entertaining / jossie's jasmine party

jossie literally planned her birthday party for an entire year. right after her party last year (which was barbie themed), joss decided that she wanted to have a jasmine party. when she told me that a year ago i laughed and assumed she would forget about it by the time her next birthday came around, but she made it happen. well really, angela made it happen. this was joss's sixth birthday party and it was awesome, i would have died to go to a party just like it when i was six! 

joss obviously had to have a killer dress for her party. angela found this one on the chasing fireflies website, and it literally could not have been more perfect. she also had the headband made with gold feathers, and flower and a large purple jewel- just like jasmine's necklace!

angela decorated the front room with layered rugs, and hung exotic umbrellas (from here) and paper flowers from the ceiling. we made the paper flowers, copied from ones we saw at west elm- they were actually pretty easy, but used tons more paper that we expected. in the entryway she had the favors for the kids- rock candy lollipops and ribbon wands. she also had jewels for each of the kids.

angela went simple on the food since it was a post-lunch party. there were pretzel sticks, grapes and cheese cubes, and rolos. she went all out on the cake, and asked her lady to create jasmine's palace! the table was set with a station for the girls to make beaded bracelets while they ate their snacks.i love all of the little details like the drink labels and colorful ribbons, they help to tie everything together.  

the girls were surprised by a special guest- princess jasmine actually came to the party! she sang to the kids and taught them how to be princesses- and she did not break character once! all-in-all the party was a hit, i just wish i could have had one like it when i was little (which is not to say that my winnie-the-pooh and hula parties were not awesome!).

fashion / tulle and tutus

i have long been a fan of all things pretty, which first and foremost includes layered tulle tutu skirts. while these types of looks seem unobtainable for everything but the specialist of occasions, i have found ways to wear these fancy skirts and dresses on a day-to-day basis.

for my look i used a bcbg petticoat that i got at the rack, which way too cute to be covered up. because it was so see-through i put my black cotton mini from h&m underneath (don't worry, i only wear it under things, never on its own!).  my top is vintage from an antique store. my shoes were stolen out of my mom's closet, they are from anthro; the earrings are also from anthro. i was too lazy to do anything with my hair, so i did my favorite high bun, threw on some hot pink lipstick, and felt adequately put together. 

this was actually my first day of work outfit in d.c., and i liked that it was super different from your typical black-pencil-skirt workwear (don't get me started on modern day workwear, it makes me want to rant).  i didn't feel overly fancy, just enough to feel almost like a princess. i think it helped that i was wearing more neutral colors, and had a few small pops with the shoes, earrings, and lipstick. the outfit is comfy and not stuffy, the platforms are comfortable and easy to get around in, and my hair was easy enough to do that i could sleep in a little. that's my kind of look!

10 favorite things to do / portland

for today's post i asked my friend michelle to write about her ten favorite things to do in her hometown of portland. i still have never been there, but after reading this list am dying to find a way to make it happen! 

Portland is the most unique city that I’ve ever been in. Whenever someone finds out that I live in Portland, they ask me if I’ve seen the TV show “Portlandia,” to which I respond: “Yes. And it is 100% accurate.” The writers for that show just need to walk around downtown and they will have plenty of material. There is lots of weirdness, but that means that there is so much character. Plus, there is plenty to do and are lots of hot spots for foodies. I describe the atmosphere as being a big neighborhood. It’s a big city, but it still feels like a neighborhood where people still say hi to each other on the street and the house was quaint. 

When Brittany asked me to write about the perfect day in Portland, I couldn’t resist! I love the City of Roses!

1. If the weather is nice, take a bike ride along the waterfront. Or, like a native Oregonian, you go even if it is raining. You get a great view of the city and the waterfront trail is lovely. I would start on the west side, where you can rent a bike, and make your way north across the Steel Bridge, then down the east side so you can see the west side.

2. Saturday Market. This is my favorite things about the city. They have local farmers selling their produce and stands of people selling their art and other crafts. There are also food carts and street performers. I always recommend the market to the place to experience Portland and have a fun Saturday morning. It’s the first thing I do whenever I come back to the city.

3. Go to brunch. Portland is a city that brunches. You can’t go wrong with brunch, so find a place based on your breakfast preferences.

At Slappy's, pictured on the left, you can make your own pancakes. Each table has its own griddle.!

4. Browse Powell’s City of Books. This is block-long bookstore in SW that is a main attraction in the city. And it gets the attention it deserves, in my opinion. It is Disneyland for bookies, I tell ya. It is so big, they have maps and directories. So many books! Love it!

5. Lunch at the food carts. There are a few hubs of food carts downtown on both sides of the river. They have everything and the food is delicious. I like Pyro Pizza and PBJ’s Grilled on the east side.

