Cat Nap Like A Queen

It's getting to be that time where I could really use a nap again and I think this is the perfect place.  I know it's a bit cheesy but I love me a round bed.  I know, how Playboy Mansion of me.  It just looks so regal!  I love the subtle mix of colors and how they played with the height of the room, just glorious.  

Snuggle Bugs

Sometimes the best thing you can do to cheer yourself up is climb into bed with some friends and just cuddle.  Spooning is a big pass time here at Halsey Kingdom and I have to say, I thoroughly enjoy a good snuggle.  How do your friends cheer you up?

Relax

Figuring out life and relationships can be a tricky matter.  Often my reaction is to hide from it.  My roommates are kind and understanding enough to know that letting me mope in my room while it pours outside is not healthy and they have been kind enough to drag me out into the city and make me see the world beyond my own problems.  That said, sometimes we do need time alone to clear our heads, doesn't this look like the perfect place to do it?  Quiet, naked and alone maybe I could figure out what I want and need.  At the very least, I would have a very enjoyable shower.

What I'm Listening To:

Wagon Wheel- Old Crow Medicine Show

Right Now I Love: Etsy Fall Preview

OK, I know I'm jumping the gun.  But in the face of heading away from my beloved city and back to Boston and a potentially failing relationship I am cheering myself up with thoughts of cozy corduroy, colorful fringe, kitchy dresses and of course soft leather back packs.  Fall is my favourite season so I give to you, my Etsy Fall Preview.  This dress is described at a tom boy's sundress, and it is just so.  I grew up a tom boy so any dress that allows me to play in leaves and look like a cute girl is fine by me.  The sweet detail of the plaid is also just too cute to pass up.


Fall just wouldn't be fall without a back pack and the buttery color of this leather one looks just perfect.  This is the kind of backpack that only gets better as it gets beat up.
Looking for one that's a little more fun?  This burnt orange corduroy one is straight out of Dazed and Confused.  I love the quirky little flower and the oversized pockets.Ahhh gingham, not just for summer anymore.  This little dress will look cute as a button under a chunky sweater with boots, or with cute sandals and a light jacket while it's still warm.I have no words for this dress.  It is utterly mind blowing.  Lord knows what you would wear it to but where ever it was you would be the coolest girl in the room.  It depicts an amazing scene of a fox hunt which, while not something I support, is just lovely.  

Finally, what fall wardrobe would be complete without the perfect pair of moccasins.  Now, classic black or brown minnetonka mocs are everywhere.  That's why this blue pair appeals to me.  I can just see them with a loose tshirt, a wrap sweater and some charmingly simple jewlery.  

Penny Saver: Get Frisky!

My favourite Penny Saver, getting frisky!  I don't know about you but when I'm broke the first thing to go is the gym membership, ok, I don't even have a gym membership, but if I did that would be the first to go.  Who needs the gym when there's so much pretty man candy walking around to get sweaty with?  Now I' not advocating you all run around finding the first man you can find and get naughty, though I'm not against that either.  But if you've got a hunnie then you should certainly get busy! 

Sex is great, it's good for your health, gets rid of headaches, burns tons of calories, makes you kinda high, clears your skin, does the dishes, ok ok, it doesn't do that, but it does make you that pretty pink color and it's free!  But remember, and I know, I'm not trying to lecture, but always always always use protection!  At Halsey Kingdom we have what we affectionately call the Condom Boat at the bottom of the stairs, it's a sculpture of a boat which contains condoms for the house.  It also reasonably proclaims that "we don't want no Halsey babies so wrap it up and enjoy".  

What I'm Listening To:

40 Boys in 40 Nights- The Donnas

P.S.  I work with the Donnas as well and they just started an amazing tour with Pat Benetar and Blondie, really worth checking out for some serious girl power.

Get Down In Your Skivvies!

You're going to think I'm crazy...but I'm going to tell you anyway.  My roommates and I threw a party this past weekend for two of their Bday's.  It was a lingerie party.  Now, now, before you go thinking I live in a frat house, my lingerie parties are very different from your typical sorority sisters in vickies secret taking jello shots.  Back in Boston a good friend of mine threw an annual lingerie party and while it was always an insane event it was also a really amazing gathering of people.  I met one of my closest friends at just such a party and these parties were so well known we had people who came in from as far as Texas and Florida to be a part of it.  

