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?