who wants a party?

As I've said before, I love Oh Happy Day's party decoration ideas and tutorials... She posted these two pictures and I've been obsessed with the ideas ever since.  They have such potential to be done on the cheap (for their impact) and to fit in any location.  Some parties I see are so gorgeous, but only really look good in a certain space.  You don't always get a chic white loft to celebrate your birthday in...

Wouldn't that look good in any space?  I mean, the cool warehouse space is awesome, but I can see this in a normal living room or in a park.  I like the white table cloth and wooden chairs as a backdrop for all the amazing colors.  So easy to do.

I found these balloons for less than 5 cents apiece...  You can pretty much go bananas.  I'm pretty sure you can get them anywhere, but they're pretty cheap on the internet.  I'd get one of those packs of curly ribbon and just mix them all up.  Helium isn't super inexpensive, but it looks like you could get enough for a decent amount of balloons for about $50.  You just tie them to the chair backs and then sprinkle the leftovers around the floor.

I'm also absolutely in love with this rainbow cake.  According to Martha Stewart, (and I always listen to Martha) it's not that hard to make a multi-colored layer cake, it just takes a little time.  This of course, is a little more ambitious than the 6 layer one Martha shows, but I think it could be done.

Can you imagine this as the centerpiece of long table... with a white tablecloth, white and modern place settings, pretty cut-glass glassware, a few candles, some low and round flower arrangements in different color palettes, with the wooden chairs festooned with the a hundred different colored balloons? (Yeah, I totally just used the word "festooned")

Crate and Barrel tablecloth, wood handled flatware (would look so good with wood chairs), and plates.  Vintage glasses from Etsy and a $130 candle.  I don't know why I think it's so funny that a candle would cost so much.  $130 for a candle?  Really? (as in with Seth and Amy)

first photo (who knows where this photo came from) via Oh Happy Day and cake from Darius Monsef 

who needs a desk?

When I was little, we had these two bamboo chairs that we'd fit together, front to front, to create a "crib".  I remember when I was sick I'd get to sleep in them and I loved the coziness (and getting to sleep anywhere besides your bed is exciting for a child!)

On the 2nd floor of the Union (UT's main student building) there is a long hallway, beside a big fancy ballroom, that has fifty chairs set up like this.  (they're left like this overnight, so it's not just students moving them)  I love the idea that the university realizes that studying (or sleeping) is best done when you're comfortable - it totally works, I spend 99% of my on campus studying time in this exact spot.

little one

I've decided I only want kids if they're as awesome as this little girl.

(photo from La Petite magazine)

just like everyone else...

I'm obsessed with West Elm's new Market.  It's got kitchen, garden, and home accessories and tools - and they are beautifully designed.  I love love... love love love.  (Just a few more times for emphasis.)

 old fashioned metal ice cube tray; gorgeous scissors; copper pot; wine bottle glasses

glass and wood honey pot; mint green Smeg refrigerator; knife set in killer block; colorful garden hoses

If I had the money, I'd buy everything in this store.  My kitchen would be devoid of plastic and full of wood, glass, and enamel.  I'd have a brightly colored, vintage looking refrigerator and stove.  My brooms and dust pan wouldn't have to be hidden in the pantry.  I'd leave out my laundry bags and mop buckets.  My house would never see another Rubbermaid plastic tub; everything would be housed in wire mesh baskets...  If only.

Really though, which would you rather have in your sink?

wooden dish scrubbing brush

High five, West Elm, high five.

making necklaces and watching The Princess Bride

Obviously those two things go together.  Well, kind of...

A few years ago, I saw this tutorial from love Maegan, a fashion blogger.  I had to make my own version.  I put on The Princess Bride - the best movie of all time - and just started playing around.

I started with a few supplies - easy and cheap.  Maegan's roses were black, but I wanted more of a deep red/wine color.  I got one of the cheap bunches from a craft store that comes with roses in different sizes.  I'm sure this would be beautiful with fancier silk flowers, but they will be a little more well made and harder to manipulate.  I bought some organza (thin, sheer fabric, like tulle) and ribbon in the same color, a bit of thick cotton for the base of the necklace, and some snaps and d-rings for construction.

I started with the big flowers and took off the plastic stems.  A few of the big flowers had centers that looked kind of cheap, so I took those petals out and kind of twisted up the remaining flower to look less like a fake rose.

