so, i'm off to aruba tomorrow morning (5:30am wake up yiiikes) til saturday! hopefully when I get back I will have a tan as dark as chocolate. i'm wondering if this task is even possible considering a: im VERY irish and scandanavian and b: do i really want leather skin when im 50? (sure!) but i am willing to find out all of these answers. it's pretty safe to say that there is a good change i'll be sporting a bangs tanline on my head so that'll be pretty sick. and i'll try my best not to get myself in a natalee hollaway situation.

so goodbye computer, goodbye blackberry, goodbye new Real Housewives of NJ episode on tuesday, i will see you on saturday.

these ads for Oliver People's 09 collection are so cute. i want to copy her life? single white female. jk~

new guys

just updated the shop with some new creations for summmmmer! check them out. more to come in the upcoming weeks.

http://eighty8clothing.etsy.com/

Vena Cava and Alexander Wang collabarated with GAP this summer for their CFDA collection. Their lines debut on June 16th. Very excited for it, although I must admit to you as a former Gap employee..I'd wait until the items go on sale because last year I grabbed two CFDA Phillip Lim tops for under $25 (with my discount, it was even less) at the end of July. Anyone who buys Gap items that arent on sale are crazy because every Thursday things are marked down at great prices. I'm sure you know that already though. Something tells me that these items may not last til around July so maybe I'm contradicting myself. I love Vena Cava!

photo credit

the other day I took a couple photos of my workbench that is now finished. I'm all settled in my little space and have started working on a number of things that I will add to the shop this week. let's just say there will be more than just jewelry!

in other news, i think i'm finally ready for the hot weather to get here. next week i'm going to aruba and i cannot wait to become a human with pigment in their skin and not a ghost figure. also, i think i'm starting to get into shoes, thus neglecting my "old lady who lived in one pair of shoes" phase (ahem..black target flats that I literally wore to it's gruesome hole-stench-filled death), maybe there's just something about summer shoes. i don't know. but i do know that marshalls & urban outfitters really served me right today as far as gladiator/studded shoes go. just sayiiiiiiin. anyway, the past couple days have been pretty melancholy and disappointing and i need to snap out of this.

gossip girl series finale tonight, however? come on ..how good. the basstard finally said it! and is it just me or did Serena look pregnant the whole time? O_o (yes i just did the "web confused eyes" face)

fred flare was one of the first shopping websites that I came across when I was like, in 8th grade/early high school and fell in love. It's so ..well, adorable, affordable and they carry items for just about everyone. The general feel is 'cute' but I really feel like anyone with any style could find something to fall in love with at Fred Flare. Lately, i'm really feelin' all the gladiator style sandals for only $28. It's also not overwhelming with so many products that you don't even know where to start like so many other online shops. I have the FredBlog on my google reader which always makes me smile, because it's filled with everything from celebrity gossip, fashion, personal updates and even gossip girl episode reviews.

however I just watched this video and i actually leaned back in my chair, let out a huge deep breathe at how insanely overstimulating these two guys are. I wanted to just say "ok, relax". It's been about 10 mins since I watched the video and I'm still hallucinating, seeing hologram jumping perfectly groomed gay unicorns made of stardust and imaginary cartoon hearts floating past my eyes. A little too much cute, maybe? Maybe. But hey! That's their schtick and theyre doing a damn good job. I support it.

I remember I sent an email a few months back to possibly see if they needed interns, but I don't know if i'm the perfect FredFlare intern candidate. I don't think they were too into it, so they never replied. Perhaps they felt my pessimism and all black outfit through their computer screen, shrieked and x-ed it out before the marshmellows in their dream hot coco melted.

So from tiny web store filled with happy and adorable items, all the way to their own store in Brooklyn, FredFlare is probably going to be huge soon. I cannot wait to go to the store this summer! Infact, I just recieved information that they are having a sample sale today so if you're there go! I wish i could. Every boring, classic outfit needs a little color and especially if you're young, you might as well throw in a little cutesy while you can.

Above are my favorite items!

also: i've been on a non stop Wilco and Built to Spill kick everytime i'm down in this basement. It's what gets me goin'. GOD i need to spice up my music life, but sometimes repetition is fine, ok? For instance, as soon as I sit down to work on my stuff, I need to have this, this or this going. I reccomend you try any of the three. BYE.

eeeeee

okay. so this is the deal. From now until Monday (may 18th!), there is free shipping on all headbands! Also, with every purchase of any item in the store (with or without the shipping fee.) there will be a free suprise pair of earrings in with the package. So come on by!

http://eighty8clothing.etsy.com/

:) ps: that is my new logo all the way at the top! my brother tim designed it. check out his website Cool Material!

one of my favorite magazines, Domino, folded a couple of months ago. Luckily, my library at home is so good (for CDs, DVDs, magazines..oh yeah and books), I picked up a bunch of Domino issues to have one last look at them. I came across the November 2008 issue with J.Crew creative director Jenna Lyons on the cover. I really love reading about her because not only is her job so cool, she really transformed things for J.Crew. Her use of colors and still the same 'classic' J.Crew look but mixed with a bit of quirk really is inspiring. She's always complaining about being too tall and awkward which I like because most of the time, these head honcho fashion bitches never admit they have a flaw.

