Goodbye, 2007

There were lots of things I wanted to accomplish in 2007, but I really hardly did any of them.

So, here are my New Year Resolutions (NYR) so far:

1. Lose acne, once and for all.
[no picture for that]

2. Lose 20 pounds and maintain a healthy diet (that includes the dreaded exercising...)

3. Journal for at least 20 minutes a day.


4. Fix happy notions up and get 'er running, FINALLY.


5. Read one book a month.


6. Make at least one craft-related thing a month (on a larger scale).


7. Start a yoga class/regime.


8. Put at LEAST $20 a month into my savings account- which will equal at LEAST $240.


9. Learn to detach from everything negative.


10. Start a vitamin regime.


11. Learn not to say yes when I really mean no.


12. Write one love letter to Pete a month.


13. Paint more.


That's what I have so far. Anyone have any good resolutions they want to share with the rest of the class?


PS: all the images were from google search. I was going to cite all them, but out of laziness, decided not to. If you own any of these images, you have my permission to give me a swift kick in the booty.

Ooooh look at the pretties

Via ALL THINGS ORDINARY, I recently heard about designer Nuj Novakhett- such marvelous work.

MAJOR happy notions overhaul

(via wiiri via flickr)

So, I haven't been blogging, I know. And that makes me feel bad.

But one of my (soon-to-be) 20 NYE resolutions is to BECOME A BETTER BLOGGER. I feel like I have lots of fun stuff to say and show, and I really have plenty of time to blog, but I usually just waste my time looking things up online, having nonsensical coversations with friends, or spending money that I don't really have in the first place.

So, this is the warning- I want to post a couple things a day, and I'm not really planning on NOT blogging on the weekends, but if it happens, don't be surprised.

Anyways, here I shall leave you, dear readers, with a link and some pictures to one of my fave fave FAVORITE etsy shops...the Black Apple.

This one is called "You Are My Needles and Pins", and I saw it and made a high-pitched noise. Too cute.


And this one is called "Celia Cupcake"...and I am OBSESSED with cupcakes.


And lastly, there is "Greta and the Gramaphone", which just makes me giggle.


Ta ta for now, and HAVE A FANTASTIC NEW YEARS EVE!!!!

Oh, boy....

I've been a HORRIBLE blogger. Absolutely horrible.

I'm really sorry about that.

Finals, end-of-the-semester stuff...ew. I'm almost done. One more final on Monday and I am FINISHED.

And super excited about Christmas break. I don't really have much of anything planned, besides chill time with family, old friends, and Pete's family, but I AM planning on spending a lot of time reading, writing, being artsy...the creative life, basically. I've been making Christmas gifts for friends and family and I haven't been happier in a long time- I love expressing myself creatively.

ANYWAYS. So many things I want to blog about- so many things I should have blogged about in the last month or so.

One thing that I've been itching to mention (okay, for only like the last half hour, but bare with me) is this sweet Jackson Pollack website. I'm definitely looking forward to playing around with that in my next semester classes.

Another great thing- the Sex and the City MOVIE TRAILER. This is one of my guiltiest of guilty pleasures, and when Pete mentioned that there was a teaser trailer circulating online, I FLIPPED OUT. I mean, I screeched. Seriously.

Okay, and I just watched it again and got goosebumps.


Finally, the last thing I'm going to mention right here and now is that sadly, SADLY, Blueprint is closing up shop. My bet is that it's all Martha's fault, but whatever. I may have even shed a lil tear when I first read that in Design*Sponge.

RIP, you beautiful magazine.

I'll be around a lot. And honestly, I look forward to it.
<3

Weekend recap.

I LOVE rainy days like this. They're great. It makes me want to crawl back under the covers and read, though. I somehow got my sorry butt out of bed and went to class...yay?

For all you reader-types out there, READ READ READ The Time Traveler's Wife. It. Is. Amazing.

I was blown away. It is such a beautiful, eloquent read...and it made me feel really, really grateful for my life. It was great. You should really go get it from the library, or buy it at a used bookstore. It's just awesome.


What else did I do this weekend? I made wishlists on Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie. It was...awesome. I'm going to email them to my mom, and hope that Santa decides to be (especially for Anthro.) REALLY generous this year...

My floor went out to dinner on Saturday evening. We got ALL gussied up, and then we went to Blueberry Hill, and afterwards went to get cupcakes at The Cupcakery. It was a delightful evening. We got some photobooth pictures taken, which I would put up but I haven't scanned them yet. All my gals looked gorgeous.

Lastly, I went to see the Mountain Goats, kind of, at the Billiken Club. I couldn't really SEE them, though...that's the problem.

But TONIGHT, TONIGHT...oh, tonight.

Tonight is Regina Spektor. I've been waiting for this for over a year.

Finally!

Learning to Love You More

Did you see Me and You and Everyone We Know? No? That's too bad. It was pretty darn good.

