Category: 1

Today's Picture Story: OF THE WEEK: week 3

06/26/2011

last night at midnight closed the 3rd week of my new sidebar :)
i came up with this idea at like, 4 am a few saturday nights ago.
lately, i can't surround myself with enough NEW things.
and also- COMFORTING things. things that don't hold memories with anyone other than ME.
so i decided to start this sidebar to do just that. to fill it with my favorite stuff. things.
books. movies. (not tv, strangely enough. hello?!) food. flowers. diy projects.
all that stuff.

so here is why i picked what i picked, for week 2.

OF THE WEEK, SIDEBAR: Week 3

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
The Office

Ryan: did this happen on company property?

Michael: it happened on company property WITH company property. so, double jeopardy. we're fine.

Ryan: i don't think you understand how double jeopardy works...

Michael: oh, i'm sorry. what is: we're fine.

alllllllright. now that i've stopped laughing, here is why i love this quote. a- it shows what an idiot michael scott is. b- it shows what a control freak ryan is. c- it makes you empathize with ryan on hating the very fiber michael is made of. d- it makes you love michael infinitely more. i just think this is seriously one of the funniest moments of the entire series, and there are thousands. but this is up there for me. its SO ridiculous, and this was a tough, TOUGH week. so i needed something to make me laugh occasionally :) boom. thanks office. how i heart you.

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK:
TheLonelyIsland.com

maybe it's the fact that jorma (far left) and i have been exclusively dating for awhile but i just can't get enough of these guys. "jizz in my pants" is quite possibly my favorite youtube video, ever... besides my Big falling off the trampoline with nothing more than a high pitched whimper... i should have video of the week on this thing... maybe i'll add some stuff, cuz i forgot tv show of the week too. and for someone who watches as much tv as me, that is just unforgivable.

AT ANY RATE- the lonelyisland.com is perfect for you if you have a horribly disgusting sense of humor and find hilarity in the most basic of human functions. i die.

BLOG OF THE WEEK: FoodComaBlog.com

sister act to last week's featured bloggist Elsie Flannigan, emma flannigan is every bit as rad as her sister, and to be quite controversial- might be my favorite of the two. i know everyone is nuts about elsie, and i am too- don't get me wrong for a second. i dont know... there's just something nice about being just as talented but not as "out there" with it... i dont know.

i love emma. i read her blog every day. she writes a lot of veggie recipes which is rad, cuz its SO hard to find super delicious veggie recipes that don't start with "first boil the brussel sprouts" or something gross... and she's wonderfully funny and doesn't take things too seriously and doesn't follow recipes to the letter and is free and makes mistakes and loves it... and she's just beautiful.

i heart her. a lot. check her out if you like super good food and pretty things and funny people.

SONG OF THE WEEK: "Greenhouse" by Lizzy Loeb

okay. this is a big one for me. and EXTREMELY self serving. because lizzy loeb is my massive massive massive massive massive massive massive girl crush. like, i'd marry her in a second. and might i add- she lives in new york... so its legal now ;)

i met her a few years ago in the city and found it hard to speak. she was amazing, and shall i say... had i hung out a little longer (and been single) the night would have gotten very VERY interesting... i just ADORE her. i can't get enough of her music. one of the saddest days of last year was when she uploaded a new song and i raced over to watch it- and realized she had deleted ALL her old videos, which included a few of my all time favorite songs :(

she is incredible. lots of people gripe about her raspy, breathy voice and the faces she makes- hey, that's fine. don't like it. more for me... cuzi can't friggin' get enough of it. plus, she's GORGEOUS.

hey lizzy- remember me? im single now. hit me up. i'll be in ny in the fall.... let's do this.

ALBUM OF THE WEEK:
The Missing Link by Jeremy Enigk

ok. this is also a big one. this album has meant a LOT to me over the years. in fact, if you bought it and listened to it, you'd probably go "ohhh yeahhh!!!! i know that song!!" because a lot of these songs are on EVERY mix i've made over the last... oh... 5 years? but strangely enough, i've never listened to this album a lot WITH someone, so it doesn't hold any specific relationship memories, which is nice. i hate it when you tie a REALLY good song to someone, and then you can never listen to it again ...

this album is just incredible. my favorite songs are "oh john" and "chewing gum". it's just a BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL work of art. huge HUGE Lush orchestrations, and jeremy's raspy, mature voice... it just sounds like he's been through SO much heartache... and it's so easy to connect with if you've been through the same.... buy this album. i'd never steer you wrong.

