J & L

New York, New York

2010-11-29T14:53:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful town! Travel-weary and homesick we nearly skipped over this gem of the east coast, but thankfully our friend and any other New Yorker we happened to meet laughed when they heard about our "day trip to New York". Needless to say we stayed a week, exploring mostly Brooklyn and Manhattan, without scratching the surface of this city of cities.

We could have spent days in the MOMA alone, staring at the countless beautiful paintings and video exhibitions. Another wonderful surprise was the ICP (International Center of Photography), which we did not get any pictures of, but is well-worth a visit if you are going on the museum circuit.

We left heavy-hearted, our heads filled with the sights and sounds of New York, a trip back across the country ahead of us and the promise to move there someday soon.

DC

2010-11-21T14:45:00.000-08:00

It took us 37 days to get from Washington to Washington (D.C. that is). Our empty wallets smiled because, unlike the rest of the country, everything there is free! Allowing us to spend days wandering through museum after museum; monument after monument until we collapsed in a heap in Philadelphia.

What's more American than grilled cheese and burgers! After a bit of a trek we made it to Capitol City diner and enjoyed our meals (and amazing milkshakes) making us want to take a nap on the arboretum lawn.

We rested for awhile and made our way to The Museum of Natural History (The Best!) and squeezed our way through the crowds, gawking at their most famous pieces, and taking goofy pictures. Jay's favorite part was the giant ground sloth skeleton while I preferred the natural gemstone growths!

Atlanta

2010-11-11T14:45:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Atlanta in the early morning which was perfect timing for tea! Luck seemed to be on our side during our trip as we always ended up finding the cutest little shops. Dr. Bombay's Underwater Tea Party had excellent Darjeeling Tea, Vegan Spice Cupcakes and a wall of portraits. All of which gave us the energy to explore!

Luck wasn't the only thing we had. Rhiannon of Liebemarlene gave us an extensive list of recommendations including the very best pizza we have ever had (Sadly we were too busy stuffing our faces and the idea to take a picture came as an afterthought), an old southern plantation that wooed us, and a number of vintage shops.

New Orleans

2010-11-09T14:32:00.000-08:00

After a delicious catfish lunch in Baton Rouge we drove across the Bayou, dotted with small houses on stilts and sparsely growing forests, slowly entering the storybook city of New Orleans. As Seattlites we were especially excited by the promise of roasted chicory iced coffee, which did not disappoint!

We could easily have spent hours walking the neighborhoods, gawking at intricate ironworks and fancy french trims present on nearly every house (Oh how I wish we could transport one of those houses to Seattle). After a while of wandering we ended up in the historical graveyards that sprawl throughout the city; never had we thought we would have wanted to roam a cemetery, but the old mausoleums were so beautiful!

Albuquerque

2010-11-07T14:20:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we were in such awe of a place that we forgot to whip out the cameras; we truely did not see enough of New Mexico with it's amazing landscapes straight out of a western movie! What we did capture was charming in it's own right, outside of Albuquerque was a tiny little place called Tinker Town.

Once a man's hobby turned full time profession the little city is a woodworking wonderland. We witnessed pulley system circuses, jug bands, recycled bottle walls, old west saloons and even a boat someone lived on for ten years (and we thought living on the road for 2 months was hard)!

Las Vegas Pt. 2

2010-11-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

Do yourself a favor if you ever travel to Las Vegas and head over to the red rocks for a bit of something real. Just a wee drive out of the city, this national park was one of the most gorgeous landscapes we saw (hundreds of pictures worth!).

We headed over to a friend of a friend's ranch outside city bounds and were treated to a tour of the loop and the tiny town of Blue Diamond where there were 'old west' tourist traps and wild burros ran free.

Las Vegas Pt.1

2010-10-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

Lucky for us gambling has no allure (we like to keep our money, thanks!) so seeing a city made for it is rather bizarre! We saw Paris, New York, castles, and a pyramid but instead of brick or wood it was foam and covered in neon lights. Our stay on the strip was short but full of sweets, the almost hundred degree weather didn't get to us thanks to some much needed ice cream.

santa barbara

2010-09-29T20:22:00.000-07:00

After staying in a tiny little hostel in a tiny little town we headed out at 6 am to drive further south landing in Santa Barbara. The early morning payed off with vast blue skies without a single cloud dotting the sky. A word to the wise though, despite it being a town in California with beaches it is definitely not a California beach town!

Three things we loved:
1. Blood orange & vanilla frozen yogurt
2. Empty sandy beaches
3. Taking off our sunglasses when the sun finally set!

Monterrey Aquarium

2010-09-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

While in Monterrey we naturally had to visit the aquarium! As we weaved through the parents & children in maze like configurations (for a Monday morning it was packed!) we saw creatures of the deep, penguins, flamingos, and entire section devoted to jellyfish (amazing). The aquarium was so rich in sea life that we were completely exhausted by the end! Anyway there is not too much to say so enjoy the pictures after the cut!

Refugio Beach

2010-09-20T18:32:00.000-07:00

If I had the skills and money I would build a tiny shack on refugio beach (there was a small patch of grass with a medium-sized lemon tree to shade our imaginary windows) it would be painted the same robin's egg blue as the abandoned life guard stands and our diet would consist of nothing but picnic fare.

We made our way down the previous mountain and to the shores again; spotting what I had been lusting longingly for so long, climbing rocks. My strongest memories of living in california at a young age were these giant rocks on sandy beaches (while wearing an over-sized sweater and neon leggings of course) so I was craving a visit to nostalgic times, thankfully they didn't disappoint. In addition to completing lost memories, we had the joy of friendly campers! I can't help but think they took a little pity on us (with our tiny little tent and sleeping bags compared to RVs and air mattresses) lending extra wood and an axe to hammer in our tent spikes, but thankfully their kindness & conversation created the most amazing camping experience yet.

laguna seca

2010-09-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

After leaving Monterrey (we will post aquarium pictures shortly), we found a little camping site (by little, I mean one of many on top of a mountain) situated next to a formula 1 raceway. It probably doesn't sound ideal but was easily the most secluded nature friendly campsite we've come across so far! Not to mention the view was amazing to wake up to!

During the afternoon we climbed trees, hiked trails & ran away from bees, all the while listening to the distant zooms and zips of the drivers below. We finished the day as any great camping trip should: with marshmallows both flaming and toasted to a tasty golden brown. At night we cuddled up around our lamp, drifting off to sleep while the strong mountain winds ruffled our tiny tent.

-Jay

heart's desire beach

2010-09-15T10:35:00.000-07:00

Since we've started this trip I've gathered a small bundle of landscape shots, but rather than flood the page I thought I'd share this particularly gorgeous scene we got to peek in on the early morning of northern California (extremely soothing after a rough night of camping). And after a bit more driving we were treated to a beachy oasis and a maze-like 8 mile hike to the top of a mountain; complete with climbing structures, tightrope wooden pathways, and endless ocean breezes.

Three things we loved:
1 a far-from-perfect-pathway that made us feel like we were in the Goonies
2 trader joe's dried mango
3 a beach that only we were on

northern california

2010-09-09T07:01:00.000-07:00

Nothing goes better with long drives than short trips to the beach to stretch our toes. A refreshing difference from Washington shore, we got peeks of blue sky and salty winds.

