she likes cherries

a book, a movie & a song

Happy Friday! I can't wait to dive into the long weekend. Unfortunately it is cold and rainy around here, and the forecast for the next three days is not very promising. But there isn't a more appropriate weather to curl up on the couch with a good book, or a delightful-looking movie, or a feel-good song to brighten up your mood. Who's with me? So let's go!

A book: The Forgotten Garden

My first thought after finishing this novel was: I want to start it again! I enjoyed every second of trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. If you're familiar with Kate Morton, you know what to expect -- a family saga, an old manor house, a mystery from the past. And, what I like most about the author's writing, the non-linear narrative. She is a master of going back and forth in time, giving the reader small peeks on one character's story, only to leave it and start another story, about another character, on a different period. I have no idea how she manages to tie everything together at the end, but she does. The plot here is about a young woman who decides to investigate her grandmother's past after her death. The grandmother, Nell, was placed on a ship to Australia with only a suitcase, when she was little. Nell started to trace her origins, but never had time to fully uncover where she's from, who were her parents, and why did an English girl end up in the other side of the globe without anyone ever looking for her. 

A movie: Marie Antoinette

If you're looking for a historically accurate movie about the famous French monarch, you're better off watching a documentary on the History Channel. But if you're looking for beautiful images, impeccably made dresses and the yummiest sweets ever portrayed on a motion picture, look no further. Sofia Coppola is so great in creating long-lasting dreamy shots and choosing the perfect soundtrack for her tales, and "Marie Antoinette" is no exception.

A song: Island in the Sun - Weezer

The cutest music video ever made? I'd say so. I can't imagine how much fun it would be to roll on grass with those babies! WANT.

collection time: vintage skipper outfits

One of the most prized collections I have is my vintage Skipper outfits. I've been hoarding collecting them for a couple of years now and even though it's not something I touch daily I still get all happy just knowing that some of the greatest doll dresses ever made live inside of a drawer somewhere in the craft room. The outfits date from 1964 to 1976, and it is still baffles me how these pieces look so intact 40+ years later. None of my childhood Barbie outfits survived the passing of time. Thank you all careful little ladies out there!

As most of you know, Skipper is Barbie's little sister. She was created in 1964 apparently to calm down criticism against Barbie's voluptuous figure. Skipper is pre-teen, a smaller and more innocent version of the bombshell doll. But what makes Skipper so much cooler is certainly her wardrobe: she had been given an enourmous amount of outfits, ranging from the sweet-looking girly dress to the totally mod, vibrant color coat. I can easily picture Twiggy wearing Skipper clothes. Hell, I would want to wear Skipper clothes!

The best resource for vintage Skipper outfits is this website. It gives you all the sets, which pieces each one comes with, the name, the id number and the year. I pretty much created a list with the ones I wanted and started stalking eBay for listings. Unfortunately eBay is still the best source for vintage Skipper, as they don't come often on thrift stores or flea markets. At least I have never seen a good Skipper dress during my thrift adventures, but maybe it's because I'm not a very successul or patient thrifter. The convenience of getting stuff online comes with a high price tag though, as these little beauties are highly collectible and last-minute bidding wars are common. 

For more vintage Skipper drooling action, I suggest the following Flickr groups:

* Barbie: Vintage and mod
* Barbie's Skipper: Vintage & mod  '64-'76
* Blythe in Skipper Fashion

wednesday wonderfuls: oxfords

I know, Spring is almost here (thank goodness). But there's still time to celebrate my favorite fashion trend of this Winter. I think it's mandatory to have one good pair of Oxfords in your wardrobe. Or two. Or three. Anyways, these shoes are comfortable, trendy and although they might look a bit austere at first they play really well with colorful outfits. If you need inspiration to snatch up a pair, here are some for you...

1. by Jill Sander, via Zappos.
2. by Robert Clergerie, via Endless.
3. by Michael Kors, via Zappos.
4. by Pour La Victoire, via Endless.
5. by Boutique 9, via Modcloth.
6. by Jeffrey Campbell, via Modcloth.
7. by Jeffrey Campbell, via Norsdtrom.
8. by Jeffrey Campbell, via Nordstrom. 

what's in my bag?

