The Five Beauty Tips That I Know

I'm not sure that I would consider myself a beauty expert. I don't know how to pluck my eyebrows, my morning routine takes all of 15 minutes and I frequently forget to wear deodorant (don't worry - I'm freakishly non-smelly. Probably because I'm part robot.) But! I do have a few tricks up my sleeve, tricks that keep my beauty budget low and keep getting me carded even though I'm quite a few years away from 21.

The Aspirin Mask
Did you know that aspirin contains heaps of salicylic acid - the main ingredient in most acne fighting products? To make this mask, all you need is a big ol bottle of dollar store aspirin (seriously? cheap, uncoated aspirin is better) a dallop of yogurt and a bit of honey. In a little bowl, crush 4 - 8 aspirin - the oilier your skin, the more aspirin you'll want to use. Add about a tablespoon of yogurt and a tiny squirt of honey. You'll want to use more honey if your skin is dry. Mix it all together till it's grainy and spread it onto the oily parts of your face. I usually leave mine on for about five minutes, but you might want to start with a shorter amount of time. Wash it off and feel smug about your glowing skin, all to the tune of three cents.

Olive Oil as Shaving Cream
Instead of using Skintimate or your conditioner, use your bottle of Bertolli. Just spread it on your legs the way you would any other shaving product and have at it. It can get a bit messy - you'll have to clean your razor a bit better than usual and make sure you clean your tub afterwards so you don't slip in any left over oil, but I promise you that your legs will be smoother and stay moisturized longer than with anything else you've ever tried!

No More Razor Rash
Whenever I shave or wax any of those tender bits so prone to red bumplies, I do it before I go to bed and then top off the area with a generous slater of triple anti-biotic ointment. I let them spend the night au naturale (so stop wearing high cut tank tops after you shave your armpits!) and in the morning everything's hair and razor rash free!

Homemade Exfoliator
If I'm running low on my beloved St. Ives Apricot Scrub, or winter has made my skin too tender for all that, I exfoliate my face with tablespoon of baking powder. It's super cheap, works wonders, is gentle enough to use in the depths of December. Clever!

Lip Balm as Cuticle Cream
You know when you're applying lip balm? And you find yourself stuck with a lone Sticky Finger? And then where do you wipe it? A while ago, I decided to stop wiping it on a) the inside of my pant's hem (?!) b) my desk chair and start massaging that extra bit of balm into my cuticles. To birds! One stone!

What are you beauty secrets? Do share!

Closet Case

I live in a postage stamp of an apartment. Okay, really it's more of a legal-sized envelope of an apartment but regardless? It's wee. But one of the best things about my particular tiny space is The Best Closet Ever. Double doors that swing open! Built-in cubby holes! Heaps of shelves and drawers!

It's currently not cute enough to show you, but once the weather turns, there will be painting, and handle-replacing and mirrored trays all full of powder puffs and perfume bottles. To tide me over, I've been prowling the internetz searching for closet inspiration. Here are a few of my favorites - links to sources are embedded in the photos.

One of my design dreams is to have a library

of my very own (and you know I'd have my

own stamp and check-out cards) This clever

couple turned an unused walk-in into a

tiny library space

I know that the closet office is now ubiquitous

in certain design circles but I care not!

So.damn.cute.

Yup. Still cute.

I like the idea of freeing my jewelry from
its current tangle in an old cool-whip container.
And you know how I feel about wooden hangers!

Oh, that someday my closet would necessitate
a ladder! And would include fresh flowers!

This closet is so impressive I don't
even care that it only includes red and
pink and gold things that match

I love this method of storing boots!

And shouldn't every closet include roller skates?

What's the state of your closet?

Any clever organizational tips to share?

Fifteen Fun Things For Fall

Relive your school days with a community ed class or by signing up for one of these free online classes. My friend Emily and I are considering a ballet class. We plan to wear proper dance gear, take it far too seriously and annoy everyone.

Make piles of leaves. Jump in them. Hide in them and then jump out when people walk by.

Add layers to your favorite summer outfits before packing them away – leggings, scarves, camisoles, blazers.

Thrift and felt an old wool sweater. Make it into a hat! mittens! arm warmers!

