{Pin this!}

Butter Tutorial: J.Crew cute & glam color-pop bobbie pins 

I love gold.

I spend a fair amount of time gazing around my home imagining what could possibly look better spray painted a metallic hue...

When I saw these little gold J.Crew bobbie pins with pops of color on the tips selling for $12.50/pack I thought..."why, I could make those with just a few things lying around the house--and better yet--for free!" 

All you need are some ordinary bobbie pins, gold spray paint, a variety of bright opaque nail colors and a scrap of paper. For the thrifty and resourceful Butter girl.

Here's how... 

 

{All aboard!}

Have I ever told you that I once traveled on the Orient Express? 

Beginning in Bangkok I slowly choo-chooed past the rice fields, villages and the legendary River Kwai of Thailand, to the sparkling bazaars, temples and blue mosques of Malaysia's colonial city of Georgetown, Penang. The train was luxe. The Pullman Cabin came with my own tiny bathroom, crisp white sheets and a campy Thai steward who kept me rich in fresh flowers, Boh tea and fits of laugh attacks.

Thinking back on that trip I like to envision myself as one of the models aboard the Louis Vuitton Express. 

 

Marc Jacobs is such an artistic genius.

As Louis Vuitton's Creative Director he conceived a grand locomotive which rolled into the Louvre during fashion week last March in Paris ceremoniously launching the Fall/Winter Louis Vuitton campaign. Inside this opulent train were 48 models ready to walk the runway with their male porter counterparts carrying the new LV collection behind them. With the show's success dazzling buyers and critics, the creative team decided to mark the opening of their new Shanghai store in similarly over the top fashion. Chronicled by photographer and film maker Todd Selby, the train traversed France, Germany, Poland, Belarus, Russia and Mongolia reaching it's final destination last month and celebrating the brand's first brick and mortar on China's mainland by recreating the Paris show. (Chinese fashion industry insiders response? They went ape shit over it).

Taking the elements of the Paris show one last step, Marc Jacobs has collaborated with photographer Steven Meisel to produce print ads now running in magazines, style columns and billboards. On print the campaign relies on vintage inspired sepia tones and a glimpse of the glamorous days of train travel. Ultimately these advertisements are a reminder of what the Louis Vuitton brand was built upon: a tradition of luxury travel.   

The Fall/Winter Louis Vuitton collection is just the right aesthetic for the Butter fan. The combination of hand stitched rich brown leather with shiny gold, brown and clear sequins--now that is what earthy glam is all about.

Follow the Louis Vuitton Express journey by clicking here...LV Train Map

{the Country Life}

When I walk through our local Farmer's Market in Oakland it feels like I'm strolling down a country lane. That is until I notice the prices. Sure there are lots of other places to shop for locally sourced foodstuff and for a lot cheaper but I enjoy this Saturday excursion for a different reason: the people. I contend there are few other Farmer's Markets in the country that can even begin to rival the diversity of Oakland's crowd. This assorted tribe succeeds in creating a colorful and scrumptious weekly event hawking everything from Himalayan spiced chicken wraps to Pakistani stuffed flat breads to fresh Butter fish to locally made Elvis inspired peanut butter and bacon dog treats. Come to the Grand Lake Farmers Market and see the world!

{Hot Enough for You?}

Feel like taking a dip?

There is no place better to cool off than the fresh Venetian Pool located in Coral Gables, Florida. This incredible gigantic green & blue swimming pool holds 820,000 gallons of spring fed water and was built in 1923 from a coral rock quarry. Designed by George Merrick as part of the Venetian Casino, it was originally conceived as part of a grand plan to establish the small town of Coral Gables as a Mediterranean-type destination in southern Florida. After opening in the 1920's it drew big time celebrities of the day including that gorgeous and glamorous would be Olympic swimmer and actress Esther Williams.

www.estherwilliams.com

Along with stellar talent as a swimmer and actor, Esther Williams was also a major pin-up girl in the 40's and 50's. Her film roles led her to champion the one-piece halter-top swimsuit making it an icon of pre and post World War II fashion. Only the bikini would rival the recognizable silhouette 20 years later. The halter-top one piece is the exact type of swimsuit seemingly designed for frolicking under one of the two towering waterfalls or entertaining in the pre-Playboy era grotto of the Venetian Pool. 

www.estherwilliams.com

www.estherwilliams.com

Feel like channeling your own 'Million Dollar Mermaid'? 
Nowadays you can purchase an Esther Williams original suit at her on-line swimwear store: esther-williams.com 

www.estherwilliams.com