Dear Kitcath
It doesn’t feel like a real birthday without you here (or me there), but I hope you have a most wonderful day! I will be thinking about you while I eat cake (Sara is making me something delicious and flourless — yippeee!) and play skittles. We can reenact the day properly when you are here in August.
Talk to you on skype soooooon!
LOVE,
Lar
Before I get on with more Oxford photos (thanks for all the sweet comments on my first Oxford post!) I wanted to share with you a little something I’ve been doing. I feel reticent about sharing too much personal stuff on this blog because I’m always worried I’ll bore the socks off you while also sounding too naval-gaze-y. So with those impending threats in mind, let me share away!
I’ve been a graphic designer since graduating college, but I’ve been itching to spend less time on my computer and more time creating with my hands. I found this wonderful course to give me a jump start into the world of scenic design and live performance with a vague idea that one day I could work on shoots like this if I learn more about 3D design.
So on Monday I started at Scenehouse and all-things-set-design have been commandeering all my brain power since. Potentially switching careers is incredibly frightening, especially because I’m not sure if this will lead anywhere or just give me a great deal of respect for all the people who make a stage production happen.
Anywhoodle, that’s all. Just needed to share seeing as I can’t think of anything else but props and model-making at the moment. I promise to return to regularly scheduled programming next post!
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Dear Cath,
This no-skyping thing during the day is so hard! It’s so weird not to have chatted to you for two whole days straight. I don’t like it! Our studio at Scenehouse doesn’t have wifi, so even though I have my computer with me most days, I haven’t been online.
Right now you are in class, so I hope it’s going well! I know your midterm is looming. I hope the trappists monks gave you so meditative inspiration last weekend, so you feel less stressed about next week’s test.
Miss you oodles of caboodles,
Lar
I just got back to Edinburgh from Oxford via a very long train ride (oi, I feel creaky!). Matt is down there for a conference and I thought I’d tag along for the weekend bit because who doesn’t want to see awesome old buildings in the rain? (Yes, we do indeedy have those things in abundance in Edinburgh as well — apparently I have a thing for damp stone).
So here are just some quick pics. I might foist some more on you in my next post because my second 12 hours in Oxford were beautiful and sunny, but these are here just to wet your appetite (and remind you of the trade-off for beautiful places in the UK: the crap the weather).
I originally thought of starting this post like this:
“Oxford, in those days, was still a city of aquatint. In her spacious and quiet streets men walked and spoke as they had done in Newman’s day; her autumnal mists, her grey springtime, and the rare glory of her summer days – such as that day – when the chestnut was in flower and the bells rang out high and clear over her gables and cupolas, exhaled the soft airs of centuries of youth. It was this cloistral hush which gave our laughter its resonance, and carried it still, joyously, over the intervening clamour.”
Because who doesn’t love an Evelyn Waugh quote? And because all my views about Oxford before actually seeing it in person have been formed by watching the Jeremy Irons version of “Brideshead Revisited.”
But I was worried starting with a hoity toity literary quote about my brief sojourn to Oxford might sound a touch pretentious — especially because I’ve only read Brideshead Revisited once and seen the tv series multiple times (the book is wonderful — but the tv series is just so pretty what with the stone and the champagne and Castle Howard). I don’t even remember the Oxford bits in the book.
More to come . sans hoity toity quoting.
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Dear Cath,
So glad we could catch up quickly on skype. This week will be crazy busy for both of us, and getting to see you briefly on skype (even in my sleep-deprived state) is better than not seeing you at all. I wish I could take you to Oxford next time you are here (fancy a 6 hour train ride?) — and I would make it be sunny so we could eat strawberries and drink champagne on one of the quads (which they keep gated against us hoi polloi — but we’d sneak in some how).
I’ll write to you all about what I learn my first day in my course tomorrow. Fingers crossed for me! I’ll have mine crossed for you and your impending mid-term!
xoxoxox,
Lar
p.s. Forever and always missing you!
Joanne Woodward and husband Paul Newman, source unknown
• Beautiful and inexpensive rings on Etsy. Pale pink and gold or black-dipped?
• Our cousin’s wedding that we went to last September was just on 1001 Layer Cake this week! Congrats, Genn and Pastor!
• Delicious recipes, beautiful food photography, and most of this food just happens to be gluten-free and vegetarian – woohoo!
