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By Sami, on September 17th, 2010
Okay, so I probably should have done this post in the summer {sun season!}, but I use my sunglasses just as much in the winter {all that snow reflecting sunlight right into your retinas}. I also never spend more than $15 on my shades because I have this terrible habit of breaking or losing them frequently. So, here are a few of my favorite sunglasses from around the web — all under $15!
1. Sweetheart Sunnies from FredFlare {$11}. When I saw these sunglasses, it was love at first sight {get it?}. These are so cute, I bought two pairs of them — one pink and one white. They’ve lasted me two months already, so let’s keep our fingers crossed!
2. F9608 Sunglasses from Forever 21 {$5.80}. Not the most creative name, but I do like the funky colors!
3. Hibiscus Hottie Sunglasses from ModCloth {$11.99}. Be a hottie in these simple-but-adorable oversized sunnies.
4. Risky Business Sunglasses from Urban Outfitters {$10}. Urban Outfitters has tons of great sunglasses, but I especially liked these for their fun floral patterns.
By Sami, on August 27th, 2010
I’ve been really into chunky jewelry lately, especially rings. I stumbled upon some vintage dome acrylic/lucite rings on Etsy and now I’m totally hooked. Here are a few of my favorite chunky acrylic/lucite/plastic rings from all over the web:
1. Unique Acrylic Rose Flower Ring in Hot Pink by Sassy Toe. I love pink, and I love flowers. That pretty much sums up why I love this ring!
2. Cute Plastic Bow Ring by ASOS. Simple, cute, not too chunky, and it goes with everything.
3. Flower Lucite Bubble Ring by Caravan Collection. This Etsy seller doesn’t seem to be in business anymore, but Bree’s Vintage Revivals has a few lucite flower bubble rings like this one.
4. Vintage Green MOD Lucite Bubble Ring by Bree’s Vintage Revivals. This Etsy shop is a treasure trove of cool vintage jewelry, not to mention over a dozen lucite rings.
5. Vintage Rainbow Laminated Lucite Ring by Karmalings. Unfortunately, this ring sold earlier this month, but I wanted to include it because I love this style. As you know, I’m very into bright colors {especially in rainbow form!}, so I’m dying to find another one of these rings. Let me know if you find one? :)
The rest of these rings {#6-#9} all come from one place: The Carrotbox, whose motto is “feed your fingers.” If you’re looking for unique but inexpensive rings, The Carrotbox should be the first place you shop! It’s a one-woman operation, begun when Alice, the artist, discovered she was allergic to metal. Her rings are made from materials like acrylic, stone, wood, or glass, and are just lovely. These are some of my favorites:
6. Heart Rings. These adorable rings are made from solid acrylic, come in a variety of colors, and are only $5 each. I hope she re-stocks them soon because none of them are in my size!
7. Adele. The “Adele” rings are made from clear resin with a backwash of color, and a subtle shimmer. Of course, my favorite is the pink one :)
8. Wood & Acrylic rings. The combination of bright acrylics with natural wood is absolutely beautiful in these rings.
9. Karina. This chunky, faceted ring is also shimmery and reminiscent of a nail polish bottle. As Alice says, “If you’ve ever seen the way a pearly colour swirls around in a nailpolish bottle, you’ll have some idea of what ‘Karina’ is like.”
Do you have a favorite place to shop for inexpensive rings?
By Sami, on August 6th, 2010
Ever since I watched Food, Inc. a few months ago, I’ve been trying to buy locally grown fruits & veggies and occasionally free range chicken and beef {though it’s pretty pricey, but it does taste so much better}. So, today’s Friday Faves collection includes some of my favorite places to go in CT for locally grown foods, along with suggested reading/viewing if you’re interested in why it’s so important to buy & eat local.
1. If you don’t know what the “organic” and “locally grown” fuss is about, definitely watch Food, Inc. It’s a great documentary that shows the personal and professional side of the food industry and locally grown movement. I also like that it gives you a few pointers at the end of the film, especially since they are realistic tips that don’t cost much money {some of them even save you money!}.
2. If you want to invest a bit more time in understanding the locally grown movement, read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. It’s a nonfiction book about a family that sets out to grow {or purchase locally} as much food as they possibly can, and live according to the harvest calendar {i.e., asparagus in late March, tomatoes in August, and practically nothing from November to February}. The Hopp-Kingsolver clan live like early Americans did — harvesting during the spring/summer, then freezing enough fruits and veggies to live off of during the winter. Such an amazing book.
3. Rogers Orchards in Southington, CT. Did you ever go apple or blueberry picking with your family when you were young? I did, and I loved Autumn for that reason. Rogers Orchards is open almost year-round {except for mid-May to late July as they prepare for the upcoming season}, and you can find the biggest selection of apples I’ve ever seen, along with delicious apple cider, apple cider doughnuts, and apple pies. Of course, they have much more than just apples, that’s just what I remember them for best. They also carry other fruits {blueberries, peaches, pears, etc} and veggies {corn, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, etc}. Full list of their products here.
4. The Pickin’ Patch in Avon, CT, is where I began to fully appreciate locally-grown and handpicked vegetables. I took a Nutrition class a few years ago at Tunxis and our professor asked us to try out the Pickin’ Patch, where you go and pick your own vegetables & fruits, and compare them to veggies from Stop & Shop. The difference is unbelievable, and I love getting my hands a little dirty picking them out — it makes me feel really close to nature. Like Rogers Orchards, they have a huge variety of crops, which you can pick by season. Check out their list here.
