Pinteresting...

According to a Strengthsfinder tests, one of my strengths is “Input.” Here’s the description for quite a nondescript strength:

You are inquisitive. You collect things. You might collect information, words, facts, books, and quotations, or you might collect tangible objects such as butterflies, baseball cards, porcelain dolls, or sepia photographs. Whatever you collect, you collect it because it interests you. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity. If you read a great deal, it is not necessarily to refine your theories but, rather, to add more information to your archives. If you like to travel, it is because each new location offers novel artifacts and facts. These can be acquired and then stored away. Why are they worth storing? At the time of storing it is often hard to say exactly when or why you might need them, but who knows when they might become useful? With all those possible uses in mind, you really don’t feel comfortable throwing anything away. So you keep acquiring and compiling and filing stuff away. It’s interesting. It keeps your mind fresh. And perhaps one day some of it will prove valuable.

This, in a nutshell, is completely, wholly, and entirely accurate as it applies to me—it explains my desire to see the world, go to museums, read books, find quotes…I want to know the why’s, who’s, and how’s of the world. It also, incidentally, provides pretty sound reasoning to legitimize the lifestyle of every hoarder. (I am not a hoarder. I am a collector. Of important ideas! Of things wonderful and valuable and necessary!)

And I think this might help you understand why I am so completely obsessed with a little website called Pinterest. Pinterest provides virtual pinboards on which to link (er, “pin”) whatever my little heart desires. With Pinterest, I can…

find amazing recipes that I have every intention of trying out (someday…), like these roasted pumpkin cupcakes with Mexican chocolate buttercream frosting.
I can find ideas for all of the fabulous parties that I intend on being famous for and throwing regularly in the future, like a Jane Austen-themed soiree.
I can link to instructions for unbelievable hairstyles that I’m waiting to try once my hair grows out, like this hair bow. (Unreal, right?!)

I can find inspiration for interior décor so that I can style my future Baroque castle in the opulent style that I plan to live in.

And, of course, I can start planning the vibe and organization of my future personal library.

But seriously, Pinterest is extremely useful. Although I am not a gourmet chef, interior designer, party planner, wedding coordinator, or crafty mom, I could be. I’ve actually gotten a lot of fashion ideas and inspired thoughts from the words, photos, and art I’ve found. And the great thing is, I don’t have to ever throw any of it away…cat carcasses and rodent feces will not be found in the bowels of my collections. They’re all safely organized on my virtual pinboards…on Pinterest.

If you’d like to see my pins, you can find them at www.pinterest.com/lisabirle.

Toile That

Toile always captures my attention when I’m out and about….on dishes, wrapping paper, clothing, whatever…I’m in love with it.

Toile (pronounced “twahl,” not “toil” like I’ve been calling it forever) means cloth or web in French. It refers to fabric depicting complex little pastoral scenes. These scenes are meaningful, bucolic, and beautiful. From a distance, the aesthetic seems lacy and feminine and delicate; up close, the detailed scenes tell whimsical stories. Although toile has been around for centuries, it also looks so smart and modern. Someday I would like to dedicate a room in my house to toile...

Yummy Treats

My sweet tooth is the bane of my existence. Never is my self-control at its lowest than when I’m confronted with a box of Tagalongs (or whatever they’re called these days), taunted by a dessert menu that a server nonchalantly stands up on the table with the check, or seduced by the aroma of fresh-baked anything. It’s undeniable…I love dessert.

And these days I can’t seem to escape them! Here’s a rundown of some recent treats that I’ve been, uh, researching for blog purposes…

Casey’s Cupcakes

For those of you who watched MTV’s Laguna Beach (don’t be ashamed…there’s no judgment here), you might remember Casey Reinhardt from season two, a.k.a. “the new girl.” Well, the ever-ambitious Casey has recently opened up her own cupcake shop in Laguna Beach. But don’t let the overly decorated cakes, pink receipt paper, and cute bows in the employees’ hair woo you—these cupcakes are good (because, like, they’re cupcakes), but they’re not delicious. And if you’re paying $3.50 for a cupcake, it’s got to be delicious. Am I right? Stick with Sprinkles. I want the best for you.

Starbucks’ Petite Treats

To celebrate their 40th anniversary, Starbucks recently introduced a smattering of bite-size treats, including mini-cupcakes (delicious), cake pops (love!), lemon bars (boring), and other tiny treats, all under 200 calories and $1.50 each. The fact that this stuff is so stinkin cute and easy on the waistline and wallet make them very enjoyable. I mean…pink frosted cake on a lollipop stick? I love everything about these new diminutive delights.