• Have you ever swooned over Acne’s designs only to choke on the prices? Here’s a DIY for the Acne Scully denim skirt.
• Are you a herbivore, carnivore, omnivore or an omnomnomnivore?
• The perfect two-tone summer dress.
• For all you dim sum fans out there.
I’m beginning to resign myself to the weather. When I bought this sweater in London back in February, I imagined pairing it with shorts and a tank or bralette underneath. I even thought “oh how nice to think of layers in the summer — couldn’t get away with a summer sweater in Atlanta!” Summer layers is right! But instead of shorts and a tank, it’s almost July and I’m still wearing thick jeggings and long-sleeved shirts! HARUMPH! Oh wait, I said I was resigned — SIGH, then.
Sweater from Spitalfields Market • Primark shirt • Madewell jeggings • Mango booties (a few years old) • AsianCajuns name necklace
I hope you guys are having a wonderful week! Cath and I are getting uber excited because we’ll be seeing each other soon! Cath is coming over to Edinburgh in early August. I haven’t seen her (in person) since December 29th. That’s by far the longest we’ve ever been apart and it has been really not fun (uber understatement).
Do you guys have fun plans for the summer too? I keep forgetting to ask seeing as it still sometimes feels like late winter here, but it’s almost July! Holy Schmoly!
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Dear Cath,
It’s so funny that you keep mentioning how my clothes are more colorful than yours. Here in Edinburgh I wear mainly black and denim. You would be so disappointed if I gave you my clothes from here. The sweater in this post is one of my more colorful items. I’m going to try to wear less black during the “summer” — if we get one.
Can’t wait to seeeeee youuu!!!! And congrats to being a quarter of the way done with school! Yipppeee!
xoxoxox,
Lar
Happy Monday, lovelies!!! We had a drenching Saturday and Sunday (one headline said we got three months worth of rain in three days- gahhh!), but it’s all blue skies and sunny today. It’s still chilly this morning (it’s been the 40s and low 50s), but I can’t complain when the gray is gone.
I’m sorry to always be giving you my local weather report. Being in Scotland really makes the weather the most important topic of conversation — year round, but especially in the spring/summer. I think it’s because even Scandinavia must have more consistently warmer weather in June (I’m judging this by all the Swedish fashion blogs I read and those ladies are wearing shorts! Luxury!).
Outfit dets: thrifted Wrangler flannel • Blank black cords • Cheap Monday belt • Christian Louboutin boots via the-dumpster-in-front-of-my-house
One nice thing about the chilly weather? I can break out my knee-high dumbster-found Louboutin boots and wear them without breaking a sweat! They are newly zippered and re-soled. They aren’t the most practical shoe whilst living in a city full of cobble-stones, but they are unbelievably comfy for 5-inch stilettos. Seriously. The night I wore them out, Matt and I had to run half a block to catch the bus and that was easy peasy lemon squeezey.
I did almost face-plant later that night on the way to the loo in a crowded restaurant. Nobody would have probably noticed because I grabbed onto the wall somewhat discreetly when my heel slipped, but I let out a “whoaaah—eek” (the squeak at the end is always eight octaves too high for human ears to bear). So on my return journey back to our table, I did that stiff-legged “don’t slip, don’t slip, don’t slip” walk that looks oh-so-awesome when you wear look-at-me-red-soled shoes.
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Dear Cath,
I can’t believe that I’m going to get to see you in just a little more than five weeks?!!!! EEEEEEkkk!!! Best Birthday prezie ever!!! Speaking of which, how should we celebrate our 29th(s) when you are here?
Hope you have a smarvelous Monday!
xoxoxoxo,
Lar
• Laura shows you how to make a floral crown/headband. Frida would be proud.
• The best summer make-up tutorial for all skin tones.
• Sally of Already Pretty style blogger fame is coming out with a book on body image and dressing well! And Stacy of Stacyverb (a local Decaturite!) is one of twelve bloggers featured!
• For those of you who grew up in the early 80s and watched Sesame Street, do you remember counting along to this?
• The cutest bunting ever and you can make it at home right this minute! Designed for the jubilee, but corgi bunting is good year-round.
• Smarvelous, beautiful hair tutorials.
• The perfect beach towel for an art history major.