Everyone knows that the content of a woman's bag is a great mystery. We do carry too many stuff around, don't we? Some things are useful, some things are just plain silly. Some things seem a bit over (what's the point in having ten different lip glosses?), while some things are never enough (like tweezers, I wish I had one in each pocket). The everlasting attraction to the content of people's bag can be found in this fun Flickr group, What's in your bag?. From time to time I do my contributions. Here's my latest:

In this picture I have:

- Bag (got it on sale from $289 to $40, score!)
- Pencil case by TheDaintySquid that I use as make-up bag
- Burt's Bees lip gloss
- Lipsticks
- Pocket mirror
- Neutrogena sunblock SPF85
- Natura hand moisturizing
- H&M wet wipes
- SEE eyewear lens wipes
- Mini Daisy perfume
- Pez
- Gums
- Car/apartment keys
- Office badge
- Wallet
- Sunglasses
- Pen and pen cozy by Lorie Marie
- Cellphone
- Notebook

How about you? What's in your bag?

my favorite corner

I can't even tell you how inspired I am by this feature. I just love peeking at people's home decor, and I'm so glad that some of them let us into their houses and apartments! This week's guest is another creative, colorful and dear friend of mine. Carol Grilo lives in beautiful Florianopolis, Brazil, with her husband, Ivan, and her cat, Beterraba ('Beet' in Portuguese!). If Carol is not making magical crafts for her popular handmade brand, Fofysfactory, she is sure enjoying her apartment. I don't blame her!

Carol is an architect, and although she does not work as an architect anymore, her great eye for color, shapes and furniture does show up in her decor. "I always loved a clean, contemporary style, but since I became a full-time crafter it changed to a more colorful, cozy style", she says. Carol loves a good bargain (who doesn't?) and enjoys hunting for used furniture. She usually mixes her finds with objects brought from her trips and other treasures she accumulated over the years.

Are you curious to see Carol's favorite corner? Here it is!

Why did you choose this specific corner as your favorite?
I really like how it turned out. The strong wall color and the piece made out of recycled wood give a nice contrast from the rest of the living room. It's also the first corner that catches visitors' eyes when they come to our place.

What is your favorite object in this space? Where does it come from?
I love the embroidered loops wall hangings I made myself. I chose the fabrics so they would match the living room decor, and I added a wall clock to play with the combo. I change the fabrics from time to time which makes the decor more playful. I also like the globe, from my husband's childhood. I found it at his parents' house and brought it home! My new favorite object though is the antique sewing machine. I've always wanted one.

Which object you would like to have in this corner but still don't have?
A medicine cabined for my toys. I will soon add an antique chair I'm restyling, and more books, and probably more cool objetcs.

If you could change anything in this corner, what would it be?
I would love to change the apartment floor. I'm crazy for hard wood floors, but where I live, in Southern Brazil, it gets cold, so carpet is always the first choice for apartments. Carpet is a lot of work though, specially with our cat.

In your opinion, what makes a corner a favorite corner?
A corner that catches everyone's attention. That carries a story in every object. That has color. We get compliments from whoever comes to the apartment about the wall color, and the embroidery loops, and it makes us happy.

If you'd like to see more of Carol's beautiful creations, please stop by her Flickr page. Thank you Carol, Ivan and Beterraba for letting us into your space!

* * * * * *

Would you like to participate in this feauture? Please drop me a note: shelikescherries[at]gmail[dot]com. I would love to see your favorite corner!

wardrobe remix

Phew, this was a productive Sunday! I also got home late at night after doing something from this list. Here's what I wore:

Dress: Therapy / Leggings: Target / Belt: Target / Boots: Nordstrom rack

Therapy is one of my favorites physical stores to shop for cute dresses and tops on a reasonable price. Lucky enough there is one very very close to my place. :-)

I hope you enjoyed your weekend!

half moon bay

Today we decided to go a bit further than usual for our weekend brunch: Half Moon Bay. I was itchy to see the ocean, and the weather was cooperating. The driving is so pretty!

We had a super healthy brunch...

Ok, so brioche french toast is not healthy. But hey, it's the weekend, right?

