Oh, to have money to spend frivolously on shiny things.

If I had time and money to spend I think I would rework my whole wardrobe around this bottle of perfume-I-intend-to-own.

I shamelessly want it, even though more than half of my lust is for the packaging. I started wearing Prada Intense when it came out and it was a big step in the warm fragrance direction for me. At this point my taste goes even woodier and spicier than that very sweet scent, but I still wear it every once in a while.



I was very interested in the bottle as soon as I saw it in print, and when I finally saw it in person my inner snob melted. The smoky bottle, gold, pretty pump, and creepy advertising all get a thumbs-up from me. The scent reminds me of a more accessible Dzing! by L'Artisan Perfumerie... with a way better bottle.


Now Smell This has a clear-cut and accurate review of the L'Eau Ambrée here, and a breakdown of the relationship of the Prada amber variations here.

So, on to what I would be wearing if I smelled like those creepy women in the advertisement. I have many thoughts.

For instance, this girly jewelery.




(Banana Republic)

Then there's this ostrich leather clutch that might be a nice accent piece with my otherwise highly feminine look:

(Brooks Brothers)

And what about this attractive modest dress:

(Anthropologie)

And I think I need some of these...

(Nordstrom)

Then, top that all off with a nice soundtrack and my fantasy is complete.

-Papermoon

Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.

I have come to a decision.

I am in the middle of reading the book above; a fabulous and witty diatribe against our modern culture and its disregard for grammar and punctuation. Having always been extremely interested in writing-- and being prone to reading 'with a pencil in hand for corrections', just as Truss describes-- I knew that I would get a kick out of this book.

What I didn't see coming was the acknowledgment I would be forced to make that the casual way in which I write on the internet is childish and unattractive!

As someone with a design background, I will vehemently stick to my opinion that lowercase letters are beautiful. However, I couldn't help but remember that for years, in my early experiences with the internet and texting, I used proper punctuation and formatting, and appreciated the favor in others. Funny that I would abandon this "proper" emphasis as I aged...I would have thought I'd have gone in the opposite direction.

In any case, here ends my chic use of lowercase letters. Onward and upward! Why squander my knowledge of the elements of style in the name of... style?

-Papermoon

if i ever have to get a dog

i will get an airedale, because they look like adorable muppet-dogs

or a portuguese water dog, because i want to kidnap my friend norah's.
and come on, this doesn't even look like a real animal!!!


oh hahah or i want this one.


can't lie, poodle mixes are my favorite all around.
and they are so SMALL... how convenient.

well, this was definitely my dumbest post ever. and anyone who knows me knows i am NOT an animal person... how random. hope you all enjoyed this girly puppy moment. maybe i am lonely. haha.

-papermoon

lulabecca

isn't that a nice name? becca should name her first daughter that. and her daughter can live on breakfast delights. i for one will send miss rebecca some pancakes instead of flowers when she gives birth to her little lulabecca.

i should explain.

my friend becca and i always go to brunch. it's just what we do. if we are hanging out, brunching is likely to be the thing. it's very fun, and we have very serious patterns. becca orders a savory sandwich, often with something like avocado or chipotle sauce involved, and i pretend to be debating what to order until i get a LOT of coffee and the most immature pancake-like sweet thing on the menu. i usually bring my own benefiber to dump into the drinking water. clever. classy.

today we did something new: LUNCH. it was highly spur of the moment and i think we were both amused that it even came together. we'd both gotten up early and had a good portion of coffee, and i think we both must have been struck by how sunny it was outside. becca texted me right when i was about to melt away and do nothing for hours and not shower at all. (secret: i still didn't shower.) so it was good timing. i threw on some clothes and cleaned up my room before i left for her location of choice: lula cafe in logan square.

it was very chi chi!


but not that expensive, relatively speaking. the decor was simple, done in sage green and burgundy, and we both liked the simple photography and prints on the walls. our table was on a slightly raised platform (think kafein in evanston) and it was made of slate grey marble. the waiters were very coiffed and the company of diners were older than us and a bit art history department looking. the whole bit is organic and quite local and sustainable, which is nice to have in a restaraunt.

i got a BLT (i love bacon oh i do) and becca had a nice grilled up sprouty turkey sandwich. we chatted in the sunlight and then wandered off to our days. i for one didn't accomplish much, but i felt more structured because i left the apartment.

good times.

tomorrow i will post with some backtracking, considering i left off on san francisco after day one. yipe!

sweet dreams...

-papermoon

foiled!

woke up early with serious plans to get myself to the vogue fabrics in evanston, but my view was snow snow and more snow... and regardless of how severe it is, it's just too much for me if i'd be lugging a bunch of fabric/notions around in it.

luckily, i love snow, so it doesn't really put a damper on things. at all.

AND... i made scones. mmm. i love the joy of cooking. and heavy cream.

off to another bag! can't say i'm not looking forward to another day snuggled in front of my machine.

scones and yesterday's bag.

-papermoon

tiny little books and a great board game

last night we played a great new board game that my father bought at my suggestion, as i saw it a year or so ago in the newberry library's store. it's called "it was a dark and stormy night". the question cards contain the first line of a book, and the object is to guess either the author or the title of the book. we played in teams and it was a nerdy load of fun.


the whole thing is simple and fun-- diverse sections, ample in the supply of "children's books" cards so that you can make your younger friends included, a mix of simple/approachable/hard, and a box for the cards disguised as a drawer from the card catalogue. the librarian in me swooned.

the one drawback of the game was the ugly little tokens you get when you receive a point--they were shaped like books (cute!) but made of all-black wood (boring). my sister and i rejuvenated them with some acrylic paint, however, and now our game is gorgeous.






all this...but none of the things on my to-do list today. *(writing two essays for internships and finishing work on my dad/brother's presents.) ho hum.

AND ONE MORE THING!!!!!! I HAVE A BRAND NEW COUSIN!
MATTHEW JOHN DOWD... I LOVE YOU ALREADY!

-papermoon

skirt. and the laziest sewing job in the universe.

woke up late (lazy), finished my bella research for the week (in pajamas--lazy), and then proceeded to have NO patience and do some of the laziest sewing ever done by a human being.

i don't care... my skirt and slip are done, and now i will wear them to church tomorrow and feel like i accomplished something in my desired time frame. even if i will be hoping no one looks too closely.


isn't light blue a nice little secret contrast? i think so.

off to each lunch at 4:30!!!!!!! (LAZY)

check out the destruction: