Lucky

"Lucky" Official Video With Colbie Caillat

Jason Mraz | MySpace Music Videos


I heard this song, driving around Saturday while running errands. It almost made me tear up...so lovely. And the video is quite wonderful too :)

Countdown to the lilacs!

I might be jumping the gun a little but I can't help it. I have some massive spring fever. Tomorrow is the 1st of April (maybe I can finally get the snow shovel and scrapper out of the car), Easter is this weekend and it is supposed to be near 80 degrees...wow! All of that can only mean one thing up here in Rochester...it's time to start thinking about the annual, beautiful Lilac Festival. There are a bunch of festivals in Rochester but this one is the best for one reason...those amazing lilacs. At first I thought it was kind of a stupid concept...celebrating these flowers for 10 days...having parades and 10k's in their honor...and of course eating the obligatory hot dogs and funnel cakes...but that was because I had never seen them. One visit and you will be hooked...the lilacs are truly gorgeous and smelly so heavenly. You'll have to stop yourself from picking up a bottle of the official scent.

If you happen to be in town...don't miss it. It will NOT disappoint!

Stella Kids

I know I am in the minority on this but I am admittedly not a giant fan of Stella McCartney's designs...her collaboration with Gap Kids however... totally inspired!

I've got just one thing to say today...

HOORAY!!!!!

(Adorable print by Etsy artist Stuborn Dog)

Light bulb moment - Sea shells!

So you might remember me lamenting a few weeks back about these pretty cabinets that I have by my fireplace that I have been struggling to decorate. I've gotten some great suggestions and will probably incorporate a bit of them all into the idea I finally came up with. Because of the display quality of the cabinets, I really thought they would look best with some sort of collection. I'm not much of a collector but then it hit me...sea shells!! I love love love seashells and have always wanted to incorporate them into my home..somewhere. They would provide that little bit of Key Largo at home. And the idea could not have come at a better time since I am headed down to the Keys (home to lots and lots of shells) in just a couple weeks. I can hardly wait for the shell collecting/shopping to begin!

Beautiful shell photo from A Collection a Day

Going against type-Librarian Chic Monday

With Ms. M away, you are probably looking at this post and wondering if I've lost my mind. Don't worry...it's still me and it's still 'librarian chic' Monday...but with a little twist. So this weekend, I went to a local sports bar with CN (Rookies...owned by CN's brother) to watch...get this...some Ultimate Fighting (aka MMA or 'Cage Fighting'). Why would I do that, you ask? Well, good question. Being a wrestler and just general jock, CN is nuts about this sport and watches it all the time. This fight on Saturday night was supposed to be a biggie so I told him I'd go too. My dirty little secret is that I've watched a lot of 'ultimate fighting' over the past few years...most of it with my eyes closed (and mostly because I have no choice :) but there is no denying that these guys are amazing athletes and I'm always up for seeing guys in great shape, compete.

So the bar is packed (I hate bars) and it's getting late. There were several fights and the main event didn't start until around 11:45pm (for those of you who know me, that's WAY past my bedtime). Finally, the fight we had been waiting all night for is up...it's George St. Pierre (who I had heard of) v. Dan Hardy (who I never heard of...though CN had been prepping me for this event for weeks). This is where it gets funny...boy, did I enjoy watching this fight! Mostly because of George St. Pierre...he's amazing! First of all...he's gorgeous. I mean, I cannot find a flaw, physically, in this man (except maybe those tell-tale 'cauliflower ears' that all fighters get..but who cares about ears, right?). And after fights, when these guys have to talk to the press, GSP (as apparently he's referred to by those in the know) always shows up in fabulous suits, looking more like a model than a fighter. Second...his native language is French. Who doesn't love that and third...geez, what an athlete! OK, the sport is brutal and they do often seem like they are just beating the hell out of each other...but once you get beyond that, you don't need to be a genius to see how incredibly gifted they are as athletes. I love sports so it is always just a real treat to see that kind of ability in action.

Now my new interest is out of the closet. I did not see a lot of my library colleagues at the fights but I'm pretty sure that's part of why I enjoyed it so much. It certainly goes outside the librarian box but isn't that what being a chic librarian is all about. And who knows...maybe there is a future in this for me? KatieP - Librarian By Day, Cage Fighter By Night!

(Cool 'Librarian/Cagefigher' poster by Poor Richard's Custom)

leaving soon...