5. The Healthy Alternative Market & Deli in Mansfield/Storrs, CT. The Healthy Alternative doesn’t have as much fresh produce, but they have a huge selection of other organic, vegan, and gluten-free groceries like pasta, bread, vitamins, eggs, sandwich meat/cheese, and even cleaning and beauty products. It’s like the “Natural Foods” section at Stop & Shop, but three times as big, plus a deli. I haven’t shopped here that often, but I did try their homemade hummus and it was the best hummus I’ve ever had {yes, Ben & Marcus, even better than what we ate at the Middle Eastern restaurant!}
6. Urban Oaks Organic Farm in New Britain, CT. Mish was the one who introduced me to Urban Oaks, and I was surprised with the selection of products they had in such a small store. For my brother’s graduation party this summer, I picked up tomatoes, red leaf lettuce, a red onion, and a few peppers along with some other veggies. Hands down, the best salad I’ve ever made! They are certified organic and specialize in heirloom organic crops, so they are a bit more expensive, but totally worth it.
7. Last, but certainly not least, Apple Tree in West Hartford, CT. Stan has been buying almost all of our produce from this market on New Park Avenue in West Hartford. Their selection of fruits and vegetables is unbelievable. We’ve found types of lettuce and fruits there that we didn’t even know existed, and they are so much less expensive than chain grocery stores. It’s also a great place to go if you’re looking for ingredients that are a part of more “ethnic” dishes. They don’t have a website, but I’m pretty sure they’re open year-round.
By Sami, on July 23rd, 2010
Sorry about the tacky headline; I couldn’t resist! I also must apologize about the lack of posts this month. July has been crazy for me — Stan & I moved, I started an online class, then we went to Michigan to visit two really good friends, Ben & Marcus. Here are some highlights from the trip {in no particular order}:
1. Kensington Metropark — Ben & Marcus to us to this great park that surrounds Lake Kent, where we visited their farm center, treated ourselves to delicious ice cream treats, and rented a paddleboat {and Ben took about 30 photos of swans}. We got lectured for not wearing life jackets {after we came back perfectly safe…}, but it was lots of fun! Except that Stan fed my sunglasses to Lake Kent :(
2. Marcus made me this gorgeous necklace! He is a truly crafty, talented guy, who can also cook {see image 6} and make amazing hand/body lotion. At first, the charm on the necklace reminded me of an acorn, but I also see it as a green cupcake or a mushroom.
3. Belle is the best cat EVER. She’s not bulimic {like one of my cats} or a sociopath {like my other cat}, and she loves cuddling. She doesn’t try to attack you all the time, and is generally very low key and loving. She also likes to lay in boxes and feel like she’s included in things, which is why she set herself down in the Apples to Apples box as we played it. She does NOT like the flash though — she ran off very quickly after this shot.
4. Risk in silly hats. Even though Risk takes forever, we had lots of fun playing. Or, at least I did because I won both times we played! {Okay, to be fair, I won by default — the first time, Belle messed up the board after we decided to give up at 3am and in the second game, we didn’t read the directions properly so I had an advantage that I didn’t technically deserve}. I played in Ben’s safari hat, Marcus played in an elephant hat, Ben wore his Ash Ketchum hat that he made when he went as the Pokemon master for Halloween a few years ago, and Stan wore a sailor hat. These hats definitely improved gameplay.
5. Sava’s State Street Cafe in Ann Arbor had delicious food, but a wonky waiter. He messed up our food order twice, and we think he may have been on something, but I loved the restaurant nonetheless. The restaurant is named after its owner/chef, Sava Lelcaj, and the food is just amazing. Dishes range from rosemary chicken, pierogis, and butternut squash ravioli to pancakes, crepes, and delicious salads, all very reasonably priced. If you’re visiting Michigan any time soon, please stop by Sava’s, you’ll be glad you did!
6. Marcus made amazing sweet and sour chicken stir fry, with a homemade sauce that had pineapples in it. I won’t say much about it because I’ll be posting the recipe next week {written by Marcus himself!}.
7. We found the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile! We couldn’t figure out why it would be randomly parked in a parking lot, but I found out later that they were promoting the “Good Mood Mission,” where the company asked customers, “what puts you in a good mood?” and turned their answers into good deeds, as well as donating 3 million pounds of food to Feeding America. Because I was without my sunglasses {see #1}, I had a hard time keeping my eyes open for the camera as the sun was shining right into my retinas.
8. And, of course, cupcakes! More on these next week, but if you’re hunting for cupcakes in Michigan, make sure you stop by The Cupcake Station and Just Baked.
By Sami, on June 25th, 2010
My favorite thing today is this skirt. It’s a cream colored tiered mesh skirt with a black elastic waistband and I love it! It’s without doubt my favorite thing to wear, and I got it for under $10 at Forever 21. Because it’s a neutral color and not too flashy, I can wear it a ton of different ways; dressed down with a tank top or dressed up with Betsey Johnson tights {bought a pack of 3 for $10 at Marshalls!} and pink Franco Sarto pumps {$35 at Peonies!}. Sometimes I go ballerina-style with cute black flats and a peach top, or retro with funky colors, black booties, and a stretch belt. But by far, my most favorite thing about this skirt? It has swirling action!
What’s your favorite piece of clothing to wear?
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