In Which You Can't Unsee the Adorableness of it All

You have to watch this. Too. Cute. Like really. So cute you might die of cuteness. I also love-- and have to acknowledge-- how the reporter turns an adorable story about animal love into a life lesson that's very, very true.

What's the most adorable thing you've seen lately? Do share!

In Lieu Of

My schedule got totally out of hand today in a way I didn't expect, so I hope you'll accept these adorable puppies in lieu of a regular post. I mean, this is probably better-- and definitely cuter-- than anything I had to say anyway.

I'll be back tomorrow with Love 365-- feel free to send me your e-mails if you still want to get in for tomorrow's post!

A Little Green Light at the End of the Tunnel

One Shakespeare paper down, a million more assignments to go! Ugh. But I had to take a break from my studies to inform you of an adorable-- and green-- deal at your local Payless shoe store. I know, I know, Payless shoes are not "quality" shoes (Luke knows this firsthand-- don't buy men's shoes there), but I honestly don't have enough experience with them to be a naysayer. Sometimes there are really cute kicks there, but I always seem to head in when I'm trying to not buy shoes that I don't need (though I do need more summery shoes and flats...).

Anywho, I hopped on the Payless website today and saw the new line of green shoes they're carrying. And you know what? I totally want these:



They're cute, they're made entirely from organic cotton and recycled rubber, they're also available in purple, and they're only 25 big ones. Only 25! I'm seriously considering picking a pair of these babies up when I get home from college.

Speaking of college, I have to run to class, but I'll be back tomorrow with an installation of "Results May Vary." Thanks for bearing with my lazy blogging as I try to survive finals.

Hearts for you all.

Product Review That is Pretty Much Almost Not One

So remember the cupcake key cover I showed you a few weeks ago? I couldn't find it in my local Wet Seal, but there was no way I was going to let my keys go naked and friendless because of that. I ordered the tiny, smiling baked good online, and just today it arrived (thank goodness I checked the mail room early-- I wouldn't want this little dude sitting around all lonely).

First of all, it came it a very unnecessary bag that was meant to ship, like, shirts and stuff-- you know, since they mostly sell shirts and stuff. I found this hilarious and wasteful at the same time (fear not: I recycled the bag), which I made clear to my boyfriend-- who I should probably just tell you is named Luke so I don't have to keep referring to him as some nameless dude I'm dating-- when he came out of the bathroom to me laughing and shoving the bag in his face. It was 8 AM, so he didn't find it nearly as funny as I did. Go figure.

The product itself is as adorable as advertised and I just kind've stared at it at breakfast while my cheesy eggs got cold (mmm cheesy eggs). I got back to my room, though, and found when I tried to put it on my house key, it did not fit. Nope, the house key was too big for my frosting'd friend, and I got very sad for a minute and wondered what the heck to do then. The key to my mom's Hyundai (yeah, I'm so cool that I'm 20 and I drive my mom's car, what of it?) already has that black cover thingie on it that you can't remove, and the only other key there was my mailbox key, which I never use. In fact, I don't think I even know where our mailbox is at the apartment complex we now live at. That's what moms are for, I guess.

Anyway, I finally squeezed the key to my dorm room into the cupcake's tiny slot (I hope that didn't sound dirty-- sorry, little guy), and all was well with the world. Here is how cute this thing is in person:

chillin' atop my dayplanner

action shot!

Excuse the supremely crappy quality of these pictures, but my camera was woefully low on batteries and I didn't have any extra, so poor cupcake's photoshoot had to be quick and unrefined.

So I'm very happy with it, even though I don't know what I'll do with it once the semester is over and I no longer have a dorm key until late August. I suppose I'll have to stick it on my mailbox key. Maybe I'll even find out where my mailbox is.

Want

cupcake key cover: wet seal $4.00

Two things: first, this is the absolute cutest key cover I have ever seen in my life. I'm trying so hard not to impulse buy it and wait until I get home for spring break to go to my local Wet Seal to find it instead of pay an extra two bucks for shipping it. Second, do you think Gala Darling has one of these on each and every one of her keys? I'm willing to bet that she does.

My Valentine: The Recession

My boyfriend and I believe that you can celebrate a commercial holiday like Valentine's Day without breaking the bank. For the next ten days, I'll be giving you guys some suggestions for fun, recession-proof gifts for your sweetheart. Each day, I'll have one simple tip and one item prepared for your viewing pleasure, in hopes that you'll have a Valentine's Day that's more frugal, but still tons of fun.

