Nouvelle Vague

I am in love with this "band" and thought this video was quite interesting. Check out Nouvelle Vague...you might recognize some (or most) of their songs...

Snowflake Fun

This site is too addicting!

Puppy Love...

I just had to share the pictures of my parent's new puppy!! His name is Jake and he's a Golden Retriever who is a little over three months old. He is the sweetest, most well-behaved little guy, (at the moment) is already house trained and can sit on command. He has his first "puppy socialization class" tonight and I can't wait to hear all about it! What do you think?!?!?!?

What he does best!




Don't you just wanna hug him?!?!?!?

Mesh Chair

If anyone is travelling to Chicago in the near future and wondering what to do, I highly recommend taking a little trip up to Andersonville to the shops on Clark. I met a friend there last weekend and we had fun perusing some really cute places for vintage furniture and clothing (and new items as well). I saw this great chair and fell in love...now if I just had a place to put it!!

Color Your Life...

I came across these fun flickr images yesterday while browsing and I immediately fell in love. Not only is the artwork super-fun, the photos are fabulous!! Makes me want to color my coffee cup every morning :)

Happy Birthday (L), originally uploaded by Orangeya.

Color Your Life, originally uploaded by Orangeya.

Mood : v_v, originally uploaded by Orangeya.

WadoOo, originally uploaded by Orangeya.

I'm Back!

So, I'm back from vacation...sorry for the long absence but it usually takes a while to get into the swing of things when I've been gone! I'm happy to say that I had a delightful time while away and thought I'd share some pictures with you all...(they're probably not that interesting...just bear with me)!!

We stayed at a rental beach house with a private section of beach...it's not the nicest place on earth but it's cozy and we always have a great them there! Here was the view from the back deck



And here is a view looking down the beach...my nephew and his grandma are walking away...



The kids had a great time, we played at the beach, built some sandcastles (or tried to build some) and went to the zoo. Here are a few of the pictures we took at the Michigan City zoo:


It was super hot that day...I felt so bad for this poor reindeer!




The otter tank had a clear glass or acrylic tube running through it that the kids could crawl through. The otters would swim underneath and on top of you...it was pretty neat (and a big hit with the kids!)


We climbed up to the top of a super tall observation tower...by the time we reached the top, I thought I was seriously going to have a heart attack!


but the view was pretty nice...



and we had fun!!


Of course, we couldn't go to the beach without taking a trip to New Buffalo, Michigan for some Redamack's (best burgers ever!!!!!)


and a perfect ending to the week...Oinks Ice Cream! The whole place is literally covered in pigs (no real one's, of course!). Don't ask me what pigs have to do with ice-cream...it works for this place though!



That's pretty much it...it was kind of nice not having internet the whole week, but I promise I will be back to my regular posting (or as close to it as possible)!!

So You Think You Can Dance??

Okay, as some of you know, I love to dance, and, even more, I love to watch people who can actually dance! My sister and I are totally addicted to the show So You Think You Can Dance...here are a few of my most favorite dances from the past few seasons. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

4th Of July

Well...I hope you all had a wonderful 4th!! I've been lazy with my posts and have a feeling that I will be sporadic over the next couple of weeks as I'm leaving for the beach on Sunday!!!!! I can't wait!!

Meanwhile...here are some pictures from my 4th celebrations. I was on a couple of rooftops and highly recommend it if you get the chance to watch fireworks from up on high.

On the third, I went to a party on the North side...here's a picture of our view (forgive the quality...I took it with my phone).

On the fourth, I hung out with my very best friend at her place on the south side. At night, it was yet another rooftop where we watched a spectacular display of fireworks being set off in the neighborhood all around us. It was a little scary, but awesome at the same time.


This is the view from the rooftop on the south side.


And here is a photo of some of the display. Too bad you can't hear it...I think they were setting off sticks of dynamite...seriously!

Human Calendar

It's amazing the funny things you can find on the web. The Human Calendar is one of those that I've just recently come across. Oddly reminiscent of the Brady Bunch opening credits...well, take a look for yourself! Take a really good look...what do you notice?? It took me a minute but I got it!!

Inspiration...

I've had this saved on my desktop for about a month now and have been meaning to tshare it with everyone. I think I'm going to post it up on my bulletin board at work and look at it when I'm feeling down or discouraged (which has been the norm for the past couple of days unfortunately). Where did I get this, you ask? One of the blogs I occasionally read, My Polaroid Blog of course!! I highly recommend visiting this inspiring blog to take a look at the wonderful photos posted by Jen...who would have thought Polaroids were such an art form??

Also, don't forget to check out the Weekly Win It give away which I will be posting tomorrow!!

Matchbook Sign Language

I found this while randomly surfing the Internet and thought it was too cool not to share.



These are matchbooks that artist, J.F. Keller found on the street and manipulated to form a sign language alphabet (plus and added extra that's not so nice!). Very cool!!