A few of our favorite things:
1 bright robin's egg blue lifeguard houses
2 stubby puppies barking at the waves
3 coarse ocean breezed hair

Portland, OR

2010-09-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

On Elle: Cardigan: free, Top: anthropologie, Dress: jcrew, Shoes: urban outfitters

Originally Portland wasn't part of the plan, but thanks to a broken alternator (just our luck!) we got to explore the city more than we ever had before. Turns out this city is amazing (why hello there food trucks)! Like Seattle, it's easy to find natural wonderlands without venturing far but unlike Seattle they have a giant national park not far from the city center. We devoted our first day to hiking the long trails starting with Washington Park (their showcase park) stopping to smell the roses in the international test garden.

On Jay: Shirt: thrifted, Belt: thrifted, Jeans: urban outfitters, Shoes: jcrew

We did have a little help finding the right places to be as my uncle has been living here since before I was born (funny enough due to his car breaking down while on his way to San Diego)! He took us on tour of the 'hipster' areas lined in glorious endless rows of vintage shops with spectacular danish modern furniture at crazy low prices (we dream!) and frocks priced in single digit numbers. Overall, seeing so much greatness was a little bit overwhelming and we only snagged a few things, but we will definitely add this city as a stop in the future.

on the road

2010-08-27T21:08:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Seattle, hello Austin! But first, a 2 month round trip road trip!

We are swapping rain for shine, going down and around the entire US continental coast back to our home of Seattle. Traveling with us is my new love (sorry Jay) the itty bitty heavy duty honey yellow Volvo. The car is packed to the brim with plenty of cameras; be expecting flood of pictures coming soon!

we say hello

2010-08-22T22:47:00.001-07:00

hat: H&M, top: urban, skirt: anthropologie, shoes: thrifted, bag: thrifted

After a long-winding month of constant preparations nothing is better than late night (or midday in this case) strolls through our favorite park. As you all will soon see, Jay and I are about to embark on one of the most amazing adventures in our lives! Our greatest apologies in the lack of posting due to this but expect an over load and more info quite soon!

button-up: H&M, tshirt: H&M, belt: thrifted, jeans: the good society, shoes: urban

Wedding: Decor

2010-07-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

After a litte wait on to part three of the wedding posts, my favorite being the decor!

Is it bad that one of my favorite things about our wedding is that it only cost about $500? I suppose it could be. That's 250 dollars for food, 90 dollars on rentals, 60 dollars on outfits, and 100 dollars on decorations. I've never really been able to fathom how a wedding could even cost so much! (I suppose a rather large chunk of change is the location and ours was free!) Easiest way to decorate while keeping the costs low? Jars. I've now completely fallen in love with plain ol' canning jars. We collected about 50 of them over the course of a month and guess how much it cost us? $6 That's 9 cents each plus tax. Dip them half way in white paint and flip them upside down (above, left side), wrap in twine, or chalkboard spray paint the bottom half (below, right side) and it really adds to a cozy atmosphere.

Another way we saved money: collecting flowers ourselves. The night before our wedding, Jay and I strolled through the neighborhood with a bucket and a pair of scissors, searching for white flowers and greenery with interesting textures (only from the overgrown fields, no private gardens of course!) The day of the wedding we combined them with herbs from my uncle's garden and bits of branches and twigs covered in moss, that we had also collected earlier from the floors of the forest behind Jay's old house.

As for the itty bitty details, we drew out "eat, drink" and "be merry" on little note cards hooked on the sides of jars with clothes pins, dip-dyed napkins wrapped in twine, sent some butcher paper down as a table runner (table cloths were actually thrifted bed sheets & worked perfectly) and filled jars with vanilla & mint candles (sure it was day time, but who doesn't love a nice smelling candle?).

Want to do an easy DIY? Buy some chalkboard spray paint and spray your old wine bottles down (or any decorative bottle for the matter). After a good cleaning we did just that for our water holders; tip: leave the labels on for a smother look & tape of the rim of the bottle, you don't want paint in your water!

We lucked out and were able to use an arch a family member just purchased for their garden, immediately after my sister stepped up to the plate of decorating it. After days of folding pom-poms, crafting construction paper flowers, accordion-like circles, and tiny paper cranes Jay and I were more than happy to give her the supplies and she managed to make us a gorgeous centerpiece for the ceremony!

One more wedding post coming soon!

Wedding: Bride & Groom

2010-07-03T23:30:00.000-07:00

Now for part two of the wedding posts! Onward to a picture overload of the bride and groom themselves.

Since this was going to be a pretty casual wedding, we decided we really did not need to dress too fancy for the occasion. Luckily Jay found an amazing light blue pinstriped blazer at H&M that fit him surprisingly well (leading him to look like my perfect little ice cream man). Early on in the process I decided to sew my own wedding dress completely from scratch, (which I might add, don't necessarily try this at home unless you have a lot of time on your hands) but due to a rather unfortunate ironing mishap the night before I was unable to wear the dress I worked so hard on! Rather than dwelling or trying to fix it, I snuck out a dress from my sister's closet that she thrifted the month before and had my eye on (thanks goodness for that!) Despite being five sizes too big, belted I think it worked out pretty well!

I'm figuring out through writing these posts that the key part of our wedding was family. Jay's mother was generous enough to donate her old wedding ring, which we had reset by Kyle Anne Metals on Etsy (you should really take a look, her creations are stunning) to create an absolutely gorgeous ring I will treasure. Continuing on the theme, we actually got Jay's ring from a local Etsy seller. Matching mine with its silver metal, but 'manning it up' with its darkened wood grain pattern, he loves it so much he hasn't even taken it off!

When it came down to dressing it was really about the tiny little details to make us feel complete. Since my new dress had a completely different feel, I decided to go for a full-on hippie lovechild look, probably making my sister-in-law question my sanity when I said, "basically I want my hair to look like a bird's nest: twigs, branches, flowers and all," but being the amazing stylist she is, she dove right in and gave me the biggest bouffant I think I'll ever have!

One of our favorite parts of the wedding day was the fact that we actually got photos of the both of us together. When we make posts, usually I'm taking pictures of him and he's taking pictures of me so it was a real treat! We had the opportunity to use the amazing talents of a lovely lady named Kristina, whom I work with; who wanted to dip her toes into the crazy world that is wedding photography (and personally I think she did an incredible job) and the additional help of my dear sister Christine who took most of our delicious food shots. While a camera sat around my neck the entire time, it's definitely thanks to these ladies that our pictures turned out so well!

Wedding: Food

2010-07-02T11:00:00.000-07:00

As a fresh new month starts we, of course, would start with something nearly two months old. However, it's the start of the wedding photos (so it can't be that bad)! It's going to be split into a few parts; all full of lots of large pictures so to keep your loading times down we've put them behind a cut. Today lovely readers you get food porn.

Since Jay and I are both major foodies at heart this was one of our biggest concerns. We definitely lucked out it terms of helpful family members (my mother, grandpa, grandma, aunt & uncles have had many years of cooking and setting up for reunions 200+) and we barely had to do any of the main work (except for Jay roasting potatoes one batch at a time in our wee oven for 9 hours, thanks love!).

