::: Wish List '11

(Or the post alternately called, "Lindsay's Expensive Taste"...)

Two weeks til Christmas Eve and I still don't have a plane ticket to Minnesota.  $700+ is just not sounding very palatable for a roundtrip that normally costs about $300-$350.  So I'm waiting this one out.  On Thursday I saw a price drop to $560, but even that seems overpriced.  

While I wait patiently for airfares to fall (go ahead, tell me I'm foolish), I thought I'd at least show you what's on my wish list this year...

1. Patagonia Classic Retro-X Vest (size: XS, color: turquoise).  $149.00, plus free shipping for orders over $75.
This is the perfect vest for the office and for weekend errands in the city.  Bonus: it's from Patagonia, so it's made tough enough to wear to the ends of the earth.

2.  Canon EOS 60D Digital SLR Camera (with 18-135mm lens).  $1,078.99, on sale now at Best Buy.
This is pretty much my dream camera.  I've mastered my Canon PowerShot 780IS, and I'd like to take my photography to the next level.  Bonus: the camera also takes HD video!  

3.  Steve Jobs, the book (by Walter Isaacson).  $17.87 at Amazon, $35.00 elsewhere.
I've heard nothing but rave reviews about one of the most significant new biographies of 2011. 

4.  Adobe Lightroom 3 (for Mac iOS).  $193.00 on Amazon, $299.99 elsewhere.
Fancy new camera needs fancy new photo editing software, don't you think?  iPhoto is good for storing photos, but it's not good for editing.

5.  1950's Smith-Corona Typewriter (in PINK).  Prices vary.
I have massive typewriter lust.  I've been searching for something vintage (in good working order) for the last month or two.  The pink ones are so fabulous.  An awesome conversation piece for any room and a fun accessory for a DIY-girl.

6.  Jawbone Up (size: S).  Currently recalled and unavailable for sale.
Yes, that's right this product is full of bugs and the company recently started offering full refunds to all customers while it sorts of some technical problems.  But when version 2 hits store shelves, I want one of these most-amazing bracelets that connect to an iPhone and offer health data (sleep, activity/calories, GPS/exercise tracking) galore. 

7.  Lululemon Wrap Tank (size: 6, color: white coal tinted canvas)
I've been on a Bar Method binge.  While I "tuck, tuck, squeeze" my way to a beautiful body, I at least want to do it in great style.  The uniform at Bar seems to be Lululemon, and I've always been one to conform.  Ok, the conformity part is kind of a fib, but Lululemon is a fabulous brand anyways.  In fact the girls in my Bar class actually go hang out at the Palo Alto store after class.  It's definitely a cult.

In case you're curious, here are my lists from 2009 and 2010! 

::: Holiday Party Picks

Kate Spade is my bad habit.  My drug addiction.  My abusive boyfriend.  My handful of peanut M&M’s at 3:00 pm in the afternoon even though I vowed to stop hitting the peanut M&M’s because (1) they aren’t organic, (2) they aren’t even that good and (3) they aren’t worth getting fat for.

Yet I somehow manage to keep going back for more.

Even when they disappoint me (like the time they sent me the wrong sized dress the night before the Symphony Gala and I was forced to go on an emergency shopping trip to Macy’s… the horror!) I can’t help but come crawling back for more.

It’s not a cheap habit.

If we could study my brain when looking at images of glittery shoes and colorful cardigans, I’m sure it would look like the same activity generated when a crackhead shoots up. 

I get high looking at katespade.com.  True story.

Only recently have I actually been able to afford Kate.  My first purchase was a pair of camel striped flats in 2008.  Next came my 2010 wallet, an iPhone case, sunglasses, metallic peep toe flats, and then two tops.  Now don’t go jumping to any conclusions here.  I work very, very, very hard.  Kate Spade is my reward for working hard.  And I always buy things on sale.  Because my budget doesn’t otherwise accommodate $200 blouses and $300 flats.

But let’s just say… hypothetically… that I was going to a super swank party and I had cart blanche.  Just in case I pinch myself and it turns out I’m not dreaming (heyyyy... don't blame me for taking a page from the Boy Scout "Be prepared!" book), here’s what I’d wear:

1.  Putting on the Ritz Large Studs.  $98.
2.  Mademoiselle Dress in African Violet.  $395.
3.  Crystal Kaleidoscope Necklace.  $295.
4.  Charm Heels in Silver.  $325.
5.  Live Colorfully Patent Lacey Wallet.  $195.

And yes, I would make darn sure that my cocktails matched my cocktail dress.  And yes, (flashback to reality) I have tried the Mademoiselle dress on.  And yes, it makes me feel like a Mademoiselle.  And yes, if you want to donate to the purchase-a-dress-for-a-needy-25-year-old campaign, I take cash, check, and credit card.  Yes, yes, and yes.

::: green

Earlier this fall I fell in love with a DIY post on Design Sponge that detailed how to turn an unused pallet into a vertical garden of waxy succulents.  Being that I don't have ready access to any pallets, I filed away the post in the back of my brain for later attempt. 

