Coolest Dog in the World

Just a little post to let you all know, (millions of avid fans) that I'm still thinking about you.

...and they all lived happily ever after...

Well, I'm back! Today was my first day back to college, and holy moly. I hope I can maintain this blog while balancing four college courses, my high school workload, a website for a client, etsy orders, office work for a friend, a relationship, housework, family responsibilities, friends...........

Uuugghh...

But it's ok. Because today we're going to go back in time. Hopefully when you were a little sprout, you were blessed with at least a couple of really good fairy tale books. And when I mean really good, I mean outrageous, outlandish, and a little gruesome too. They weren't called the Brothers Grimm for nothing.

Artists like Kay Nielsen, Arthur Rackham, and Edward Gorey are my favorite fairy tale illustrators. When you look at their dark and delicate pictures, you can't help but remember the chills you got while your parents read you the true version of Hansel and Gretel, or the feeling of clutching your stuffed animal while absorbing Hans Christian Anderson's telling of The Little Mermaid.











So whether you're dealing with stolen tarts, manipulative toads, or the occasional beheading of a loved one, just remember that there's always a happy ending. Well, most of the time, anyway.

How To Be Stylish Whilst Camping

I'm going camping this weekend. It might not seem like it if you know me, but I love camping! I love having no makeup, wild kinky hair, grungy stinky campfire clothes, and bare feet. It's the perfect time to be anti-Andrea. But, as with everything else I do, there is a measure of fashion and dignity required. Even when being rugged and slightly animalistic. Here's a useful checklist for maintaining style in the wilderness...

*Hats. Polka dot, shearling, knit, neon, whatever. Wear them.
*Cherry chapstick. Protects your lips and serves as an emergency food source.
*Big, baggy, bright, fleece sweats. Preferably with a moose motif.
*Red sunglasses and aviator sunglasses. Sporty sunglasses are a big N-O, unless you actually play sports.
*A head scarf for when the weather is warmer but your hair is still atrocious.
*Baby wipes for washing your face. (Because honestly, who's going to shower while camping?)
*Purple acid wash skinny jeans. Yes I bought them, they're bear proof!

And since I'm going to be gone over the weekend and Monday, here's some links to help make the withdrawals a little easier.

Hollywood walk of fame star generator.
36 different ways to lace your shoes.
Make your own techno beat that beats up the fellow in the music video.
Free Rice. Test your vocabulary while feeding starving children in third world countries.

Hot Chocolate vs. Hot Cocoa

Call it hot chocolate, hot cocoa, cocoa, drinking chocolate, or hot brown cow moo juice (ok, I totally made that one up, can you tell?), it's all the same right?

WRONG!

According to these articles, there is a difference. Hot chocolate, or drinking chocolate, is made with chocolate. Hot cocoa, sometimes just called cocoa, is made with cocoa powder. Personally, I think hot chocolate is better (and sounds a lot less snooty than hot cocoa). It's traditionally made with hot milk, so its creamier and richer. Hot cocoas are healthier though, since they're mostly made with fat-free milk powder and can be made with water.

This is hot cocoa...

and this is hot chocolate. See the difference? Me neither.

I've tried lots of different hot cocoa and hot chocolate mixes, my favorite so far is Trader Joe's drinking chocolate mix. Super decadent and smooth, it's the closest I can get to the short-lived but much loved Chantico.


Starbucks now has "specialty" hot chocolates (or is it cocoas?) in salted caramel and hazelnut. The hazelnut is bomb-diggety. Thick and nutty, just the way I like it ;). The salted caramel is pretty good, I like the salt but find it too tame for my tastes. My mom worships Border's hot chocolate, but I think it's too milky. I guess hot chocolate (cocoa, drinking chocolate) is different for different people. Sweet, milky, mild, thick, cinnamon, nutmeg, white, dark, and milk chocolate, it's all good right?

But don't get me started on the marshmallow vs. whipped cream issue....

The Miracle that Was... WDIY

Guess what? I did something! For reals, y'all! But I can't take all the credit, because this was the most poorly thought out, impulsive, caffeine-induced, nightmare project I've ever undertaken and I'm convinced the gods of DIY blessed me. Maybe because the fabric I used was salvaged out of a clearance bin it was thrown into for being too purple-diamond-and-amoeba-y. The gods of DIY are compassionate deities.


In case you didn't know, knit fabric is the Gary Busey of the sewing world. It is unpredictable, unforgiving, and forces its philosophies on you when you try to interview it. I kid, I kid (check out the link, it will be much funnier, but watch out for the curses and whatnot). So after perusing my mom's knit fabric book for a languous twenty seconds, I decided I taught myself enough through osmosis and went to cutting up the fabric. I didn't have a pattern, because I didn't want to buy one, and I wanted to make the shirt NOW. Not after a trip to Wal-mart.


So I got my favorite t-shirt and estimated what pieces went together to make it and traced around those. I found the fabric to be quite easy to work with, as long as I was constantly shifting and patting and loosening, so that it averaged out somewhere between being pulled too tight or held too loose. Then I sewed together the pieces the way my old t-shirt was sewn together. I did change the sleeves so that the trim matched the collar though. It just looked nicer and... covered up a mistake I made in cutting them out. Tee hee. Then it was done, and voila! A shirt that doesn't look too terrible. It's a miracle! Now to find the human sacrifice I promised...

artuesday

Through posting in this blog almost every day for the past two weeks or so, I've come to an interesting realization... I don't do much. Well, let me correct that, I don't do something interesting involving music, art, diy, food, and fashion every week. For example, the most interesting thing that's happened to me this week so far is the fact that I measured myself and I'm a half an inch taller. That brings the grand total to a dazzling 5'2". I didn't even know you could continue growing after sixteen. But I digress, all of you, hundreds of loyal readers, are waiting for an interesting and insightful post on art, of which I am an expert.

Do you like photography? I do.

Ye Rin Mok


Michael Worful


One more thing, do you love angst depression sadness melancholy etcetera? No? Why the hell not?! Oh so you do... much better. Get your share here with this brilliant doodler who knows his stuff.


Mmm, well, that's all. Because I haven't done anything interesting myself this week art-wise. But hey, good enough right? See ya tomorrow.

M-m-m-music Monday*

Have you heard of Andrew Bird? If you haven't, you need to. He will be your best friend. He's my best friend. We hang out (in soul) most weekends while I watch video after youtube video of his live performances and quirky music videos. His recorded music is like a good drugstore candy bar. But his live music is like drinking cinnamon hot chocolate in the rain while riding a technicolor pony. It's. That. Good. Anywho, if you are interested, here's the ultimate Andrew Bird youtube collection. By the end of this post, you will be addicted.

Imitosis Music Video

A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left (Live at Bonnaroo)


Andrew Bird as Dr. Stringz



Glass Figurine (Live Showcase)

New Song Fitz and and the Dizzyspells

Holler if you love alt folk, and then check out these fancy fellows too.

Bye bye.

*This post is dedicated to my one and only fan, Andrew Brown. Who shares the same name and last initial as my aforementioned best friend. Jinkies!