Threadless.com

What do we want? Graphic tees! When do we want 'em? NOW!

Seriously, who doesn't love a graphic Tshirt? Most of us have at least three in our wardrobe, if not more if we're of the Indie/Emo persuasion.

So there's this website called Threadless that all the cool kids I work with really like. It's a "community-based tee shirt company," as it notes on the homepage, where as a designer you can submit your design for vote by the general public. If your design wins one of their ongoing competitions, your Tshirt is sold on the site -- Threadless gets a cut of sales and you get a flat fee. Neato, right?

I dare you not to lose hours on this site searching for your favorite funny/ironical shirt. And while you're at it, vote for my colleagues' idea>



You get it, right?

Monkey as Muse

Monkey my dog has inspired some of the most genius, creative people to write a song and put a slideshow to said song. I don't really know what to say except that this is the best thing ever.



Song by Casey Kundert
Photos by Ryan Cockrell and Elizabeth Lloyd
Produced by Ryan Cockrell

How We Got Punk'd by Chase Mortgage Lending

Recently our mortgage payments went up slightly based on some deal with the PMI. When we - my husband and I - attempted to log into our online account in order to alter the automatic deposit, all hell broke loose. In a nutshell, we are now waiting for Chase to fix its website so that we can pay them. EJ has been on the phone with Chase at least three times now and was informed that the issue affects at least 150,000 people but (a) Chase doesn't know when the glitch will be fixed and (b) it can't notify us when the issue does indeed get fixed. Of course EJ's natural response was, "don't you want my money?"

Well no, the answer is that Chase would rather charge us a late fee for something that is their responsibility to fix. You'd think, with so much drama surrounding the mortgage crisis in general, Chase would be more organized about this website-payment glitch, but I guess 150K customers is a drop in the bucket?

Being a first-time home owner (and house-dweller, btw), I'm not sure really what my next move could be. As consumers, we're pretty much locked into Chase because of the rate - to switch now would mean we'd have to alter rates, right?

Mortgages, health care -- bla! Shelter and good health are fundamental and they've got us by the throats on both fronts.

Palmetto Candy Company

GeoTagged, [N34.00034, E81.01668]

When you need a snack or a drink during the work day and you work in the Vista, Palmetto Candy Company is the place to go. I got these 2 snacks for a total of $0.80! The animal crackers have high frutose corn syrup, which is bad, but I'm sure the trail mix will balance out the health factor.

Palmetto is also well known for its bulk candy, cartons of smokes and containers of pickled eggs/pigs feet. It's the last remaining corner store in the Vista so go give them some love!

Calvin Klein Underwear

I could blog about tubing down the Saluda on the 4th of July -- a day which ultimately culminated in our neighbor bitching us out for setting off fireworks -- or I could tell you about the fun-filled weekend I just had in Myrtle (Surfside, really), but instead I have the most important matter to discuss: Calvin Klein underwear.

So there's a type of underwear, underpants really, that Calvin Klein used to make that it seems is no longer in production. They're basic bikini with an elastic that's strong, but not too strong (meaning tight). Apparently what's making them so appealing is that they're not cotton, but 95% modal, which I'm hoping means "as safe and as good for you as cotton."

Could it be that Calvin Klein found modal to be too expensive? Did they get into a fight over cost with the primary supplier of the fabric? I am hoping it is something as innocuous as these issues rather than a discovery that modal is poisonous.

When you find your favorite underwear, or panties (!yucko word!), it is not AT ALL the kind of product you want the company to stop making. Even shampoo which is so particular to the way I look is something I can ultimately replace. I have been looking for new underwear for about a year now and thus far, to no avail.

I ask you, dear reader, any recos? Please share your comments!

Surf Rumble 2009

The crew
Originally uploaded by cccphotos

First there was Tom and Jerry.

Then there was Sharks and Jets.

And then there was Macho Beach Noseriders and Columbia Kook Squad!

