birthday tings.

when i become rich and famous, i will immediately begin throwing glow-in-the-dark birthday paint parties, complete with kick-A bands like the ting tings. until then, i'll have to make do with a handful of glowsticks and blogged b-day wishes, such as these to my friend leah. you are a cool cat, a smooth operator and a tall drink of water. hoping you nothing but the best for the next 365 days and congratulations on another year of being ah-ah-ah-awesome (the drums, the drums, the drums...).

incidently, this video was shot by fellow wildcat ryan mcneill (and some other people).

{via ryan mcneill's tumblr}

nerd boyfriend.

currently loving all things geek over on nerd boyfriend. also, this will really cut down my search the next time brad wants a fair isle sweater.
all images via nerd boyfriend. {thanks adam willis slash the general assembly}

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the beauty of march, by anthropologie.

bouquets worn on your head: all the rage in 2010. i probably need to own that dress on the left, though.

nobody beats the drum.

i realize it is still one day until friday, but i've HAD ENOUGH ALREADY and am willing to bet i'm not the only person who could use a 2 minute and 50 second vacation from everything going on at this desk and in my life. do yourself a favor and watch it in FULL SCREEN.

a bicycle built for you.

if you are in the market for stylish pair of wheels (ca-CAW, audrey, lookoverhere, lookoverhere), check this biz out: liberty of london's bicyle for target, going on sale soon for $199 american bones. yum. too bad i already have a bike.preview the whole line-up on target's website, HERE. the liberty of london for target home collection, which will include decorative accessories, storage items, picnicware and garden equipment, will launch march 14th in your local target, and on liberty.co.uk (for my london readers). also, the collection will be available to buy in-store at liberty (obv. in london) beginning in april 2010.

{via if the lampshade fits}

well played, space city: free press summerfest.

about effing time... for a city so large and wealthy, i'm surprised houston is just now getting on board with the summer music festivals that have taken a large precedent in my life. count on seeing me at this year's FREE PRESS SUMMERFEST, going on june 5-6 at eleanor tinsley park. also houston, way to melt my face off with the line-up. the flaming lips? girl talk? stars? medeski martin and wood? ra ra riot? well done, houston. well done inDEED. get more festival information at www.freepresssummerfest.com. (thanks b-rad)

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hipster puppies.

soooooo much better than unhappy hipsters, which i already found hilarious. if only steve and ginger would wear glasses.{all images and captions from hipster puppies tumblr. see more hip pups here. laugh about hipsters in general here.}

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winter olympic fashions.

is there anyone in the world who doesn't love the olympics? from a patriotic standpoint, it's something every nation should get behind. on a more basic level, it's just good tv. the kooky sports that you forgot even existed, the tragic tales about the kid who left home at the age of three to train with his coach, the pride of watching someone succeed at their dreams, the commentators with names like dick button, the lump in your throat during the awards ceremonies, the close races, the underdogs, THE OUTFITS. last night, i was glued to the men's figure skating short program, aka halloween-on-ice fashion show. it. was. MESMERIZING. here are some highlights.

Italy's Samuel Contesti, a suspiciously greasy overalls-wearing body shop worker:Belgium's Kevin van der Perren, a partial rhinestone skeleton desperately in search of his torso and pelvis:USA's Johnny Weir, in a hot topic-inspired oilskin corset complete with ruffles, pink faux-lacing, pink shoulder tassel (just one) and black mesh gloves:Czech Republic's Tomas Verner, a plucky sailor on a frozen Canadian sea:USA's Evan Lysacek-wearing a VERA WANG number with sequin straps, feather aiguillettes on the shoulders and FEATHER GLOVES:it's safe to say that the vera wang outfit is the most normal of these, until you factor in the whole 'designed by vera wang' part. now, if feather gloves ever show up under my christmas tree, i would rock those like a hurricane, but seriously vera. wedding dresses, mattresses and now men's figure skating attire?

{images via examiner and zimbio. more information on dick button here.}

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christopher payne photography

christopher payne is a photographer that focuses on america's vanishing architecture and industrial landscape. his new book, Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals, is the result of a six-year exploration of America’s vast and largely abandoned state mental institutions. to put it simply, CP takes pictures of forgotten, abandoned and neglected places. there is a certain stillness to his work and i find the images haunting. and awesome.
see more images here and purchase the book here.

