annhyphencharlotte

i’m in lurve.

annhyphencharlotte — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:00:15 +0000

About a year ago I discovered ASOS, an online retailer through my Irish friend’s facebook page. I googled it and discovered what quickly became my new favorite site. It’s like a cooler Urban Outfitters with a polished, English flair & free shipping, even though everything ships from England. AND free shipping back to England on returns. And if the “product zoom” feature isn’t enough for you to decide if you want to buy that adorable Ted Baker dress or not, they have a “View Catwalk” feature that shows a model wearing said dress walking down a runway to some sweet song you’ve never heard before, but you liked so much that you bought the whole album on iTunes. Like I just did (cue google search for The Vaccines).

The Best Boot Holder-Uppers Ever. And Eco-Friendly To Boot!

annhyphencharlotte — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 22:41:41 +0000

I just discovered the most fabulous thing when I was home in Iowa for Christmas. Well, I’ll admit, it was actually my mom who discovered it.

It all started when I bought my very first pair of Frye boots. The Veronica Slouch in dark brown. I have been imagining them on my feet for years and they are truly beautiful. BUT. When I’m not wearing them, they hang out in my closet next to my other shoes, and they just seem to sort of flop over because there isn’t any interior support. I think that the plastic boot holder-uppers that you can buy are a clunky waste of money so my poor boots were just flopping in my closet until I went home a few weeks ago.

My mom figured out the perfect way to keep boots standing up nice and tall- by putting magazines in them! Brilliant! W Magazine is a really good one to use because #1 It’s a great mag; #2 It’s not too thick, but it’s taller than most so it holds the boot shape well; #3 It’s a great way to give new life to an old fashion magazine! Here are the before & afters.

Before:

After:

Just try to tell me that you aren’t impressed. That’s right. Try it out with your boots, you will be happy you did!

A Post-Holiday Viewing of The Holiday: Heartachingly-Good Film

annhyphencharlotte — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:31:51 +0000

I normally would never ever watch Lifetime. It’s just not my channel (I’m more of an HBO girl). BUT. My roommate noticed on the guide that The Holiday was playing on Lifetime and since we hadn’t had a chance to watch it this past holiday season, we sat down and watched it from start to finish with a few glasses of Pinot Noir.

And a few hours later, after the New Year’s Eve scene, I am smiling to myself and writing this post.

First of all, it is just freaking phenomenal! And secondly, I can’t believe it came out in 2006! What a lifetime ago 2006 seems, but the film still feels fresh and new. I love so many different elements of the film- too many for me to blabber on about here (okay fine: Graham with his girls, Iris with Arthur Abbot, old hollywood tributes, all the cameos, the trailers for fake blockbusters, the beautifully decorated interiors, the trailer voice narrating Amanda’s life, the excessive pausing at quaint gates, the “meet cute”, and most of all the subtle messages in the script) but there are a few pearls of romance & wisdom that the character Arthur Abbott shared that I just had to repeat:

“She had real gumption. She was the girl I always wrote.”

“Iris, in the movies, we have leading ladies and we have the best friend. You, I can tell, are a leading lady, but for some reason, you’re behaving like the best friend.”

Such a fabulous film. If you haven’t seen it yet, you need to go out and get it right now. You’ll be happy you did :)

Resolutions ’12

annhyphencharlotte — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 00:20:26 +0000

The new year means resolutions. Have you thought of one yet? So many people don’t take them seriously, but I think it is a really good exercise to reflect on the past year and the things that I have excelled at and the things that need improvement in my life. After graduating in June and experiencing so many life changes, I’ve noticed that this is an area that I need to be better at. Especially because I can’t use being a busy student as an excuse anymore. So this year my resolution is to be better about staying in touch with the people that I love. That includes you.

Current Obsession: Lana Del Rey

annhyphencharlotte — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 17:26:28 +0000

Dear W Magazine,

Thank you for featuring Lana Del Rey in your January 2012 issue. I hadn’t heard of her until I read your article and now I am absolutely obsessed.

Sincerely,

Ann-Charlotte

But seriously.

Her debut album doesn’t come out until January 30th and it’s called Born to Die. Her voice has a hauntingly beautiful quality that she refers to as “hollywood sadcore.” I’m sure it’s the kind of sound that will make some people swoon while others won’t understand the hype, but I for sure fall into the former category– I can’t get enough of her. I spent the other night listening to every single song of hers that I could find on youtube. Her first viral hit is called Video Games, I hope you love it as much as I do:

And you can find the article about her in W Magazine here!

facebook is confused.

annhyphencharlotte — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 02:46:20 +0000

It’s no surprise to any of us anymore that Facebook knows what we’re up to. Zuckerberg and his pals have been trying to target advertisements to users for several years now. When I was in France, they all switched to French and stayed that way for about two years. But now that they have returned to English, I think they are confused. I grabbed a screen shot of this set of ads because it was priceless. According to them, I am a fashionable Indian stoner with as much body hair as compassion. This is just about as far from the truth as could be, but very amusing. Nice try, Facebook. Better luck next time.

P.S. please tell me you noticed the image accompanying the “Become a Social Worker” ad. Baby with a wig. Yes.

Thanksgiving Poetry: Traditions

annhyphencharlotte — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:16:39 +0000

Traditions

I am thankful for the now. For today. For the yesterday and the last year and the way back when. I am thankful for the ever changing traditions and the memories they forge.

I am thankful for the anxiety that radiated off of my mother as she stood in front of the oven before guests arrived.

I am thankful for the endless cleaning and organizing and the “take the things on the stairs up to your room!”

I am thankful for big slices of pumpkin pie with ice cream, while sitting on a safe comforting lap. I am thankful for discovering there is nothing better than pecan pie.

