Today is My Birthday

Okay, not really. But the packages I've been waiting for both surprisingly arrived today!

I hate to admit it, but sometimes, I'm a big blogger style stalker. I jump back and forth between fashion blogs because 90% of them annoy me, but I got sucked into the Cambridge Satchel hype when I saw the kelly green one featured on Where Did U Get That. So I ordered it that same day in yellow. Since they're handmade to order bags, it took forever. Well, forever compared to the instant shipping most online retailers have these days. When I do a lot of online shopping, I sometimes fall behind in keeping track of packages, so it took me a month after ordering before I realized I still hadn't received a "your order has shipped" email. So I emailed them and they responded a week later with some annoying PR about how they've been featured in magazines lately and are having trouble keeping up with their orders, etc. etc. etc. Anywho, my bag arrived today (in this oh so cute tissue with the little thank you tag). I love everything personal and handwritten so all is forgotten and the bag was every bit worth the wait!

The second package was silver shade Polaroid film (for an extra vintage feel) that I ordered via the Impossible Project two days ago. Here are some pictures of my new toys since my lazy butt never photographs anything interesting these days:

The Art of Entertaining

I never buy housewares. Mostly because I've been living with my parents since I graduated college, but also because I don't spend too much time in the kitchen (unless it's to pop a bag of popcorn or get some cookies...) Well, given recent developments (Ata & I got engaged), my inner 1950s housewife is itching to come out. I was at a random furniture store when I saw this Art of Entertaining line by Grasslands Road. I know it's a little soon, but I loved the vintage style of these pieces and decided to order a few key things for a future kitchen.

Cookie Jar

Nut Bowl

The inside reads "DONT PICK through the NUTS" and the spoon says "SIFT THROUGH GENTLY"

Chalkboard Memo Board

"Things which need REMEMBERING"

Serving Tray (that comes with a display stand)

It reads "don't bite off more than you can chew...IN FOOD & IN CONVERSATION"

Salt & Pepper Shakers

These remind me of Alice in Wonderland

Yes, there's still about 10 months until I'll need them, but collecting a few things here and there will make decorating a lot easier when the time comes around, right?

Rice-a-roni

Before coming home from Monterey, we decided to spend an extremely quick weekend in San Francisco. It was freezing cold and we didn't do much other than shop and eat. I did manage to snap a few pictures here and there though.

Shopping in Union Square:

The GIGANTOR Forever 21, which I was very excited about (despite the hour-long line at the fitting rooms) because they had a huge Love 21 section. Bought this dress in magenta (the model's weird pose is hiding how cute this dress actually looks on) and this sweater (hate the large diaper safety pin closure, but it's so soft and comfortable so I just wear it open). The store was 3 floors; I only made it through 1.

Yerba Buena Gardens:

Conveniently located around the corner from our hotel and across the street from St. Patrick's Church (pictured below). It was sunny that afternoon (but still freezing!) so the grass was full of people laying out.

St. Patrick's Church:

Contemporary Jewish Museum of San Francisco:

I didn't actually visit it but enjoyed taking pictures of this fountain out front. There was also a wedding procession leaving St. Patrick's Church next door, so I watched the wedding party while they were taking pictures on a trolley parked out front. It wasn't as creepy as that sounds...

And finally, it got too cold out so I went into a bookstore inside Metreon (right next to Yerba Buena Gardens) and bought this adorable little 8 oz bottle of Coke at a coffee shop.

So that's it, last Saturday in a nutshell. Happy Labor Day!

2-4

Every August (right around my birthday!) Free People seems to release their best catalog. It's for the upcoming fall, so lots of cute layers, chic jackets, and rugged boots. Instead of a mental wishlist this year, I'm treating myself to a shopping spree. Here's what's on the list:




I like all of these, but I've settled on the Sergeant Street Jacket and the OTK Boot. When OTK boots started popping up everywhere last year, I never bought into the trend. I saw it done well on many people, but could never find the right pair (also within my budget) that suited my style. I love the laces and low heel on these. They remind me a of an edgier version of the old lady that lived in a shoe. Regarding the jackets, I don't really need a flared short waisted blazer (even though I love the collar and shoulders on the red tweed one) so I've decided on the Sergeant Street Jacket. The white looks great, but I know it'll pick up any dust, dirt, stains, etc. in the air so I'm going to buy it in navy.

I'm also still looking for a cute pair of penny loafers, but that will have to wait 'til another time.

Clunk Clunk

Did anyone else know that Lucky Brand makes shoes? And not just hippie-moccasin-hemp-shoes!

I almost bought these today. I love love loved the tan leather t-strap as well as the 1970s clunky, wooden platform (I'm a sucker for anything the slightest bit '70s). They looked really cute on and the sole was super soft and comfy. The more I stare at this picture from my phone, the more I'm considering buying them...

Currently Obsessed With...

...the Sony Alpha Nex 3.

I've been looking for a good compact camera for awhile now. Since buying my DSLR, I've used my old point and shoot maybe once or twice. For one thing, the photo quality isn't too great (especially after seeing the shots from my canon). I've also misplaced the battery charger, so it's been dead for about 7 months. I love my DSLR and would recommend it to anyone looking for a good starter camera, but obviously I can't carry it around with me at all times and because of that, I don't have any pictures of my friends from the past year (unless they've accompanied me on one of my photo excursions) -- all the photo files on my computer are of my niece, nephews, and random inanimate objects.

My DSLR is a canon. A Canon Rebel XSi 450D to be exact:

I love this camera and don't think I would ever stray from the Canon brand for big purchases. I've heard the setup on a Nikon is a little more confusing (especially after using a Canon), but aside from that I just love the style and body of my Canon.

