Yikes, Spikes!

1. Phone case. 2. Ring. 3. Glitter earrings. 4. Headband.

A little ladylike, yet a little edgy. Just how I like it!

Spectrum: Fuschia

1. Bear. 2. Bright locks. 3. Paper blossoms. 

This bear print by Kris Tate is absolutely epic, right? I've been hanging art on my walls all weekend, and this might have to find its way to my apartment. 

Friday Photo Find: Bella Kotak

1. Balloons. 2. Feathers.

There is a really cool lost-in-the-woods vibe going on in Bella Kotak's photostream. Makes me want to root around in the wooded area near my apartment. One summer I even found a stream & some frogs! 

Gettin' Foxy

1. Wood necklace. 2. Plushie bandits. 3. Pillow. 4. Brooch.

I seem to be on an animal kick lately. But these foxy accessories are too good to pass up. I have no idea what I'd do with a basket full of plushie fox bandits, but who cares?

Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

1. Original floral wallpaper image.

On occasion, I think things are a huge deal when they really aren't that important. So, as a reminder, I made myself an iPhone wallpaper. Guess what? You can download it!

Spectrum: Gray

1. Love seat. 2. Agate necklace. 3. Fab outfit.

It's been so bright, sunny, & hot this past week that I'm sort of wishing it was gray! But, alas, it's not. I'll have to stare at this collage instead & fondly dwell on sweater weather.

Spicy Tempeh Hot Wings

I've been trying to eat a little healthier these days. So, today, for the first time, I cooked tempeh!

Tempeh is basically a funky soy cake hailing from Indonesia that you can find next to the tofu at Whole Foods. It tastes nutty and is apparently pretty versatile. So I decided to make these tempeh hot wings from The Ordinary Vegetarian (served with an anchovy and kale side salad).

Oh man, these were good. And pretty darn easy to make.

Friday Photo Find: Parachutgirl

1. Untitled. 2. Untitled. 

There are a lot of hidden faces in parachutgirl's photostream. Kind of eerie as well as beautiful, don't you think?  

Cookies from Henteco

Hedgehog & raccoon.

These are so freaking adorable I don't think I could possibly eat them! Could you?

And don't worry, What I Want Wednesdays will be up on the blog later. I'm a little behind schedule, as I had to drink mango martinis & eat animal-style fries last night instead of tinkering with Photoshop.

Spectrum: Pink

1. Sparkle sky. 2. Pastel tresses. 3. Velvet bed frame. 4. Feather earrings.

Oh man, how I wish I had pastel hair. And that bed frame. Okay, I'll basically take everything.

Happy Monday, friends!

Weekend Wrap Up

Sundays are my calm days. I like to take care of everything I've put off: laundry, eating Greek yogurt & nectarines, painting portraits of bugs (what?!).

Of course, nothing ever goes according to plan. I ended up taking up taking dictation for my grandfather's editorial on the destructiveness of Brazil nut trees (baffling) for a rebel magazine he and his buddies started to protest the association that runs the old folks' home. (I swear, I couldn't make this stuff up.) Very relaxing indeed.

What unexpected stuff did you do this weekend?

Friday Photo Find: Julia Galdo

1. Untitled. 2. Untitled. 3. Untitled. 

Julia Galdo's photostream is full of awesome. I especially love these desert-y shots — they're super moody & gorgeous.

Happy Friday everyone! Doing anything particularly sweet this weekend?

What I Want Wednesday: Owls

1. Art. 2. Purse. 3. Ring. 4. Cake.

Okay, seriously, aren't owls awesome? I mean, check out these little dudes. I want one. But my cat would probably eat it (if she could catch it, which is unlikely). 

Speaking of eating, I really, really want that cake.

Historical Fiction Fix

I'll have you guys know, I'm an endless source of amusement at 6 a.m. Like, you've never seen anyone as grumpy & bleary-eyed & likely to erupt into a frenzy of half-formed curses as I. (Or at least, that's what I hear from the unfortunate person who had to drag me out of bed yesterday morning in time for a early morning conference call on prescription drug diversion prevention.)

I mean, obviously, I'd rather sleep in. And then wake up around noon to eat an entire platter of salt & pepper squid (favorite thing ever) from Seafood Town. Everyday. But then I'd be jobless & probably very unhealthy. 

So, instead, I'll continue brewing homemade chai tea lattes (saving money by not going to Starbucks: score!), working out like a psycho (I'm telling you, booty barre is the best workout ever), cuddling my cat, & watching crazy historical dramas. 

I've got a historical fiction addiction. I read books almost exclusively from that genre. I love movies & television programs set in far-flung epochs & locales. Here's where I've been getting my fix lately:

1. Borgia. 2. Tamra. 3. Enchantments.

1. Borgia: Faith and Fear. This is the French-German take on the lives of the Borgia clan. I haven't seen the Showtime series, The Borgias, but apparently this one is a lot more violent & risque (hard to believe, right?). My favorite character, by far, is the incredibly conniving but angel-faced Lucrezia Borgia, played by Isolda Dychauk. Isolda was born in Siberia & later moved to Berlin — & her accent is absolutely wild!

2. Tamra, the Island. I just started watching this Korean drama earlier this week & can't get enough! (Drama is probably the wrong word to use, since this is most definitely a comedy.) Tamra, the Island (탐나는도다), is set in the 1600s on what is now called Jeju Island. A shipwrecked Englishman is washed up on shore & rescued by inept abalone diver Beo-jin. Hijinks ensue, obviously. 

If you decide to watch this show, I'll warn you: give it the benefit of the doubt for the first 20 minutes. Tamra, the Island uses some truly awful computer generated imagery. When Beo-jin goes diving, it looks like she's swimming in a screen-saver from Windows 95. Also, the Englishman is inexplicably played by a French-born actor who speaks English with an extremely noticeable accent. However, if you can get past all that & accept this show for the wacky fun time it is, I promise you won't regret it!

3. Enchantments by Kathryn Harrison. This book follows the life of Masha, the daughter of famed Russian mystic Grigori Rasputin, after her father's murder. Masha is sent to live with the family of Tsar Nikolay at the imperial palace & is inevitably placed under house arrest with the royals by the Bolsheviks. The book is beautifully written (although, be warned, it jumps around at times as Masha spins tales for the sickly Romanov heir, Alyosha).

So, what have you been reading & watching lately?

Spectrum: Aqua

1. Backyard sanctuary. 2. Peach & aqua patterns. 3. Aqua chalcedony ring. 4. Sea foam skates.

Hello, friends! I'm trying to step up the blogging over here at Abdicate the Cube, but I'm easily distracted. You know how it is. (Plus, I'm over here teaching myself graphic design as I go, & everything seems to take so dang long!)

Anyway, this is a new weekly column idea called Spectrum. Hopefully I'll be more successful at collecting color inspiration than I have been at collecting cool stuff for What I Want Wednesdays. (Sigh.)

Happy Monday!

On Repeat

 

I swear, I listen to this at least ten times a day. Ane Brun is tops!