Bag Love: Cambridge Satchel

I wish these bags were more readily available in the States (Minneapolis).  I love the idea of the embossed Classic.  Also so many lovely colors.  Oh, and to make The Cambridge Satchel Company even cooler, they make really awesome trunks too.

It's Snowing!!

Come on snow, keep it up!  If it's going to be cold, we might as well have snow.

The Cutest & Saddest Video of the Day.

This video makes me smile and makes me want to cry.

Pretty Picture: Fog from the World Trade Center

I saw this photo this morning on the Gothamist.  The surreal quality of the image and its contrast of bright vivid color and hazy grey is really stunning.  The photo is from @WTCprogress and is captioned: "For today, check out the morning fog from the 84th floor of T1 - overlooking Jersey and downtown NYC."

Meet the Breeds = Cool looking pets.

One of the main reasons I read the Gothamist each day is because they share my appreciation for cute animals.  Today's photo gallery from American Kennel Club/The International Cat Association "Meet the Breeds" event is no exception.  Here are some favorites.

Star Wars Engagement

File this one under: Humans do the darnedest things.  I originally saw this on the SFist - engagement photos by Michael James featuring a Star Wars loving couple - complete with face paint and light sabers. Good for them. Check out Micheal James' site (linked through the photos below) for the full shoot.  Nothing says "love" like a photo of your fiance mock-beheading you with a light saber.

Best Sweater Ever.

Last night I spent about an hour going through the first wave of holiday catalogs.  J. Crew has some crazy cute stuff right now, but I know it will all be deeply discounted right after Christmas making it hard for me to consider paying full price for any of it.  One item in the Madewell catalog did catch my eye in particular: The Llama Love Sweater.  I will own this sweater.

Perfect Fall/Winter Shoes.

For the last couple months I have been in the market for a shoe to wear during fall/winter that meets the following criteria:
- Not a boot (even a short boot)
- Not a flat (think ballet flats)
- Not a car or driving shoe
- Can be worn with socks
- Slight heel, but not too high
- Comfortable
- Can be worn with jeans/pants and look at-home at work or off-the-clock
After a lengthy discussion with a coworker, I decided to do some investigating, and I am happy to report that I have found what I believe to be the perfect (for me) fall/winter shoes.

Voila! The Frye Carson Oxford.  After trying for sometime to decide on color (black.... it's classic, cognac would look great with jeans....) I decided on the dark brown.  Woohoo!! 

Buy Some Damn Art.

This is a super cool idea. Every Tuesday a carefully curated show featuring a handful of independent art pieces goes live.  Original pieces are priced from $200 - $500.  It looks to be pretty popular as this week's show is already halfway sold out (and it's only Thursday!).

Cheap (Sheep) Lawnmower.

This is brilliant - you can pay $1 per sheep per day to mow your yard.  Why are these sheep not readily available in Minneapolis?

Tiny Dancer.

I've wanted a prairie dog since seeing them for the first time at the MN Zoo when I was little.  Now I want one even more.

Here fishy, fishy, fishy.

If we still had fish, the Fishscape Fish Bowl would be a pretty cool place to keep them.

Kitty Playdate

This is pretty darn cool - It's an interactive system that allows online users anywhere in the world to interact and play with shelter cats in the Bideawee animal shelter in Midtown East. Users get 2 minutes to control the three toys in the room. For the most part the cats look bored, but the idea behind it is pretty great. I wish I could do this with my pets at home.

Sloths: Weird yet cute.

Happy birthday, Seester

Happy birthday to my favorite (and only) sister.  Last year I surprised her by showing up at her door in NYC.  This year I am doing a blog post for her with a birthday cat.  Guess you can't win them all.

Penguins need sweaters.

I wish I knew how to knit.  After a recent oil spill in New Zealand, little penguins are in need of warmth and protection.  A call has gone out to knitters.  I love that there are even patterns for penguin jumpers.

Caution Exotic Animals

This whole situation makes me sick. 

Einstein: The World's Smallest Horse

In the process of helping a friend plan her birthday party (which may or may not include horseback riding), I came across the following video on a local farm's blog.

Heros in a half-shell.

This is pretty funny.  And a little ridiculous that there is already a tumblr dedicated to it.

Art Love: Pinocchio is on Fire, 2010 by Mark Bradford

Birthday Walrus.

Oh goodness.  This is one happy walrus.  I guess for a walrus getting a fish cake is pretty topnotch.

Hungy hungry kittens.

We're gonna win Tigers?! Delmon's gonna score.

For a very brief period (i.e. this week), I can proudly say that I am big Detroit Tigers fan.  Thank you Tigers and Delmon Young for beating the Yankees last night. Yankees - how does it feel to be first round losers for once?  Not so great, huh?  Maybe you should increase your already massive payroll....

Store love: Wendy Nichol

File this one under "Stuff I can't afford, but love anyway." I stumbled upon Wendy Nichol's online store recently and can say quite honestly that I love everything there.  Now if only we could knock some zeros off the price-tags....

Gauze Vintage Slip Dress

 

Large DT Pyramid Back Stud

Billy Kid Washed Tote

4 Stitch Knit Cuff

Small DT Cone Hoops

Large Golden Diamond Shell

J. Crew - Final Sale Finds

It should come as no surprise that I am a sucker for the J. Crew clearance sale.  I seldom go to the brick-and-mortar stores, but give me an extra 30% off of already marked-down stuff, and you've likely got yourself a sale.  Throw in free shipping and "likely" becomes "definitely."  Here are some favorites that will soon be mine.

 

Underwire tie french top

 Broken-in boyfriend chino short

Cinched bow hipster

Hideaway dress

Tucked mini

Plaid swing skirt

 

Leslie lace shell

Ikat swing skirt

Fishnet necklace

Swoon skirt in check linen

Best Skinny Jeans Ever.

I am not a big fan of the skinny jean.  I am not skinny, therefore I figured that this type of jean does not apply to me.  I had also hoped that the trend would pass, taking its little friends the cigarette pant and the jegging with it.  I was wrong.  It looks like it's got some staying power, so I figured I might as well give it a try.  I wandered into the Gap last week and on a whim tried on their 1969 Textural High-Rise Skinny Jeans in black.  Color me surprised - They are actually cute and comfortable.  I've been a low-rise girl for so long, but after not working out for 5 months, I'm really enjoying the high-rise.