My own private Xmas

*A parte boa do Natal em família, além dos presentes, é perceber que algumas coisas não mudam.

* Meu tio continua escondendo os melhores doces no quarto só pra ele.

Minha vó encomendando 43 pratos, achando que é pouco e no dia seguinte obrigando todo mundo a levar o que sobrou.

Eu continuo ganhando pijamas da minha vó.

Minha mãe me falando que se eu não parar de ver TV e não for pra sala conversar com os

parentes não vou ganhar sobremesa (e eu tenho 31 anos).

Tudo traz uma certa consistência familiar. Me passa uma tranquilidade que algumas sensações vão estar sempre lá.

------------------------------------- Home made grandma's quindins -------------------------------------

--- Ponche. Champagne, guaraná, frutas e sei lá mais o que. Passei a infância toda ignorantemente chamando de "Poncho"----

E o que eu mais gosto é a decoração da casa da minha vó, que continua igual.

--------- Os mesmos copos de cristal com borda dourada desde que nasci ----------------

------------ Sabonetes pintados a mão. São horríveis pra lavar a mão. Com uns 10 anos eu fiz aula de artesanato e pintava uns também ------------

-------- O relógio que dá as mesmas badaladas desde sempre. Barulhinho que me fez lembrar que estou na casa da vó --------

* Feliz Fim de Ano

e Aproveitem suas famílias.

...and a Happy New Year!

While making notes / researching some of the awesome (and not so awesome) stuff that went by our lives in '09 for a New Years post, I came across this guy's version of one of TWM's favorite songs from this past year.



Since I may never actually work on such entry, I thought I'd leave you with my buddy here, and a few conclusions (if not resolutions):

- Pursue whatever it is you're looking for, and find the ambition / inspiration to follow it until the mission is complete (even if you have to play four different characters on your own awesome video because none of your friends would agree to participate in it).

- Karen O is the boss, and when she tells you to 'get your leather on', you better listen to it. It is, after all, for your own good.

- No matter what they say, singing along (out LOUD) to 'Zero' at the hippest festival in California with your friends will not make you uncool.

All in all, we truly wish all of you can be as happy as this dude.

If you're not sure you got there in 2009, we hope you will find your own black monogram-studded leather jacket and rock the sh*t our of 2010.


Feliz Ano Novo! <3

TWM

Feliz Natal e um 2010 cheeeio de coisas legais pros leitores do TWM!

*(o pacote inclui, alem de amor, saude e paz, maquiagem, esmalte, revistas inspiradoras, seriado com protagonista bonitao e musica que da vontade de dancar)

a arvore de Natal e do Andy Warhol.. e eu achei aqui.

Target, Rodarte and Michelle Williams' mini-me aka Tavi

It officially starts tomorrow, though a few stores already have the Rodarte for Target collection on the floor - as reported by New Brahmin (lucky!).

I would be very thankful if Santa (or you, ha) braved the supposed snow storm storm scheduled for tomorrow morning, and got me that cute leopard-print bow belt. I'll be working all day, and sure deserve it.

Little, My Melody, Tuxedosam & amigos

Enquanto eu segurava meu lencinho da Hello Kitty com a mão que tinha um band aid também da Hello, meu amigo perguntou "Pq vc gosta tanto assim dessa Hello Kitty?".

Aí eu respondi que eu nem gosto tanto. É que a maior parte das coisas que eu compro são infantis, e ela é o personagem que mais tem coisas.

Na minha infância a maior diversão entre meninas era colecionar e trocar lápis, borrachinhas, adesivos e principalmente papéis-de-carta. A gente competia pra ver quem tinha a gaveta maior de "coisinhas", o estojo mais bacana pra levar pra aula e a pasta mais grossa de papel de carta. A gente recheava as coleções quando alguém viajava pra fora. E só no shopping Morumbi tinha uma lojinha que vendia algumas dessas coisinhas. O programa de fim de semana era a tchurma se encontrar e fazer as trocas, todo mundo na casa de alguém.

As trocas eram momentos de treinar o espirito de negociação, o blefe, a frieza. As vezes rolava uns estresses. Nunca vou esquecer o dia que Mariana apareceu na minha casa falando que a mãe dela tinha mandado ela destrocar um adesivinho que eu tinha convencido ela a trocar comigo. Aquilo era a apelação proibida. Mas como ela era mais nova eu tive que respeitar e destrocar.

Nesse mundo a mega corporation japa Sanrio tinha o monopólio dos nossos corações. E meus personagens preferidos sempre foram esses:

- Tuxedosam: o pinguim gordinho azul, que tem outros amiguinhos da mesma espécie e cor de pele.

----------------------- livrinhos de adesivos que eram disputados a tapa --------------------------

Eu tinha esse porta- moeda- pulseira:

- Little Twin Stars: são 2 anjinhos que eu achava que eram namorados, mas obviamente são irmãos. E eles voam em cima de uma estrela que serve de tipo tapete do Alladin.

