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A few of my favorite things...

2011-06-14T20:56:00.005-04:00

Hmm, I wonder who illustrated this month's cover of Grid?

Aside from being a fun illustration opportunity, this month's issue of Grid has inspired me to finally fix up my bike. Not that I haven't been riding it; I just decided that riding with only a front-end brake and dry-rotted tires wasn't the best idea anymore. I also found my previous drop handlebars not particularly comfortable, especially since I didn't have any sort of grip on them. So behold, my new cruiser-esque handlebars:

Next step: new pedals and a sparkly new paint-job.

I'm Still Here...

2011-04-07T14:53:00.006-04:00

...and I've got exciting news. I recently illustrated and designed a poster that's going to be included in the Victory for Tyler show at the Crane Arts building. The poster is about a topic near and dear to me: my local CSA. I'm so thrilled to be a part of the show, and hopefully see a bunch of old friends and teachers at the opening reception.

Here's a sneak peak:

The reception is this Saturday, please come!

Victory for Tyler: Works on Paper and Posters 2011
Crane Arts Building Icebox Project Space, Philadelphia
1400 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA
April 7 - May 1, 2011
Opening Reception: April 9th, 2011 from 6:00 – 9:00 PM

May

2010-06-12T20:58:00.003-04:00

1. CRABS: Nuff said. Ok, well actually we got these crabs at Waterman's Crab House in Rock Hall, MD when we went camping. As if a tray full of crabs wasn't fun enough, there was a live cover band, tons of people dancing, AND we were right on the bay. Totally rad.

2. ROOFTOP GARDENING: I grew up helping my parents grow vegetables our garden plot, so living in apartments with no outside space has been rough! We still don't have a backyard or a deck or anything...but we do have our neighbor's roof right outside our kitchen window. And one fateful day we found a white wooden door discarded by our apartment, so with some 2x4 scraps, plants bought from Greensgrow, and some sweat we now have our very own container garden! Two tomatoes, a pepper plant, zucchini, and basil and lemon balm. Keep your fingers crossed!

3. NEW MUSICS: Been listening to Miike Snow a lot lately, as well as Marina and the Diamonds. So much so that I might have killed those albums, but until I find something else new, these will have to do!

4. GARDEN: Speaking of helping my parents with their garden, this year I got to help them plant a slew of tomatoes while I was home in May. I even tried to keep track of what kind of tomatoes we planted in a little map, with a legend denoting if it was grown from seed, what kind of fertilizer we fed it, etc. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish the map the next day because...

5. STREP THROAT: What?? Who gets strep throat anymore these days? The night after we worked in the garden I started getting a little achey while we watched a movie. The next morning I had a full-blown fever and major unhappiness. After about an hour of debating if we should go the clinic or not, I finally conceded and despite my confidence that I wasn't going to have strep, in fact I did. The ONLY good thing about the whole ordeal was that I was at home, so my mama could take care of me. Felt kinda nice to be 8 again.

6. CAMPING: At the opposite end of the month we finally made a move to go camping for Memorial Day weekend with Dustin, Kati, Giaco, Alan and Megan. After hours and hours of searching for a place (most were totally booked, or didn't allow unrelated adults to stay on one site!? Seriously??) I found a place that had spots available, no crazy water-slides or ponies for kids, allowed unrelated adults, and was beer-friendly. Oh, and it was right on the Chesapeake bay! Aside from offering little/no shade, I'd say it was completely ideal. Thanks Bayshore Camping!

7. POISON IVY: Oh but wait, did I mention the poison ivy? We first realized that we had an enemy to contend with as soon as we got there, but we all took precautions to avoid it. We did pretty good, but on the last day a couple of us saw some patches starting to appear on our legs. I could just as easily put this rotten plant in my June post, because it's June 13th as I write this, and I'm STILL itching!

8. PHILLIES: Another year, another trip with Steven and Ashlee to see the Phillies! Basically, we should be invited by Charlie himself to all their games, because the two that we've all been to together have been incredible. Grand slams, home run after home run, major comebacks...we're good luck! GoPhils.