I sewed these onto the cotton I'd cut into an appropriate shape.  I googled "bib necklace", which was pretty popular at the time, and looked to see how wide and deep it should be.  I left the middle in the fabric, even though I meant to end with a horseshoe shape, not a half-circle - this left me with a little lee-way to mess around with the flowers.

Now, the mid-construction pictures were weirdly fuzzy, so I'll leave them out.  Sorry!  But, if you look at the picture below, you can tell I just placed the flowers close to each other, squished them in empty spots and sewed them securely to the cotton base.

After getting a basic shape I liked, I cut away the extra fabric and then used the ribbon to attach the d-rings at the ends of my necklace.  Then, I took the tulle and cut it into little squares and rubbed the edges to fray them a bit.  I folded them up into cone shapes and sewed them into the gaps of the necklace, giving it all a bit more texture. (FYI, these middle pictures have some weird lighting.  The color of the necklace is much truer in the first and last photos.)

While using the ribbon and the snaps to finish off the roses, I realized I picked out ribbon with wire edges.  This is great if you're forming a bow and need to adjust the ribbon to create a perfect loop.  If you want something to hang flat, you should use regular ribbon.

Late night bathroom mirror pictures!  Classy, huh?  Not really, but the necklace is adorable.  That camera was old, but it's probably better at late night craft documenting than my iPhone.

I like you...

I'm loving this vintage book and its illustrations.  It's the sweetest story; I can totally imagine a passage from this read at a wedding.

I Like You by Sandol Stoddard Warburg

I like you because you are a good person to like I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it's special And you remember it a long, long time You say, Remember when you told me something special And both of us remember When I think something is important you think it's important too When I say something funny, you laugh I think I'm funny and you think I'm funny too Hah-hah! I like you because you know where I'm ticklish And you don't tickle me there except just a little tiny bit sometimes But if you do, then I know where to tickle you too You know how to be silly - that's why I like you If I am getting ready to pop a paper bag,  then you are getting ready to jump HOORAY! I like you because when I am feeling sad You don't always cheer me up right away Sometimes it is better to be sad You can't stand the others being so googly and gaggly every single minute You want to think about things It takes time I like you because if I am mad at you Then you are mad at me too It's awful when the other person isn't They are so nice and oooh you could just about punch them on the nose I can't remember when I didn't like you It must have been lonesome then Even if it was the 999th of July Even if it was August Even if it was way down at the bottom of November I would go on choosing you And you would go on choosing me Over and over again And that's how it would happen every time

please, mr. boss man

On repeat all day long.

is it normal?

... to have this many pictures of bathroom graffitti on your phone?

"Pork is the devils meat" - "mmmm... deviled ham" - Epoch

This is my favorite part of bathroom graffiti; it's an interactive process.  Someone writes something (usually ridiculous).  Someone else edits it, comments back, gives advice, insults... I love.

Sometimes graffitti is super sweet - Hideout.

"Hell was invented by people with no sense of self worth" Edited: "Fort Worth or Dallas"

Why pay a therapist when you've got somebody with a Sharpie?

a little grammar editing

I agree, ma'am, I agree...

tub envy

I'm in love with bathtubs, A.  B, all I want in life is a claw foot tub.  C.  What if the claw foot tub was yellow?  I'm all over this.

Randolph Morris 72 inch Cast Iron Clawfoot Tub  - clawfoot tubs are pretty expensive.  They're so pretty, though! This website has packages with tubs, faucets, and all the accoutrements for under a grand.  In the grand scheme of fancy baths, that's not so bad.  Paint it a bright, cheery, yellow and it's perfect.

Herringbone in Lake (fabric) by Joel Dewberry - this fabric is a great graphic, modern take on a herringbone.  Whip up some curtains on your magical curtain-whipping-up machine.

Vintage lockers function as a table and storage.  Oh!  What if you could retrofit this with a sink?  Me-likey.

I'm taking Emily Henderson's advice and liking Fiddle Leaf Fig trees.  If I hadn't killed all my succulents and cacti this summer (did you know you can actually kill a succulent?), I'd be all over these in my apartment.  I don't have much of a green thumb, as desperately as I want one.

White Hexagon Tile from Clay Squared - I normally like this with gray/black grout, but in this room I'd have white walls, white tile, and white grout.  Blank canvas for the bright yellow tub and artwork.

Wes Anderson Movie Prints from Monster Gallery - this entire Etsy shop is perfection.  I'd buy any/all of these.


I wanna go take a 4 hour bath now.

do judge an energy bar by its wrapper

I might have only chose this bar from Cafe Medici today because of the cute packaging.  The coconut and mango were just a happy surprise - it was really good.  Organic, raw, vegan, gluten-free: this is obviously local to Austin.