6. Explore OMSI. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is a fun museum with a permanent exhibit hall that’s all hands-on and pretty cool temporary exhibits. You could spend a solid amount of time here, so plan accordingly. Maybe this is for day two of the Perfect Day in Portland series. Either way, you can conduct your own experiments and see dinosaur bones and experience what it would be like to be in an earthquake.

7. Pioneer Square. There is always something going on in Pioneer Square on the weekends, like festivals and movies on big screens. It’s a central meeting spot in the city by the historical Pioneer Court. Some of my favorite street performers set-up around here. It is also by the Pioneer Place Mall, where there is good shopping.

8. Dinner/happy hour at Portland City Grill. The grill is on the 30th floor, so you get a commanding view of the city. If you go at a certain time you can get happy hour specials so it’s not too crazy expensive. Also, if you go at a certain time, you can get the sunset and the city lights at night.

9. See a show. My love of going to concerts stemmed from the music in the city and its venues. My favorite venue is the Crystal Ballroom in SW. There is a good mix of hip local bands that you’ve probably never heard of along with big names.

10. Voodoo Donuts. Probably the most popular food place in Portland, it is the collection of pure Portland spirit in one place. This place has it all: hip cashiers, post-modern art haphazardly tacked to the wall, puns, and owners that are authorized to officiate weddings. Oh, and there are donuts. Coco Puff donuts, donuts in the shape of Texas, voodoo dolls with raspberry filling. If you go at night, take a friend because you will run into…characters. It’s open late, so it’s a good place to go for post-show munchies.

I hope you are now motivated to visit this lovely city! There are so many more things that I want to add to this list, but this should easily cover a solid weekend. Come on by; I’ll show you a good time.

*visit michelle's blog here. 

**most photos taken by michelle erickson, click others for source.

i need your help! / coat vote

i went shopping for a winter coat yesterday and found a goldmine. zara literally has hundreds of amazing coats. i want all of them. considering that i'm only going to have a few months of winter this year, i have limited myself to buying only one new jacket. i am so sick of all of my old coats i didn't even bring any, but i will probably have to have my mother-in-law ship me one or two, i'm gonna need more than one coat.  

there are three main contenders that i found at zara. they are all the same color scheme, a greenish/brown with black accents. they are also super warm. i have never had a really warm coat, they have all been california warm. i'm thinking i'm going to need something pretty heavy duty, especially because we are going on a road trip of the northwest in december. it's going to be freezing but so much fun! 

contender #1:

i love the leather sleeves. also, this coat has a removable fur lining so i can make it warmer or colder depending on what i want. the price is pretty reasonable when compared to other coats that are similar.  

contender #2:

i think this coat looks very chic, but casual enough for every day. i love the leather trim, gold hardware, and quilted sleeves. this coat also has a removable liner, so convenient! 

contender #3:

i love the leather sleeves and puffy coziness of this coat. it would probably be the most comfortable. it is a little cheaper than the other two. my one reservation is the bag of the coat- it is a knit fabric which i think i a little weird, but i'm willing to get past it.

a few more favorites... 

museum visit / rodin in philadelphia

can i just say that this museum made me more happy than eating gelato in italy. maybe that is going a bit far, but it was amazing. the rodin museum in paris was my favorite museum that i visited and i never thought it would be possible to go to one in the states! the museum entrance and gardens are by far the best part, and seriously makes you feel like you are in paris. the interior has two large rooms filled with rodin's sculptures. jarman loved that it was a smaller museum, especially because we didn't have a ton of time in philadelphia. 

the thinker is one of the most well known sculptures throughout the world. the idea for this piece was concieved when rodin was working on the gates of hell (which you will meet below). it originally represented dante, but rodin changed the name to have a more encompassing reach. the man uses his whole body to think, look at his toes digging into the surface below him. i love rodin's use of texture in his works, they feel so raw. 

rodin was commissioned to work on the gates of hell early in his career, but never truly finished the piece. the theme was derived from dante's inferno, can you see the thinker/dante at the top? this sculpture was the gateway for many of his other sculptures that would be redone in more-than-life-size. how amazing is the dynamism and depth? have you ever seen such an intricate sculpture that comes so far out of its space and in to yours. i love the figures who seem to jump off of the door.

the kiss was another work that was taken from the gates of hell. rodin believed that the human form was the best expresser of emotion,  and boy does he sculpt the human form well. he sculpted many of his works multiple times, often using different mediums. i generally like his marble sculptures better, but he does have a way with working bronze.

eternal springtime is my favorite of his works. i have seen it in marble and like that form better. doesn't it just make you want to be in love?

a few more favorites. rodin is my favorite sculptor and i am so happy i got to visit this amazing museum. anyone who visits philadelphia must go to this museum!