April

2010-05-05T15:52:00.003-04:00

Hmm, it seems I've skipped past February and March. I think those months must have been pretty boring, or else I would have been more inspired to do one of these posts. It's OK though because April was awesome:

1. PIZZA: Shaun brought home probably the coolest channel letter sign yet, and it fits perfectly in our kitchen (each letter is about 26" tall). It originally had red acrylic panels to cover the neon, but the red really stood out against our yellow kitchen in a bad way, evoking only thoughts of fast food chains. I like being able to see inside the white letters anyway. The neon even works still, except we didn't feel like hooking it up and having wires hanging around. Only the Z is damaged, but hey, that's part of the charm.

2. PENN TREATY PARK: We haven't been eating out as much recently in order to save some money, but this month we couldn't resist. After splitting a delightful cheese plate and reuben at the Swift Half, we walked to the park and skipped rocks. And then we got Mr. Softee from an ice cream truck. Basically, it was a perfect day. (cue Lou Reed song here).

3. EASTER: For the second year in a row we went up to Reading for Easter and had a delicious Easter dinner with Shaun's family. Before we left he stopped to buy his mom some flowers, and also picked some up for me, how sweet!

4. SODA FOUNTAIN DRESS IN GINGER: The first time I saw this dress on ModCloth it was out of stock, but lucky me they got more in! I seriously love this dress. And on April 8th I wore it for the first time to a Twin Peaks party, marking the 20th anniversary of the first episode. (I brought the donuts and stacked 'em.)

5. iMAC QUAD CORE: OMFG I GOT A NEW COMPUTER! I knew my old computer had been on it's last legs for quite awhile, but I didn't realize how messed up it was until I started using this new one. I can have more than 2 programs open at once! Including iTUNES and iPHOTO!! And it doesn't take 45 minutes to export a 120 page PDF! It's a miracle. Oh yeah, and it's 27-inches, WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Also, you'll see a sneak peak of my latest project on the screen! More to come on that later...

6. CRAB CAKES: I found a recipe for vegetarian crab cakes, which sounded good mainly because anything with Old Bay is good to me, but I thought maybe I could add some fake crab meat to make it even crabbier. Of course I couldn't find any krab at the store, so I just bought a can of regular crab meat. In the future, I'm not even going to bother, because that canned crab was so pathetic and barely added anything to the flavor, I'm sure. HOWEVER, the crab cakes ended up being very tasty, and I'm sure I'll make them again, sans canned crab. I also used this recipe for the salad dressing (also where I got the photo from!).

7. BRADFORD PEAR BLOSSOMS: The very first thing that I knew was going in April's post was a bradford pear blossom because Fishtown absolutely exploded with them this spring. They also happen to be my favorite kind of tree. :)

8. THE STOUT ENGLISHMAN: I am so so lucky to have a boyfriend who loves to build things! The Stout Englishman, an entertainment center/cabinet, is the third piece in the Crafted furniture line, and in my opinion, the best thing he's built to date!

9. NEON INDIAN & SURFER BLOOD: These two items don't exactly fit the color scheme as nicely as everything else does, but I had to include them. Now that the weather is getting nicer and downright HOT this music feels so appropriate (Neon Indian sounds like they're playing through humid, hazy heat waves). Whenever I put these albums on, I don't even skip songs, which is a rarity for me these days.

Grid: The Gardening Issue

2010-03-11T13:45:00.003-05:00

You guys...it's official:

The April 2010 issue of Grid Magazine is out, and my illo is ON THE COVER! I couldn't have been happier to work on the garden-themed issue, which is appropriate since Shaun and I want to volunteer at Greens Grow Farm this year. So super-excited about this, and thanks to art director Jamie Leary for the opportunity. There are tons of places to pick it up around Philadelphia, or you can read the whole issue online here.

