Ciblek Mania

Saturday afternoon, while everyone in the east was experiencing a snowstorm, here in Southern California we got 80 degrees.  Is it so wrong to want to dress seasonally appropriate?  Apparently so.

I don't know about you, but Sunday is one of my favorite days.  It's a day of no set agenda, fly by the seat of your pants, lounge in the sun (or on the couch) and relish the moments as they pass.  Yesterday we were about to go our separate ways for the day when the Chef decided to take a late lunch outside his own restaurant just after opening.  Impromptu lunch date? Um, okay! Mid-day margarita? Count me in.

While weeding out the closet on Saturday for late summer/early fall planning, I came across my pink blazer (last seen here) immediately deciding it has not had enough play on the blog.  This is one of those purchases I keep at the forefront of my mind--saw it, left it behind and later had to track it down 15 ways from Thursday to eventually find one in my size.  *Note to self: get it when you see it and take it back if you change your mind thereby avoiding my size is no longer available-itis.*    I tossed it on with a pair of my go-to Current/Elliott shorts (thanks Gilt Groupe), a simple white t-shirt and a pair of Converse sneakers.  It's true what they say:  simple is best.  It was a great lunch outfit, but carried me throughout the day as well.  Recipe for success!


Spill it--how was your weekend? I spent Saturday with a butterfly while overhearing the guys next door talk about dating in a scene straight out of Swingers.  Delightful!

Some new developments have taken place in my neck of the woods (ahem, concrete):  It appears as though  a civilized person has moved into the neighborhood.  A piano player with legitimate skills.  Can you imagine??  Just last night I turned down the volume on the television to take in a half hour of wonderful music.  My mother was right:  I do regret quitting after all those years of lessons.  Sigh.

Let me tell ya:  summer is in full swing over here.  Last year was such a letdown in the warm weather department it's tough not to want to be outside all day every day.  I don't know about you, but the days seem to be going by so fast I wish I could put it on pause.  Bright sunny mornings, light streaming in the windows in late afternoon, the sound of the ice cream truck, an endless supply of fruit--it's the simple things keeping me happy these days--including a relatively light workload that I'm pretty sure I should be freaking out about.  But then I smell someone bbq'ing...

With the Chef's change in schedule it appears as though 2013 will be the first time an evening date may re-occur.  Instead we're making time in the mornings once or twice a week to spend a few hours together.  One thing's certain--there's something delicious about being footloose and fancy free while everyone else is at work.  The other day we just grabbed tea and sat on the beach digging our toes in the warm sand.  It was wonderful.  More summer please.

This has pretty much become my uniform of choice this summer.  

3x this week so far and don't even care.

Fringe + leather + lace + weathered shorts + piled jewelry and a cup of tea 

Minimal makeup? Yep, sounds good to me.

~Outfit details:  H&M vest, James Perse tank, Current/Elliott Shorts, Thrifted Belt, 

Brandy&Melville Bag, Rainbow flip flops, Anthro sunnies~

For the record that's not my piece of trash at the bottom of the stairs. 

The earth is not a garbage can for pete's sake!  Off to read a book and delete all fall fashion emails.  Have a great Wednesday!

What can I tell you?  It's Sunday night as I type this and my wrist is feeling slightly better.  In fact it's already seizing up and I'm only on sentence number two.  So much for that idea.  Pardon me while I pull myself together for a quick weekend rundown:  slept for hours with windows open and a light breeze blowing, ate pint after pint of raspberries, threw a few more things in the closet purge pile, watched waaaaaaay too much Dateline and am contemplating joining the FBI, and on Friday night seated someone at a table at the Chef's restaurant when everyone else was busy with other customers (where's my tip? hehe). 

Things are going well for him--so far so good as the saying goes.  It's incredibly exciting to watch it all play out from the sidelines.  The crazy start-up hours have left me with a lot of time on my hands and even though there are plenty of things I could be doing *ahem cleaning* somehow I'm just taking a moment to do nothing much.  It feels nice to pause and regroup for the first time in over a year.  Last Sunday I woke up with hours of free time and instead of racing off on an errand rolled down to the flea market to take a gander.  More like a jackpot.  There were so many treasures to be found that day.  What was supposed to be a simple jaunt turned into a 3 hour marathon.  I left with bag filled with 70's vintage gems--amongst them these $8 pants.  Yes I said EIGHT DOLLAR PANTS.  My own little dream come true.

