ROUNDUP: Weekly Links 2/26/12

Here's what I'm rounding up this week:

48 Pictures That Perfectly Capture The '90s

If you lived through the 90s this collection of photos, ranging from a Rock 'N Jock basketball game to a press photo signed "You're Too Cool" by Bob Saget to a candid of Ginger Spice typing away at a clunky desktop computer, will bring back warm and fuzzy memories or just make you glad we have 95% less daytime talk shows these days.

ABCs of Vintage

The lovely ladies over at Oh So Lovely Vintage are doing a weekly feature on the ABCs of Vintage, showcasing all kinds of fun retro goodies with a 60s vibe. You can read part one, two or three and check in next Sunday for part four.

Magical Instruments Made from Ice

Most people can't even play an instrument, let alone make one, let alone make one OUT OF ICE. This dude has a whole band setup and the ice percussion sounds amazing!

Handmade Bamboo Sunglasses

I'm a sucker for anything made with bamboo or natural wood, so these chic, eco-friendly sunglasses available on Etsy are right up my alley.

Wikipedia's Most Unflattering Celebrity Photos

Have you ever noticed that some Wikipedia pages have the worst profile photos? A group photo for no reason, washed out with too much flash or an awkward underneath angle seem to be popular ways to make celebs look their worst. Whoever decides on the final photo must have some kind of vendetta, but Oh No They Didn't makes a positive spin on it, compiling a collection of the worst for our viewing pleasure.

xoxo,
Michelle

STYLE: OOTD

I've had the good fortune to be able to wear tights and skirts with minimal chill factor all winter - it was literally sunny and 45 degrees F this weekend! Maybe you're one of those lucky types who thinks that temperature sounds scary, foreign and chilling but for February in New England 45 degrees in basically a tropical paradise. I am taking FULL advantage of the relative warmth and rocking skirts and dresses with abandon!

Shirt: Target

Vest: Marshall's

Skirt: Target

Tights: Target

Knee Socks: Marshall's

Moccasins: Target

Earrings: DIY by me

Secret details - this vest has a lacy back! 

I love layering knee socks over tights!

These are SO comfy!

I made these red feather earrings by hand and they were really simple to do. 

I might do a tutorial on them if anyone wants to see one. Let me know!

I'm used to sweaters/layers/long sleeves being my go-to winter pieces but I'm getting a chance to incorporate all kinds of year round items this season - what are your go-to winter pieces? Are you having a warmer (or colder) winter than usual? It's almost spring!

xoxo,
Michelle

ROUNDUP: Weekly Links 2/19/12

Here's what I'm rounding up this week:

Roald Dahl Postage Stamps

These adorable UK stamps feature favorites like Matilda, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Twits and more! What a fantastic surprise to get in the mail!

Temporary Wallpaper

There's no need to make up your mind with Tempaper, the repositionable temporary wallpaper. I love the way it was used here on the stairs - the options are endless!

Arrested Development Paper Dolls

Live out your wildest AD fantasies (or illusions) and tide yourself over until new episodes are available with these adorable and hilarious paper dolls.

Roseanne & John Goodman Together Again

Oh yes. Roseanne is headed back to sitcoms and she's bringing former TV hubby John Goodman with her. Granted, they won't be married this time around, but I can't wait to see them reunited and get a little taste of that Lanford flavor.

Most Outrageous Food Vehicles

I hate motorcycles and hamburgers, but this hamburger Harley has somehow captured my heart. Check out this slideshow of other amazing food vehicles - spoiler: there's a banana mobile!

xoxo,
Michelle

OBSESSED: Sistema Containers

I know it might seem a little over the top to declare an obsession 

with a to-go lunch container, but hear me out, ok? 

Have you ever dreamed you could conveniently and securely transport your entire lunch in one container whilst keeping everything safe and separated? What’s that – you haven’t really ever thought about it? Oh, well maybe you’re more the type to dream about life ambitions or world peace, but I had a dream for the perfect segmented lunch container and it came true!

There are several models made by Sistema, but I’d like to express my love for one in particular: the Klip It Lunch Cube. This mighty lil’ guy, which I have in both a dazzling blue/green combo as well as a snappy purple/pink permutation, can hold an entire salad on top, plus a container of dressing, a pile of croutons and some tangerine slices without your lettuce getting all citrus-y and your croutons losing their crunch. To quote the great SchoolinPJs.com commercial, “but how is this possible?” I’ll show you:

The top is a separate section with snap closure which perfectly fits a sandwich, salad, slice of square pizza or general leftover type goodness. Oooh, ahhhh.