My lingerie parties aren't about who looks the hottest or who gets laid.  Everyone wears silly outfits or outfits they feel express who they are.  I wore pin up style high waisted panties, my roommate had on a ridiculous teddy that had a picture of a deer sewn to it, my other roommate had on superman underwear, basically, it's about laughing at yourself a bit. We invited a bunch of friends, mostly gay guys but hey that's who we know, and bought some booze, decorated and waited for the madness to ensue.  

And let me tell you, it was insane, and amazing.  I made some really great new friends, played mostly nude twister, sat on the roof in my underwear with 20 people I had just met and at the end of the night we had a room full of barely clothed artists having a jam session and everyone singing along.  The great thing about being, well, exposed is you're forced to get over your hang-ups and just get to know people.  I mean, you're all naked, there's no being shy.  Also, crazy underwear makes for a great conversation starter, come on, you know you're looking anyways.

Peacock

I want this bathroom!  OK, confession, I love peacock blue green as a paint.  I helped a friend paint her room a really lovely shade of peacock teal and fell just completely in love!  How soothing and sexy does this bathroom look?  I love the bronze and magenta accents, it gives it such a regal feel.  What do you guys think, bright paint yay or nay? I would love to paint a room this color, but I've just never had a room that it felt right for.  Le sigh.

What I'm Listening To:

Right As Rain- Adele

Penny Saver: Movie Night

Now, I told you that Halsey Kingdom doesn't have cable, but that doesn't mean we don't do family movie nights!  In fact, we have movie nights all the time!  Now, we have Netflix, but really, you could do movie night any way you want, borrowing from friends or those handy redbox things are a great way to save a pretty penny.  Since Halsey Kingdom also doesn't have a living room or a couch, family movie night means all of us piling into one bed, snuggling up with some beers and some popcorn and putting on a flick.  One of my roommates is really into scary movies so so far we've watched Grindhouse, The Toxic Avenger and that show Dexter.  But we've also had a girls movie night where all the ladies piled into bed and giggled through Twilight.  Movie nights are a great, cheap way to hang out with your friends and relax.  Got movies I should see?  Tell me!

What I'm Watching: Lars and the Real Girl

Wanna Build a Fort?

Some days, I just don't want to leave my house.  And with all the rain lately, I've had a lot of those days.  On one of those particular mornings my lovely roommate wandered into my room and asked if we could just not go to work and instead stay home and build a fort.

That got me to thinking, do you remember building blanket forts when you were a kid?  Why don't we do that anymore?  These lovely pictures just make me feel so cozy all I want to do is snuggle up with a book and pretend there is no world outside.

This Is My Friend Jack

It's one of those days.  One of those days where a bubble bath and a few gallons of whiskey seem like a pretty good solution.  Sadly, my bathroom does not currently have a door so the bath is a no go, I'm settling for beer and an upset blog post.  My beau and I are not doing well.  As I told you, he's still in Boston for the summer while I am here in NYC and to be truthful he is not very happy.  We've been together for 2 years and by no fault of our own they have been 2 of the most difficult years of both our lives.  He is more or less wed to his baby restaurant and I have been in 2 rather difficult years of school, but we've made it through and have been lucky enough to be able to lean on each other.  

This summer however is proving a more difficult trial than expected.  He is unhappy with his subletter, he is working far too much and not making much money and he feels like he has no friends because he has been so wed to the restaurant that he hasn't had time for them in the past two years and now they have moved or have new friends.  Meanwhile, as I believe it is clear from my posts, I am loving New York.  I have wonderful friends, a job i enjoy and a city I simply can't get enough of.  I would love to share this with him but instead, every time I tell him about the fun I'm having he seems more distant and more resentful.  This of course leads to me not wanting to talk to him, which leads to yet more trouble.  

As I've said, I don't know how to reconcile the fact that in the coming year I will graduate and will need to begin looking into my career and where that will take me.  I want to be in New York, he needs to be in Boston.  I suppose it's best that I'm figuring this all out now, but still, it's messing with my head and ripping out my heart.  Any kind words, advice, encouragement or cold adult beverages are welcome.

