This is what I do when I should be studying.

Friday, December 2, 2011

So, I've got my last final in about 9 hours and I've been studying like crazy.  I thought I'd take a break and for some reason, went to YouTube to watch a video of Dolly Parton singing "Jolene."  My sisters are forced to go to Jo-Ann's (the craft/fabric store) with me often and one of them wrote a sweet version of this song that goes like this, "Jo-Ann's, Jo-Ann's, Jo-Ann's, Jo-Aaaaaaaaaan's, I'm begging of you, please don't sew my pants."

This is what I watched.

It's awesome.  

Then, I just fell into the black hole of YouTube.  I clicked on another video from the "Related Videos" sidebar and just watched weirder and weirder stuff.  This mostly stayed on music videos (by virtue of the sidebar) and luckily for you, I've decided to share the awesomeness that happened.

Now, this is gonna get embarrassing, but don't judge me.  ;)  And... I didn't watch very much of very many of these videos.  Most of them got from 15 seconds to maybe a minute and a half of viewing time.  Here goes.

From "Jolene" I watched the White Stripes' version.  This thing is super sweet.  I love that he didn't change the words (to make the lyrics work for a guy.)  I kind of hate it when people do that to a classic song.

You're welcome for that.

It just all went down hill for a while after that.  First, Miley Cyrus and Dolly sing it.  Then, Alison Krauss killed it, as she is wont to do.  I stayed on that pretty lady for a while, with "Down to the River to Pray" which kills me every single time Alison sings it.  Then I watched the version from Oh Brother Where Art Thou? the version from Oh Brother Where Art Thou? which is an awesome movie.  So, then I watched the video for "Man of Constant Sorrow." (By the way, "Soggy Bottom Boys" is a brilliant name for a band!)  I always remember the English family singing that song.  After that, I clicked on a link for a scene from a movie that I've never seen; it is, however, on my list.  (I have a giant list of movies that I've never seen but "Oh my god! You totally have to!")

Dueling banjos from Deliverance.

I knew that Steve Martin had been playing music, but his version of "Dueling Banjos" on Letterman was pretty awesome/funny.  (So is his book, Shopgirl, you should read it.)  

I know I said it went downhill earlier, but that was a lie (just embarrassment that I was about to admit I watched a video of Miley Cyrus singing.)  This is actually when it got bad.  Disclaimer, I watched only a few seconds of most of the following videos.  I did, however, click on them, so I have to deal with the consequences.  I watched a clip from some show about Taylor Swift in high school from a long time ago.  Then, a horrible quality (the video, Breeny, not her) performance of her song "Tim McGraw" sang to the actual Tim McGraw at some country awards show.  Then, evidently Nicki Minaj sang that "Super Bass" song at one of Taylor's concerts (Taylor's such a cute little white girl dancer!)  For some reason, this linked me to a video of a teenage girl doing the dougie?  Then, the First Lady (who I love - we would so be best friends) getting down.  Obama did a bit of dancing on Ellen.  Justin Bieber and Willow Smith whipped their hair back and forth.  I told you it was bad.

Somehow, from there I fell into a crazy vortex of wedding parties doing what they said was THE BEST WEDDING DANCE EVAAAAAAARRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!  They were all horrible, and I won't subject you to all of them.  At this point, I was pretty committed to only changing videos via the "Related Videos" sidebar and I thought I'd never get out of this heinous dancing video hell.  One of the worst actually saved the day, because the half-drunk bridesmaids doing the Slumdog Millionaire dance to "Jai Ho" gave me a link to something else.  The AH-MAY-ZING (no sarcasm here, I mean it!) Pussycat Dolls' version. (I can't tell if this was the worst or best thing I watched all night.)  That led me to this next video, which I watched the whole thing of, because I love, love, love, love, love Bollywood movies.  It's pretty old school and the set reminds me of a scene in the Shirley Temple version of The Little Princess.