:)

Hansel & Gretel

2010-03-01T15:23:00.006-05:00

I am about to jump right into the final stage of a new illo project (may or may not have something to do with the cover of my favorite Philadelphia sustainability magazine!), but I wanted to share one of my latest completed works. Seriously had fun choosing which candies to include—I realize that non-pareils are more French, but I think the inclusion of the chocolate-covered pretzels really brought the German theme full circle. Mmmmyumm.

January

2010-02-20T14:30:00.003-05:00

1. SURFER BLUE: I have to admit that this post was slightly more difficult than others, because we spent so much time fixing up/moving into this apartment that we didn't do much just for fun. But what IS fun is this color blue that we painted the walls of the living room. At first I was just a bit nervous about it, but now when I look at the walls I can't imagine them being any other color–it's great.

2. GEOGRAPHY: We had the same shower curtain when we lived in the loft, but this time around the map faces the toilet instead of the inside of the shower. Now I can be assured that Shaun is getting at least a few minutes of geography lessons a day.

3. EATING ANIMALS: I started reading this book in January, and although I haven't yet finished, it's already influencing the way I feel about what I eat. Jonathan Safran Foer is one of my favorite writers, and in his first non-fiction book he makes a convincing argument in favor of vegetarianism. At this point, I have no intention of becoming vegetarian, but I do know that I need to eat less meat, and I'm on a quest to get my friends/family to see the same point.

4. WII FIT PLUS: It had been awhile since I had used my Wii Fit, but since I bought the Wii Fit Plus add-on, it's become a new obsession. I love the build-your-own routine feature, the calorie-tracker, and the new games! So fun!

5. AVATAR: Yes, I, like the rest of the universe, saw Avatar...and yes, I liked it. Perhaps because I went into the theater fully prepared to hate it, it managed to exceed my low expectations. The effects were amazing, and even the odd choice of blue anime-type creatures grew on me by the end of the movie. As far as the "story" which so many people gripe about...I'm just glad when blockbuster movies manage to sneak in good lessons about the environment once in awhile (ie. Wall-E).

6. MAPLE SYRUP: "99!"

7. TABLE: I spent a few days in the studio with Shaun this month to start refinishing and old table that I've "inherited." It had been painted a brown faux-woodgrain to cover up what I discovered was some pretty nasty water damage. But I've managed to sand it out, and even without the final stain I think the table looks pretty good, no?

8. I'M WITH COCO: I didn't actually join the "I'm with Coco" Facebook group, but trust me...I AM with Coco. What is NBC's problem?? I think they've really shot themselves in the foot with this decision. Conan's final words to the audience made me teary...I hope he gets a good deal with another station because I could never watch late night without him!

December

2010-01-24T19:07:00.006-05:00

I'm a bit late with this post, but we moved into a new apartment January 1st, so between all the moving and settling in, I sorta forgot. But here goes!

1. CHRISTMAS VILLAGE: I was in Reading with Shaun and his family for Christmas this year, and one of the highlights was when Shaun's parents took us to Christmas Village. It's a very strange, kinda creepy, but ultimately charming farm set up with Christmas lights, character cut-outs and little houses with scenes inside. One of the last buildings holds a miniature train set town, which more than anything made me want to go back to Roadside America sometime.

2. COOKIE CUTTERS: Amongst other great gifts, Shaun's parents got me a set of cookie cutters in the shape of BUNNIES! With a little carrot! I can't wait to use them, but I've got to figure out a good cookie that won't crumble around the ears.

3. CHRISTMAS VILLAGE (part 2): Another sight from Christmas village; I think this sparkly M came from a sign that says "God Bless America," which I don't think has much to do with Christmas...but let's pretend it said "Melissa!" instead, k?

4. PEANUT BUTTER BLOSSOMS: It was Kati's birthday in December, so I made these cookies for her! And saved some for myself, duh. PS - The Lady Gaga song count at Kati's party was probably about 25, AND the Bad Romance music video somehow made an appearance!? Viva La Ga!