However, that was only half of the food; somehow my amazing brother managed to provide the other half by himself in the form of bite sized eats, fresh breads, and old style fruit displays. When Jay & I had originally talked about food all he could do was reminisce about the past 2 years of thanksgiving at my brothers so he was more than excited when my brother offered to set us up so he could test out some recipes from his classic 50s cookbooks! I wish I could share everything we had but here is a little idea: stuffed mushrooms, grilled orange & thyme kabobs, pita & hummus, pink lady apples, ripe watermelon, marinaded asparagus, and bratwurst.

One thing was for sure when we started this, Jay was dead set on pies. I'm not really a pie person (blasphemy I know!) so I was a little bit weary about cooking them; but again, the family came through in the form of Jay's aunt who has been perfecting her pies for years! Aside from the perfectly gorgeous lattice weaves and crumb toppings, they must had tasted just as good as they were gone with in a few minutes. She also went through the trouble of making Jay a special pie, in honor of our beloved cancelled show, the Pear-Gruyere pie!

Meanwhile, I set out to make a swiss butter-cream and classic white cake for 50, which turned out surprisingly well (and sturdy I might add)! However getting people to eat it is a story for the aftermath...! About a week before we also made a few tiny treats, fleur de sel chocolate dipped caramels (which I cannot believe we resisted long enough for them to make it to the wedding), chocolate dipped pretzels, and my mom made her classic Russian tea cakes (hers are the best I swear!). Overall making for an amazing feast that we wished for more leftovers of!

Part Two tomorrow

past & the present

2010-06-23T14:22:00.000-07:00

Whenever I think about the summer J & I met I think of long car drives in the blazing heat with the windows rolled down, beach boys playing on the radio, and trying to get Jay out his his shell and sing along with me while placing my dirty ash-brown soled feet on the dashboard. After a few nights of no-sleep talking sessions and early morning breakfasts we went on our first real date, a picnic.

Nothing reminded me more of those days than when we went to Discovery Park for a hike and a picnic last Sunday. After trekking through a never ending blanket of evergreen trees (with only patches of sky peeking through the tops), flatted grass pathways in sweeping fields, and an inlet of clean white sand dotted with playing children we reached our cliff-topped edge for a view of the Puget Sound. Thanks to a change in weather (supplying us with the perfect sunny day) and an amazing wedding gift from our friends (picnic set complete with a blanket, utensils, napkins, & glasswares) we got to enjoy our made-from-scratch strawberry lemonade during the temporary break in the clouds.

writer's block

2010-06-17T21:36:00.000-07:00

To be honest I've had this post sitting in drafts for a few days. I like the pictures, it was a really nice day but for some reason when it comes to writing this post both Jay & I seem to be drawing a complete blank! Instead, here is a bit of what we enjoyed:

1. Peach honey sticks (made from local honey, they were supposed to be our wedding favors but never got put out. Thankfully, they never expire and taste amazing)
2. Wearing sunglasses (the weather has been rather poor lately so to wear them is a treat)
3. Early days (Elle out of work before noon & Jay graduated = time to see one another!)
4. Sun spotted sidewalks
5. Brand new paperbacks (who doesn't love the smell of a new book?)

On Jay: Hat, top, pants: H&M, Belt: thrifted, Shoes: Urban outfitters

On Elle: Top: H&M, Belt: F21, Skirt & Shoes: thrifted

2 of a kind

2010-06-11T10:47:00.001-07:00

A funny thing happens when you live with someone for so long, you start to dress eerily similar. The other day I got up for work while Jay was sleeping, resulting in not seeing each other till four in the afternoon, yet somehow we managed to be perfectly coordinated in our navy-striped outfits. Feeling a little dorky we decided to go on a romp in our local conservatory.

On Jay: Button up: H&M, Top: H&M, Denim: Urban Outfitters, Boots: Thrifted

Although Jay has been here before, I have only walked by the bright white southern facade and peeked at the blooming flowers within. I fully regret waiting so long (If you see an interesting public building, go there!) because it perked up my entire day and made me long for a garden of our own!

Meanwhile we've been bad bloggers, dear readers. It's taken some time to get all of our wedding photos together (so many people brought cameras we would hate to miss an amazing photo) and our lazy butts have been using it to our advantage. Our first few weeks of marriage have been full of non-stop work schedules, helping my sister move into a shiny new apartment, Jay finishing his final college quarter (my lovely graduate!), bad weather, and late night meals. Although we still haven't had a moment to thoroughly rest, we are starting to feel refreshed as the craziness has died down and hoping the summer sun will start to join us!

On Elle: Top: Anthropologie, Belt: Urban outfitters, Skirt: Anthropologie, Shoes: Thrifted

we are getting there...

2010-05-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

Multi wedding post coming soon. We are just trying to gather all the photos from sources so we don't miss any photos from our talented friends!

Meanwhile this week we continued back to work and in the off times it's been nothing but our tired selves curling up in blankets watching British games shows and eating leftovers. Ah the married life!

Thank you for all of your well wishes!

saturday song

2010-05-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday song one day early, as we are getting married tomorrow!
Always a favorite song of ours and it felt like appropriate timing :)
Hope your weekend is gorgeous!

just a little sisterly love

2010-05-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

I'm not usually one to be wearing t-shirts but I'm always down for a cute design; especially when that cute design has a drawing of little ol' me on it! (you'd be amazed how light blond my hair was when I was little) My sister, aside from just being amazing, thought she'd share some of her fantastic art on threadless. Inspired by playing music together when we were little, I think it's a perfect design for the Lilith fair contest.

So do me a favor and if you have a moment just send some love her way!
Vote Here

Spotted all over

2010-05-10T20:33:00.000-07:00

On Elle: Dress: Anthropologie, Skirt, belt & shoes: thrifted, Hat: H&M

With the wedding coming up in less than a week (eee!), time is becoming rather hard to come by for outfit photos (which I'm sure is obvious considering it's been over a week since we've posted ones, sorry dear readers!). However, we found a small bit of time when the sun was high and peaked through trees in polka dotted patterns.

I seem to be starting to amass an entire closet of thrifted & diy clothing; which aside from being great on my wallet, get me giddy for seeking out more and messes with my perception of how much clothing should cost (15 dollars for a new skirt? expensive!). My entire oufit is thrifted except for the denim/linen dress from Anthropologie but that was $9.99 and boy do I love getting things that cost 100+ for $9.99! Jay's still sticking to H&M, as finding small sizes anywhere else is uncommon, but I think he looks darling in his bright red pants!

On Jay: Glasses, top & jeans: H&M, Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Sunday Song

2010-05-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

The Bird and the Bee - Polite Dance Song from Eric Wareheim on Vimeo.

Such a strange, strange video, but I would expect nothing less from Eric Wareheim. I especially love the facial expressions.

Don't forget to tell your mother you love her!

-J

mediocrity is not a mortal sin

2010-05-04T16:25:00.000-07:00

After hearing that Daniel Radcliff (he pulls at my geeky heart strings) was going to be in the latest production of How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying on Broadway, we immediately had to revisit this amazing movie. We first discovered it while Elle was on a musical kick and feel in love with it's colorful charm. A major influence on Mad Men, it tells the story of a young man determined to get to the top of the ladder with the least amount of effort; aka Mad men with more singing and dancing.