My friend Ayla and I used to rent Bollywood movies from I Love Video all the time.

 I watched the "Jai Ho" scene from Slumdog Millionaire and relived my dreams of doing a giant dance number with a crowd of strangers.  I watched "Sway" by the Pussycat Dolls. I just officially wrote the words "Pussycat Dolls" way too many times.  This lead into a performance of "Lady Marmalade" by Christina Aguilara and the gang.  So what if I know the entire rap verse to this song?  That's the least of my sins tonight.  I went to a couple of songs from Back to Basics (It's a killer cd!  The second half was recorded on old school equipment and it's got a great sound to it.) like Candyman.  The song "I Got Trouble" is my favorite song of hers and one I'd really like to perform with a live band someday. If you just heard the singing, you'd never guess it was a modern song/recording.  This led to an over-sang performance of   That last click finally started taking me to a good place.  First was an Etta James version of the song.


Love the outfit.

In a welcome respite from the earlier crap, I listened to Etta's version of "My Funny Valentine."  I then remembered that Amy Winehouse was a really talented jazz singer - this live recording of "Lullaby of Birdland" is awesome!    You know when the sidebar showed me an Adele video, I immediately went there.  There was a interview with her where she was all adorable and British.  Then, a longer version (the British adorable-ness.)  I'll watch a cute little kid sing anything, but a cute little girl and her dad singing "Rolling in the Deep?"  I'm there.  This being, of course, the dad/daughter combo that everyone has seen singing that "Home" song.

How many marriage proposals did that dad get after this video?
(2:50 starts the best moment)

If you're talking about cute little girls singing songs, I'm sure all of you have seen those little girls sing "Super Bass" on Ellen... Well, they were red carpet interviewers at some awards show. It was awesome to see the stars' responses to them.  

Then, I decided I should stop wasting time and study some more.  Then, I didn't study and wrote a blog post instead.  Now, I should probably study.




Decor books that I want.

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Hey, it's Christmas soon(ish) and somebody might get these for me!

If you knew of my love for the oft-mourned Domino,
you'll understand how excited I am for this book from it's old editor.


I want to do the project from the cover so badly!
How many old beat up leather chairs have you seen
that would be perfect with a patch over the rip in the seat?
(Answer: SO MANY! And for so cheap!)


One of the best decor websites around;
the book is supposed to be fantastic!


Kelly Wearstler is a little craycray with the serious amount of glamour for my tastes,
but the girl can make some pretty things...


We can't talk about the editor of Domino writing a book,
without talking about the Domino book itself.
How can I hoard the few copies of Domino that I actually own and not have the book?

The. Best. Ever.

Monday, November 28, 2011




Bread pudding with dried Bing cherries and pecans, Mexican Vanilla ice cream from Amy's, and some Maker's on the rocks.

Best post-shift/pre-studying meal ever.

What do I do instead of study for finals week?

Sunday, November 27, 2011


Obviously, go to karaoke with Clint and Lauren.

I swear, I'm being productive on my house.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

I've done quite a lot lately with the house, well, the living room mostly. I've just been bad about taking pictures. I took a bunch of pictures of my bookshelves, but they're on Hannah's camera, so I'll post about those when I'm all done.

I did get the supplies for a bunch of projects this week, so as they get finished, I promise I'll share them.

On Wednesday, the littlest seester and I went thrifting and got some serious booty. I got a lamp, which she hated, but whatever and a side table. The table was the perfect size for my low couch (and only $8 at Savers!) and the lamp is awesome. Lemme just show you.



I like the warm wood tones and the metal legs will tie into the coffee table (if it ever gets made.). I'm trying to take in my succulents now that it's getting cold, but I love the way they look in my house so much that I'm worried I won't give them back to the porch when it's warm again. But let's take another look at that lamp, shall we?



It's a cat! (Well, some sort of feline, a panther or a leopard or something.) It gets better: hiding behind that succulent on the left is...