Le Napoleon Patisserie

This little French café at the Irvine Spectrum is outrageously overpriced, so sometimes I just walk in and stare at the pretty rows of macaroons and don’t buy anything (I told this to my boyfriend, and he said that was the saddest thing he’s ever heard and reminded him of A Little Princess. Haha.). Anyway, the focus here is on the macaroons. They are incredible. They are the prettiest bright colors and perfect delicate texture. My favorite flavors are earl grey, rose, and passion fruit. Eating a rose macaroon is like eating the most perfect, delicious flower your mind could ever imagine. Their $1.95 price tag encourages you to eat them slowly and savor every crumb. I really do feel like a little princess when I eat these…they are so frivolous and French and fancy.

“And it melts, God forgive me, it melts ever so slowly on your tongue, and tortures you with pleasure.” --Yvette from Chocolat

Now..make good dessert choices, and happy researching…

She's So Heavy

Boyfriend got me a typewriter for Christmas. I died.

When I saw the giant box, I had no idea what it was. When I felt how heavy it was, I really had no idea. "So...not jewelry?" I thought to myself.

On one of our earliest dates at the Orange Circle, we got gelato and walked around the antique shops. There was a typewriter in one of the stores and I told him how much I would love to have one someday. I completely forgot I told him this.

But he didn't. He went to a bunch of different antique stores, looked for the best one (not an electric one, obvs, and preferably one that worked), and found this treasure. A few of the keys didn't work...he fixed them...he bought a new ribbon for it...he cleaned it up.

It's so beautiful. It's from the 30's or 40's. It works great. Its keys clack clack clack away and it has that sweet ping when I type to the end of the line. It even smells good.

It might be the best present I've ever gotten.

A Sweet Gift

My friend Nicole, for no reason at all, bought me a beautiful quill pen made with a fancy peacock feather and an inkwell.

"Every good writer needs a quill pen," she told me.

My heart exploded a little bit when she said that.

I'm thankful for my dear friend.

What Dreams May Come...

I found this bedding at Anthropologie. It's printed with collages of handwritten love notes and letters dating back to the early 1900’s that were found in a hatbox in a vintage shop in Brooklyn.

You know how much I love handwritten notes and correspondence...right? How much paper and any form of the written word romances my soul? Like, we've been over this? You know how much I love sloppy scripts and precise penmanship? Smeared ink and crossed out spelling errors and postage stamps?

Okay. Good. So now that that's established, would you please buy this bedding for me?

I sure would enjoy resting my dreams on a slew of love letters every night...

Letters of Note

I had read about a book that was released earlier this year called Other People's Rejection Letters, a compilation of, yep, people's rejection letters. I haven't read it myself, but it includes everything from Jimi Hendrix's rejection letter from the Army to a kid's note to his parents: "I hate you. I'm running away." Sounds like an entertaining book, and a good read for anyone who's ever felt devastatingly rejected!

Anyway, a bit of internet searching for famous letters led me to an incredible website that I just can't stop reading. It's called Letters of Note: Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience.

The site is an online collection of famous, important, tragic, and sometimes just darn funny postcards, faxes, memos, letters, and notes. There are actual scanned photographs of the correspondence as well as typed up transcriptions so they are easy to read.

Some of the many letters I looked over today included a note from Conan O'Brien to a girl who asked him to her senior prom (he couldn't go but was kind enough to write back!), a letter from Christa McAuliffe to a young fan about how excited she was to be the first teacher in space (she and her entire crew perished when The Challenger exploded 73 seconds after take-off), and a fascinating note to Marlon Brando from Jack Kerouac, trying to convince him to star as Dean Moriarty in the movie On the Road...which has still never been made into a movie. Could you imagine Marlon Brando as Dean? Oh, gosh!

I love letters, notes, and handwriting. A couple of years ago I went to the British Library in London and got to see Jane Austen's letters (I wish I had her handwriting), Captain Cook's journal, Handel's handwritten Messiah, and Beatles lyrics. They were so delicate and beautiful.