What I'm Listening To:

Troubled Waters- Cat Power

Well Meaning Chaos

If there is one thing I have learned to love and appreciate from my artist roommates it is a little well meaning chaos.  I will admit it, my name is Ace and I am a neat freak( Hi Ace).  I haven't always been but over the past few years it has gotten worse.  It's generally a response to stress and frankly, college can be pretty damn stressful.  Living in a house full of artists, one can not be a neat freak.  This is not to say I'm not clean, I am, but I have learned to accept a little bit of chaos as a welcome part of my life.  The photos above and below are a good example of how a little crazy can work together and be just lovely.  OK, so there's dishes in my sink and my floor is far from perfectly shiny but that's ok cause I'm happy, I'm having fun and I'm enjoying life.  
We all get so wrapped up in being perfectionists sometimes that I think we forget to just let go and enjoy the world around us.  Go on, smell the roses, who cares if they're covered in dirt?

What I'm Listening To:

Little Secret- Passion Pit

P.S.  How much you want to bet that half of the stuff in those pics is second hand, don't forget, going green is good for the soul!

This Week In Etsy

I am going to break down soon, must shop!  My loan needs to come through cause I deserve something lovely right about now and I think this piece of lovely is it.  My birthday by the way is March 25th and if you care to purchase this form me I will not say no to an early b-day present.  Did I mention it's a locket?  Swoon!
Oh navy blue polka dots, how I love you.  How nice and breezy does this look?
OK, so this is the back of this little 70's sundress.  It's actually a wrap skirt with a top that buttons on, cute!
A lovely vintage 40's chiffon floral dress.  I can see it with chunky knits for the fall.
Mmmm more polka dots.  I can channel my inner fifties receptionist at the office with this.
Finally, if I were to get married, and I'm not holding my breath, I would do it in this.  A lovely blue dress with some of the most marvelous details I have seen in a long time.  Now, don't go stealing my dream dress from me.

Penny Saver: Read A Book

So, here's the thing, Halsey Kingdom doesn't have cable.  Or even TV's for that matter.  And while this was a bit odd to get used to at first, I do love me some SVU after work, it has turned out to be rather a blessing.  Not having TV has allowed me to rediscover long forgotten hobbies, one of them being reading.  

Now, I have always loved reading, but it always came second to school and work and friends and sleep.  That doesn't leave much time for reading.  Add in the ever present distraction of the likes of David Boreanez on Bones and frankly, I'll see you on the couch.  But now, sans TV, I am enjoying all the joys of getting lost in a book.  My mother was kind enough to order me a number of books from amazon and send a few of her own so I'm moving through them at an enjoyable speed.  

The other great thing about reading, besides the mind expanding, it's free!  Reading doesn't ask you to pay a bill to entertain you and with places like amazon or used book stores you can buy books dirt cheap.  Or, you can go old school and head over to the library, ahh the smell of old  books.  Don't forget trading books with your friends too, my room more or less functions as the Halsey Kingdom library.

What I'm Reading:

Outlander- Diana Gabaldon (My mom fav book, it's a bit of a cheesy romance novel :)

Bike Chic: Darling

How darling is this look?  I love the paper bag skirt with the sweet rumpled over the knee socks.  Plus, you guys know how I love plaid!  I'm still so jealous of girls who pull off this sock look, my roommate is one of them, I still feel like a silly teenager in them.  Anyone got any tips for me?

What I'm Listening To:

Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk- Rufus Wainwright

Laundry Day

I have got to do laundry!  I mean, I really have to do laundry. I haven't done it since I moved here!  And yes, I'm aware that me doing laundry doesn't usually look like this.  Generally I'm more clothed and realistically, I'm in sweatpants.  But I'm also taking this laundry griping oppurtunity to share with you the new Forever21 lingerie line which I am quite in love with. 
Like I said, I haven't done laundry in awhile, and while I've got lots of clothes, my underwear supply was running dangerously low.  So I did what any sensible New Yorker would do, I popped into Forever21 and bought more!  

And let me just tell you, the selection, though rather picked over, is quite adorable!  And at 3 for $10 pretty darn reasonable too.  

