token lolla post

*behold, the skinny arm pose

after buying tickets years ago (okay, 3 months ago. but since then i have graduated from law school, moved from the midwest to the south, taken the bar exam, moved out of an apartment, rented a new one AND gotten a job - it feels like a long time has passed), lolla weekend finally came! it was super fun and we discovered old friends and new musicians. here are some of the memories:

fedora CENTRAL

the fancy-pants tents

reunited with my friend brig from college. we hadn't seen each other in over three years! we re-bonded over a mutual love/obsession (love for brig, obsession for me) for gaga

gaga

gaga crowd with a beautiful backdrop, wouldn't you say?

end of day 1. whew!

perry's stage, the techno/house/drum & base tent. we spent a lot of time here

gogol bordello! still my number one favorite act (sorry, gaga)

friends in the crowd during deer tick

i finally wore my fishy earrings together. it was an aquarium.

the crowd starting to gather for edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros (see one of their videos here)

edward sharpe was so crowded that people were climbing trees to see them!

back at perry's. i believe this was rusko

normally you wouldn't see a bunch of hippies plopped down in the middle of columbus drive

end of day 2. exhaustion is starting to settle in

nneka in the pouring rain. we're dedicated

in the "biergarten," the only place in the park you could buy anything other than budweiser

watching blitzen trapper (???), waiting for mumford and sons, who were amazing!

a little mango italian ice to cool us off.

IKAT!

i seriously cannot get over my obsession with ikat. i must find a way to incorporate it in my new place (unfortunately, that ambition has, thus far, fallen through). the other day i encountered some beautiful, heavy ikat-printed fabric at the fabric store and almost danced away with the entire spool before determining that a 10'x11' room of ikat curtains, pillows and a duvet cover might be a bit much. so i am back to the drawing board. here are some of my favorite ikat items from around the web:

robert allen ikat pillow from etsy seller elegant touch

drum lampshade from etsy seller and lampshade designer studioJOTA

slipper chair from urban i wish

folding chair from anthropologie*

so this next item might not really decorate my apartment per se, but i could leave my closet door open:

ikat clutch from felix rey

finally, some babes in ikat dresses. i. want. them. all. (the dresses. okay and january jones)

which item is your favorite? i need suggestions!

*ahem. let me be clear that none of these items (read: anthro folding chair for $200) are within my price range. but a girl can dream. and be inspired. and ask for giftcards.

happy birthday, mom!

today is my mom's __th birthday. in honor of this momentous day, my dad bought her one rose for each year (don't count. just enjoy the prettiness). men, take note. this is how you celebrate your girl's birthday - one gift per year. m'kay?
my gift, a wood-carved print of "esplanade chicken" by new orleans artist gregory giegucz, kind of pales in comparison.
happy birthday to the most wonderful, supportive mother i could have ever asked for. i love you, mom.

baker, baby

here are some of the beautiful furniture and accessories by baker rue la la just had to flaunt in front of my face over the weekend. check out all these incredible pieces i could never afford but will nevertheless dream of for my new apartment:

do you have a favorite? get in line, baby

about a book you should probably read

now that i finally can have a life and do things I want to do (so melodram, i know... just go with it), i stopped by the bookstore the other day and picked up every title that sounded good*. on becky's suggestion, i purchased a confederacy of dunces, which i'm just now starting; i also bought water for elephants (late on that bandwagon, i know, but if my beloved is starring in the film based on the book then i owe him the courtesy of reading it). finally, as i was heading to the register, i stumbled upon a book entitled zeitoun, by dave eggers. i grabbed it, knowing nothing about the book other than the author's name, having read a few of his books in the past.

i read the book in one day. without delving into details, i will tell you that it is about a family's experiences during and after hurricane katrina, and in particular the patriarch's experiences as a muslim-american who stayed behind during the storm (i didn't think that mattered either... intrigued? READ THIS BOOK). all the proceeds from the book are going to the zeitoun foundation, which supports a number of nonprofits throughout the city dedicated to rebuilding and the ongoing health of new orleans.
* p.s. - who spends weeks at the library and then, upon finding freedom, heads to the bookstore? i am a living contradiction, i know.

living vicariously through friends who travel to europe and take better pictures than i ever could

a beyond beautiful photo by my friend beck diefenbach taken in sardinia, italy

notice the little pony saying hello?!

check out beck's photo blog, pwned, to see more of his incredible work

what to do?

so i took one of my famous exploratory trips into the bowels of my parents' basement (now that i'm finished with the bar, i have all the time in the world to do these things, after all) and stumbled upon the most wonderful treasure trove: all of my girl scout* badges! i almost screamed when i found them, perfectly intact despite having moved and experienced a few floods since i last saw them.

so, inspired partly by ms. elsie of a beautiful mess, i've decided that i have to come up with some way to display them. i thought about sewing them onto burlap and making a pillow but my mom reminded me that pillows are supposed to be somewhat comfortable and these patches are quite hard and scratchy. so that's out. i'm considering buying some canvas or burlap and dying it brown, and making a long wall hanging, sort of a pseudo-sash. thoughts? i need to get my creative juices flowing! these are too amazing not to show off.

yes, that does say "caroling '92" (!!!!)

my troop number!

*ps i never actually made it past brownies. whatever.

i'm back!

and thus begins my triumphant return to the real world following the busiest and most stressful month of my life. the bar exam is over friends! the exam ended on friday afternoon and i had the BEST time celebrating it. obviously i was too exhausted to do anything that lasted past 9 p.m. (considering i'm still waking up at 6 a.m., with no alarm, expecting to have to study), so a lot of daytime fun was had. roommate and i took the day saturday to go thrifting all over new orleans for our new apartment! we ended up with a new couch, some knick-knacks, and i pranced away from the salvation army with a pencil skirt from banana republic for a whopping $9. it felt amazing to use my legs (and my camera! and becky's new holga!) and be out in the sun for a bit, even if we were sweating the moment we stepped out of becky's air-conditioned car.

ew. legal text.