Jan 30th 2009 05:29:10 pm

I have been hearing about the website, Polyvore, for a while on other blogs. It is a web application/website that lets you create collages composed of individual images from all over the web using an easy to use, drag and drop editor. Sounds cool, but before now I had convinced myself that it was not something I needed to bother with. I mean, I went to graphic design school. I am a purest. I can make collages in Photoshop, like God intended!

Well, I finally broke down and tried out Polyvore. It actually seems pretty cool. I am still trying to figure it all out and find images that work well with the collage system. I made the image below of some of my favorite new finds for spring. I love how Polyvore does all the work of linking each item to its original site (when you view the collage on Polyvore).

spring 09 quick picks – by racheljohnson on Polyvore.com

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Jan 28th 2009 04:00:59 pm

Last month, I received the above postcard with the news that Cottage Living magazine is shutting down. I was heartbroken because Cottage Living is my very favorite magazine. I have/had a subscription for it through 2010 which they have now replaced with a subscription to Sunset magazine- barf. Today, the news breaks that my other favorite magzine, Domino, is being closed by Conde Nast. All the news reports say that it just isn’t a good time economically for “shelter” magazines. I am depressed. Both Domino and Cottage Living had a younger, more inexpensive focus than the majority of decor magazines. I really don’t think there are comparable alternatives to them out there now, especially since Blueprint magazine was also shuttered over a year ago. boo.

Oh well, I still have American Bungalow – Travis bought me a subscription to it for Christmas. It has a more strict arts & craft focus and the photos are beautiful!

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Jan 28th 2009 02:03:26 pm

Yippee! My new Hunter Wellies arrived in the mail today. I am so excited. They are my birthday present to myself. Crusher and I tried them out on a walk around our neighborhood. They are comfy and they make me feel outdoorsy. I am totally ready for the rain and snow! Although, leave it to me to buy rain boots AFTER we have decided to move away from the rainiest place on earth…

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Jan 27th 2009 08:02:53 pm

Work life for me lately includes a lot of email, some blogging, and a little bit of crafting. I made the little paper house and the matchboxes above for Swap-bot swaps today. I haven’t been swapping very much lately because I haven’t been able to find the time to make quality crafts. For example, the little house shown here is supposed to be an adorable Fairy House, but it didn’t quite turn out as well as I had hoped…

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Jan 26th 2009 02:52:08 pm

I believe that I may be in contention for the world speed record for an adult reading the entire four-book Twilight Saga series. I finished the fourth book, Breaking Dawn, last night. My review of the first two books was not exactly kind. I did not think that my opinion would change for the second half of the series, but something about the books obviously made me continue reading. My persistence paid off!

I do not want to post any spoilers — mostly because I am still trying to get some family members to join in on the Twilight action — but I have some new opinions to share. The two middle books (New Moon and Eclipse) dragged a bit and sort of got on my nerves. My favorite character (Jacob) was getting dumped on and everything was very depressing and whiney for a while. However, I shouldn’t have underestimated the author, Stephenie Meyer. She had a plan. Every bit of the first three books was intentionally laid out — I even think she wanted the reader to become a little annoyed and depressed. I will not give it all away, but Breaking Dawn is the best of the four books by far. It is intense and wild and suspenseful, and the entire series wraps up into a very satisfying ending. It is still a young adult novel, and it includes familiar, universal, feel-good YA themes (individuality, sacrifice, tolerance, friendship). No one will call it the most sophisticated fiction, but it is fun and exciting and creative.

I wasn’t going to do this because I didn’t want to upset Harry Potter fans, but Breaking Dawn finally makes the Twilight series comparable to the Harry Potter series in that it pulls together an intricate web of characters and plot lines into a grand finale that makes the entire story more rich and wonderful. Breaking Dawn really won me over! In fact, if you are going to try out Twilight, I insist that you commit to finishing the whole series. It is worth it.

Sidenote: I read Eclipse and Breaking Dawn on Travis’ Kindle. I was reluctant to try out the device, but I also did not want to buy hardcover versions of the books. I am happy to report that I liked the Kindle very much. It is light and easy to read. Plus, you can take it to the gym and not feel embarrassed for reading young adult books! One of the best things about the Kindle is that you can download digital books immediately. No trip to the bookstore. No dead trees. No extra hardcover books that you have to move across the country to NYC! Cool!

