Calvin Klein.

This is the first post of my experiment! The idea is to see if this particular post gets an unseemly amount of views simply because it's titled "Calvin Klein". However, while this is the title I've chosen and while I have you here (hi, Mom), I figured I would take this opportunity to ask you all for some clarification on the new CK One commercials.

I'm afraid I just don't get it. It's a bunch of models in Calvin Klein dancing/interacting in a white box while multiple genres of music filter through. What's the message? The tag line is "CK One! It's the only one!". Does that mean that no matter what kind of music you're dancing in a white box to, your Calvin Klein boxers and jeans will always be appropriate? Don't get me wrong, this is excellent news. It's such a hassle to have to change my boxers and jeans when my jazz comes on, so I'm relieved to say the least. But I dunno, guys, I grow insanely impatient and annoyed with such blatant displays of "cool". Look at all these free spirited "cool people" dancing in a white box! CK One (the only one, don't forget) is your ticket to the White Box. No this is not a rant about body image or the pressure to look like the citizens of White Boxville. This is a rant about ad agencies not trying harder to subvert us. I'm offended by ads like this. It reduces me to an easy target. Are we really so complacent that all an ad has to say is "Pepsi. Buy it." for us to comply? Come on guys, make them work for our money! You're seriously satisfied by a bunch of randoms dancing awkwardly in a box to sell you Calvin Klein? You should be ashamed of yourselves. I guess I'm getting mad at the wrong people here. You're not the problem. Not the only problem, anyway. It's those bastards producing the ads. This is why I love watching Mad Men. It's an inside look at the manipulation that goes into making us feel like "The Only One". That ad is written just for you. For your life and for your needs. Without that product, you can stay who you are (we don't want that, you're not good enough). But with that product, you can be great. That and it introduced me to my future husband, Jon Hamm. That and I've never seen a show so impeccably styled with sets and props that are beyond the adjectives of the English language. That and the acting is phenomenal. Did I mention Jon Hamm? Anyway, you get my point. If you don't already watch it, you should. It's eye opening. I haven't looked at ads the same way since I started watching, and thank goodness because I was getting lazy for a second there. Oh, no way, Drew Barrymore wears that lipgloss?! Me too, now! But not anymore, folks. No way.

Do excuse, I digress. Back to CALVIN KLEIN CALVIN KLEIN CALVIN KLEIN (sorry, that was just in case the title wasn't enough). What are your thoughts? Explanations, anyone? Am I completely missing the point here?

-LG

Hook, Line, and Sinker.

Blogger is really quite handy. It allows me to track page views, what posts get looked at the most, what parts of the world my readers (accidental or otherwise) are hailing from, etc. And after watching closely for a few weeks, I've noticed that my post entitled "Michael Kors" gets crazy hits. Either everybody wants to read my sweet rant about Michael Kors, or they're inadvertently being directed to my site after searching "Michael Kors" in Google. Which gave me a brilliant idea. I'm going to start labeling my posts things like "Calvin Klein", "Vera Wang", "Kennedy Assassination" (for any conspiracy theorists with a soft spot for the life-musings of a strange girl), and other things along those lines. I figure the titles can lure them in, and my wit, charm, and unsurpassed beauty will get them to stay. It's foolproof. Here's the thing, though: the link to my page doesn't show up on Google until, say, page 19 of the search results. Which is all well and good, but by the time you reach page 19, the results are mostly completely unrelated to what you're searching for. So what are you doing there? If you haven't found what you're looking for by page 19-- hell, by page 4-- try another search! Although I shouldn't complain. Every decent blog fan base starts with the uninformed Google search and the hope that said searcher will be confused enough to stay and read your posts. Right?...

Anyway, I have to give myself a pat on the back for this one. It really is brilliant. I apologize to any non accidental readers who may grow annoyed with my trapping tactic. I'll compromise with you and include a subtitle for every post. I'm mostly kidding of course, but after writing this I really am interested in whether this would work. I think for the next few days I'm going to try it out and see what happens. Bear with me, this could be fun! Or entertaining, or insightful, or something. In the meantime I'm going to search "Michael Kors" and see what page I actually show up on. Hey, maybe it's jumped up a few pages since it's gotten a few hits. This is vanity at it's best, eh? Edit: Gave up on this pretty fast. It's 1 in the morning, gimme a break.

In other news, I'm home for the weekend. And I completed my wire project experiment! And by "completed" I mean "tried my original idea, realized how silly I was to think that it would work, started doing random things with the wire until I was stabbed with an idea (it's very sharp wire), tried it, kind of completed it, and am now referring to it as an 'experiment' to deter any critics who disagree with my thinking it was a success". Pictures and details will be up hopefully by Monday night or Tuesday.

Branching Out.

A few weeks ago I was reading Love Aesthetics, one of my favorite blogs based out of the Netherlands, and came across yet another DIY I'm DIYing to try (see what I did there?). Ivania is the queen of minimalism and her blog is full of DIY's that continue to end up on my To Do List. This one is a floating clothing rack made from a painted tree branch.