BOOK OF THE WEEK:
Swamplandia by Karen Russell

sadly, i didn't get to finish this book because i got so incredibly swamped (heh heh... get it? swamplandia? swamped? nevermind). so this will also be the book of the week for next week too. so you have another week to rock it out as well ;)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK:
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist

okay. if i could have this be the movie of the week EVERY week- i would. i'm putting this movie in my top 10 favorites from now on. im serious. it's up there.

i recently watched it for the first time, and i've gone to sleep with it playing every single night since. i canNOT get enough of this movie. its my new "forgetting sarah marshall". i forsee playing this movie every night for the next year as well :)

its amazing. from the OPENING SCENE it had me completely and totally engrossed. "we both said a lotta things we didn't mean... like... when you broke up with me... on my bee-day...." omg. michael cera... i die. he is SO charming in this movie. and even tho whats her name starts to grate on your nerves after awhile- you forgive her because she saves him from his HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE ex-girlfriend. and their chemistry is bangin'.

its just an awesome movie, and it takes me back to my college days, which is priceless. <3 watch this movie. its kind of magical...

FOOD OF THE WEEK: Qdoba Soft Tacos & Tortilla Soup (O.M.G.)

i will always, ALWAYS put the O.M.G. after these items of foodage because they DESERVE IT. qdoba ROCKS THESE PRODUCTS OUT. i can't stop eating them. i've gone to qdoba to eat this once a week for about, the last 3 months. i'm addicted. and its so super cheap. its the 2 fer menu. and its like, $5 for all of it. and a drink.

its just so SO good. i think they put crack in their soup... because i think about it 24/7.

FLOWER OF THE WEEK:
Cherry Blossoms

living in the central valley is a blessing for so SO many reasons. one of the TOP reasons is the changing of the seasons. i dont care WHAT season we're going into, it's GORGEOUS whilst changing. the best (for my buck) is winter into spring, even though fall is my favorite season.

watching the orchards around here go from bare sticks to massive fields of BRIGHT PINK is unlike anything i've seen anywhere else in the world.

D.I.Y. OF THE WEEK:
Scarf Purse

okay. admittedly, i tried this project, and failed. MISERABLY. starting with the fact that i sewed my lining to my scarf, and whilst preparing to sew the sides up, sewed the top (the mouth) of the purse shut. SEWED IT SHUT. wtf shelly?!?!?! i dont even know. so i had to rip all that out and then there were little holes all down the front of my purse, and then i did something wrong and it was all bumpy, and finally i got so frustrated i threw it across the room and went out and jumped into the pool.

im not great at learning how to do things in a calm fashion... im gonna try this again next week, although we WILL be moving onto a different d.i.y., a-hem.

my week was absolutely nuts. im getting ready for a few MASSIVE things. we have a TON of family coming to stay with us for my dad's 70th bday next week, so the entire house is getting cleaned, and i had to clean the whole upstairs because it looked like a hobo camp. and when i clean- i have to re-decorate. so of course, NOTHING got cleaned while i was redecorating. so now i have ONE DAY to re-do the ENTIRE upstairs, and you should see it... um... its worse than when i started somehow. wish me luck. ALSO im getting ready for a huge photoshoot/commercial shoot for S&BB tomorrow (sunday, well, today!) from 2:00 - 4:30 pm, so every spare second has been spent making new items (i made 29 new items this week ALONE. pair that with the 10 my mom made, and whooooo. we're cookin'. look out.) we have about 8 people coming over to shoot tomorrow, so i had to build all their products, and the theme of the photoshoot is "photobooth", so i had to create all the props for the kids to use and blah blah. also, i have rehearsal every night from 6 - 11pm for joseph and the amazing technicolor dreamcoat. so its been crazy :) and will BE crazy until july 10, when we open. then i will sleep for 2 days. then my parents leave for campmeeting and a road trip for 20 days or a month or something, so i will be ALL ALONE in this huge house, at which point, i will pack up my entire life and get ready to move :) all whilst having "joseph" shows on the weekends, and as soon as the show opens, i'll be getting a steady day job just to bring home some more money for my move. THEN at the end of august, i do the valley's got talent contest (which i will be winning) and then its september. and wow. do i have big plans for september. just you wait. :)

all in all, its gonna be the busiest summer ive had in like, 3 years. ahhhh. back to life. and its about damn time.

