food makes everything better.

i know all i do is blog about food, but after a particularly disappointing and difficult day yesterday, i am confident that food really does make everything better. we stopped by 2amy's for some of our favorite rice balls (and succumbed to some pizza and olives, too) late yesterday afternoon. and for a little while, everything was better.

also, 2amy's has fresh flowers in the windows beside the tables. i got to sit next to them. flowers also make everything better.

rockstar giveaway!

today our sponsor finders keepers vintage is offering this 1950's vintage woven straw bowler hat with a white chiffon scarf attached. i am so in love with hats right now, i am tempted to enter!

to enter, please visit finders keepers vintage and leave a comment below before friday, july 2nd! and good luck!

finders keepers vintage is also offering 20% off over in the shop to all rockstar diaries readers until sunday, july 4th! just use the code "kingsley" or send a message on etsy to have the discount applied!

ted's bulletin on capitol hill.

^^^^^ they show old black and white movies in the dining room!

this record breaking heat in d.c. has been killing my soul just a little.

just kidding. it's not that dramatic.

but it has caused me to lose my appetite.

so last night we took a break from all the car and house hunting so we wouldn't kill each other and grabbed some much needed food at the newly opened ted's bulletin on capitol hill. because of the heat, we just ordered a bunch of dinner sides + dessert + a milkshake.

this place is awesome! not only is the decor absolutely wonderful, but you can watch the pastry chef in the front make homemade pop tarts and watch old black and white movies while eating! we also really liked the food too! (don't think i've had better vegetable minestrone.) we'll be back!

stress.

the last few days have been really stressful.

we're currently car shopping and apartment shopping without a car.

gotta love zipcar, right? and getting used to the metro. and walking in 100 degree heat.

did i mention i can't sleep anymore either?

icing on the cake, really.

hope your thursday is going much better than my thursday!

our blue tongue bully.

this dog has discovered and fully embraced his mischievous side.

on friday, he got into a tote bag of groceries that hadn't been put in the fridge yet (this was my fault, for leaving the tote bag on the sofa.) he consumed 1 large red pepper (including the stem and seeds), 1 carton of blueberries, 1 carton of raspberries and 1 peach. he left NOTHING behind but a very clean peach pit. (and i was really looking forward to that peach.) p.s. yes, i know this was very bad for him to eat. and yes, i am glad we didn't buy grapes on this outing.

then on saturday, he tore up a filing cabinet where a blue sharpie marker was hiding. we came home to paper everywhere and our bulldog sporting a blue tongue and blue ink stained leg to prove he was guilty. (fortunately, it made for a really good laugh- that first time he stuck his tongue out and we saw the ink. thank goodness he makes everything so cute.)

and then he ate 5 apricots last night. (they were up high on the table and he still got them.) i feel like such a failure sometimes with him. the messes he makes! the things he gets into! aren't bulldogs supposed to be mellow?!

winner announced!

here is our shabby apple dress giveaway winner:

congrats chelsea! please email me your dress size and shipping info.

naomi.megan@gmail.com

saturday.

our anniversary day plans had to be put on hold

after we found out that that oil spill under the beetle is actually

a much bigger deal than anticipated. like, our car is totaled.

as in, RIP beetle. (we don't want to talk about it. we loved that car.)

so, we stayed on the hill on saturday.

we spent a few hours researching new cars in-between naps,

walks and eating. i think it was actually one of my

favorite saturdays we've spent together yet.

i love lazy saturdays spent with my dog and husband.

here are some photos from the day:

brunch at jimmy t's.

isn't their website so cutting edge? ;)

a walk over to eastern market and around the hill with kingsley.

a late night frozen yogurt run to the hill's new sweet green.

hope your saturday was lovely, too!

my birthday.

all i wanted for my birthday this year were some king crab legs and maybe a cupcake. in fact, whenever josh asked me what i wanted for my birthday this year, that is exactly what i would tell him.

so we started with dessert at georgetown cupcake followed by a big yummy crab leg dinner (which we ate in bed while watching the new top chef d.c.) it was a lovely evening.

and then there were the sweet surprises during the week leading up to my birthday. like, spoon and arcade fire concert tickets given (ahhhhh!), a new fancy camera, lots of back rubs (love!) and all of my favorite foods! thank you so much josh! it was a beautiful week. and i am so grateful to be healthy and happy. and for all the wonderful people in my life. 24 is going to be an exciting year!

thanks to everyone for the kind birthday wishes, too!

xo

i believe in marriage.

