Liberty at Target

I'm on pins and needles anticipating next week's launch of Liberty of London's line for Target. Apparently it's going to be throughout the entire store, including fashions, accessories, and housewares. Some of what I've seen online so far looks really cute.

There are some pretty dresses:


And even bathing suits and lounge wear:

Cute kitchen items:

I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to want quite a few of these items. And this retro bike might just be at the top of that list:

Oscar Dresses

Like just about everyone else, I spent last night watching the Oscars. The awards were predictable and the show was kind of boring, but the dresses were great. Thought I'd put my two cents in and show some of my favorites.

Vera Farmiga- I love the ruffles on this dress. It's an example of a structured, architectural dress that doesn't look too stiff.

Elizabeth Banks- There were a lot of strapless gowns with elaborate skirts last night. This one was my favorite of that group.

Maggie Gyllenhaal- I never would have thought that I would like a floral-print evening gown, but I just really like her whole look, including her simple jewelry and bright lipstick.

Anna Kendrick- Really like the soft pink color with her pale skin tone.

Kate Winslet- I kind of overlooked this last night, but the more I see it, the more I like it. It's elegant, but it looks comfortable, like something a normal person could wear.

And one runner up??
Carey Mulligan- I'm on the fence about this. At first I wasn't crazy about it, and I'm not a huge fan of the short in front, long in back shape. It started to grow on me though when I saw that the beading on the top of the dress is actually little silver charms in the shape of forks, knives, spoons, and scissors. For some reason I like the idea of that quirky little detail.

Grey Gardens

I finally got around to seeing the HBO movie version of Grey Gardens and it's amazing! Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange perfectly capture every little thing about Big and Little Edie. They truly deserve every award that they've won for this. There are some scenes where you would literally be hard pressed to tell the difference between this version and the original documentary.

The film isn't just one big impersonation, though. They show flash backs to when Big Edie was still married and Little Edie was just a young woman, and it really gives a new perspective on the state that they ended up in. It's really interesting to see the origins of some of their crazier traits in their younger selves. I highly, highly recommend Netlflixing this. (But see the original first if you really want to appreciate it.)

A Good Thing in March

March isn't typically the most exciting of months, but one good thing about it is that it means it's a little bit closer to the new spring issue of Lula.

As if that in itself wasn't worth getting excited about, Refinery29 recently did a rundown of the best upcoming magazines and showed a preview of one of the features in Lula's spring issue- a recreation of the original Strawberry Shortcake characters! Below is their version of "Plum Puddin" and "Blueberry Pie".

What a cute idea! The Strawberry Shortcake figurines were some of my favorite toys when I was little. Fingers crossed that Lula recreates "Crepe Suzette"- her chic pancake beret would be ripe for reinterpretation.

Veggie Hog

Isn't this the cutest thing? My mom gave it to me. It's not a hedgehog, it's a veg-hog, used for scrubbing vegetables.

I tried it out when I made these really healthy stuffed sweet potatoes. The actual recipe is:

Bake the potatoes. In the meantime, slice a clove of garlic, cook it in olive oil until it's brown and crisp, then remove it from the pan and cook some kale or spinach in that oil. When the potatoes are done, top them with the leafy greens and a big scoop of ricotta cheese, and sprinkle the crisp garlic on top.

This time around, I substituted a shallot because the garlic at the grocery store looked pitiful. I also used broccoli to change up the greens and added a touch of red pepper flakes, which was a nice contrast to the coolness of the ricotta. So you see, it's definitely a flexible recipe.