Thompson Family-Life

 Looking for kitschy cute vintage things? Projects for kids? Crafty inspiration? Tutorials? Giveaways?

Well here's your one-stop-shop.

Thompson Family-Life

I read her blog regularly and think it's just adorable. And recently I decided to enter a giveaway on her blog, tempted by cute cupcake kits over at Layer Cake Shop, but also knowing that I never win these things. I mean, really, what are the odds?

But I won! I won a $30 gift certificate which I promptly spent on some of these goodies!

That last one I am super excited about. Those are 11 different sizes of circular cookie cutters, which come nested in their own little tin! Can you just say after my own heart. Oh yes, I can think of a million uses for those beauties. And no, I couldn't stick to just spending the $30, in case you were wondering. Once I started shopping, I just couldn't stop! Seriously, check it out for yourself. You can even shop by theme or color, which is absolutely brilliant.

Thanks again to Thompson Family-Life and Layer Cake Shop!

a-door-ation

Ok that was terrible and yet I couldn't resist. A-door-ation. But anyway. Can I have a Barbie-pink door please?

I am in love. MadeByGirl posted about this lovely home of Jenny from My Pink Door and I totally stopped in my tracks. Ir's fabulous. And I happen to love her kitchen as well.

I need a house. Seriously considering skipping the wedding in favor of buying a house. Convince me otherwise. Go!

boo boo bling

Cynthia Rowley band-aids via Oh Joy!

A proud fashion student, I am

Can you tell which looks are new for Fall 2010 and which are from the designers' collections from years past? The New York Times challenges you with this short quiz. I think there was one that I wasn't completely sure about, but like the self respecting fashion student that I am I got a 100%! How did you do?

Found on How About Orange, in case you were wondering.

Skate and Destroy

Skate and Destroy is an exhibition in Tokyo featuring sculptures from Harvest by haroshi made entirely from old skateboard decks. My brother used to have huge stacks of broken boards collecting at home, and I always marveled at the waste. Who knew they could turn into something so beautiful?

As seen on CRAFT blog

My Paper Crane

One of my favorite etsy shops, My Paper Crane, just reopened and is nothing short of delightful. I'll just post a few of my favorites from the shop, but know that the cuteness doesn't stop here! Check out her website and blog for more fabulous creations and projects. (And she's coming out with a book full of projects for kids!)

Darling mushroom friend terrariums.

 Donut plushes.

Sad burnt toast.

Cinnamon rolls (oven not included)

need some new music?

Perhaps I can interest you in some Parenthetical Girls. At first glance you might assume that they're just like any other indie-synth band out there, but upon close inspection you'll find something a little warmer, more emotional, more authentic.

This song actually reminds me a bit of Fanfarlo, which you might recall I posted about a while back and just love love love.

Parenthetical Girls "Evelyn McHale" from judesays on Vimeo.

I stink at really talking about music because I have very specific tastes and yet I find it impossible to put them into words. I am often stumped when someone recommends a band that they think I will like and I hate it and I can't figure out why they think I will like it, or they say "well you like this one band and this other band is similar" but while they may try to have a similar style they are lacking in talent and just aren't very good. I'm picky about singers' voices,.I have an extreme distaste for songs that feel flat to me, or that lack emotion (two very different things in case you are wondering). I have specific memories tied to lots of different songs from different parts of my life. I wish I could listen to more music sometimes, but it looks like my commute time to work just doubled so maybe I can do that. Just don't ask me what kind of music something is. I hate that.

I discovered Parenthetical Girls via RCRD LBL, offering up free music downloads every single day and a great source of inspiration for those of us needing new favorite bands. Download "Young Throats" here.

habitat

I lived in one house for the first seventeen years of my life, and have moved almost once a year since then. I'm not going to count how many times it is that I have moved, so let's just say it's a lot. Sure it's a lot of work- you have to find the new place, pack, clean, move, unpack, decorate, there are several extra expenses involved, bla bla bla. But there are so many benefits as well! You get to take inventory of all the stuff you have and get rid of what you don't need, you get to organize, you get to start fresh. 

I've been thinking a lot about all that lately (after all, I have lived in the same apartment for 2 years now so that's about a year and a half past the time where I like to start thinking about moving) and I just like to dream about what it might be like. Would it have beautiful hardwood floors? A nice kitchen? A big bathtub? Extra closets? Would we be able to paint? Or wallpaper? We've even been talking about saving some money up and buying a house in the pretty near future, which is so exciting I can hardly stand it. Will it have a fenced in back yard for my future doggies? A garden? Ohhh the possibilities. 

But speaking of wallpaper.

I am loving this beautiful new line of wallpaper from Oh Joy! for Hygge & West

Cover me

I'll admit that I haven't actually read through the tutorial, much less used it, but it spoke to me quite loudly and I just had to share. First of all the mention of Beverly Cleary makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and second of all I have a deep fondness for hard cover books. And anyway how adorable are their book cover designs? 

Turn old paperbacks into custom hardbacks with this tutorial from ohdeedoh, which I discovered via Poppytalk.

It makes me want to scour yard sales for 80s classics and create my own little collection. And that also reminds me of one time in high school I was over at a friends house and discovered that his little sister had quite the Babysitter's Club collection. It was one of my favorites when I was younger so of course I couldn't resist browsing through, and I was shocked to find my own name written on the inside of the front cover of a few of the books! It was sold at a family yard sale, of course, and they lived just a few blocks away so it's not unreasonable that they would have ended up there. But it was quite unexpected but rather satisfying to see that my precious books had found a good home. (These days I wouldn't even consider getting rid of a book I have enjoyed, and I'm not sure if I would consider giving away my children's books either, but some might consider me a hoarder so we'll see.)