I've gotten back into the swing of things with Eighty8, and i'm currently in my little 'studio' working on some things. i've made a couple new necklaces and i've started sketching ideas for my vintage dresses that i've collected. So keep checking in the shop! i'll be updating soon. AND i'm ordering business cards & a notepad with my new logo that my brother designed, so i'm really excited.

Oh, and summer has only been one week long so far and i already love it. the fog has been lifted and life feels so good. I'm so happy? Glad that phase is over (and by phase I mean the last 8 months)

The photos above are from Jenna Lyons' May picks. Get a better view of them here. I especially love the mustard color in the jacket, the floral flats & the beautiful pink bag. Maybe i'll go to J.Crew once I hit the jackp0t, cause let's admit..it's still pretty expensive.

it has suddenly become really windy out, and my two windows in my room are open so the wind is blowin' all over. it's reminding me of the part in Little Women when Beth dies and the wind blows through as an ominous sign, which is freaking me out but also making me want to dust off that classic VHS. favorite childhood movie.

okay anyway. i've been a stalker girl reading all of these interviews on paper mag's website. it reminds me of my favorite part of each Vanity Fair issue, called "my favorite things" i believe. It's basically just an interview asking people different questions regarding their 'favorites'. i think they are so interesting, so this section of paper's website has really kept me occupied. of course i decided to do my own, because hey, why the hell not.

you do one too, if you're readin this!

THE BASICS

Name: sarah

Age: 20!

Location: New Jersey

Chosen occupation: student & eighty8 person

Best spring of my life: hm i'd say when i was a junior in high school.

SARAH'S SPRING PICKS

Park for picnicking: i'm just going to say Deepcut Gardens in Middletown, not for picnicking really but for cutting class in high school and for beautiful days.

Massage: that's a funny rich joke

Haircut: salon concrete in red bank, or my mom

Upcoming Event: just summmmer.

Upcoming exhibition: this is another funny rich joke

Outdoor café: this tiny lunch place on river road in fair haven. i forget the name. it's perfect to sit outside and they have good sandwiches and iced coconut coffee.

Springtime cocktail: something fruity, like sangria. or basically anything that I am given.

Staycation hotel: lol wut

Spring flower: peonies!

SARAH's SPRING ESSENTIALS (lolol)

Jeans: target..? sorry world.

Soap: philosophy's amazing grace

Shampoo: Dove energizing shampoo ( i don't know why my hair needs energy, i'm a sucker for pretty packaging. it's fine)

Moisturizer: Soap & Glory moisturizing lotion for hands/body. smells so good.

Springtime Fragrance: either white musk (i'm 90) or lolita lepicka like always.

Springtime Candle: i don't really light candles, mainly because a: i can't light a lighter and b: fire scares me. c: i don't have any cool springy ones. i will add this to my to-do list though.

Stationery: alright come on let's not push it

New episodes of: hmm...The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Spring escape: honestly, i just love sitting on my bed reading/listening to music with the windows wide open and the breeze blowin'. it's a very nice feeling. also, riverside gardens in red bank.

one of my dreams in life is to produce a line of handbags or at least become an insane handbag hoarder. so insane that Oprah has to feature me on her show as the "strange woman who has various rooms piled to the ceiling with handbags" and Dr. Oz has to talk some sense into me. I'm not sure why Dr. Oz would be doing this task since it wouldn't be a medical problem, but he'll be there anyway, wearing his scrubs.

So when I see independent handbag designers on Etsy, i get so excited for them and also jealous. I came across valhalla brooklyn recently and have been continuously going back to their shop to look at all of the bags and drool at them. All of the bags have a pretty simple aesthetic but when you look closely, they are unique in their shape and appear to be so smooth and..can I use the word luscious? okay I'm using it.

One of my favorite parts to the bags is the fact that when you open them, you're not greeted with a blah-boring-dull inside. The interior is a treat by itself, lined with beautiful floral, patterned, or plaid fabric. So when you search endlessly for your keys/cell phone/chap stick amongst all of your crap, you can see a beautiful sight and not just a big black abyss.

If you're thinking like I am, when and if you have some $ $ $$ to spare and need a new bag, stop by valhalla brooklyn.

i just watched Grey Gardens and it made me so nervous but also envious of their old crazy people trinkets & wardrobe. But not envious of wasted life & tons of trash in my home. It was good though. I will forever love Drew Barrymore.

Two years ago when I was on a trip to Paris, I read her autobiography that she wrote when she was like, 15 (such a sophisticated & classy european read. duh) and I now feel like I know her personally. That's what happens when I read autobiographies. I feel like I'm the only person that really knows them and when I see photos of the person, it's like "oh there's _____, havent seen them in a while they look good. they better not forget I'm the only one who knows about that cocaine binge in Malibu in the late 80's!"

