Just a reminder

Pay attention to the little moments, that's what life is made of.

I hope everyone's weekend was full of lovely moments, I know mine was! And I have news soon!

:)

why we drove 5 hours each way for pretty much no reason

I had been wanting to see the Mark Ryden show at Paul Kasmin Gallery, and the Lost at Sea show at Hanahou Gallery and they both happened to be going on at the same time, and coinciding with my long weekend. So we booked a hotel on Friday and headed out first thing Saturday morning for our exciting last minute NYC trip. We made the drive, checked in to the hotel, and headed out to Marl Ryden first. Had some difficulty with the address, but we finally got there. And this is what I saw.

Closed. No mention on their website of their being closed this weekend. No sign on the door explaining what was going on. Just closed. We ran into another couple in our same predicament who were just as baffled, but no word on whether they drove 5 hours to get there. 

So we moved on and headed back to the other side of the city for the Lost at Sea show. Find the address. Head upstairs. Closed.

So here's the thing guys. Yes, I could have called them to make sure they would be open, but when both websites clearly list Saturday hours and say nothing about particular Saturdays when they may or may not be closed, wouldn't you just assume they ought to be open? We had fun regardless, had some seriously yummy food, saw a cute movie (Micmacs, and I only fell asleep a little), stayed in a fancy hotel with an excellent view, and I had plenty of opportunities to play with my new Hipstamatic. Oh yeah, and I had a great time just wandering around the city with the bf.

In case you're interested, here's a bit of what we could have seen this weekend.

 

Looks like it would have been awesome, right??

New obsession: Hipstamatic for iPhone

A million thanks must be given to Pugly Pixel for introducing me to the Hipstamatic for iPhone app. It transforms your iPhone into an old-timey toy camera (or cameras, I should say) to create some seriously beautiful and unique photos.

I think I was going to go into more detail about the app or what I love about it, but I have been distracted and can't be bothered to elaborate right now (ha! sorry) so I will leave you with some photos from my weekend trip to NYC with a stopover in Philadelphia.

Did you miss me yesterday?

So, I got a new computer yesterday. It's been a long time coming, as I have not purchased my own computer in 6 years (old, big, heavy, broken keys, untrustworthy network card among other things) and Chris has so graciously let me use an old laptop of his until its recent demise. So I got myself a new purple computer. And it's taking some time to acquaint myself with it. Most of my files and preferences transferred over, with only a couple baffling exceptions. But my biggest problem is and has always been trying to get signed in to all my accounts online. Email, facebook, Flickr, Image Spark, Ravelry, etc. The problem being Flickr. The day they decided to integrate with Yahoo! was the day I fell out of love with Flickr. After that, logging in has been a nightmare. Somehow I ended up with multiple Yahoo accounts, some of which match up to my email, only one of which match up to my Flickr, none of which match my actual user ID on Flickr. I don't know why I have such a problem with this. But I had a bit of a meltdown this morning when trying to recover my password only to have Yahoo! tell me that my email address does not match any of their records, then Chris sends me a message on Flickr and it goes to that email which Yahoo! claims not to have on record. It wasn't pretty. I'm sorry.

Anyway, that's what I've been doing.

I have the day off today, and a lovely four day weekend to look forward to, so I am partaking in some much needed relaxation. Maybe even some cleaning if I feel up to it (I'm not making any promises), and hopefully some baking.

What does your Memorial Day Weekend look like?

The happiest tree I ever did see

Wouldn't you love to have a tree of happiness just waiting for you to come along and open up one of its many treats and treasures? I know I would. Originally presented as a Birthday Tree, but as the creator suggests, it could be easily adapted to suit any occasion. Starting with Just Because.

Via oh happy day

I heart Stellastarr*

I could literally listen to that second song on repeat for at least a half hour at a time. I know this because I have done it. Because that was the only song that could get me pumped for the work day. Because it makes me happy.

Chris and I saw Stellastarr* play last year in DC, and I was unprepared for the awesomeness. The rolling around on the floor, knocking over mic stands kind of awesomeness that manages to come out sounding even better than the album. The kind of awesomeness that compelled me to stand right next to the stage, something I (sometimes regretfully) haven't really done in years (call it getting old). The kind of awesomeness that I need in my life right now... When are they coming around again??

Some photos from that show:

Tie one on

My mind is officially blown.

I wish I could find more information about how these work, but for now let's just enjoy their brilliance and whimsy.

String Gardens discovered via Poppytalk.

Let the treasure hunt begin!

Yard Sale Treasure Map will change your summer.

This was just brought to my attention by The Dainty Squid, and I think it's genius. 

Here are all the yard sales listed within 20 miles of Reston, VA.

The upside: a visual tool to see where all the yard sales are in your area to help you plan your trip. You can search for specific items to see if someone has listed it for sale. Add additional locations as you see fit, remove markers from the map that you don't want, and reorder the markers based on your priority. Then print your directions and be on your way!

The downside: ok, let's be honest. It's not entirely accurate. I chose to view Sunday's yard sales, because today is Sunday. But it's showing me yard sales from last Sunday along with yard sales from this Sunday. Pay attention to details here to avoid confusion.

daydreams of decorating

Ok, I know I'm always pimping Urban Outfitters products but I can't help it! I work with it every day (usually 10-12 hour days) and I just can't get around the fact that some of it is pretty darn good stuff! So while I'm dreaming of a new home base, let me share with you some things that would make that home beautiful.

First and foremost: the lounge. I must have one. It is a non-negotiable.

 Pretty new bedding w/ matching shams of course

I do not smoke and yet I find both of these ashtrays irresistible. I could keep my rings or something in them!

Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. I did not even know we sold these, and I'm going to have to order a few for myself. Cupcakes pedestals are my fave.

Duck mirror? Check.

That's about it for now.

Back tomorrow

Fancy cupcakes! Yum!

Come on, how amazing do those look? I'm dying to host a fancy dinner party so I have an excuse to make fancy desserts. Want to come over?

Triple Salted Caramel Cupcakes from Sprinkle Bakes. 

Get the recipe here.

I'll take one of each

I have actually seen many of these before, from designer Thomas Paul (some of his stuff is available at Anthropologie) but I was reminded of how much I love it by A Cup of Jo. She posted the plates at the top and linked to Daytrip Society (which I think was created for me special, a conspiracy to make me spend my entire paycheck on sea and sailor related goods instead of, say, rent.) I am smitten.

Happy 100th Blog Post to me!!

Can you believe it? It really is quite an accomplishment for me to stick with this so diligently for this long, and it has become second nature to me by now. So I'm only just now getting into the groove here and I'm looking forward to good things to come. So thank you for being a part of this and supporting my efforts, and feel free to contribute as I grow! :)

Eight Good Things

1. Sunday morning mini-roadtrips

2. Five Guys picnics

3.these shoes

4. having a bf who doesn't judge me for wanting popsicles, peanut m&ms, and popcorn for dinner. And goes to the grocery store to obtain the missing items.

5. cheap books at Green Valley Book Fair even though the selection was a bit lackluster this year.

6. that hot stone massage I told you about

7. beautiful paper products

Snap & Tumble via poppytalk
8. weekends