Friday, June 28, 2013

Friday's Awesome Five

1. The Fox is Black is one of my favorite blogs right now. It is run by Bobby Solomon, who has an eye for lovely and good taste in art and music leaning towards the cutting edge. Plus they really love space suits.I really got hooked on the site when I discovered their clever way to partner with talented artists and designers and bring some talent to a boring-sounding medium: the Desktop Wallpaper Project. Here are some of my favs, but there are about a skillion on the site.













2. I want ALL the stuff! Including this tee from Urban Outfitters. (Any stuff accepted though!)


3. The National's new album Trouble Will Find Me is rocking my emotional socks. I admit, I stumbled upon this while perusing NPR's recent Tiny Desk Concerts (a good way to spend a slow day at work), but I am so happy I did! The video from NPR is surprisingly intimate and honest considering that they're in an office and it looks to be about noon the day after a show. Grab the album and sit by a river or lake with some beer, that's how The National would want it.



4. Taste of Tacoma is going on this weekend! Sorry non-locals, this food-filled-fest right on the GORGEOUS Puget Sound is in Tacoma only, this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I've never been before, but I know for a fact I'm gonna love it. And did I mention there's a Wine & Jazz garden??


5. I AM GOING SKYDIVING TOMORROW! 'Nuff said.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Friday's Awesome Five

Salut Lush Scouts! I have a roundup of my faves from this week, and there are some really great things, if I do say so myself, so read on!


1. I had a great birthday this year! My parents sent me a package of cool things (including a neat bulletin magnet board my mom hand crafted), Gu got me a couple vinyls, my niece made me a card and sent me a picture of a rainbow unicorn, I went to a concert with Gu and some rad dudes, Gu brought me a donut cake (yes, those are giant donuts sculpted in the shape of a hamburger and fries, and yes, it did have real bacon on it), and she also accompanied me to Von Trapp's to drink Austrian beer and eat Käsespätzle!




I even got to partake in the sharing of a boot of Radler! (I have been informed by my uncle that I have betrayed my German ancestors by drinking without the toe up. My bad!)


Which brings me to my next point...


2. While living in Austria, I discovered the most refreshing beverage on the planet: Radler. It is a beer based, mixed 50/50 with soda, drink that comes in a variety of flavors from lemon to lime to grapefruit to berry and in Austria you can even get an Almdudler mix (if you know where to look). It comes in bottles, it comes in cans, it comes branded, and it comes generic. Similar to the British 'Shandy,' but better, I'm always shocked that it hasn't caught on in America. There is nothing like carrying your groceries from the store to the streetcar, to your apartment, and up several flights of stairs, just knowing there is an ice cold Radler to cheer you when you get to the top.


3. On an unrelated note, I recently ran across Fashion to Figure on Pinterest and I'm a big big fan! It's affordable, on-trend clothes for me! There are already many things in my cart to purchase. I've been wanting a galaxy dress for a while and I really like the colour and the style (especially the sleeves) of the one below. I'm just kind of in love with the striped illusion dress, and that skirt is so so so intriguing. The skirt is sheer, but there are boyshorts inside of it. It's just so crazy! Also interesting fact, the founders are the great grandsons of the Lane Bryant and the store is named after something she said in Glamour: You should never ask women to conform their figures to fashion, but rather bring fashion to the figure.



4. I made Gu this little craft project quite a while ago. It's a canvas with raised letters, all painted the same colour. I was making frames for my niece and nephew to keep pictures of themself with their brand new baby brother and had leftovers so I made one for Gu. It took us all of 6 seconds to decide that it should say 'LESS MOPE MORE DOPE' because that's her favorite slogan after 'Life's A Beach'.  I've been trying to figure out what I want to do with mine, but I think I've finally decided and I'll maybe do a quick little DIY when I get around to making mine this weekend.