{all images and information from christopher payne photography}

setting the record straight: not pants.

in addition to EVERYONE WITH EYES, it would appear that clothing giant american apparel has also hadaboutenough of the recent WHAT IS PANTS? phenomenon. sorry. i've seen altogether too much REAR of late and it makes me CAPSY. a round of applause for american apparel, not just for being the largest clothing manufacturer in the u.s., but for also starting to print a message inside each pair of leggings:{via the lady likes tumblr through gofugyourself.}

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furniture: master bedroom.

in the future, should you find yourself planning and paying for a wedding, i recommend taking periodic breaks from all things matrimonial to shop online for new home furnishings. once you have begun the process of making huge wedding-related decisions that will ultimately drain your bank account, there's no sense in stopping when it comes to furniture. (trust me, i'm an expert.) besides, shopping for things that will be discontinued by the time you're able to afford them is a superb use of your time. i think i read that in a book somewhere... in the meantime, here are a few things i've got in the hopper. the mitchell gold + bob williams vandyke one-drawer side table & vandyke tall drawer chest are leading the pack. after i noticed that both pieces have super-pimp red lacquer drawer interiors (in addition to the already delicious brass finishes), everything else started to look terrible. and what's this? i can REGISTER FOR FURNITURE at mg+bw? done and done.

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shoes i need: seychelles veronica.

thanks to that joint bank account i insisted we have, my expenses are all now track-able through an app on brad's iphone. in order to purchase items that fall outside the realm of NECESSITIES, i have to come up with quality reasons and explanations to justify my shopping. lest you think my FH is a control freak, i should mention that the app to monitor my spending is something i unfortunately brought upon myself after an event i like to call What Happened One Day At Anthropologie. experience tells me that THEY ARE ADORABLE and would match my yellow purse is not enough reasons. perhaps someone will decide they want to spoil me with a really amazing present, like the time i put my christmas list on here, and a serger showed up under the christmas tree. for the record, i wear a size 9.5 and you can get a better look here. they are also available at nordstrom. {seychelles veronica via zappos}

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setting the record straight: bottoms up.

i posted earlier today about a certain lady that is allergic to pants, and then saw these pictures five seconds later. since i'm in a particularly blog-y mood, now is as good a time as any to clarify my stance on pants (or lack thereof). thus, despite being a quite confusing fashion conundrum, i feel that most people understand and agree that leggings are not PANTS. even though leggings cover your legs and pants cover your legs, it's fairly certain that at no point do leggings = pants.

likewise, fishnet pantyhose are not pants, nor are underpants a suitable replacement for pants, UNLESS

1. you are lady gaga, and are wearing your Not Pants plus some sort of craft project glued to your face with a jacket made of prime rib (aka PERFORMANCE ART) or

2. you are performing on a stage, in front of an audience or

3. you are in or around a swimming pool/body of water.

outside of these exceptions and when in public, everyone should opt for something of the BOTTOMS variety, no? please holla if you hear me or smell what i'm stepping in.

unfortunately, there are people (mainly celebrities who are on crack) that think my stance on pants is WRONG. to be fair, it appears this girl also missed the HAIRBRUSH tutorial, so perhaps i'm being too hard on ke$ha (or call her mi$$ $ebert, because she is na$ty), who wore the following ensemble to a fashion show last night. where she was not performing.

{images via refinery 29 coverage (ha) of erin wasson x rvca}

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die antwoord: the answer.

i haven't figured out what's going on with these folks yet, but trust me. your day is about to get a whole lot better:

i need that chick's haircut, STAT. see more amazing-ness here.

UPDATE: this cape town trio is made up of Ninja (rap rave master), Yo-Landi Vi$$er (futuristik rich bitch) and DJ Hi-Tek (beat-master and owner of a pc computer). who knew south africa was full of such musical treasure?

{via jill's tumblr}

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setting the record straight: lady gaga edition.

i know i've been unclear in the past, but as of today, i'm OFFICIALLY on board the crazy lady gaga train. why the hell not? her songs are catchy and she rolls around the globe in her underpants looking like a bean bag chair exploded on her. not sure if the teeth are part of the get-up, but overall, her wardrobe choices are mesmerizing. hear that, gaga? I GET IT. it's performance art, and you're dressed as the offspring of winter personified and a 1950's milkman.{images via dlisted and blemish}

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ace of cakes: well played april reed.

i'm hoping to just get by with one wedding cake, and forgo the groom's cake. what is that, anyway? we're married now, and we're going to kick it off by not agreeing on one cake? besides, as my dentist knows, i gave my soul to cake's slutty cousin, CANDY, years ago. since i don't really like cake anyway (especially when CANDY is around), i suppose THE CAKE can be the groom's cake (but i get to pick what it looks like). here are some photos i've been hoarding. btw, april reed has designed some of the most simple, lovely desserts i've ever seen, and most of these cakes are hers. homegirl even WELCOMES the use of her images as inspiration for your own cake, as in, 'please feel free to copy my designs.' how cool is that?{images 1 via the internet (and likely april reed), image 2 via april reed, image 3 via martha stewart weddings, image 4 via snippet & ink, image 5 via april reed}{all images via april reed}

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