Music + Fashion: Raspberry Beret

I can't wear berets. I don't know how to make them sit right on my head. Maybe my hair is too short? But I always love the way they look.

This isn't the kind you'd find at a second-hand store, but rather one handmade by an ex-librarian (!) named Rachael who sells her good-lookin' wares in an Etsy shop called Softspoken.

Raspberry Beret - Prince & The...

Go Lightly

"A girl just can't go to Sing-Sing with a green face."

Because everyone can use a little Audrey Hepburn in their lives, Tutti from Tel Aviv pays homage to this icon (among other things we love—like SHOES, nerds, and tea parties) in her Etsy shop, Tutti Studio. Don't you love the backdrop? I want to wallpaper my apartment with it.

Holly is #3 in the Imaginary Art Gallery series. This one goes in the kitchen, so you can have breakfast with her.

And That's a Promise

Inspirational art doesn't have to be lame. Case in point: the work of Shelli Dorfe, proprietress of Studio Mela. The Minnesota artist's text-heavy prints are simple, sweet and just the right amount of funny. (I mean, have you seen a bird with a french fry?)

So Very Happy is #2 in my Imaginary Art Gallery series. If I had it, I'd hang it up just inside the front door so I could look at it every day as I grab my keys on the way out.

City of Love

I moved to Philadelphia, City of (Brotherly) Love, in September 2008, and I've barely seen it outside the little neighborhood where I live, work, and go to school. So here's my ongoing list of Places to Check Out, to be moved to a list of Places I Have Checked Out as I do so. Suggestions? Let me know!

Philadelphia Places to Check Out:

AKA Music
Most commonly recommended record store.

Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Great name. Cool-looking store.

Art Star
Like, the coolest boutique or something.

Franklin Fountain
Old-fashioned ice cream parlor recommended by friends.

Jones Restaurant
Looks "kitschy."

Long in the Tooth
Record store. For some reason, I first typed this as "Long in the Tootle."

Mama's Vegetarian
Falafels!

Omoi
A mecca for cuteness?

Random Tea Room & Curiosity Shop
Reminds me of my favorite tea place in Seattle.

South Street
Occasionally hung out there as a college student; haven't been back since.


Philadelphia Places I Have Checked Out:

Copabanana
Went for lunch on a Sunday afternoon. Good burger, but nothing to write home about. Maybe come back for margaritas one night? (If only I actually drank margaritas.) 7/11/09

Fairmount Park and Schuylkill Banks
Walked along the river, checked out the Waterworks and read the inscriptions on all the statues of old dudes. A lovely Sunday activity! 9/13/09

Last Word Bookshop
Most important to me: a truly decent children's/YA selection. Secondly important: like all good used bookstores, it includes a cat.

Milk & Honey Market
I anticipated their opening for months and finally got there only to be kinda disappointed by the small selection and the fact that they sold us moldy sour cream. But thumbs up on the cheese and nut free sample! 1/7/10

PHAG (Philadelphia Home Art Garden)
Cute little shop on Walnut Street filled with some really slick larger pieces as well as a good selection of kitschy accessories. It's like visiting your kooky gay uncle. 8/15/09

Philadephia Museum of Art
Dude, now I know why it was such a great workout for Rocky to run up those steps—there's so many of them! Didn't explore the whole museum but got to see some Marcel Duchamps and other cool stuff. 9/13/09

Reading Terminal Market
I feel like kind of a traitor to Seattle, but as far as the food goes anyway, I have to say RTM beats Pike Place Market. Where else can you get Italian, Mexican, Indian, Middle Eastern, AND Amish cuisine all under one roof? Plus the bathroom here is way nicer. 7/25/09


Tampopo
We went there for Valentine's Day! 
What I wrote before: Sushi and noodle-type restaurant, newish to the neighborhood. Looks cute. Also, if you bring your own bowl, you can "save the mother earth and fifty cents all in one place."
What I say now: Small menu, which I like because it probably means that they're good at what they do. You order at the counter and get a little beeper that lets you know when your food is ready. Loved my tofu yakisoba, and there was enough for leftovers. 2/14/10

The Twins

Tomorrow is my birthday! I'm a Gemini dating a Gemini (his day is in May), so there are really four of us in this relationship. Therefore, we need this print from Etsy artist Elsita, aka Elsa Mora, a thirtysomething Cuban/ American mother of three. I love the colors, the crazy hair, the two sets of legs! Elsa makes all kinds of art and also blogs at http://elsita.typepad.com.

Gemini is #1 in my new series tentatively titled Imaginary Art Gallery. This is everything I would hang in my bathroom next to the Mona Lisa if I were Daddy Warbucks.

Art Saves

Happy Teen Read Week! I finally got a chance to visit the public library in my new city, and the first book I borrowed was—of course—a teen read.

The Plain Janes was Cecil Castelluci's first graphic novel (with drawings by Jim Rugg), published by the now-axed teen girls' imprint Minx. I love it! It's all about Jane, a girl who saves herself from her traumatic past with guerrilla art projects and a new group of girlfriends, all named Jane. They call themselves People Loving Art In Neighborhoods (P.L.A.I.N.). Besides our heroine main Jane, there's drama Jane, brain Jane and butch-unibrow-jock Jane. Now you can read about their continued adventures in Janes in Love.

And with The Guerrilla Art Kit, you can love art in your own neighborhood.

Guerrilla Girls, anyone?

Tofutti Cuties

Etsy and tofu, I love both. And there's lots of chances to get them together. What's more lovable than anthropomorphic and/or plush soybean curd? Here are a few of my favorites. (Above: Toddler Tofu T from The T-Shirt Project, $18.)

L to R: Grilled Tofu from Go Buggy, $15. Tofu for Obama from ChrisCreatures, $10.



L to R: Happy Tofu Family Kawaii Pendant from auryndesign, $12. Little Tofu Studs from Komodokat, $7.