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today's picture story: SUMMER WREATH D.I.Y.

06/20/2011

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GOOD MORNING! so i have the post of all posts to share with you today.
i am not a big picture taker d.i.y.er. some people are REALLY good at documenting all their different projects-
i am horrible at it. i make at least 10 things a day, as part of that is my job now, but im also creating stuff for myself all the time as well. this past weekend, as my Of The Week D.I.Y. LAST week, my project was a gorgeously happy colored summertime birdie wreath. i found it on etsy and didn't want to throw down the 70 bux, so i decided it really wouldn't be that hard to make myself. ahhhhhhhhhhahahahahahha. the things i can convince myself of. i shoulda majored in denial in college...

one of my most major problems as the human i am, is that i don't like to practice. EVER.
i like doing it the final time the first time. i get WAAAYYY too frustrated putting time in. i am not a patient person. AT ALL. its one of my most major life lessons to breathe, go with the flow, and take some time. BUT. as i am learning that lesson, i am also working on working quickly and concisely and neatly. so, those 2 ideas may seem like they're at odds, but trust me- in my brain, it makes total sense.

friday night at 10 pm i started my wreath (naturally the best time to start a new time consuming project.)
around 4 am i was done with the first step.
i started the 2nd step at 9 am saturday morning, and finished around 1 pm. straight through baby.
see what i mean? instant gratification.

so here we go. here is my summertime wreath! hopefully if you make one, you can learn from my mistakes and yours will be perfect the first time ;)

D.I.Y. Summertime Wreath

inspiration picture

what you need:
-foam wreath mold (or wire circle, or wire wreath and fiber fill)
-whatever colors of yarn you want in your wreath
-various fabrics and buttons for flowers OR various colors of felt to fashion flowers, and pretty buttons
-stick for bird perch
-birdie, or whatever animal you'd like on it... or whatever decoration... or... ya know. whatever.
- glue gun
-scissors... ya know. the obvious stuff.

Step 1: i didn't have a foam wreath mold. so i took a wire circle, and wrapped it with fiber fill, top and bottom.
then, i tied little pieces of yarn around it in 4 places to secure it.

Step 2: start wrapping! i decided to do a superfluous layer of "ugly" yarn on the bottom... i had this orangey, brownish, white combo yarn that i wanted to use up. (1st picture) so, just to make it pouffy, and to add a BIT of color to the bottom layer and to secure all the moldings together, i decided to wrap that yarn around the mold. well, i ran out. so i finished wrapping the bottom layer with bright white yarn. (2nd picture) once you finish your primary level, just start wrapping yarn in the order you want them to appear. for instance, i wanted a lot of pink. so after my primary level, i wrapped a light pink level, leaving some holes. and then i wrapped yellow, filling in the holes (pictures 3 -5 ). then i wrapped a few more colors, then i wrapped my bright pink, wrapped the light pink again, and so on. layering is the key to this project. (when i say lightly, i mean it wasn't tightly together. there were lots of holes between the lines of yarn, so other colors could peek through, and leave room for colors on top. if i say wrapped tight, it just means i wrapped it as tightly together as i could, leaving little yarn showing through from the bottom.)

