Friday Finds

Mail Art: Phase I

It's finally Friday!  This has been quite a stressful week due to many things going on in the office, as well as being busy in the evenings with freelancing, and being utterly confused about my personal finances. Nothing (nothing!) stresses me out more than bills and money.  I wish that I could have taken an "Introduction to Being an Adult" course in college that taught me all about how to choose the right insurance, how the heck to do my taxes, and a number of other responsibilities that seem to be popping up left and right these days.  Needless to say, I'm looking forward to some serious downtime this weekend; hoping to get out in the city at some point, spend time with friends, and get our house back in order.  So, to celebrate having two days to squeeze all of that in, some of my favorite links from this week in internet world:

• Did you know that Tiffany lockets open up to reveal a liner in the prettiest shade of blue?!  LOVE!
• Alicia Bock has one of my very favorite Etsy shops.  I would absolutely love to have this print hanging in my home.  Check out her full shop here.
• Totally buying this book before we go back to Vegas. 
• One of the stresses of the week at work had to do with grammar (yuck!) Grammar Girl can be a helpful tool when you are in a grammar pinch.
• This site makes me want to decorate for and host a whimsical party with all of my girlfriends! 
• I adore this letterpress calendar meant for designers, "12 Months, 12 Rules to Understand Design and Designers."  My favorite page: {Possible can be done immediately, we're already working on the impossible, and please allow 48 hours for miracles}
• Love this striped, feminine top from the spring collection at NY & Co, and this super cute color block satin dress from The Limited. 
• This yummy sangria recipe from A Cozy Kitchen not only inspired me to make sangria, but also really made me laugh. 
• Went to the pet store last night. I want this cat :) Obviously.
• The image above is one of my faves of the week, because I'm looking forward to finally sharing some of the design work that I have done.  Be on the lookout for project posts over the next few weeks, including our wedding invites and save-the-dates. 

Happy Friday, friends!

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point."

[c.s. lewis]

Peace, Love and Little Donuts

oreo, sugar, and sprinkles

J and I grabbed lunch at Roland's in the strip district this morning. A good friend of Justin's from college owns Roland's, and it is definitely one of the must-eat, must-visit restaurants in town.  The atmosphere is great, the food is so fresh and delicious, and the balcony is one of the best places to people-watch in the summertime. We always love to end our morning in the strip district there with a few drinks and some amazing seafood.  They have a lobster roll that is 1 lb. of of lobster tail stuffed into butterfly-sliced garlic bread. It is TO-DIE-FOR, and I am not even a big seafood eater. With the amount of lobster you get for only fourteen dollars, it is truly one of the best deals around.

There was a serious frenzy of Steelers fans downtown today preparing for tomorrow's big AFC championship game against the Jets.  Even in the 12 degree weather, there were hundreds of people crowding the streets, purchasing black and gold gear, as well as stocking up on hand (and toe!) warmers for tomorrow night's big game.  You personally could not PAY me to sit outside in this bitter cold for four hours- playoffs or not.  I will be enjoying the game from the comfort of my couch. Warm, toasty, and excited for the black and gold.

Take me away.

from the plane on the way to Vegas- September 2010

Lately I've been having vacation dreams.  Lots of them.  These are not your typical, run-of-the mill, 'just driving a few hours to visit family' vacation dreams. (Frankly, that's not a vacation any which way you look at it.)  These are serious vacation dreams.  Over the weekend, I was standing on an isolated beach in the Caribbean with perfect white sands and my toes just reaching the warm, sapphire water.   There was not a single person around for miles and miles. A bunch of silly non-realistic things happened in the dream right after that- it was a dream after all- however, I woke up feeling like I had literally just been to the Caribbean.  That is one place that I have never been, so this dream in particular really stood out for me.

I told J about it that morning and how I got woken up by the salt truck driving on our street (reality, bummer), but tried to hurry up and fall back asleep because that was just before I found out what our hotel room looked like in the dream.  Seeing how hotel rooms are decorated in new locations is often just as exciting for me as the location itself.  Note:  "Our hotel room" yes, my dreams would not let me go on a beach vacation alone, because that- my friends, would be a nightmare in my book.  WAY too much silence and alone time for my liking.  Anyone else with me on that?