The bottom half has two sections, one slightly wider than the other, which are great for pretzels, crackers, fruit, baby carrots, chips – you name it. It’s a great place to stash a tiny container (of which I have many – got an 8 pack at Staples of all places for $1.00!) to hold peanut butter, dressing, dip, salsa, whatever.

I’ve been using these containers for about a year  and I  was battling a pretty strong addition last spring – I couldn’t go within a 2 mile radius of my Old Navy, where I bought them, without getting a fix…until I ran out of storage room. Now I have a happy collection and enjoy (because this is now how I derive pleasure, I guess) prepping lunches for the week ahead of time and having several bright containers looking back at me every time I open the fridge for a glass of water. I know this sounds crazy, but I have to assure you I'm not - I know on paragraph five of a rave about plastic containers sanity may not be taken for granted.

My love for Sistema containers stems from my admiration and fascination with Bento boxes (this site could mesmerize me for hours!) and while these are different, I do get that feeling of smart storage with a little fun. Plus my sandwich never gets pickle juice on it so this is basically the second coming, right?

You can find Sistema containers at The Container Store and on Amazon and my local Old Navy has been carrying them by the checkout at about $6.00 for the past year or so. Drool over more Sistema containers on their website.

xoxo,

Michelle

DIY: Bangle Holder

Remember those bangles made from a Pringles can that I featured a tutorial on recently? Well, it turns out making them is kind of addictive. Only one problem: bangles are kind of a pain to store. Solution: a handy DIY bangle holder!

What You Need

 

> A Solid Base (I’m using a circular piece of wood from the craft store – it was about $1.50)

> Aluminum Foil Roll or Paper Towel Roll (foil rolls are more narrow but thicker and sturdier – that’s what I’m using)

> Hot Glue

> Decorative Paper (I’m using GLITTER PAPER!)

> Scissors

> Paint, ribbon and/or embellishments (optional)

How to Make It

1. Trace the top of your roll on your decorative paper and cut out the circle, leaving a 1/4" border. Got glue this circle over one end of the roll and secure the border with more glue.

2. Measure your roll against your decorative paper and trim paper to fit both the height and circumference of the roll. Hot glue the paper onto the roll.

3. Paint or decorate your base piece if desired. I painted mine silver.

4. Glue your covered roll in the center of the base, holding it in place until dry and set. You can also add a line of hot glue around the perimeter of the roll where it meets the base and cover with ribbon, a string of craft pearls or whatever you like to conceal this seam.

 

That’s it! Stack your bangles on the roll for a great vertical storage solution to cluttered jewelry collections. Now you have an excuse to make more Pringles can bangles…

xoxo,

Michelle

ROUNDUP: Weekly Links 2/12/12

Here's what I'm rounding up this week:

Conversation Heart Cheesecakes

This recipe from Hungry Happenings is adorable, delicious and a great V-Day gift idea!

Sheepy Me Wool Jewelry

Simple, colorful jewelry made from merino wool.  

25 Foods You'll Never Be Able to Eat Again

Remember Crystal Pepsi, 3D Doritos, colored ketchup or Ecto Cooler? Well, you might as well forget them because all of them (and a bunch of others) are gone forever.

The 20 Most Beautiful Bookstores in the World

From modern Chinese spaces to centuries-old Portuguese shops, these bookstores are breathtaking - a must read for any bibliophile!

Wiener Dog Necklace

I love a good wiener dog and I want to wear this one around my neck!

xoxo,

Michelle

BEAUTY: Ikea Helmer Beauty Storage

I didn’t invent the idea of keeping beauty products in the Ikea Helmer storage unit, but I’m definitely behind it 100%. When I started seeing this small wonder on various beauty and nail polish blogs, I became almost instantly obsessed and plotted a trip to Ikea.

 

There’s a reason these are so prevalent in the beauty blogging world – they really work. Small but mighty, the unit is only 11” wide,  27” tall and 16.75” deep, but its six drawers provide the perfect storage for all your girl bits (no, not those ones). Another reason they’re so popular is that the drawers are deep enough to store nail polish bottles upright, which is best. I’ve had mine in a mangled horizontal mess for pretty much eternity so I’m psyched to have them all neatly standing up where I can clearly see everything.