** one of the things that took the longest, was "balling" the yarn. its SUPER hard to wrap a long, awkward skein of yarn around and around and around a wreath mold. so i had to take all the skeins and wrap them into balls (heh). it takes awhile, but in the end, it makes it easier for you work a lot more quickly. (picture 6).

step 3: now its time to just start wrapping all your layers of yarn... obviously in the order you want them to appear. for instance: i wanted a lot of green in mine, but once it was on, i decided i didn't want it to be the lead color. so once i'd wrapped the bottom layer of "filler yarn" (the yarn that won't show much), i then wrapped light pink, then yellow, then green, then a light layer of white to mute the green, then bright pink pretty tight, then the light pink again lightly to mute it all down, then VERY lightly on the top, a last layer of yellow to mute it all down. i had planned on using aqua and purple, but once i wrapped a few strands of them, they just didn't fit visually. so make sure you're flexible in your vision. also- a word to the wise- make sure you put aside enough time to do it right. this took me about 6 hours... i watched 3 movies, as you can see in the background. i highly recommend "high fidelity" and "south park", but NOT "blue velvet". it was just weird and wrong and unsatisfying. after awhile, it just became "wrapping noise" ;)

step 4: now you're ready to fashion your flowers. in the inspiration picture, you can see that wreath is a LOT classier than the one i made. i wanted mine a lot more "holly hobby"-ish, and not so perfect. i don't really like stuff that's perfect. so instead of manicured felt piece flowers & pretty pearl buttons, i used varying fabrics to make "sloppy" -ish flowers, topped with different colored buttons. to be honest, i'm not really entirely happy with how mine turned out... i'd like to try it again with the felt flowers. at any rate, once you've fashioned your flowers, just start gluing them on in whatever design you like. i wanted mine on just one side of the bottom of the wreath, to visually counter-balance the bird i'd put on the opposite upper corner.

ADDITIONAL STEP: if you have dawgs like mine who refuse toleave your side 24/7, make sure you amuse them occasionally. mine just lied around like i'd shot them, mourning the sunshine they were missing outside ;)

step 5: finishing your flowers and constructing your bird perch. (pictures 1 & 2) this one is pretty self explanatory, or so you'd think. i didn't have a stick, so i wrapped 3 straws in the seam of a t-shirt. and then, being mentally challenged, glued my perch on, picked up my wreath, and it drooped like a soggy .... i dont know what. something soggy that droops. so i had to cut it off, glue the backside of the yarn back together, and then re-glue on the perch once i'd stuck a doggie chewed up chop stick on it to keep it straight. (pictures 3 - 9) whooops.

step 6: the bird. well, unlike the inspiration picture, my birdie has open wings. so i had to glue it on the FRONT of the perch, facing down- so when i hung it on the wall, it wouldn't smash a wing off. (i'm a genius all around, i'm telling you.) so i applied a liberal amount of glue to the belly of the bird, stuck it on the perch, held it for 10 seconds, let go, and it immediately slid off and stuck to the counter. FML. after i fixed THAT, we were home free.

step 7: photograph your genius.

step 8: compare your finished product to the inspiration picture, and feel bad about yourself and your abilities.

step 9: write a blog about the whole experience that takes longer to construct than the project itself took.

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style watch: vintage scarves

06/18/2011

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this upcoming week's D.I.Y. of the week-
is going to be something with vintage scarves.... i just dont know what yet :)
so ive been doing some research this morning, and got sucked in.

its amazing what you can do with a big ol' scarf...

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todays' picture story: style watch: summer

06/17/2011

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im too worn out to write a story. so im going to post something to cheer me up,
and let the pictures speak for themselves. :)

be good to the people who love you, okay?
its just too hard any other way. be a friend if you say it means something to you.
because when you make someone feel like they can count on you-
purposely NOT being there for them is the cruelest way to punish. i dont understand.
i just don't understand... i dont. i never will.

just be good to each other.
it's not hard.

Summer

Beauty's where you find it...
go with the flow...

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style watch: Bearded Boys, Yes & No

06/16/2011

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i've dated my fair share of stubbly boys and men. let me tell you- NOT great on the face after a good make out sesh. one of my missions this year is to date a boy with a BEARD. not stubble- a BEARD. not necessarily make out with him, or perhaps touch him in ANY way- just hang out with him enough to get a lot of super great photos of me with a hot bearded guy.

here are some of my yeses and no's in selecting a bearded photo mate.

YES

to being so super hot with a beard, i can tell you're even superer hotter without one.

NO

to angrily invading my country with your plastic wife and your weird throat beard that doesn't even come close to matching your translucent cone head.

YES

to saving the world with your beard.

NO

to being the sassy no-eyed-bearded- kiddie- diddler from Tool Time.

