Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery...

...so says Google+ and so say I. Except, my form is imitating an outfit because of a fashion blog I follow on Facebook, whose brilliance behind her multi-thousand-fan website-turned-TV-show is semi-based on imitating luxurious outfits she finds in ads, magazines and promotional pieces. This is the artwork I'm striving to imitate, one article of clothing at a time:

Image from Gapeteria: GapMag's Look of the Day

for August 2, 2011

What I have:

• Nude BCBG pumps
• Many assorted brightly colored tees and tanks
• Jewelry galore
• Blush Express clutch

What I bought:

• Cobalt blue skinny jeans from Forever21

What I need:

• A gray-and-white striped cardigan. I live in gray in the colder months, so this will be a prudent addition to my own apparel palette. ;) Anyone have suggestions for where to find this pièce de résistance?

I'm a Foodie? ..I *am* a Foodie!

Today I got some rather ego-boosting comments from a colleague of mine (THANK YOU!!), and in these musings, I was identified as a Foodie. I thought, "Am I a Foodie? I don't really know the ins and outs of my spice cabinet... and my cooking repertoire is slightly anemic." But then I thought, "In the very least, I know a pretty plate when I see one, and I do keep trying new things" (hello, you beautiful mussels, you). This led me to go home and tag every picture I could find within the last year with it's delicious keyword... and I ended up with 425 photos, just of those I'd imported into Lightroom since last August. And so, without further ado, here's an assortment of things that make me go hmmm... and then, "Mmmmmmmm".

Bloody Mary from Busboys and Poets; Washington, DC

Breakfast foods from Oak Tree; Chicago, IL

Homemade Sun Tea

Homemade Garlic Bread

Carrot Ginger Soup from Stella; Iowa City, IA

Homemade Caprese Salad; Recipe from Cook This, Not That

Jameson's Chicken from Elephant & Castle; Chicago, IL

Mahi Mahi from Laporta's; Old Town Alexandria, VA

Steak & Blue Cheese Salad from Elephant & Castle; Chicago, IL

Assorted Sushi from Oyama; Iowa City, IA

Homemade Steak Fajitas

Homemade Stove Top Popcorn

A friend's homemade Christmas cookies

Birthday cupcakes, homemade for ME by a great friend!

Homemade Coffee Drop Cookies; Recipe from Cooks.com

Homemade Potato Candy; Secret Family Recipe

Re-Lease, Refresh, Re-Design

Okay, all. Don't be appalled when I tell you this: although I may be capable of putting together a fabulous outfit (IMO, of course), and although I have an acute sense of what visually appeals to me, I am, without a doubt, TERRIBLE at decorating my home. Sure, we all think those homes that look like they're straight out of magazines are myths, but I have a mother-in-law and two very close friends whose homes will make you realize otherwise. And I want that for me, my hubby and my furry one. Prrrronto.

After a few months of reprising last year's real estate ruckus, we've decided to take our chances with our flaky landlady and rent our beloved 3-bedroom-3-bath-with-a-screened-in-porch-and-room-for-a-photography-studio again. But this time, after perusing home after staged home, I'm not settling with our clinical white walls, curtainless windows or bad carpet. I'm refreshing our living spaces, one room at a time. And I'm starting with my own bathroom and this fantastic pebble bath mat from CB2:

I need paint (I'm thinking an almost-white blue?), a new shower curtain, a new mirror would be nice, and a new seat cover. I'd also like to update my toothbrush holder and anything else that sits on my sink area ~ which, by the way, is a tad itty-bitty. So, for a girl on a budget with taste far above her means, what would you suggest? Lay your Martha Stewart on me!

Name That Logo

Hey, all you graphic designers out there! This blog wants a pretty logo. Can you create one that is simple, classy, edgy and a little colorful? Do you have what it takes encompass a love of all things art into a logo? Contact me at sumcjenny@yahoo.com if you can! I'd love to see what you can do, and I'm happy to pay for a job well done. ;)

Thank you!

April Fools!

Now, I love jewelry as any girl should, and I love rocks and gemstones more than the average fashionista. I collected and catalogued them when I was young, I excelled in geology in college and I still have a penchant for examining the pretties. And okay, I still buy a handful every time I go out of town. I used to be able to tell you where each piece of my collection came from, but I no longer discriminate. Still, pyrite, more commonly known as Fool's Gold, is just that: a cheap and ubiquitous stand-in for that coveted and gleaming soft metal. Though abundant in my collection, in all honesty, it looks nothing like gold, and acts nothing like gold. It's only link to it is that sometimes, it's found in the same proximity as gold.

So. NOT precious.

Worth approximately 8 to 10 cents per carat, this closer-to-brass iron sulfide appears in affordable jewelry, accompanied often by the considerably more valuable lapis lazuli, the ordinary crystal or some other semi-precious cut of gemstone. However, Alex and Lee (who are they?!) laced some silk-covered rope around a few pieces, smattered some druzy and pearl in there, added a detailed silver closure and slapped a nearly $900 on this puppy, currently for sale at Anthropologie:

It IS breathtaking, and I would wear the heck out of this Knotted Pyrite Choker through every season and in every climate. But, I have both a rockin' pyrite ring from last summer's Banana Republic inventory and a one-of-a-kind pyrite and lapis necklace I purchased at an art fair, and together they cost me less than an eighth of this piece.

