It's my party and I'll buy if I want to

here

Happy birthday to me!  As we speak, Colin is methodically icing my confetti cake--the only flavor cake I like--upon which we'll place 24 candles (23 plus 1 for good luck).  I've got two silver crowns ready at hand to wear as we sing happy birthday and celebrate another year older. 

Today's birthday outfit:

Best pants ever: American Apparel

Shirt: Thrifted

Button-up: Thrifted

Shoes: Bloomingdales (on sale for $36; get 'em while they're hot!)

Of course I've chosen my most coveted pants to wear on My Special Day.

Notice the wonderfully kitschy framed wolf embroidery photographed with my shoes.  I found this amazing work of art while thrifting and obviously had to buy it.  Along with the two ceramic duck head hooks below.  Soon our apartment will be bursting with odd trinkets that I'll have convinced myself I can't live without.  (These purchases, of course, were birthday gifts to me from me; happy birthday, Self!)

Wednesday Wants

1.  Cable

We just canceled our cable subscription so that we could spend our free time more productively, and to be honest, I'm having some serious withdrawal issues.  It feels like camping, but without the wilderness; all I do is play solitaire and read.  I just want to stare mindlessly at a television set for a while.

2.  A knit sweater

Preferably an oversized one, unless it's as cute as that one on the top left.

3.  A weekly (as opposed to monthly) subscription to Wired Magazine

Without Wired, I'd never know that stem cells are being used to make fake boobs, that a Google Earth-ish program exists that allows you to search through the brain structures in a mouse, or that quinine was added to heroin in the 1930s to curb a malaria outbreak at the time [it can still be found in cheap junk and is very toxic when injected so splurge the next time you decide to shoot up].

I. Must. Know. More.

4.  A never ending supply of daffodils

Colin's been on a daffodil kick the last couple of times he's come home with flowers for me, and I still want more.  It's miniature daffodils this week-- they are so incredibly adorable--but a few of the flowers have already shriveled up.  What's wrong with me?  Why can't I keep plants alive?  

[Admittedly, I've even killed a cactus]

5.  Purple lipstick

This was probably a recent trend that I missed out on, but it's hip to be behind the times, right?  Isn't that what the vintage craze is all about?  

We're halfway through another week.  Where does the time go?

The Regimen

My Essentials

(from right to left)

1. MAC's blacktrack fluidline eyeliner

accompanied by:

2. MAC's eyeliner brush #209

I wear this eyeliner all the time, as I'm sure you all have noticed.  A tutorial is still in the works to explain how I put it on, but it really just involves swiping it from the inner corners of the upper eyelids to the outer corners, diagonaling [real word?] upwards from the point at which the top and bottom eyelids meet.  

Okay, I think I just made that sound way more complicated than it is...  It does take practice, but it is very easy to do once you learn to keep your hand from shaking as you apply the liner.

3. Covergirl's lash blast volume in very black

My sister recently informed me that this brand of mascara is tested on animals, which I hate to condone, but the greatness that is this mascara makes it hard for me to switch until I've found an equally satisfying replacement.  Since using it, my eyelashes have definitely felt fuller and longer, which is saying something as I've found that most mascara brands tend to make my eyelashes look sparse and spidery (a lethal combination).

Case in point: 

   

My left eye is nothing special (may be on the verge of spidery, in fact), but take a look at those eyelashes on the right... mm, mmm!  All credit goes to the mascara.  

3. Dr. Hauschka's deodorant

I started using non-antiperspirant deodorant about a year ago, and found that a lot of the brands out there just added an additional herb-infused layer of scent to my already foul smelling odor.  This deodorant actually seems to work--even during the summer.  

4. Schwarzkopf OSiS dust it matifying powder

Song by Jefferson Airplane




5. 18-in-1 hemp peppermint pure-castille soap of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps

My older sister left us a bottle of this stuff when she visited us this past summer, and Colin and I can't get enough of it.  Kudos to Jess for getting Colin to wash his body in the shower now...

The guy who makes it is a loon (he refers to our planet as Spaceship Earth), but he definitely knows how to concoct a good soap.  It leaves a wonderfully tingly clean feeling (like Orbit gum, but for your body) and could lather for hours it seems.  If this is how loony feels, I don't want to be sane.

6. MAC's "darkside" lipstick

accompanied by:

7. Stila's lipstick brush

[It doesn't actually have to be a Stila brush--I just happened to find this one cheap at a Stila trunk show]

If I'm ever wearing lipstick, it's this one.  I love the way this shade of lipstick complements my pale face. It's bold, but it strays away from looking too gothic.  It's got a great 20s vibe.

  

8. Biosilk silk therapy

I add a dime size of this to my hair after blow drying to add instant shine and to keep fly-aways away.  It also works to rehydrate hair, which makes my hair happy too.  And it smells D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!


**I can't take... well... any of the credit for discovering these "essentials."  My older sister, who's much more adventurous when it comes to experimenting with new beauty products, introduced me to all of them.  Just one of the many benefits of having an older sister...

Feline Fanfare

I convinced Colin to go to the Food and Water Bowl with me yesterday, which supposedly is one of the largest cat shows in the nation.  We were promised Nonstop Action!, Agility!, and the chance to see up to 450 Exotic Cats!, which I knew wasn't exactly an accurate representation of the festivities, but I didn't tell Colin otherwise.   

My sisters and I loved to go to the cat shows with my parents when we were little (I remember fondly begging them to take us) for two reasons: (1) we got to encounter and pet the most unusual looking creatures I've ever seen, and (2) there was always a chance we'd manage to come home with one.  We successfully negotiated the purchase of two different show cats on two separate occasions in return for our hard labor--picking up the dog poo more regularly was a promise we'd often make during these transactions. [Bluh!]