A baby cat! (or panther or whatever)

I'm trying to decide whether to paint it or not. I could always use more glossy white in the room, now that I have such a colorful rug, but I like the way the soft green looks with the couch. We'll see.

Yes, you read that right. I got a rug! The concrete floors are gorgeous, but come winter, they would be freezing! This might be one of the all time great Goodwill finds for me... $25!



As soon as I get the couch's legs attached (which will be never because I've been to Lowe's three times for different tools and I can't get them to stay on!) I'll put the rig in place. Even now, though, it makes me happy when I walk I the house.

It's all coming together, folks.

Next on the agenda, a ceiling light for the living room, giant wall art for the kitchen with Beatles lyrics, and a dozen or so of these...




Try to figure that one out!

Two weeks and one day. I have a deadline.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

So the seester and I have decided to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year.  We're a little worried about the ratio size of our kitchen to the amount/awesomeness of the food we'd like to make, but we'll be fine.  All we have to do is worry about living up to the amazeballs-ness of Thanksgiving 2010 and its amazeball food.  (Hannah HATES it when I use the word amazeballs. Like... hates it with the passion of a thousand suns.  I put hate in red so you'd feel the fire of her emotion.)

Anyways, we gave ourselves (myself) Thanksgiving as a deadline to get the living room/dining room/kitchen (if I can get to it) together.  I put my bookshelves up (a whole post to come, as soon as I get all the books arranged!) and Hannah finished painting the living room for my birthday (seriously, that's what I asked for as a birthday present.) So, the boxes of books are out of the living room and the stacks of art and boxes of decorating "stuffs" should be gone soon.

I figured I'd list out the things I need to do, and it would (maybe/kinda/sorta) keep me accountable to getting this stuff done.  I'm also including things I've already done because I find it very depressing to have a to do list with absolutely nothing crossed off of it.  (You get it Dad, right?)  It's my blog, I can be as ridiculous as I want!

LIVING ROOM
- Couch
  * Buy
  * Stain legs
  * Drill holes for legs/attach
  * Get/sew some pillows (couch is cute, but a bit uncomfortable without any pillows) - i.e. decide color scheme for whole room.  No biggie!


Horrible craigslist ad photo.  Awesome couch.

Things that I think are awesome (the I don't want to study for my History of Rock exam edition)

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

These fairytale posters.  Gorgeous.



There are a bunch of them (by Square Inch Designs) and I would love them to have them all framed together on a nursery wall.  The color palette in the Princess and the Pea one is gorgeous.

--------------------------------------

These necklaces are so Carrie, but even chicer.  Calligraphy necklaces by Brevity.


--------------------------------------



If you were a little boy, wouldn't you love this as a desk?


Toys as drawer pulls?  I die. 

--------------------------------------

Not that I'm anywhere near close to getting married, but I love these as engagement rings (sometimes the budget just isn't there for the big'un right away.) 


Best part.  All of the rings in her Etsy shop are under $300.  Three.  Hundred. Dollars.  I know... I know...

--------------------------------------

This was probably for an assignment or something in a color theory class, but I'd like this on a giant scale.  Evane?  Christmas present?
 

--------------------------------------

You're welcome.

I know everything that I think is awesome is truly awesome... So, you're welcome for showing you some truly awesome things.

The perfect morning.

Monday, October 31, 2011

This is the perfect morning.  Breakfast tacos, topo chico and blogs.
If only I could start every day like this...


Last night Hannah needed something for a Halloween party, 
so she borrowed the infamous skunk costume.  She looked so cute!


She was trying to fit her purse under the costume so she could ride her bike.
I think she looks like a pregnant skunk.

Now all I have to do is find a party to go to.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

I've had some killer ideas over the last month or so for Halloween costumes, but they've all been really complicated (and time intensive and potentially costly and seriously awesome!)

I just found a picture that will be awesome and funny and easy and original (well, except for people that have seen the picture on the website that I saw it on) and cheap and awesome and easy.

