Avenue Q

I just put a request into my editor to see this show opening night at the Fox Theatre, here in St. Louis. I'm really excited. My friend Megan and I used to sing the songs around in her bedroom while I died of allergies because of her cat. It was fun.


[this picture graciously stolen from avenueq.

Creature Comforts. Ez. She's the diggity.

So, Ez is the creator of Creature Comforts. I've written about this site before, but LOOK WHAT SHE DID. JUST LOOK. IT'S AMAZING. I WANT TO DO IT TOO.


[photos taken by no other than herself, Ez]

Pretty candy dishes

Look. They're PERFECT- perfect color, perfect price, perfect place to pick some up.



via design*sponge

Trivia Nights- a true St. Louis staple.

A bunch of us went to a trivia night this past weekend- me, Pete, Steve, Mary, Kyle, Jason, Laura, Scott, and Danno (and two of Emma's high school friends, Kelsi and Bryan?). Emma works with this great organization called Studio:Stl, which provides a source for city kids to write with a mentor. It's a knock-off of 826 Valencia, but it's cooler- BECAUSE IT'S RIGHT HERE IN OUR CITY AND ONE OF MY FRIENDS IS HUGELY INVOLVED.

In other words, awesome. I'm excited to be out of ResLife so that I can work more with that program next year. It's so fantastic.

ANYWAYS, so this trivia night. So all of us young 20-somethings (and yours truly, the lone nineteen-year-old girl) had a table together, and we were by far the youngest people there. Everyone else had brought lots of food and had created a giant potluck at their tables. So, Mr. Jason Valentine decided to change our situation of lack-of-food- order a pizza. But he doesn't call just ANY pizza place, he calls Pointers. Being the lone St. Louisian at the table, I knew what was up- Pointer's gimmick is that they offer a 28" pizza. For $40.

Let me just say, you should have seen all the old people's mouths hit the floor when Jason struggled through the doorway with our huge delivered box of goodness. It didn't take us too long to eat; probably about 20 minutes.

Check it out. It was great.






(Jason with the leftover box. He wanted to order a lot more pizzas and eventually build a pizza-box fort)

One more little thing is that Pointer's also has this little bit: If you and a partner eat the ENTIRE 28" pizza in a half hour, you win $500. Something to think about, huh?

Wayne Thiebaud

I learned about this gentleman last year in my Art Appreciation class (it was magnificent. I loved my professor, Deb Douglas. Check her work out here). I love HIS work, too. I decided that my kitchen will be decked out in prints or my own reproductions of these pieces...









Yummy. So sweet.

Welcome Back, Kay.

Whee. Well, I've been a terrible blogger the last couple of days- and I am SORRY. I had ResLife training last week, and then this weekend was completely out of whack- I spent time in Gries, at Pete's place, at home, had psychic dentist appointments, and FINALLY got to see my girls. It was really exciting to see all of them again. But now I am BACK BACK BACK. Classes start today. I'm pretty excited about my classes (okay, I'm really really REALLY excited about a couple of them, but then I have a class like American Politics...and that isn't as exciting to me).

But, to bring me back into the blogging world, samlovesherdog created a set of downloadable Valentine's Day cards that ANYONE can send to their friends and lovers. And they are CUTE CUTE CUTE. Thanks to Ez over at Creature Comforts for the tip-off. I am going to be doing some serious printing.

Project Runway

I love love LOVE this show. I watch it every Wednesday. I just need to say, though, that Kit was my favorite designer, and I cannot BELIEVE that she was kicked off. It broke my heart. I didn't catch the show when it came on at 10/9 c, and I made the mistake of going onto Bravo's website to find a good picture of the whole cast of designers for this post...AND SAW THAT KIT HAD BEEN AUF'D!!!!!! I just don't get it. It isn't fair. She was the best designer. And, by far, had the best sense of fashion.

Oh well. Since she was my first choice to win, I will now accept the winner to be either Christian or Jillian. Or Chris. But I don't think Chris will win.



I also just have to say that me, Pete, Steve, and Mary are all watching this show right now- and Mary and I are not the only two that are intently watching...

Blog Spotlight: Oh Happy Day

This is the first blog that REALLY drew me into the blogging world, so thanks Jordan!!