This past weekend we had an absolute blast when the Macho Beach Noseriders hosted the Columbia Kook Squad (CKS) for an all out rumble! The two surf clubs competed in board-paddling relays, paddle-biking relays and tug-o-war. Though CKS was beat down, we did not go down without a fight. And then after the fight there was much good times to be had so who cares who won anyway?

Many thanks to the kings and queens of Folly for such a great time. The next round is indeed on us.

Check out the full line up on Flickr.

Cupcake Coming to Columbia

I just chatted with a woman - I think it was the owner - bringing tables into the soon-to-be Cupcake on Lincoln Street in the Vista (specifically between Lady and Gervais Streets). She said they'll be opening up some time in July. Hooray!

Here's an excerpt from the Cupcake website that inspires hope:

"Kristin [Kuhlke - Cupcake founder] tells her story this way: A year, a month, a week and a day. That's how this all began. That's the amount of time I lived in New York City. I moved up there looking for an adventure—after 10 years in Charleston, South Carolina—and I found it. I found so much more. I found answers to questions I thought did not have answers. I also found inspiration..."

So not only will we be getting a cupcake place which is something we do not yet have in Columbia (i.e. not another wings joint) but it might also have an aesthetically pleasing atmosphere. Dare to dream!

Cosmetics Aisle at Target

It's not like y'all need help shopping at Target BUT just in case there are a few stragglers, here goes.

Have you been checking out the cosmetic aisles recently? Hello - they're selling Kiehl's (yes, you heard me right...of course the Target in Woodhill Mall seems to have run out and not replenished its inventory recently, but it was there at one point), Origins and Clarins. Wha?! Hooray, I know - I snagged the Kiehl's pineapple and papaya facial scrub as soon as I spied it about a month ago.

Having had such great luck in such an unfrequented aisle, when I went back last weekend I figured I should take another gander. Indeed I spied some magical numbers in the Sonia Kashuk section. This is a weekender I really didn't need, but coveted:



I also loved this wee clutch, so I dragged her home with me:

.

I'm not much of a makeup gal, but I love to peer over the rows of lotions and potions. Now that there's gear along with the makeup, I'm sold.

Sample Sales in NYC

Phooey that I don't have a private jet to scurry up to New York and hit these sample sales. If you're there, please go in my honor - and in your honor - and then comment about whether or not they were worth it. I need to live vicariously through you, my dears.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE LISTINGS WERE ALL GRABBED FROM THE BELOVED DAILY CANDY. I am merely highlighting my faves.

What: Diptyque
Why: Forty to 90 percent off deluxe candles, perfume, and body washes.
When: June 18 & 19. Thurs., 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m.; Fri., 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Where: 11 E. 26th St., b/t Madison & Fifth Aves., ste. 600.

What: Generra
Why: Slub cotton V-necks and polos for guys are $30-$35. Cotton tanks and racers for ladies are $15. Tops and dresses are up to 60 percent off.
When: June 17-19. Wed.-Fri., 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Where: 275 W. 39th St., b/t Seventh & Eighth Aves., 5a (212-768-2868).

What: Catherine Malandrino
Why: Spring and vintage items are 80-90 percent off retail. Dresses are $125 (reg. $495-$695). Skirts and pants are $60 (reg. $345-$495).
When: June 17-19. Wed., 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Thurs. & Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
Where: Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 W. 18th St., b/t Sixth & Seventh Aves., 4th flr.

What: Shoshanna and Anlo
Why: Up to 75 percent off swimwear and dresses. Up to 70 percent off denim shorts and skinny jeans.
When: June 17 & 18. Wed., 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Thurs., 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
Where: 231 W. 39th St., b/t Seventh & Eighth Aves., ste. 422 (212-719-3601).

Movie Nite, Columbia, SC

Here's one of the many things I love about living in the South: movie night out on the front porch! Here we all are on the Thackers porch -and yes, it is Fast Times At Ridgemont High.