So, who is having a party on Monday for me to show off my genius?

(Pictures will be revealed Tuesday.  Lucky you.)

I will show you things I considered, but ultimately rejected.
(Just joking, I never considered them.  They are awesome, however.  By "awesome" I mean horrifying.)




Ghost?







(At least it's not "sexy" Fraggle Rock...)


Of course, last Halloween was the beginning of it all...  If I dress up, I still have to continue the"being awesome for Halloween" trend I started.  I never dressed up for Halloween as a kid, and in college half-heartedly threw something together if I had a party to go to.  Last year, however, I decided I had to be a skunk.  I had seen someone the year before having a blast in a mascot-style skunk costume (the ever amazing and always gorgeous Lori - Child!  We have to start our cheap fashion blog!) and I really wanted to make my own.  (Of course, I couldn't rent or buy one, I had to make it.)  So, I took a black hoodie, made ears and white fur circle for the stomach and then made a giant tail.  The tail was my crowning glory (so to speak) and stayed up with little backpack-like straps I added on.  The worst part was, after sewing and working on this for forever, I got super sick with strep throat.  I almost didn't go out at all, but after lying in bed for a few hours, I realized that I had to show off my labors.  I went out for about 45 minutes, but it was worth it.  Hannah put in her dibs for wearing it next year about 5 seconds after I finished it, so it'll get another moment in the spotlight.

Told you it was awesome.

I was seriously proud of this thing, but it wasn't very funny or clever.  This year is gonna be awesome.  And hilarious!  And easy!  (Did I already say that part?)


I seriously miss downtown.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Dear god, I do not mean downtown as in Sixth-Street-party-time-so-many-crowds-and-drunkeness. I mean the city. I love my apartment in north Austin, and being able to hop on the highway to get to work is really convenient. That's all well and good, but there's something I miss about working and living in and near downtown.

The tall buildings, the people rushing to and fro, the little mom and pop pizza stands, the fancy bars and restaurants, the buses, the guys playing their guitars on the street corners, the museums, the Capitol, the everything! (Oh, and of course the people on every corner asking you to sign a petition or donate some money to get some bill passed/make sure some bill isn't passes/save the whales/kill all the whales/elect some dude/stop some dude from being elected/etc. Can't forget those guys.)







I love it.

I love that I go to my favorite little Italian place and they remember what I ordered for lunch practically every other day, even though I haven't been there for years. I love that the baristas at the hole in the wall coffee shop (that make the best Italian sodas ever!) are as excited about the beautifully designed new menu on the wall as I dorkily am. I love that the guy sitting on the shaded bench, dressed like he may be homeless, isn't sneaking a quick nap, but engrossed in a well-worn copy of The Plague by Camus. I love listening to the woman in a sharp business suit debate Ethiopian vs. Guatemalan coffee beans with a bra-less, long-skirted, hippiest of the hippie chicks.

I love it all.

And as I take my favorite route up Congress, north of the river to the Capitol, I watch who I walk by and wonder, "Am I part of what they love about this city too?"


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I love Josh Groban so much for this.

Monday, October 24, 2011

I think my sister sent me the best Kanye West tweet of all time...


While that's pretty awesome, I do love this one as well:



Even better than Kanye's ridiculous tweets about things that normal people never have to deal with/think about/put any energy into though, is this little gem of a video.

 

You're welcome.

Best bathroom graffitti of all time

My favorite place to be in Austin in the middle of the night (beside my comfy comfy bed) is at Epoch, a 24 hour coffee shop on North Loop.  I used to live practically across the street from it (and used to practically live there.)  While I don't frequent it as much as I used to, it's still my first choice for all-nighters.  It's got a great vibe, killer soy mexican chocolate mochas, and the best bathrooms ever.  One used to be heaven themed, but it got repainted, so now it's just starting its graffiti-ing.  It's walls are empty and bare compared to the other one, but it's got a few gems...


