Curse you, Mercury retrograde!

Today is my birthday (!), and so the *original* plan was to have a lovely birthday tiara post up for you today. Because hey, birthday tiaras! Awesome!

Alas, my home laptop had other ideas. Ideas like the hard drive deciding that it no longer liked living.

So instead, I'm begging forgiveness for the lack of posting in general and now the extended delay in posting, as my Macbook will be sent off to Hard Drive Camp tomorrow and will hopefully return feeling fresh like a daisy. And, well, empty. It's like having a brand new laptop and yet... not.

Meanwhile, since my poor baby is already almost four years old, it could be time to start thinking about a new laptop, which is absolutely not in my budget at all...

In the mean time, go check out my recent post on BlogHer Style, where I tell you all about my spring wardrobe clearout. Or check out Karen's new flat iron review at Periodic Beauty Reviews!

How's this Mercury retrograde treating you so far? It's going on through May 11th, so we all just have to hang in there. And, if you have any laptop recommendations, I'd love to hear them, since it looks like I'll be back in that market soon. (Sigh!)

Keep your eye open for that birthday tiara post closer to Kati's birthday...!

Happy things for spring!

I've been feeling a little broadsided and run down this month, and so I've been finding myself needing a little mental happy boost. One thing that helps is taking extra vitamin B, and another thing that helps? Sweet inspirational prints on Etsy from dazeychic.etsy.com.

Click on the pictures to go directly to the listings!


I think this doesn't need any extra comment. It *is* going to be okay.


Wise words from Bob Dylan.


I need to make some lemon bars this spring, because they are so delicious and will certainly perk me up around here. Anyone have any recipe recommendations?


And finally, this is one of my Facebook profile quotes, which means I should probably get the print some day! I think it is just perfect. Because really, what is happier than a bird with a french fry? (A bird with a whole pizza, actually, but french fries are awesome.)

What's been inspiring you lately? What have you found on Etsy that has stayed with you, or has just made you happy?

images from dazeychic.etsy.com

Jeanne's Spring and Summer Shopping List

I've been hard at work at spring cleaning -- clearing out the wardrobe, clearing off the *top* of the wardrobe, and my hope is to get everything actually taken care of in the next two weeks. (Man, I don't even know.)

As I've been cleaning, however, I've really gotten a chance to see what's missing, especially as spring comes up. And so here's what I'm thinking of adding to my wardrobe as I clear it out...

- I'm forever looking for cute summer shoes, especially sandals or peeptoes. Last spring I was obsessed with beige flats or demi-wedges, and I never found the perfect pair. Right now the ones I keep coming back to and thinking about are the Petal Pusher Wedges from Modcloth and the Jeffrey Campbell Norma wedges -- they're not exactly what I wanted, but they're very, very close. Plus, I'm still longing for those Swedish Hasbeen sandals, and I've also been thinking about the Matiko Whit wedges in purple for some time. Man, I do love summer shoes. (I need to give myself a pedicure, stat.)

- Every year I say I'm going to wear more skirts and dresses, and so far I haven't. But I do think I would wear the Spectrum Tie Skirt from FredFlare.com a whole lot. How cute would that be with a basic tank top and cute sandals or peeptoes? I really do need more cute skirts in my life, and this one is just so darling. But yes -- another year, another resolution to wear more skirts and dresses!

- I want to spend more time in the pool this summer, but I mean exactly that -- more time in the pool, swimming. Not lying around in the sun (as much as I like lying around in the sun). And since pretty much all of my swimsuits are two-pieces or lounging one-pieces, I need a suit to just swim in. I don't need a fancy Speedo racing suit or anything, so a basic little one-piece like this one from Delias.com would suit me just fine.

- After the clean out, I've noticed I need to stock up on my short-sleeved shirts and blouses. I try not to wear logo shirts to work anymore, so I mostly save those for the weekends or working out, but I definitely could use some more cute tops that aren't tank tops or camisoles.

- I know Karen has heard me complain that I have "too many cardigans", but again, after the clean out, I actually could use some more cardigans! Nice ones. In colors other than black. (She says while wearing a black cardigan.) For all of my tank tops and shorts, when you spend 40+ hours a week in an air-conditioned office, you really do need a cardigan...

- Another big change for me this spring/summer is that I'm going to be wearing contacts more. Since I'm training and working out and rock wall climbing (yep!) and skating more and more, I've made an appointment with my optometrist to get my contact lens prescription updated. And since my main pair of sunglasses are prescription, I've been thinking about getting more fun/inexpensive pairs of non-scrip sunglasses to wear while I'm wearing my contacts. Right now I'm totally crazy about the Jetson shades in Tortoise from NastyGal, which remind me of Gaga's Alexander Wang sunglasses, but L. and Karen have both pretty much said they wouldn't look good on me. (You guys are no fun.) Also, how much do I love these Linda Farrow sunglasses? Maybe, um, not enough to buy them for $275, but I can sure admire them.

- Finally, what I really, really need is a full underwear drawer clear out. It just really needs to be torn apart and started over. I'm not even really working on it yet, but I've been wanting to do it for some time from top to bottom (literally). Plus new underthings are always a good thing to have... I don't really have the money to spring on this just yet, but it would be so, so nice to do.

What are you missing from your closet this spring? Or are you still in the midst of cleaning, and can't be bothered to think about replacing until the Cleaning Is Done? What's on your list to add in?

images from fredflare.com and shopnastygal.com

Won-der-con, Won-der-con~

This weekend is Wondercon here in San Francisco, and I'll be going both days to hang with L. at her booth in Artist's Alley. Come say hi! (Also, you know, to see if I can't sneak a peek at Jake Gyllenhaal. Just a little.)

Anyway, while I don't feel the need to dress in full costume for Wondercon, I can't help but be inspired to put on something, well, super. So I went ahead and made up a rad Polyvore for Batman and Superman-inspired outfits...

(I have to admit, I like Batman better than Superman.)

The Batman outfit features a Batgirl t-shirt with shorts, yellow and black tights, and over-the-knee boots -- maybe they're a little more Catwoman, but I can't help but be drawn to OTK boots lately, especially with shorts. I was very reluctant at first, and I'm still reluctant to do it myself, but I have to admit it looks really, really cool when done well. The sunglasses are Luella, who had some Batman inspiration back in Spring/Summer 2008. Plus, paired with a leather jacket, some bat necklaces (including the Wendy Brandes bat necklace) and a smoky eye with dark nails? Awesome and totally rockstar-worthy. I would wear this around town on a regular basis. Just because I could.

The Superman outfit has a cute twist -- I couldn't find a decent red cape-y sweater to throw over the shirt, so I decided to go with the classic Clark Kent blazer and frame glasses instead. Clever, clever! And since if you're planning on going to a convention you'll be on your feet most of the time, it's all about the flat red Docs with blue tights. With some more accessories (the gold belt, the red lips and nails), it's totally classic.

What superhero would you take sartorial inspiration from? And in the ultimate comic book battle -- Marvel or DC? (I personally think Marvel is generally more interesting, but DC has Batman, so it's a wash.)

image from polyvore.com