BEACHY BEACH!!!! BEACHNESS!!! BEACHITUDE.

Guess where I went on Tuesday? That's right, the beach. Its silly, but I haven't been to the beach in over a year. Its only two hours away, but I always manage to convince myself that I haven't got the time, or that the gas will be too much (Ok, to be fair, it was...), or that I haven't got the time, or that I haven't got the time. Silly girl. My best friend Melinda visited me last week, and, rather rashly, we decided to just take a day and go to the coast.

We packed fresh fruit and a thermos of hot tea, and drove through the hills to Tillamook, where I needed to drop off the last of the quilts we borrowed for this years exhibit from the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center. Then we got sandwiches and drove up the coast to Cannon Beach (Where there are separate benches for Dems and Republicans in front of the general store...guess which one is more worn?), stopping at the Nehalem Bay overlook for a little picnic and some photos. It was a gorgeous day for it, sunny and 70 with a soft breeze. The waves were mesmerizing, the sky was bluer than blue (Those photos are unedited!), and Melinda was in heaven. She is an Oregon girl, born and raised, and misses it here terribly. She lives in Irvine. Whenever she comes to visit she gets very excited about things like trees and rain and coffee and nice people and no sales taxes. And the beautiful, beautiful Oregon Coast. And her enthusiasm is infectious. I often forget how lucky I am, really, to have grown up here.

As you can see, Melinda is a much better fashion blogger than I am. She's got the poses down, and pops them off like America's Next Top Model, whereas most of the time I just spazz around and look unspeakably awkward and have to take a zillion photos to find one where I don't come off as someone you wouldn't really want to leave a small child around. I don't think it comes off in my photos very often, but in real life, I am the opposite of refined....90% of the time I will be making some kind of crazy face or talking in a silly voice or pretending to be a Tyrannosaur (us Rex). Its very hard for me to just smile and look pretty.

 

Can you see the white paint on my foot? We had been painting the living room floor until the wee hours Monday night, and I must have missed that spot in the shower! Also, please note that the rock behind me says "Eat me Billy". A few stones down it said Billy sucked. Poor Billy. Not a popular fellow! 

On Rose: Shirt, H&M, $4
                Cardi, Marshalls, $10
                Scarf, thirifted, $6
                Jeans, Buffalo Exchange, $10
                Shoes, Target, $24
                Coat, T.J. Maxx, $40
                Bag, T.J. Maxx, $60

On Melinda: Shirt, T.J. Maxx, $12
                     Scarf, Marshals, $12
                     Jeans, her own
                     Coat, thrifted, $14
                     Shoes and bag, her own

Guess what guys?

I'm gonna do the 30 for 30 again! Yay! But not this week. I have a reunion to get through, my bff is in town, and my housewarming is on Saturday (In the area? Want to come say hi? Email me for an invite!). All of these things are wonderful, but a little overwhelming all at once. I learned some very valuable lessons the last time I participated in the 30 for 30, which I have since applied to my wardrobe, so I'm pretty excited to see what comes out of this one...

In other news, my dad fell and broke his leg. Poor man. Not only is he my dad, he's also the gardener and handyman for the museum. So I've got my hands full!

Trying not to freak out.

But really looking forward to having my house DONE. Well. Its never really done, is it? But you know what I mean. Painted. Clean. Decorated. Organized. Liveable. So that I can simply come home and sit and read, or stare at the ceiling, or maybe blog.

Anyway.

Here are some amazing spaces that have inspired my home makeover...

While I can't run out and buy sexy midcentury marble tables or Louis XVI chaise lounges or zebra rugs, I think I've managed to infuse a little of the glamour of these spaces through the use of saturated color, quirky accessories, and family heirlooms. I'll let you be the judge soon...

All of this.

A blue and white patchwork leather Chanel-esque suit styled with sky high red brogues and a graffiti-ed scooter helmet? Oh heck yes.

In navy lace? Even better. And as for the seat belt dress...slap it on me and call me safety conscious. Word on the street (And by street I mean Style.com's review of the show, hurrr. ) is that Sofia Coppola is at least partly responsible for Louis Vuitton's latest resort collection.

I love it when the auteur becomes the muse.

Bow shoes. Bow shoes. *melt*

I can't live without...

An awesomely swanky umbrella! Seriously. I live in Oregon. And anyone who tries to tell me Oregonians are too cool for umbrellas had better be prepared for a truly massive eye-roll, and maybe a cattily arched eyebrow thrown in for good measure. Are you kidding me? We're pretty lucky here. We don't get murderous tornadoes or raging forest fires or anything terribly catastrophic (Except, apparently, a long overdue earthquake of unspeakable proportions. Joy.). We do, however, get lots and lots of torrential rain.

So, really, boys and girls, do yourselves a favor and invest in a rad umbrella. Even if you don't live in a rainy climate, an umbrella makes a great physical sunblock, and won't flop in your face like those oh-so-pretty-but-really-kind-of-stupid floppy brimmed hats. I'm a fan of the long skinny school of umbrella myself. I like to swagger around with it like a cane, and use it to poke things. Once I used the curved handle of my umbrella to catch a runaway dog by the collar. True story.

Here are a few I'm lusting after right now...

Instant happiness from MoMA

Seriously. Seriously. *swoon* Buy it here.

The Funbrella is specially designed for kids. Whatever.

Of course the coolest umbrella etailer ever is based in the UK...

The Brelli is semi-translucent, waterproof, windproof,
UV protective, and (wait for it...) biodegradable. Hello.

And if a shorty is more your style...

A Katana umbrella. Just in case. ThinkGeek.com also carries them
with a pirate sword handle, a lightsaber handle, and brass knuckles.
Very Avengers, no?

A sturdy and well designed umbrella can be a godsend in an Oregon spring. Or winter. Or fall. Also, its a fun accessory! And who doesn't love even the flimsiest excuse to accessorize? Crazy people. That's who. 

And don't forget, you can always use your umbrella to poke things!