Let the Whistle Blow

Sorry... I've been a bad blogger this week. Work was full of meetings and at the end of the day, I was tired of thinking. I'm off to New York in the wee small hours of the morning. I'll be taking my cameras and bringing back a bit of it with me. I hope you have a lovely Memorial Day Weekend, filled with memories of yore and new memories to be made. Enjoy your weekend and let's kick off the summer right with two New York inspired jams.

P.S. I look forward to catching up on blogs when I get back on Monday!

Hot Little Pixie Cuts

Image found via Google Image search here

Image found via Fashion is Spinach

I've never been one to desire blonde hair. I've always been happy with my own dark brown hair, but these two gals make me wonder. Are they adorable or what!? I'm loving their bright blonde pixie cuts with their cute little apple faces. You already know that Carey Mulligan is my Joey Ramone, but Michelle Williams? Hey, you are a knock out and your man candy date is pretty dreamy too!

Music to Your Ears

Matt Berninger has an amazing voice and I'm so excited to go see The National at DAR in a few weeks. My friend is friends with the uncle of the two twins in the band, which means.. Well it doesn't mean anything, but I wish it did! Listen and enjoy, from my computer to yours!

Man is the Heart of Nature

Images via The New York Times

This weekend I read a lovely little story about how farmers turned the famed, Champs-Elysees into a little country lane, filled with animals, flowers, herbs, and little gardens. I know that this was a political move to remind the people in the cities of the importance of farming to the French economy, but all negatives issues aside, isn't that neat? Maybe I'll sneak some flowers around DC like a renegade gardener.

Weekend Plans

You know those weekends where you spend the whole time preparing for another weekend? Well that's sort of how this one was. I spent some time working on our itinerary for next weekend's Big Apple trip and squeezing in extra thesis work to make up for my planned absence next weekend. I even put together a little Google Map of some of the spots we plan to hit. I missed my family a lot though, as this was my nieces birthday, prom, and dance recital all in one weekend.Yeah, she's a freakishly busy person. I missed them so badly and really can't wait to visit soon. My new little toy, the Fuji Instax mini, came on Friday and, yes, it is as fun, as I thought it would be. The viewfinder is a little hard to get the hang of because you have to shoot higher to get the image you want, but other than that, I'm in love with it. I'll be scanning some of my little, tiny, credit card sized shots soon. If you do decide to get one and want to skimp on film, hop on EBay. Ten years too late, I won my very first EBay bid and got myself a big package of 40 shots. Friday, R.L., Daniel and I hung out and ate some delicious Mexican food. Saturday, we finished the second season of Breaking Bad. Sunday, I had coffee with my often-traveling, lovely friend, who got me My Fair Lady. I didn't get to watch it yet, but I'm scheduling it this week. Welcome to your working week!

Let the Whistle Blow

Image via Gemma Correll on Flickr

I'm off! This weekend will be full of planning for our trip to New York next weekend, thesis fun, and hopefully my exciting new toy, which I'll tell you about soon, will come. Have a delightful weekend. And get some rest, okay? I know you've been working hard!

They call her Munchie

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite people, my niece Munchie. You are kind of rad and kind of awesome. I hear, from Frank Sinatra, that 17 is a very good year. And yeah, she is eating Dippin' Dots in this picture. I told you she was rad.

Favorite Stuff

I used to have a subscription to Vanity Fair and still read it now and then. One of my favorite sections is the "In Character" section where they give actors three mini story lines and they have to act it out their reaction in one photo. Here are some of my favorites (click on the hyperlink listed below to see the stories behind each shot):

Image via Vanity Fair

Image via Vanity Fair

Image via Vanity Fair

A Little More Sweden

Image via Huset

Image via Huset

Image via Huset

Image via Huset

After our little dinner party last night, which was lovely, I was thinking this morning that I'd like to do some spruce goosing to the kitchen. If not for our little mini holiday to New York next weekend, my wallet would be weeping from purchasing everything from Huset. I spotted them in my Daily Candy e-mail and have already bookmarked them in my "Design Shopping" category. We definitely don't have super modern house or anything, I just like the idea of mixing very clean modern pieces in with my day to day life and home. The cheerful colors are so pleasant and that herb pot may be the solution for my dying basil.

Like a Kitty in the Sunshine

Image via Les Petites chose De Piou

Sometimes, especially when I'm feeling very snoozey, I'll wish I could just lay down in a sunny spot and take a nap. Specifically though, in my mind, I almost always think and sometimes say aloud, depending on who is around, that I want to "lay like a kitty in the sunshine". This picture is the living embodiment of that phrase. And for the record, yes, I'm feeling snoozey today.

She's My Joey Ramone

Image via The Sartorialist

Claude, you are the girl I wanted to grow up to be, minus the smoking. You just look so effortlessly cool, something I'll never grow into. I'm now going to practice leaning on things nonchalantly.

Stumptown Coffee

Image via Stumptown Coffee

Coffee is one of my favorite luxuries I splurge on. I have to say that I don't understand wasting your time drinking stinky ole' Maxwell House or, worse, Folgers when there are so many wonderful coffees to be had even in your local grocery store. The best part of waking up at my house is the smell of mildly, overpriced goodness! This morning, I wish I was drinking some Stumptown Coffee. I've been reading about it online and I'm so excited to try it at the ACE Hotel in NY next weekend (sadly, our budget didn't allow a stay there, but we are going to drinks/coffee). Even more exciting, I just read in my new Real Simple, that you can order it online. Can I say whoa? Okay, Whoa. That packaging is mega hip. I would re-use that glass container in a caffeine accelerated heartbeat!

Skillz. With a Z.