Miranda July, one of the main players in the aforementioned film, and one of the founders of the site Learning to Love You More, is amazing. When it first started, she (along with four other people, I think) put up "assignments" for any person to do- assignments like "take a picture of strangers holding hands" or "make an encouraging banner" or "read your favorite book from 5th grade". The stuff that has come back is SO amazing. Some teachers that have found this site have done the assignments with their entire class. It's the sweetest indie site EVER.

I guess the founders thought so, too. They put a book together called Learning to Love You More. I think I may buy it, even though all the same information is online. It's a great site. And it's really inspiring, too.

My favorite assignment was the making of the encouraging banners. These are the ones that I found most, well, encouraging.









I have a life goal (seriously, it's on my list) to make a bunch of little banners, maybe out of post-it notes, and hang them up on the shelves and workspaces at the library. I want to make people's lives better.

Everyone come see how good...

Pete can draw. If I had a scanner, I would scan a ton of the stuff that he has drawn of me/for me. But the only picture that is currently online is the one that he drew of himself. So check it out.



Look how good he is! Yay, PETE!

RATATOUILLE!

I'm totally asking for this for Christmas. I LOVE LOVE LOVED this movie. It was so wonderful, and I giggled (and yes, got teary-eyed) throughout the whole film.



This lil guy is so cute.

And this view REALLY was breathtaking.

Oh, and...

I also bought these. Maybe it was a somewhat unreasonable purchase, but I don't care. They make me smile whenever I see them.



Also at Fredflare.

Fred Flare

fredflare has ALWAYS been amazing. I've just always been such a big fan, even since I saw an ad for it in ReadyMade. I've bought tons of stuff off there, like the book called A Merry Kitschmas, some Valentine's Day cookie cutters, shirts, old-school Valentines, and various Christmas gifts for friends (Snowman in a Box? Hello Kitty pencil sharpers/colored pencil carousel? They've got it). In all, this is a GREAT site to use for Secret Santa gifts...they're pretty cheap, cute, and all-around fun!

Check out some of the stuff that the site is carrying this winter:

A chocolate-cake towel?!?? How clever.


On another similar note, these are washcloths that have been wrapped up as cake rolls.


LOBSTER TONGS. So cool. I would love to serve up a summer pasta salad with these.


These are so pretty. Someday I hope that I can afford to outfit my whole closet with these...but it will probably never happen. Le sigh.


Look you can blow bubbles while doing the dishes! See, I don't mind doing dishes, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE blowing bubbles. So this would be a fun (and distracting) thing for me. Maybe better if I didn't have it, even...


I think these are so pretty. I would like to get them in a variety of pastel colors, and then plant different herbs, like parsley, rosemary, mint...you know. Then I could line them up on my over-sized kitchen windowsill. Wouldn't that be pretty. Yes.


These are maybe the cutest holiday cards ever. I want them. A lot.

In all, you should definitely check the site out. It's pretty much amazing.

Jeff Magnum returns to life??

Okay, he wasn't really dead...at least not officially. The frontman of late-great band Neutral Milk Hotel finally makes an appearance (kinda)!!!!!!!!

Orange Twin, this sweet website all about their eco-community, about 50 miles outside of Athens, GA, is selling one of Jeff Magnum's collage guitars for $925. Anyone wanna buy me an early Christmas present?

Check it out.







At first, when I heard about this, I thought it was a different Jeff Magnum, and then I saw the head of the guitar and INSTANTLY knew that it was indeed that Jeff Magnum.

RAWR

I feel like I don't have much to say for myself. I've been super busy, but...it seems as though it's all producing nothing.

I'm going to make another list. WITH PICTURES!

1. I aced (I hope) my human growth & development test- I'll get it back tomorrow. I studied really hard for it, and I really feel as though I did well.

2. I just got back from seeing Wristcutters: A Love Story. It was AMAZING. It takes a super-taboo topic and turns it into something...well, almost humorous (in my opinion). I've been waiting to see this film since February or March-ish...and the wait was TOTALLY worth it. Check out the trailer here. It's leaving the Lou on Thursday, and I feel like we were one of the last cities to get it (what else is new?)


3. Me, Pete, Steve, and Mary went to Cairo this past weekend. I played with Pete and Steve's nieces, Maci and Delaney, a LOT. We colored, watched cute little kid TV (like Charlie and Lola), played with Chip (the doggie), and ate delicious food made by Mary Helen. It was really fun. Nice to get away from SLU for a little bit.



Oh my God. I am so pathetic. I've been so into browsing ebay/other things online...one of my new favorite things that I've found is the Pretty Organized flickr pool- it's amazing. I love looking at pretty arrangements of things, and this pool is awesome for inspiration.
Here's some pretty pictures.

I cannot wait to have a bigger bookshelf than the one that I currently own at school. It's really small, and it fits nowhere NEAR the amount of books that I own. Anyway, when I get space for all the books I own, I am TOTALLY doing this. Super excited.


This is so cute, and so exciting. I want to do this, too. Right now the combination of the above materials are in a plastic blue cup on my desk. Sweet, sophisticated upgrade? I think yes.


When I have a workspace like this...I'll know that I've made it.