A Christmas Toast

Given certain recent events in my life, and, more specifically, the life of one of my dearest loved ones, I'd like to take this moment to remember what's truly important. I don't think I do this often enough and it's a real shame that it takes a traumatic event to make me realize how trivial many of my daily complaints are. So, as I sit here in my future in-laws' home surrounded by future family, I vow to make 2011 the year of gratitude. I'll spend the rest of 2010 practicing being thankful: thankful for my family, my friends, my pets (past and present), and all of the abundant blessings in my life. Come the new year, I will spend less time complaining about nonsense and more time focusing on enjoying all of life's little gifts. It won't be easy; we all know it's much easier to be negative in the face of adversity than to be positive, but I'm up for the challenge. Cheers!

(Toast via that kind of woman)

A few of my favorite things

Currently on my crafting wish list:

Japanese washi tape. Who knew masking tape could be so cute?

Custom woven labels for tagging your handmade goodies.

Awesome custom address stamp. Yes!

Vintage crate labels. Just because.

Don't you just love Etsy?

Vocabulary Lesson

Main Entry: neglect

Part of Speech: verb

Definition: fail to do; forget

Synonyms: be careless, be derelict, be irresponsible, be negligent, be remiss, bypass, defer, discard, dismiss, disregard, elide, evade, gloss over, let pass, let slide, look the other way, lose sight of, miss, not trouble oneself, omit, overleap, overlook, overpass, pass over, postpone, procrastinate, shirk, skimp, skip, suspend, think little of, trifle

My dear blog. I hope you can forgive my inattention. Exciting things are on the horizon (including an Etsy shop full of handmade goodies!) and I look forward to sharing soon.

(Photo via we heart it)

Save the Date Video Goes Viral!

In case you haven't seen it yet, here's our little Save the Date video. We love Wes Anderson and are especially fond of Rushmore, so we decided to pay homage to the film and get the word out about our upcoming nuptials at the same time. Turns out, people out in cyberspace really liked it. We're excited, to say the least, and happy to share it with everyone. We just hope you don't all show up to the wedding.

Fill in the blank Friday

Once again, courtesy of Lauren over at the little things we do, I give you this first of the (birthday) month fill in the blank Friday. Enjoy!

1. True happiness is being with my family, Sean, and our animals. Also, peanut butter ice cream pie (see above).

2. The most surreal moment of my life was when I almost ruined Sean's proposal by throwing a hissy fit about hiking in the snow. Typical.

3. My favorite texture is kitty fur. Even the matted kind.

4. My signature color is white, maybe? Most of my shirts are white for some reason.

5. My signature style is Anthropologie meets Sports Authority meets vintage t-shirts. I don't know that I'd call it "style" necessarily. I haven't really nailed down a true style yet and I'm basically just waiting for Stacy and Clinton from What Not to Wear to come bust me for wearing sweat pants to the supermarket.

6. If I could chose one store to spend my life savings at it would be Anthropologie. Although given their prices, I don't think my life savings would go very far!

7. The best thing about autumn is my birthday. It happens to be tomorrow. After that it's all downhill until summer comes again.

We're off for a mini-vacation in Austin. Pics to follow. Enjoy your weekend!

I like your nurse's uniform, guy.

Alex Cornell has more creativity in his little finger than I do in my entire body. Check out the promotional package he created as part of his hypothetical Wes Anderson Film Festival project. Watch the trailer here.

Music Monday

I know you've all been chomping at the bit for another edition of Music Monday. My friends, the wait is over. Today's playlist is a smattering of songs that Sean and I hope to play at our upcoming nuptials. They're some of my favorite love songs and I hope you enjoy them, too.

Here's the track listing:

You Are The Best Thing - Ray LaMontagne

For Once in My Life - Stevie Wonder

Summercat - Billie the Vision & The Dancers

The One I Love - David Gray

I'll Be There - Jackson 5

Stone in Love - Journey

All My Life - K-Ci & JoJo

You're the World to Me - David Gray

You're My Best Friend - Queen

Home Swede Home

When I grow up, I hope to live in a house as well-adorned as this one in Sweden. I love the modest design, simple vibe, and those bangin' parquet floors! Granted, this space is tiny (notice the bed adjacent to the small dining table), but the set up makes it seem much more spacious.

And this kitchen!? Forget it. I have to have that checkerboard floor.

(Via The Seventy Tree)

Potential wedding venue?

I present Palazzo Lavaca, hands down my most favorite venue option for our wedding shindig. Housed in the old Capitol Saddlery Building, it's equal parts unique, eclectic, and beautiful. It's a private home, available for rentals, and looks like it would be the perfect place for our party.

The original Otis crank elevator. It works! Ridiculous.