~Outfit details:  Hat-Hat Attack, Vest-H&M, Chambray Blouse-Gap, Belt-Anthropologie,

Pants-Vintage, Sunnies-Target, Bracelet-Brooklyn Thread~

Who ever let these go?  WHO?? I spotted them after pilfering through racks and racks of

crazy ol' 70's dresses and skirts.  Unable to believe my eyes I screamed out, 'HOW MUCH?!?'

while a young Hispanic guy laughed hysterically and said the word 'eight'.  

Unable to contain myself I screamed incredulously, 'EIGHT? EIGHT DOLLARS?,' 

as he nodded wildly.  He had a live one.

'SOLD!!!,' is the final thing I remember hollering while rooting for my wallet.

Somewhere in flea market land the word loco was used a lot that day.

They're the perfect pants for spotting shed snail shells in the dirt.  

Eye of the Tiger.  

For some reason I feel like saying, 'Ahoy Matey' every time I look at this picture.  

Land ahead?

Off to continue resting my wrist and staring at the eight dollar pants.  Let's see how long this can go on for.

There I was:  all dressed up and nowhere to go aka on my way to get more Ben & Jerry's Boston Cream Pie ice cream groceries when I found myself in the most random of random neighborhoods.  You know, the one 10 blocks from my house that I've never ventured into because I work from home and barely leave the house except on weekends? Anyway suddenly I could barely contain the 70's fever of it all.  Shaun Cassidy and K.C. and the Sunshine Band came out on blast through the speakers as I drove up and down the block super slow to see if anything, anything was for sale.  In my mind I packed my stuff, grabbed a disco ball and went back in time.  Long wavy hair, high-waisted wide leg denim for days, big ol' platform shoes, billowy maxi skirts, culottes with blouses tied at the waist, arms piled high with bangles, a patchwork suede handbag, dreams of the huge afro I'll never have -- and neighbors that are actually neighborly.

When I think summer in the 70's my mind floods with images of a home with a big cream colored stone fireplace and a rainbow VW bus parked in the driveway, block parties, kids on skateboards playing in the streets while sprinklers wave in the breeze, parents on front lawns drinking Pilsener from cans while charcoal bbq's send smoke plumes into the warm air.  Hot damn if I haven't found my ideal block and house.  I wonder if the neighbors are included in this transaction? A girl can dream...

Where to begin, where to begin.  I realize I spend an incredible amount of time waxing on about Free People, but I honestly just can't help it.  There is rarely a time when I glance at their online shop or visit a store and don't find something that is truly unique and a blast from the past.  If you get their catalogues then you know firsthand how well they capture a moment, an item, and your wallet.  Which is exactly what happened when I saw their Extreme Vintage Flares.

Well here I am a week post move and all I can say is:  hot mess.  I am a firm believer in putting things in their rightful home to start with so as to not double up on having to correct later.  As a result I just got the bathroom three quarters assembled as of yesterday.   Only the bathroom.  I'm a working person with a job that takes up more than 10 hours a day...when on earth am I supposed to organize?  Send reinforcements.

Conclusion:  there simply just are not enough hours in the day.  I swear I did things on Saturday:  shred (woot! - Level 2, Day 5), put things away, use the dishwasher for the first time in 10 years aka feel like a real live grown up, and run 700 errands.  The Chef arrived late afternoon to assist in the errand running.  Mid-stream I screamed out:  'BLOG!' as in 'I need a post for Monday' - to which he replied ever so nonchalantly, 'you're a girl on the go so we're gonna have to get this thing done on the fly.' Examine the evidence.

Guess what?  My landlord is on my last nerve.  He danced all over that mother on Saturday causing me to seriously consider if I even want to live at Chez Carrie anymore - a place that has been my home for almost 6 years.  Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, shred, shred, shred.  I'm trying to calm my nerves and clear my mind in order to make a decision, but it seems that's easier said than done.  It's been a long time since I even contemplated moving so I decided to take a peek at what's out there...just in case I opt to take a flying leap and carry on outta here.  Pardon me while I take a nap - this whole thing is exhausting.