YES

to being the hottest- bearded- guy- who- just- escaped- from- prison on the beach.

NO

to whomever did this to jessica alba.

YES

to being toby mcguire's hot bearded older brother.

NO

to getting rejected from your lifelong dream of being an extra in "Ravenous II" and then making a home movie with the bodies you've buried in your backyard...

YES

to being the most adorable bearded ginger working at The Genius Bar in your township.

NO

to being voted The Ginger Most Likely To Keep His Mom's Toes In His Freezer.

YES

to mastering the "Bearded Explorer", "Bearded REI Employee of the Month" "Beaded Caring Boyfriend" and "OMG you guys- his beard looks so soft i want to touch it" looks - all in one picture.

NO

to mastering the "Gay Bearded Karate Kid", "Oops I fell down and Rubbed Off the Middle of my Beard" and "OMG you guys! Yesterday was the best day EVER! My mom finally let me get a beard perm- and then I took my braces off early in my basement last night!" looks- all in one picture.

YES

to being bearded john krasinski and making me think about you 24/7.

NO

to being 500 year old brad pitt with beard jewelry fashioned and applied by zz top.

YES

to using your beard to protect you from the sun's harmful rays.

NO

to whatever the *$#@ is happening here...

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today's picture story: shea's pouffs :)

06/16/2011

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so we've been in rehearsals for "Joseph and the Technicolor Dream Coat" for a week and 3 days so far... and... to put it mildly... the girls have a LOT of "sit around time".

last saturday night, i knew we were going to be dancing and i didn't want to be covered in sweat from my 20 pound, 5000 degree hair, so i pulled it into 2 huge pouffs and slapped a bow on there. not a big deal... but when i walked in the room- all the boys LAUGHED hysterically and started clapping. and then every girl kept patting them and saying "omgggg sooooo cuuuuuute" which was HILARIOUS. here i am, 59 years old, and all the teenagers are like "I WANT TO BE YOU!" i die.

my new little sister Shea liked them the best. i told her i'd do it to her hair and she assured me it could NOT be done. she has suuuuuuuper tight curly hair all the way down her back... the only girl in the show with more hair than me ;) and it's a LOT of hair. well.... you know me. i like a challenge ;) so we made plans to do her hair tonight. she would bring the hair ties and i'd bring the rest.

so as we were sitting around (as per usual last night) i did her hair. well, we forgot a comb. so i just had to rip my finger through her poor hair. she didn't seem to mind. 15 minutes and 20 bobby pins later, she had the cutest hairstyle i think i've ever seen. it helps that she is like, the cutest girl i've ever seen too... so without further adoooooo, here is my new little bestie with her cuter than cute pouffs by yours truly. oh! i also gave her some S&BB clips because i just adore her, and i knew they would make the hair style even more swoon worthy. (and omg i am SO excited that she is going to come model for us! she's so perfect for our stuff.)

isn't she DARLING?! i love you cutie <3

and just fyi- here's mine. we had a little photoshoot in the car after rehearsal saturday night ;)

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style watch: summer hair 2011

06/06/2011

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so, elsie over at a beautiful mess, did a post today on a cute summer hairstyle for this year.
which prompted me to go look at other hairstyles people are wearing this summer.
the trouble is- we just haven't had much summer yet! its been raining for a month here,
and other places are having tornadoes, floods, blizzards and volcano eruptions.
so... our hair and what to do with it when it gets hot- has been the least of our worries.

but as i leafed through some internet pages, i noticed 2 things that made me REALLY happy.
1. the braid is still cool
2. the messy bun (chignon) is still cool

YES! on BOTH accounts! i didn't have much hair last summer, so i couldnt do much with it.
BUT THIS YEAR- i have LOTS and LOTS of hair to play with! and though deep down i want to practically shave my head,
i will do my best to enjoy it while it's here. (i am currently growing out my hair - simply as long as i can stand it. when i am REALLY done and i think its reached its stopping length, i will chop. and oh, i will rejoice.)

but until that day, i will play :)
i love that everything is messy. bed head is my absolutely favorite thing on girls. its so fun and sexy, and
not so manicured. the rest of you can look gorgeous and makeupped, but i love it when hair is just free and
wind blown :) its so carefree and happy! <3

ok. here we go. some summer styles for your hairs! <3

and this hairstyle is just NUTS.
i cant believe how much i want to make out with this hair cut...