5. I am considering putting myself on the market for a rug to brighten up the floor of my room/protect my carpet and thus far I'm finding a few things that draw my eye over at Urban Outfitters. I really like the split rugs that they are offering. I like the idea of getting two prints for the price of one. I'm also always a sucker for bright bright florals. I really like the half polka-dot/half floral rug pictured below and I've included a bonus, because I just really like that mat!



She Moves In Mysterious Ways,

Cait!




Saturday, June 15, 2013

Hello Summer, My Old Friend


Always use protection,
gu

A Labor of Love: How to DIY a Crappy Vintage Tee into an AWESOME Tank Top

I don't know if you've heard the news Lush Scouts, but I may be a little bit obsessed with Paul Simon.

Because of this, I've long been in the market for a Paul Simon shirt, but nothing meets my many requirements (the right print, the right colour, the right price). But my hours spent trolling ebay have not been for naught! After finishing my nightstand I was in need of a project and this shirt miraculously appeared on my radar!

The first thing that caught my eye was the price! Less than 10 dollars.


Second, I am a girl who is fond of RIT dye, so I can appreciate the blank canvas of a white shirt.

The most important thing I noticed was this massive stain across the upper shoulder!


As someone with the utmost reverence for Paul Simon memorabilia, I could tell it hadn't been treated with the respect that it deserved.

So I adopted the shirt as my new pet project.

The first step was much much bleaching. I used a toothbrush to specifically scrub the stains with bleach. This both worked really well and totally backfired. The stains disappeared, but the part that I had scrubbed was much brighter than the rest of the shirt! So the whole thing got a bath in some extremely diluted bleach. 

At this point I decided that lavender was the correct colour for the shirt. I gave it a bath in a little bit of purple dye and then a quick dip in some navy in order to get the colour I wanted. 


The colour is even lighted now after a good washing-machine wash and a couple of wears. It is very nice. 

The other important step I needed to take was to make it a tank top. Pro-tip for ladies with big tatas: cutting the sleeves off of a slightly-too-tight teeshirt and sewing back up the sides a little will make the shirt fit better than it had with the sleeves. I don't know why this works, but it always always does. It also allows you to stretch the shoulders out and make it a little longer.

So that is what happened next and now this shirt is my child. It goes to parties and work with me. It even went to the beach. Just another labor of love in honor of Paul Simon, and now treated with all the love and adoration it deserves.


Still Crazy After All These Years
Cait



Friday, June 14, 2013

Friday's Awesome Five

1. We're having a Lush Outing tonight, Cait and I along with some boyz are going to see The Coup! I am beyond pumped, putting a lot of tracks from their most recent album "Sorry To Bother You" on serious rotation. Not to mention their videos which are super fun and clever/awersome/hilarious. Who's ready to get some socialist boogie-ing on? We are! 


The Guillotine


Your Parents' Cocaine (w/ Justin Sane from Anti-Flag)

Land Of 7 Billion Dances


The Magic Clap



2. Shorts season is fast approaching! Well really if you don't live in the Pacific North West you're probably already sweating, but up here we're still just thinking about shorts most days. Currently I only have some real gnarly jorts that have been doing a great job, other than that shorts are kind of the worst in my opinion! Stay tuned for a 'gu comes to terms with wearing shorts' post. Note: that is not gu's butt.




3. Happy Birthday Week to Cait!! The only way to say that and truly mean it is with this picture of Paul Simon dressed as a turkey:




4. I'm moving soon, and have found myself drooling over hip home goods from spots like Urban Outfitters (already bought a duvet cover... so sue me) and ModCloth that probably shouldn't be priority over expenses such as, oh the security deposit or whatever. I really really love this Spotted on the Shore Shower Curtain from ModCloth! I don't know too much about Bettie Page, nor pinups in general, but I am all about girls being hot if they wanna. I don't think my dude soon-to-be-roomie Jordan will mind those curves, either.