• Moonrise Kingdom goodies from Criminal Records
Since having my ethical clothing awakening six months back, I’ve been on the hunt for humanely-made shoes. It’s been a lot easier to be ethical with my clothing choices. I rarely shop now, and when I do, I thrift. But I was stuck when it came to shoes. Especially if I wanted a specific type of shoe. Looking for the perfect black boot is hard enough without thinking about who or what went into the making of them. Consciousness can be so pesky (don’t tell the Dalai Lama I said so).
H&M fedora • vintage dress via Ramona West • Maians shoes
For the summer (this is me being optimistic about Scottish weather), I wanted a pair of canvas lace-ups. After much googling I found these Spanish plimsolls by a brand called Maians. Each pair is handmade using regionally sourced material and environmentally friendly vulcanized rubber. Woohoo! And I found them on sale (30%) at Shopbop. Woohoo again!
The major downside? They aren’t cheap. Even on sale they are $72.80. You can find a pair of faux Keds or cheapie plimsolls here at H&M for about $10. That’s a whole lotta moola you could save. I know shopping ethically costs more, and I usually think it’s totally worth it (paying someone a living wage — yup 100% worth it), but do these zapatos really have to be $100 to be ethical? Me thinks, non. I could be wrong. Maybe I don’t know how much it costs to have a job and live in Barcelona. A living wage there is probably not cheap, and much harder now that Spain is being battered by the recession.
So, as you can see, I’m still hemming-and-hawing my way through all my ethical dilemmas. Do you guys have any great sources for ethically-made shoes?
p.s. Maians is not a sponsor. These are 100% my own thoughts/words/opinions/dilemmas.
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Dear Cath,
Whatchu think? I got these because I really wanted some easy-breasy shoes for my summer travels (to climes much more sunny and warm). The other snafu is that they will need some breaking in. They aren’t lined on the inside (again, makes you wonder about the price) and the vulcanize rubber rubs my toes where it meets the canvas.
Miss you muchoooo!!!
xoxoxox,
Lar
This post is actually all lies. I’m a little disgruntled about it being the beginning of the week, and I’m sure it’s sunny in some part of the world, but not here (these photos are from two weeks ago). This post should really be entitled “Eh, it’s Monday. And it’s cloudy. Again.”
The weather forecast for this week (which was just like last week’s) predicts low fifties (11°C) and cloudy. Every. Single. Day. And cloudy here doesn’t mean a sprinkling of clouds with some blue sky. Nope. We’re talking solid gray wall of visible liquid droplets.
Thrifted tee and skinny pants/trousers • Primark glitter belt • old Frye boots • Gorjana necklace
We haven’t had a properly sunny day (i.e. more than 4 hours of consistent sunniness) in a week. I’m so used to the clouds and gray light that looking at these photos hurts my eyeballs a little bit.
Living in Edinburgh in the spring (the rainy season — well, the rainier season) is kind of like living underground. When you come out from your dirt tunnel (a.k.a. the clouds part), everything looks extra bright and your little mole eyes go blink, blink, wince, blink before you realize this brightness is a natural occurrence. And then you have a nice romp in a daisy-strewn field.
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Dear Cath,
Sorry for the grumbliness! I think it partly has to do with not talking to you yesterday. I mean, I know we talked Saturday, but that feels too far away. Now I feel like I’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed because I didn’t get my daily dose of Cath skyping yesterday. Harumph.
What did you do yesterday? Is it sunny there today in Decatur? I do not miss the giant bugs (cockroaches. shudder) or the terrible humidity and smog, but on days like today I just imagine how warm and sunny Georgia is.
Muchos kisses!
Love,
Lar
• For your daily dose of cuteness: Hamlet the mini pig going down stairs!
• Can’t wait to see this documentary on punk pioneers E.S.G. (locally made. in Decatur, GA by our super talented friends!)
• Want to dress like you live in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom? Check out Etsy seller Isabel Knowles: wonderful designs and it’s ethical fashion!
• The blog we go to when we need inspiration to clean and organize our homes.
• Cath will be attending the Style Bloggers of Color conference this weekend in downtown Atlanta.
• Shopbop sells Kate Mid’s ISSA wrap dress in red (the one she wore for the famous engagement announcement).
• A great beach waves hair how-to.