CLT Me ASAP

When you need a city* fix and can't commit to driving to Charleston, it's best to hit 77 North and go to Charlotte, NC for the day. EJ and I headed out there yesterday for a lunch-and-learn conference. After a couple of client calls we were free to roam the downtown area. Though Google Maps (i.e. our combined ability to properly read Google Maps) failed us once again in terms of getting us to our intended location - Las Ramblas restaurant - it did afford us the opportunity to walk up and down Tryon getting a better sense of the location of popular museums (Mint, McColl) and most importantly for you, my dear shopping-focused readers, the location of Heels.com. Check out that website! How bummed was I to walk by the showroom/distribution center only to realize it's mainly an online retailer and in order to shop in the store I needed to have made an appointment. Next time, Heels.com, next time!

There's a new museum being built on Tryon Street across from Ratcliffe on The Green (which as you may recall I've mentioned in a previous post about shopping in Charlotte) that I thought was striking so I snapped a shot - check out that orange.



After we got a firm handle on what Tryon has to offer, we hopped in our car and drove over to Las Ramblas Cafe. With a name like "Las Ramblas" - a big street that runs through the heart of Barcelona - you better deliver. While the location right next to a Tuesday Morning leaves something to be desired, the interior decor is impressive enough to give you hope. The open kitchen boasts a big brick oven, there are tall bar tables for more casual dining next to the kitchen and bar, and regular tables for more formal seating on the periphery of the space. We took one glance through the menu, however, and were once again skeptical. Mozzarella and tomato salads are not Spanish, and Pan con Tomate was nowhere to be found.

But rather than leaving, we ordered a bottle of Albarino and the following tapas: Artichoke Cakes, Jamon, Manchego, Olives, Patatas Bravas, Gazpacho and Boquerones. Three cheers to everything we ate! It was indeed wonderful. Here's a shot of EJ with the Boquerones dish - great presentation, cierto? (And by the way, don't you just love the word "boquerones?" It's almost as great as "butifarra.")




*Note my definition of "city" here is a city where people walk the streets and there are plenty of sidewalks and shops, restaurants, museums, etc. to accommodate.

How the South Is Trying To Get Me Fat

1.) It's 90 degrees outside and it's only June 9

2.) The local lunch place put mayo on my chicken salad sandwich (yes, that's in addition to the mayo that is a key ingredient in chicken salad)

3.) Few sidewalks and no walking culture

4.) Five Guys Burgers and Fries

5.) Did I mention how hot it is outside?

Summer Camp

It could be because the school year has come to a close, or it could just be the warm weather, but every year around this time I get nostalgic for summer camp. I was a camper for five years and a counselor for two years at Camp Sloane in Lakeville, CT. Every so often people will ask me if I was ever a camp counselor and I proudly reply in the affirmative. Apparently the character traits stay with you (the last time I was asked was in a trade show booth in response to my peppy attitude after having repeated basically the same sales pitch for hours upon hours).

As an adult, there is an unspoken - or in many cases acknowledged and spoken - bond among people who at one time were summer camp counselors. I've grown closer with people in the workplace after connecting about our mutual love of camp. It's got to be something special when a group of people write a (hysterical!) book about it called Camp Camp.

But camp is most especially special to me because it's where I met my husband. Most of you have heard this story, so please bare with me as a recount the series of events for our not-yet-in-the-know readers. EJ and I were just pals at camp. In fact, I think we dated just about everyone else in our mutual circle of friends except each other. He smoked back then. We kept in touch for a while in and after college, but life sent him to Spain and me back to NYC and we ultimately lost touch. Then in 2001 he moved to my hometown and we ended up living about 4 blocks from each other. Once we ran into each other, the rest was history.

We're planning a trip back to camp at the end of the summer for the annual family camp/reunion weekend so it's down memory lane we go. And where does an intergeek turn to take that stroll? The Facebook of course, where there are about 4 groups devoted to our beloved camp - at least 2 of which are regularly updated. But tonight, browsing through hundreds of photos of people I don't know wasn't enough. I took the plunge and scanned and uploaded just under 20 photos of my own.