5. SNOW: Finally. After more than 6 years schooling/living in the Philadelphia area, we finally got a decent blizzard. I seriously love snow, so much that I don't even care if Philadelphia doesn't have its act together enough to plow any of the streets that I use, OR shovel any sidewalks. We would have been pretty much stuck inside all day, but our friend was in town with his trusty Subaru, so a bunch of us went on an adventure to sled on the art museum steps. I was skeptical that the sledding would be fun on concrete stairs, but there was enough snow that you couldn't feel the steps at all; it was a blast. (Oh, I've had this hat for awhile, but it was an integral part of sledding-day.)

6. ORNAMENTS: I don't have lots of disposable income at the moment, so Shaun and I decided to make presents for his family this year. I made everyone's initials out of Fimo clay, and attached little blue ornaments and candy canes with ribbon. I'm actually amazed at how well the letters turned out, especially the script-y ones; I should think of other applications for this...

7. MOVING BOXES: Like I mentioned earlier, we moved. So we've been up to our eyeballs in boxes...in fact, we STILL have boxes in our apartment, even though we're mostly settled in. I just posted some to craigslist, so cross your fingers that someone will take them!

8. FRIENDSGIVING: Shaun and I were invited to a Friendsgiving at our friend Nike's house this year. I'll have to admit, potlucks in our circle of friends tend to include cheap bread, dry store-bought cookies, and bizarre experimental concoctions—but this potluck was of a different variety. Everyone really brought great stuff, and the food was gourmet and delicious. I brought pumpkin bread pudding, and also assisted Nike in gravy-making, care of my mom's tried-and-true recipe. And also, we made handprint turkeys, and this one was mine. :)

Happy Holidays

2009-12-04T01:25:00.007-05:00

I had some leftover type ideas from my latest illustration for Grid, so I figured I'd put them to work. Although, I don't know why I even bother making new holiday cards every year, because this DIGITAL HOLIDAY CARD (yes) that I made freshman year at Tyler (intro to computers!) is perfection:

I actually sent that to relatives on a mini-CD. It will never get any better!

Novembrrrr

2009-12-04T00:41:00.003-05:00

1. MULTNOMAH FALLS: Early in the month my parents and I took a trip to Oregon to visit my sister, and two of my aunts and their families. Besides having a good time visiting with family, we saw some really pretty parts of Oregon, including this waterfall. I took this photo with my iPhone...doesn't it look like it comes straight out of Rivendell?? Mmmm dreamy...

2. SWEET POTATOES: Oh man. Sweet potatoes. I want to eat sweet potato fries. And mashed sweet potatoes. And sweet potato chips. I want it all. This month Shaun and I discovered something amazing: Sweet. Potato. Tacos. We sort of based them off a recipe online, but mostly I think Shaun improvised, and seriously folks, I could eat these all the time. I have never been a taco person, but sweet potatoes have officially converted me.

3. PUMPKIN PIE CAKE: This was Shaun's "birthday cake" that came a few weeks late, but it was worth the wait. Again, I based this off a recipe I found online, but with a few tweaks. It's basically a layer of pumpkin pie with a layer of cake mix on top, and they way they mix together in the baking process is super. C'est magnifique!

4. TROLLEYS: One of the highlights of the trip to Oregon was surprising my dad with a visit to the Antique Powerland Museum, where we got a private tour of the trolley museum AND my dad got to DRIVE A TROLLEY! This is especially significant because a few years ago he said that if he ever got to drive a trolley, his head would explode. He drove this one pictured above, a trolley from Portugal in the early 1900's I think. It was so cool!

5. TURKEY TIME: This is a picture of my family's dining room table at Thanksgiving, prepped for a feast. My mom did 95% of the cooking, and I helped out 5% by making delightful cornbread pudding. The best part...Shaun was able to join us because we are sharing holidays between families this year! I am so full of thanks for that day!

6. WINE TASTING: After the trolley museum, we visited some nearby wineries to taste the offerings. The vineyards were so pretty with all the fall leaves, and it was fun to FINALLY be able to drink the wine at wine tastings (thanks a lot Mom and Dad!!). I personally thought the wine was really good, but I'm no oenophile...yet.

