weekend warrior

This week just felt all around off. I'm looking forward to a weekend of recharging + also some catching up with an old friend.

Happy March!

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a little bit of luck

Autre Ne Veut - "Play By Play"

I've never really considered myself a lucky person, but over the last couple of years I sure have hit the jackpot in terms of free concert tickets. Granted, I understand that in most instances these shows are having trouble selling + most people that enter to win actually do win. It still is nice though, so it was pretty cool when Schuba's informed me yesterday that I won tickets to see Autre Ne Veut on Saturday. I guess it evens out a bit though because I often find myself buying 2 tickets in order to bribe someone to come along with me to shows they've never heard of before. I'll still take it.

Anyone else a fan of Autre Ne Veut? To be completely candid, I've only really really listened to his music a few times before yesterday. It got a pretty solid 8.5 rating from Pitchfork + I've liked what I've heard so far, so it should make for a decent show.

bringing the outdoors in : camping

Tell me I can pick a vacation + 9 times out of 10 I'll probably gravitate towards a beach someplace. Although it's not usually my top pick, every once in a while I do find myself wanting to get out there with nature + do a little old-fashioned camping. I've got Costa Rica coming up in 2 short months, so I should be just fine, but these views sure do look nice.

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a little bird told me : january

You should follow: @galadarling, @jacquesgreene, @sfgirlbybay, @soundfusemag, @dcurtis, @KirillWasHere, @rstevens, @MatthewHLeach, @UberFacts, @thefoxisblack, & @whimsyandspice

what's your color?

Frank Ocean - "Eyes Like Sky"

I can't wait for the new album. This song is apparently a leftover from Channel Orange, but I'm a big fan.

just leave love alone

The Big Pink - "Velvet" (Mount Kimbie remix)

One of my favorite songs, just a little more strange.

i was there : passion pit

Show: Passion Pit

Matt + Kim

Location: UIC Pavillion

Date: 2.22.13

Favorite Song: Matt + Kim covered Alice DeeJay's "Do You Think You're Better Off Alone?" + it was fantastic.

Memorable Moment: I always hold my breath a little bit as Michael Angelakos performs, but he + the rest of the guys were great + seemed to be having a legit good time on stage. The crowd this night was massive (more than their crowd at Lollapalooza for sure) + they kept the energy up throughout the set. 

Biggest Letdown: The first 30 minutes or so were a nasty reminder of how much I hate stadium shows. I kind of felt like I was at Wrigley Field stuck in one of those seats behind a giant pole. But instead of getting my entertainment from watching drunk bros get kicked out of the ballpark, I was looking for kids sparking up in the crowd below + waiting to see if they'd get caught or not. The night did improve, I just don't like seeing musicians in giant venues after already seeing them multiple times in very intimate spaces. Also, I don't think I'll ever get to hear Passion Pit perform "Cuddle Fuddle" + that makes me sad.

This Show: Made me happy to see Passion Pit + Matt + Kim doing so well for themselves in such a short period of time. They're both great live performers + deserve their success.

smelly things

Back in December a very generous vendor through work gave each person on our team a $200 gift card Saks. I was going to be a good girl + spend it on something I actually really needed, like pots + pans (yes, Saks sells those), but a bit of time has passed + the devil on my shoulder is now convincing me that I should treat myself to a little something something. In my defense, I have been very thrifty lately + can't really remember the last time I really indulged in something that didn't come in the form of food. I also ran out of my regular perfume a few months back so I do kind of need this.

In the past I would never think to splurge on perfume or candles, but I blame the new Diptyque store that popped up on Damen Ave. I haven't actually been in yet, but it looks so pretty + I've read great things online about their scents. I plan to take a little gander in there to lock down on a candle + perfume scent that I like so I can then order online from Saks.

As a bonus, there's a special promo offer with Diptyque at Saks right now -- spend $120 on Diptyque products + get a deluxe size Volutes purse spray + a Pomander mini votive when you enter DIPTIQUE4 at checkout. 

Ps. THIS is what I'm eyeing for my next scent.

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i'm back + i want what is mine

Jai Paul - "BTSTU"

just because

color dipped marshmallows

Why am I suddenly fantasizing about garlands + table decor?

story of my life

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lady friends

Booka Shade - "Charlotte"

I can't wait to see these guys. My life hasn't been the same since I first heard "Night Falls" in 2009.

you're the only image in my mind

Beyonce - "I Miss You" (The xx cover)

A Valentine's Day present from The xx.

to: claude

I've always been such a romantic. For real, though, this is digitally made with lots of love.

snap shots : january

planning out the living room rearrangement. it turned out perfectly. | the saddest christmas tree there ever was + then it got thrown off the balcony | my new 60" inch monster | ice storm in bucktown | it's so rewarding to cross something off a to-do list

spoiled in chicago

So many shows, so little time. We have quite the lineup of acts coming our way over the next few months + it's making me feel, well, conflicted. How do I choose between all of these wonderful options?