It's easy for us to see handwritten stuff as archaic and disposable, which makes me sad; letter writing has become a lost art. Letters are so personal and intimate. I feel like I shouldn't be reading some of these letters online, letters that were meant for a single person to read. But now they are historic documents that give insight into people's thoughts, motives, relationships, and personalities. They are just fascinating to me!!

Check some of them out on Letters of Note!

Rhino What I Mean?

As you read earlier this year, something on my 2010 FUNgenda was to make my way to the San Diego Zoo. I had not been to the zoo since I was twelve, so a visit was well overdue (over-zoo?). But...there was a more specific reason I wanted to visit: I wanted to see the ugly beast that is the rhinoceros.

Rhinoceros, your hide looks all undone.
You do not take my fancy in the least:
You have a horn where other brutes have none:
Rhinoceros, you are an ugly beast.

--Hilaire Belloc in The Bad Child's Book of Beasts (1906)

In 2007, the Getty Center held a magnificent menagerie of an exhibit consisting of beautiful paintings of exotic animals created by the French artist Jean-Baptiste Oudry. My favorite painting in the exhibit was a life-sized portrait (fifteen by ten feet!) of an Indian rhinoceros named Clara. This painting was so amazing that I actually went back to the Getty before the exhibit left just to see Clara again. She swept me off my feet!

Clara really existed and was one of the rarest and most lucrative animals to have ever been displayed in Europe. She was brought by a Dutch sea captain and together they traveled all over 18th-century Europe for twenty years; her display in front of everyone from kings to peasants forever changed the way that people imagined the rhinoceros. Until Clara, many people even doubted the very existence of rhinos--from the 3rd to 16th centuries AD, no rhino had been seen on European soil.

In a world of zoos, TVs, and the Internet, it's hard to imagine the impact that seeing a real rhinoceros back then had on Clara's visitors. But I tried to have that mindset when I was at the zoo on Saturday. We have no real sense that a living species would ever remain a mystery to us. If we failed to see an animal at the zoo, it wouldn't be a huge deal. But when Clara stopped in a little European town, she offered people the only chance they would ever have to see a rhino.

Three years after learning about Clara, I couldn't wait to see the Indian rhinos at the zoo on Saturday, two brothers named Soman and Surat. They were doing what I would do on a Saturday at noon if I had nothing else to do--laying around, looking cute. Oh man, I was so happy to see them. I got myself a little souvenir, too! (His name is Pete.)

My other favorite animals of the day were the baby panda, lions, tigers, giraffes, and elephants. I don't know if you've been to the San Diego Zoo recently, but it was so much fun!

Bye, Soman and Surat!

California Love

Forget resolutions...I'm making a FUNgenda for 2010. I'll probably be keeping travels pretty domestic this year, which is fine; there are so many things to do in Orange County, Los Angeles, San Diego, etc. So, I decided to make a list of fun things to do in 2010. Here's the short list:

Visit more museums. I've been to the "biggies" but there are still many museums that need exploring...MOCA in L.A., the Bowers Museum (they currently have a collection of gold and jewelry from Troy!), and the Laguna Art Museum are just a few I want to visit.

See (and read) more plays. Yes, I see many musicals, but there will be several Pulitzer Prize-winning plays showing locally in 2010, including Fences and Crimes of the Heart, and I want to get some cheap seats to see them. Some of the best writing I've ever read has been in play form. I'm excited to explore this new literary realm.

Re-enact the knife fight from Rebel Without a Cause at the Griffith Observatory. Just kidding. I might just quote a line or two from the movie instead. I've never been!

Get a hot dog at Pink's in Hollywood. They have vegetarian selections. I already checked online. And then maybe drive down to Venice, rent a beach cruiser, and ride up to the Santa Monica Pier.

Find some really good used bookstores. I'm getting a little sick of Barnes and Noble, plus used books are cheaper, and sometimes they smell so good. I also want to find an old typewriter.

Take a cooking class with Sam the Cooking Guy in San Diego. My dad and I love Sam's shows, so we've decided to take a class next year. It'll be like watching the show, only we can eat everything being made!

Speaking of San Diego, I'd also like to go to Petco Field to see a Padres game. I can't believe I've never been. This is a top priority for 2010.

Visit the Westwood Memorial Park and Hollywood Forever Cemetery. (Is that weird?)

Visit Salvation Mountain, kitsch at its finest. Huell Howser has convinced me that it's worth the trip! I'd love to chat with/interview its creator, Leonard Knight. I think it would be a memorable outing.