Last year, probably to rekindle lost feelings of youth, my younger sister and I dragged my parents to a cat show where I fell in love with them for an entirely different reason: they were so wonderfully bizarre.  The pampered cats, their selfless owners and the seriousness of an otherwise silly tradition... I found it all to be so sad, so amusing, and so strangely endearing, a mixed drink of feelings that left me confused and exhilarated.  I wanted to share my cat show experiences with Colin, and was hopeful that he'd find them just as magnetic as I did.

One of my favorite things about the shows is the intricate decorations of the cats' cages.  I like to imagine the personalities the owners believe them to have. 

The Sassy Glamazon

The Spicy Eclectic 

The Sweet Georgia Peach

here

Now those are some unabashedly proud owners!

For your enjoyment, a couple scenes from the show:

(This cat's face is priceless)

Me, Me, ME... I'm seeing spots

Blouse: Thrifted

Trousers: Thrifted

Shoes:  Thrifted

I asked Colin if this post had too many Ellana's on it prior to publishing, and we concluded that it did, so I cut some pictures out.  (Narcissist is a word I hope to never be labeled) Hopefully you can still get a clear sense of the outfit without any close-ups.   

I hope you noticed the minor [really minor] changes to the blog.  With Krista's help, I was able to figure out how to widen the columns so now I can post HUGE photographs of myself because I. Love. Me.  Not really.  I just like big, clear photos.  I hope you'll agree.  

Last night I made an assortment of tapas for dinner: gazpacho shooters, endive leaves stuffed with goat cheese, candied walnuts, and orange slices, a spicy fruit salad, and grape leaves stuffed with raisins and spiced rice.  It was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!  I spent too much time making it all, but it was worth the lovely evening I shared with Colin.  I had planned to make a pear sidecar cocktail to drink with dinner, but it turns out pear brandy is a pretty hot commodity; I tried to find it at a bunch of liquor stores, but stopped searching after the third one.

Colin has started blasting Uffie, which, coincidentally, is my cue to get off the computer.  Someone's lookin' to go out tonight!

Wednesday Wants

I decided to devote Wednesdays to listing the things I'm currently wishing I owned because (1) it gives me an excuse to surf the Internet for forever without feeling totally useless (I can now call my addiction to pretend-shopping online "blog related") and (2) I've got enough cravings for stuff to make Wednesday Wants last a lifetime.

So, what is it I want now, you ask?

1.  Clogs

here

2.  A beret (preferably red)

Right: Tiny Toadstool Left: weheartit

3.  Cat eye glasses

here

These never seem to look good on me (my nose sticks out a little funny, so it's always especially hard finding sunglasses, especially ones that look good in this style).  I still try on a pair whenever I see them though.  One day, I'll find them.  One day...

  

4.  A dachshund

here, here and here

I know we just got Mabel and all, but I think our family wouldn't be truly complete without a wiener dog.  Adding a third dog to the mix won't be happening anytime soon (especially in such tight living quarters) but it's fun to pretend like it's feasible.

Here's to hoping Santa takes requests all year round.

Happy hump day,

Me

growingPAINS: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Barbie La

Trucker La

Angel La

Hippie La, or Hansen La

Pre-Flat irons La

My sister compiled these school photos as a high school graduation gift for me, which she strung along a piece of twine and hung above our kitchen table.  Usually they're hanging in my bedroom at my parents' house, but I thought you'd get a kick out of seeing them.  

Number four is my favorite.  

Be Mine (by watching this film!)

Hi All!  Sorry I've been absent from the blog for a while.  I've been frantically working hard to get New Year's Resolution Number Three out of the way; I may be newly employed soon!!  Please keep your fingers crossed for me...

Colin and I saw a wonderfully put together movie on Sunday that I'd somehow forgotten to tell you all about: Blue Valentine.  If you haven't heard of it before, it's about a couple who married at an early age whose relationship seems to be falling apart at the seams.  It sounds a little sad [it is], but it's so realistically heart-wrenching and entirely enthralling--a must see.  It elegantly contrasts the couple's current situation with scenes from when they first met, emotionally engaging the viewers like no other (so eloquently put, right?).

After seeing it, I just wanted to hug Colin as hard as I could.  (You'll see what I mean)

source

source

source

source

Did I mention that Noah's in it (and by Noah I mean Ryan Gosling)?  Mmm.

And Michelle Williams' style is to die for.

I hope I've sufficiently convinced you to shell out the $30 or so it costs nowadays to see a movie...

With love,

Me

PS-Mabes has gotten into the habit of pivoting in circles with her butt anchored to the floor recently.  Should I be concerned about this?  How about the odd behavior of thrashing her head around like she's trying to head-butt invisible flies?

Like a Box of Crayons

Colin and I took Mabes and Beels on a long walk along the bay, which we've been doing pretty regularly.  Mabel LOVES to frantically chase the waves as they crawl up the beach and scamper into the bay to chase the birds.  We were hoping we had tired her out after an hour of walking and sure enough she came home to "drumstick pass out" in her dog bed (when Mabey gets really tired she doesn't bother to tuck her back legs under her belly so they end up sticking straight out behind her like two little drumsticks--"drumstick pass out" is another Colin-coined phrase).

We are so fortunate to live among such beautiful scenery.  Here are another couple of photos of our walk to the bay that we'd taken over the weekend:

Ahh...

The ocean is so wonderfully serene.

Stills

Jeans: Gift from sister

Boots: Secondhand

Plaid button-down shirt: Inherited from grandfather

Cardigan: Thrifted

Pink velvet ribbon: Craft store

Scenes from our apartment.