Write a letter to a teacher who changed your life. And then actually mail it.

Cook with seasonal produce – maybe some sweet potato soup? Or apple butter? Or squash risotto?

Revamp your office space. Maybe an inspiration board? Some cool posters? How about these cute paper clips? Or this great wooden stapler?

Go apple picking. Or pumpkin picking. Or help a CSA with its seasonal clean up.

Go on a hay ride. Roll around in the hay, get straw in your hair, kiss your lover and make inappropriate jokes about ‘taking a roll in the hay’

Send a box of leaves to someone who lives down south - or in another hemisphere. I remember nearly weeping with happiness when I got to smell autumn leaves while living in Taiwan.

Volunteer with school kids, or better yet, become a big sister/big brother.

Consider an alternative to pumpkin carving – painting? Or etching? Or making them look like they're puking on your steps?

Tuck pretty leaves between the pages of your favorite books to be found in depths of dreary March when you would give anything for 50 degree weather.

Engage in a mini-redoration of your living room. Maybe a nice textured throw for snuggling, some velvety pillows, switch out a few of your framed prints for something moodier and a bit darker.

Prepare your pet's Halloween costume. No, really. Do it. Putin has a much beloved bee costume that he can usually be cajoled into!

What fun things are you up to this fall?

Ask Sarah Von!

Friends! Are you ever struck by questions like "How do I tell my parents I'm quitting my job to travel the world?" or "How can I work harem pants into every outfit?" or "How can I go vegetarian without alienating everybody?" Well, I miiiiight know the answers to those questions - if you'd care to ask.

If you are a'seeking advice on travel/design/life/cheese/cat outfits please do drop me a line at sarah_vonbargen(at) yahoo (dot) com. I'll do my best to write up a clever, lovely post answering your questions.

However, if you ask me "How can I make a delicious salad with mayonnaise and noodles?" or "How can I walk long distances in heels?" my answer will be "Dude, I dunno. You tell me!"

Good Eggs

The Best Movie You Might Not Know About

Don't you hate those movie/film/book nerds who wax annoying about somebody's early work? You know those "Yeah, well I liked David Bowie back when he was Davie Jones" a-holes?

Well, please allow me to be that girl. Yeah, yeah - I liked Zooey Deschanel a long time ago. Not because I'm particularly cool, but because I happened to find All The Real Girls in the $5 bin at Coburns and procede to watch it 25 times during the winter of 2003.

All The Real Girls is a gorgeous, slow, endearingly realistic film. Set in a small, southern mill town, the movie is filled with washed-out light, solar flares and the beat up houses that fill tiny, failing places - but it all somehow looks lovely and oddly familiar. The characters are the people we all know, talking the way we all do - saying stupid things when they're drunk, hitting on waitresses, acting embarrassingly coy in front of new lovers.


The story centers around Paul, Noel and Tip. Paul is the local Lothario, spending his weekends sleeping with local girls from the bar and drag racing his crappy car with his best friend Tip. Noel, Tip's 18-year-old sister, returns home for the Summer from boarding school and Paul takes an interest, much to the displeasure of her brother.


Much like Zooey's 500 Day of Summer, you should know that this is not a love story. A story about finding yourself, who your family is, the mistakes we make and what it feels like to love someone for the first time? Yes. A happy-ending romance? No. The perfect movie for an overcast Sunday afternoon? Absolutely.

What's the best movie/book/band that you love and we might not know about?

I'd Like More Adventure Please!

I've had a lovely September - making risotto, attending end-of-the-season barbeques, hiking and canoodling with the FOaF. It's been fantastic! However, adventurous? No. There has been no sandboarding, no pack mules, no 17 hour bus rides.

And I can feel myself getting itchy feet - not just for travel, but for adventure itself. I'm committed to staying in Minnesota for at least a year, to save up for another World Ticket and kind of reboot my travel settings, but that doesn't mean I can't have a bit of adventure in my life!

In my mind, a proper adventure requires one (or more) of the following things:

1) a sense of The Unknown

2) a liiiitttle bit of danger

3) a bit of discomfort (either physical or psychological will do)

That sounds rather ominous doesn't it? But a proper adventure fills you with that feeling of "Holy Shit!" and "Whooo-hooo!" and "I can't wait to tell everybody about this!" Some of the ways I'm going to adventure-up this season?