When I do these posts, I usually make a list of my favorite things and work them into paragraphs. However, once I took a look at my list this time I felt like it perfectly summarized everything I love about the styling! Filled with kick pleats, candy colored dresses, contrasting colors, a variety of necklines, perfectly slim fitting suits, helmet hair, delightfully high up-dos, bouncy, perfect curls, heavy rimmed eyes and barely-there lipstick I'm jealous of everyone in their polyester glory.

Complimenting the wardrobe, the scenery and people are color coordinated in Rainbow-ed hues. Sets are heavily influenced with geometric architecture and amazing patterned paint jobs; my favorite room being the"Dr. Evil" office of the head honcho. He would look perfect with a white puff ball cat in his arms but instead he chooses to knit in his spare time (secretly).

Despite the gorgeous wardrobe/sets, what really makes this movie worth watching again and again is the characters. Robert Morse (Who plays Bertram Cooper in Mad Men) gushes charisma with his mischievous faces and goofy grins over his leading lady. Hijinks that would not work in any other movie make sense and fast-paced writing flows comfortably and turns into charming interactions with cheeky comments. Add an acutely seductive redheaded ditz with an amazing name (Hedy Leroux); it's a perfect date night movie (seriously, every guy I've made watch it loves it).

Since we are on the topic of music and missed this week's Sunday song, why not enjoy my favorite song from the movie:

you say it's your birthday

2010-04-28T21:13:00.001-07:00

My handsome man turned 23, crazy how old we are both getting!

We spent the day with each others families; pancakes in the morning with my side and sushi for dinner with jay's side. Always the picky eater, part of my present to him was to try all the sushi I could get my grubby little hands on and I have to say, once I got over the texture it sure is tasty!

After a long day we settled back home for lemon & lavender cupcakes and cuddled up by the glow of the tv for the amazing movie How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (you have got to love Robert Morse's smile).

Sometimes it's just nice to keep your birthday simple with a loved one :)
Jay says thank you for all of your kind wishes!

how many candles?

2010-04-27T08:36:00.001-07:00

On Jay: Top: thrifted, Tie: guess, Pocket square: By elle, Jeans: H&M, Shoes: Guess
On Elle: Top: thrifted, Belt: F21, Skirt: thrifted, Tights: target, Shoes: Guess

Although these pictures were taken from a few days ago I think you can still see the excitement from Jay (note: jazz hands). Why is he excited? Why because it's his birthday of course! I'm am going to keep this post simple and sweet because we are about to adventure for other sweet items (birthday breakfast!). I was feeling a need for color and he was feeling a need for something new; one crazy patterned skirt and handmade pocket square later we got that boost of energy we dearly needed!

Happy Birthday Jay! May all your dreams come true! (Birthday adventuring post tomorrow!)

Sunday Song

2010-04-25T18:39:00.000-07:00

As we will soon become the birds, I felt this beautifully simple video was appropriate.
Hope the sun shone for your weekend.

-J

Spring blossoms

2010-04-19T16:21:00.000-07:00

On Elle: Glasses: Urban, Dress: DIY, Tights: Target, Shoes: Urban
On Jay: Button-up: Urban, Jeans: H&M, Shoes: Urban Outfitters

I once went through a summer of wearing muumuus. Horrified, right? Honestly I don't get why they have such a bad rep; open, breezy and comfortable. Maybe it's the whole 'you-look-like-you're-wearing-a-giant-bag' thing they emit.. Yeah, that's probably why. Although I am mostly over that phase, I still find myself making regular purchases of them as they are perfect for refashions. This particular one was full length, long sleeved, and about 10 sizes too large for me; more than enough fabric to play around with. After a little bit of vertical pleating, and a lot of taking in I'm left with a cute little sea shell polka dotted perfect for the summer.

Jay seemed to be feeling the summer vibes too, as the weather is so close to those perfect days where you only need to be wearing a t-shirt and are neither hot nor cold. Combined with a new shoe color (he is trying so many new colors lately, I'm so proud), it has me yearning to go to the beach, build sandcastles, and drink ice tea. However, I seem to be getting a little ahead of myself since we haven't even had our first spring picnic!

Sunday Song

2010-04-18T10:18:00.000-07:00

She is so cute I could put her in my pocket!

scalloped edges

2010-04-17T11:52:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of oldies from an afternoon at the antique shop down by the water (our recent photos turned out to be bummers)!

After a quick stop to the candy shop for some salt water taffy (root beer you are the best), we shuffled through the old pictures (always Jay's favorite part) and I ogled at the pricey clothing.

The weather has been getting spring-ier and I'm sure our pictures will be perfect next week. (Especially excited as I've been DIY-ing all week!)

Hope you lovely readers have a gorgeous weekend!

four eyes

2010-04-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Eyes, thank you so much for your still current 20/20 vision; although questionable after long bouts on the computer. However, your gift to me makes me jealous of my fine framed friends who can change styles in an instant.

Despite feeling like a little bit of a poseur, I still have started a growing obsession with collecting frames and sunnies. For the longest time I had been convinced glasses could not work on my face thanks to uneven ears and awkward teenage years, but that all changed thanks to one perfect pair: not circle, not square, but somewhere in between. Unfortunately they broke all too long ago but opened up my eyes to framing my eyes. I like to think of them as an accessory rather than a necessity; turning outfits with a slightly hippie vibe into full on 70s or an office getup into geek chic. Luckily, the current trends are on my side and providing me with cheap vintage-inspired lovelies when I can't find the authentic ones on my own.

1. Prism London 2. Anthropologie 3. Modcloth 4. Fred Flare 5. Etsy 6. Etsy 7. American Apparel

dachshunds & peacocks

2010-04-12T14:56:00.000-07:00

On Elle: cardigan: diy, top: urban, belt: f21, jeans: h&m, shoes: oh deer

You know what is amazing? You! But aside from that potatoes, definitely potatoes. In addition to being tasty in any cooking form (roasted with rosemary, fried in a vat of grease, mashed with garlic and butter for some home comfort) they lend themselves to easy DIYs. After scoring this little cardigan for a couple of dollars at the thrift store I felt the need for a bit of vamping up; the perfect solution being wiener dogs of course. Chopped in half and carved, potatoes make the perfect little throw away stamps! Although the sweater did not feel complete, so I added a little embroidery to the collar and it makes a perfect addition to my wardrobe.

Jay, on the other hand, took a piece from my wardrobe; thanks to American Apparel's unisex love. After a few hours of frolicking in the newly appearing sun, any bright pop anxiety disappeared and he realized the joy of color. Although we didn't do anything in particular that day, our eyes were treated to blooming flowers in private gardens and sidewalks carpeted in petals getting us vastly excited for upcoming picnics, road trips to the beach, and garage sale-ing!

On Jay: jacket: urban, button up: h&m, tie: thrifted, pants: AA, shoes: guess

2010-04-09T14:34:00.000-07:00

Right now I am sitting at Victrola coffee munching on a pastry and Jay is sipping his earl gray because early this week our internet decided life wasn't worth living any more. Sorry for the lack of posts, but we should be up and ready by Sunday!

Sunday Song

2010-04-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

Lovely video to match a lovely cover. Hope you all have a happy Easter!