2.14 | Joy Orbison | Smart Bar

2.22 | Passion Pit + Matt + Kim | UIC ✓
3.2 | Autre Ne Veut | Schubas ✓

3.6 | Tame Impala | The Vic

3.14 | Scuba | Spy Bar

3.15 | Django Django | Metro

3.19 | STRFKR | Metro

3.21 | Local Natives | The Vic
3.22 | Flume | The Mid
3.23 | Gui Borotto | Palladium

3.23 | Frightened Rabbit | The Riviera

3.28 | Alt-J | Metro

4.1 | Rhye | Schubas

4.2 | Sigur Ros | UIC

4.20 | Bonobo | House of Blues

5.2 | James Blake | Metro

5.3 | Purity Ring | Metro

5.14 | Kurt Vile + the Violators | Lincoln Hall

5.15 | Youth Lagoon | Metro

5.18 | Foals | The Vic
5.19 | The Shins | Aragon Ballroom

5.26 | John Talabot | Lincoln Hall

6.1 | Twin Shadow | Metro
6.8 | Mount Kimbie | Lincoln Hall

I definitely plan to make it to the shows bolded above. I can't make it to James Blake (so upsetting) or Purity Ring because I'll be in Costa Rica. That still leaves a lot of great options. I'm trying to follow my rule of not seeing artists I've seen before (although I'm already cheating with Passion Pit, Local Natives,  + John Talabot) so that makes it a bit easier. Really, the shows I'm leaning towards the most are Scuba, Django Django, Foals, + Twin Shadow.

Thoughts? Any shows I'm missing? Anyone interested in going to any of these?

sleepy inspirations

There are a few things seriously wrong with this room, namely the wall color, but this is about the closest I've seen to my dream bedroom makeover. This is another project that will likely be put on hold until Summer (shocker), but the coloring of the bedding is spot on with what I hope to achieve. The only change is that I'd swap the sheet color to dark grey + the duvet color to white.

I'm kind of loving this $40 duvet from Ikea too. I'll definitely check it out in person next time I'm there. I was actually pretty surprised by how soft most of the bedding at Ikea was, especially when it's all at such a great price.

As for my freakout over furniture color? I think I actually want to go with a nice, natural walnut color. I absolutely love this Mid-Century bed frame from West Elm, but I'm not a huge fan of the matching dresser + side tables. I might have to see those in person too.

I'm really loving this color palette. None of that girly crap...

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serious wood

Fun Fact: I've secretly always wished I was a carpenter. Not that I don't love my life now, but I'd like to think that if I could go back + do it all over again, that is the route I would take.

Maybe that's why I dream of living in Ariele Alasko's Instagram feed? She's got quite the life creating the worlds most beautiful pieces of art, furniture, + kitchen utensils all out of patterned wood. I really would love to one day take a woodworking class just to see if I have any natural skills like this lady.

 

 

just like that

XXXY - "Studio 9 (Just Like That)"

be the girl you loved

James Blake - "Retrograde"

I know it's still early in 2013, but I feel fairly certain that this will be my top song of the year, or at the very least in my top 3. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I have listened to this over 50 times since it's Friday release. This is just one of those songs that hits home + I absolutely love it. I can't wait to hear the rest of the album.

you used to hold me

Disclosure - "You Used To Hold Me"

all that i want in this life is the chance to do my thing

Flume - "On Top" featuring T.Shirt 

This is not a song. This is an anthem.

Ps. If you haven't listened to Flume's Boiler Room set yet you should probably get on that...

i want

My old school Mac laptop is on the fritz + I don't think it's destined to last much longer on this earth. I'm getting a bit greedy here, but I really want one of these beauties to replace it...

But this can't happen anytime soon due to logistical + financial reasons. Honestly, I can't do much financially since I bought my monster TV. I do, however, worry that I'm going to be computerless in a few short months + that's just not something I can't handle. I'm kind of obsessed with the new iPad mini + that would totally fulfill my need to tweet, pin, like, + browse while lounging on the sofa. Plus, I always have my work laptop if needed (although I try to avoid bringing that home, when possible).

My biggest concern is blogging (how lame am I). I'm really hoping that if I just use my old laptop to blog then it may last a little bit longer for me. I also knock out a lot of my blogs on the weekend for the full week, so I could just bring my work laptop home on the weekends.

I'd love to know though, are any of you iPad only users at home? Do you ever wish you had gone with a laptop? And what holds you back the most? I haven't totally sold myself on this iPad mini/iMac combo, but damn those things are pretty...

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