respectively...

never made it as a wise man, i couldn't cut is a poor man stealing, tired of living like a blind man...wait (!!!!) yes, yes these are nickleback lyrics. if out of sheer revulsion you want to close this browser window and never again come back, i understand...BUT i promise there is a relevant segue here. see first image below: the sketcher wedge sneaker. now, if those don't go hand in hand with nickleback then i am not sure what does. throw in a scrunchy and some 1994 lee jeans and you are basically the target audience for said band. now, if i recall correctly, these babies (sneakers, not band) were all the rage - you mean it's a tennis shoe and it has a platform too?!?!?!?!

hop, skip, jump, run to now and holy shit what do i see, but the explosion of the wedge sneaker, excuse me, trainer (because we all take trainers a little more seriously than sneakers). the first pair i saw were of course, the isabel marrant edition that seems to pop up on every style sighting page as well as a number of lovely bloggers. and yeah, they are a FAR, far cry from anything with branded with that iconic "s" on the side. however, i can't help the small part of me that wonders if i can a) still purchase scrunchies and if so, can they come in denim with sequins, or b) should i possibly put on nelly's country grammar album and some hot shorts (because in my mind, i get these two parallel, musically inspired images when i see heeled trainers). 

 someone stop the rambling now...but still, i want, i want, i want. call it consumeritis or call it the desire to be able to look back in ten years and say, holy hell! gotye really was a great singer! of course, i could just go with the classic vans sans heel... weigh in people.

respectively: sketchers (shudder), ash, isabel marant (of course), vans, asos x3, vans

lovin'

this edition of lovin' brought to you by an explosion of all things girl. except maybe the first one...but then again, i don't know many of the men-folk species who collect vintage matchbooks inside of delicate china tea cups...so let's just stick with the first sentiment then shall we?
as i was saying, girl - accessories, nails, magazines, shoes and more shoes. just a little collection of some things that have been putting a smile on my face and making flashy appearances during my outings.

 

vintage matches from tomboy and thrifted tea cup, finally found a new daily bag - r +j, nine west sandals, recent copies of guilty pleasure, summer colors from essie and uo, delicate copper and gem rings from stripe and ta-da my new asos booties!

urges

an uneasiness settles over you. its starts at the base of your spine and works its way upward and forward, through your gut and into the bottom of your rib cage until it tightens around your lungs like a vice. panic is imminent and you know that at any moment you will lose all control and the monster that hides itself away in the classic dr. jekyll and mr hyde duo is going to be unleashed at the expense of those you love most. 

you. need. chocolate.

oh...this doesn't happen to you? really? really?!?

i don't believe you. only because i am basing this off of the fact that this occurs weekly for me and then it is: why don't we put chocolate bars on the grocery list? want to go get ice cream? e, can you run down to the corner store and grab me a three musketeers? i'm not kidding. toblerone is a sacred word to me (and the instant pick-me-up as my best friend b knows). 

anyway, last week when this overwhelming urge hit at 9:30 on a monday night, i instantly googled. yep, googled for my life (the need for chocolate also makes me overly dramatic). and much to my surprise, i had all the necessaries for chocolate cake from scratch. let me tell you people, happiness is discovering that you can make your own damn cake and eat it too, whenever you damn well please.

 

i meant to take more photos of the process of the making of the cake...but seeing as i felt and resembled ewan mcgregor in trainspotting only on a chocolate binge rather than any of those other abusive substances (toilet scene anyone) i opted out. i also made the very poor decision of sending half the cake with e to work. instant remorse. 

now for the recipe should any of you find yourself in said predicament:

CAKE

3 cups all-purpose flour 

2 cups sugar 

1/2 cup baking cocoa (original recipe calls for 1/3 but i altered to my own taste) 

2 teaspoons baking soda 

1 teaspoon salt 

2 cups water 

3/4 cup vegetable oil 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

2 teaspoons white vinegar

FROSTING (this is the real kicker! i had mostly run out of cocoa at this point but alas, still had hot chocolate mix)

1/2 cup Hot Cocoa Mix
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pound powdered sugar

i also added about 2 tbsp of baking cocoa for a more bitter taste and a little more vanilla to taste.

90's and summer school

my high school boasted 850 students at best. my graduating class was the smallest portion of those students. so it blows my mind when i find high schools that more resemble state capital buildings than anything i spent four years.

reaching back further, and being a true child of the 90's, teenage mutant ninja turtles, lisa frank, and the chicago bulls and michael jordan championships... this outfit takes me right back to those nineties. i never thought i would say a flashback of this sort was a good thing...but gimme a ripped denim vest and low heeled sandals anytime and i'm happy.

diy denim vest, uo jeans and glasses, nine west sandals, thrifted ellen tracy top

dappled sunlight

some things beg the question as to whether we really ever grow up. maybe just parts of us do. i like to think (hope) that whatever part of my childhood imagination that found delight in the simplicity of dappled sunlight through tall trees on warm days still exists and i guess every now and again, i need a reminder of such. nothing about a quick drive into the redwoods falls short of that reminder. the quiet of places like this never fails to reduce my existence to a fragment much like that of dust caught in a sunbeam...i consider this realization a blessing and a welcomed insight in an otherwise chaotic world.

 

 

queen

apparently there is something rather fascinating on the front porch of my parent's house as i can't seem to take my eyes from it in nearly all of these photos. however, that is neither here nor there and what i really want to talk about is this amazing queen tour shirt. as a child my dad instated what he called music appreciation night and queen was part of the rotation. thus the band has been a long-time favorite and i always turn it up when they come on my ipod.

 

vintage band tee, thrifted loft jeans, tjmaxx sweater, aldo sandals,  waxing poetic and f21 necklace, vintage and usual rings, essie play date and mojito madness, target watch

eat your heart out

it's been forever and a day since i did a food post and nothing pulls out the domestic baker in me like independence day.......huh? okay not so much but i have been craving delicious baked goods like it's my job and the idea of an apple cobbler not only strikes my fancy in that regard, but it's also just so damn american that how could i not?

Recipe:

Filling...

4 large apples

1 bag frozen raspberries (or 2 baskets fresh)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup water 

mix all together in a bowl and pout into a buttered baking dish. crumble 1 tbsp butter across the top

Topping...

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp butter softened

1 egg slightly beaten

mix together and distribute in 9 even batches across the top of the filling

 

bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes until topping is golden brown and apples are tender

easy.

these days it's all about easy, easy, easy. i don't seem to want to wear anything that is too tight in the least and more often than not, i reach for some sort of cut-offs and tank combo. lucky for me, but probably not so lucky for my bank account (here's hoping will-power pulls through), there is a wonderful new little store near my new casa called tomboy. it is the perfect mix of vintage and modern, filled with laid back tops that feel like they have already been worn by someone for 20 years and now just happen to pass into your own hands. this bandit brand tank is just one of the many brands they have in the store and i'm hoping to get my hands on a few more. in a last ditch attempt to make the tank-shorts combo a tad more interesting i pulled out this handy favorite red blazer. for sc days that are filled with breezes and (brief) fog lines, it goes a long way towards comfort.

 

 

vintage blazer, bandit brand tank, diy cut-offs, aldo sandals, vintage bracelets and rings and locally made earrings.