Nevertheless, it's in my wishlist, begging the price to drop.

Would you spend this kind of dough on a couture necklace?

The Hoke House

So... it is [now] without shame that I admit I've fallen into like with the Twilight "saga" ~ the third installment of the movie series was put in front of me while I was working, and my inquiring mind (and romantic heart) wanted to know more. So then I watched the first two movies, admiring not only the better-than-expected soundtrack (download "Eyes on Fire" by Blue Foundation), but that modern and unexpected house the Cullens live in in the middle of the woods. Wondering who actually lives there and what the story was behind it (they can't have built it just for the movie?!), I Googled it. Referred to as "Cullen House" but first named "The Hoke House", Architect Jeff Kovel's instincts continued to draw me in as I delved into photo after photo of the Portland, OR building's interior.

And Edward's bedroom, my goodness... how can I get a door-window like that installed in my room?

Images from fanpop.com, designtavern.com and soprovich.com

Pad the Second

It's thinner! It's faster! It now comes in white. ...It has a new cover? It's still $500. It still runs for 10 hours. ...FaceTime is bigger... ummmm....

Okay, so it isn't that much of an improvement from the first groundbreaker, but Apple still has that bewildering ability to make us want to throw out our only 6-months-old iPad for a new one. With a red cover/stand. In leather. For an additional $70. How do they do that?!

Images from apple.com

And the Acadamy Award for Best Dressed Actor goes to...

...Cate Blanchett for her role in Givenchy Couture! That's right, I choose the controversial, "It looks like a picture should be inside it or something" dress which the ab-fab and always fashion-forward actress wore on Hollywood's biggest night of the year. It would be unfair to compare her one piece to the many impeccable choices Anne Hathaway was lucky enough to don, and of course comparing men's fashion to women's is a losing battle (though one Mr. Brand did do me proud in his navy and black tuxedo). Cate barely won out over Mila Kunis' ethereal lacework ("I love that dress," I told my husband the moment she appeared onstage. "I love that dress," I reiterated when my comment drew nothing from him. "Absolutely love that dress more than anything else I've seen tonight," I tried again when he still sat silent and staring... which I later decided was just him agreeing with me, as he was rendered speechless...) or Michelle Williams' glowing column gown (she seriously emanated light in the Kodak Theatre!), but Cate's edgy piece clearly triumphed. I like to think it's what I would have chosen to wear...

Remember Heidi Klum's dramatic red number from the 2008 Oscars? Critics kept complimenting her, declaring it a sad day that a model out-did her acting counterparts at their Event Of All Events, and begged our starlets to take more risks. Starlet she may not be (thank goodness! Are you as annoyed by the new generations as I am? Miss Lohan, anything to add?), but risk-taker she remains. As much credit should accompany her movie choices.

Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Couture

Mila Kunis in Elie Saab

Michelle Williams in Chanel

Russell Brand in who knows who

As I alluded to previously, M'Lady Rachel Zoe done me proud with her many iterations of Anne Hathaway as Goddess. Here are my favorites of her eight looks:

(Clockwise from top: Givenchy Haute Couture, Valentino, Atelier Versace,
Oscar de la Renta, Tom Ford.)

Granted, the Oscar de la Renta is only there because of her spontaneous jig, showing every girl at home on her couch that Anne Hathaway gets a kick out of that dress in the exact same ways we would.

One more time for my favorite frock of Anne's during the evening (with an enthusiastic BUH-bye to any of James Franco's future hosting offers):

This short-but-sweet post is just a highlight of some of the best fashion moments of the night. What were your favorites?

Images from yahoo.com, moviefone.com and stylelist.com

It began quietly.

I really didn't even notice it. I did what the rest of my demographic does and sent message after message to myself comprised of links to various dresses, dressers, books, art shows and articles piquing my interest. I scribbled made-up shorthand in the precious few 'Notes' pages in my planner. I began following a brilliantly down-to-earth and spot-on blogger on her Facebook fan page, checking her posts daily, bookmarking some and clicking 'Like' an obnoxious amount of times. While in the midst of over-commenting on her backlogged photos, I realized, "Hey, I really have a distinct opinion" (to which my husband might laugh; "That's surprising?"). The writer in me wants to tell the world all my thoughts, and the photographer in me marvels at different the many different uses of light and color... and so, this all-things-I-like blog was born.

Here I'll show you anything I classify as art, and any art that stirs some interest in me. I won't always like it, or understand it, but the images I pass on will cause me pause. I encourage discussion ~ be bold and tell me if you agree or not! Pass on what you like! Suggest away!, for this is a study on not only style and design, but how it corrals human interest... or not.