

crate and barrel has had a long partnership with marimekko, and every season i peruse their current line being produced just for cb clientele.  last year i heard that they were planning on opening cb marimekko STORES in select cities, one being new york (of course).  i immediately put it on my wish list of places to visit.

i finally made my way to new york recently (and really, what took me so long? it's only about 4 hours away, and if you're really really lucky you can get a $2 round trip bus ticket) and one afternoon, while wandering around soho, i found myself standing right in front of crate and barrel with marimekko plastered all over the windows. by found, i mean gps-ed my way there intentionally.

was i excited? you bet i was. walking inside, i realized that the marimekko store was within the crate and barrel store, and was very much like the individual stores you'd find in finland.

so bright and colorful. 

little did i know then, they also opened a cb marimekko store in boston, so i did not have to wait until new york.  oh well.

611 Broadway
New York, NY 10012

212.780.0004

la provence macarons

it's been a great two weeks.  i've been on the road again, and then immediately afterward had friends visiting us from LA.  

and they brought us this!

a box full of GIANT macarons. i have never encountered macarons so large.    and yes, i ate some for breakfast.  go ahead, judge me.  i don't care.

these have a nice texture and flavor and aren't too sweet.    thank you so much, laura & tim! my taste buds applaud you. 

la provence patisserie & cafe
brentwood gardens
11677 san vicente blvd
los angeles, ca 90049
310.442.1144

or

beverly hills plaza
8950 west olympics blvd.
beverly hills, ca 90211
310.88.8833

laprovencecafe.com

on travel, airports, and ICN

be warned. this blog will have a grand total of zero photos.
zero. none. ZILCH.

i mean it.

i remember in the early 2000s when people wrote blogs mainly for their friends and families. i had such a blog, and i often wrote about mundane daily things, so ordinary i won't even bore you by listing them here now. these blogs rarely ever contained photos. flash forward a decade, and you find millions of blogs written for strangers, chock-full of images.

not only do i revert to an image-less entry, but i also digress....

because this is not today's topic.

today i want to talk about airports. if you haven't noticed by now, i love to travel. i travel at every chance i can (reasonably) get, and when i was still working, strategically mapping out the use of my generous vacation allowance was one of my favorite games. but like many other travelers, the love of travel is often tainted by airports and airport security. i dread the security line like you might dread kissing your aunt mildred- you think it's really gross, but it just can't be avoided.

don't get me wrong. i have no issues with the idea of my luggage being scanned (my body, though, is a different story). i get it, there are lots of crazy people in the world, some precautions have to be made. however, every time i go through one of these lines, i am disgusted by how unsanitary everything is.

first, i have to take off my shoes for flights to and from the USA, and walk on a dirty floor. gross. then, i have to put my shoes in a bin. a bin that people also put their laptops, jackets, and other personal items. which means... my personal items are going to bins where other people's dirty shoes have been. and i have no idea where their bacteria infested shoes have walked. my thoughts are consumed with this every time i go into one of these security lines... and once i am through, all i want to do is to disinfect everything that has touched one of these bins.

do you feel my pain?

i was mulling over this as i was preparing to go through the line at seoul, korea's ICN airport, when i noticed that they had two types of bins. shoe bins and everything else bins. i perked up. then i noticed a large, boxy, refrigerator-like container with transparent doors, with a sign that said "shoe disinfection" (or something like that). now i started to get excited. i took a closer look, and inside were rows of slippers. i looked again at the shoe bins sitting out. every bin had a pair of disinfected slippers for passengers to put on while they put their street shoes in the bin.

total love.

i believe this is the first airport i have ever flown through with such a smart, sanitary system. have you ever encountered such airport brilliance?

happy easter

my in-laws sent us a care package full of finnish goodies, including this:

it's an egg. 

right?

or... is it?

i grew fungus.

from a box. ON PURPOSE. the soil is made from used coffee grounds. it was SO MUCH FUN. and delicious.

the guys that came up with this idea are geniuses. if you love the idea of growing your own mushrooms (and then devouring them) like i do, you should order a box, pronto.

reasons to love this kit, aside from those already mentioned above:

moo

today i have a show and tell.

moo.com was having a sale the other week, so i ordered a set of mini moo cards and also ordered a set of cards for the heck of it.

i wasn't completely sold on the idea of mini moo cards when i first heard about them, but now i am totally on board. so small and cute! i uploaded four of my designs. i love the itty bitty box they come in.

with the greeting card pack i played with a couple of photos i took: icelandic horses, and my photos of a play-doh penguin that has sadly dried and is slowly falling apart. for some reason, i can't bear to throw him out. i'm going to have to reshoot the penguin pictures (light poorly diffused), but i like the concept.

 the card in the back says "having a bad day? i know how you feel. i used to be a penguin".