5. As we speak I'm whipping up some vegan lemon almond scones to send to my sister all the way in NYC! We've long had a beautiful sistership, where I love baking and she loves to encourage me to bake and tell me how great my treats are. Unfortunately with a zillion miles between us, it has turned into me texting her pictures of, like, mini cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven, and Lisa replying 'bring me soooome :(' Today's your day sis! This recipe I found was too good not to finally send to her! My general philosophy with internet recipes is to use them for their science (aka all the baking soda stuff you can't guess) and then go to town with the craziest flavors you can. Get ready for some fluffy delish treats, sis!

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Wednesday, June 12, 2013

A Wee Project: DIY Nightstand

Howdy Lushies,

I just thought I'd show you a wee project (that just took a couple months out of pure spite) that I finished a few weeks ago.


I found this heinous filing cabinet-y thing covered in cobwebs and abandoned in the hallway. It was maroon metal on most surfaces, some wood, and a piece of thick cardboard for the back.

I left it in the hallway for a couple of weeks, but at that point I decided it was fair game. I rapidly discovered why it had been abandoned as I dragged it pathetically into my apartment. This thing is solidly constructed of particle-board and metal and man is it heavy!

I took the back off, pulled out approximately one zillion staples, and wiped away the cobwebs, and after several weeks of modpodging and sanding and remodpodging, I finally had a night stand that only cost a few bucks (and a lot of patience.)


And the moment I finished this project, after significant procrastination, I've moved through several projects since (coming soooon!).

Nothing Compares To You,
Cait

Monday, June 10, 2013

Heavy Rotation

I don't know if it's the post-grad angst or a desire to be done with all this bouncy-yet-mellow electronic indie music that seems to be all over these days, but I have found myself immersed in pop-punk and all its many friends lately. That's not to say I don't love a good bit of electronic, especially with a good dose of Pharrell (if you know what I mean). I don't think you'd know it if you saw me, but apparently I'm all angst and the only cure is more pop-punk! More guitars! More high-tempo choruses! More yelling! More rock! So here's some good ol-fashioned fun rock music for your ears:

Half Glass Full of Wine -Tame Impala




European Vegas -Mac Demarco This video is definitely my favorite, but he has a lot of really properly trippy and cool videos that are a good way to spend a good half hour on youtube. I recently got turned onto Mac Demarco and he is one weird Canadian dude. For an equally good but slightly more feel-good song go for Cooking Up Something Good or Baby's Wearing Blue Jeans. Know around gu's house as "weirdly hot."




Future Starts Slow -The Kills




Dollar Chills -DZ Deathrays




Lost -Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra




The House That Heaven Built -Japandroids




The Monkey Versus The Robot -Piebald 



Good luck quitting these songs, scouties.

I know you by heart,

gu

Monday, April 15, 2013

Easy Peasy Cream of Asparagus Soup | Fat and Happy

My lovely Lushies, below you will find pretty much the easiest soup known to man that didn't come straight out of a can. You basically start with some asparagus with the woody ends chopped off (I think this was around 12-15 stalks but it doesn't really matter that much), some chopped up green onions, and whatever spices you like. I went with salt and pepper and paprika and red chile flakes, but that's only because I like the traditional taste of salt and pepper, I am obsessed with Paprika (because I wish I was from eastern Europe), and I want everything I eat to burn my esophagus.




You put all of those things into a crock-pot and add some chicken broth. Vegetable broth would be equally acceptable. I went with 4 cups but you can vary the amount depending on your tastes.



Set the crock pot on low before you go to work and let it steep for 8 or so hours.



When you get home it will be mushy and smell a lot like mushy asparagus and chicken broth. You then take one of these fancy fellers (or a regular blender if an immersion blender is not at your disposal) and blend that hot and mushy mix together carefully while adding some variety of cream. I used heavy whipping and not too much (only a third to a half of a container). But again, you can do it to taste, or use rice or almond milk if you're looking for a vegan alternative.



What you're going to end up with is a nasty coloured mix of magic deliciousness.