Tip #1: Skip the Store-Bought Card
Okay, I know this is a pretty obvious tip, but I think it's worth mentioning. I also know that women tend to go ga-ga over cards, so, seriously, hear me out. I think we've all been in a situation where we spent an hour searching for the perfect card for the perfect person and realized upon reaching the register that "Wait, I just spent six bucks on a card and an envelope?" It all seems a little ridiculous to me; cards are always pleasantly vague, annoyingly specific, shockingly inappropriate, or pointlessly blank (isn't this what we have printers for?) If you really want to get your feelings across, take the time to write out your own Valentine's wishes. If you're good at art, make the front of your card your very own stunning work of art! You're not? How much more endearing is that! I can't draw to save my life, but stick figures holding hands with little hearts above their heads will elicit a smile from even the manliest of men. If you're a good writer, write a love poem. You're not? Just melt your cheesiest of feelings all over the page. Okay, okay, it doesn't have to be all sappy, but you get the point. Basically, it's more thoughtful if you create something for your special guy or girl on your own instead of buying it from a store. Seriously, what's he/she going to do with a giant card that sings the chorus of "You're the Inspiration" every time it's opened? (SIDE NOTE: if this card really exists, I take back everything I just said so that you can send it to me. I'll be forever grateful).

For the Budding Designer:


For only $12 at Fredflare.com, how can you go wrong? I think even someone as origami-inept as I am would love to get this kit all wrapped-up in a little pink bow. The best thing about a gift like this? You and your favorite Valentine can have fun with it together, of course! What's sexier than watching your boy-toy make a pair of paper Laboutins just for you?

What Would You Do for a Loeffler Randall Bag?

loeffler randall bag: $685 at eluxury.com

I was looking for a new installment of "How Not to be a Bankrupt Bag Hag," but then I saw this handbag and got so distracted that I don't even think I slept last night. I don't really remember if I did. If I slept, I'm sure I dreamt of waking up in this beauty's handles.

So what would I do for this bag? (NOTE: Other than saving the money for it, because we all know honest work is not the way to go.)

1. Become a cherubic British street urchin.
2. Start a lucrative business in stretchy, beaded friendship bracelets.
3. Compete in a Gallon Challenge to be televised nationwide so that everyone I know can see me puke.
4. Eat an entire case of Play-Doh.
5. Attend a high school Physics class.
6. Hug a rabid cougar.
7. Go streaking in front of the "Club for Hot Guys Who Are Addicted to Working Out as Well as Classic British Literature."
8. Prank call Anna Wintour.
9. Listen to rap for a straight twenty-four hours.
10. Wear Crocs for one minute (it hurt to type that).

What would you do for a bag this lovely?

Awkward Pictures from a Design School Dance

Complete with uncomfortable pose, people socializing in the background, red-eye, and time-stamp in the corner. Oh, Karl and Gareth, this is a night you will remember the rest of your lives. So c'mon, Kaiser, take that jacket off and stay awhile! Get your groove on! Most of all, enjoy the spiked punch. Maybe then you'll crack a smile.

Little Red Riding Coat

Question: What's better than being up at 2:15 in the morning on a Monday, drinking canned Arizona Green Tea and blogging?

Answer: a red coat.

I have wanted a red coat for months now, ever since I saw an anonymous girl walking to class in one on a rainy day. I had a purpose in life from then on: find a glamorous piece of the like to call my own. Covino and I got right on it, scouring the internet for all traces of crimson glory.

What with toggle coats being so popular, it was almost difficult to find a regular old double-breasted red coat. Also, I'm not a huge fan of wool. I know, I know, wool is great for winter and looks infinitely better than an equally warm puffer, but my delicate, princess-and-the-pea-esque skin simply cannot take a trace of itchiness. Also, I desperately needed a coat with full-length sleeves to brave the New England winter climate, since, to be honest, two of my favorite practical and fabulous coats are currently out of action until I put an end to my sordid love affair with the vending machine. Damn you, Oreo Cakesters, why can't I quit you?

