Marion Cotillard in Dior

Dear Universe,

I would like this dress please. Thank you.

January

I was writing a catch-up post yesterday, apologizing for not updating and saying that work is taking up so much of my time and headspace, when I got a text asking me to go in to work early RIGHT THAT MINUTE! Story of my life. Hopefully I don't hear from anybody for a while, because my body clock is all out of whack and I'm exhausted! Whew!

But enough complaining! Let's update, yes? Yes! Here's what I did in January:

*Saw LOTS of movies both old and new to me
*Went to a screening of The Sound of Music with some good friends of ours. The hiiiiiills are aliiiiive...!
*Finally saw Silver Linings Playbook, which was awesome.
*Spent a day shopping in Long Beach with our friends Robert and Chelsea

*Hosted an Amadeus movie party!

*Bought a bunch of cute 60s style dresses (pictures coming soon)!
*Started posting outfits on LOOKBOOK again for the first time in a year!

*Craig and I have continued working on This Cinematic Life and he's been awesome getting writing contributions from our friends and fans, yay!
*Met my amazing pen-pal and friend Jess the other day for some LA adventures...hoping the next get-together isn't too far away!

*Working like an absolute maniac at work...things are in a state of limbo right now and I'm not getting much help, so I'm hoping things sort themselves out soon. But I've been having fun with the kids' crafts nonetheless.

Here's hoping that February is more stable in terms of my daily routine...I want to make more time for me instead of being exhausted all the time. With my new later work schedule I'll have mornings to myself and we'll see how that goes. At least it came with a raise! Time to go shopping!

Golden Globes 2013

Some of my favorite red-carpet looks from the Golden Globes last night...

Amy Poehler

Lucy Liu

Julianne Moore

Michelle Dockery

I love awards shows! I actually really enjoyed the Golden Globes this year...Amy and Tina were fantastic hosts, I loved Kristen Wiig and Will Ferrell together as presenters, Jodie Foster made me cry, and HOORAY for Les Miserables's wins! Anne Hathaway in particular blew me away in her performance and I hope she takes home the Oscar next month!

Viva la cinema!

Interior Design Books I Love

While I don't necessarily aspire to be an interior designer or work in that industry at all, I love love LOVE looking at pictures of carefully stylized interiors. I love decorating wherever I'm living and having free rein to get creative.  As a result of this love, I've found myself with more than a few books that inspire me to get decorating!

Yes yes I know these aren't interior design books, but they each touch on the subject at some point, and these were the first books I owned (back in high school!) that sparked an interest in the subject for me.

I absolutely adore a good dose of kitsch. It gives me life! These books have some straight-up wacky interiors!

Jonathan Adler was a good bridge for me...quirky, kitschy, colorful, but more grown up.

Then I went nuts.

In the last few years I've started reading a looooot of blogs, including Design Sponge, Apartment Therapy, and decor8, and I find myself like cleaner and more grown up spaces, but always with fun color, vintage elements, and yes, a healthy dash of kitsch. I have a long list of decorating projects I want to tackle in the new house (moved in last July) and I'm excited to revisit all these books for inspiration!

The Ladies of Downton Abbey

I've been rewatching old episodes of "Downton Abbey" in eager anticipation for the season 3 premiere!  I've started speaking in an exaggerated British accent around the house, haha. I don't watch too much television these days, but I'm quite fond of this show...so much eye candy, and now they're in the 1920s! J'adore! Any other Downton fans reading?

photo credit

Here's to 2013!

Hello 2013! You're looking lovely so far! I rang in the new year at a friend's house, we drank sparkling cider (well, *I* did), watched extremely weird experimental movies, took photobooth pictures and had a silly good time! 

There was a lot of good that happened in 2012 (my dear friends got married and then gave birth to their beautiful son James, we moved into a house, we had lots of fun parties!) but unfortunately the thing that stands out is how much ridiculous drama I endured in my personal life. No more! I've mended most of those ties and I'm hoping this year will be much more drama-free!

As far as resolutions, I have a few!

1. Use all of the random kitchen gadgets I have at least once! I have a breadmaker, a fondue pot, a crock pot, a doughnut maker, a cake pan shaped like a giant cupcake, a bundt cake pan, a rice cooker, a George Foreman grill, among others. I want to use them all and if it's a total pain to use, I'll get rid of it.

2. Learn how to play the ET end credits on the piano! I finally tracked down the sheet music last year, now it's just a matter of sitting down and learning it.

3. Have more theme parties! Last year we did our 12 Months of Kubrick, monthly parties where we watched the films of Stanley Kubrick in chronological order, in addition to my 90s-themed birthday party, our Jaws pool party, and a Halloween party among others. So far I've been imagining an Amadeus movie party, a Chinese New Years party, a Wes Anderson art show/costume party, and a Raiders of the Lost Ark pool party...I'm excited about all the possibilities! I love to entertain!

4. Start knocking all those house projects off my list! I need patio furniture, curtains, and something for the bathroom...I have so many interior design books (got three more for Christmas!) and I need to put them to good use!

5. Exercise and eat healthier. I know, I know, it's a vague goal and lord knows I love sugar! But even the tiniest of efforts on my part will be a vast improvement on where I'm at currently. I almost never exercise save chasing my students around, and I love love love love LOVE sweets. I'll start just as soon as I'm done polishing off all the cookies and molasses chips and MnMs around the house, yum!

Here's to a beautiful new year!