Beauty and the Bed

{Belle from Beauty and the Beast because I can't say the title of my post without singing the theme song}

Lately, my schedule has been hectic, crazed, and even a little bit insane. I grab moments to relax here and there and look for beauty whenever I can but despite my efforts, I can often feel the wheels of my brain spinning like crazy. I can't shut it down, even as I lay in the dark, feeling each ticking moment of the night slipping away. After experiencing a few nights of this nature, I thought today would be a good a time to separate some of the truths from the myths about sleep. 

My Friday

Salisbury Cathedral

Sometimes, getting to do something simply for the pure joy of doing it is put off when you have a family and responsibilities outside yourself. Friday, I got to do something that could almost be called "just for me". I wasn't alone but to my pleasant surprise, I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it. My macabre kids got a thrill out of all the "dead people" they were walking on as we surveyed the names of those who'd passed on the floors. With so much to admire inside, it was easy to get carried away and miss some of the amazing details on the outside.

When Good Girls Go Bad...

Lindsay Lohan through the years{images: google images}

An uncharacteristically deep post. I never like doing them because they make me all squirmy. Being deep means being vulnerable when normally, I like using satire and irreverence to both entertain my audience and keep myself protected. However, I think it's always important to keep my blog in line with how I feel. I'm setting the sarcasm aside today because something has really been bugging me. 

Thrift Store Score

When I'm on the hunt for a thrift store score, I've usually got my nose buried deep in the racks of clothes. This time though, this small clock caught my eye. Moving has given me a chance to redecorate and this clock matches a small heart shaped pewter box my grandmother gave me a long time ago. 

Cupcake Mania

Cupcake Ghosts in a Can

Trying out different treats for a little ones birthday party for the weekend, can be quite the experience. I learned what "caster" sugar is and "icing" sugar as well. I'm sure that will come in handy when I go to make banana bread again. Perhaps someday, that knowledge might even save a life.

Iconic

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Ugh! The humiliation I will endure for the sake of my blog. I really hope you guys appreciate it. Today's not so fashionable confession: I was a teenage theater geek.

Getting my Martha Groove on...

Have I ever mentioned that there is a question as to whether or not I'm schizophrenic? No? Well, OK. I'm not truly schizophrenic but sometimes I do wonder. I think there's this shard of Martha Stewart that got lodged into my brain somehow and given the right circumstances, she finds a way to hijack the rest of me from time to time. Thanks to the food centric posts of Amelia Pontes with her bacon and egg creations and BlackBlondeOne with her pumpkin double-layer cheesecake, (I mean seriously people - pumpkin double-layer cheesecake!!!) this weekend became one of those times. 

Creatures of Comfort

Left: Louis Vuitton 2012 Resort; Right: Celine 2012 Resort

{images: Style.com}

Being ill is one of the most unglamorous, unpleasant ways to spend my time. I find it's not just a physical state of being but a mad mental experiment as well. I don't know about you, but I become one of the meanest babies on the planet when my nose is raw from tissue burn, my chest is sore from spasmodic coughing fits, and my skin feels like I have been set on fire. At these points, I seek comfort any way I can get it.

Faux sure...

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I've never been big on fur in my wardrobe. In fact, I haven't owned any since I was about 14 and I outgrew that rabbit fur coat that my Grandmother gave me. However, this past series of fashion weeks around the globe and some stellar spreads in some of the fashion mags have really got the little cogs in my head spinning.

Buyer Beware

It's confession time once again here on my blog. Everyone, my name is Rachel and I, am a Mary Jane addict. Addiction is no light matter. And while my addiction might not be life threatening, (unless you consider my wallet or bank account "alive"), it is a problem that I've just identified for myself.

Dream interrupted...

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I had the weirdest dream last night! I was in Seattle and was leaving on a flight later in the day but first, I had to finish my mission. You see, in this dream, I was invited to a "Lanvin" store opening. (As if!) I'm going through all kinds of obstacles in pursuit of my goal of getting to this store opening, including riding a motorcycle (which I haven't a clue how to do), navigating the most hideous Seattle traffic jams (which is pretty much par for the course if you know anything about Seattle and it's traffic), and falling off unfinished sections of highway ramps only to be saved by another biker and his wife who shoved an extra large garment bin underneath me in time to catch me.

It's all her fault!

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Yesterday, I was minding my own business, surfing the web when I stumbled across this Jewelry designer, Sandra Sutherlin, by accident. She hit some really great notes for me with her designs. I have a soft spot for dark, romantic, steam punk, whimsical, and vintage pieces. Click through the images above if you'd like to see more of her designs or visit her Etsy shop.

When two worlds collide...

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Apparently I've been living in a cave while the rest of the world merged two of my great loves in life. Glamour and camping. And waa laa, the greatness of "Glamping" was born. At least, I've now caught up with everyone else who was already in the know about this fabulocity (not a real word? Meh. Don't care.) Click through the images above to see a very small collection of resorts that offer the Glamping experience.
More info can be found about these fabulous places here, here, and here.

How about you. Did you already know about Glamping? Are you curious to see more about these resorts or to find one near you?

xoxo

An Angel with a Pistol

{photo: Slate.com}

Fashion is art to me and art has so many components to it. I somehow stumbled upon this article about a young girl accidentally gunned down by the Mafia in her area. This image is on a wall not very far from where she died. I found it moving and beautiful so I'm sharing it with you. If you wish to read more, please click here.

Kate for Rimmel

Maybe you've heard by now, Kate Moss has designed a new line for Rimmel. It's supposed to have some fantastic reflective elements that will hopefully make you look just like Kate! (Just kidding. No claims are being made by them to help you look just like Kate Moss.) In this photo she's wearing Shade 001 which I think is a really classic fire engine red. Great for those moments when you need some real Va-va-voom! There are 7 shades to choose from. Are you going to try one? And just out of curiosity, does having a celebrity behind a product make you more or less likely to try it?

xoxo

A Fashion WTF Moment...

{Photo: Miller Park Zoo}

Every now and then I come across some fashion items that make me do a double take and then ask "Wtf?" The necklace above is kind of cute - but then I found out, it's actually made, from Reindeer poop. 

"The dung is dehydrated, sterilized and sprayed with glitter and then sold as “Magical Reindeer Gems.”  According to The Mother Nature Network, in 2009, the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Ill., made nearly $21,000 selling this reindeer poop jewelry. 

{Photo: Andrew Schneider}

Would your nice long days at the beach be totally ruined if your iPod lost charge? Never fear! Andrew Schneider designed the perfect bikini swimwear with photovoltaic film panels and a USB connection so you never have to worry about being tuneless again. 

{Photo: rpencore.com}

Do you find yourself in need of a rat coin purse or pigeon feather necklace? Check out Reid Peppard, a vegetarian and designer from London who didn't want the bodies of animals to go to waste. 

For more unusual fashion designs taking eco-green designing to new levels, check out The Mother Nature Network. As for me, these styles take things just a little too far. ;)

xoxo

Hairtastrophe

Remember when Vanessa Hudgens cut off all her hair for a movie role earlier this year? I personally, thought it was a disaster. Her cute young little round face was suddenly aged straight into middle aged motherhood.