Forget the map and get a bit lost
I once had an excellent weekend in New Zealand, turning right until we got to the coast. We camped out on a cliff overlooking the ocean, befriended the local fisherman and spent the day throwing smooth white stones into the water.

Take a bus adventure

Try a new ethnic restaurant and let your friend order for you
Just hope they are sensitive to your feelings about Norri. And eggs. And wilted greens.

Take a Travelocity last minute trip
I'd like to do one of these with my girlfriends this winter, when everything's awful and snow covered. A round trip flight plus hotel in Atlanta for $250? Yes please!

Jump off the high dive

Sled/ski/tube/roll down a big hill

But learn from me and make sure your car keys are not in the pocket of your loose-fitting jeans when you do this.

Dye a strip of your hair a ridiculous color

Go on a ride that scares the sweet-bejesus out of you
I guess I might have a date with Camp Snoopy.

Visit a cultural festival that you know nothing about
No, Oktoberfest doesn't count! How about Diwali or Dia de los Muertos or Santa Lucia Day?

Stop by your local Scientology branch
Only recommended in pairs and with your sense of humor firmly in tact.

Go to a place (relatively) near you that is significantly different
Think about the culture, the income bracket, the language. It can be a fancy-schmancy suburb, the inner city, the next state over, Las Vegas, Quebec, a hippie commune!

Try a new type of transportation
scooter, horse-drawn carriage, bicycle-built-for-two, convertible.

What do you do when you're feeling the need for a bit of adventure?

How Autumn Feels

I know I waxed a bit romantic about Summer - the wet swimsuits, the popsicles, the dirt roads. But honestly? My heart belongs to Autumn. For some reason, when the leaves turn and school buses reappear on the roads, anything seems possible. I want to make lists (more than usual) and make more plans to conquer the world.

Autumn is for cracking the bindings on new books and putting those long yellow pencils to empty page after empty page. That cute new kid in English class. Wandering into the house after a day spent kicking through leaves and sticks, pink-cheeked, the sun tilting golden through the windows at 5 pm.

Pulling your winter clothes out of storage and packing away your bikini – all bleached-out and pilly after a summer spent sitting on the cement at the local pool. Thick tights whose diamond pattern never seems to line up right and instead winds its way around your thighs.

Spending hours thinking about what you’ll wear on the first day of school. But trying to look like you didn’t spend hours thinking about it. Huge pots of soups stirred in darkening kitchens. Big wool socks made for padding around the house, always sliding down your calves.

Mugs full of hot, delicious things clutched in cold morning hands. Shifting from foot to foot in an attempt to stay warm while waiting for mom/the bus/the carpool.

Blue skies that seem to stretch on forever.

How does Autumn feel to you?

Scandinavian Style

As far as I'm concerned, Europe can keep its French fashion (those heels are too high) and their Italian style (I don't really doooo tight). My heart belongs to the ladies of Scandinavia. Do pop over to Dramatis Personae for my guest post on that very topic! Don't worry - I don't natter on about blonds and IKEA and those red fish candies.

Or do I?

Charmed I'm Sure!

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In the last few months, Yes and Yes has been ticking merrily along and meeting heaps of new friends. And it occurs me that I've been a terrible host - not offering you a drink and letting you stand in the corner all by yourself. Where are my manners!? Let's make the introductions!

My name is Sarah Von. I'm obsessed with cheese, anthropomorphism, thrifted clothes, ridiculous dances and living a life full of adventure. And lists. I grew up in a tiny town in northern Minnesota, studied English Literature at school and spent the last five years of my life poking around different countries - teaching English in Taiwan, globe hopping on a world ticket, getting my MA in New Zealand, backpacking in South America. I met amazing people, threw up on every type of transportation imaginable and got a good tan.

Now I live in St. Paul, Minnesota and teach ESL to Southeast Asian refugees. I engage in all sorts of amateur sociological experiments, cook ridiculous food, attempt to learn the thriller dance and plot my next trip. I believe in the importance of helping those who need it, living a life that I'm proud of, throwing good parties and wearing cute outfits (and telling you that they cost $7).

