Flight of the Conchords

I won't pretend that I'm hip enough to have discovered Flight of the Conchords before it became popular, or even to really be a fan, but I watched an episode on my flight back from London, and it was pretty hilarious. This is a clip from that episode, which is entitled "New Cup." Enjoy--and have a great Monday!

10 Things That Make Me Happy

This post was inspired by another of my favorite, now-defunct magazines. Back when Domino was still in print, whenever I got a new issue in the mail I would have to restrain myself from immediately flipping to the last page. This is because my favorite feature was "10 Things That Make Me Happy," in which a person (it might be a designer, a boutique owner, or a museum director) would be profiled and asked to name ten things that brought a bit of happiness into his or her life. I miss Domino, and I miss that last page, so I thought I would try to recreate it here on littlebits. These are not meant to be the most important things in my life (friends, family, good health), but just those little things that bring a smile to my face. I will be doing this from time to time, so I hope you enjoy it!

1. Nude heels - This lovely pair is by Stuart Weitzman. I don't own a pair of nude-colored heels yet, but I have high hopes for their legline-lengthening potential...I need all the help I can get!

2. Brunch - I really think it's the perfect meal...you can order pancakes or omelets (and bacon on the side of everything) without having to wake up early! Plus most restaurants serve lunch fare at brunch as well, so you can pretty much have whatever strikes your fancy. Bonus: drinking in the middle of the day is socially acceptable when it's a mimosa you're sipping.

3. Up & Up Cocoa Butter Lotion - Part of Target's new line of store-brand basics. 32 ounces of yummy-smelling lotion for about $3.50 all wrapped up in a pleasingly graphic package--now that's a bargain.

4. Lala - Lala is a music website that I discovered a few days ago where you can listen to just about any song, or entire albums, for free (just once though...after that you can only hear a 30-second preview). If you like the song enough, you can download the MP3 for 89 cents or buy the "web song" which will only play in your lala player but will only cost you a dime. Pretty cool, huh?

5. Jeni's Ice Cream - I think Zach and I are going to have to make another pilgrimage to Columbus to try Jeni's new seasonal flavors: blackstrap praline, heirloom pumpkin five-spice, goat cheese with cognac figs...mmm.

6. Pet Silhouettes by Jenny lee Fowler - I almost featured these on my (P)etsy Wednesday post. I love their charming simplicity as well as the subtle humor.

7. Monogrammed Cocktail Napkins by Sferra - I saw these featured in Elle Décor, and I thought they would make a great gift. Simple yet refined.

8. Crimson Bubbles Skirt by Lauren Moffatt - Remember that red Lauren Moffatt dress I featured a couple of weeks ago? It also comes in an adorable skirt!

9. Color Sensational Lip Gloss by Maybelline - I am pretty much always on the lookout for the perfect lip gloss, and this might just be it. It goes on very smooth, not at all sticky, and has enough pigment that I don't have to apply too much of it. To top it off, it has a lovely light scent that reminds me of strawberries.

10. MiniCards by Moo - Super cute mini business cards that you can customize with your own images. Even though I don't have my own business (or a job, for that matter), I love the idea of handing these out as calling cards.

*****

(Apparently I wasn't the only blogger who had this idea. See also: 1) Wide Open Spaces, 2) Sacramento Street, and 3) Design Happens)

Hot Off the (Panini) Press

Over the past couple of years, I have become obsessed with buying cookbooks. I love books of all kinds, but cookbooks have a special place in my heart because...well, you know. They're about FOOD! And they usually have photographs depicting delicious foodstuffs that I can salivate over when I'm hungry or bored or eating lunch (yes, I like to look at pictures of food while I'm eating...it's an illness). As I do with my non-cookbook books, I keep a Word document list of my cookbooks as well as those I would like to purchase (again...illness), so even though all of my cookbooks are currently in boxes in my mom's attic, I can tell you that I own 18 cookbooks and have 28 more titles on my wish list. Every month or so, I troll Amazon for new cookbook releases, and my wish list grows and grows. These are the books that have most recently made it onto my must-have list:

1. My Bread by Jim Lahey - Jim Lahey became a household name (well, not really) when the New York Times published his recipe for no-knead bread in 2006. Three years later, he has published 224 pages of no-knead bread wizardry...I can't wait to try it!

2. Simple Fresh Southern by Matt and Ted Lee - Simple Fresh Southern is the much-anticipated follow-up to the Lee brothers' highly successful debut cookbook, The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook. Their second effort promises updated takes on classic Southern flavors and techniques and is sure to be just as big of a hit as their first.

