Lists, lists, lists

WAY better than bills, bills, bills, am I right? My boyfriend and I were reminiscing about the good ol' days of Destiny's Child yesterday, and it made me want to sing "Survivor" all day. Which may or may not have happened.

Anyway, I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving! Things I'm thankful for: my family (OBVI), my boyfriend, Etsy, my hand mixer, new friends, old friends, trips home, and days spent watching Parks & Recreation in bed. Oh, and gin. Delicious, delicious gin.

Now that we've got that out of the way, it's time to talk about Christmas! So many bloggers put together ah-mazing gift guides, so I'm not going to throw my "buy 'em some books and maybe a scented candle!" guide into the mix. However, I will put this out there: if you can hand-make stuff/have the time to do so, do it! I can't think of anything nicer than presenting someone with baked goods/crafted items, because it says "hey, pal! I thought about you far enough in advance that I didn't have to run to the grocery store at 2 p.m. two days before Christmas to buy you that six-pack of athletic socks you've always wanted." My goal is to hand-make a lot of gifts, and given that my semester is over on Tuesday (HELLS YES), I think it'll be possible to fulfill that goal like the little elf I am.

Then again, my own Christmas wish list goes something like "a book, socks, a chestnut-brown pony", so who am I to say that store-bought gifts aren't awesome?

Now blogging from inside a glass of merlot

Yeah, so the creamsicle layout got to me. I decided that this layout fit my blog's content much better. Like my illustrative prose, this template is rich and full-bodied, with hints of cherry and oak.

BAHAHAHAHA. I just like the color burgundy.

A neck library! What I've never wanted.

Wowzers. This is...quite the piece. I'm not sure why I would expect anything less from the "For the Collectors" section on the Anthropologie website. Also, know that I say that with a snooty British accent. Since I'm in grad school for library science, it makes complete sense for me to own this. However, since it's $498 and I'm in grad school, it makes absolute no sense for me to even think about owning it. So, instead, I put it on the ol' blog. Enjoy!

Collage Power Hour

Between seeing Amy Sedaris' new book Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People (sidenote: I love her harlequin-patterned dress!) and finding a used book store about 10 blocks from my work that sells stacks of old fashion magazines, I'm hoping that I'm on the verge of becoming one of those people that makes mood boards.

"What's a mood board, Alyssa? Is it like a mood ring, only in board form?" Nay, good reader. Though it would be awesome if I could carry around a colored board that could convey my mood at all times. Back on track: a mood board is what awesome, fashion-y and creative people do when they need to design a clothing line, or figure out what to wear for a certain occasion or season. While I don't have an excess of board-shaped things, I do love any excuse to cut up old magazines and have fashion fantasies that read like:

"Faye Dunaway circa Bonnie and Clyde meets Sally Field in Sybil crossed with Paul Newman in The Sting and a dash of Rodarte Spring '09." BAM. My summer wardrobe.

Hmmm, that actually sounds like a ridiculous fashion fantasy that I must attempt to fulfill. To the used bookstore!

An Ode to Target, or how I learned to stop having morals and love the big box store.

I love Portland, I do. But there are just some things that the Midwest does...well, better. First of all, seeing old pals is way easier in the Midwest, and shopping at chain stores with them is considered a solid way to spend a Friday night. At least in my book.

I know I've derided Target before on this blog. In particular, their "designer collaborations." And, given how much their corporate powers-that-be hate gay people, it's not like I feel 100% awesome about loving this store so much. But ever since moving to Portland and being an hour(?!?!?) away from one, I've never lusted after anything as much as I lust after that physical space where I can buy toothpaste, a 5-pack of Fruit of the Loom undies, a lace skirt, and a plunger. When I lived in Wheaton, I could get to that delightful place in less than 15 minutes.

Now, there's nothing better than Portland's boutique/thrift scene. However, thrifting takes effort (can I really find three different ways to wear this musty-smelling sequin blazer? No? BACK ON THE RACK.) and boutique-ing takes loads of dollas. So, when I'm finding myself sapped of fashion energy/aforementioned dollas, I want someone to put me on their back and walk/run me to the Target at 98th and Washington so that I can buy cheap clothes without having to think about it.

And finally, it doesn't help that all the cool fashion bloggers are wearing lace skirts from Target that they got for $4. A FOUR DOLLAR SKIRT! THAT I CANNOT PROCURE IN MERE MINUTES. I feel like an addict with broken legs and no bus passes who just got word that the best drugs are on the other side of town. Boo to the hoo!