So nice to meet you - welcome to the party! And you are?

Mary Poppins: Remixed

Don't Stop

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In Which My Brain is Rotted and My Intelligence is Insulted

I'm not really a fan of lady magazines. Sure, I love me some Real Simple, a bit of Bust and some O now and then, but when I pick up a copy of lady media, I can usually feel my brain begin to melt and drip out my ear.

I imagined that I would have a similar reaction when I encountered a copy of Maxim hanging out in my mechanic's lobby. Imagine my surprise when I got past the ridiculous booby shots and discovered hilarious, well-written, informative articles like The World's Most Overlooked Dictators, The Weirdest Places to Hide Drugs and The Cult of the McRib.

Meanwhile, the most intelligent bits to be had out of this month's Cosmo are 5 Things You Wish You Could Tell Your Mom (which is more of a book plug than an article) and The Swine-Flu Club.

What?!

Now, I'm well aware that, in addition to clever articles, Maxim is also full of misogynistic rubbish. And one could make the (weak) argument that Cosmo is one of the few women's magazines out there that really acknowledges women's libidos and sex lives, but again: What?!

I would loooove to see funny articles in magazines aimed at women, and I'm not talking about Erma Bombeck. I want lists of famous women with questionable hairdos or games that you can play with last season's pumps or 'Ladies Who Could Kick Your Ass With One Hand Tied Behind Their Back.' I want interviews with stunt women and useful how-tos and recipes for fondue. I could really do without another quiz to determine if he's into me (note to self: if you have to take a quiz to find out, the answer is no) or instructions on how to look thin while having sex.

Why does the media believe these are the only things of interest to women? Do they really think that we are so lacking in depth and diversity that an entire magazine can be devoted to sex, make up, clothes and tricking your boyfriend into commitment? Does Herst Publishing think that we'd turn our noses up at a bit of humor or wit or, God forbid, food for thought?

Now, this rant is not to say that I'm above lady magazines (I'll be the girl holding up the line at Cub Foods pouring over that spread in Lucky about jumpers.) But it saddens me that, given a choice, I'm more likely to pick up a magazine that's not even aimed at my gender. It's just that one can induce laughter and the other induces yawns.

How do you feel about women's magazines? Have you ever read Maxim?

Web Time Wasters

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I'm taking today and tomorrow off of work to catch up with an old friend who's in town from Oz, get a questionable haircut, eat cherries and pick the brains of other writers over many cups of coffee. You probably deserve a break from work too, right? Peruse these yummy links!

What rock have I been living under that I didn't know about Alexa Chung? I love her accessible, mishmash style.

How gorgeous are these Indian bangles?

In the event that you want to get be a belated birthday present, I'll take a copy of Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing, please.

Let's take a moment to remember how awesome Charm Attack was, circa 1999. Totally listened to this song while laying on the grass outside of my dorm.

How To Change Your Life For the Better - like changing your hair dresser, changing the song that's stuck in your head and changing your cell phone provider. Genius!

Lush fake furs, interesting belts, big scarves - I am going to copy every last one of these looks.

A mariachi/Spanish cover of Bitter Sweet Symphony!

The 6 Strangest Coming of Age Rituals Around the World - gloves filled with biting ants, drinking blood and bungee jumping with vines? And I thought working at Dairy Queen was bad!

Have you guys heard Lily Allen's 22? It's a good bit of depressing and clever social commentary in a catchy, poppy package. Which, coincidentally, is just how I like my social commentary!

That guy who yelled "You lie" at the president? He doesn't have anything on the parliments of Taiwan, South Korea, Ukraine, Australia and Britian. I was actually living in Taiwan when politician had the bill she sponsored ripped out of her hand and stuffed in her mouth!

Do you remember the hilarious/bizarre/fictional case of Dudley's Heinsbergen Syndrome in The Royal Tanenbaums? Well, there's a woman in Scotland who actually 'sees' time!

Two decor ideas worth stealing - a wreath made of mismatched silverware and decorating your walls with old sheet music.

In the event that you're intimidated by the commitment of a real tattoo, why not get a full-body sun tattoo?

Insane prison inventions and weapons. It's not just shanks made from melted toothbrushes anymore!