Please Mr. Postman

2010-04-02T10:34:00.000-07:00

Vintage postcard via flickr

You know what is one of the best things in the world? Getting something special in the mail! With all the extra blank postcards from our wedding invites we thought we would share a little postal love. Although they will not be as lovely as the one above, yours will include a unique drawing from elle and an endearing message from us!

Send us your name and address (we won't stalk you, we swear) to mslaura.mae@gmail.com

You are cordially invited...

2010-04-02T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have probably looked at more wedding invitations in the past week than I have in my entire life. After, ogling over the various invites on OnceWed and DesignSponge and wishing I had a glorious budget to spare; I set out to make my own. I have a no-so-secret obsession with patterns and when I'm in doubt it's pattern overload. After searching through my (almost) hundreds of self made photoshop patterns we went along with scalloped waves, soft shades of blue and teal, dotted accents, and snarky comments. Two hours of cutting, folding, gluing, hot chocolate, and one trip to the post office later we are left with 75 sheets of recycled paper, 200 postcards, and an abundance of envelopes. Total cost with leftover supplies= $35

black & whites

2010-03-31T21:14:00.000-07:00

On elle: top: guess, bow: handmade, sweater: express, skirt: h&m, shoes: urban outfitters

After I had put on this extra girly outfit I knew immediately where I wanted to take pictures. On the street the next block over from us there are a series of amazing brick apartment buildings that look straight out a movie (most likely a young girls coming of age & first love one). Fenced iron workings, hobbit hole entrances, and window sills full of flower beds it screams for one to read books in the courtyard with scatterings of sun rays peaking through the trees from above. If we had the money to spare we would nestle our belongings immediately into these cozy abodes as they remind us of the french wonderland we have yet to see.

On jay: hat: h&m, top: urban, tie: guess, sweater: urban, jeans: h&m, shoes: guess

Sunday Song

2010-03-28T15:28:00.000-07:00

For the video, specifically staring at 1:45. Hope you all are having lovely weekends!

a few of elle's favorite things

2010-03-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

Do you love ice cream? Of course you do, everyone loves ice cream! Well, maybe not the lactose intolerant so much... However you know what is so much more amazing than ice cream? Frozen custard! Seriously, if you have the calories to spare you ought to use them on this.

When we are feeling a need for sweets we trek our tired toes and head over to what we call dessert alley a.k.a. capitol hill's pike street. Within a 3 block stretch there are 2 ice cream shops, a cupcake bakery, and Old School Frozen Custard. Despite only having three flavors a day (vanilla, chocolate and a flavor of the day), we can't seem to ever get sick of this place. And after an absolutely terrible previous day my eyes lite up like a kid's on Christmas when I saw cookie dough as the flavor of the day. Now when it come to cookie dough ice cream I don't share, well I can, but you should only expect vanilla ice cream left. Yeah, I'm a picker I can't help it, so for your sake get your own scoop (Jay has learned this the hard way). But seriously, look at that glee on my face. I'm in heaven.

In addition to creamy delights, it was a particularly golden day; warm enough that I could wear my favorite summer sloppy tee with out a coat and bright enough that I could wear my favorite sunglasses with out becoming blind as a bat. Zebra rainbow stripes? I know, cheesy. However, when my 16-year-old self found these in their 50 cent glory she was in love (plus they remind me of the summer I met Jay, aww). After filling our stomachs we thought we'd empty our wallets a little more treasure hunting at the thrift store, alas we ended buying nothing, so hungry again we headed home for some peach pie I made earlier (don't be surprised if you see our chubbier alter egos soon). If only I had remembered to put the memory card in the camera to properly document such a wonderful day (hence the cell phone quality)!

share wear

2010-03-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

On Both: J Hat: H&M, L Hat: Urban, J Jacket: H&M, L Jacket: J Crew, Shirt: H&M, Pants: Urban, J shoes: thrifted, L shoes: Oh deer!

Someone once said, "A boyfriend is an extra closet" and having lived with Elle for well over two years I would have to agree. When Elle feels her own wardrobe has finally exhausted itself, she moves on to mine, belting button-up shirts at the waist or tucking them into high-waisted skirts, draping my looser shirts so they hang like a dress, or rolling up the cuffs of my linen pants to be faux capris. Truthfully I don't mind as long as she doesn't turn into my doppleganger. It's just part of living with a girl.

Elle is rocking nearly the same outfit I wore the majority of last Summer with the exception of her large floppy hat. (Oh, that hat. She staked it out for months at at Urban Outfitters and then pounced when the price was right.) She actually won an online contest for this ensemble, which we're going to use for a new waffle iron as soon as they send it over.

My clothes, on the other hand, are not award-winning though they are quite comfortable. That straw fedora is a staple of Summertime fun including picnics, days at the beach, outdoor movies, BBQs, riding Laura's luxurious cruiser bike in the morning, and more picnics. I bought the shirt knowing it's neckline was a bit girly. It's a nice piece for layering and a wonderful decoy to keep Elle away from my blue linen shirt: holy grail of my warm weather wardrobe.

During the original photo shoot I rested Elle's hat in what I thought was the most appropriate place. Such a regal-looking camel. He looks like an Alfred to us.

-J

thank you for waiting...

2010-03-23T01:27:00.000-07:00

Things we enjoyed this past week:
1. no coat necessary weather
2. hot sauce on pizza
3. golden oldies on the radio
4. late night goofing around
5. half price sales

We just want to thank you lovely readers for all of your sweet comments on the last post, reading them totally made our days! Regular posting continues tomorrow with a brand new outfit post.

so you know...

2010-03-15T12:11:00.000-07:00

Just a tiny too big engagement ring from http://www.mrkate.com/

Remember how we are engaged? We don't talk about it on the blog that much, probably due to the reason we have not worked on it very much. However, after a slight nagging from our parents we figured with it being only two months away we ought to start working on it!

So if we seem a little MIA this week it's because we are taking car trips to thrifts stores (we don't have a car, this is really exciting!), painting tiny objects and collecting branches to make a wedding of our own. Your patience will be thoroughly rewarded after this week as we have some DIYs, and awesome new posts planned! Hope you all have a lovely week!

Sunday Song

2010-03-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's just nice to listen to cheesy pop songs, and adding the Motown makes it oh so much better.

bar-bar-bar-bar-barbarella

2010-03-12T13:59:00.000-08:00

Easily my favorite type of movies are the ones that are so bad they are good. There seems to be much more going on in the backgrounds, experimental shots, and I believe a limited budget opens up a director to more creative solutions (see: George Lucas past vs. today). Possibly my favorite one of all (maybe favorite movie in general, it's really hard to choose) is the marvelous Barbarella. A camp classic, follows Jane Fonda in the future as the always sexy Barbarella adventuring to a new planet to find the long lost scientist Durand-Durand (yes, that's the origin of the band name).

Set in the 41st century, future fashion is full of metallic textures, fur, chain metal, and plastics; all as leotards with matching boots of course (also inspiring the fashions in the fifth element). Barbarella's clothing always manages to get partially torn of in one way or another during her adventures letting the viewer enjoy multiple outfit changes (my favorite being the fur number above). Although none of the outfits would be good for daily wear they would all make amazing Halloween costumes! Wardrobe is perfectly matched to the sex bomb theme with large hair, nude lips, and lots of black eye liner.

