Launching a Magazine is Hard Work

Only 12 days until our launch, so you will be seeing very little of me. I didn't have time for Friday Faves and I will try to schedule a post for Money Monday.

If I did have a faves list this week, it would feature Scott Schuman's (aka The Sartorialist) photos for Levi's. I need a chambray shirt like yesterday.

After reading Lauren Conrad's posts for Forbes, I'd also add that. It's a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about brand management.

Speaking of brand management, have you checked out Ruffled Feathers lately?

Design Crush: Office Decor and the Single Girl

I was watching Sex and the Single Girl last weekend and I fell in love with the lead female character's office. It's simple black and white, but the furniture structure takes a classic decorating technique to the next level. When I have my own office one day, it's going to look almost exactly like this.

Style Crush: Grace Kelly

Actress Grace Kelly, or Princess Grace as she was called after marrying the Prince of Monaco, is always shown in gorgeous dresses and dripping in diamonds or pearls. This natural photo of her in menswear shows that she didn't need those things to be beautiful. I love how her inner beauty is really shining through.

Plus, I really like to see women in menswear.

Image found here.

Money Monday: My Budget

After my post last week about the beginning of Money Monday, my friend Yara told me she and her boyfriend use a Google Docs template. I didn't even know they made templates! I tried out a couple and found the best fit for me was Personal Monthly Budget by Vertex42. You just enter your information and it does all the work for you. I hate math, so me and this template became fast friends.

The blacked-out parts are my income. I just didn't feel comfortable broadcasting how much I make. It's odd enough for me tell people my expenses. I did get my first part-time paycheck the other day and my lifestyle is really taking a hit, especially because I'm determined not to touch the little I have in savings.

Details:
I don't have that many expenses, which is nice. My rent is pretty cheap at $480 (including Internet/Cable), but my car payment is high at 360.06. My insurance is $149 because I'm young and I got a ticket for "running a red light" (it was yellow!) a year ago on my way to catch a flight to New York from JAX. I used to pay about $65 a month on a cell phone, but my parents put me on their plan for Christmas last year. The $9 is for my Netflix account. I will change it to an exact number after my first billing cycle with their new rates.

I'm trying not to spend more than $60 a month on gas, which means limiting my out-of-town travel. My grocery budget is $150. I'm not sure how much I usually should be spending on groceries because I don't buy them often (I usually eat out), so I'm going to be a couponing fiend and try to only grocery shop at Wal-Mart (I know they're evil, but the budget demands low prices or starvation). That presents a gas problem since it's about a 20-minute drive from my house.

Next week, I'm thinking coupons. Any good coupon websites I should check out?

Friday Faves

I'd like to be lying in a hammock in the mountains right now as I watch the sunset. But I'm actually editing stories, writing stories and going through pitches for Feather. Oh, and working at my day job. It's actually a lot more fun than it sounds. I think I'll do some work outside of my house next week. My bed proves to be a huge distraction and tricks me into thinking I will do work on it, when I actually fall asleep within 15 minutes.

Yes, I blame the bed. Who else's fault could it be?

Awesome pun!

I can't wait for the new season of this show.

Truth.

Images found here, here, here, here.

You Know You Want Lanvin

Just a joke, of course.

I found that cute photo on Tumblr. But I've been drooling over the real ads for a while. They're actually stills from a video where they made the models dance to Pitbull's I Know You Want Me. The models definitely aren't the best dancers, but it has to be really hard model while doing choreography. The dance moves are actually from the game Dance Central (don't ask me how I know that). I love how Lanvin mixed some fun into their campaign. More brands should do the same.

Some of you may be thinking: didn't you post a video with models earlier this week? I guess I'm just obsessed with the idea of models having a good time at work. After watching a documentary entitled Picture Me, I probably just need to be persuaded their entire career isn't sad.

You can see some campaign photos after the jump.

Song Crush: Maybe I'm Crazy

I'm a huge lover of music covers. My favorites are rock covers of soul songs and vice versa. This Alice Russell cover of Crazy by Gnarls Barkley does really fit either of those categories, but it takes a more soulful approach to the song.