Out-of-style Brokeback Mountain jokes aside, one day, I happened upon delias.com, which isn't one of the sites I regularly visit (I know almost every item on the Old Navy site, shamefully). Lo and behold, I saw the most amazing thing I ever imagined. Double-breasted! Cotton! Sleeves! Red like... oh, God, like something red! Like something red that I've dreamed about every night, only to wake up having disappointingly cocooned myself in my scarlet sheets. And compared to a coat I fell in lust with at J.Crew, it was a steal at only $68.50! That's incredibly cheap when it comes to making dreams come true.

I bought.

I waited.

And then one day, I received a package. And I took that package and ran like the dickens ("the dickens" being a phrase that needs to work its way back into popular language, by the way) back to my room in hopes that the damn thing would fit and I would be the happiest girl in the world.

It fits like a glove. I was afraid that it would be small, since Delias tends to run teeny, but it was exactly right. A single tear formed in my right eye. I thanked the Patron Saint of Outerwear-- Marc Jacobs?-- for his blessings.

me and the love of my life

This picture brought to my attention the fact this coat seriously needs an ironing, but I digress. And the shoes I'm wearing? Well, those beauties are for another post on the joys of metallics and Macy*s shoe sale racks.

As the owner of the best coat I ever dreamed of, I now follow several policies, set in stone, much like Hammurabi's Code.

1. Do not touch The Coat without authorization. Preferrably, you will be wearing sterile gloves.
2. The Coat is to be hung at all times when not on the body of its owner.
3. The Coat will not be lent out, unless dire circumstances exist.
4. The Coat will not be paired with scarves that shed tiny fuzzies, forcing its owner to cry and lint roll for long, tiring minutes.
5. Under no circumstances will there be spills that tarnish The Coat.
6. Under no circumstances will there be crumbs mercilessly tainting The Coat with their heinous touch.
7. Pray facing The Coat five times a day.
8. The Coat shalt not be compared with other coats. It is greater by far.
9. The Coat shall be praised aloud and with sincerity, no matter who's listening.
10. There is no Coat but The Coat, and God Himself is Its prophet.

Blasphemy? Where?

[unfortunately, this coat is no longer found on the delias website, last time I checked]

Lock the Doors, Pull Down the Shades

I miss never having any time to myself, so when my roommate leaves for class or to... I don't know, do something other than pretend she doesn't have homework in our room, the first thing I do is go online. Oh, God, I'm so ashamed.... But I can't help it! It's an addiction!

You're perfect just the way you are, baby. I could oggle you for hours.

People want to judge you for being from Old Navy, but I want to rock you anyway.

Oh yeah. Look at you. Keep no secrets from me, darling. Turn around.

Gorgeous.

I would pay almost a thousand dollars to feel you on me.

Oh, my, you're see-through in just the right places.

I love the way you blush. It suits you. Oh yeah.

Is it a sin? If it is, I never want to do right.

Besides, it's never too cold for skirts in hell.

from top:

christian dior samurai bag: $3900 (at neiman marcus)

old navy outfit: example look from the site

victoria's secret crossback curvy jersey dress: $65

christian dior fall runway shoes: $990 (at eluxury.com)

bcggirls "cayla" shootie: $98 (at macys)

forever21 pleated bell sleeve coat: $49.80

My Plaidicament.

Puns always get exponentially worse before they get better.

Anywhoo, for some time, I've had a raging conflict within my very soul when it comes to the idea of plaid apparel. I find it quite lovely, but sometimes I just feel like... I don't know. Like I shouldn't. But what kind of fashionista doubts herself for the sake of others?

Okay. I've made a decision. I want these whether you like it or not.

kohls, $25.97. *

They also come in lovely black and white houndstooth.

Yeah, you see those shoes? I'm going to wear them someday. And I will not be ashamed.

I have a dream that someday my children will live in a world where a girl can wear any shoes she wants, shoes that will be judged by the fabulosity they bring to an ensemble, regardless of the color of their insole lining, the pattern of their toebox, or the jauntiness of their bow. I have a dream....

Take that, haters.

*If your tastes run more towards expensive, these Kohls shoes closely resemble some lovely Sam Edelman ones I found on Piperlime.com.

Edgar Salmon Roe

Remember when you were little and you always wanted to taste the Macaroni and Cheese colored crayon to see if it really tasted like macaroni and cheese?

Remember when you were much older and you wanted to taste adorable erasers to see if they really taste like Japanese food?

Fishy

Tea...y

eraser sets found at pencilthings.com for only $7.35 each.