(I also enjoy whoever went over each of the pieces of graffiti and 
attributed them to Dan Akroyd.  I'll get a picture soon.)

The other one, though, still has the hell theme, and it's awesome.  There are some pretty funny things, like a reference to some board game I've never played, but have been assured I'd love.


And yes, before we go any further, I know it's weird to be taking pictures in a bathroom.  I'm also aware that it's a little gross.  It is funny, however, and funny will almost always trump gross for me.

So, this is my favorite graffiti in this entire bathroom.  For some reason, it strikes me as the funniest thing ever!  Every single time I'm in there, I have to read it, smile, and then ask myself why I think it's so funny.

Here's the general look of the bathroom: a mural background, with lots of quotes about hell done by the person who painted the mural and lots of other random lines of graffiti (some about hell and some about I-don't-know-what-the-hell-it's-about.)


So, whoever painted this mural put Jean-Paul Sartre's most famous quote on one of the walls.

"Hell is other people" -- Jean-Paul Sartre


Well, then a few other people got on it.  My favorite part is that it all seems like different handwriting, and I just love thinking about the inspiration (while, sitting on the toilet, obviously) of these three people coming up with these quotes.

"Jean-Paul Sartre is hell"  -- People Magazine
"People is a hell of a magazine" -- Jean-Paul Sartre

Brilliant.  (And weird.  I know, I know... Stick to design and lay off the bathroom photos.  But it's funny!)

I'm a really bad blogger. Sorry. (But I have pictures!)

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

So, I've been super busy with work and school and life and such, so I haven't posted in a while.  But!  Exciting things have been happening.  As soon as I get the photos off Hannah's camera, I'll show you the bookshelves I made.

(inspired by this photo)
(you've already seen this before)


It's very exciting to get all carpenter-y and such, but the best part is that I have a whole new area to play with!  I have so many little stuffs and art and pretty books (as well as plenty of normal, not-so-pretty books) and it's so fun to arrange them (and re-arrange and re-arrange and re-arrange, ad nauseum.)

I also threw a party in Dallas for a friend's 30th birthday this last weekend.  Loryn already put up a post with most of the pictures (but that doesn't mean I can't use the exact same ones.)  I have few of my own, but that's because I was busy decorating, cooking, lighting sparklers for birthday cakes, and being a generally awesome hostess... duh.  (The "duh" was for the general awesomeness part.)

I was in charge of the decorations for this shindig, and I tried to stay as DIY as possible.  I think I succeeded pretty well, because I ended making almost everything we used by hand.  I got a lot of inspiration from Oh Happy Day, because everything she creates makes me want to hop and plane and go to Paris and lock her up so I can just live her life for her.  (Dude, don't look at me that way.  I wouldn't actually do it.  And if I did, I would apologize to her very often.)  

The color scheme was white, metallics, and glitter.  (My floors will never be the same after all that glitter and my sister may never forgive me.)  My first thought was to do streamer upon streamer upon streamer of these from Oh Happy Day (of course) but I couldn't find the crepe paper sheets she uses.  I did find some crepe paper streamers (only in white though) but I ended up dousing them in spray glue on accident right before I left for Dallas, which kind of took them out of the equation.  

(I think I'm gonna save these for something where I need girly and frilly and make them in a million different shades of pink.  So pretty, huh?)

Loryn, I found your soulmate.

Friday, October 7, 2011

Haha.  But really, I think y'all might make it.

This photographer, Ursus Wehrli is writing a book called The Art of Cleaning Up and I am loving the pictures in it.

He takes everyday objects like this soup,

and OCD's them up like this.

Amazing, right?  I love this branch

stripped down to this.

I think I'd like the second one of these sunbathers

 blown up really largely on a wall in my house.

I'm loving, loving, loving this. I'm not super organzed, but I am pretty all or nothing.  So, the part of me that says, "If I'm gonna actually clean this up, it'd better be super organized!"

