MERRY XXXMAS!

Dream Cat.

I submitted this Christmas photo of Maggie The Cat to a cats-on-film Tumblr called Dreamcats so that she could be The Christmas Cat for all those sad people who don't have a Christmas Cat to call their own.

The only medicine for a bad-news day is a double feature.

I listened to this song a bunch of times today.

Girl, drop it to the floor / I love the way your booty go:

P.S. Oh hey, you two.

One time, I went to an event at J. Crew and Jenna Lyons told Paul and me that she loved 'our look' and then her assistant emailed us and asked if we wouldn't mind sending some photos so that she might include us in a catalogue sometime and now my daily daydream involves rehearsing for when J. Crew rips off this ad campaign:

New Year's Eve Makeup!

Can't decide between matching jewel-toned eyeliner + mascara, or sequined lids (like these):





Via Into The Gloss.

In order to make a bunch of Confetti System-like piñatas and tassels for New Year's Eve, I ordered five 50-foot rolls of mylar and a pair of Martha Stewart fringe scissors:

I also ordered a case of gold party hats, so that everyone can look like this:

I'm really excited to hang these up at The Whistler, but I'm even more excited to take them down on January 1st and put them up in my house.

A style tip from Rihanna: THE SHIRT BELT.

Marni for H&M!

I skipped Versace, but I am absolutely, positively, 100% waiting in line for this one. Give me those shoes, those bracelets, and that polka dot suit RIGHT. NOW.

Vegan Vacation

Usually, Paul and I only eat meat treats while we're out of town, but this week we went on a Vegan Stay-cation:


Korean barbecued at Chicago Kalbi with Lena and Ben.


Cooked Thanksgiving Turkey a la Martha for eleven of our friends.


Shared fourteen incredible courses at ELideas with Molly and Timmy.

Even though it's been a really, Really, REALLY delicious week, seven days of meat and dairy have left me feeling like shit and served as a really great reminder to myself that I'm happiest when stuffed full of food that doesn't come from animals.

Well, I just found out that this is what the head of women's design at J Crew looks like:


FOR REAL. I'm really into the idea that it's pretty much like a Young Jeff Goldblum picked out most of my clothes.

make animated gifs like this at MakeAGif

Also, this exists.

YES.

While I'm pretty sad Andre 3000 isn't in this video, it's kinda awesome that someone from Fayetteville is. Who am I kidding? It's TOTALLY awesome. Seeing J. Cole in this video makes me realize that I am but three degrees of separation from Beyoncé. That's practically sisters.

Also, again with the Kelly Rowland! I am loving you a lot lately, girl.

HALLOWEEEEEEEN!

Halloween is probably my favorite holiday. Right after New Year's Eve. And Thanksgiving. And maybe Christmas. Oh, and also the Fourth of July. But the degree to which I love those other holidays is so much more than the average person that I actually love Halloween more than most people.

This year I've had a lot of trouble choosing a costume, and last year I last-minute-half-assed it, so the pressure is really on. First, I thought about going really conceptual. Would anyone get it if I dressed as the rainbow drug cigarette in Rihanna's We Found Love video?


Then I came across this photograph of Kelly Rowland and thought that maybe a not-so-original but totally classic costume would be a good call. Plus it would give me a chance to practice some Rockabilly hairdos.


Instead, I've decided to go with a Martha Stewart number, à la The REAL Halloween Super Store (American Apparel, duh). But I might still do a Rockabilly hairdo.


However, my real costumery this year is being spent on a super secret look for a one Paul McGee, who is finally and forever never ever working Saturday nights again!

Far Out.

I found this amazing manicure tutorial while looking at this blog. (By the way, "You're Doing It Right" is such a great, mantra-worthy blog title. I'm going to say it in the mirror a few times daily from now on.)

Here is what happened when I tried a little DIY:


The inspiration: Not a real galaxy, but still totally cosmic.


Base coat, top coat: Essie, Grow Faster and Good To Go.

The whole team: Nicole by OPI, Razzle Dazzler; Revlon, Midnight Affair; SEPHORA by OPI, Leaf Him At The Altar; Color Club, Bizerk Turq; Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear, Green With Envy; Essie, Bahama Mama; SinfulColors, Dream On; Essie, Punchy Pink. Milani Jewel FX, Gold.

Tat my name on you, girl, so I know it's real.

Watercolor tattoos + Drake:

RiRi!

There's a new Rihanna video!

I have so many questions. Do you think Rihanna really drives? Was that a real shot? Is she really friends with Avril Lavigne? Does she really have a Super 8 camera? Does Rihanna even HAVE a weekend??? Does she really spend it singing karaoke? Was that Patti LaBelle? "Have you ever seen a (wo)man make a diamond with (her) bare hands?" Man, I want to hang out with her so bad.

Even though that song is so depressingly average (like, even more than California King Bed), I'm a big sucker for anything 'behind-the-scenes'. Also, Rihanna -- I'm still waiting really patiently to see a video for this song.

Additionally, I would like to say that my husband is pretty much the best ever because he found a whole bunch of amazing Rihanna dubstep remixes (Ri-mixes???) for me while I was at the beach getting Tarot card readings all day. He also ordered pizza.