Have you seen this great, pro-GLBT Lee's ad?

Okay, okay this Super Mario manicure is sliiiightly more awesomely ridiculous than mine.

David Lynch isn't just that guy who makes all those creepy movies - He's also the head of The Interview Project. It's a great collection of online videos in which people from all over the country talk about their childhood dreams, lifelong loves, heartbreaks and hopes for the future.

What links are you loving this week?

Trailer Flash

You guys know I lovelovelove travel. And that my love for the transient life is nearly matched by my love for tiny spaces. So I'm sure you're not surprised by my deep and abiding affection for vintage travel trailers. I wouldn't so much park them in my driveway as I would use them for my actual home because who doesn't want to be a bit like a snail - taking their home with them where ever they go? Let's all drool over our keyboards at these tiny little cuties - links to sources embedded in photos.

I doubt that anything at DWR (Design Within Reach)
will ever be within my reach, but that won't stop me
from ogling this trailer that DWR designed
for the Airstream company.

Look at that fantastic starburst clock!

I fairly sure that coffee tastes better when it's
consumed in a stripey booth.

This shiny silver nugget is a bit homier and
cozier, isn't it? I love the red accents
against the yellow.

If you want to try out Airstream living
before commiting to your own trailer, you
can actually rent this dreamy little number!

Clever, clever! I love the idea
of lining the stove cover with a photo
and cover the counter with postcards.

I love the look of bleached wood,
don't you?

This trailer was completely gutted, which
accounts for all tasteful light fixtures -
though I'm not sure I can get behind all the dark wood.

Would you ever want a vintage travel trailer? Do you think you could live in one?

How To Pack In Your Purse (No. Really!)

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If you have mastered the art of carry-on only travel and you are ready to attempt the truly insane act of packing for a weekend in your purse, why not head over and check out my guest post at the always fantastic Painfully Hip? Those girls are amazing!

Got the travel bug?  Check out my ebooks and podcasts on making long-term travel a reality!  Only $15 forpetessake!

Nurturing Your Long Distance Relationships

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This guest post is via the lovely Ashe Mischief'. Her blog, Dramatis Personae, is one of my favorites - funny, smart, great ideas and good writing. She's the sort of girl we all want in our corner!

As of right now, all of my closest relationships are long-distance. Romantic, Platonic, and Familial-- they're all at least a day's car drive away.

Long distance relationships are difficult to maintain, and it's easy to let them fall by the waist side. As a naval brat, I've had many people come and go in my life... some friendships have lasted a lifetime, while others were fleeting. While the internet and cell phones have made keeping in touch easier, as we meet new people it becomes easier to let those far away fall away. Most recently, I watched my best friend, lover, partner, and sometimes foe move from Bloomington to Denver.

You may have read Miss Sarah's post at Charade on long-distance relationships earlier this year, and I wanted to take the great tips she had and expand on them, based on what's worked for me (or hasn't!).

Keep track of the lovely and wonderful things you say to one another
This way you have written reminders of your affection for one another and can recall them any time you're feeling alone or missing them. I keep mine in a moleskin that travels with me, and I write down & date the sweet text messages and phone messages that come my way! Try and extend the same sentiments you would in person from afar-- if your best friend breaks up with their partner, and you can't be there to buy her drinks, hold her head while she cries, try sending her flowers to work or over night mailing a box of her favorite cookies.

Make plans together, and keep to them. This goes beyond making plans to visit one another

The fella and I, while separated by 1200 miles, regularly make plans with one another. We plan for movie & tv dates, adventures in-state and overseas, trips to visit with one another. We've got a list of cities and countries we're going to and budgets to help us get there. Making plans together ensures that you're both thinking about the longevity of your relationships.

Creating intimacy is necessary when you're so far away from one another

Whether it's a regular phone date with your best girl pal to discuss work problems and your latest sex exploits or sharing dirty phone calls with your lover, you've got to push intimacy, even if it feels awkward and strange. Think about what things of your relationships make you and the other parties intimate-- is it your love of inside jokes, a way you greet one another, or a physical way you interact with each other, plot ways you can share that through the ether. I love to do this by sending one word texts like "Glomp!" or "Pounce!" to share an affectionate physical state with the fella.