I'm sitting here now peering at these photos and thinking about what a wonderful time in my life that was. I don't know the numbers of kids going to summer camp these days, but knowing that children are increasingly more sheltered and attended to by their parents worries me that the value of summer camp has changed dramatically. Let me share with you the importance of summer camp and then I will get off my soapbox. If you want to instill any of the following values and character traits in your children, summer camp is the way to do it: friendship, independence, teamwork, time management, creativity, campfire-building, lanyard-weaving, the butterfly stroke, singing, kick-balling, horseback riding and archery.

Things I Never Thought I'd Do

There are a couple of things I've done recently that I never thought I'd do. No, they aren't salacious or diabolical - they are both appearance-related.

The first one is wear a piece of apparel by the dreaded retail brand Juicy Couture. I'm not young, I don't wear my ponytail on the side of my head except in jest in the privacy of my own house and I haven't owned a pair of Ugg(ly)s in years. But KH and I found a funky pair of orange flip flopesque patent leather sandals by the one and only Juicy at the end of the summer season last year and they were too cheap to pass up (under $20 at Monkees in Greenville - hello!). So I've taken the plunge and wore them yesterday with white jeans and a royal blue tank and received two compliments, thank you very mucho.

Here's a shot of the shoe with Munks looking puzzled. How great is the orange with the dark grey toe polish?!



The other one is a bit more devastating considering the comments I've made about the culture of stickers on cars here in South Cakalackee. But before you totally give up on me (and this message is mainly for my Northern friends), please understand how this collection of stickers I've decided to affix to my car is meant to not only represent my volunteer efforts, but also be a slight jab to all of the "Carolina Girl" and Palmetto-Tree-with-crescent-moon stickers you see ALL OVER TOWN.

Columbia's Crafty Feast Was a Big Hit!

I am very excited to report about Crafty Feast, the indie craft festival that happened in conjunction with the Eau Claire Ribs & Renaissance Festival (apparently a yearly occasion) this past weekend.

With a whopping 50 vendors, this festival delivered BIG TIME. Everyone was under one tent. I attended the Feast with my pals CS and JH. Once we had hooked ourselves up with some beers and a burger (yikes that line was so long!) we were properly equipped to shop. I decided that I was going to do one lap of the entire tent before diving into purchase mode. Here's the damage:

1) Snitches Get Stitches - how can you resist a tagline that reads, "We Make. You Buy. No one gets hurt."? The answer is, you can't. At least, I couldn't and that's why I snagged the following two cuties.

No, I have never been to a rave nor have I done ecstasy, but I did go through a hippy phase and it is for this reason I gave this necklace the moniker Hippy Trippy. Yes, that is glitter and a mushroom all in one pendant.



The resin-encased mushroom wonderland came dangling on one of those keychain/ball-based chains. I switched it to the silver chain you see in the above photo, then made the mistake of asking my husband if he liked it better on the new chain. He gave me his classic look and responded, "I don't like mushrooms used in art." Thankfully, he was a fan of the other item I snagged from Snitches, this Tim Burton-esque skull ring.



After SGS, I strolled (read: plowed) over to Token Emotion. I loved the name and the aesthetic of this Charlotte-soon-to-relocate-to-Asheville-based designer. She had linens, jewelry, stationary, china, etc. I got a set of 4 beautiful bird-printed napkins. I would have also purchased a silver flower ring, but it wasn't available in the right size.

I wrapped up the spending spree with The Small Object (check out that website - enuff said, right?). Here's a photo from The SO's website of the stickers I got. Don't ask me if I need stickers, the answer in this case is a resounding, "YES!"



Meanwhile CS did exceptionally well with a fabulous oxidized silver necklace from BEC Metalwork and perfect earrings from Heather someone who has pieces at Blue Sky Studio. And after much deliberation/thoughtfulness, JH got a couple of gifts for his sweetie who hopefully doesn't read my blog religiously.

It was a wonderful day. I felt the same way I had when I attended the first Runaway Runway last year -- thrilled by what can happen when creative, determined minds motivate in Columbia (three BIG cheers to the Crafty Feast organizer, Debi Schadel) and excited about the future of our small-but-growing town.