(I'm a sucker for guys with beards and well designed packaging.)

bless my heart and bless yours too

My favorite song of the moment.  Favorite band of the moment.  I wanna be her when I grow up.



Really?  I can be that cool, right?  Maybe?  Kind of.  Sorta?


Alabama Shakes.  Look it up.  Love 'em.  Be indebted to me for forever.

give credit where credit is due.

I'd like to thank the fruit cup that I got at the campus store where I bought a blue book for giving me such confidence on this upcoming test.  I know I'm going to do well, but not because of the large amount of studying I've been doing the past two days.  I'm going to do well because your giant size and surprising variety of fresh, beautiful fruit has put me in the perfect frame of mind.  I'm gonna drink this giant bottle of water I bought as well, finish the last, ripe strawberry and then go in that giant hall and write an amazing essay about the civil rights and anti-apartheid movements.

You're the best, fruit cup.

(That's a giant bottle of water, by the way.  Don't let the proportions 

skew your perception of how big this fruit cup was.)

don't freak out mom.

I'm not having a baby anytime soon.  I do however, love nurseries.  They're bright and fun and full of awesome stuff.  Why can't I have cool baby toys?

Oh yeah, I don't have a baby.  Whatever.

Chair: I actually lost the link to this one, but Target, West Elm and CB2 all have cute, similar ones right now.  The bright yellow is so cheery, and it looks comfy.  Let's not lie.  I don't have kids, but I've been a nanny and big sister enough to know that comfort beats style when it comes to babies.  (I can't believe I just said that!)

Crib: Echo Crib by Kalon.  I love combining wood and white in a baby's crib, because it gives you flexibility to use different finishes in the rest of the room - especially if you're me and it's inevitable you'll be redecorating between babies.

Bedding: Covington Amagansett in Fuschia from Fabric.com.  Is that even a real word?  Dunno, but I like the fabric.  (I mean, these aren't sheets, but it couldn't be that hard to turn it into sheets, right?)  The flowers are pretty girly (though boys can have flowers too!) so if you wanted to go more stereotypically masculine, some colorful, vintage inspired train or firetruck sheets would be cute - like these from Pottery Barn Kids

Curtains: Zigzag Curtains from Urban Outfitters.  They have cute curtains in herringbone or triangles that give the same graphic punch if you're totally over chevron.  I'm not.  Don't judge me, bro.

Dresser: Instead of buying some designer piece, I'd find a good, sturdy garage sale/thrift store/hand-me-down piece with good lines and paint it a gorgeous, deep, rich blue.  Electric by C2 or Patriot Blue by Benjamin Moore would be good.  Put some vintage brass knobs on it; you're in business.

Rug: Big Band Rug in Pink by Land of Nod.  I love the proportions of the stripes and it's not too expensive for a rug - comes in green, blue and grey as well.

Lamp: Ebay has a bunch of these, and they come in colored glass as well.  Perfect for a nursery.

Prints: I is for Ice Cream, Alphabet, Bright Tribal Print - all from Etsy.com and Balloons over Paris from Urban Outfitters.  Art is super cheap, especially on Etsy.  You can find new artists and amazing deals.  UO?  A little skeezier of a company, but still has killer stuff.

Bear: Faux Taxidermy Bear Head in Chartreuse.  This Etsy shop, Mahzer & Vee, has the most amazing sculptures.  They've got Chopin bust in bright aqua, a zebra head in metallic gold, an elephant head in bright orange...  I love it!

Mobile: Flying Pig Baby Mobile from Etsy.  So sweet!

we're real chefs...

Last night, my friend Justin and I made dinner in his new apartment.  It was super fun to just go to the grocery store and make up dinner on the fly.  I'm such a professional chef, man...

We made a cream sauce with Fontina, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, rosemary and chives...  I'm sorry, let me correct that.  We made a giant pot of soup.  Why did we make so much sauce? I don't know, but we've got leftovers for months.

The meal was delicious, penne with that sauce(soup), balsamic-marinated chicken, salad with berries and almonds, and a glass of prosecco.

We watched Cabaret afterwards, and I fell asleep during the movie.  Shocking, I know.  Or not.  Mom, I'd like to take this moment to thank you for all of the genetic traits you passed on to me; some of them, like your singing voice, I'm happy to share.  But, did you really have to give me the inability to stay awake through a single movie?  Thanks for nothing.  

grrrrr...