----------------------------------------------- estojinho tíiiipico dos Little ---------------------------------------

Hoje já acho eles meio puros demais. Mas ainda queria muito essa camiseta que achei online:

Eu não sei se essa geração de meninas ainda coleciona coisinhas e se troca papel de carta. Minha pasta de papel de carta está guardada até hoje, como uma das coisas mais valiosas da minha infância e nenhuma priminha minha deu muita bola até hoje. Quando eu tiver filha eu vou obrigar ela a gostar. (se eu tiver filho homem acho que vou deixar ele gay)

Quem quiser escolher seu personagem preferido da Sanrio, eles estão aqui.

Boston Fashion Blogger Mixer

Quick post (since I'm the last one registering the most fun event of last weekend).

Thank you Amy, Liana, and Jen for hosting the first Fashion Blogger Mixer at Luna Boston!

I believe I speak for all us girls who got to meet each other, have delicious drinks and exchange information and tips on fashion, career and life in general. Our parties and Clothing Swaps should get a bit more fun from now on, huh? :)

I'm updating our blogroll, my Google Reader and Twitter account to follow the steps of these awesome local ladies:

Crisis in Denim
Dama Design
Daucus Carota
Give Me Platforms
Orchid Grey
Pretty Inovative
The Bargain Hunter Extraordinaire
The Good Girls Gone Blog
Wily Wiley

The official photos by Adam, Kev and some of us bloggers are up on Flickr.

Cassie posted a nice review of that afternoon, worth checking out as well.

Moving on to what really matters: fashion! My picks are here:

Julie's entire outfit:
Amy's GaGa-esque big shoulders (along with Cassie's Balmain-like ones):


Lei Ann's pretty full-skirted dress (yeah, I'm accidentally in the bg):


Neira's make-up, nails and tights:
and last, but not least..

Sarah's sequins:


hope to see you girls around town soon!

♥

I Wish It Was Christmas Today

♥

self-taught learner

the Polaroid shot displays what was probably my first encounter with
Daisy, Mickey, Donald, grandma's blush and red lipstick.

I love tutorials.

Make-up tutorials, hairdo tutorials, jewelry/holiday ornament tutorials.

I wouldn't say I'm skilled, but definitely persistent. And I have a passion for beauty products and tricks. Combine both and you have a person who grew up teaching herself how to do her own nails, cut her own hair (from basic bangs to insane layered-styles) and give herself the infamous smoky eyes.

Every now and then I will check out my favorite beauty websites and YouTube channels to try and learn some of the styles I see girls wearing on fashion magazines.

Here are a few of my favorite teachers:



Julia Petit is a Brazilian fashion icon, and I simply adore her. In one of her latest hairdo tutorials, she teaches us how to get the side-swept beachy effect on your hair. Perfect for a night out, it's all the smart Brazilian girls have been wearing lately. Beautiful!

Marina Smith writes for Julia's website. She's the make-up guru and posts weekly tutorials (available for download in PDF format at her own blog). Her focus is mainly on eye make-up and colorful effects, and they're all really pretty.

photo source: Petiscos

*Though both websites are in Portuguese, all you need is to pay attention to the photos/video steps ;)

When it comes to retro hairdos, there's only one girl I will listen to: Strawberry Koi's Aya. Her YouTube channel is the place to go for 1940's bangs, curls and poofs. I blame her for my addiction to the Bumpit. Though they were not around back in the day, the cheesy tool does make the job easier.

I love her how-to on the beehive:




As far as more modern, borderline exaggerated make-up goes, Kandee Johnson is who knows it all. I like how she will give you a pop culture icon as a reference for each tutorial result. She is super nice too, which helps you feel like it's ok if you mess it up, say, a THOUSAND times before getting anything right.

Here's the 'Kim Kardashian' look, which doesn't necessarily apply to all events you'll attend, but sure is glam:


Hair and make-up aside, I do feel as though Boston girls don't have the same obsession as we Sao Paulo gals do: nails! nail polish! manicures! pedicures! Not that in Boston no one cares about it, but like I said, it's not a crazy obsession -- hey, correct me if I'm wrong, that's what the comment area is for! :)

Photo source: Unha Bonita

My favorite 'nail blog' is Unha Bonita ("Pretty Nails"). Those girls really know their business and will inspire you to get yours done anytime. You don't even need to feel like reading or understand Portuguese.. the photos they post of all colors, recently-manicured hands and different mixtures of tendencies will do the magic. Trust me.

I wish good luck to all girls out there who, in mid-recession, brave through hours of self-embarrassment in front of the mirror in order to achieve beauty skill perfection!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T! <3>

P.S. - We Made These

homemade snowglobe

paperback trees

photos from the Holiday Workshop I hosted at my house over the weekend.

fun, crafty times!

PS: I believe everyone should take a break from their busy schedules and enjoy a little creativity every once in a while. If holiday ornaments are not your thing, I'm sure PS I Made This has a tutorial that will inspire you.

..and if the snow buries my neighborhood?

It's snowing in Boston! Loves it.

This season I decided to go traditional and skip the Volcano candles for my house, just once. I picked a couple of holiday-smelling ones from Anthro, and am in love with both:


Fireside has a bit of pine in it, but is mostly smoky (good smoky, not my-hair-smells-like-I-just-grilled-beef-tips smoky). It really makes the room cozier in a cold night like this one.