Take your honesty, feelings, and openness up a notch

As Miss Von mentioned, it's easy for tone, sarcasm, and intent to get lost when you're writing or even when talking over the phone. It's easy to feel neglected, overlooked, or forgotten while you're each moving along your separate ways. It's also easy when you're caught up in life to forget how long it's been since you've talked with one another. Make it a regular plan to email your friends every Monday or the first day of every month. Be certain to say to your partner, "we haven't talked on the phone in two weeks!" Be clear about what you need to maintain the level of intimacy and closeness you have, and work both to provide what your loved ones need and what you need.

Say "I Love You" as often as you can

Whether close or far, it's easy to forget how fragile human life can be. Remind those in your life that you love them as often as you can.

As we all bounce around our states, country, and the world, more long-distance relationships are happening. They're challenging the way we interact with everyone. The great thing about them though is that it's creating and spreading love around globally.

Have you ever had a long-distance relationship? How did you make it work?

Thrilling The World

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I know that your October social schedule is probably already packed - what with the apple picking and leaf-pile jumping and Halloween activities. But don't you think you could squeeze in a little time for Thrill the World? It's a huge event that coordinates thousands of people around the world simultaneously getting their zombie groove on. Last year over 4,000 people in 10 countries danced - and this year will surely be a gajillion times bigger. And yes, that's the official estimate.

Minneapolis's event is based out of Kenwood and I am 120% doing this. Because a girl can't pass up an opportunity to combine her two great loves for MJ annnnd group dancing. And this will even fulfill one of my 31 New Things goals!

Are you game for this? Any kids in the Twin Cities area want to join me?

Better Than

Chronic Pricing Disease

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I am a thrifter of epic proportions - epic. It is not an exaggeration to say that ninety eight percent of my life was owned by someone else before me. And I love it that way! I am endlessly smug when I aquire a gorgeous, name-brand coat for a pitance. Or a swanky silk scarf for the cost of a cup of coffee. Or a bed for the cost of a nice pair of shoes.

So what, you ask, is the mother-loving problem, Ms. Von?

Friends, the problem is that I cannot, for the life of me, resist the urge to tell you that this dress? I got it at Goodwill. And you won't believe for how much ... $7! Yes! I know!

Now, it's not quite as bad as all that. I don't go around blurting out the cost of everything I own. But if you compliment me on something that I'm wearing/holding/sitting on, and it cost less than one would expect, for some reason I feel that the appropriate response to your compliment is to chirp "Unidale Salvi! $16! And then I spray-painted it green!" or coo "Unique Thrift! $7 and I talked them down from $10!"

My Chronic Pricing Disease (or CPD) is limited to things that were unusually cheap. I will never, ever tell you how much my brown Nine West booties cost or that grey wool shift from The Gap, but anything that I pulled out of a pile of clothes in a poorly lit warehouse? Lucky you, you're going to hear alllll about it.

Please tell me I'm not the only one that does this! Do you suffer from CPD, too?

Idea Thief: Decor

Now that Autumn is beginning to rear it's crisp, red-tinged head I'm spending a bit more time pottering around my apartment. Once it's cute enough to appear on the Interwebz rest assured there will be a tour of my four square feet of meticulously cleaned home. Here are a few of the ideas that I'm currently stealing - as per the usual, links are embedded in the photos.

The artist who makes these plates apparently

drips wax onto them and then sandblasts away,

but I bet you could accomplish something similar

with thrift store plates, a candle and some

white spray paint.

Would it be easy to mount a swing

in most apartments? No. But would it

be insanely awesome?! Double yes.

Isn't this aeriel map great? You can

often find these at your local library

and I bet you could get a high quality copy

on the cheap at your local Kinkos. I'd

love to do this with either of my adoptive

home towns - Chung Li, Taiwan or
Wellington, New Zealand.

So easy and clever, eh? Vase + Sharpie = Awesome.

I constantly see old dressers and desks
moping next to the dumpsters in my neighborhood.
Wouldn't this be a cool use for the drawers?


I feel like I'm too old for the college
freshman white board, but I still love to
make lists. Apparently, Designsponge has
my back.

Garlands, you are always, always awesome.

What decor ideas are you stealing these days?