I am thankful for the dimmer switch in the dining room of my childhood, providing the opportunity to bicker over who got to light the candles.

I am thankful for the deep bruises and the scraped skin that came with inserting the extra leaves into the deep dark oak of the antique dining room table.

I am thankful for the breadbasket that kept the rolls warm and the gravy boat filled with delicious thick goop.

I am thankful for the bench that I shared with my sister when we would inevitably run out of chairs. I am thankful for the head of the table, hostesses and honest reflection.

I am thankful for the individual servings of Thanksgiving dinner that we ate out of Styrofoam boxes next to the beds of my ailing grandparents.

I am thankful for the melancholy and the tears.

I am thankful for the new additions that were slowly invited to Thanksgiving and then to Christmas.

I am thankful for all the celebrations that were spent with friends so close they’re like family.

I am thankful for the bowl of spicy pumpkin seeds and cracked corn that was so good you couldn’t stop eating them but they would make your mouth so hot that you would have to drink big glasses of water.

I am thankful for the post meal hikes and the leaves and the mud and the puffy vests and the corduroy pants. I am thankful for the faux sympathy and betrayal that would come from those who presumed to know us.

I am thankful for my first date and the darkness and ladder 49.

I am thankful for canned corn, rotisserie chicken and mashed potatoes in France. I am thankful for microwaves. I am thankful for the story of Squanto. And for totem poles of the northwest coast and the adorable ignorance of those who think that all native americans are the same. I am thankful for laughter and facepaint. I am thankful for friendship and love and wine.

I am thankful for free pumpkin pie and holiday cheer.

I am thankful for love and family and stomachaches and foodbabies and naps and blankets and bad photos.

I am thankful for those in Rennes who helped me celebrate when I was all alone.

I am thankful for my mother who has held my hand at every Thanksgiving dinner, but two, sharing thanks.

I am thankful for my sister who all but once has shared my bench and more than matched me for every scoop of mashed potatoes.

I am thankful to have had 22 years of pie and love and turkey and family.

I am thankful for all the future traditions that will not be kept and the memories that will preserve them and the wine that will create them and turkey and cranberries and pie that will remind me what day it is and all that I have to be thankful for.

Jar Salad. Say What?!

annhyphencharlotte — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 07:24:30 +0000

I found the most FANTABULOUS thing on Pinterest that I ABSOLUTELY must share with you. Check this shiz outtt! It is a SALAD in MASON JAR. The original link has much more beautiful photos (and a few recipes) than I have provided you with but nonetheless it is a wonderful idea. Notice how the salad dressing is in the bottom layer of the jar so that it doesn’t touch the salad greens and make them wilt. Apparently these salad jars will last for 4 days in the fridge so you can make a few at the beginning of the week and then bring them almost every day to work for lunch!

I combined the following ingredients in the order they are listed to make the creation on the left:

1 Tablespoon Light Balsamic Vinagrette

4 scoops mixture of chopped red peppers, orange peppers, green peppers and onions

1 cup of quinoa and brown rice

1/2 bag of Butter Lettuce

Sadly, I forgot it at home so I ate it for dinner instead. Ha! So much for an adorable portable lunch.

That Marshmallow-Pecan-Sweet Potato stuff

annhyphencharlotte — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 06:28:53 +0000

How can it be a month since I last posted?! I can’t believe it! Not much of note has happened, aside from Halloween, extensive cleansing and organizing, a Lumberjack Party, my first experience at Rock Bar and going through a Taco Bell drive-thru on foot at 2am and then getting picked up by a van full of gays. Oh yeah, and multiple transvestite sitings around Denver. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just a day in the life!

On another note, I’m super excited because Thanksgiving is almost here! I’m not excited for the pumpkin pie or the mashed potatoes, although I wouldn’t mind some of that marshmallow pecan sweet potato stuff- delicious! The reason I’m psyched is because my family is coming to Denver <3 I was originally expecting to go home for Thanksgiving but it ended up being easier to have my family come to me due to my retail schedule. They get in tomorrow night!! My sister is flying and my mom is driving out (thank goodness- it means she can bring me a space heater!) AND she is bringing my puppy with her! Little Lulu is my cuddlebug, I can’t wait to see her (note all the exclamation points)!

We’re going to the mountains for the weekend but I’ll be going back and forth due to my work schedule. Luckily my place of work shouldn’t be too nuts despite the Black Friday craziness that will be descending upon the rest of the country.

This is going to be a great weekend, I can’t wait. Do YOU have any interesting Thanksgiving plans or traditions? What part of Thanksgiving are you looking forward to most?

BIG LOVE. I’m thankful for each and every one of you!

Mustache Day 2011

annhyphencharlotte — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 02:29:03 +0000

On Wednesday, October 19, 2011 Breanna and I declared it Mustache Day. We went to Boulder for the day, had lunch at a place called Salt on Pearl Street and then went hiking north of Boulder. But not before we stumbled upon some excellent mustaches. As we wandered back to our car after lunch, we stopped in Goldmine Vintage for some Halloween-spiration. Instead what we came out with, was some seriously awesome facial hair. I originally chose a borderline-John Waters, grey mustache. It really didn’t suit me very well so I joined Breanna in rocking a bushy brown “bandit mustache.” In my opinion it looked much more Tom Sellick than bandit, but really, who cares. Anyway, we put them on and wore them the whole hike and for the entire drive home. We brought joy to pretty much everyone we came in contact for the rest of the afternoon and had an absolute blast. It was wonderful.

However, after wearing a mustache for a day, I have much more appreciation for the brave men who have made their mustache a permanent fixture on their faces. While mustaches look tidy, they are really very itchy and the little hairs kept going up my nose. Beauty is pain. So, I salute you!