rain, rain, go away

a few days ago, i left the mild weather in palo alto and returned in the middle of a blustery and near monsoonal storm here in portland. it actually doesn't bother me, because it's not cold - and i will take rain over cold ANY day. i've heard from some people (ahem, my parents), though, that constant rain can be a bit of a downer. so for any of you who need a little sunshine in your spirits, let me share with you some things that make me happy when skies are gray:

first off, these little pill/trinket boxes from urban outfitters are divine. it's no secret that i love macarons, so it shouldn't be a surprise that i love these. the colors, the style, the gold embellishments - so cute and parisian!

urbanoutfitters.com

i was trolling fab.com the other day looking for christmas presents when i stumbled upon these beauties from Retro Love. something about these simple photographs is stunning to me - maybe it's the pale but bright colors, maybe it's the text-image juxtaposition, maybe it's because i just plain like this style. a lot of these photos also come in iphone cases, so when i get my iphone, i will for sure be purchasing a case from this lady...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/RetroLovePhotography?ref=top_trail

although i love my dependable and chic hunters, sometimes i want something a little flashier to put a spring in my step on a rainy day. i've gotten tons of compliments walking down the streets in portland wearing these wellies from sakroots. they're gorgeous AND i got them at costco!

sakroots.com

so i'm trying really hard not to become a crazy cat lady, but i'll tell you - cats are not making this easy. don't get me wrong, i love all animals, but cats are just SO CUTE. today, my friend matt had to force me to change the background of my phone away from a picture of a cat that's not even mine. but backing away from a life of feline-ridden spinsterhood is a gradual process, so give me some allowances along the way - like this little ring from madewell.

madewell.com

and there you have it! things that make me happy when the sky is crying. what about you? what brightens your rainy day?

the season of wishlists is upon us

allow me to interrupt your endless refreshing of 538 for just a minute to share with you some of my new favorite things.

with halloween soundly (and sadly) behind us, it's now time to focus on the fact that love actually season is just a moment away. i'll probably be doing a lot of entries centered on gift ideas (particularly useful if you're buying a gift for me) because gift giving is both an art and a challenge. i don't want to pull you away from looking at instagrammed pictures of peoples' ballots for too long, though, so here are some of my favorite things right now:

first off, i have to draw attention to the beautiful jewelry of abacus row. each piece is hand-made by my dear friend, christine. her designs are simple, elegant, and eye-catching. this blue bracelet is one of my favorites.

glamour.com

second, kate spade has partnered with keds to release a new line of completely amazing (and comfortable) canvas flats. these won't be coming out in time for christmas (they're due out in february), but i'm obsessed already.

beardowear.ca

speaking of obsessed, i must have these. i'm usually pretty impartial to moustache-themed things, but this is genius and i love it.

wearableplanter.com

and last but not least, i am highly intrigued by this new wearable greenery trend. i like the idea of a lapel pin better than a necklace or earrings, which i feel like would swing around too much. but how great is this? it's a little tiny planter. my only question - hypothetically speaking, say i have the opposite of a green thumb and can pretty much kill plants just by looking at them wrong. how quickly will my lapel plants die? because while wearing live plants is adorable, wearing dead plants is weird and creepy.

okay - i am going back to ignoring facebook and trying to do actual work and not think about the election. bisoux!