I've been up since 5, writing a paper about an interview I did last week.

2 things I hate about this moment:
1. 5 o'clock, duh.
2. Hearing the sound of my own voice... Do I really sound like this, people?

Things that I think are awesome (the documentary edition)

Last night I was "taking a break" from studying and I watched "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey" - a documentary about Kevin Clash, the "arm" behind Elmo.  It was super sweet and I loved looking at how puppets are made and brought to life.  There are these great scenes in their workshop where drawers get opened and you see hundreds of different eyes, ears, noses, eyebrows, etc., lying there, waiting to be used in some new Muppet.

Loryn and I will spend hours watching movie trailers on Netflix or Hulu (seriously, it's almost better than actually watching a movie), but if we ever finally pick one, we often see a documentary.  I tend to like social and personal ones rather than political ones.  I've decided to show you some of my favorites, so you can benefit from my impeccable taste in film.

Young@Heart - a choir of senior citizens (average age, 80!) sing Hendrix and Sonic Youth.  It starts out being warm and sweet and turns into a giant cry-fest.  Highly recommended.

First Position - young ballet dancers prepare for an international ballet competition.  I saw this last year at the Violet Crown and immediately started dreaming of ballet lessons for my future kids.

Spellbound - I changed my mind, my kids are going to be spelling champs, not ballet dancers.

King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters - a battle over the world record high score on Donkey Kong.  I've never met Billy Mitchell, but I'm convinced he's a very mean person.  (Watch and you'll understand.)

Make Believe - six teenagers prepare for the Teen World Championships of magic.  First arcade games, then magic, I know, I know, you just have to trust me.

Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - follows Conan after he was fired from the Tonight Show and goes on his Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on Television Tour.  I love Conan and I liked this doc, but I will say that Conan kind of comes off as a jerk in this.  Yes, he'd just been fired from his dream job, but still...

My Kid Could Paint That - Marla Olmstead, a child prodigy abstract painter rises to fame and then becomes the focus of much controversy.  The film tries to make you question the origin of these paintings, but it just makes me ask, "What exactly do I consider art?"

Mad Hot Ballroom - adorable kids dancing like little adults.  Changed my mind again - my kids are going to be ballroom dancers.

Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement - Loryn and I saw this after a marathon movie trailer watching session.  It is the sweetest movie I've seen in a long time. Definitely beat the trailers (that's hard to do!)

Forks over Knives - I first watched this when I was a vegetarian eating little dairy or eggs.  I probably won't be so validated (read: smug) about my eating habits next time I watch this (I'm eating meat now) but it'll still be thought provoking.

I Think We're Alone Now - rides the fine line (for me) between documenting and condescending.  The film follows two people "in love" from afar with 80's pop star Tiffany.  It's sad and depressing, but a good watch.

Bill Cunningham New York - Bill Cunningham has been photographing street fashion for the Times for over 30 years.  Brilliant look at a brilliant man.

The Wild and Wonderful Whites of West Virginia - this family is loud, trashy and don't care at all what their neighbors (or the law) think of their actions.  I love love love this film.  WATCH IT.

The Business of Being Born - Evane and I watched this one night and decided to adopt.  Ouch.

Next on my list: Grey Gardens and Man on Wire... I foresee more studying breaks in my future.  Like, in a few minutes.

Because I'm nothing if not supremely helpful, all of these are available on Netflix.  Make Believe, Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, Edie & Thea, Forks Over Knives, I Think We're Alone Now, Bill Cunningham, The Wild and Wonderful Whites, The Business of Being Born, and Man On Wire are all available on "watch instantly".  Dude, I'm so nice.

What do you think?  I have perfect taste, no?

taxidermy, schmaxidermy...

I've long been a fan of Rachel Denny's series "Domestic Trophies", where she takes wood and foam and knit and turns the idea of taxidermy on its ear.

She had an awesome collection with the sweater deer heads (I love the cable knit ones!) but she's definitely brought it to a whole new level with her new work.

"War Horse" 2012

"Love Bite" 2012

"Sweet Tooth" 2012

Riiight?!?!  Right?  These things are amazing.  I can see them in that big white loft I'll have someday.  Her show was in London, so I jet-setted off to the UK to see it last month.  Or not... whatever.  

This is why I like having friends that are artists...  I can tell myself that someday, when I have that giant loft, it'll be populated by art I commissioned (forced, whatever) my friends to create.  Livin' the dream, folks, livin' the dream...