I'm not really sure how I even found her blog, but I was instantly drawn in by the beautiful pictures, simple blog posts, and the fact that she is from San Francisco. She has such great ideas and a great sense of style (also, she is one of the chief reasons that I now lust after all J.Crew items).

A list of some of the best things that Jordan's blog has introduced me to:
+ 3191: a year of mornings (now a year of evenings)
+ fine little day
+ a new-found appreciation for Anthropologie (now, I actually look around, as opposed to making a straight beeline for the sale section)
+ Etsy
+ Martha Stewart (do any other young people get slack for enjoying her projects/ideas/recipes? My friends are CONSTANTLY making fun of me!)

And that isn't all, by any means...there's tons more. But regardless, Jordan, thank you so much for putting time into your beautiful blog; it definitely inspired me to start one of my own.

LeSportSac

I decided I need a new bag. I haven't quite narrowed it down to what KIND of bag, but LeSportSac seemed like a good place to start, since there are countless types of bags and numerous prints. Here's some of the bags that I have created (so far).







I really like this ^ wristlet. I need to get one, since I'm getting sick of carrying lots of things around in my pockets.

Tulle

A sassy little lady there, huh? I love her outfit, though...presented by Tulle. They have a TON of pretty, fitted jackets, which are definitely one of my vices.

Fancy telephone

Pretty telephones on Target's website. I've been coveting this for awhile, so...if anyone wants to get me an early birthday gift? It also comes in a pretty blue color...

Ergh

I'm kinda short on time today (drove back to St. Louis after being in Cairo for quite a few days, and in an hour I have all night meetings), but I just HAD HAD HAD to tell you about this website I "stumbled" upon, called...StumbleUpon.



Stumble Upon installs a toolbar into your browser (they suggest that you update to Firefox if you do not yet use it) after you answer a series of questions and check boxes on things you are interested in, such as the arts, books, design, art, games, etc...pretty much everything is there, those are just some of the ones that I chose. Then you install the toolbar, and after that happens THE WEB IS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS...

When you're bored you hit the "stumble" button, and it takes you to a site that it thinks you will like. After you're finished looking at the page, you can check either "I Like it" or "not" and as you do that for each site, stumbleupon will save all of the sites they direct you to AND will be able to better give you new sites. I haven't even had this function for 24 hours and it's already taken me to Postsecret, Threadless, Design Mom, Orisinal, various art sites, and lots of modern home design blogs. It's awesome. I will NEVER be bored on the Internet again (not that I really ever was).

Check it out, ya'll.

Where's Cupid?

There's this adorable book that's peeking out of Mary Helen's bookshelf in the room I've been sleeping in, called Where's Cupid? I've been staring at it every evening while I stay up late on my computer, but I still haven't actually plucked it from the shelf and paged through it. My guess is that it's a Where's Waldo? type book...but who could really be sure.

I apologize again for not having my blog stuff done today. I really want this blog to mean something to someone (not just myself), but since I'm in such a wacky schedule it's hard to figure out what times I'll be doing posts, when I'll have access to a computer, etc. So even though things are somewhat shaky right now, that will soon change, since I'll be back at SLU and in a regular routine in less than a week (yeeps).

But for now, I have been ITCHING to share this with you, darling readers (scant as you may be)...mav's flickr account!!! [Wow, that makes me feel so stalkerish]

Mav, of 3191, that is. She runs her own press place (port2port) that makes stellar cards, calendars, etc...and I stumbled across this fantastic group of her own photographs. Hooray!

I wish I could nab some of her pictures, but they have all been spaceballed...and I'm not yet an experted blogger who would know how to undo this...if that is even a possibility. But her pictures are full of beautiful simplicities, so check them out.

Music Spotlight: Softlightes

I cannot even begin to explain how much I love this band. First of all, they formed after the Incredible Moses Leroy broke up/finished their run. A year later, they released Say No to Being Cool. Say Yes to Being Happy, which was my first taste of them back in 2006. I reviewed their album for a music magazine that I write for (playback:stl), and I believed that I used words like "carefree, sparkling, dreamy pop"....because that's what they sound like.

Check out this gorgeous stop-animation video, for their song "Heart Made of Sound"



And if you love it, check out their myspace for more of their songs. They are wonderfully happy; perfect for a rainy day.

