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!

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.

Christmastime Is Here

Confession: I begin listening to Christmas music once the months start ending in ‘-ber.’ I don’t even try to justify it. One of my favorite Christmas songs ever is “Christmastime Is Here” from the beloved classic A Charlie Brown Christmas. What could be better than that little, dinky-looking tree to get you into the holiday spirit? Christmastime is here, we’ll be drawing near. Oh that we, could always see, such spirit through the year…

Charlie. (source)

All that being said, I thought I would share a few pieces of Christmas from my house, as well as my not-so-top-secret-to-die-for Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe that J says that I’m not allowed to share with the world because someone other than me would be able to make the best chocolate chip cookies that ever existed. Toot! Toot! ( <- that was my own horn) You’re welcome.