As far as point and shoots go, I trust the Sony brand. My very first p & s was a Sony, purchased back in 2004. It took excellent pictures and lasted about 6 years until it went a little awry, but even still when it works, it takes decent pictures.

I purchased the Nikon Coolpix most recently in 2008 and wasn't very satisfied.

The camera takes decent outdoor pictures, especially once you play around with the settings, but the indoor and night photos are terrible quality...very grainy, and the flash is so strong it picks up pieces of dust in the air, creating specks in the photos. The one plus of this camera: it's compact and thin design.

The Sony alpha nex series debuted earlier in May and is basically a compact point and shoot with DSLR quality and manual capability. There are also a variety of lenses available for the alpha nex (shown below), so it has that DSLR quality to it too.

Basic features include 14.2 megapixels, a tiltable LCD screen, and video recording capability. I think the main difference between the alpha nex 3 and 5 is the specifics regarding video recording capability. I didn't entirely understand the technical terms about this but the alpha nex 3 is $100 cheaper than the 5. I also wouldn't need the interchangeable lenses (I have my canon for that) so I'm seriously considering purchasing the sony alpha nex 3 that comes with an included 16mm lens. Any thoughts or suggestions?

My Name is Sara and I'm No Longer a Shopaholic (fingers crossed)

Dear Shopping,

Like most people, I spend hours upon hours on the internet, mostly reading blogs and looking at clothes. It goes without saying that in the past year, my online spending has become somewhat outrageous. Don't get me wrong--I've always loved spending time with you. You've repeatedly brought me the prettiest gifts and were there for me at a moments notice. But it's become my go-to pass-time whenever I'm bored. Or happy. Or sad. You know those people who eat their emotions? You and I have entered an unhealthy relationship like such.

It's so simple, what with the internet and all these days. Clothes and shoes of all varieties at your fingertips, ready to be shipped to your doorstep in 3-5 days. I remember when you sent me my first delia's catalog in 7th grade. The first sweater I ordered took 6-8 weeks to arrive, and the shipping was something ridiculous like $12. Now, you send me clothes from London within a week, sometimes for as cheap $6 for shipping. The point I'm trying to get at is that you're so available and in my face these days that it takes supreme will power not to get sucked in and become overly-dependent. I remember seeing one of those specials on MTV, True Life: I'm addicted to shopping where the people featured on it couldn't go 24 hours without you and eventually wound up attending Debtors Anonymous meetings. One of the girls was so compulsive, she would go to 24 hour stores like CVS or Wal-mart just to buy hairbands (or something bizarre like that) for a "fix" at 1am. Fortunately, I haven't succumbed to full fledged addiction like so, but there have been times where I'm in bed thinking about items that I regretfully decided not to purchase earlier in the day, and have gotten up and gone online to buy them. It's no surprise you fill up my inbox every morning with emails titled "New Arrivals!" or "Sale This Weekend, FREESHIP!"

I love you dearly, Shopping, but I don't want to become that girl at Wal-mart at 2 in the morning. So I think it's time you and I started seeing other people. You and I have shared a lot of great memories together, and you were always there for me in my hour of need. But you see, as much as I enjoy our time spent together and the awesome exchange we have going, I think it's time for me to move on to something with more depth.

About 8 months ago, you introduced me to the greatest purchase of my life and ever since, he and I have been inseparable. Yes, I'm talking about my camera. And although he came at a steep price tag, our time together is much easier on my bank balance than you ever were. We spend our free time roaming the streets together, staring into each others eyes; we've already gone on a few trips together. We're even thinking about adding another lens to our little family. As you can see, it's getting pretty serious. I know I'll miss you, dear friend, but I really think we need to spend some time apart. Spread our wings and grow. Don't be sad, you have millions of other admirers to replace me with.

I'm sure we'll still see each other around.

Sincerely,

Sara

P.S. Please don't be offended, but as a precautionary measure, I've spammed your emails.

SHOES. Shoes. shoes.

I don't think I've owned a pair of tennis shoes since middle school. In the last 10 years, everything I've bought has fallen into 4 categories: ballet flats, sandals, high heels, boots. So I was a little excited when I saw these on Topshop awhile back. My only hesitation then was that I wasn't sure how I would incorporate them into my wardrobe. I'm still not quite sure and so I'm thinking of returning them. Ah, but I really love the contrast of the soft canvas and silver studs...Any suggestions??

Dogeared

Despite the incompetent sales people at Nordstrom (seriously, I said the shoes I was looking for from the anniversary sale catalog were BCBG and the woman still had to call in and make me wait for 20 minutes because she couldn't ID the picture of the shoes) I managed to order the shoes I put on my birthday wish list. I can't wait for them to arrive. This week has been bad on my wallet...Well, actually it's been a bad personal week resulting in too much retail therapy--including but not limited to a purse and pair of jeans from Gilt, some cheapy sale shirts from urban outfitters, my shoes, all via online shopping, yikes! Buuuut that means next week I have lots and lots of packages to look forward to! 

Staying on the subject of shopping, I feel the need to talk about Dogeared. They make the sweetest little trinkets. I usually keep it pretty simple when it comes to jewelry so their stuff is perfect for me. I always stick to the gold ones though. I've been eyeing the Karma one for the past year but haven't gotten around to buying it. The enclosed notes are a little cheesy but I always save them. Here are a few of the ones I have. The golden leaf on the left is the "Fearless" one and the pink stone is the "Healing Gem" (a gift from Best Friend).