So while I'm sitting in my ratty sweatpants tonight, reading and doing my laundry why don't you go buy yourself some pretty little lovlies?  You know you want to and come on, who doesn't love new underwear?

Cat and Mouse

Do I...
really need to explain my reasons for posting these?

Coney Island

So Sunday my roommates, my man and I all headed over to the legendary Coney Island.  Sure, it's a bit trashy but we had so much fun!
We spent a good deal of time lounging on the beach drinking beer and laughing at each other.  We rode some rides and watched some street performers.
We also introduced my french roommate to the wonders of deep fried oreos.  Oh, and bacon cheese dogs, bacon cheese fries, corn dogs, lemonade, cheap beer and subsequently heart burn and indigestion.  It's an American tradition.
I wish I could say I looked as lovely as this girl but sadly due to improper sunscreen application I got a bit toasted.  So allow me to take a moment to encourage and beg you to use your sunscreen!  Think, you could be as lovely as this alabaster beauty.

What I'm Listening To:

Coney Island- Death Cab For Cutie

I Need A Nap

New York is awesome, but it really doesn't sleep.  I need a nap just like this.

Right Now I Love: You Guys!

I'm so flattered, I got an award from the lovely sisters of The Asian Cajuns.  If you could see through my computer you would see me blushing at my desk as we speak.  I'd just like to take a moment to thank everyone who's been so supportive of my little blog and provided so much sweet feedback and support.  I love you all!

What I'm Listening To:

Summer Skin- Death Cab for Cutie

Thou Shalt No Covet: K-Mart?

OK, bare with me.  Yesterday I hobbled in K-mart in the lower east side to purchase much needed Band-Aids when to my surprise, BLAM, cute clothes.  Nada in my size so I hobbled back out, but I was intrigued.  Behold the K-Mart website and the wealth of unexpected treasures I found on it.  This adorable top, which comes in two other adorable colors, is only $14.  Yeh 1-4.  And it's precious!

Holy Bob.  This dress is too cute.  I was going to spend a hard earned $60 on a too cute urban outfitters red, white and blue dress for the 4th but only $17 this one is too cute to pass up.
The multi patterned stars are so sweet.  And how cute will it look with a braided belt and the shoes at the bottom?
Seriously?  I don't have any words for this, "strawberry dress".  Though as I am currently eating a strawberry tarte I think it would be totally appropriate for me to be wearing it.
That pattern!  I want to run through fields and climb trees in this dress!  $17 guys, $17!K-Mart sells rompers?  Really?  This one is so simple and chic.  You could wear it anywhere. The beach, shopping, lunch, brunch, dinner, barbeques, drinks, to museums, in parks, to go to K-Mart and buy everything else! And it's $14!Finally, the shoes that go with every single thing on this little shopping list.  Simple, chic, and $10.

The total for all these goodies, a scant $75 plus shipping(maybe it's free?).  That's 3 dresses, one romper, one top and a pair of shoes for $75.  That's amazing!

Sometimes...

I get kinda down.  Today is one of those days.  I'm getting sick of rainy New York and need a little sun.  I'm also a little concerned about how much I love NYC and the fact that due to owning a rather needy restaurant in Boston my boyfriend is rather permanently there.  I still have a year before graduation but you know how fast those things go.  Once that's up I have to make grown up decisions about what I'm going to do and where I'm going to be.  I could work in Boston, but the ceiling is pretty low there and there isn't a lot of what I want to do.  The reality is I have always wanted to be living in New York and now that I'm here not only do I know that I can do it but I know that I love it.  Have any of you of been in a situation like this, are you now?  What did you do?  Career or love?  Isn't that what we're always asking ourselves?

What I'm Listening To:

Sweet Carolina- Ryan Adams

Right Now I Love: Summer Plaid

I don't know about you but I love plaid in the summer. It's so fresh!  Sure it can be a bit preppy but really, with these shorts, do you care?  As long as you stay in the cooler colors like blues and greens or pastels like pinks and peaches then you'll look perfectly summer appropriate and not like you stole Scotch Tape's look. 
Another thing I love, pockets on dresses!  They are perfect for storing shells collected on beaches, pockets full of posies, or you know, your chapstick.

Right Now I'm Listening To:

Stop the Bus- Grace Potter and the Nocturnals