If the Shoe Fits, Buy It! Christian Louboutin Bicho peeptoe

Stripes, suede and peeptoe come together perfectly in this delicious Louboutin platform pump.  What a fantastic pair of shoes!  If I bought these, I might even sleep with them the first night, like children do with their most favorite presents.  Just kidding. I wouldn't do that. I think. These are available in a black and grey stripe or a black and cranberry stripe.

Feed Me Now! The Aubrey Rose Tea Room

The Aubrey Rose Tea Room

Location: La Mesa Village

Prices: Moderate

Good for: Christmas tea! If I had a niece, I would bring her here in a second... I can't wait for my goddaughter to be old enough for a fancy tea.

Pros: Wonderful service, cozy shabby chic setting, great food and tea.

Cons: You will leave with copious amounts of liquid sloshing around in your stomach.  Also, though not necessarily a con, be prepared for a 98% female clientele, most of whom are under age 12 or over age 65.

Ratings and Recommendations:

9/10 - The Queen Victoria Tea - this is an all-inclusive tea option that includes 5 tea-sized courses. I was slightly skeptical about the portion sizes because (1) I am a huge pig, and (2) this is America, so bigger = better. However, I was perfectly stuffed and sated at the end of teatime. I understand that the menu changes each week, so this was the Queen Victoria special that we enjoyed:

• Mini tasting cup of eggnog
• Delicious cauliflower soup with paprika, and a wee cheesy walnut tart with a bite of Granny Smith apple
• Assorted tea sandwiches and savories - cucumber, watercress, cheese, sundried tomato, chicken salad
• Fresh fruit
• Assorted tea desserts - tiramisu bite, pistachio macaroon, cinnamon twist, and mini bread pudding with whiskey sauce
• Freshly baked currant scones with lemon curd, berry jam, and clotted cream
• Plus, lots of TEA!!  We tasted the Christmas Blend, the Buccaneer, and the Blue Mountain (my favorite!)

Notes: Be sure to check out the items for sale around the tea room after you are stuffed. You are likely to find something you want to buy, even if it is just a package of some of the delicious tea you just consumed.
 

Big thanks to my brilliant friend AGB, Esq. for setting this lovely tea up for us!

Throwback - Fashion Faces

OMG this was one of my all-time favorite toys. Ever. Did anyone else have Fashion Faces? I was the only one among my friends to have it, so I'm not sure how popular it was.

You would open the bottom compartment and select your desired face and hair plates, then you would place them on the mirrored surface and cover them with paper. After rubbing a crayon over the top, you would have a gorgeous, model-esque face to work with. I clearly remember, to this day, that my favorite hair-did was a big Texas-style set of Delta Burke Aqua Net curls with little stars nestled throughout.

The very best part, however, was dipping a fancy makeup brush (aka Q-Tip) into the bright blue and purple eyeshadow or the bubblegum pink blush and applying it ever so carefully onto your crayon rubbing, until it resembled a glorious young Tammy Faye Baker (RIP).

I'm not remotely kidding when I say I loved this toy. If anyone is interested in obtaining my eternal gratitude and endearing themselves to me, find me one of these bad boys on eBay.

WTF? Gummy oddities

I am a huge fan of gummy bears.  I also like gummy worms, peach rings, Sour Patch Kids, and other assorted gummy treats.  However, there is a whole world of gummy confections into which I have not yet ventured... I guess I like my gummy candy more on the "cute" side. I maintain that just because we can form a gummy treat into the shape of a repulsive arachnid, it doesn't mean we should.

Gummy brains:

Gummy tarantula:

Gummy teeth:

Side note: When I searched for "gummy teeth," lots of pictures of Miley Cyrus popped up. Google, you bitch.

Gummy fried eggs:

Gummy maggots:

I know there is also gummy genitalia, but for some reason that doesn't bother me. I guess I'm cool like that.

Take Your Pick! Hostess Donettes

Which is your favorite flavor of Donettes?

ChocolateCrumbPowdered sugarAll of themThose things are gross

pollcode.com free polls

Music Monday - Part i

I was so busy finishing law school and working full time that I went on an iPod hiatus of 1.5 years!  Seriously - I did no downloading, no syncing, no spending of entire paychecks on iTunes for a full 18 months... and today I jumped off that sad, music-less wagon!

It is a rather long story (which need not be rehashed, lest my head iExplode), but due to equipment and backup malfunctions, I am in the process of restarting my music library entirely from scratch on a new iPod.  I'm looking at this as an opportunity to start anew and create an amalgamation of songs I genuinely love. Just for fun, I thought I would share the first 10 songs I purchased today - the beginnings of my fledgling library:

1. The Animals - House of the Rising Sun
2. Jackson Browne - Somebody's Baby
3. Four80East - Roll On
4. Adele - Chasing Pavements
5. Lucio Battisti - Acqua Azzurra, Acqua Chiara
6. Yvonne Elliman - If I Can't Have You
7. Warren G - This DJ
8. Counting Crows - Mr. Jones
9. Average White Band - Pick Up the Pieces
10. Gladys Knight - Midnight Train to Georgia

Why did I pick these 10 songs?  Because I could pretty much listen to them all day... and might have to, if I don't get cracking on my new music collection!

If anyone has suggestions of songs I shouldn't miss out on, please leave me a comment. What would you pick as one of your first 10 song purchases?

Retail Therapy - Artwork by Sylvia Ji

Sylvia Ji, an artist based in Southern California, creates stunning paintings of the female form - often with shockingly gorgeous Dia de los Muertos styling.

Though her work may be a little too macabre or risque for some people, the bold colors and dark figures are simply beautiful to me.

I wish I could afford a Sylvia Ji original, but alas, food and shelter are unfortunately taking precedence at the moment... at this point, I would be lucky to afford one of her limited edition prints.