7. SCARF SEASON: That's right, it's scarf season. So get ready to see my brown pashmina permanently attached to my neck for the next 5 months.

8. GINKGO: FACT: Ginkgo trees are completely underrated. Why doesn't anyone ever talk about how pretty they are? Since yellow is my all-time favorite color, Ginkgo is now my favorite fall tree. I never noticed how many there were in Philadelphia before this year, but now they sure do stand out. *Swoon*

October

2009-11-02T11:40:00.003-05:00

1. THE PHILLIES: Alright, so as of last night it looks like the Phillies might not make it all the way, but we sure had fun watching them make it to the World Series. First we crammed ourselves into the El Bar, then we crammed ourselves into the Piazza, and it was seriously like being in the stadium (except we got to bring our own beer!).

2. CHARCUTERIE/CHEESE PLATE: Mom was visiting family in Allentown, so she stopped by to visit a few days before my birthday. We went to the Swift Half Pub at the Piazza to enjoy a charcuterie/cheese plate, caesar salad, and some buffalo shrimp which were delicious. Thanks Mom!

3. iPHONE 3GS: A few weeks ago Shaun and I agreed with each other that we wouldn't go all-out for our birthdays the way we did last year, to save money and all. Little did I know that he had been plotting to get me an iPhone for months. I was completely shocked and excited and now I have an iPhone!! Thanks Shaun!

4. APPLES: Did I mention that we were planning on going apple-picking on my birthday? Well, it was pouring the night before, so when I got back from visiting with Nicole and Mike there was a branch in our living room with apples tied to it. Shaun had also tied little aluminum foil apples with little presents inside. And the last foil apple? The Apple gift card, OF COURSE! SO PERFECT!

5. DEL FRISCO'S V.I.P.: Last week Kati invited me to a party at the auction house where she works, where we had free wine and looked at some art. Afterward Kati suggested going to Del Frisco's, where her boyfriend works, and boy was that a good idea! We were treated to these pineapple V.I.P. drinks on the house, and happy hour priced appetizers. It was the fancy-pantsiest night I've had probably EVER.

6. LEPP COOKIES: October is all about birthdays, since Shaun's and mine are only a week apart. And every year, without fail, Shaun's mom sends him Lepp cookies, and every year I get a little bit more addicted. Thanks Shaun's mom!

7. THE WAITING ROOM: A few months ago someone got the idea that our group of friends should dress up as characters from Twin Peaks. Fittingly, Shaun went as The Man From Another Place, and I went as his "cousin" (aka Laura Palmer). I have to say, everyone really pulled through and our collective costumes were freaking amazing.

8. POOR PUMPKIN: We carved this pumpkin at my birthday party (hot spiked cider at Kati's house!) but unfortunately he totally collapsed on himself by Halloween. (Speaking of Halloween, we went to the Bates Motel somewhere west of the city and OH MY GOD was it scary. Definitely the scariest haunted attraction I've ever been to, second to Eastern State Terror Behind the Walls. Being the lone girl in a group of four OF COURSE meant that I was constantly attacked! Unfair! They were just as scared!)

September

2009-10-05T17:29:00.007-04:00

You may be thinking that my September looks prematurely grey, since the weather was decently cooperative, after all. Maybe I was subconsciously preparing for winter, because depite these dull tones, it was a splendid September:

1. POMEGRANATE MARGARITA: I went home at the beginning of the month to wish my Mom a happy birthday, among other things. So my present to her was a lunch and movie date with moi. So we shared a pomegranate margarita to celebrate! (It was bigger than this though!)

2. DRAGON ROLL: The Kenshin Diner opened up a few months ago just a block away from our apartment, and we finally got to try it. Bubble tea? Hate it. In general, not just at this restaurant. But the sushi? SUPER. And the General Tso's equivalent, Kenshin Chicken? SO GOOD. We're in trouble!