Scenes of danger are particularity wonderful as she seems to be always attacked by items completely harmless in real life. When she crashes her ship, strange sets of identical twins kidnap her only to have creepy little dolls attack her with razor sharp metal teeth (this scene creeps J out as he hates porcelain dolls). As parakeets start to peck her to death she says wonderful lines like, "this is really much too poetic of a way to die" and "a good many dramatic situations begin with screaming." Thankfully, luck seems to be on her side as someone always seems to appear last minute or miraculously a trap door is lays underneath her.

A sign of the times, landscapes are purely sixties with rainbows of color and trippy scenery. Space seems to be comprised of pink and blue lights on water droplets and gradient backgrounds. And when Barbarella is trapped in the dream chamber after having her invisible key stolen, we experience intense oil and water skies and tar-like swamps. I can't help but be impressed with the artist special effects as they surely are a treat to the eyes.

watch as I take of my bear suit to reveal....another bear suit!

This post may seem long but one of the reason I hate doing movie screen shots is there are always too many to choose from! I end of cutting a bunch of pretty shots so I won't kill load times so feel free to check out the rest on flickr.

pattterns a plenty

2010-03-10T18:17:00.001-08:00

On Elle: Cardigan: Old Navy, Top: gap dress, Skirt: F21 dress, Shoes: target

Today is the day of big hair and model-y poses, I went for the Kate spade look and Jay for the typical male model (I should really learn some male model's names). After a new QI last night we both drifted to sleep dreaming of lollipops, unicorns, and never ending oceans. For the first time in quite awhile, we had the luxury to sleep in and be woken up by golden rays of sunshine rather than the beep-beep-beep of various alarms.

Thanks to the wonderful night of sleep, our minds were clearer getting dressed and we were able to put a better effort forth than the few previous days. I decided to take two dresses and wear them as a top and bottom; mixed and matched some stripes and ended up wishing it were warmer outside. Jay put on his brand new 6 dollar tie (what a steal!) and buffalo check shirt. to look like a suave professor. Apparently, when we get good rest our eyes wake up to say yes to patterns galore (never a bad thing!); movie post tomorrow!

On Jay: Cardigan: Old navy, Tie: Urban Outiftters, Jeans: H&M, Shirt, belt, boots: thrifted

elle wears

2010-03-09T08:56:00.000-08:00

On Elle: Dress: Vintage, Belt: Thrifted

Super short post! I not much of a fan on maxi dresses but when I saw this one at my local vintage shop (in November) I bought with the intention of shortening it. Once I put it on however, I knew instantly it would be the only maxi dress I'd ever love. Can't wait for leisurely golden summer days to stroll around in it.

Sunday Song

2010-03-07T11:23:00.000-08:00

jay wears

2010-03-06T21:50:00.000-08:00

On Jay: Cardigan: Urban Outfitters, Shirt: AA, Cardigan: H&M, Pants: H&M, Shoes: Guess

The first day at my current job they were having a funeral and no one told me. Good thing I was dressed appropriately, but since then I've been trying to buy clothes outside of mourning attire, purchasing clear sky blue shirts to brighten my look and hopefully survive the S.A.D. so common to Washington State though I think I can do better i.e. 'How To Get Ahead In Business Without Really Trying'. One step at a time.

elle wears

2010-03-04T12:01:00.001-08:00

On Elle: Dress: Banana Republic, Skirt: Aritzia, Tights: American Apparel, Shoes: Oh Deer

Years ago I bought this dress for about 15 dollars (working in a mall really helps for good deals). Since then I've worn it maybe 2 times but haven't had the heart to get rid of it; so I was pretty excited when I layered my high waisted skirt on top of it and it worked perfectly. Before, the dress fit the top and bottom but was excessively baggy around my waist and with the skirt it's creates a nice slim silhouette (although I'm not used to such tight clothing).

Meanwhile, In two short months of consistent posting we have reached over 50 followers! We are in awe of how sweet everyone has been with the internet having such a bad reputation. I know a lot of you have blogs and I've seen a few of them but would love to check out some more Please share them with us in the comments (or art, flickrs, anything, we'd love to get to know you)!

black & white & green all over

2010-03-02T18:25:00.001-08:00

On Elle: Top: Urban Outfitters, Belt: AA, Skirt: H&M, Tights: AA, Shoes: Guess

Oh boy! We have been busy little bees as of late and have barely had a moments notice to see each other! Today we get a little time for ourselves so we are choosing to watch cheesy movies from the sixties and dig into a glorious carton of Ben & Jerry's half baked (I always pick out the goodies, Jay hates it). Yum! To match our relaxed day we didn't dress up too much. Although I think Jay looks darling in his J shirt, to quote him "it's funny because I'm Jay." Comfort won the battle but I think it's well deserved.

On Jay: Scarf: AA, Shirt: AA, Cardigan: Old Navy, Pants: H&M, Shoes: Urban Outfitters

red eyes & jolly cheeks

2010-03-01T03:44:00.000-08:00

We had a mini adventure walking down to the famous market of seafood, rainbows of vegetables, and dried flowers. Sometimes it nice to wander Seattle and play tourist so we can remember what sets it apart from other places in the world. Now if only we had enough money to enjoy the tasty treats whose scents filled the air!

Do you ever play tourist where you live? What do you love about your city?

Sunday Song

2010-02-28T12:06:00.000-08:00

Just a lovely song to soundtrack the end of our weekend.

Puffy face

2010-02-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

On Elle: Headband: handmade, Top: H&M, Cardigan: Old Navy, Belt: F21, Pants: H&M, Shoes: Sketchers

Apologies for the sub-standard photos, Elle desperately wanted to take a picture today before work so this is our rushed attempt to fashion a home studio for when the sunlight isn't shining. Nice, except for the power outlet. Elle wore a light and airy outfit, fit for Summertime fun.

She's been playing around, making origami-inspired accessories and the headband is actually a ninja star necklace.

Hopefully we can iron out the issues of lighting and take many beautiful photos. Enjoy your Casual Friday readers.

In The Spaces Between Houses

2010-02-24T19:35:00.000-08:00

On Jay: Jacket: Old Navy, Glasses: Urban Outfitters, Shirt: thrifted, Belt: thrifted, Pants: H&M, Shoes: Guess

Back to the days of lackluster weather. Elle and I scurried around the neighborhood looking for sun spots to take a nice picture. Houses around Washington surprisingly favor shades of gray to match the sky so each of us tried our best to wear a small spot of color. Mine, a floral-patterned shirt to call upon the Gods of premature Spring and Elle's, a vibrant dress that reminds me of a pineapple.

On Elle: Jacket: Anthropologie, Shirt: Express, Belt: Thrifted, Skirt: Thrifted, Tights: Target

That is Elle's 'I think that car wants to park here' face. Isn't she lovely even when briskly walking for her safety?

jay wears

2010-02-23T16:47:00.000-08:00

On Jay: Hat: H&M, Shirt: H&M, Suspenders: Urban Outfitters, Bow tie: Handmade, Trousers: thrifted, Boots: thrifted

I supposed Jay should really be making this post as it's his outfit but he is at school. He is, however, darling and I felt a need to share this. Occasionally J bartends at his work for fancy little writing events and productions. We've been testing the theory that his gets more tips when he wears bow ties so I made him this little seashell one from scrap fabric. The results are in, definitely more tips with bow ties. Hello, salted caramel cupcake!