Zigzag Cabinet.

Okay, so remember this cabinet?


Well, the paint thinner didn't work. And then the sander stressed me out so hard (it was so loud and power tool-ish) that I gave up and returned it to Home Depot after an hour. I had to regroup and modify the game plan.

First step of the new game plan, a few coats of white primer:


Next step, go at it with some Martha Stewart Precious Metals in Froth:


The end result: messy metallic zigzags! Yeah!!!


I know zigzags (and triangles and crystals and Navajo anything) are super trendy, but unfortunately that doesn't make me any less into them. So I think giving this cabinet its eighteenth layer of paint is a nice way to incorporate a trend in a non-permanent way. Now I just need something to paint neon pink.

After Ben alerted me to this remix, I tried to play it for Paul and he said: "I've heard this. I read The Fader, too, you know. I'm a Cool Dad."



Anyways, this song is SO GOOD and is going to fit perfectly into a slowed-down, grind-worthy autumn mix. It makes me want to do The Matrix for all 3:46 minutes of the remix.

Happy Birthday, Paul!

This weekend is Paul's birthday! The first time we celebrated his birthday, he was turning 33, and this year he'll be 41. That's nine birthdays together! Paul, since I didn't buy you anything for your birthday this year, I'd like to take you on a romantic walk down the memory lane of all the other birthdays for which I did get you presents:


2003
Our first date was after work on Paul's birthday. I used my fake ID to order the birthday boy (man) a Kettle One Mandarin & soda, while I enjoyed a bright green apple martini. This is the first photo taken of us together, a few months later (right after he finally dumped his girlfriend).




2004
Paul's birthday dinner at N9NE Steakhouse in the Palms. I bought that dress at Bebe for the occasion--it was so short and I wore it with a pair of super pointy white pumps and just remember feeling SMOKIN' HOT that night.




2005
The summer we got engaged! We had dinner at a restaurant with belly dancers, and we are both wasted in this photo. I did a lot of browser history-sleuthing that year and surprised Paul with a particular golf club he really wanted. I also learned an awful lot about his internet usage.




2006
We posed for these shots in a suburban Kmart photo booth specifically so I could use them on our "Save The Date" cards (which I never actually got around to making).




Bonus shot: Here we are on our wedding day and OMG WE'RE SO HAPPY! I'm probably so happy because I have yet to realize my one great regret in life: that I didn't wear Spanx under my wedding dress.




2007
Our first summer as husband and wife, hence our coordinating Ray Bans (right?).




2008
The summer we moved to Chicago; The Whistler hadn't opened yet and we had nothing to do but haaaang. This is from the photo booth at Skylark.




2009
This photo is from my cousin's wedding on Block Island. It's also the debut of "The Shorts Suit," which has been the smash hit of Paul's wardrobe since that day.




2010
Paul's 40th birthday party! I surprised the shit out of him.




2011
Our eighth summer together!
Love you, Bunz.

Making Our House A Home: The Paul & Shelby Edition

Remember that crazy list of home-improvement to-dos I wanted to finish before the end of August? It's actually getting done!!

First things first, Paul and I actually agreed on color choices. Coral Serenade for the kitchen, Cracked Pepper for the dining room, Fashion Gray (ugh, terrible name) for the bathroom, Nocturnal Sea for our bedroom and the most exciting: Martha Stewart Precious Metals Froth (GOLD!!!) for the hallway.


Our dining room was up first, and it really pleases me to brag: it looks AMAZING in here.





The next project is our bathroom, which I painted last night. I wanted to un-paint this vintage cabinet, so I picked up some "safe for indoor use" paint remover and a pair of chemical resistant gloves, put on my safety goggles and went to town. Here is me before I realized that "DIY" is not really something I'm great at:


It did not work at all. And now it smells insane in my apartment, I have a chemical burn on my hand and I'm totally nauseated. I'll probably be dead in an hour, but I hope not because I rented a power sander and Home Depot will keep my $25 deposit if I don't have it back by tomorrow afternoon.


Also, P.S., not really wild about the bathroom color. It's a much warmer/browner gray than I was expecting. But I also don't hate it enough to repaint it (yet).

Thinking Ahead.

As someone who pretty much hates every A-line skirt ever, it's especially surprising to me that I'm so excited by this fall trend:


DENIM SKIRTS!!! Oh god, I love them all so much. While I definitely prefer the pencil silhouette warn by Lauren Santo Domingo and Claudia Schiffer on WhoWhatWear, I can't believe how much I love this '70s-inspired ensemble from Joe Zee! Joe, you have two things going for you here -- I loved you on The City, and I love anything denim-on-denim -- yet I still can't help but be surprised at my attraction to your A-line ensemble. But here I am, and I'm totally loving it.


In a bonus stroke of true genius (Elle.com already used 'jeanius' or believe me, I would have) Zee has also paired two of my all-time favorites: overalls and blazers. So, you can expect to see a lot of this combo from me this fall/winter.


I know I should spend more time being thankful for this short warm-weather season we currently find ourselves in, but I'm just really excited to start layering again.