3. Metric - Fantasies: I really like this album!

4. Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Tarts: FluxSpace had their 3rd annual FluxTask a few weeks ago, and instead of getting a caterer, they had a food contest. And I got second place, so I won a 1 hour professional massage! Perfect prize for me. I can't wait to make these again, because I only managed to get half a bite of one of them...they got demolished at the event.

5. Baseball: On one of the finer days of the month, Shaun and I went to Penn Treaty Park, where he taught me how to throw and catch! I'm about 15 years too late for that lesson, but it was fun.

6. Mad Men: I know what you're thinking: "If I hear one more person talk about how they just started watching Season One, I'll break something" but hey, it's true. The characters are completely rotten and unlikeable, and the 60s were dreadful, but for some reason we can't stop watching.

7. Leather Shoes: While I was at home I found my Mom's white shoes stashed away in my old closet, so I stole them! Just kidding, she doesn't wear these shoes anymore anyway, so she gave them to me. They're probably older than I am. Thanks Mom!

8. The Sounds: Okay, so maybe I reverted to a 16 year-old in buying this band shirt, but Shaun and I went to their show at the TLA this month and it was so great and I never buy their albums anyway so the least I could do is buy their t-shirt, especially since they are one of my favorites of all time. Plus it's a good fit.

9. Troeg's Dead Reckoning Porter: On the opposite side of the week from the Pomegranate Margarita, I had this beer with both parents at the Frisco Grille, my Dad's favorite pub. It was pint night, so we got free glasses for ordering Troeg's. He had the Troeg's Hopback Amber, which he gave decent rating, but mine was superior so I would give it 4 mugs.

Almost Over

2009-09-01T16:24:00.009-04:00

Like most people in Philadelphia, I can't believe summer is almost over. The past two days have been a cool glimpse of weather-to-come and I'm missing the heat already. I have to say though, it was a very summery summer. Just for fun, I've put together a little bundle of things that helped make my August a special one:

1. GORGONZOLA DOLCE I've mentioned this cheese in my last post, but I think it deserves repeating: gorgonzola cheese. From Downtown Cheese at Reading Terminal Market.

2. JULIA CHILD My grandmother came to visit a few weeks ago and she, my mom, and I went to see Julie&Julia, and then the three of us spent the rest of her visit talking about food, haha. Julia Child's story is so enchanted, I really recommend it! I also watched a whole episode of The French Chef where she handled raw chickens the entire time...what a lady!

3. STRIPED SHIRTDRESS Bought this on a whim, and boy do I love it! (No, that's not my body, haha.) From Target.

4. GOLD AVIATORS I actually bought these a few months ago, but I just recently was reunited with them. I happen to really like aviators.

5. GLADIATOR SANDALS Wore these at the beach all week. Strike that, wore these at the beach when I left the rental house, and therefore could no longer acceptably be barefoot. Speaking of barefoot, I bought these at BareFeet.

6. Tomato Gorgonzola Soup Yeah, I really like gorgonzola. I also like tomatoes, which is why I wanted to make a tomato soup from scratch with the homegrown tomatoes my parents gave me. I'd share a recipe, but guess what? I totally improvised! Maybe I'll type it up someday.

7. HOTEL LORRAINE After much deliberation, I bought this postcard at a stamp show I went to last weekend. It was a little pricey for a postcard, but the Divine Lorraine is 10 blocks west on the street I live on, and I'm completely obsessed with old buildings. Worth it.

8. TAX STAMPS Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em. I got two others at the stamp show, but this is the only one that matched my color scheme perfectly. Which, by the way, I didn't alter or pick-and-choose accordingly, it really just turned out like this! So summer.

Bad sandwich!

2009-08-26T13:30:00.001-04:00

You know how, if you're a wimpy critic, you might employ the "sandwich" method of criticism — say something nice, then something harsh, then something nice again to round it out.

Well, my day has been exactly the opposite of the nice sandwich.