Go to Knott's Berry Farm and the San Diego Zoo; I haven't been to either place in over a decade.

Take pictures in front of the Chiat/Day Advertising Agency in L.A. and the Hollywood sign...I'm willing to drive through obscure L.A. neighborhoods and even hike for a perfectly framed shot...whatever it takes.

Visit the Bradbury Building in downtown L.A. where the last scene from 500 Days of Summer was filmed...it's gorgeous!

Anyone want to join me on my adventures?

2010 is going to be a fun year...let's fall in love with California.

Mad for Magazines

Contrary to what my roommates (a.k.a. my parents) might say, my room isn’t that messy. What really creates the clutter is the scattered magazines all over the floor and haphazard stacks of periodicals everywhere. If those towers of magazines toppled over, they could smother me to death. I subscribe to a ton of magazines, and they pile up fast, especially since some of them arrive in my mailbox weekly.

The only problem with my love of magazines is the pileup. When the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly or InStyle comes in, rarely does the last issue hit the trash. I can’t ever just throw a magazine away. I always, always have to flip through it one more time before I throw it away, no matter how old it is. It’s quite a consuming task…

I have to tear out the pages with beautiful photos for that huge collage I’m planning on making someday, check out the movie reviews for films I’ll never see, rip out the recipes that I’ll probably never try, and re-read the interviews and articles about people I don’t know or even really care about. I also usually have a notepad by my side, to write down things like “visit Palihouse Hotel in West Hollywood,” “go to papercupdesign.com,” “add Trueblood to Netflix,” or “look up ‘erudite.’” I can’t just throw away the tips, pics, and info!

Magazines are so much fun. There’s one for every interest and demographic! I love the fashion ads, smelling the perfume samples, punny article titles, and the glossy pages. I definitely get the most out of my subscriptions.

What are your favorite magazines?

Check it Twice!

My birthday's in exactly one month, and Christmas isn't long after that! So I thought I'd provide you with a gift guide, not only to ensure that I get what I want, but, more importantly, to help make your shopping experience easier.

Here's what I really need:

Opera glasses. These are so cute and much more dainty and practical than lugging my dad's binoculars to the theater.

Gossip Girl season 2. Even better than season 1, this show is so dramatic and ridiculous...and I can't get enough. I love the aesthetics of the show--the clothes, the architecture, the New York landscape. Add a stellar cast and well-written dialogue, and you have the ingredients for a great show. "Sew much to do necklace"--I mean, it's a sewing machine. On a necklace. Why wouldn't you want this? It's just sew cute...
J'adore by Dior--This isn't even a new scent, but I just discovered it last month. When I first smelled this perfume on a friend, I wanted to nuzzle my face into her neck. It's scrumptious!
Novel Destinations--the perfect gift for bibliophiles who love traveling, this is a guide to over 500 literary sites across America and Europe.
Starbucks gift cards--easy and practical.

What do you want for Christmas?

Inspired Kookiness

I ran into my sweet friend JP the other day and couldn't get over how awesome her sewing machine charm necklace was. (Nice work, David.) The necklace is from the website Eclectic Eccentricity Jewellry (yep, with two L's...oh, those Brits.). I love their unique, vintagey, whimsical designs. Here are my favorites...

This necklace is called "Sew Much To Do."

"The Perfect Gentleman."A vintage key necklace. Oh man, I love vintage keys.

Nautical but nice...


Wouldn't these make nice gifts for the holidays? ;-)

Love These T-Shirts!

Found them on www.miltoncarter.com. Random.

Post-Season Predictions

I'm so proud to live in Southern California, home of the division-winning Angels and Dodgers! Although I love the Angels, I am predicting a Dodgers vs. Yankees World Series, and for L.A. to go all the way. Right, Julie?!

(NOTE: My predictions are based on glancing at the standings online for, like, one minute. Just so you know...)

Excited

I am going here on Saturday.

That is all.

Fur Sure

I saw my poor, neglected Uggs in my closet the other day, pushed toward the back wall by a pile of worn-out Rainbows and rubber flippie-floppies that have reigned as go-to footwear for far too long.

I hope my Uggs will not hold a grudge for my disregard. I hope they know how much my feet long for them and are aching to wear them. I hope they understand it's nothing personal...it's not my fault they have been gathering dust in the bowels of my closet.

I hope they know their time is coming soon...

I'm Ready for Fall...and I Want It To Look Like This