235

2010-02-22T18:28:00.001-08:00

"Our machine broke down" Never exactly the answer you want to get when you go to pick up your film, but considering the dragon lady before us had just roared her fiery breath as hard as she could at the poor employees who couldn't magically fix her film, "No biggie" is all we could say. Despite the awkward over-developed/under-developed ratio on these pictures I actually quite like all of the imperfections. The roll, luckily, was only a test. Jay treated himself to a Diana mini for Christmas and we have been trotting it along with us ever since.

elle wears

2010-02-19T15:47:00.001-08:00

On Elle: Cardigan: H&M, Top: Second Hand, Bow: Plain 'ol Ribbon, Shorts: DIY Guess?, Tights: Gift, Shoes: Urban Outfitters, Cape: Vintage

Almost daily mini outfit posts? Yes please, thank you. For a small trip to Volunteer park to finish some shots for the stop animation (yes, still working on it..) I stuck within my casual geeky comfort zone. Thankfully the sun has choosen to love the sky Seattle sky lately and we were treated to almost warm weather! I'm a sucker for summer and hoping this isn't just a big tease but here to stay; I would, however, surely miss the opportunity to wear this amazing vintage cape I found at the beginning of winter. With it's incredibly warm soft mohair-like fabric & floral patterned lining it's perfect for twirling in.

time time time...

2010-02-17T19:23:00.001-08:00

On Elle: Top: H&M, Skirt: Handmade, Tights: Gift, Shoes: Nordstrom

In a stroke of creativity I whipped out this skirt in 2 hours the other day. I'm exceptionally proud because I tend never to finish sewing projects. I get to the last bit, like a hem, and set it aside to never complete it. This has however changed recently for who knows why; maybe the motivation of having items to wear on the blog! I love the little circular detailing as it reminds me of paper pinwheels, but I will talk more about the skirt and other things tomorrow!

We had a quick little windy photo session near our apartment. Jay had just gotten home from school and I was on my way out to work hence the simple outfits! Unfortunately our schedules have not been meshing lately so we have only been seeing each other for about an hour during the daytime(though we could always take night photos). Soon that will change and we can go back to roaming the neighborhood, eating candy, and giggling while looking for magical lighting or rusty backgrounds.
On Jay: Jacket: Urban Outfitters, Button Up: Guess, Pants: H&M, Suspenders: Thrifted, Shoes: Guess

gap toothed lovelies

2010-02-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

(Sorry for the glam shot)

I remember a time at the dentist probably about ten years ago (boy do I feel old) when they had suggested giving me braces. He had been talking to my mother and I was zoning out to the primary colored posters pasted to the ceiling when he said,"her teeth are straight and there is room for her wisdom teeth to grow in but we might want braces for 3 years to remove that unsightly gap." Unfortunately he hit me at a time when all you wanted to do was blend into the crowd; for years after I spent covering my mouth when I smiled and wishing my mom would have let me get the braces. Eventually I outgrew those foolish feelings and been rocking my gap ever since, full teeth smiling and all!

Recently I've read quite a few articles declaring them a trend. While I'm not sure how something you are born with can necessarily be a trend; I am happy to see so many lovely ladies like Lara Stone, Anna Paquin, Georgia May Jagger and Vanessa Paradis proudly presenting their spaced pearly whites. If only when I was younger I had role models like them to look up to or had known of the gorgeous ladies like Bridgitte Bardot, Jane Birkin, and Laura Hutton that had rocked them in previous decades than maybe I would have learned sooner to love what you were given with.

will you be our valentine?

2010-02-10T16:11:00.000-08:00

On Elle: Top: H&M, Belt: F21, Skirt: F21, Tights: Hue, Shoes: Thrifted

The holiday of love is coming up as you may already dread or are excited for. Gone are the easier days of cheap printed paper with our favorite characters and small candies (be nice, always give one to all classmates!). Instead nowadays we share handmade cards with inside jokes, make as fancy of a meal as 10 dollars can afford, and snuggle inside the cozy warmth of our home sipping hot chocolate. Despite our plan of sticking at home while the love bugs go out, we like to continue the fancy theme and dress as romantically as possible.

On Jay: Blazer: By Elle, Shirt: Thrifted, Tie: Thrifted, Vest: Thrifted, Jeans: H&M, Shoes: Urban

He may not look it, but Jay is terribly excited about this look. Why? I finally managed to finish the blazer I started from almost-scratch months ago for him! Being an extra-small male makes it extremely hard to find blazers so I had to take all my sewing knowledge so he could finally have that fitted blazer he's been dreaming of. I do have to say so myself he looks absolutely charming and I'm surprised I managed it! I opted for fluttery rose colored bows and shades of blues for something almost sickeningly sweet without screaming 'Valentine's Day'. Match it with extra cold weather and no coat for ultra rosey cheeks and deep pink lips. Hope your Valentine's Day will be as coo-infilled as ours!

we are excited!

2010-02-08T05:10:00.000-08:00

What feels like a long long loooong time ago we started a little stop animation for our save the date. What we imagined would only time a week, with a little sneak peek here, has taken us almost a month due to time constraints and wanting to sleep at night instead. However! We are both extremely excited because we finally found a little chunk of time and finished filming all of the scenes. I thought I would share a better little sneak peek for everyone to enjoy:

I am so close to being done with the editing, but since it is 5am I think I might set it aside just for a tiny bit longer and get some real sleep to start fresh on it tomorrow!

Speaking of umbrellas..

2010-02-04T17:38:00.000-08:00

When it comes to movies, Jay and I believe the prettier the better. One of our favorites is Les Parapluies de Cherbourg or in English, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Being Jacques Demy's tribute to that American musical of the past every word is sung to a melodic tune and the scenes are drenched in vibrant colors. As my heart grows softer my eyes grew saltier watching the depressingly realistic love story.

The film gives me plenty of eye candy; with today's movies so sadly lacking in color it a refreshing treat. I love how every scene is full of rich colors of the rainbow favoring reds, pinks, and greens combined with elaborate wallpapers and striped details. Amazing things happen as they mix lemon, sea green, fuschia, red and purple in a small space yet somehow manage not to burn your retinas, instead pulling you in to a dreamlike world you wish you could live in.

On top of the lovely scenery the leading ladies have an amazing wardrobe I can only yearn for. Genevieve finds comfort in pastel colors, peter pan collars, bows, and scalloped edges (aka everything I want in my clothes). Meanwhile, her mother sticks to bright matching skirted suits that look perfect for the chic little umbrella shop. Guy stays a bit more basic in his wardrobe; blazers, button ups, and sweaters mainly but what truly defines the men's clothes for me in this movie are the jaunty little sailors strolling around town in every scene.

That hair! I wish I could share more pictures with you (I managed 87 gorgeous screenshots for a 91 minute movie!) but I didn't want to assault you loading times! Just trust us, you need to watch this as soon as possible.

rainy we wear

2010-02-01T18:54:00.000-08:00

On Jay: Glasses: Urban Outfitters, Cardigan: JCrew, Button up: H&M, Tie: thrifted, Pants: French Connection, Shoes: Guess?