Check out the Wall Street Journal article for more amazing photos.

Love!

(Photos via Design Sponge)

Visual high fructose corn syrup

Baby Jack weighs less than one pound! There really are few things in this world cuter than a kitten and you know I have a special place in my heart for those redheads.

PS Emancipet could use your help!

(Via Cup of Jo, Dores Handmade)

Music...Wednesday?

I've been M.I.A. lately, but I can assure you it's not for lack of inspiration. Let's ease back into this with a playlist. One of my favorite mixes (courtesy of my sister, of course) is a collection of favorites from the 70s, appropriately titled "70s Gold". I mean, who doesn't love ELO and The Bee Gees? I dare you not to enjoy this Music Monday (okay, Wednesday) mix! Here's the full track listing:

1. Turn to Stone - ELO

2. Hold the Line - Toto

3. Driver's Seat - Sniff N The Tears

4. Love is Like Oxygen - Sweet

5. New York Groove - Kiss

6. It's Magic - Pilot

7. Rock Me Gently - Andy Kim

8. Chevy Van - Sammy Johns

9. Baby Come Back - Player

10. Hello It's Me - Todd Rundgren

11. Fanny (Be Tender With My Love) - The Bee Gees

12. Magnet and Steel - Walter Egan

13. Fooled Around and Fell in Love - Elvin Bishop

14. Let Me Roll It - Paul McCartney

15. Bad Time To Be In Love - Grand Funk Railroad

16. When Will I Be Loved - Linda Ronstadt

17. I'll Supply the Love - Toto

18. Sweet Talkin' Woman - ELO

Happy meat

Today, I want to talk about food. Specifically, I hope to generate some dialogue about the food we eat - where it comes from, what's in it, what impacts our meal choices have on other aspects of our lives. I've recently started asking myself these questions and in doing so, have found that the answers are more complex than one would initially assume. Suffice it to say, I've learned enough to make the following commitments:

• I will no longer eat beef, pork, or chicken that has not been raised humanely, fed a proper diet (one free of antibiotics, hormones, and other things cows, pigs, and chickens shouldn't eat), and allowed to roam freely.
• I will no longer eat eggs that have not been produced humanely, using cage-free chickens who are fed diets free of animal by-products and antibiotics, or dairy products that have not come from pastured (grass-fed, free range) dairy cows.
• I will no longer eat produce that has not been grown and processed organically, without use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. I will also buy locally and in season when possible, and from producers who implement fair labor practices.

If it sounds hard, it is. Most food in the United States is produced for mass consumption and designed to be sold cheaply, no matter the costs incurred in terms of quality, safety, personal and environmental health, and the overall well being of the country as a whole. It will require lots of research (what companies practice fair labor practices? which farms produce truly organic produce?) and surely some sacrifice (most restaurants don't source their ingredients from qualifying producers), but I'm up for the challenge. This quote from Joel Salatin, owner/operator of Polyface Farms in Swoope, VA and self-described environmentalist capitalist lunatic farmer, sums it up nicely: "[W]e have allowed ourselves to become so disconnected and ignorant about something so important as the food we eat."

I'm ready to reconnect with food. Who's with me?

(Photo via Civil Eats)

Wayne Pate

Meet Sammy Seagull. He is the brainchild of Wayne Pate, whose "shop of sorts" is one of my favorite places to online window shop. I'm digging his antique/french/striped/clean aesthetic and especially like his linen trays (great for jewelry and other what-have-you) and his beach bags. Love!

Sweet swap

Four words, my friends: root beer float cupcakes. I've been waiting and waiting for the right occasion to break out these bad boys (courtesy of Smitten Kitchen) and I think my upcoming birthday sweet swap is just right. Inspired by Joanna's cookie swap and an insatiable sweet tooth, I've decided to host a dessert potluck in lieu of a traditional birthday party this year. I'm asking all of my friends to bring a homemade dessert to share. It will be decadent, indulgent, and we'll all pay for it later, but I can't wait! What's your favorite sweet treat?

(Via Smitten Kitchen)

Animal prints

Stumbled upon these prints by animal photographer Sharon Montrose and I'm in love. Aren't they great? I want one of each!