Snow on Cedar is super piny, very fresh. I haven't burned that one yet, but can already tell it will make my house smell like I got two Christmas trees instead of one - which is totally cool in my book.

PS: how cute are the tin cans?

The XX & Friendly Fires @ the Dise

Hi Boston, snowy evening, huh?

Maybe that's why I'm a little on the lazy side to write this post.. or maybe I'm just doing it now so I don't end up giving up and not uploading these photos and videos at all.

So last night we went to the Paradise to see The XX and the Friendly Fires, and I was pretty excited for this show. Turns out the afterparty at The Pill was more fun than hanging out at a privileged spot at the Dise. But hey, that's just my opinion.

mind the blur, Santa shall grant my new camera wishes soon.

Let's get down to it.

I like The XX, I'm not crazy in love with The XX. Throughout their set, I downed two cans of Red Bull, and still almost fell asleep. Fine, maybe I don't get the genre, or was solely waiting for the hits.. whatever. I wanted to hear Crystalized, and maaaybe You've Got The Love. But I only got a dragged out version of Islands, which pretty much was when I hit the peak of my excitement for that hour and a half. Sorry if I let you down, but apparently, I'm not the only one who felt the same way.





Moving on.

The Friendly Fires are no strangers to this blog. My friend and blog partner Fe has followed the boys' steps around in 2009, and you can find videos and her interview here and here. I saw their performance at Coachella from a distance (while having a partial brain meltdown, due to a 105F heat wave) and sorta remember seeing the lead singer jumping from side to side.

The boys' performance was amazingly energetic, almost a shock to those (meaning me) who were left in a haze by the previous band. Besides making the entire audience d-a-n-c-e, the Friendly Fires were able to lift our spirits and really, really wish we could all shake our hips like Ed Macfarlane does.






It wasn't a bad night, far from that. We all had fun, but I did leave the venue a bit empty-hearted. I guess I was expecting to be surprised and that didn't happen. At least the Friendly Fires lived up to their reputation. My Sao Paulo friends were right, they kick ass.

We Wish You a Merry Wishlist

... just in case you were wondering what on Earth to get me for Christmas. No pressure, there are items in every price range :)

Roller Derby skates, of the girlie kind if you may. Size 7 1/2, sil vous plait?

Canon 940, since my point-at-shoot no longer points or shoots.

A lifelong allowance from Sephora by OPI. If not, just a coupl'a cool colors will do.

Where magic happens. Cheap, but cute magic anyways.

My Nylon Mag subscription will expire in February! OMG!

Chanel, because Syd is in need of a cute sister with a chic name.

This outfit.

Tickets for SXSW! (I'll take care of the RV rental)

Bust Mag subscription? :)

a shiny disco ball for our NYE White Party (basement dancefloor, that is)

a weekend at the Chelsea Hotel is always welcome

not-so-cheap Burberry riding/rain boots <3

la Blogotheque

Wolfgang Amadeus foi um dos discos que eu mais ouvi esse ano.
o la Blogotheque do Phoenix saí daqui 3 dias. Eu quero.

"dá um follow" na Capricho

O Lucio Ribeiro me pediu ajuda pra indicar os twitters mais legais para as meninas da Capricho seguirem. Listei os que eu leio mesmo, entre amigos, ídolos e revistas. Lógico que não couberam todos que eu queria e gosto.

Minha listinha saiu na última edição da revista, na coluna dele. Olha aí em cima.

O mais legal é que eu ganhei um mooonte de seguidoras fofas agora no meu twitter. : ))

Happy Thanksgiving!

This blog isn't exactly known for its culinary skills, but that doesn't mean I don't take risks in the kitchen every once in a while. Though I can make some badass desserts and a pretty good Strogonoff, my grandma Laura claims the talent comes with age (she didn't cook at all until she was in her mid-50s - lucky me, right around the time when I was born).

To honor the best cook in my family, I decided to make one of her best and easiest recipes for Thanksgiving dinner at the Collins' this year.

So, for the first time in TWM history, here's the step-by-step recipe for Laura's Ham and Cheese Awesomely Delicious Pie (title given by me):

Crust:
2 cups white flour
1 egg
5 tablespoons margarine
dash salt
dash sugar

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl - you may wanna get your hands dirty here. When the dough reaches a firm consistence, spread it evenly on the baking pan. I used one of those pans with a belt on the side (it's easier to move the pie out of it when ready).

not the easiest job to spread the buttery dough all over the pan, but it's worth it

Filling (1):
9 oz. chopped cheddar cheese
9 oz. chopped ham

The cheese and ham can go in the crust at this point.

Filling (2):
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup plain, low fat yogurt
4 eggs

Whisk the cream for a little while until it's a little thicker than au natural. Then add the eggs and yogurt, keep mixing.
When the mixture is ready, pour it in the crust, covering the ham and cheese.

Stick the pan in a pre-heated 400F oven for about 30 mins. The pie will be ready when both the crust and the top are golden.
This is delicious both warm, right off the oven, or cold, like a quiche.

Hope you love it like we all do <3

Happy Thanksgiving!

PS: the cute image that illustrates this post was found here.