Happiness Sounds

Let There Be Plants

This is Peter, my shamrock plant. I pretty much like to play God with Peter- that is, letting him suffer on the verge of expiration and then nurturing him back to a flourishing life. Here he is during a particularly successful revival.

I'm never really been a houseplant gal but my boss gave him to me and said I couldn't kill him. She was right.

 

Fabulously Cheap: Accessories

I'll be completely honest, I spend a significant portion of my day-dreaming about sitting by a fireplace in a cashmere sweater, toasting champagne in a Herve Leger at my engagement party, drinking lattes with a Birkin bag resting casually beside my crossed, dainty ankles (you're getting the fantasy montage here right...?) I'm always a size 4 in these daydreams too so I hope that gets the point across that these images are a complete fabrication of my psyche- things that just simply won't ever occur. Except maybe the cashmere. I don't think it's too much to ask that I have one item of cashmere in my life.

The point is that a county bumpkin like me just isn't going to have the cash flow or the lifestyle to ever make those big ticket purchases a reality. The fact is that if I ever have the cash flow to buy a Birkin, I'll probably also have a six year old whose snot I don't really want to wipe on my $30,000 bag. Besides that, I'm 23, living in the butt crack of the Midwest, and only 1 in 25 people who I meet would know what a Birkin was without a Google search, followed by a Wikipedia article.

I won't, however, stop my search, nay, my quest, to get a little bit of fabulous right here, right now. The perfect compromise? Accessories. Every big boy designer purchase has a little baby brother for a more affordable price and if not, then a first cousin will suit as a resonable knock-off. (Does that even make sense? Go cheap, is what I'm saying.)

I know what you really want is this delightful little Coach bag here:

But honey, I'm saving for a wedding. That $400 is spoken for! This satchel from Payless, will only set you back $26:

Slap this gorgeous Coach scarf on the handle and bam! You are looking luxe for less.

I think you see where I'm going with this. I just really love that you can spend a fourth of what you might have otherwise, and still have something really glamorous, super fun, while staying absolutely in budget. Here are some of my favorite accessory-picks, all clocking in under $150:

Leather Cashmere-Lined Gloves from Coach, $98:

Leather Wallet from Coach, $138:

Chevron Wristlet from Coach, $118: 

High 5 Mittens from Kate Spade, $65:
 

Metallic Ear Warmer from Kate Spade, $85:

Black Leggings from Kate Spade, $48:

Paperclip Notes Gift Set from Kate Spade, $35:

Silk Square Scarf from LL Bean Signature, $39:

Sport Wool Bag from LL Bean Signature, $95:

Skinny Braided Belt from LL Bean Signature, $39

Ballet Slipper from LL Bean Signature, $79 (on sale):

Handbag from J.Crew Factory, $150 (on sale):

Aviator Sunglasses from J.Crew Factory, $20:

Enamled Bangle from J. Crew, $20:

Signet Ring from J. Crew, $25:

Vintage Pajama Sleep Set from J. Crew, $78:

To my mind, you can pretty much shop exclusively at Target (and I know plenty of fabulous people that do!), sprinkle in a generous helping of deluxe accessories, and you're not only faking it... you're making, it baby!

GaGa Honey, Sit! Eat!

Source

How telling is it that the first reaction I had to this illustrations was "GaGa looks too thin." 

Our Differences Will Bring Us Together

Do you ever wonder if your personal habits are vastly different than those around you? Like you've been doing something one way your entire life before you saw someone do it differently and thought, "What the HELL! That's not right!"

Before I started dating Brett, I always buttered both sides of the bread whenever I made grilled cheese. I saw him make it once and he only buttered the outside and it was literally not until that moment that I realized how unnecessary it was for me to butter the inside of the sandwich. I've since ceased and desisted.

I also put the syrup in the refridgerator until Brett pointed out that his family did not do that and it made much more sense to enjoy syrup from the cabinet at room tempurature rather than icy cold from the fridge.

But those things are easy. They're clearly habits that we pick up from our parents and families and only when we live in close quarters with another person is there ever any light shed on how weird they might be.

What about more private habits, things that no one else ever sees you do? For example, I wonder if I use signficantly more or less toilet paper in a sitting than the average person. Is it normal that when I shave my legs I always go in the order: calves, thighs, toes, feet? Did I transition from sugared to black coffee at a regular pace or did my laziness advance me to bitter coffee at an earlier age? No one ever told me how to do these things explicitly, though to be honest I feel like I missed some very crucial information as I matured from child to teen to young adult (who dropped the liquid eyeliner ball, I'd like to know.) These are the things that keep me up at night, or rather, the things I think about in the bathroom at work.

This has been a serious post.

Mate Lipstick is Chic, Not Cheap

Product I'd Recommend:

My Favorite Lipstick right now is Revlon's Super Lustrous Matte Lipstick in Pink Pout.

My absolute favorite thing about it, other than the color, and other than the fact that you can buy it for cheap anywhere, is that you can apply it in the car, with your eyes closed, after a margarita (or three.) It's so user friendly. I think matte lipsticks are just like that. Super wearable. The website describes it as creamy and I'd say that's pretty accurate. Not creamy like gravy though. Creamy like... cheesecake filling. It's also this Barbie pink color, so it's insta-glam for any outfit without being too vampy. And when you've got braces, vampy is a real no-go. Don't skip on the chapstick though- if your lips are chapped it doesn't look great. I'd recommend coating your lips with vaseline (or Aquaphor, which I'm addicted to) and then lightly scrubbing it off with a warm, damp washcloth. Wah-la! Beautiful, soft lips. Also- keep it in your pocket for reapplication. It's not the most stay-proof.
Here's a photo of what it looks like on-

Find the review here

Those aren't my lips by the way. I keep my moustache a lot thicker. 

Word