Polyphonic Spree

I've been an avid follower of the Spree for some time now, and after three years of being obsessed (in a healthy way, of course) with them, I FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY saw them in concert this past August [here's some fun pictures]








[these are my favorite shots. The white, blue, and red heart paper cut-out that's hanging on the mic stand was given to Tim, the main guy, by someone in the crowd...and it makes an appearance in the video!]

It was amazing, it was majestic, it changed my life. I know that sounds corny, but that show changed my perspective on things- for weeks after that, whenever I was sad I would just think of standing at the concert, jumping up and down and grinning. I listened to the Spree as soon as I woke up every morning for a couple of weeks after that, just to start my day off positively.

All in all, they are amazing. Go see them if you can, because they won't disappoint you. But the reason that I am making this post is because my morning visit to Pitchfork threw this into my hands- a homemade video of the Spree's song "We Crawl". Dante Harper, indie director extraordinare, gave video cameras to all 23 members of the band, and all the footage was sent back to Harper, who beautifully edited it all together to create this majestic video. The ending piece shows all the members of the band at home, at their other jobs [?], with their friends, and hanging out on the highway...and it's gorgeous. I can't listen to a song by the Spree without getting this giddy feeling in my whole body- and it did just that.

If that video isn't enough to persuade you to listen to this fantastic band, check this out. Like Scrubs? Good. Then you'll like this.

I know Christmas is over...

but these are still sitting around the house here in Cairo and are DELICIOUS. DELICIOUS.



I love mint and chocolate together. Wonderfully wonderful.

Currently loving....

1. Old-school Rooney tunes [like "Turn Yourself Away" "Why Try" and "You're on the Edge"]

2. Peggle [MSNBC rated this the #2 most addicting game in the universe...sorry, Mac users, it's not compatible with you]

3. My Little Pony fruit snacks [they're all the best flavors]
4. The entire Yael Naim album, Yael Naim [currently released on iTunes!]

5. Sudoku
6. my blog header [eeee I still can't believe it's actually up there!]
7. Futurama viewing sessions [yay for TV on DVD sales]

8. Laura Veirs' Saltbreakers

9. my Martha cakeplate from Macy's

10. The Darjeeling Limited luggage [made by Marc Jacobs for Louis Vuitton...I would probably give my left leg for the entire set]

Martha Stewart Crayon Hearts

The theme for my floor this semester is going to be "love". I know it's a kajillion times vague, but it will work for numerous reasons, and here are some of them:

+ the most obvious reason- VALENTINE'S DAY
+ who doesn't want to live in a hall with explosive red, pink, and white everywhere?
+ love makes everyone happy...right?

Okay, those are also vague. But it's going to be great. I'm going to make a ton of these pretty babies for the floor. I'm planning on making them from all light-ish or pastel colors, and then stringing them into garlands, then hanging them from the ceiling.



I'll probably stick some more cheapy Christmas lights up there, too...just to add some more light. I feel like that and the flimsy hearts may not work together, though...like, melting may occur? I'll have to figure something out. Plus, I could put some red, pink, and white crepe paper up.

God, it's going to look like love threw up on my floor. But it's going to be preeeeeetty.

I'll keep the blogosphere updated once the floor is finished- which will be occurring later this week (holy eyelashes, my winter break is almost OVER).

Domino Magazine is fantastico.

So, I recently nabbed the new February 2008 Domino, and while flipping through the pages, I jumped onto their website. I found a ton of readers pages, where readers submit organizational and decorating tips, along with pictures.



I LOVE LOVE LOVE this room, submitted by Steven from Los Angeles. It has so many pretty things in it. I would love to hang out there- or at least just look around in awe.

HEADER

Look, look at the header! Look how cute it is! Pete drew it a couple of weeks ago, then we scanned it into the computer, I colored it on Photoshop, and FINALLY we figured out how to put it on the actual blog.

So, ONE of my NYR are complete. I have indeed gotten Happy Notions up and running...with regular postings and a fantastical blog header. Now, to get more readers...I'm on that. Just you wait.

PS: Thank you, Pete, for being so patient and wonderful and loving when it comes to helping me with technological things. That includes computer stuff, TV stuff, video game stuff, oven stuff, microwave stuff, and really, even cooking stuff. He's really just all-around wonderful. I'm so glad he's in my life. :D

My experience with the Wii.