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Jan 22nd 2009 01:11:45 pm

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Jan 21st 2009 04:08:57 pm

Even though I think that I am spreading my web presence just a little too thin, I have signed up on another bookmarking site: imgfave (found via suffix abuse). imgfave is an image bookmarking site where you can collect all of your favorite images from all over the web in one neat, easily accessible place. I wrote about the site on the Swap-bot blog, too.

imgfave seems very cool and I am excited to share and view my image collection, but how many websites and profile pages can a person keep up with? In addition to my newest imgfave profile, I have my other bookmarking sites (delicious, this next, the things i want), my flickr account, twitter, many of the social networking sites (facebook, myspace, linkedin), Yahoo, Google, and of course, my Swap-bot profile page.

That really isn’t even all of them… just the main ones I actually log into from time to time. How do you all keep track of all your web profiles? Do you limit how many sites you use? Are you worried about your personal info being spread all over the web? Do you keep all your avatar and usernames the same? So many questions…

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Jan 20th 2009 06:30:36 pm

This is my favorite funny thing that I have come across on this historic inauguration day:

(via defective yeti)

I love it. If you aren’t really into scifi, the top image is of the barren, lawless, future hell scape from the movie, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, while the bottom image is the cast of the original Star Trek television series. Many people make total fun of Star Trek, but to me it is a hopeful vision of a utopian future for humanity. Plus, diversity and cultural tolerance are major themes in the Star Trek genre. I kinda think Obama is more comparable to the Next Generation’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but that is probably just because I love them both so darn much. Others think Obama resembles the logical and trustworthy Spock. Either way, I think we are in good hands.

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Jan 19th 2009 04:18:38 pm

I believe that I am completely late to this trend and every single high school girl in America has already read these books, but I am currently working my way though the Twilight Saga. I have finished the first and second book in the series(Twilight and New Moon). I really don’t think I have anything original to say about the story… The books are for young adults and I was totally influenced before reading them by all of the adult bloggers out there making fun of Edward Cullen and his exquisite, sparkly skin. He is sooo the most handsome boy in school! Swoon! Anyway, they really are just romance novels for pre-teen girls. (I mean, the most action you get is like a closed-mouth kiss and a tight hug. woohoo.) I have also heard that they are meant to be about chastity and “saving yourself for marriage” or some such brain washing. The author, Stephenie Meyer, went to Brigham Young University so I guess that makes sense. I don’t know. I sound really negative about the whole thing — and there are bad parts, like how the heroine CONSTANTLY has to be saved by all the men in her life — but I like vampires and werewolves and teenage drama as much as the next person, so I am definitely in it for the long haul. I need to go get the third book and watch the movie asap! I am trying to force Travis to read the books just for kicks, but I will be lucky if he sits through the movie with me…

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Jan 18th 2009 08:13:58 pm

I need to face the facts: the people in New York City are going to be much more stylish than me. Don’t get me wrong, Eugene, Oregon, has its own style — I just wouldn’t necessarily call it fashionable. Here, I can wear jeans and a hoodie every single day and feel preppy and put together. Things like high heels are sort of an anomaly in Eugene mostly reserved for freshmen coeds out trying to get into the handful of local “nightclubs.” I am going to need to work on my style before we move and these are some things that I think could help:

• Hunter Boots – MUST, MUST have a pair of Hunter boots. In fact, I think I might order them right now. Tons of girls were wearing them in NYC over jeans, and they fit perfectly into my comfortable, rugged, feminine style… that I imagine myself having in my head.
• Bobbi Borwn’s Makeup Manual – This could be very helpful because I don’t really know how to do makeup. I usually just put on some pink blush and mascara and call it done. I need some new tricks!
• J. Crew Silk-ribbon chain-link necklace – Big necklaces are the go-to style item for spring. I learned that fact from a fashion magazine, so it has got to be true. Now, if I could just conjure up enough confidence to pull them off…
• Givency Le Soin Noir eye cream & Creme de La Mer – You know when you are browsing a magazine and you read a great product review so you mark the page for future reference… Well, I marked these two products because they sounded great for treating dry skin caused by cold New York weather. Then I looked the products up online and reality set in. Do I need to spend $500 for two tiny jars of face lotion?
• NARS nail polish – I don’t use a lot of nail polish and all of the shades I have are dark, winter colors. I think I need something fresh.
• Chie Mihara Gail pumps – Aren’t these just the funkiest shoes? They are made in Spain. I really love them, but it would be hard to match them to an outfit…. especially an outfit that I already own.
• Coach Tunic – Not that I necessarily need a Coach version, but tunics are cool for spring — cool and comfortable!

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