Beguiling Burgundy

Dear Caroline's Closet,

I am going to a wedding this weekend and I got a fabu cocktail dress at the BCBG outlet to wear to the event.



Now the only problem is my dress is burgundy and I don't know what shoes go with?

Please help!

- Confused in CT

Dearest Confused,

Connecticut can be most confusing indeed this time of year -- 60s/70s F during the day, then down to 50s/40s in the evening! Meanwhile, it's nearly June. The best thing you can do is err on the side of Spring-into-Summer dress code.

You are most generous for sharing your shoe selection so that we don't have to "fly blind" on our recommendations.



I vote for the second from the left - what seems to be a peachy gold; a look I find most appropriate for this time of year. If this were a Fall/Winter wedding, I would recommend the shoe on the right - the deep gold is more Autumnal.

In summary, play up the purple in the Burgundy with the peach in the shoes: that's a totally 80s combo which is therefore TA (totally awesome).

Yours in solidarity...and sisterhood,

Caroline

Not So Ga Ga for Gossip Girl

Ok, I have to admit - I don't get the Gossip Girl phenom? I finally sat down and watched an episode this week and it seemed like One Tree Hill/Dawson's Creek but at private school. Supposedly the school these girls go to is my alma mater or another similar school (and we've all got our knickers in a twist, pun intended, about the recent coverage from a fellow classmate and friend who now lives in the UK), but I think the show is as much a representation of the all-girls private school experience as Dawson's Creek was about a high school in the burbs (it was about a high school in the burbs, right?!).

Don't get me wrong, I think it's fun to see bitchy characters and fabulous clothing, but the one episode I watched did not hook me...and yes, I am hoping this will spark some lively commenting from all you GG fans.

The Mani Side of Mani/Pedi Season

In my last post about mani/pedi season, I had only two pedis featured - no manis. Well this hot Boston-based mani was just emailed over to me from KH. Light lavender on the fingers? That's what I call one HOT mani!



Further to my last post about Belk, CC set the record straight with her comment about Belk and shoes -- more hit or miss than a guarantee. Ok, that sounds more like it. Nonetheless, she got those hot little numbers at Belk! That in and of itself is news, yo.

Finally, are you noting the purple trend here, my dear reader?

Mani/Pedi Season!

I am very happy to officially celebrate mani/pedi season. I got my first one last week after KH found the grey nail polish I had been searching for! Check it out - I'd still like to find a lighter grey for my hands, but in the meantime I am loving this for zee feet.



And check out this little color combo CC (not me, I have a friend w/ the same initials) was sporting on Saturday. It's an orangey-coral-pinkish with purple sandals. Hot! And how cool are those sandals, right? Would you believe it when I tell you they're from Belk...the Belk at the Richland Fashion Mall?! Well it's all true. What I like most about these little numbers is that they sport the in-style fringe but they're on a flat sandal, not a super-stacked heel. Apparently they're part of the Kristen Davis collection - kudos to Kristen on the shoes. Not so much on the clothing line.

So the word among the group on Saturday is that the Belk has good shoes. Hmmm, TBD, my friends, TBD. I shall investigate soon and report back.

Great Restaurant in ATL Airport!

On my layover to Boston I decided to treat myself to a good lunch. The restaurant One Flew South in terminal E had the exact aesthetic to which, apparently, I am drawn: light wood ceiling, big photo of a forest behind the sushi bar and round silvertoned light fixtures.

The food seriously delivered! I had a frizzy salad with Benton Farm bacon followed by this crazy, wackadoo good duck confit sammich.

The best thing about the restaurant? Everything but the seafood is from no more than 100 miles away. Done and done. To all my pals in ATL propa - if you're feeling 1950s-esque, drive out to the airport and have yourselves a fine meal! The manager says that if the airport locale is a success, they're thinking about opening an offshoot in midtown.

Lastly, here's a shot of the sandwich w/ sushi bar in background. Mouth-watering, no?