i need ...

a camera strap for my camera! The default straps cameras come with (mine included) are so dull. I want something with some character and iMoShop has some of the cutest straps I've seen.

Depending on how heavy your camera is, this wrist strap is a fantastic idea for a night out. It would suit mine just fine ... a girl needs options. Right?

foxy friday

I've been watching a lot of The Tudors lately. All four seasons are streaming on Netflix at the moment, and I can't get enough of Mr. Henry Cavill. He plays Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk and yowza, he's a doll!

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schweddy balls

Introducing Ben and Jerry's newest flavor: Schweddy Balls! If I had a dime for every time I've heard that quote from SNL ...

According to Sean Greenwood, a spokesman for the ice cream maker: "Schweddy Balls is an homage to an old Saturday Night Live skit featuring Alec Baldwin as bakery owner Pete Schweddy, whose unique holiday offerings included something called Schweddy Balls."  He also said that "the company isn't worried about offending people with the name. He says one of the company's principles is to do fun things and that it fits in with that, just as it did with previous flavors like Karamel Sutra and Half Baked."

The new flavor consists of vanilla ice cream, rum, fudge-covered rum balls and milk chocolate malt balls. Rum? Yum. Happy Holidays indeed!

Story via SFGate, you can read the full story here.

salvatore ferragamo

I'm in love with this blouse and skirt from Salvatore Ferragamo's Resort 2012 collection. Don't you love the way the blouse ties at the back? There is a definite infusion of 1930s elegance into this collection. You can purchase a few of the looks from the collection, including this one, through Moda Operandi.

For something keeping in the same retro style, and a bit more affordable, check out this, this and this on Etsy.

fashion help

I'm feeling inspired by the pretty, lady-like fashion seen in The Help. Here are a few lovelies I found online ...

The silhouettes from that time were so flattering and feminine. Would you wear them today?

Vintage Black Dress | BHLDN Velocity Dress
Vintage Yellow Gradient Dress | Vintage Geometric Print Skirt
Vintage Striped Madras Dress | Vintage Plaid Romper

the help

I read The Help, by Kathryn Stockett last year and enjoyed it very much. I heard that they were making the story into a film, and was underwhelmed with the idea, because “the movie is never as good as the book”. Right? Well, I went to see the movie last night and am very happy to report that it is fantastic!

If you haven’t read the book and are not familiar with the story, it is set in Jackson, Mississippi at the beginning of the civil rights movement. Skeeter, a southern society girl, returns from college determined to become a writer. She sets out to write a book based on interviews of black women who have spent their lives as maids caring for well-to-do white families. Skeeter gains the confidence of several women and persuades them to open up about their true feelings toward the women who employ them. Not an easy decision when you consider the risks involved should they be caught breaking the Jim Crow Laws.

The casting was perfect—everyone was exactly as I'd pictured them in my head, and the actresses did an amazing job portraying their characters. I was especially enamored with the performances of Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer. You go through so many emotions watching this film (and reading the book): I was so angry and then I was crying and then I was laughing—I truly enjoyed every minute of it. So, go see it!

On a similar note, check out this Lost Angeles Times article on current-day Jackson. Sadly, some things still haven't changed …

foxy friday

Jon Hamm's foxiness is pretty obvious. Now, what's up with Mad Men? Can't they speed it up? I'm having withdrawals!

Via Pinterest

j.crew cuties

I'd like to add these J.Crew dresses to my fall wardrobe. They're both perfect for late summer and will work well into winter with some tights, a coat and a cute pair of boots. What do you think? Would you wear them?