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style watch: short hair 2011

06/05/2011

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GOOD MORNING!!!
i am SO excited about today's style watch.
ive decided to feature my favorite haircut of ALL. TIME.
its making a HUGE appearance in 2011... and that is the punk rock pixie.
well, i dont know its technical name... that's just what i've always called it.

i had this hair cut back in my junior year of high school.
i grew my bangs out long enough to tuck behind my ear, and chopped EVERYTHING else really short.
i chopped it all off myself, and then went to my friend tammy who fixed it.
it was my FAVORITE hair cut. but it REALLY wasn't cool for girls to have short hair in the 90's.
it was ALL about bleached grown out perms, with black roots. messy, messy hair.

this messy pixie... i dont know. there's just something i find INSANELY sexy about short messy hair on girls.
ESPECIALLY the pompadour style. i really canNOT get enough of it.
im seriously considering, at the end of the summer, chopping all my hair off again into this hairstyle.
into a faux hawk... pompadour... im like... obsessed. i look at pictures every day and just wish. ha!
its ALL About the cut though. if you have someone who just CHOPS you without the right style (which is what happened to me a few years ago) it will seriously want to make you kill yourself.

SO! here are some examples of my favorite styles. FAVORITE FAVORITE FAVORITE FAVORITE.
dude. i want to cut my hair so bad. ugh.

ok the other hairstyle you will see is the short bob. i love that almost as much.
basically, i love short hair on girls. i mean, long hair is great to covet- but, seriously- its not that practical.
and it gets everywhere. and takes forever to do. and just.... ugh. it looks pretty on some girls, but for the most part- i truly think EVERYONE looks better with short hair. its definitely more interesting than just a plain long mane...
ANYWAY. here we go :)

blonde.

brunette.

black.

ok i have to admit- i have a major thing for black hair. especially the short bob with long bangs. i die. it reminds me of an edgey snow white. i wish i could die my hair black again. but it looked SO awful the first time, i will NOT make that mistake again until skin cancer disappears and i can get a leathery tan to not wash me out so much. then i'm sure i'd look awesome. in the meantime, enjoy these styles. im speechless about every single one of them. sigh.

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style watch: chignon

06/03/2011

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Chignon (hairstyle)From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the hairstyle.

A chignon (French pronunciation: [ʃiɲɔ̃]
, English pronunciation: /ʃɪnˈjɒn/) is a popular type of hairstyle. The word “chignon” comes from the French phrase “chignon du cou,” which means nape of the neck. Chignons are generally achieved by pinning the hair into a knot at the nape of the neck or at the back of the head, but there are many different variations of the style. They are frequently worn for special occasions, like weddings and formal dances, but the basic chignon is also worn for everyday casual wear.

[edit]History of the chignonThe chignon can be traced back to Ancient Greece, where Athenian women commonly wore the style with gold or ivory handcrafted hairpins. Athenian men wore the style as well, but they fastened their chignons with a clasp of "golden grasshoppers," according to "The History of the Peloponnesian War," by Thucydides. The chignon was specific to Athens, as other city states, such as Sparta and Cyprus, had their own style of hairdressing. The chignon was also popular in Ancient China, where married women wore the low, knotted hairstyle. The chignon achieved popularity during the Victorian era; during that time, chignons were often enormous constructions including false hair or pads. The chignon’s popularity peaked again in the 1940s when many women wore the chignon with a headscarf while working in factories to support the war effort during World War II. Presently, the chignon is still popular because of its association with French elegance, and the ease with which a chignon can be achieved.

And can we TALK about sarah jessica parker?!
my DREAM hair. AND she bends in half?!
i die.

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style watch: the stripe outfit.

06/03/2011

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on any given day- this is what i look like right now...
minus the pretty face and blonde hair.

anyway you slice it- i'm just into it.
its basically my goal this summer to work out JUST ENOUGH
to look good in stripes and jeans- ALL THE TIME.
i mean, ive thrifted like 500 new striped shirts... so... i better get crackin'.