What's up with the pinwheel? Even the Seoul Metro System is putting them on their ads...I'm looking forward to returning to my hometown...It's been nearly twenty years since I've been back so I'm sure things have change yet again....I'll be thinking of you and taking lots of photos of all the places we visit.... Take care & have a great weekend!

My favorite time of year - The VSW Silent Auction

My absolute favorite time of year is when the Visual Studies Workshop has it's annual Benefit Auction. I have been attending for years and very rarely do I come away without an amazing new piece for my home. Back in the day, you used to have to attend the event to bid on and purchase a piece. Well, that is a thing of the past. Now, you can bid for your favorites online (bidding began yesterday) so these gorgeous pieces are now available to everyone, not just the folks up here in Rochester. Keep an eye on the site over the next month. Pieces will be added by various artists from all over the country who donate their work to this amazing event.

(Teapot by Fumiko Koizumi is pictured and currently available for bidding)

So clever - the PGC Wallet!

I love this new creation by my sister Laura and her husband Joe. This is a simply fabulous idea for those of you minimalists who are always on the go...let me introduce you to the 'PGC' Wallet ... 'cause really...all you need to get around are your phone, gel and cash anyway. And with that nifty little hook for your key, you can tote everything you need around so simply and perfectly organized. I think I finally found a replacement for the poor little sack I've been shoving all these things into for years now. Hooray!

(By the way, visit Laura @ her Etsy shop and she'll custom order your PGC wallet anyway you would like!)

Endlessly Adorable!

OK, I know how to crochet, but why can't I do this!? I am thinking I might make an attempt. All you need is the pattern and a whole lot of talent. It would be so worth the effort though because this is a permanent tribute to the prettiest and my all-time favorite food.

Bon Voyage (Korean Style) Ms. M!

I can't believe how Ms. M's trip to Korea snuck up on me (just like a lot of things these days :) I hope you have awonderful trip with your family Ms. M! I can hardly wait to hear ALL about through your fabulous posts when you return. Safe travels and great fun wishes to you!!

Happy weekend to the rest of us who are homebound :)

(Photo by an Etsy fave CoriKindred)

Latest out of Napa

Not that I am any sort of wine connoisseur, but I don't think you really have to be to love the label on the bottles of Kate & Cassie wine. Apparently it's relatively new out of Napa. If you didn't know, I love wine bottle labels and these are about as pretty as any I've seen.

Easter...Emily Martin Style

I just adore Emily Martin's latest creations. They are probably already sold out (or will be in 5 minutes) but they might inspire a few of our own attempts at fabulous doll making.

loving this...

I was just reading Abbey Goes Design Scouting and came across her newest post. It's brilliant! It's all about having a core group of clothing that you can turn to again & again....I, unfortunately do not have this down to a discipline..but I can always learn! Plus, she gave rave reviews about the Gap Skinny mid-rise jeans. Reading the reviews on this item, I think I might just take a peek when I get the chance.... I love it when I learn something new...

greek independence day

Happy Greek Independence Day!

favorite dessert: Crème Brûlée

I am dreaming of Crème Brûlée at the moment...I love love this decadent dessert....and just like Amelie Poulain I love the crackling sound I hear as my spoon dives into pure heaven. Boy, do I wish I was in Paris right about now....perhaps with some café crème?

J.Crew's April

Don't you love the April J. Crew catalog? It's brilliant...

Collection Envy

This is an absolutely inspirational and envy inducing tip (which was on Black Eiffel this morning). The blog is called 'A Collection a Day' and it is a simply stunning idea by artist Lisa Congdon in which she is documenting (via blog) a collection (real or imagined) of hers everyday for a year. This blog will leave you with 2 thoughts...the first is that Lisa is a genius...the second is, why can't I be that talented? I've been following it for a couple weeks and I'm completely addicted.