I feel like I'm babbling on tonight. I'm tired. I apologize. Hope you had a great weekend!

Enjoy it while you still can

Can you believe summer is almost over? I'm trying to comprehend the fact that in a few short weeks it will be Fall and I can start thinking about wearing scarves again (hey, I love me some summer but I can't turn away a good opportunity to wear my knits). These Key Lime Ice Cream Sandwiches might help ease the pain of the dwindling summer, or at the very least just be mighty tasty.

Key Lime Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches on Kitchen Daily. So go get the recipe, or you can even watch the video if you are so inclined.

And gosh darn it, enjoy the rest of Summer!

Oh, and thanks Chris for the heads up.

yes, I'm going to talk about this again

Remember when I mentioned that the new Dunny 2010 was released yesterday? Well there are some pretty great ones, including a knitting Dunny! Oh me oh my. If I buy just one a week it's like two cups of coffee so I'd say that's pretty reasonable. (That's my story and I'm stickin to it.)

 (Also comes in mustard & relish)

 Why yes, that is the Techno Viking

 KNITTING!!!

And this one is by far my favorite, natch it's also only 3/200

Is i weird to go to Miami just for this?

It's a Kid Robot store! An entire store full of awesome!

All photos (and my resulting need to visit Miami) courtesy of Thompson Family Life.

Oh great, now in addition to my Very Important Trip to Miami I have just discovered that a new Dunny series was released today! Dunny 2010, I need to buy you but I'm not sure where you land on my list of financial priorities.

Makes me want to fingerpaint my walls

Love love love this wallpaper. Kelly Wearstler via Made By Girl.

Words

You may have seen this already, as it seems to be making the rounds on ye ol' internet. But if you haven't, check it out! (You may want to watch more than once as it could take a minute to catch on, and you will understand what I mean when you watch!) So here you go.

4 Simple Goals

I have decided to participate in Elsie's 4 Simple Goals project over at A Beautiful Mess, committing to four obtainable goals to make my life more fun and rewarding. See the details here, and everyone is welcome to participate! So, here are my goals.

1) Create more. This means more knitting (especially for gift giving opportunities), as well as home improvement (almost finished refinishing a coffee table that we started working on many many months ago) and wedding projects.

2) Keep a happy and organized home. The fact is I get pretty stressed and unhappy when my surroundings are a mess. I am making a commitment to keep up with basic tasks like dishes and laundry, as well as the overall presentation of my home. I want to enjoy being in my own space, and feel happy to invite guests into it.

3) Take photos (and learn how to use The Mister's fancy camera). I realize this is a very popular goal, but also a very important one. As The Mister and I are building our new life together, I feel like we need to be doing a better job documenting it!

4) Maintain a healthy work/life balance. This is HUGE. Like I can't even begin to express to you how huge it is. I'm pretty sure only a select few past co-workers and The Mister can fully appreciate how huge this is. I want to like my job, and be proud of the work I do, and also be able to leave it at work when the day is done (after a reasonable amount of hours) and enjoy my home life when I am there.

So, what do you say? Does anyone else want to participate? I want to know about it!

Hold on just a second

Etsy is a company. People work for Etsy. I want to work for Etsy. Why has this never occurred to me?

Check out their offices!

images from Lifehacker

idea from I am a Greedy Girl

Dream job, my loves, dream job.

BTS

I have a fondness for this time of year, and can't help but be drawn to the Back to School section at Target and want to buy notebooks and pencils and paperclips that I have no real need for. I have to admit I was super stoked for the school supply shopping when I finally went to college, and I kind of want to get that feeling back. But at least this time I do have a new adventure in front of me. Though I may not be going to class and reading and studying, I am starting a new job and will hopefully have a lot to learn there. So here's to new fall wardrobes and new opportunities (but no grades).

A notebook for all of your big, life-changing, brilliant ideas. Katie Blair Designs

Sweet pencil case. Pocket Carnival

A bag to put it all in, of course! Kinies

I would have spent a little bit more time finding lovely school supplies to share with you, but it is rather late and The Mister is pestering me to go to bed. Hope everyone is gearing up for an eventful weekend!

I am obviously an old lady

This was never a disputed fact. I have been whipping up impromptu batches of cookies like any good grandmother since I was probably 15. Yes, it used to turn some heads among the typical pizza, ramen, and beer consuming 18 year olds. I really did just run to the kitchen and come out 30 minutes later with cookies baked from scratch. What? Anyway I saw a post on A Cup of Jo today about having a cookie swap and let's just say the seed has been planted and I will not be satisfied until it has come to fruition. I'll throw myself a bridal shower if people need a reason to bake some cookies and give them all to me trade them.

Pretty please?

paper pals

Way too cute printable DIY paper animal pals from Mibo as seen on The Sweetest Occassion).

The Year of Magical Thinking

I had heard about this book for years. From the Nonfiction classes I took at VCU to numerous "Must Read" lists, I had heard about this book. I just finished reading it. Like 2 minutes ago. And I get why people can't stop talking about it. A haunting account of love and loss, of putting the pieces together and eventually moving on, it is one that I would recommend to just about anyone. Read it for yourself and see.

Top 10

10 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over and Over (in no particular order). Also, not to be confused with the best movies of all time, or my favorite movies. Rather, these are movies that I can trust to entertain me pretty much any time, any place. They don't requite being in a certain mood, as so many other movies do. They just resonate with me in a way that makes them universally entertaining.

1) Amelie

2) Almost Famous

3) My Fair Lady

4) The Royal Tenenbaums

5) Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

6) Pretty In Pink

7) High Fidelity

8) Up

9) Saved!

10) Project X

P.S. you may notice a bit of a theme with musicals and movies heavily influenced/revolving around music. I will not deny it. I'm kind of a sucker.