"there is no greater risk than matrimony.

but there is nothing happier than a happy marriage."

--benjamin disraeli, 1870

in a letter to queen victoria's daughter louise,

congratulating her on her engagement.

via the book committed by elizabeth gilbert

...

today is our 3rd wedding anniversary.

the past three years married to this man have been the best years of my life.

it's weird how you can love someone more and more everyday.

it's almost scary to think we were "in love" back then...

compared to what we have now, that was just silly talk.

photos by leo.

today, i am 24 years old.

whaaaaaat!

i don't feel any different. but 24 sounds super old to me.

(no offense to others who are 24 or older. ok? just sayin.)

happy birthday to everyone else who celebrates birth on june 17th!

i sort of think it's the best day ever to have a birthday.

photo from my last birthday.

rockstar giveaway!

this week shabby apple is sponsoring a giveaway for you!

one lucky reader will be receiving this beautiful la tour eiffel dress

in a size of their choice from shabby apple's new oh la la paris line!

isn't it beautiful? makes me so excited for my trip to paris next month!

to enter, leave a comment below before monday, june 21st

telling me which dress from the paris line is your favorite.

(i have two faves...this dress and the tuileries.)

good luck!

quick family picnic.

my little twin sisters came up to the d.c. temple on saturday so we met them on the temple grounds for a quick picnic. we enjoyed some pizza, roasted olives, arancini (italian rice balls) and homemade donuts from 2amy's. we also split some yummy cupcakes from something sweet. nothing beats perfect pizza plus family time. it was a really nice afternoon.

and then we hit a manhole and broke our car.

we were on our way home from a fun sushi dinner with friends on saturday night, minding our own business, when we hit a dug up manhole (is that what it's called? someone please tell me the lingo) in the middle of the our lane. it damaged the bottom of our car and oil started spewing everywhere. we started running out of oil so fast, we had to pull over and call a tow truck to take it over to the repair shop.

poor beetle. at least safeway the grocery store was on the corner and we were able to enjoy some ice cream while we waited for the tow truck to arrive.

unexpected adventures are always fun. and having our friends around made it more eventful. hopefully the beetle will be fixed soon and we'll be on the road again in no time.

donut joy. and our giveaway winner.

one of the highlights of our weekend was making it to 2amy's

in time to snag some of their homemade donuts

(they run out so fast! and we're slow pokes on the weekends).

love!

and it slipped my mind that i never announced

our giveaway winner last friday!

whoops! sorry.... without further adieu...

congrats cami! please email me

your shirt choice and shipping info!

xo

D.C. cupcake contest

i had no idea D.C. had their own "design your D.C." cupcake challenge. amateur cake decorators showed off their stuff at hello cupcake last week. how cool is that? i kind of wish i could have been there. the metro map cupcake below is my favorite. to see all the cupcake entries, click here.

D.C.'s Metro Map cupcake

Nom Obama cupcake

Ben's Chili Bowl cupcake

Tribute to Chinatown cupcake

rockstar {sally jane vintage.}

I am so excited to share this interview with Jennifer from Sally Jane Vintage today on Rockstar Diaries! Jennifer's blog, Sally Jane Vintage, was one of the very first blogs I ever started reading. I love the simplicity of her look, the way she incorporates vintage clothing with new clothing and the overall aesthetic of her blog. To be honest, I don't care for many fashion or clothing blogs, but Jennifer's is different. Not only does she know how to put an outfit together, she knows how to style the photo just right, with the location and surroundings complimenting the clothing perfectly. It's not all about "expensive clothes expensive clothes expensive clothes!", It's like you go back in time and are getting a bit of a story as you look through her photos. I love that about her blog. And I am a sucker for everything she puts in her shop, too. Photos taken by Jennifer and Tom B.