There's an actual performance video she did in a church, but it's so overdone that it ruins the song a bit for me. It should really just be about the emotion.

 

Where My Barbz At?

I had to post this adorable photo of Nicki taken during NYFW.

I don't think my love for Nicki or the fact that I covet Spirit Hoods (FYI: The Feather Fashion Director says they're cool people to work with.) will surprise anyone who reads this blog regularly. But how much I want that Barbie necklace is new information to you.


Image found here.

Strand Dreams

I never go to Strand when I'm in New York because my book addiction would require me to buy a new suitcase just to fit every new purchase. And the fees for the extra weight would be ridiculous.

We have a huge used book sale twice a year in the city where I live and it's only a month away! It got me to thinking about how broke I would be if I had a huge used bookstore at my disposal yearround. This afternoon, I actually found a book I bought at the sale about a year ago that had gotten lost in my bookcase and I realized how much worse it would be because I'd  have stacks of unread books all over my house.

Note to self: don't live in anywhere near Strand when you move to New York.

Images found here, here

Fishtail Braid: A Love Story

A fishtail braid seemed perfect for work today.

How to Wear Jeans

I love My Closet in Sketches. Her drawings have so much personality. This is possibly my favorite sketch of hers because it's really taught me something. It should be required reading for every girl who owns at least one pair of skinny jeans and a pair of shoes.

Empire State of Mind

I've been watching YouTube a lot lately. Basically, I'm becoming one of those people who shows you the funny video before it goes viral. Pretty soon, I'm sure I'll return to be the person who you can't believe saw the "Charlie bit me" video only after her mother showed it to her.

I didn't get this one from YouTube, though. I saw it on Jay-Z's Life + Times. It's a great site with awesome articles, like their profile on Floyd Mayweather, and lots of visual inspiration. I adore this cute video with models, including Victoria's Secret model Selita Ebanks, lip syncing to "Empire State of Mind."

Just another reason I miss New York. 

Harry Potter Quote Typography

In regards to Harry Potter, I'm currently somewhere between mourning the loss of my childhood after the last film and finally joining the Pottermore community. Yes, I haven't done the whole Pottermore thing yet, but that's because I've been busy and I know it will be a huge distraction. It's the same reason I don't sign up for games on Facebook.

Anyway, I saw this typography art on Tumblr and, after some digging (why can't people just give credit?!), I discovered they were created by Priscilla of The Readables. Her blog is really great and I love the way she vlogs book reviews.

Feather has started getting books in to review and we're looking for a books writer, so I think I've just got books on the brain right now.

Money Monday

I've been thinking a lot about my money lately. Two reasons:

• I just went from working full-time all summer to working part-time (3 days/wk) again.
• I want to go to graduate school next fall if I don't have a steady position by then, so I need to start figuring out how to save now because I really want to focus more on interning than working.

I bank with Wells Fargo (I was with Wachovia and they switched, so I had no choice) and they have this awesome Money Map feature that tells you how your money is being spent. I got some shocking results. I spent $452.64 on retail in July. In July and August, I spent a total of $360.27 on restaurants. The past couple of months, I've spent more, $708.22 total, than I've made. I don't even want to talk about how little I have in savings.

Why am I telling you this? Two other reasons:

• I want to discuss finances every week because I'm stepping my game up and I'll be learning a lot more about it. Welcome to Money Monday, guys!
• I hope the possible embarrassment of other people knowing that I suck with money will help me do better.

My next paycheck will be my first with only three days. After that I'll know how much money I'm earning every month and I can make a budget.

Long term, I need to start thinking about life insurance and one day I might have a mortgage. Practice makes perfect, so it's time to start practicing. 

Any tips on how to make the most of my money?

Fashion Envy: Lauren Bacall in "How to Marry a Millionaire"

When I have what Holly Golightly would call "the means reds," I watch How to Marry a Millionaire. Lauren Bacall look absolutely flawless in the film, especially the wedding scene. I also included some screenshots with Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe, who were also dressed to kill.

Going Back-to-School in Style

Back-to-school when I was growing up meant new clothes and new school supplies. In college, I just bought clothes at all times of the year, which I think gave me more flexibility. Instead of having specific outfits that I bought just for that day, I had to work a little harder to create a new look with pieces people had seen before and a couple they hadn't.