This is so beyond perfect for me. First of all, I'm obsessed with trees. And I love implementing outdoor elements in the indoors. This is another project that can't happen until my living situation is very different, and so I've put it to the back of my mind. But today I came across this post on Apartment Therapy:

If I had to choose between the two, I would go with the clothes rack. I feel it makes a much larger impact. HOWEVER! I can't get away from this. Blast and damn sharing a room! It doesn't bother me until awesome ideas like this come around. Some day I'll have a studio apartment to myself and it will be fabulous. Which do you like better? Do you like it at all?

-LG

Lay Lady Lay.

Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
Whatever colors you have in your mind
I’ll show them to you and you’ll see them shine

Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile
Until the break of day, let me see you make him smile
His clothes are dirty but his hands are clean
And you’re the best thing that he’s ever seen

Stay, lady, stay, stay with your man awhile
Why wait any longer for the world to begin
You can have your cake and eat it too
Why wait any longer for the one you love
When he’s standing in front of you

Lay, lady, lay, lay across my big brass bed
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead
I long to see you in the morning light
I long to reach for you in the night
Stay, lady, stay, stay while the night is still ahead.

This is and has always been one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs. It's so serene, and makes me think of lazy, spring Sunday mornings. I was pokin' around Apartment Therapy today and came across a post that made me think of this song.  

I feel like this is the room you escape to to start over. It's sparse and clean with nothing to distract you. It reminds me of last summer and has me even more impatient for this summer to start. 

I've always wanted a wall of books, a slanted ceiling, and hydrangeas surrounding me. All in one room? I didn't know such a magical place existed! 

When I was a kid I was the fort queen. The things I could do with a set of sheets and some push pins...And the best was when I had my bunk bed all to myself. The top bunk was my lounge, if you will.  My VIP toys hung out there and it's where we would go to get away from the stresses of elementary school life. But the bottom bunk was my cave. I always had blankets and curtains hanging down, and while it was nothing quite as beautiful as this, I'm still reminded of my curtain adventures and look forward to the day when I have my own room again and can go curtain crazy. 

 I am head over heels for this room. It's a perfect mixture of soft and industrial elements, and the painted white floors are so dreamy. And I am loving the use of a metal trashcan for a bedside table. It's definitely one of the best repurposes I've ever seen and makes me say "Why didn't I think of that!" I'm very inclined to try this out someday.

-LG

Wired.

So last Friday at work I was faced with another 8 hour shift of standing. And dancing, of course. I dance frequently while at work. What kind of moves do I bust out behind the register, you ask? Oh the usual. Party-boying on my coworkers, the robot, some moves I learned while popping my Just Dance cherry over the weekend...Anyway, as I was saying, there's nothing to do at work. But on Friday my manager brought out a box full of outdated calendars and planners that needed to be recycled. We then spent the next few hours removing the metal, spiral binding. And it hit me. Whoa there, Lauren, a ridiculous amount of free wire? Something that you've been meaning to buy? Yeah, take that. So I did. Now I have a massive ball of spiral wire in a bag and I cannot wait to make it into my first piece of 3D art! I know it would be totally and completely cliche for me to make a letter or symbol (@, &, !, etc) but I mean, come on. They're awesome! So if you find me tired, cliche, and lacking all creativity, shut it. I like letters. Mkay? So right now I'm trying to decide what exactly I shall make. I could, of course, make a giant "L", which would obviously be fabulous. But I have pesky roommates with names that start with letters other than "L" so there goes that idea. Anyhow, I'll let you know what I decide!

-LG

Winter.

Every winter I say "I need to actually buy some warm clothes". You see, I'm a layer-er by nature. I pack 'em on either until I'm warm enough or until I can't move. Whichever comes first. And every time I go shopping, I find myself buying items that will not keep me warm. Not even if I layer. My lack of warm jackets also applies to my fancier ensembles. I don't have anything appropriate for wearing over nice dresses, or appropriate for nice places. Granted, I'm not finding myself in upscale restaurants every weekend, and so the matter hasn't been all that pressing. But now! Now I could be in a fancy restaurant every weekend if I damn well wanted to, and I'll tell you why. 100% cashmere, baby. Nobody has to know it only cost me $13.

I was channeling the 60's with my bouffant and makeup. I recently bought a nude lipstick by Nars (belle du jour) and today I patted some coral eyeshadow over the top for a pale pink.

The lining of this coat is one of my favorite parts. It's the perfect color, and oh so deliciously silky.

Wow Lauren, that is one awkward garment. Thank you, I'm aware. I plan on taking in the sleeves (they were made to acomodate some of the largest shoulder pads I've ever seen), and hemming it quite a bit. I haven't really decided on the neckline yet, so we'll see what happens there. 

PS I think if we all just ignore the awkwardness of this shot as a whole we'll all be happier for it.

And last but not least, the item that will have me jazzed for the rest of the day! No, the week! I did the frickin blanket coat DIY in less than 60 seconds and sweet Jesus am I happy. It is literally the perfect item for me. I don't know how many times a day I say that I wish I could wear a blanket at all times. Now I can. AND use my arms at the same time. Oh my god, it's like a backward snuggy...