I woke up this morning to the sound of chainsaws (never a good sign) and realized that our neighbors were cutting down all of the amazing foliage in their backyard...gorgeous ivy on the fence, and a beautiful tree! This unfortunate occurrence is compounded by the fact that since we are refused outside space in this apartment, gazing longingly into the neighbor's backyard is the closest to greenery I can get. I have always been overly emotional when people cut down trees (it makes my insides hurt!), which is infuriating because it seems like no matter where I live people are always cutting them down. In fact, just a few months after we moved into our current apartment, the tree directly out front was cut down...an error on the part of the glorious city of Philadelphia, who were asked to merely TRIM the tree...NOT cut it down!!!

Anyway...I evacuated my apartment echoing with the sound of dying trees to go to Reading Terminal Market to pick up some groceries — it was lovely. I rode my bike with my new rear basket; I bought an iced coffee to cool down and wandered around, checking out which vendors I would patronize; I bought food from the Fair Food Farmstand and felt great about it; and I bought a chunk of gorgonzola cheese and I want to eat it all right now. It was truly a good time.

Then on the way home the temperature was surprisingly cooperative and I was in a great mood...UNTIL MY CHAIN POPPED OFF...THREE TIMES WITHIN LIKE 5 BLOCKS. I ended up having to walk it home from 3rd and Callowhill. What a bummerfest.

This was never intended to be a rant blog, so here are happy pictures of my food: a pattypan squash and mutant zucchini from my parents' garden, and the best-looking red pepper I've ever seen (from the FFF):

Mojitofest

2009-07-19T20:45:00.000-04:00

I finished another illustration for Grid this week. The issue doesn't come out until August, so I'm showing just a snippet for now. If you want to see the whole thing you'll just have to find a copy for yourself!

Peacocks! on Etsy

2009-06-07T01:15:00.001-04:00

I'm not typically obsessed with peacocks, but when I went to look at some of my Etsy favorites, I realized how many of my bookmarks were peacock-related. Here's a buncha good ones:

So luxurious! The outside fabrics of these clutches are so swanky, but I honestly think the best part is the colorful punch of the lining inside. Mmmmmm. Peacock palace, from Red Ruby Rose.

Elegant! Peacock Feather Necklace, from Skylark Studio.

I think this print is charming. Zukzuk Peacocks White, from Zukzuk.

YES! Peacock Melon Crate Label, from Labelstone.

Cookies!

2009-06-02T19:06:00.001-04:00

Even though I check etsy pretty much every day (and often MULTIPLE times a day) this has so far been my first and only purchase. I adore these. So much so that when we had a holiday dessert party at work I decided that I needed to use ALL of these cookie cutters. We were each assigned a random country, and I got the USA (boring!) so I made four different kinds of Girl Scout cookies (thin mints, samoas, trefoils, and do-si-dos). Tadaaa—NOT boring, and tasty!

Thanks to sweetrice for making it all possible.

Inverted Jenny

2009-05-31T15:55:00.001-04:00

When I collected stamps with my dad when I was younger, we used to joke about finding an Inverted Jenny like it was the Holy Grail. Just now as I was looking up some of its history I honestly started tearing up. A million dollars for a postage stamp! It’s amazing what value people can affix to something like a sticky little piece of paper.

Seriously though, how cool is this stamp? THE PLANE IS UPSIDE DOWN!

it's a blog

2009-05-30T17:51:00.001-04:00

Before anyone makes fun of me for doing this, let me just say that since I'm freelancing now and no longer working in an office, I think blogging is going to help me stay connected with other humans.

Anyway, I'm gonna kick this sucker off with this photo from our kitchen. Shaun made the table for me years ago to increase the amount of counterspace, but as you can see I just keep piling it with plants. And fresh flowers, which I've recently fallen in love with. These particular ones are ranunculi and they're amazing (even though this picture doesn't flatter them too well).

Those potted plants are sitting on top of a recipe box that Shaun made for me last Christmas, which I'm still working on filling with recipes. If you have any good ones, send them my way!