So I'm in Cairo for a few days, before I begin all the craziness of SLU again, and today me, Pete, and Mary Helen (hi Mary Helen!) spent the day at their family's house, where we hung out, ate lunch, and played with the Wii.

Okay, well, I grew up with mom, dad, and a younger sister, so (in the cliche way) we didn't have any video games around. Until I was in high school, I had never touched a video game controller, unless you count the up, down, and across arrows while playing the Oregon Trail game for the old-school Microsoft computers. In high school, I clocked in NO more than ten hours playing MarioCart and stuff like that...and until today, that was all I had ever done.


[this picture isn't really crucial to this story, but this is my dad cutting his 50th birthday cake, and I love the face he's making. Do we REALLY expect a man like this to teach his daughters how to play videogames? Although, he would kick major BUTT at GuitarHero]

Now, today, I spent about five hours playing with either the Wii, or Rock Band...and both were pretty interesting. So, here's my run-down:

Entered Peggy's house around 11:30, immediately fired up the Wii. Pete somehow knew exactly what he was doing, so he instructed me as I stumbled through the introductory training "Wii Age" session, which throws 50 tennis balls at your face, ten baseball pitches, and allows you to bowl a couple of times. I was nervous that I was doing this at all, since I'm not sporty, nor appropriately set with great hand-eye coordination, nor handy with video game equipment. And, the game told me that I wasn't; my "Wii Age" was originally 56. FIFTY-SIX???? COME ON. I'm out of shape and yes, I really do have an old woman living inside of me (how many 19-year-old girls get excited about a double silverware drawer? As in, the silverware goes in the bottom, but THEN, on top of that, there's another little pull-out drawer? THE ANSWER IS NOT MANY.), but I am NOT 56 years old.

Anyway. This is a long, rambly post (and it's nowhere near finished), but after I got over that small shock, Pete and I played each other in baseball and then tennis. Maci, Delaney, and Christy showed up, and after they watched me completely obliterate Pete in bowling, Pete showed Maci how to hold the little controller thing and Delaney spun around the whole room, giggling and watching occasionally. They are SO cute. I can't get over it sometimes.


[Maci, me, and Delaney on a walk after Christmas sometime]


[stolen from sjgardiner's flickr]

After doing some Sudoku, watching the Wii games, and occasionally playing with the girls, we ate a quick lunch and headed over to hang out with Essner, Pete's high school friend. We sat in his room and talked about movies, music, etc...and of course, the two of them talked about comic books. I played with the cat. Then, we headed over to his friend Matthew's, who owns the coveted ROCK BAND.

EVERYTIME we go by any place that carries any sort of video game, Pete erupts- "I WANT ROCK BAND SO BAD". I quickly tell him that he can't really afford the Xbox 360 required to play the game, nor the equipment needed (a couple guitars, drums, microphone) to actually play. Then he gets sad. It's pretty much the same way I get whenever I wander into Anthropologie.

So, Pete takes the guitar, Essner takes the bass, Matthew sings, and I drum. Um, it was HARD. Like really super-duper hard. The four of us cycled the instruments, with me spending the most amount of time on the bass. I drummed a few more, jammed on guitar, and sang a couple of songs ("Heroes" by David Bowie and "Should I Stay or Should I Go" by the Clash).


[didn't have my camera to document, so this is taken from tim.lange's flickr feed]

After two hours of that (!) we played a quick game of Scene It and took off, where we played more Wii at Peggy's, ran some errands, stopped by Arby's, and then went back to Peggy's. This was probably my favorite part of the whole day- we somehow managed to coerce Mary Helen into playing GuitarHero. We had her play "Slow Ride", and the first time around, she wasn't so hot...but THEN she was GREAT. Like, better than I was when I first played the game. I was super impressed. And she had this cute smile the whole time, it was great.

Anyways. So that was my day. I've never, EVER spent so much time playing video games. I kind of feel as though GuitarHero/Rock Band is built for people who can't really play instruments, but have tried...but that isn't a BAD thing, because I'm in that group. I'm pretty hopeless on guitar. I don't know, it was an interesting day. I'm sleepy.

All in all, I would want a Wii. I'm not huge on sports (okay, besides hockey and badminton...two sides of THAT spectrum) but there are LOADS of games that aren't sporty that I would love to play with.