Sometimes when I am trying to think of something to write I start to explore new bloggers and see what they like to say. Have you ever tried this? It starts a cycle of 'ooh that's cute' 'what about this next person?' 'I love that..' and hours later (and I mean hours) I notice the sad little tab that says Create Post. I'm not going to do that this time; there is not much to say as we only went as far as our parking garage to take these. The Seattle clouds overhead seemed to be leaking furiously at the time and we thought we would stick to staying dry.

On Elle: Earrings: F21, Top: Second hand, Belt: F21, Skirt: Vintage thrifted, Tights: Anthropologie, Shoes: Thrifted

When all else fails have a little France Gall love:

Facts about Cats

2010-01-25T04:04:00.000-08:00

5 facts about L:
1. At 10, she sent Bill Clinton a letter and a drawing of Melissa Joan Hart.
2. She is currently obsessed with the colors mustard and mint.
3. Had a giant crush on the boy in Muppet Treasure Island.
4. Being an army brat, she attended 10 schools before junior high.
5. Thinks your shoes are cute :)

5 facts about J:
1. He pours milk before cereal.
2. Plays the guitar, ukulele, piano, clarinet and sings!
3. Has worn size 13 shoes since he 13-years-old.
4. He is currently loving the new Beach House album.
5. Attends the same University that he was born in.

the lookout

2010-01-23T00:53:00.000-08:00

On Elle: Trench: thrifted, Button up: H&M, Skirt: H&M, Thermal tights: gift, Shoes: Zappos

If you can't tell already we love to thrift shop, well by we I suppose it's mostly just me (hard to find small men's clothes). I grew up with a wonderful mother who knew it was a waste to constantly buy us brand new clothes and decided to let us discover the joy of always having something unique. It is something about the thrill of the hunt and the excitement you get when you find an item that you know you will adore for years on end.

I had that spark of excitement when I went to the local Value Village. Finally! The perfect trench I'd been dreaming of. $34? Ouch, I'm so cheap. Instead, I decided to wait it out until the little purple tag attached to it would be 50% off. Five weeks later of questioning if it would still be there I woke up early and found my lovely hidden amongst the others then promptly purchased it giddy with excitement. Sometimes good things come to those who wait.

On Jay: Hat: H&M, Peacoat: Old Navy, Tie: thrifted, Tie clip: inherited, Button up: H&M, Vest: Urban, Jeans: H&M, Shoes: Urban

we wear

2010-01-22T12:09:00.000-08:00

On Elle: cardigan: f21, top: thrifted, belt: thrifted, denim: H&M, socks: AA, shoes: urban
On Jay: hat: urban, button up: H&M, cardigan: H&M, denim: H&M, shoes: urban

Once upon a warm summer's day we chose to wander round the streets. It was then we chanced to see the making of a pornographic film atop the balcony above this very garage. Upon crossing the street to confirm our suspicions we saw a number of camera men scurrying around the disrobed professionals. Surely it was a good day. -J

elle wears

2010-01-12T17:52:00.000-08:00

Just wandering through the lovely park. It has been almost 2 months since we had frolicked about Volunteer park; freezing weather doesn't motivate us very well. We also made a new discovery! For some reason we have remained completely oblivious to this tree of love, despite how it is not hidden in any way. We searched for young lovers with our initials but it looks like we will have to add J + L ourselves someday.

Coat: Anthropologie, Dress: JCrew, Thermal Tights: gift, Shoes: thrifted

I love the watermelon ric-rack trim on the inside of my jacket (Christmas money thank you!) and how the pattern plays opposite to my dress. JCrew, you make such lovely comfortable day dresses. I do not, however, want to pay almost $100 or more to wear them. Please change these prices ASAP. Love, Elle. Luckily I scored this one for 30 on sale last year.

The horses of a different color

2010-01-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3! Animated stop motion save-the-date here we come!

And for the record: cutting all of those was beastly.

If we had all the money in the world

2009-12-18T16:07:00.000-08:00

Tis' the season of yearning for poor college students. Although material goods will never bring us true happiness, it doesn't hurt to compile our list of wishes. L wants wooden trinkets, I crave more fodder for my massive brain and that one trench coat that is worth more than the car I used to own. While most of these won't happen, there is still the consolation prize of holiday cookies. -J

Summer Lates Part 2

2009-11-17T14:15:00.001-08:00

Just a quick one.

we wear

2009-11-17T13:41:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had one of those days where you get distracted by everything? I'm definitely having one today; first I try to edit some photos but end up looking up sewing tutorials for children's clothes so my niece can have some lovelies by Christmas, then I decided to post some old ones that I never got around to and I end up frosting cupcakes. I'm going to finish this no matter how long it takes my distracted self! Late in the summer I thought it would be fun to start taking outfit pictures (we only ended up doing a few, but I intend to start it up again as now I get to dress up everyday); I feel it's only suiting to start it with our laziest summer day outfits.

On Elle: Jay's H&M hat, Jay's white button up, thrifted sweater, f21 denim shorts, thrifted heels
On Jay: AA v-neck, Urban Outfitters Belt, H&M jeans, thrifted boots

Summer Lates Part 1

2009-11-04T17:39:00.001-08:00

These were taken late September. The weather was still like warm and the sun shone strongly all day as we adventured in Discovery park. I scurried behind Jay as he fought the cobwebs full of giant spiders until we reached the midway point overlooking the bay. Sadly, our summer disappeared within a matter of days after that and all we are left with are these pictures I still need to post.

Late night wanderings

2009-11-03T15:21:00.000-08:00

I generally don't get headaches; I don't even recall getting them before a year or two ago. Nevertheless, I had one of the worst ones I've ever had this summer putting me in a ridiculously bad mood. We have learned over the years that rather then sitting it out at home bickering, we always feel a lot better taking a walk around the neighborhood finding kitties along the way. Jay being the sweetheart the he is got me some caffeine to try and calm my head down, thank goodness it worked.

poor mr.j

2009-09-13T01:11:00.000-07:00

After taking his mom out for her birthday for a hike up Mount Rainer poor mr.j came home red as a lobster. As someone who hasn't had a burn in her life (shade is my friend), I don't fully know the painhe is in but I'm sure he is burning up in addition to the hot weather we've been having the last couple of days. Also, I'm sure that slapping him isn't a good idea, but I am tempted. Very tempted.

Tiger tiger

2009-09-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

Late night goofing off! Combine with the ultimate chocolate chip cookies for happy times.

Wanting

2009-08-28T18:40:00.000-07:00

My obsession with the big haired ladies of the sixties has been growing again, reminding me that I must rent Barbarella again (although I really ought to buy it considering it is in my top five favorite movies). Something about the heavy eye liner, nude lips, and big thick hair gives the perfect balance of innocence and pure sex. If it wasn't for the hair fiasco of '08 my mane could be a luscious as theirs' but I suppose I don't have too long to wait.

a hop, skip, and a jump

2009-08-26T22:43:00.000-07:00

It is starting to be a rarity that the sun shines strongly in the Seattle sky. Today we picked up our lazy, somewhat sick, butts and dragged it to our favorite park just a couple blocks away. There is nothing better to do on a sunny day than leisurely walking in the prettiest park in the city.

days, months, years?

2009-08-26T19:54:00.000-07:00

This is elle. This is jay.

We have many things in common like:

We are the same age,

like cheesy sci-fi b-movies,

and think there is nothing better than a midday nap.