Music Monday

It's no secret that my sister Leslie is hands down one of the greatest mixed tape composers of all time. She is known for such masterpieces as 70's Gold, Urban Legends, and Fab Four Soul (future features on Music Monday). Most recently, she made Sean a birthday mix. We've been enjoying it all weekend and I feel compelled to share it. I've included a little taste below, but for those who can't get enough, here's a full track listing:

1. Numbers Don't Lie - The Mynabirds

2. Sadness - Greg Brown

3. Mighty Leviathan of Old - Vandaveer

4. If It's True - Bon Iver

5. Jawbone - The Band

6. The Poacher - Ronnie Lane

7. Mockin' Bird - Tom Waits

8. Secret Heart - Ron Sexsmith

9. Time Has Told Me - Nick Drake

10. Older - Band of Horses

11. How to See the Sun Rise - Ben Sollee

12. I'm In Love - Badfinger

13. Same Old Thing - NRBQ

14. Honor Amongst Thieves - These United States

15. Sultans - What Milwaukee Made Famous

16. Slight Figure of Speech - The Avett Brothers

Weekend warriors

My dear friends, we've made it to the weekend! This Sunday is Sean's birthday, so we've got lots of festivities planned including but not limited to: testing out our new volleyball net, making birthday cherry pie, and watching Rushmore with friends. I hope you all have fun things planned, too. Until next week, here are a few of my favorite things:

I can't help falling in love with Toms cordones.

A pigeon themed wedding!

In keeping with the Wes Anderson theme, Team Zissou shoes on eBay.

Super cool Polaroid note cards.

The New York Review of Books: When Everything Changed (via designscouting.com).

Sustainability: not just for hippies anymore!

A novel way to cover your laptop.

Rolling Stone takes a look inside "Mad Men". You know I have a girl crush on Christina Hendricks. Va va voom!

Say it ain't so, American Apparel!

Enjoy!

(Photo via Nate Bolt)

Fill in the blank vacation

1. If I didn't have to work anymore I would travel the world, hone my writing skills, make delicious meals, swim with my sister at Barton Springs, and volunteer with animals.

2. My favorite thing about a vacation is the food. I get downright giddy thinking about all of the local restaurants and regional delights I'll get to try on a trip. Some of the best meals I've ever had have been while on vacation (pepperoni and bacon pizza at Ray's in New York, bread pudding at Mother's in New Orleans, and Salt Lick sausage in Austin, just to name a few). Some of the worst meals I've had have also been while on vacation (Ireland).

3. When packing for a trip I overpack.

4. If I could go on a road trip with anyone (dead or alive) I would choose my heterosexual life mate, Audrey, because I never see her anymore and we would go hoarse singing Whitney Houston's greatest hits at the tops of our lungs with the windows rolled down.

5. My top three absolute travel essentials are my sister, Sean, and Klonopin.

6. Vacations are worth every penny.

7. On vacation you must always remember to take pictures. I never take enough pictures.

Fill in more blanks at the little things we do.

(Photo via Roadside Pictures)

Until death do us part

I don't normally like to start off my weekends in tears, but it was worth it to hear the bittersweet love story of Danny and Annie.

(by StoryCorps via Cup of Jo)

Sew what?

I was recently gifted my very first sewing machine (thanks, Nana!) and although I haven't sewn anything yet, I have amassed quite the collection of sewing baubles and notions. I think this adorable canvas sewing kit (complete with a couple of essentials) would be the perfect way to store my stuff. It's cute, it's handmade, and it supports a good cause. For every kit sold, Sam is lending $5 to the micro-lending site Kiva.org. If you don't know what Kiva is, go ahead and crawl out from under the rock you've been living and check them out here.

(Via sammade on Etsy)

Eat more cottage cheese

Though it may be difficult to believe at times, ours is not the first economic imbroglio to plague this country. Check out this collection of war-era food posters featured on Grist.org (unofficial motto: "Laugh now -- or the planet gets it") for some perspective. Although slightly kooky and a little dated, the tips offered by these government-issued propaganda pieces are still environmentally and economically relevant. I'm not suggesting we should all go out and plant beans or anything, but a little conscious consuming couldn't hurt.

Sign me up!

If you're squeamish about eating straight cottage cheese, try incorporating it into something yummy like cheesecake (trust me, it's good). Or you can try my personal favorite: Ruffles potato chips and cottage cheese. Nutritious AND delicious!

PS You can read the full article here.

PPS Thanks to Leslie, my (much cooler and much smarter) sister, for sharing this with me!

(Photos via Grist.org)

I heart boobies

I just ordered one of these bad boys to show my support for the Keep-A-Breast foundation, a non-profit whose mission is to increase breast cancer awareness among young people by spreading the word about early prevention and detection methods. If you heart boobies too, you can help the cause by visiting Keep-A-Breast.org.

On an unrelated note, I totally want a ping pong table at my wedding reception!

(Via Loserkids.com, Style Me Pretty)

I'd rather be swimming

These snapshots by the ultra-talented Elizabeth Weinberg make me miss Florida. It's 100 degrees outside right now and I could sure go for a swim. Alas, given the dearth of recreational water facilities here in landlocked Colorado, I guess I'll just have to make do with a romp through the sprinklers when they come on at 5 o'clock.

(Via Elizabeth Weinberg)