3. Rose's Heavenly Cakes by Rose Levy Beranbaum - Rose Levy Beranbaum is the undisputed queen of cakes. According to Amazon.com, her Cake Bible is one of the best-selling cookbooks of all time. Her latest contribution to the world of baking offers her most decadent and jaw-dropping recipes yet, sure to make your dinner guests swoon (and rush out to buy their own copies of Heavenly Cakes).

4. Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson - I own two of Nigella's other cookbooks (How to Eat and How to be a Domestic Goddess), and it seems to me that where Nigella really shines is in creating festive yet simple holiday menus. This book would surely be useful for anyone who enjoys entertaining.

Man, I really need to have my own kitchen again!

(P)etsy Wednesday

After a two-month separation, I have recently reunited with my beloved Bartok. We have had some quality snuggle time over the past few days, and I find myself just as smitten with him now as I was when Zach and I first brought him home five years ago. I just love this cat! This week's Etsy finds are for those of you who adore your four-legged pals as much as I do mine...

A repurposed vintage suitcase makes a cozy bed for your kitty.

Let artist Lisa Marie Norton capture your pet's personality
with a custom doodle (first spotted on Dooce).

Adorable homemade treats for your favorite canine.

Keep Rover warm in the coming months with this stylish doggie hoodie.

Help your furry friend find his way back home with this custom ID tag.

*****

I'm not sure what Etsy Wednesday will bring next week, so you will just have to be surprised!

Anthropologie Love

Anthropologie has been putting out some gorgeous catalogs lately....so dreamy and fairy tale-like.

(September 2009, page 4)

(September 2009, page 16)

(September 2009, page 20)

(October 2009, page 34)

(October 2009, page 39)

(October 2009, page 41)

(November 2009, page 3)

(November 2009, page 15)

(November 2009, page 16)

I'm Going to Become Wonderful

She's not suave, she's not sexy, her personal life is perpetually in shambles and the highlight of her year is a free sandwich...how can you not love Liz Lemon? She is the Everywoman. (Except for the time she dated Jon Hamm. That was just unfair). I'm catching up on 30 Rock, and I know it's just TV, but it's making me feel better about my life. It makes me hope that, perhaps, one day, my misery will also make for great comedy (kidding). It does, however, remind me not to take myself too seriously. Also, it has given me some great ideas for what to do with my free time: "Donuts and then bed? What are you depressed about--or celebrating?"

Etsy Wednesday

I'm still feeling a little low on motivation, so I decided to dig around in my Etsy Favorites folder for some items to share with you. I hope you love them as much as I do...

These vintage brass owl bookends are cute without being kitschy.

How can you not smile when you look at this pinwheel photograph?

I am gaga over these gorgeous handmade earrings.

I would love to add this vintage map of Asia to my collection.

I have been on the lookout for a vintage leather purse like this one.

*****

Next week: Etsy finds (Petsy finds?) for our four-legged pals!

On Staying Motivated

"All young ladies are accomplished. They sing, they draw, they dance,
speak French and German, cover screens and I know not what."
-Pride and Prejudice

Five years ago, I was a recent college graduate, unemployed and living in a new state. For months, I was in a funk...sleeping late, watching hours of TV, and despairing of ever finding a job. Nearly five months out of law school, and I find myself in similar territory. I have applied for a handful of jobs but have been met with either silence or a form rejection each time. Of course, it is difficult to stay positive when you are not contributing to society (or earning a paycheck)...but I wish I could somehow motivate myself to be productive in other ways. If I were more disciplined, I could be using all of this free time to cultivate talents (I haven't touched my violin since March), learn languages, or at least do the simple things that I enjoy, like cooking and reading. Instead, I have done very little of any value in the past month. I have been feeling somewhat inspired lately by Eliza Bennet and other "proper" young ladies of old to spend my time bettering myself instead of watching eight episodes of Friends a day...but I'm not quite there yet. How do YOU stay motivated when your spirits are low?