I'm Jeal.

Someday I will have a craft room that looks just like this.  Martha Stewart, watch out, here I come.

Unusual Sky

It seems as though weather in the wintertime changes by the minute. We had a beautiful sunny day in Pittsburgh yesterday, but overnight, a nasty ice storm.  As the weather began to change in the afternoon, I snapped a few pictures of the unusual sky that I noticed while driving home from work.

Our house sits at the top of a hill overlooking the main road in our area, and a very large set of neighborhoods. We are surrounded by huge, old pine and walnut trees which tend to block most sunsets that we would be able to see otherwise.  Every now and then the sky gets colorful when the sun is still relatively high over the horizon.  Yesterday was one of those days.

Enjoy!

Snowed In. (Sort of...)

old doors have quite a bit of character, wouldn't you say?

I have been sick and home from work for the past few days (bummer).  Although I have not moved too far from my couch or bed, I was able to take a few minutes to enjoy, at least, looking at the snow that we got in Pittsburgh over the past few days.  Somehow, staring out the window became way more interesting than hearing the same news stories over and over again on daytime TV. Although every once in a while, its nice to have time to rest, I am definitely thankful that my days do not consist of TLC and Lifetime (not that they ever, ever will!) In the few hours that I was awake while trying to recover from this nasty fever/flu, I managed to successfully creep myself out over the many noises this fifty sixty-one year old house makes when the wind blows.  I swear to you that I have never heard some of the nosies before- but they are just the wind, ok? Ok. Regardless of the creepy noises, a midwinter snowstorm is always welcome, especially when you aren't able to go anywhere.  Tomorrow hopefully it will be back to the grind for this girl, sans my three-day 100 degree + temperature.

2010 Pictured: April to June

4.10-6.10... proudly celebrated sister's achievement : spent valuable time in shadyside : tried on 'the' dress for the first time : ventured to cleveland for J's best friend's wedding : watched my sister graduate from my alma mater : fireworks with my family at a local park : made a sign that should have been for a birthday : went on a hunt for the perfect shoes : found my favorite place at a landmark that I had never been to, but is so close to home : spent a difficult morning in one of my favorite places in town : celebrated the 25th anniversary of my parents, with my whole family, a surprise : went to a wedding surrounded by birds : learned to really enjoy a glass of wine : celebrated a warm spring day with friends downtown : planted my very first flower garden : took sister out for a night on the town : lost someone that I will never stop missing. 

Glitz & Glam

Oh boy do I wish that I had a reason to wear this charming little number! I know that there is no way I could have a bad night with that on.  Hand me a glass of champagne, lets party.

From the gorgeous winter-white color to the sweetheart neckline this dress screams feminine and fun. The clustered embellishments in just the right variety of hues and gorgeous satin bow are what really caught my eye.  Paring this with  silver heels would have been my ideal NYE outfit.  We ended up staying home for New Years this year, but if I had this dress hanging in my closet I still think that I would have put it on anyway!

One of the Best Gifts... Ever.

We were gifted this gem from J's best friend and his wife for our wedding.  We eyed it up for years in numerous restaurants and BB&B-type stores (this one is def. from the 'Beyond' section).  Needless to say, I was SUPER excited when I unwrapped the box, and we even had our first margarita night the following day.  Obviously, with something this sweet, one does not waste any time. Although it may seem like an unnecessary appliance, it has really turned into a conversation piece at our parties and we are even thinking of bringing it on our ski trip next month (more on that later).

Last night, we spiced up a regular Tuesday by having homemade margaritas with Baja-citrus chicken, Mexican rice, and not-so-Mexican broccoli.  Ole!

"I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

[henry.david.thoreau]

ps... Honeysuckle is the color of 2011 :) eep!

2010 Pictured: January to March

1.10-3.10... rang in the new year with new friends : looked for "the" dress : attended an event at the wyep studios : partied with friends and homemade card boxes for valentines day : took photos downtown for the big day : celebrated february birthdays for the last time with the strongest man i will ever know : had fun with some wise wizards : saw ben folds at heinz hall : visited rolands more than once : saw more snow in one day than i have in my entire life : disco birthday-partied : toured our beautiful city in a limousine.