ovaries, be still.

as if my friends having adorable babies isn't enough to give me baby fever, then there's this:

etsy

etsy

etsy

etsy

etsy

baby gap

have you laughed today?

if not, here's a healthy dosage of the hilarity that is kristin wiig:

browser beware

tastespotting.com

I love to peruse this website and get ideas for stuff to make for dinner. I also love to admire the oh-so-beautifully photographed food. So get on over there and get some dinner inspiration...browser beware, it will make you very hungry!

That Feeling

We bought our first house this year. It was such an exciting experience. Coupled with a fabulous realtor, we had so much fun touring potential homes and picturing where we put down some roots in this town. Our one request in the search parameters, besides the price, of course, was no brick ranches. The town is littered with them and we just weren't interested.

But when we set foot in our house, we knew - we had that feeling. I never did get that feeling with my wedding dress like everyone said I would, so maybe that feeling was rightfully due to me. Either way, we were in love and we said 'i do' weeks later....to our 1959 brick ranch. i know, i know, but ours is different...it's cute.

This beautifully flipped blank canvas wooed us. With hardwood floors and a fireplace, we had so many ideas for making this place home.

Now, watch me arrange, re-arrange, buy used furniture, find it doesn't work and sell it on craigslist, spray paint, craft, attempt to sew, buy more stuff off craigslist, thrift, and spray paint some more in an effort to call this place ours.

I'm not the first...

...but i'm probably not the last either because after you see this you are most definitely going to want to make it. this fabulous book wreath comes to us from living with lindsay...she even posts a little video!

what you will need: an old book, a wreath form, a hot glue gun, plenty of glue sticks, and some motivation. (pictured but not necessary: last night's leftovers of chicken & noodles and mashed potatoes...yum!)

what i'm going to recommend to you is to do all the mindless page rolling while watching your favorite show....it makes this project feel less time-consuming. but somehow doing something in front of the tv instead of just watching feels so productive. might i suggest glee or law and order:svu? those are just a couple of this girl's faves.

also, even though i'm not new to hot glue, i still find myself having mini panic attacks thinking that somehow i've gotten a spiderweb on me. note to self: hot glue can be very stringy and spiderweb-like.

(i know, i know...i need curtains for my kitchen. i'm still searching for something just right.)

the end result is well worth it, n'est pas? the twinge of guilt i felt ripping up that book was quickly replaced with feeling like i somehow did this book a favor and saved it from a boring life at the dollar store. in fact, i believe it would thank me if it could.

what shall i wear?

jcrew

did anyone ever play that game when they were little? what shall i wear? i have such fond memories of playing that game with my grandma....and i guess i still sort of play it in a way. whenever i'm going to go somewhere special or feel like i'm in a rut of wearing the same thing...i like to search for outfit inspiration. my go-to spot is jcrew.com. i love their unique combinations and the fact that the items are displayed on models, unlike anthropologie.com, my other love. plus, i reside in the j.crew mecca...lynchburg, va - home of the sample sale. so the odds of me having something similar are high.

tonight i was searching for help with this transitional weather we've been having...it's definitely not summer anymore, but it's also not quite fall...much to my chagrin. jcrew had some great inspiration - lightweight long cardis, scarves, skirts, and shorts with tights. i was too chicken to try to the shorts and tights thing last year, but this season i just might. maybe.

hello pretty

lovely package

as a designer, it is incredibly difficult to design something that defines you, i think. if you even knew how long it took me to design my first business card in college, you would be shocked and appalled. i've grown since then, though. i know a lot more about who i am and what i am about. i still feel like i'm growing and evolving though....i still get caught up in trends and want to change my logo or my business cards with the seasons.

in the midst of it all one thing remains: i love clean, beautiful, simple design. it's what i'm always drawn to and tend, more often than not, to go back to. and that is why i am, and probably forever will be, a sucker for well-designed packaging.

even in my frugality, with coupon file in tow, i can still be aesthetically persuaded. take this wine for example, i don't care what it tastes like....that's a good looking bottle of wine. who wouldn't want to enter a party holding this? i mean, i'd be your friend.