The Helmer is fairly easy to assemble as far as Ikea furniture goes and didn’t require any special tools. It also comes with wheels to keep it mobile. At $40.00 (US) it’s a little more than I wanted to spend (especially at Ikea), but if given the chance I would DEFINITELY do it again! Enough blabbin' - on to the pictures!

 

My top drawer is most of my makeup, which I’ve organized into sections with all my quick grab kind of things (chapstick, liquid eyeliner, tweezers) right up front.

The second drawer is more makeup, mostly palettes and more lip products.

The third drawer is my hair items, separated by type in these small dollar store organizers (3 for $1.00!). My brush fits right along the side and headbands are in back.

The fourth drawer is all my nail products.

 

The fifth drawer is various scarves, bandanas and more headbands.

The bottom drawer is body sprays and fragrances which I honestly barely use. Looking at this I just realized one of these perfumes was a Christmas gift – in 2001!

This is a great storage unit for small spaces like apartments, and combined with a TV tray table I was able to make a tiny vanity area in my somewhat cramped bedroom. A veritable oasis if I ignore the mountain of dirty laundry behind me!

A major bonus is that the Helmer would work anywhere in your home. If I ever get a new makeup storage solution (in my fantasy world where I don’t live in an apartment) I can easily make this storage for files, utensils or towels in other rooms. I got my Helmer in white for this versatility (it also comes in gray and red).

Do you use a Helmer too? If not, how do you store your makeup? Show us pictures!

xoxo,

Michelle

ROUNDUP: Valentine's Day Edition

Here's what I'm rounding up this week - Valentine's Day edition!
Breaking Bad Valentines

Show your lover that they're more addictive than blue meth with these hand drawn Breaking Bad valentines.

Custom Couple Portrait Stamp

These amazingly accurate portrait stamps are perfect for wedding invites or just for fun.

Candy Heart Nails

Try a festive nail look for V-Day with this cute design.

Heart Print Tights

Heart print tights so good you'll wear them any time of year.

Dark Chocolate Caramel with Sea Salt

Switch up the classic chocolate gift with handmade delights like these from Etsy.

xoxo,
Michelle

ETC: Birthday Haul

Birthdays are great for special treats (like my rainbow layer birthday cake) and bringing friends together, but sometimes you also get really lucky in the gift department. The older I get the more ridiculous I feel sitting around opening presents at a birthday party. Not to say I don’t love and appreciate the gifts I get because, trust me, I really do. There was certainly a time when presents were basically the purpose of a birthday, but now I relish in an excuse to just have fun. Birthday dresses are good too.

I was very lucky this year and got so many awesome and thoughtful gifts that I feel compelled to share them. Here’s a rundown of some:

Make Your Own Root Beer Kit

Ah! I’ve wanted to make my own forever and now I have the supplies to make GALLONS! I’m not a huge soda fan but Root Beer is my jam. Plus I get to name my brew (Michelle’s Old Fashioned Spicy Root Beer?) on the included labels!

Scategories Categories

I love board games so much that I’d rather play them than do pretty much anything else at any kind of social gathering. A main reason I’m excited to one day have a family is to host mandatory Game Night. Scategories rules and this new take on it is sure to please! Kudos to the BF for finding a game I hadn’t even heard of yet!

Vintage Lisa Frank Trapper Keepers

OH. MY. GOD. Or should I say ‘Oh My Lisa Frank’ because the woman who dreamed up top hat-wearing teddy bears is basically my almighty. This punk rock dog design was my favorite growing up and my friend happened to have this still laying around. I cried.

Books, Books, Books

These new additions to my overcrowded (read: piling up on the floor in front of) bookcase were fun surprises. I LOVE fonts and this book is surprisingly readable and not all dry and typography-y so even non word geeks might like it (though to be fair, I’m in this world way too deep to see clearly on that). Plus vegan slow cooking? Yes, please!

Magic Wand Salt & Pepper Shakers

I’ve mentioned before how close I am to becoming a collector of S& P shakers, and these cool magic wand ones aren’t helping. You shake the seasonings over your food as if you’re casting a spell! Amazing.

Little Miss Giggles Mug

She is my alter-ego and now I get to drink from her every day!

xoxo,

Michelle