 

And to make up for the face above... 

 

...serious face. It's hard to have a serious face with this beauty on because it has me SO excited. And here's another awesome little fun fact: there are about a million different ways you can wear it/clasp it. So now you see why I'm pissed that I misplaced my kilt clips, because blanket coat is currently claspless. That's okay though, because it is not awesomeless. 

And there you have my thrift purchases. Up next is what I'll be crafting very soon!

-LK 

Shame.

As you may have already guessed, Chelsea's and my plans for crafting this weekend fell by the wayside very quickly. I'm not sure when we saw each other last and our priority was to catch up and spend time the way we used to: pigging out in her kitchen eating random snacks while telling each other everything we've missed over the past few months. So to make up for being a negligent crafter, I have a new craft that I plan on starting today after taking some pictures. It includes recycled notebooks and is somewhat similar to these beauties:

 

Photo via Ink and Post.

I'm very excited for my hands to have something to do! Check back in later for my thrifting finds from Thursday and my crafting plans!

-LG 

Holy Paper Lantern.

Oh golly do I want to make one of these.

What about using old book pages or newspaper instead of white paper? Thoughts?

Images via DesignSponge.

More photos and tutorial here.

-LG 

PicaPica.

While in the Mission last Thursday, I stopped in to Pica Pica Maize Kitchen on 15th and Valencia for lunch. I've been meaning to try it out for over a year now and I was jazzed that I finally had the time. The main thing that attracted me to PicaPica is the fact that their entire menu is gluten free. For those of you who don't know, I have a gluten allergy. I'm supposed to eat entirely gluten free, but this is beyond hard and I fall off the wagon more often than I care to admit. One of the hardest aspects of gluten free living is the restrictions it puts on eating out. I love exploring new restaurants, with friends and by myself, and being confined to the Salad section of every menu gets tiring. While awareness for the gluten allergy is growing and more and more restaurants are jumping on board with gluten free options, it can still be difficult to find these restaurants as most don't advertise their gluten free menu. PicaPica, however, is entirely gluten free and is letting the world know.

First let me say that I fully intend to go back and love what they're all about. They've been open for awhile now and I take that to mean that I'm not the only fan of their work. They're considered Mexican fast food, but think Chipotle style, not Taco Bell. In fact, let me start with the decor and say that PicaPica's decor is what Chipotle's wishes it was. I'll probably lose some friends saying this, but I'm not a fan of Chipotle and never have been. The food is pretty bland and unexciting, and while I understand what they're going for decor wise, it jars. It's just off, I don't know how else to say it. But PicaPica manages to get the combination of warm wood and matte metal just right. In my opinion, anyway.

 

 

 

 

On to the food. The number one thing to be said about most gluten free bread products is that's it's dense. The light, fluffy quality of bread can be attributed to gluten. Therefore gluten free bread has a tendency to be dense and small. Bread products made with corn and without gluten are doubly dense, since corn is dense as it is (wow how many times can I use the word 'dense' in one paragraph?). This also explains why you'll be hard pressed to find gluten free pastry. And by pastry I mean the layers of tissue-thin dough, like a croissant. I ordered the Morena Empanadas --black beans and queso fresco filling. 

In my experience, empanadas are made from pastry dough, which means you're not overwhelmed with the richness of the filling (usually meat, which PicaPica offers). But PicaPica's empanadas are made from a gluten free corn meal, making them --you guessed it-- dense and small. And oily. Moral of today's story: dense, small, and oily. But tasty! I almost forgot to mention that I really enjoyed it, and that now I know how filling their meals are, I'll know how much to order. Next time I visit I'm going to go with one of their maizewiches. They have a ton of filling options that sounded delicious, and you can choose from three different kinds of bread that range in sweetness. 

I'm going to be completely honest here and let you all now that I am in a realm beyond exhausted and I'm having a hard time wittily waxing poetic about PicaPica. I liked it. I'm going back. You should check it out if you're ever in the area. And now I'll provide you with some links if you're interested in doing some further research.

Yelp. 

PicaPica website.

PicaPica blog.

Happy Monday being over, folks. And as they say at PicaPica, be corny!

-LG

Music Monday.

I love the drums. And I love heavy bass. I love seeing live music and feeling the bass vibrating through the floor, into your feet, and up your body until it feels like it's coming from inside you. It makes me happy and sad all at once. Happy because it's beautiful and consuming and for a few minutes you are wholly yourself, living inside a song. But I'm all too aware of the confines of my body in those moments. It's not enough to enjoy the music. I want to be the music. I want to be the drum beat, and the soaring notes, and the penetrating bass, and knowing that I can't leaves me feeling full of yearning. Sad isn't the right word. I don't think there is one that can really capture the feeling.

Florence and the Machine's music is a perfect example. Her voice is so incredibly powerful. I have "Cosmic Love" on repeat right now, full volume. I wanted to spread the beauty! Watch the video full sized and turn it way up.

 

Edit: It's 1am and I'm currently playing the air drums along to this song. An activity I HIGHLY recommend.