The weather was perfect and we enjoyed every second. Here are some shots:

As you can see, I was even able to put my feet in the water! Major yay!

I hope you're enjoying your weekend too.

a book, a movie & a song

Hello there! This week's 'A book, a movie & a song' feature has a theme. Guess what it is? Valentine's Day, of course! Love has been the main subject to an endless amount of works since the beggining of times. Can you imagine art without love? No, right? But I have to tell you that it was very, very hard to narrow down to just three picks. These are my choices, but please share your favorite romantic novel, your favorite date movie and/or your favorite love song over the comments. Let's get inspired!

A book: The Notebook 

Nicholas Sparks' novel has all the ingredients of a great romantic tale: a girl engaged to a powerful attorney relives a teenage dream when a boy from her past comes back to her life. The story starts in 1932 when outcast Noah and belle Allie meet and fall in love, but you know, her conservative and proud parents don't approve and all that stuff. They will only see each other 14 years later, when Noah returns home after serving in WWII. Suddendly Allie sees herself completely torn between the comfortable Southern life her parents want for her and the embrace of her one true (and unweathy) love. Is it cheesy? Yes. Is it predictable? Yes. Will it make you sigh? Yes! Oh, and if you would rather go directly to the motion picture adaptation, the movie released in 2004 is a actually good. I have only two words for you: Ryan Gosling.

A movie: Say Anything

The image of a young John Cusack holding a stereo above his head is iconic. But this is just one of the many sweet moments of my favorite date movie of all times. So if you only know that scene, you should watch the whole thing. It is funny, and tender, and smart, and magical and... I ran out of adjectives. All I know is that Lloyd and Diane will always have a special place in my heart.

A song: No One's Gonna Love You - Band of Horses

It was a challenge to think about just one song for this post, but I've been listening to this one a lot lately and I just adore it.

so many projects, so little time

I took the picture above to illustrate my life's eternal dilemma: I wish I had more time to dedicate to some ideas my mind insists to have. Working full time is hard. When I get home I'm usually tired and sleepy and just want to watch crappy TV shows and snuggle with the kitties. I really have no idea how women work, have children, husbands and pets, update Twitter and Facebook profiles, go to the gym, reclycle their trash and wear pretty camisoles at night. Seriously. If you do all that, you're a super-hero.

But I digress. What I wanted to share today is that not only I have too many unfinished projects around the house, and too many projects on my to-do list, I also tend to go overboard with my ideas. You know when you decide to make something, and you get excited as hell, and you get all the materials and tools you need, and on a glimpse of clarity you realize it is too much to tackle with your craft abilities and the time you have available?

I'll give you an example. Please note that this is totally hypothetical, ok?

Let's say you have been looking high and low for a midcentury inspired/original needlework piece for your living room wall. Let's say the search has been going on for a couple of years and you haven't found it yet because you're picky, and the space where the said piece will hang is long but narrow which makes everything a little more complicated.

But you're crafty and think "what the heck, I might just well make one!". And you start Googling needlework methods and you find one that will give you the exact effect you're looking for. You even draw the design you want. Next you go to Michael's and spend $40.00 on materials, including canvas, embroidery tool, embroidery thread. Then you get home all happy and anxious to start.

Finally you remember one minor detail: you haven't embroidered before. Suddendly you have a ginormous canvas, let's say, 20"x60", and you're clueless how to start the whole damn thing. You open the embroidery tool for the first time and in two seconds you prick your finger with the needle and you bleed. And you start thinking this might not be a good idea after all, but you're too proud to quit at this point. Plus, your husband already saw your plan and is making fun of you.

See what I mean? These never-ending projects suck. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on the needlework thing. Hypothetically. 

wednesday wonderfuls: puppies

Ok, ok... I am a cat person. But how can you resist a dog? I certainly can't . I'm not sure if I could have a dog of my own, but whenever I see one I just go crazy: I play with them, roll on the ground with them, squeeze them and talk to them in silly voices. Dogs are great if you have the time, the patience and the commitment. If you don't, you can do like I do -- drool over pup pics on Flickr! Here are some of my favorites:

(Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8)