Here are some other projects by the same artist:



Live Free or Die



Typeface for a New York Times article



Harmen Liemburg Lecture Poster

Hi, I'm a Marvel...and I'm a DC

Having a nephew (and brother-in-law) who are obsessed with superheros and anything having to do with them, I am constantly bombarded with all things superhero. Since I love my nephew to pieces, I listen attentively when he shows me his new toys or wants to tell me about the new movie he's seen. My sister gets in on the action too and seems to find the funniest things! I thought I'd share something she showed me last weekend, I think most people will find this funny, even if they're not a fan of either of these franchises.

I couldn't stop laughing when I saw these!

Happy Monday!

Well I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! Mine was quite relaxing and only semi-productive (which is what I needed after the craziness of the previous weekend).

I got some time in with my sister and her kiddos, I bought a couple of books to read, planted some flowers and caught up on a guilty pleasure (Ghost Hunters) via You Tube.

My sister and I went to the Sex and the City movie on Saturday night and it was everything we hoped it would be! We laughed, we cried, we laughed so hard that we cried! I highly recommend it (especially if you're a long time fan of the show!).

I also got the chance to stop by Anthropologie on my way home from work on Friday night. My boss' place was being photographed for an article that's going to appear in the fall issue of Chicago Home and Garden magazine and he needed me to drop something off there on my way home. Since Anthropologie isn't far from his place...I decided to stop by and browse a little bit. Needless to say, I was there for about an hour but I did pretty good and only ended up purchasing one thing (a mug that was on sale). I managed to take a few clandestine pictures while there and I thought I'd share...


Linens galore...I wish I could afford to buy them all!!




They had brilliant colors throughout the place. My kitchen would be set if it was red or yellow!



I LOVE these chairs...now I really wish I had a patio...




Their jewelry is beautiful...and I love the way they display it (it was pretty much all gold though!).

So what did you do this weekend??

Excellent Blogs

A couple (ok, maybe a few) weeks ago..."T" from Cosy Up included me in her listing of excellent blogs (thanks T!). I definitely think this is a fabulous idea so I decided to do the same. Here are a few of the blogs that I would like to rate "E" for Excellent...some of them are art blogs, some are crafty and some I read for the fabulous writing! I have soooo many favorite blogs but these are the ones that I definitely make time for (even when I'm extremely busy):

Design for Mankind...I love Erin's blog, her writing is terrific and she's so funny (her humor is right up my alley). She also posts great finds and new artists as well as tips and advice on starting your own business. To top it off, she's super-nice and takes time to email and comment (I don't know how she does it!).


Off The Wall...Another great blog where I find inspiration and great writing! Melissa was the first person I exchanged blog links with (I don't even remember how that came about) and I've gotten to know her over the last few months. Again, a super nice person who I have so much in common with!!


Cosy Up...I love the design of T's blog...she posts such beautiful images and poems as well as fun updates on items she and her mom have made for their shop. And (if you see a theme...holler!) such a nice and encouraging person!


Cicada Daydream...This is Michelle's blog documenting her life as a fabric designer, mother and shop owner. I love how she gives a glimpse of her new fabric designs and the process she goes through to come up with them (and I love the magnets I just ordered from her shop!). Such a nice person as well!!


A Cup of Jo...Another great writer just blogging away about her inspirations and everyday life. I enjoy reading her blog and discovering new and random stuff. She has such a unique writing style and point of view.


Ivey Handcrafted...A great blog written by an equally great crafter, Tobi. She makes the cutest items for babies (as well as others). She shares her new creations and upcoming shows as well as her very inspiring story along with peeks into who she is. Again...a sweetie!


Making it Lovely...I love reading the blog of Nicole, a fellow Chicagoan and stationary maker. She posts about her life as a designer and home-owner along with pictures and updates on the renovations she and her husband have undertaken. Check out her beautiful home!


The Adventures of Freshie and Zero...A fellow jewelry designer, Beth's blog was one of the first I discovered last fall when I was just getting into jewelry making. She is one talented and busy girl with (at least) two shops featuring beautiful jewelry. I love following her "adventures" at various craft shows and have gotten some awesome tips on how to start a small jewelry business.


The Peach Tree...Another crafty blogger that I've run into on Etsy and started following in blogland. A great look into the life of a crafter and fabulous and encouraging Etsian.


Wildwood Girls This is my sister's blog where she posts about art and life and our graphic design shop, The Wildwood Girls. I love ya sis!


The Finer Things...A blog about stationary and all things having to do with graphics/stationary design. I love the tips I find here as well as the fun little extras she posts.


Please Sir...This is another new blog that I've recently gotten into. Great finds and a cool chick, I'm always checking this out for new and fun discoveries.

Whew...happy reading!! If I left anyone out...I apologize :) Like I said, I have soo many favorites but I didn't want this post to be 300 pages long...I love you all!! For more of my favorites, check out my blog roll!