An Ode to Gourmet

(A sampling of Gourmet's lovely photography)

I received my very last issue of Gourmet in the mail yesterday. I know I have already told all of you how heartbroken I am that the plug was pulled on such a wonderful magazine, but I am not quite ready to let go just yet. Browsing through the November issue (the annual Thanksgiving issue no less...thanks for nothing, Condé Nast!) was bittersweet. As always, the photos were gorgeous, the narratives inspiring, and the recipes mouthwatering. There was even a holiday menu featuring Pennsylvania Dutch-inspired dishes, which, as a born-and-raised Pennsylvania girl, made me proud. The recipe that I was most excited to see was for my all-time favorite holiday dish--corn pudding made with Cope's dried sweet corn (click here for the recipe). While I was in college and later in law school, I would call my mom every year in mid-November to make sure she had a box of Cope's in the cupboard. I simply could not imagine coming home for Thanksgiving and not having that sweet, creamy pudding on the table. It is a simple dish, made with just six ingredients: dried corn, eggs, milk, butter, sugar, and flour. The end result, however, is incredibly delicious and deeply satisfying--which is exactly what I want from a Thanksgiving meal. It also happens to be what I want from a food magazine. Gourmet, thank you for making me feel grateful to flip through your pages every month. You will be missed.

Photo Credits (clockwise from top left): Martyn Thompson, Romulo Yanes, Sang An, Henrik Knudsen, Marcus Nilsson, Romulo Yanes

Etsy Wednesday

Halloween is just around the corner, so for those of you who like to dress up for the big day, I thought I would find some vintage items on Etsy that would make great costumes. I haven't dressed up myself in many years, but with fun options like these--who knows!

This vintage baton girl uniform might be a little scandalous for the office
Halloween party, but it would be absolutely adorable after hours.

Throw on this faux fur vest with a pair of oversized sunglasses
and some sky-high platforms and go as fashion darling
(and Bravo star) Rachel Zoe. It will be bananas.

Take the "Mad Men Yourself" craze of a few months ago to a new level
with this sexy 60s cocktail dress. Just add red lips, a bouffant 'do, and
a cigarette holder, and you're good to go (vodka gimlet optional).

Channel Zelda Fitzgerald in this vintage red turban and you'll be
doing the Charleston and the Lindy Hop all night long.

Everyone will be kissing your grits when you show up in this adorable vintage
waitress dress. Plus you can walk around all night saying things like,
"Give me an Adam and Eve on a raft, and wreck 'em!"

*****

As always, check back next week for five more great Etsy finds!

Style Denial

The sudden burst of cold weather over the weekend made me realize just how unprepared I am for winter. I have two or three sweaters to my name, a pair of boring black boots, a pair of brown boots that are falling apart, and a coat that I bought last winter for $50 as a placeholder until I could find one that I really like. I have spent the past couple of days scouring the internet for clothes that will actually keep me warm, but unfortunately I have not found much of anything that has changed my opinion that winter dressing is a big snooze fest. I have, however, found a whole slew of the prettiest little dresses! Now if only I lived in a place where I could wear nothing but little ($600, gold-sequined) dresses year-round. It is quite possible that this place only exists in my head.

The beading, the shine, and the asymmetrical drape
at the waist of this Mint by Jodi Arnold number
add up to a festive look for a cocktail party.

The textured fabric takes this red mini
by Lauren Moffatt from tarty to flirty.

I love a great top-and-skirt combo, and this cute dress
by Lauren Moffatt does all the hard work for me.

I have absolutely no idea when I would have occasion to wear
a gold-sequined minidress, but...so sparkly!

This embellished little black dress by Tracy Reese will get you
through the holiday season (and then some).

*****

Sigh. I don't think my denial will survive another blast of frigid temperatures, so I guess I'd better keep shopping...

Remembrances of Meals Past

I have been meaning to get into the kitchen and do some cooking for a while now, but the motivation just is not there (not feeling motivated to do much at all lately...I blame the weather, the economy, and post-Europe blues). Luckily, I have obsessively photographed the most delicious things I have eaten over the past couple of years, so I don't have to leave you empty-handed today. This picture was taken in Sausalito, California in October 2007, and man...it makes my mouth water every time I look at it.

For about three or four years leading up to the taking of this photograph, I was on the hunt for the perfect fish taco. I tried a few specimens before this one, but these experiments usually ended in tears. There are three common ways that restaurants get fish tacos all wrong: 1) they bread the fish instead of battering it (or, worse still, they grill it instead of frying it); 2) they use flour tortillas, which are too thick and chewy for the delicate fish, instead of corn tortillas; 3) they top them with crazy things like lettuce, guacamole, or chipotle cream sauce.

My hunt for fish taco perfection finally ended the day I walked into the Sausalito Taco Shop. Their fish is batter-dipped and fried to light golden perfection, nestled inside of two warm, fresh corn tortillas, and topped with a mound of finely shredded cabbage. To prevent the fish from getting soggy, they bring the condiments (hot sauce and a squeeze bottle of crema) to your table and let you dress it up yourself. East Coasters take note--this is what a fish taco should look like.