But the post came to mind yesterday when I spotted something similar...

(Totally normal to carry around a hand mixer in one's bag, right?!...)

Wonder if I could rent these for an afternoon?  They are after all, transportable.  Check out the wheels!

::: Five Dollar Fall Decorating

This morning I stopped by the market for some post-yoga Happy Dumplings.  (Yes, I'm quick to negate the namaste with fried food!)  I couldn't resist the peachish-orange dahlias.  Forking over five dollars, I carried the bouquet like a baby.  

I always love wandering along the waterfront with fresh flowers.  For whatever reason, this weekly splurge brings me great joy.

 Once home, I snipped the stems and placed them in a quart-sized mason jar with a simple twist of twine.

Quite charming, yes?

::: Operation Sparkle

Pop quiz!  What's the difference between this...


and this...?


If you said $275, you are correct!  But if you said "glitter" or "pink bows" then you are also correct!



Sometime around the age of ten, I received a large jar of multi-colored glitter.  Looking back, this simple object became the hallmark of my young life.  I loved crafts and if there was any way to include rhinestones or glitter then all the better.  Between ages 11 and 16, one of my favorite things to do was spend lazy summer afternoons adding glitz to t-shirts collected at dance competitions and sporting events.  On my first day of high school in August 2000, I wore my student council t-shirt.  I was certainly the sparkliest student council member wandering around the building that day.  (In case you don't believe me, come over and I'll show you the shirt.  It's still in my closet, still full of glitter.)

When I stumbled upon a blog post by the girls of "We are Not Martha" about how to make your own glitter flats, I was fixated.  I left work promptly at 5:45 to head to Target and find a cheap pair of flats.  Fortunately Target is next to Michael's, where I purchased glitter (yes I have glitter at home, but any excuse to buy more still makes my heart beat fast), Krylon acrylic sealant, and a foam brush.

Everyone who knows me well knows that I love glitter.  When I revealed my latest project to my Dad, he literally said "I can hear the excitement in your voice you when you talk about glitter!"  While he has always been a good sport about my affinity for glitter, I could hear the relief in his voice that I would be all the way in California this time.  I'm 100% sure that there is glitter still wedged in the basement carpet thanks to some of my past pursuits...


I started by using PVA (polyvinyl acetate) adhesive.  I've had a jar of this around for a couple of years and while it is sold at Paper Source as a book binding material, the reality is that it's purposes are many.  If you want to make your own glitter flats and you don't have a Paper Source store in your city, most craft or hardware stores sell Modge Podge (which is also PVA).  I blended 9 colors of glitter with a small amount of PVA in a plastic cup (easy clean up later - just throw it away!).



I covered my desk in the Wall Street Journal and got down to painting glitter glue on my shoes.  My 12-year old self was so so so happy!  I ended up using about 3 and a half coats.  I put two of the coats on before falling asleep around midnight.  (Bonus: I woke up so excited to see how the first two layers dried, I felt like a kid on Christmas bouncing out of bed at 7:30 am).  This morning I added another thick coat and then another half coat filling in any places that seemed uneven.  If making glitter flats in one session you could probably get by with three coats in 30 minute intervals.  The PVA is white (like glue) but will dry clear.


Here's what the shoes will look like when the final coat of PVA dries!  Now head outside with the acrylic finishing spray to give the shoes a final gloss.  (Think of it like top coat for your mani-pedi!)  PVA dries a bit rubbery so the top coat is important to make the shoes a a bit smoother.  The acrylic layer should dry quickly.  I put tissue inside the shoes when I sprayed them to make sure the acrylic only coated the outside of the shoes.

But we're not quite done.  Now it's bow-making time...



I used some beautiful fuschia colored satin ribbon from Paper Source.  After looping the ribbon to make a double bow, I stitched it together.  Then I used another small piece of ribbon to cover the stitching and to secure the bow.  I also used a small button (lips facing out) to secure the back.  It was a bit tricky to stitch the button on without going through the top layer of ribbon but no one ever said arts and crafts were easy!  Having the button on the back side allowed me to use a nice dot of PVA to tack it on top of the shoe.



Now leave your bows to dry for several hours.  You're finished!


I am extremely satisfied with my new shoes!  I can't wait to wear them to the office on Monday.  I spent $10 for the shoes, $0.39 for the foam brush, $12.99 for a 12-pack of glitter, $7.95 for the ribbon, and $6.99 for the acrylic spray.  I already had buttons and PVA.  Not the cheapest project ever, but much cheaper than spending $285 to buy the Kate Spade "nell" glitter flats at Nordstroms!  Plus, I have enough glitter and ribbon to make potentially 6-8 more pairs of shoes.  Not that I need that many pairs of glitter flats, but if you'd like to pay me to make you some... leave a comment with your e-mail address and we can negotiate :-)


I'd say Operation Sparkle was officially a success!  Now go forth and glitter!