On Sunday afternoon we zipped over to one of my favorite buildings in the neighborhood.  There is rarely a vacancy, but I hold out hope.  Whenever perusing rental possibilities I try to pull myself together and put my best foot forward.  Read:  competition can be a real biznatch and you only get one chance to make a good first impression aka seize that property.  I went for the gusto mixing prints and textures galore - sadly there were no vacancies, but a really nice lady invited me onto the property to take a look around.  I think she was in love with my dress - no jokes.  Maybe we can do a trade?  Nah.

Did you ever see Bridget Fonda in Point of No Return?  It's a little cheesy, but I like it because it's a female spy-type movie and Bridget does a great job balancing hardcore bad a** with an emerging soft side.  Once when I lived in Canada and was out for dinner with a girlfriend, some guy randomly walked up and told us I reminded him of Maggie (Bridget) in Point of No Return.  Normally something sarcastic would have rolled off my tongue, but I was so flattered someone thought I was a spy that I just turned a bright shade of red and muttered "um, thank-you".  Ha ha!!

Last week when we were at the parents it dipped down to -25 one day, so I donned my fur trapper hat and headed off into the trees to live out my spy dreams - sans a hand gun, any secret missions, and a fake identity, of course.  I bet I could kick someone's head off though.  Oh Bridget!

I would have added captions in between, but all we were screaming at each other was "COLD, COLD, COLD, COLD COLD!" and "did that one work?, do we have enough?, did the camera shut off AGAIN?!" before I finally just snapped and went racing off toward the house through knee deep snow while the Chef chased after me in his bright green toque (beanie).

Can you believe we have to go back to work tomorrow?  I'm not even sure I can remember how to get out of bed when the alarm goes off...and what about all the cookies and chocolates?  Whatever will they do without me?? 

Hope your holidays were marvelous!

Outfit details:  Juicy Couture-Fur Trapper, Zara-Velvet Military Blazer, James Perse-Cotton/Cashmere Tunics, J.Crew-Skinny Denim, Ash-Boots, H&M-Cheetah Mittens, Tom Ford-Sunnies, 14 pairs of socks

One of the great things about visiting Canada is getting a true taste of winter - the people in this country are so lucky to experience the glory of four well-defined seasons (although they might beg to differ when a freak snow storm shows up in May).  Remember when I visited in fall and got these great pictures?  They're some of my faves even now.  Admission:  I get homesick every time I look at them.

It was tough to stick to two bags on this trip because I kept on imagining all kinds of fun outfit concoctions for the cold, snowy days (aside from all the sweats and t's for luxurious tv-filled afternoons on the couch. ha!) we don't experience in SoCal.  As wonderful as warm weather can be, it kinda hinders the true essence of the winter wardrobe.  So today I got a hint of the crazy and strolled out into a winter wonderland...in shorts, tights and shag.  I kinda wanna wear this one every day.  

I've got a confession to make:  I am absolutely uninspired by my wardrobe at present.  Whenever I think about an outfit post I enter the closet, become depressed, turn and walk out.  The solution is not buying more things to make an outfit.  Of that I am certain.  It doesn't take much to walk through Saks, Barneys or Bloomingdales (*or insert any retailer here*), buy a bunch of labels and put an outfit together - let's face it - it's label land.  It's just that, well, all of that has suddenly become very bland to me.  I think I'm having an existential closet crisis. 

Last week, after staring at Olivia Palermo's $1200 $895 (red alert friends!  I just got a note regarding price reduction!) Daryl K leather pants (Daryl K are you out there?  Carrie loves your pants and is a total hypocrite after her above statement, but still means every word) I decided that I, too, must find my way into something similar.  This led, of course, to a significantly less expensive pair at H&M - which I love nonetheless.  It took everything in me not to throw then on with a fave Tank Farm T, but I wasn't going to a metal concert or a biker bar.  Maybe next time.