As far as first-day fashion goes, these girls on ELLE all rocked it. These are some of my favorites.

Makaila Borgerson from Georgia State University

Lia Keane from University of Southern California

Tina from School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Michelle Grayburn from Belmont University

Yaxuan Wang from Beloit College

Images here.

Friday Faves

What is free time, exactly? I'm starting to forget. I had some for a month and I hated it, but when I don't have it I want it back. The grass is always greener on the other side.

When I got back from Miami, I hit the ground running with magazine stuff (which I also worked on during my vacation) because Ruffled Feathers launched Monday and we're working on our first month of stories. Because I have no time, I went to the gym at 1:15 a.m. The security guard probably thinks I have insomnia or something. Oh, and I have a desk job, so I did that, too.

These are some things that made my week a little easier.

This girl does a seriously awesome King B
impersonation. 

The maps for Fashion's Night Out had a Barbie theme! Gah! Why
wasn't I there?

Almost died laughing at this.

Inspiration for my bedroom redecoration. More on this soon.

I've been watching Lipstick Jungle while I work. I love shows that
portray corporate women. Can't wait to be one someday.

Nike's bringing the fictional "Back to the Future" shoes
to the present for Michael J. Fox's charity! Ahh!! 

Accurate Disney Princess Representations

I love the Disney Princesses. I went to Disney World a couple of years ago and practically attacked Princess Tiana. Then I praised the performer for how awesome her character is. It was not my most mature moment. But I'm ashamed of nothing.

When I saw these representations of what the costumes would look like if Disney didn't just gloss over costume design in their animation, I went back to my short days as a costume design minor in college. The artist looked for clues in the films and historical information to figure out the time periods, so she could create looks that are more realistic.

I did some digging and the artist is Claire Hummel. She's a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and officially one of my favorite people.

Snow White in 1500-1530 German period attire.

Pocahontas in 17th century Powhatan attire.

Cinderella dressed in an 1890s silhouette.

Jasmine in pre-Islamic Middle Eastern clothing.

Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty) in a dress circa 1485.

Arielle in a 1890s dress inspired by her wedding dress from film.

Belle in 1770s French court attire.

For those of you who cannot get over the fact that Aurora wore pink:

Ghandi Fundamentals

Been too busy to post. I leave you with Ghandi's Top 10 Fundamentals. I found it on Tumblr and I have no time to check its accuracy. Regardless, these are good tips for how to live.

Films of the Week: Last Week

I got really caught up with the holiday weekend and wasn't able to post this on Saturday as usual. I meant to schedule it, but there just wasn't time. Oh, well. I'm still Miami, but we're resting at the hotel, so I decided to write this post.

I watched a lot of films last week that I always wanted to see, but hadn't gotten the chance to yet. It was a really good week of film watching.

Friends with Benefits was much better than No Strings Attached because
it focused just as much on the comedy as the romance. The plot also gave
the main characters more depth.

Broken Hll is the typical story of boy meets girl,
girl rejects boy, girl gets boy in legal trouble and
they start a choir at a prison for their community
service project and to help boy get into music
college. It was entertaining enough to do while
I went through pitches.

Of course, I've seen The September Issue. I saw it in theaters and then I
bought it, but it's different watching it after you start a magazine. I'm not
as scary as Anna, but I hope to one day be anywhere near as good.

Prom was so cute it was almost painful, but they slipped in a bad boy story
line to even it all out. Of course, he's really just misunderstood and needs
someone to believe in him. The school's golden girl perhaps?

Interview with the Vampire has been on my Netflix queue for a while, but
I kept holding off on watching until last week. I love how tortured Brad Pitt's
character is by his decision and how delightfully evil both Tom Cruise and
Kirsten Dunst's characters are. It also ended perfectly and I'm so glad they
didn't have a sequel.  

I love Meryl Streep, so I watched Heartburn. It's about a woman who marries
a notorious womanizer and finds out he's cheating when she's pregnant
with their second child. She takes him back, but can't seem to get over his
infidelity. 

Images from here, here, here, here, here, here, here.