Can you tell us a little about yourself?

My name is Jennifer and I'm a born and bred Southern gal currently living in eastern Pennsylvania after taking a three year detour in Los Angeles. While living in LA I started Sally Jane Vintage to find new homes for all of the amazing vintage I was finding but couldn't keep.

Where did the name Sally Jane come from?

Sally Jane is a childhood nickname given to me by my Dad. My grandmother worked for the Board of Education and always had a shelf full of elementary school primary readers in her den. You know the ones... See Sally run, See Jane jump, Run Spot run. I spent many hours curled up on her couch with my nose stuck in one of those books. I would read anything! I can only assume that the name was somehow related to my constant reading of those books.

From reading your blog, I can tell music is a big inspiration for you... What are you currently listening to? Any recommendations?

Yes, music is a huge part of everyday life around here. We've always got something playing in the house. There are a few new albums on rotation right now: The National's High Violet, Band of Horses' Infinite Arms and The Dead Weather's Sea of Cowards. Of course, my boyfriend swears all a band has to do is be from Scotland and I'm automatically in love with them. For instance: Travis, Idlewild, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Frightened Rabbit. All of which I highly recommend. And then there are also perennial favorites that I'm always in the mood for: The Beatles, Leonard Cohen and Bob Dylan.

Where else do you turn for inspiration?

I really love looking through street style sites and other blogs for inspiration. I also like looking through indie designer's lookbooks since they tend to not be so overstyled. Lula Magazine is always good as well as Fudge Magazine from Japan.

Is there a specific decade or era of clothing you love most? Do you have any favorite designers?

My favorite fashion decades are the 30s and the 60s. The 30s offers everything from the simplicity and ingenuity of cotton feedsack dresses to the opulence and detailing of the art deco style dresses of early Hollywood. They couldn't be on more opposite ends of the spectrum but I love both! The 60s is a decade I'm fascinated with on every level: politically, socially, musically. So I guess it's only natural that I love the fashion from that era as well. I always state Faye Dunaway in Bonnie & Clyde as my favorite fashion icon and that's because it's the perfect clash of those two decades. As for favorite designers, I'm pretty fickle when it comes to that. There are certain collections I tend to like on a more consistent basis such as Marc Jacobs or Chloe but I tend to gravitate more towards smaller lines like Lyell, Orla Kiely and Dear Creatures. I hated to learn that Emma Fletcher is closing down Lyell!

What is your favorite children's book or story?

Like I said, I pretty much always had my nose stuck in a book. A few stories come to mind... on that shelf of primary readers there was also a copy of Alice in Wonderland andThrough the Looking Glass. It was the kind of book that had dual covers and if you opened it one way, Alice in Wonderland began and if you opened the other way, Through the Looking Glass began. I loved that book! I also wore out my copies of A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle and The Changeling by Zilpha Keatley Snyder.

Obviously, you have a stunning collection of vintage dresses. Is there anything else you like collecting?

Vintage dresses are my number one thing to collect but I've also got quite a collection of vintage hats started as well. They're sort of piling up in my work room so I'm not even sure how many are in there right now! Besides that, I'm always a sucker for vintage sewing paraphernalia, old cameras and vintage Coach purses.

Any tips or advice on what to look for or avoid when thrifting?

I think thrifting is a great way to try new things without breaking the bank. Keep an open mind when you're in the shop. I find lots of great pieces in the children's section or the men's aisle. When I go into a thrift shop I tend to grab everything that catches my eye and end up with an overflowing cart. Then I find a quiet section of the store (usually in the furniture department so I can hold things up in front of a mirror) to sort through everything I've picked up. About a third of it typically goes back on the rack. Be sure to check for stubborn stains, missing buttons, broken zippers and holes. Although, sometimes even if piece has all of those things I'll bring it home anyway because I just love it too much to put it back. I have a huge pile of "to-fix" things in my office right now!

Thank you so much, Jennifer!