Might just start using the PO again :)

I just spotted these stamps on Oh Joy! Finally a set of stamps that suit me (and my love of the Abstract Expressionists perfectly)

my new boyfriend

I can't stop thinking about him.

notions of beauty

I overheard a semi-interesting comment this afternoon...the notion that women wear makeup to make themselves look younger. This person equated such acts to mean you were frivolous & probably lying to yourself about who you really were. Can that be true? I suppose there are some women who try to defy all odds of aging and cake on the foundation and all the youth creams out there on the market. But I've always seen makeup as complementary. Why look washed out & pale...liked you've made no effort whatsoever? I guess that's the operative word: effort. I'm not very forgiving of women who look like slobs. Of course there are major exceptions to all of this, but in general I find you owe it to yourself not to look like a sack of potatoes. You don't have to be some great beauty who has the perfect everything (hair, height, face, weight, etc...)....You just need to have an interest in yourself. Bottom line: Go out and make yourself look good (maybe you'll feel better too!). None of what I'm saying is anything new...but I'm still curious to hear what you think of those who try their best to look decent and those who just don't give a care...What do you think?

Heavenly

Have you ever seen Terrence Malick's masterpiece Days of Heaven? If you haven't, do yourself a favor...get it out on DVD, or better yet, try to find a place that might screen it so you can see it in the theater in all its magnificence. It's typical Malick...slow and methodical in pace, with beautiful acting and direction. But here is the real treat...the cinematography is unlike anything you will every see. Malick is the master when it comes to lighting and natural light is used throughout this piece to create the softest, most gorgeous, images, plus, it has one of the best voiceovers (which I am notoriously not a fan of) ever done in film history.

Update on J. Crew Opening

I went to the grand opening of a new J. Crew store and I am in love with this location! I was expecting it to be the usual...but it was so much more! What I loved most were the neutral tones throughout the store with lovely natural stones integrated into the walls and the beautiful decor. They had great art books on full display alongside the lovely merchandise. I'm telling you, I'd kill to work on displays at this store! I picked up two items. A very neon pink shade (matte) by Essie called Punchy Pink & another natural cotton tote. This version is from the girls collection online but the women's versions in the store are just as adorable. I have 2 now...I think I can officially be called the Tote Bag Lady now... I have way too many in my collection! But you never know when you'll need them, right? They're super handy so I can always justify buying another one. They've also changed their shopping bags to a perfect shade of grey. Can it get any better? ...Yes! I also picked up the April catalog, which I still haven't received in the mail.

Need a little kick?

I know you've seen Sriracha Sauce (or the 'Rooster Sauce')...probably on the table in your favorite Chinese restaurant...or pretty much any place you might need hot sauce. Of all the hot sauces out there Sriracha is my favorite. I would put it on cereal if it made sense :) It gives just about anything you can imagine the yummiest punch...and I love that rooster on package!

super excited today

I am so excited today for the opening of a new J. Crew store inside a local mall. I heard it's a small space, but that's OK....What is it about this brand? I find it very interesting that after all these years of following/buying J. Crew items I still get giddy when I see a new catalog or when the new arrivals hit online. I'm eagerly awaiting for the April catalog, as I obsess w/ the March issue each and every night before I go to bed. Seriously, I go over the pages over & over again before hitting the sack. I think it's all the great punches of pink in this issue.

BTW, I picked up my Liberty of London MAC lipstick and I am in love! Petals & Peacocks (love the name!) does not disappoint. It's a very punchy pink and I mix it w/ another favorite lipcolor by NARS to tone it down...but I secretly wish I had the nerve to wear it all by itself. A girl can dream....

Umbrellas-The most underrated accessory?

When I was young, one of my most favorite books was Umbrella, the Caldecott Honor book by Taro Yashima. The beautiful book is the story of Momo, a little girl living in NYC who is simply desperate for a rainy day so she can use her new umbrella. The illustrations in the book are amazing and I adored the sound the raindrops made as they hit Momo's umbrella, as she heard it ("bon polo, bon polo, bolo, bolo, bon polo"). I was thinking of Momo today...because it's miserably rainy up here. I hate the rain. But I do love umbrellas...mostly because of this book. My first umbrella was pale blue with a wooden handle and I thought it was beautiful. I have always admired gorgeous ones and have had so many over the years, I've lost count. My favorite these days are JCrew's. Sturdy (it has to be, to survive a Rochester season) and beautiful (I have a pink paisley pattern and one with a cool book pattern), my JCrew umbrellas just make me happy because they do it all.