Image via Steve on Flickr

There are a lot of things I'd like to learn, but here's my top 5 list today:

1. Where all the cool thrift shops are in DC- I don't like to drive and therefore, haven't even looked. Don't get me wrong, I adore the metro, but don't feel like jaunting around with my bags full of old clothes on it.
2. Letterpress -I might take a class at The Hive. Not only is it near my house, but those girls are so cute!
3. How to take better pictures-Again, they have a class at The Hive, but I don't have an SLR camera and think the cool kids in class might make fun of my feeble attempts. I'm insecure and nerdy.
4. Why my basil plants hate me and always die. Is it because I pluck to many of your leaves? Is it because my other plants intimidate you.
5. How to whistle with my fingers- I used to have a bus driver who could and have been planning to ever since. Seems like an invaluable skill.

Things to Ponder on this Tuesday afternoon. What would you like to learn?

Making a Plan

Images via Bottle Rocket via Little Banana

We are taking our little mini trip to NY in a few weeks and I've been working on our list of things we would like to do. I told R.L. I would rather draw out the itinerary like Dignan from Bottle Rocket. There could be a little picture of me at the Empire State building, a picture of R.L. eating a sandwich at Katz's Deli, our friends looking out the bus window to see the view right out of Lincoln Tunnel for the first time. I think that would be pretty cool. Instead, I'm just going to type things up in Word and maybe, 'cuz I know how to party, laminate them. Do you have any things you can recommend? We've done the touristy stuff before, but will be doing some of that with our friends again since it's my friend Jess' first time. We are really looking for things more off the beaten path to do aside from that.

P.S. How rad is it that someone transcribed that notebook!? I love the internet.

Rehab Interiors

Images via Rehab Vintage Interiors

I'm no modern or industrial design expert. Hopefully, when the thesis is done I'm going to do some reading into this design I've been loving so much the past few years. I came upon this flat file coffee table on Treehugger and was madly in love. Oh, to have those long, lovely drawers for storage. This whole company, Rehab Vintage Interiors, is really cool, even if they are out of my meager price range. Maybe its from being a teacher's kid or my desire to be more eco friendly, but repurposing old office/school items to be part of your day to day life is supah' cool. I think they are fantastic and I wouldn't mind having any of these items in my house. Not. One. Bit.

Weekend Plans

This is later that usual, but I must admit that I don't always have the best sense of time and just wasn't able to do it yesterday. It's been busy the past few weeks and doesn't look like it's slowing down anytime soon. Friday night, I was able to score Craigslist tickets for face value to the Deer Tick/Dr. Dog show at 9:30, so I was crazy jazzed. Hey, and thanks Jake, the seller, because you didn't try to scalp for a crazy price. Good ticket karma is on your side now, kid. We got in really late from the show, but that didn't stop me from cleaning up a storm Saturday morning. Sometimes, don't you just need a good housecleaning out of your system? I even managed to go through some old pens and finally put together a list paper/scissors/pens/other handy stuff drawer in my kitchen where I really needed one. We had so much fun cooking out with our roommates, we had another mini cookout on our deck. I wasn't that tired until someone in the neighborhood started doing laundry and the smell of fresh, crisp, sheets put me over the edge. Sunday I woke up and R.L. went on a walk with me to do some squirrel spotting. I cleaned a little more, found inner peace, lost track of time, and then had to go to bed before I could do Weekend Plans. I hope you don't mind that this is late. Let's have a gratifying week!

Summer Shoes

Image via Mymu
Are these cute or what? I think they'd look great with a skirt, shorts, or skinny jeans. Maybe these are just the shoes for my upcoming NY trip, except I'm a clean freak who hates to get her shoes dirty and I can just imagine the dusty streets ruining them. Okay, so maybe they are impractical, but gosh they are cute!

I Love a Cliche

Image via Mia Oh on Flickr

Image via Phillip Pessar on Flickr

Image via Voxphoto on Flickr

Yeah, it's true. I'm a girl who loves a Polaroid picture. I know it's painfully hip, super cute, and all that jazz, but they really are that lovely. I've been thinking of getting a little Fuji Instax (seriously good deal from WalMart.com) because I'm cheap/can't afford the film from the truly inspiring Impossible Project just yet. Until I either bust out my wallet for the Fuji or some new Polaroid film, I'm gonna feast my eyes on the Flickr Polaroid Group. Here are some of my favorites from today.

P.S. Have you guys already downloaded the super fun Poladroid ? It will turn any of your computer pictures into super fun Polaroids? So fun!

Beefy Forearms

Confession: When I was about 11 or so I made a list of things I wanted in a boyfriend because I saw someone on the Real World who had a list like that. What? Like you were cool from the beginning? Okay, you probably were, but... Well, okay, so I wasn't. I'm sure now, if I still had "The List", I would laugh at it, because when I heard Liz Lemon's list, I almost busted a gut laughing. I'm way behind on my 30 Rock, so I just saw this episode last night, but I gotta say it... Liz Lemon, I've missed you. Even though this season hasn't been as good, sometimes I just need my nerdy, Lemon quotes.

Pink Sky At Night, Sailor's Delight

Image via Brainstorm Design

Will it rain? Will it be sunny? We can't decide here in the DC region. The whole time I was growing up, my mum would remind me that if there was a pink sky at night, the next day would be pretty. It was a lesson I've never forgotten and often find myself quoting. Isn't it funny the things we hold on to? I'd like to have this print, not just because it's so hip, but also because it would be a pretty visual reminder of my mum.

A Little Danish

Images via A Little Danish

Sometimes I find a blog and want to crawl into it because the life detailed seems so pleasant and the person living it is just so darn charming. Recently I came across A Little Danish via Elly's blog. It details her life in Copenhagen and I have to say, I hope she invites me to hang out soon. It's full of lovely photos and if you look at it, be forewarned, you may want to hop a plane to Denmark...