I found a few more on some blog.  It's perfect.

I'm feeling stressed out right now.

Not because I have a giant test in 6 hours and I've been up all night studying.  Not because I have more hours of lecture tapes I should be listening to than there are hours before the test.  Not because I'm a little hyped up on caffeine from soy mochas.

But because I brought the wrong notebook to do my work on.

I like legal pads by Knee Pad with 3 holes already in them and the rigid back.

 
This kind.

Not this kind.


No matter that I am currently writing on a table, so there isn't a need for the stiff back.  Nor does it matter that someone invented a 3-hole punch, so I don't even need to stress out how I'm gonna put these pieces of paper in my notebook.  I am still annoyed that I picked up the one crappy legal pad out of the huge stock I have of my favorite ones.

I do have a grapefruit Izze, however, so that helps calm some of my neuroses.

Dude. $5. Seriously.

Just thought I'd let you all know that Amazon is having a serious sale on magazines right now.  $5 for a whole bunch of them (good ones too!)  I just picked up Elle Decor and House Beautiful (for like, $.40 apiece.  For. Ty. Cents.)



Cray cray.  Gorgeous.  Cheap!  (the subscription, that is.  Everything in that magazine above is over a billion dollars.)

So, go to Amazon.  Get some gorgeous magazines in the mail every month.  Say, "Stephanie, this cost me forty cents.  I should get you a present to say thanks."

I accept flowers, original sonnets and motorcycles.

I'm so a Texas girl.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

I saw this shirt on some t-shirt website.


Right?  Right?

Things that I think are pretty.

Monday, September 26, 2011

It's Monday...  while everyone else in the world is grumpy because (well, it's Monday)...  I am in a terrific mood.  I just aced another test, in a class that I never pay attention in and often skip (Dude! It's really early in the morning and I still work super late nights) (Oh.  Just joking, I mean... I always go, all the time and I'm a really attentive student.)  I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, but I have plans for a nap this afternoon that I think just might be pretty glorious.  I've also got a wedding this weekend and a chance to see a lot of people that I love...  It's a good day!

So, here are things that I think are pretty.  I'm just in that kind of mood. 

I love this look, it's kind of the stripes/floral mix I'm going for in the kitchen.  Super adorable.  It's from this lady, and her outfits are just perfect.




This picture?  Forget about, it.  This is everything I love about flowers (and I really love flowers.)




With Hannah's new tattoo, all I can think about is just a little more ink.  I've got lots of ideas (and I know everyone's already seen this picture from we heart it) but I love this.

Gorgeous!  And it is... (enough, that is.)




Seriously?  Tiny pies.  I know.




Plastic animals to show wedding guests their table numbers.  Don't be surprised if you see a grouping of painted plastic animals as the table centerpiece at an event I design someday.




My seester, Hannah.  She's (luckily for her) my roomie and the frequent victim of my need to "talk through" some of my design ideas (not so luckily for her.)  She's also wearing my vintage hat and purse in this picture (and I used my magic curling iron to fix her hair, so I'm basically responsible for how hot she looks.)




Look at this.
I want to go to there.


I briefly/only for 10 seconds/actually never/kinda thought about having a child last week so I could design a teenager's bedroom.  I'm thinking about it for 3 more seconds so I can look at this kid's room.

Just joking.  No kids.



And this, of course.   It's almost too obvious, because we're just that pretty.  (I often look back at sentences and realize how many time I've used italics.  Often I change it because, come on, that's just ridiculous.  Just as often, though, I keep it.  We all know I actually talk this way.) 



OK.  I need to get back to studying (one more test tomorrow!) but so concludes my Monday edition of "Things I think are pretty."  You're welcome.  (Especially for the last one.  Unless you're actually in that picture.  Then... I'm sorry.)




 

genius, obviously. All rights reserved >>>>> © Blog Milk Design