Seriously though, looks like butt, tastes like heaven. It's creamy and full of flavor and has practically no ingredients. This recipe is also good for those on a budget because asparagus is dirt cheap in the spring so you can save your money for more important things.



I enjoyed mine with fresh french bread. Later I accompanied it as my work lunch with some caraway rye triscuts, like a classy classy lady.

Debating Swedish Fish,
Cait

Friday, April 12, 2013

Dispatches from the Lush Life

Texts in regards to the Daffodil parade tomorrow-

... Love it. I only want to go if they're throwing candy.

- Well if it is raining I have candy I can throw at you.

- Can we just get high and watch this dune rats video if it's raining instead?

... We can do that in any weather condition you want! This all sounds great to me! Get donuts, watch movie, you throw candy at me, and listen to musc and get stoned? I am so in!

Good night and good luck Lush Scouts!



Friday's Awesome Five

1. It's spring time which means it is almost summer time which means all I can think about are fruity cocktails. Forever and ever. Next on my to-do list is this Blueberry Passion Mojito.



2. Speaking of alcohol, the recenet purchase of Elysian Superfuzz was an excellent choice. Fruity but still with all the excellent qualities a good pale, we enjoyed a couple of these with a fancy ass pizza we made the other night. And seriously, who could resist the packaging?




3. Ya girl has been online shopping! I just dropped some dough at Lulus.com (among other places... sorry bout it), they've got lots of super girly and cute stuff. Maybe too much. Either way, I picked up this frilly little skirt, and Cait was very surprised! I guess spring is putting the girly girl back in Gu!



4. I'm getting a haircut today! I am so so excited! I have no clue what I'm gonna do, but I have never gotten a bad 'do from the sistas at Supernova. Whenever I get the final "so what do you think?!" there's only ever one thing to say:



5. This weekend is the Daffodil Festival in Tacoma! You wouldn't believe the gritty city would still be into this kind of thing, but the festival revolves around a group of "Daffodil Princesses" and is a debutante type of thing. They do some volunteering, throw a parade, and daffodils get painted on main intersections around town, so I'm not complaining! Check out their Facebook page for event info, I'll see ya there pre-gaming Second Saturdayz!



Brought to you by a splash of gu and a dash of Cait

Friday, April 5, 2013

Friday's Awesome Five

1. Arrested Development is coming back soon! The roomie and I are embarking on a serious watch-the-whole-series-as-fast-as-possible binge just to cram our brains with as many Bananagrabbing details as possible.


2. My friend British Jacob (he's British!) turned me on to this SUPER 420-friendly video (sorry babies and grandmas) by Dune Rats, and after watching it about a million times over the past couple weeks I still love it! Really good surf rock, and you can even watch them right after this serious bongapalooza conducting a super-stoned interview with Simon from DZ Deathrays, the band whose video was the inspiration for the Dune Rats'. I do have to warn you though: They're majorly foxy Australians!


3. Does it get much better than properly crazy female comedians? People like Sarah Silverman, Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, and of course Kristen Schaal always blow my mind by how great they are. They take a pretty male-dominated field, show up, and very rudely stick around whether or not they were invited there in the first place. Kristen Schaal is going to be taking on the lead in the pilot for a new ABC show "Pulling." Can not WAIT to get my eyes on that, hopefully packed with all the madness we've come to expect from her! A little more about Schaal in this Salon article.


4. Speaking of hot punks and badass girls, be sure to give Creep Street a little peruse sometime. It won't be long till I get this raglan from their new Murder We Wrote collection, or at the very least something with SATAN IS WAITIN' on it. Plus, their product descriptions are killer.



5. I'd like to casually introduce Scumbag Wednesdays. Exact execution is up to interpretation, but spend your Wednesdays having beer for breakfast, painting your nails instead of doing the dishes, getting stoned and making cookies, waking up on friends couches, or at the very least skip your deodorant for the day. It feels good to be bad, Lush Scouts, real good. 

 

'Cause oh honey I'll smoke you till I'm dying,
gu