Le Sport Sac has some fab mini-umbrellas now too. I'm telling you...not hating the rain is 100% dependent on having an awesome umbrella :)

Rethinking the Pinwheel ala Kate Spade

If you are a Facebook fan of Kate Spade then you might be following her joyful 'Plant a Pinwheel' contest. All you have to do is get yourself a pinwheel (you can pick one up a your nearest Kate Spade store, or download one and make it yourself (you may need to be a Facebook user to use link), or use one of your own...then, take a picture of your pinwheel in some fabulous, creative way. Post it on the Facebook fan page and you could win a smashing Kate outfit! I love the thought of winning the oh-so-gorgeous outfit but, I have to say I am enjoying the wonderful ways people are displaying their pinwheels even more. Check out Kate's philosophy on pinwheels too...it will totally make you rehtink those lovely, innocent pieces of our childhood.

Great fun!

(Photo spotted on Facebook by Ava Friedlander...Kudos Ava!)

Scene Stealing Nails

I am most thoroughly and definitely not a fan of the movie The Devil Wears Prada (to be honest I disliked the book even more). Anne Hathaway is kind of a bore in the film and Meryl Streep is totally miscast as the foremost fashionista in the world...she simply cannot pull off being the uber-editor (in spite of what critics think...and are afraid to say, she cannot do everything). However, I will watch at least parts of the movie almost every time it's on cable (which is a whole lot) because of 2 things...Emily Blunts' scene stealing performance as snooty assistant 'Emily Chalton' and her fabulous FABULOUS nails. Emily's nails are my absolute envy and I attempt to immitate them every day of my life. Short and always painted dramatically dark, I kind of gave up trying to find the exact shade she wore... I do stick with super deep shades of blue and red/maroon (even black) to stay as 'Emily-esque' as possible.

A Librarian's Best (Fashion) Friend

When it comes to 'Librarian Chic', I am not sure anyone really gets it more than Kate Spade. From the glasses, to the bags, to amazing tights, season after season, the Kate Spade line is one-stop shopping for the most fashionable librarians.

Hobbies - Librarian Chic

It sounds stereotypical, but have you ever met a librarian who doesn't like to either knit or sew...or both? Purl Soho is moving to their new location in April & Lena Corwin has drawn a sweet map to illustrate their new neighborhood. Download the pdf and print it out...It'll make a great poster for your office.

Paris is calling my name....

If I didn't have any commitments, I'd be on a plane at this moment....My Little Paris is like Daily Candy, but for everything French! Magnifique!

So summery!

This little skirt looks like it might be great fun for my upcoming beach trip!

We all heart Florida

It's funny Katie should mention Florida because I've been thinking about Florida a lot lately....and strangely enough I've been seeing way too many Florida license plates in the metro D.C. area. I was thinking of my dad while driving yesterday afternoon & at one point I pull up to a FL plate that's from Tampa! I felt like my dad was saying " Here I am!"...It made me cry and smile at the same time. We were on the Metro recently & saw Florida Tourism's new ad campaign, which was a warm welcome from the miserable cold we were experiencing at the time....I was really taken by the playful fonts used & it left a memorable impression on me. I sure miss home... I love you, Florida!

Happy Weekend...Happier First Day of Spring!

I don't know about you, but this has just been the longest week. Even though the weather has been quite spectacular, there have definitely been a lot of ups and downs (including having a bat in my house! Happily the neighborhood 'batgirl' safely removed the poor creature from my home last night :) Anyway, I am so glad that it is finally wrapping up and I'm even happier knowing that this Saturday is the first day of Spring...hooray!! I am feeling especially warm weather ready since I just booked my ticket to Florida for my trip in mid-April. I can hardly wait. No better way to kick off a Friday than planning a long overdue trip!

I hope everyone has the warmest, springiest, loveliest weekend!

Beautiful photo by Joe

Stop the madness!

I am officially insane! I can't stop thinking about Liberty products! I want this tape!

cute rubber stamps

I love rubber stamps and Paper Source has some cute ones available...The Geishas are quite popular at my local store....It was out of stock the last time I was there...The bike w/ basket is adorable for Spring!

The Perfect Pair

I have to tell you that when I bought my Liberty of London (for Target) Shopper tote (I actually have the Poppi Multi print...this is Dunclare Yellow), I never imagined it would look so lovely with my treasured LV Cabas Piano (by the way, sure sign spring is coming? My LV's come out!) Anyway, I am using the Liberty tote for my lunch bag/anything else I can't get into my LV and they just look so adorable as a pair. One so proper and fancy (probably the single reason a colleague at work refers to me as 'fancy shopping girl') and the tote, so whimsical and colorful. What a perfect duo they make!