Reed diffusers and Sephora

this weekend i indulged in a little bit of retail therapy - the kind that starts out as a quick trip to target to get some shampoo and ends with me seriously contemplating how much i want groceries versus how much i want a new scarf. but let's discuss two things that came out of this trip:

reed diffusers

i've been obsessed with reed diffusers for about six months now. i feel like i always see them in really classy homes - the kinds that are owned or decorated by interior designers. a good (pay attention to that word - it's important) reed diffuser instantly adds a sort of modern elegance. plus, the scent is nice too. also, i feel like they were all over the place during the holiday season. lastly, i noticed that they were always a little out of my price range. specifically, the one i had my eyes on was from pottery barn, which most definitely made it out of my price range. while at target, however, i went to the dollar section to see if i could find some cheap frames for my office. i didn't find frames, but i did find mini reed diffusers for a dollar! my choices were vanilla and strawberry champagne. i couldn't resist the enticing promise of strawberry. i got it and quickly set it up in my bathroom (clearly the classiest place for a diffuser):

pros: i like the way it looks and it almost satisfies my desires for an elegant reed diffuser. i say almost because...

cons: my bathroom smells like a middle school girl's locker.

i'm willing to live with this for now, until an upgrade comes my way. but from cherry amour to cherry amour (me, to you)...it might be worth not paying $1 to get a less tween-y diffuser, if you are looking for one.

the second thing i'm going to say is probably not going to be news to anybody, but i thought i'd mention it anyway. i accidentally left my favorite eye makeup at home in portland. it kills me to buy something i already have, so i went to sephora in search of a new favorite. after two days and trying on basically every brand in the store, i came back to the sephora brand. this happens to me a lot. i think sephora's really great, because you get to try things on and that's fun...but the best thing about sephora might be that their house brand actually has really great makeup at a relatively good price. this is what i ended up getting (in carine 26):

pink, sparkly, perfect.

that's it for now, i think. a bientot!!

five of haylie's favorite things

1. chunky knits

photo via glamcanyon

i just re-learned how to knit after a long absence, and i love it. after a long day of grad school, there's nothing better than digging my fingers into soft thick yarn to actually make something. and since it continues to be insanely and disgustingly cold in my part of the world, there's also the always important warmth-factor. 


2. foxes

tragically unaffordable ring via odette

it seems like foxes are popping up everywhere lately, which suits me just fine since they're basically my alter-ego animal. not only are foxes crucial to both a movie and a band that i love, they're also cropping up in toys and jewelry. love. 


3. pretty paperback covers

to the lighthouse by virginia woolf. it's my favorite woolf

i'm generally pretty happy with my chosen life of words, but sometimes pictures are nice, too. especially when those pretty pictures can be found on the front of cheap paperbacks i have to buy for my classes. 


4. miss moss' color comparisons

via miss moss

miss moss' color comparisons are my new favorite internet thing. she combines vintage photographs with old paintings (most of which have been new to me, so, bonus) and i. love. it. extra bonus points because "miss moss" sounds like a prim, no-nonsense, dear abbey type. 


5. the national botanical garden

 Photo by me!

things i love about the botanical garden: 1. it's free. 2. it's warm! 3. i can sit in plant bliss and study for hours and no one bothers me. 4. it's convenient to my metro line. 5. in the warmer months, i like to sit in the outdoor garden and study/eat lunch/take a nap. 

those are a few of my favorite things! 

cheers, loves. 

five of kat's favorite things

i have a lot of favorite things. here are five of them:

1. french macaroons

picture courtesy of bakerella, the new, better martha stewart. i love her.

i read somewhere that macaroons are the new cupcake. this would be alright with me. the first time i had a french macaroon was at papa haydn's in portland. they're affordable, elegant, fun, and the perfect portion. the kind i had was made with ice cream on the inside, which made it even better. plus, you can get them (or bake them! which i have yet to do) in lots of fun colors. the perfect dessert? maybe.

2. short hunter boots

photo courtesy of any one of a hundred online shoe stores

it took me a little while to muscle up $115 for these puppies. but now that i have, i'm so glad i did. i used to be dedicated to those cheap (colorful and fun) galoshes that turn up every rainy season. but when my third pair cracked and split after a year, i figured it was time to invest, once and for all, in quality rain boots. these are perfect for my west coast life, they're totally waterproof, and the glossy black is reminiscent of paddington bear. plus, the short style will look so cute with dresses and skirts in the spring.

3. knit caps made with baby yarn

i tried to take a picture of this hat, but everything looked like a myspace shot. this hat was made for me by one of my best friends. her reasoning was that baby yarn is softer and lighter, perfect for california winter wear! so far, she's been completely right. all my other hats left over from my connecticut life are way too heavy, but this one is perfect! last time i checked, knitting was still a thing so if you're crafty, you can make one yourself...but if you're not, consider befriending a knitter...

4. handmade stationary

another one of my christmas presents was an embosser with all the fixings. i've only just begun to play with it, but it's SO EASY. a little embossing powder goes a long way, stamps last forever with minimal abuse, and the embosser is a one time purchase! the possibilities with color, stamps, and textures are endless. rest assured that there will be more embossing-related entries in the future. everything for this embossing project was purchased at paper source, but this kind of stuff is also available at your local craft store.

5. star lanterns

last, but certainly not least, star lanterns. i saw my first star lanterns when i was in copenhagen last winter, and then again in england last spring (it turns out that when you're a grad student, people pay you to go places sometimes). i fell completely in love and finally bought my own at fuego in downtown portland. every night i turn it on and it instantly makes my little bedroom seem more homey. highly love.

so those are five of my favorite things. what do you love? leave us comment and let us know!

bisoux!

bonjour!!

hello!
welcome to my cherry amour, our new blog about style, design, fashion, crafts, and other things you love.

who are we?
we are kat (kathayoon) and haylie, two graduate students who met in portland and bonded while working together at the oregon zoo. recently, we have both begun new graduate careers on opposite ends of the country. i (kat) am in california, and haylie is in washington d.c. for more information about us, read our sidebar. that has everything you need to know.

what's this blog all about?
haylie and i like really cute things. but we also don't have tons of money, on account of being professional students. this blog is about style/design/fashion/crafts that you can actually have. there are roughly ten-thousand style blogs out there (i know because i've read them. all.) but most of them talk about fantastically pricey, limited edition style. others talk about designs you can only create if you are a closet art genius. we promise you, dear reader, that we will try to be practical yet one-of-a-kind. we are underfunded and overambitious. we are just as crafty as you are and love to share our secrets.

what kinds of things are you going to post?
stay tuned...next up, haylie and i are each going to post five of our favorite things. just so you can get to know us better. from there? it's a surprise...

a bientot!!