If I could write a letter to the past two years in college, i'm not quite sure what i'd say. I know I wouldnt have known what to say or what to even consider writing if I was heading back to the same place in the fall, but today I had to close a huge chapter. I said goodbye to the streets, walls, and faces that filled my everyday during the past two school years, knowing that there's a huge chance i'd never see a lot of it ever again. I hate goodbyes.

Today I drove away from my 'old life', watching in the rearview mirror as my friends stood in the middle of the street waving goodbye like some sort of cheesy movie, but we'll all meet again soon. Instantly as I drove away from streets and buildings filled with memories, all of the negative feelings that filled my head about that place went away and they were replaced with the relieving feeling of "okay, overall that was a good experience." I think i shed as many tears as one possibly could over something that they know is the right choice for them, but change is both scary but freeing. I just kept driving, crying but smiling because it's like "yes! i did it!" but also "fuck! i did it... now what?".

I feel like i'm waiting to get on a rollercoaster at a theme park. Anxious, nervous, excited, hyper, ya know..all of that shit.

So to everyone that I've met, thank you for whatever it is that you contributed to my life there. Some more than others. Some more positive than others. All in all = educational. And no, Christian Marriage class, i aint' talkin' about you.

Everyone (meaning the 4 people that i'll keep in touch with) better keep me updated on all my favorite Wilkes-Barre things like crazies on the square, curry donut's, any type of crime & also teen pregnancy/fires. thank you.

lykke li

i've fallen under Lykke Li's Swedish spell. I think I listened to her 90% of the time I was in Europe for a week straight in February and here I am in May, still am not sick of her. Not only is her music so fun to listen to, her style is great.

Her entire "Youth Novels" album is wonderful but my particular favorites are "Breaking it Up" and "Dance Dance Dance". Also, she collaborated with N.A.S.A and other favorites Kanye West & Santogold for this song which is so good. I'm awful at writing music reviews because I often can't put my feelings into words, but I can tell you i love a good beat and my lord there are good beats goin on all around with Lykke Li. So, GO LISTEN.

ps: it should say by lykke li but it doesnt. damn imeem. just trust me.

what the fuck happened to MTV? it has become literally one of the worst stations on TV. where is the music? actually, i don't care because whatever music they do play on there sucks anyway. Each and every show is completely awful and not funny. Even True Life is shot to shit.

Currently, "Cribs: Teen Version" or whatever is on. what? It's basically Cribs but for nobody bratty boring teenagers who have rich parents and nice houses. So they come on the show and present to the world what they (their parents) have, which is usually lots of rooms, a chef, a golf course in the backyard and a room filled with blonde haired ponies wearing Swarovski crystal underwear (i made it up). The parents always make a cameo, and it's usually the dad sitting in a huge chair with a "im the king of the castle" face on, saying something like "Anything for my princess/prince!". barf. The kid on right now has a 50's diner in his basement, which makes me wanna roll my eyes yet my inner 10 year old with a poodle skirt and milkshake obsession is telling me to be jealous.

The Hills, College Life, The City, Rob & Big, A Shot At Love, Room Raiders, Parental Control..blah blah blah. All the worst things I have ever seen. MTV needs to shape up, or just disintegrate. Along with Eminem. Why is he relevant again?

On another note, someone that sounds like the "Let me tell you something about my family, we are as thick as thieves" NJ Real Housewife just left a voicemail on my cell phone mistaking me for "Melissa". I have to go.

tonight i'm gonna rest...

Fact: I'd rather lay in a pile of fire having a conversation about American Idol with a chunk of coal for the rest of my life than deal with another crazy, maniacal, lying male.

JUST SAYIN.

In more important news, I came across photos of Paul Banks and decided to post them with one of my favorite Interpol songs. Goodnight & thank god this week is about to begin and the one that just happened is ending. Thank sweet lawd.

photos above are - Paul Banks from Interpol. He shouldn't go fuck himself. He loves smoking cigs and having a sexy voice.

alright, i came across this video tonight. let me start off by saying i love joanna newsom's music when i'm in the mood for it. i can't even fathom how she comes up with her lyrics & how she composes her songs. they are just beautiful, of course weird, but clearly beautiful.

in this video, and pretty much every other video i've seen where she's talking, she is like the girl in class in elementary school who loved horses, but not riding them like cool equestrian girls. just dreaming about them, and drawing them. she also liked sailor moon & had folders with kittens in haystacks and unicorns diving into rainbow diamond waterfalls. she had tons of cats and a really nice mom with looong hippie hair and no make up who made you eat hummus when you were at the house for playdates. i'm sure i'm missing a couple traits but you get the picture. isnt that what you imagine when you hear her talk?

with all of that said, i found myself nodding and agreeing with every weird statement she said. seahorses do look sad! wild horses don't have owners and hmm..wow thats freeing to think about! mountain goat did you say? i feel like a mountain goat too! YEAH! i've totally heard of them before.

she's so captivating and whimsical when she talks, and it makes you want to slap her and say "STOP!!" but you can't because she's probably just so nice.