{ back to reality }

over the past week i've been...

in the bahamas


throwing sister a baby shower


spending time with the family


now...back to reality

more details this week.

{ holiday tags }

i think these stainless steel christmas ornaments are really pretty, but i'd like to try this concept with paper to use as holiday gift tags and cards.

via my favorite things

{ while in california i... }

laughed...a lot with these ladies

(BF becca on the right,
equally fabulous roommate carolyn on the left)

took photos of the LA skyline (and pollution)

(this is not a sad attempt for a sexy/serious face.
just hate the way my sunglasses sit on my chipmunk cheeks when i smile).

toured the Getty's robust art collection and thoughtful architecture.
i'm in love with this place!


decided i want a bed like this.

touched this statue...
because we were allowed to and i've always to touch a statue

took a turn around the herb garden at the getty villa.

and posed for pictures...smiling, without sunglasses

saw the ocean in Malibu

witnessed these phenomenal street performers.
my favorite...orange pants boy with the trombone.
i want them to play at my wedding one day.

{ disney and a belly shirt }

Disney is offering free admissions on your birthday this year, so i'm jetting down to southern california to celebrate. okay, so these are photos of Disney World...i didn't make it to Disneyland until i was 25.

be back next week.

p.s. i have no idea why my mother dressed me in a belly shirt. i should ask her about that. in the mean time, feel free to point and laugh and laugh...i do every time i look at that picture.

{ S, M & T }

last week i took some family photos of my good friends S & M and their 6 month old, T. the whole time i was thinking to myself, "what the devil am i doing?". i'm much more used to shooting products than people...but hey, you gonna start somewhere. out of the many, many, many photos i took, here are a handful that turned out.

{ wedding dress to the rescue }

yesterday i was on the verge of tears. sleep deprivation, stress and the pastry i had ( and shouldn't have had ) for breakfast had caught up with me. i stood in front of the kitchen sink, apron on, blouse untucked, 3 day rotten hair pulled up in a bun and sponge in hand staring out the window.

i said to my roommate,

"i think i'm about it cry".

with a corner smile she said,

"go lay in bed and hug your cake plate. that will make you happy".

i laughed...because i did hug my jadeite cake stand when i first got it. my roommate knows that glassware, good design, art, fabric and photography makes me giddy.

i didn't hug my cake plate, but i did find this perfectly gorgeous dress and skillful photography.

it made me happy.

and i didn't cry.

{ baby O shower }

i'm off to florida next month for two reasons...

1. to soak up the sun on a 4 day cruise to the Bahamas (yipee!)

and

2. to throw my sister a baby shower.

here's some inspiration i've gathered. can you guess the theme?






images via martha stewart, flickr, party perfect, bake it pretty, wish special events and me

{ An Old Sweet Song }

Michael Buble singing Georgia on My Mind.

pure bliss. period.

{ DIY:: Shoe Bag }

i'd like to make myself a couple of these shoe bags for my upcoming travels.

{ DIY:: Pennant Rubber Stamp }

i stumbled across this innovative DIY from just something i made. a pennant rubber stamp could be perfect for my sister's baby shower invitations.

{ CB2 }

these lovelies from cb2 have been sitting in my online shopping cart for days now, just waiting for me to enter my credit card info. maybe if they sit long enough i can come up with enough justifications to purchase guilt free.

i love glass.

in other news, i want to buy a couch. my boss just bought one second hand with lots of buttons, woods legs and orange velvet.. i've been thinking about it all day. although i have absolutely no room for a couch, i've been searching the classifieds all evening.

oh, the things that make me happy.

{ clothbound series 2 }

another clothbound series from coralie bickford-smith. need to get my hands on them to add to my collection.

{ where i've been... }

9-5 job (more like 24/7)
freelance work
sister's baby shower
mother's etsy shop
pneumonia...again
hospitalized roommate

complete burn out

but...

i'm back

and i'm in love with these silhouette necklaces.

{ tape }

some fun masking tape from nothing elegant.

{ i'm going to pat myself on the back }

i've been on a shopping binge. highly unlike me, as i usually dislike dedicating hours sifting through clothes, spending money and fighting crowds. however, this time was different. magical, i'd say. the stars aligned for me this week, and because i'm a female and we like to share how little we paid for items, you get to see the goods.

BCBG boots
originally $140
my price $80


Aviator Sunglasses
originally $30
my price $6

Brown Flats
originally $25
my price $3.75

{ sat: part 3: tulie=yum! }

here's more last saturday fun. b and i heard about bakery called Tulie, so decided to check it out. the atmopshere is so slick and the food was amazing.

{ sat: part 2: opa! }

after the farmer's market, b and i hit up the Greek Fest. definitely spend far too much money on food, but boy was it good. i loved watching to cute 7th and 8th graders dance.

{ sat: part 1:farmer's market }

it's been ages since i've posted...life's been busy, but i think i'm back into the swing of things. here is part 1 of my fun-filled saturday. B and I drove up to the SLC farmer's market. i love the farmer's market-interesting people, clean foods, clever artists. besides the food, my favorite stop was the booth selling journals made out of old books.

{ letterpressed wedding }

my friend ashley mae is a talented artist and writer. i'm in love with her amazing wedding invitations...all done by her-the letterpress, the illustrated insert and the poem. she's a lovely person whose always full of wise insights and and generous with kind words. i wish her loads of happiness!

{ homesick }

mother left this week. back to the south she goes. lucky lady. this photo is georgia to me (minus the girl in the fuchsia dress). misty evenings. a chorus of tree frogs and cicadas. honeysuckle and magnolias. kudzu. spacious, tree filled front yards. greek vernacular homes. american flags. azaleas. it's magical. the more i'm away from my home the more i miss the green and the good christians not of my faith who love Jesus just the same.

i love my life in the west, but today i can't help but think it would be better if i were home.

{ farmer's market }

mother is in town, so i took her to the farmer's market. we loaded up on vegetables and had some creamy soft serve ice cream with fresh raspberries...for breakfast.

{ cool photo ideas }

today i stumbled across this website, cool photo ideas. they have some great tips for displaying photos, frames and such.

{ aw-shucks }

my friend andrea introduced me to project nursery...and, despite my childless state, i fell in love. good design crosses all lifestyle boundaries. they were kind enough to feature my friend Lauren's tractor baby shower that i designed on their website. i share because 1. i LOVE project nursery, so am thrilled they picked me and 2. i hope you all use some of these ideas for your own parties and entertainment.

if you have any questions about party details, feel free to contact me.

{ best friend, ever! }

my pal lauren shocked me with this beautiful mosser cake stand and an m.s. cupcake book. this surprise rivaled the time my sister got me tickets to my favorite band for my birthday and i broke down in tears in the restaurant. that cake stand sat on my desk in my bedroom for a week so i could see it when i woke up. i'm nuts...

last night i had a nightmare my cake stand broke. i cried and cried... happiest moment of my life was when i woke up and realized it was all a dream.

here are some quick photos i took of some red velvet cupcakes from m.s. cupcakes on my jadeite cake stand.

thanks, lauren!

{ chchchchange }

my friend Laura moved to washington with her husband to start their new life in seattle. we are sort of like the same person: same name (although pronounced different, which no one in the office could seem to get right), same sense of humor, same love of art & travel, same desire to be born in any previous era but our own...

this change has made me sad.

the battle of the Lauras.

my glasses broke last week. costco said they were beyond repair, so i walked into their optometry office, made an appointment and got contacts that day. apparently this act of spontaneity (if you could call it that) has been a cause of shock and celebration for some. my mother's voice sounded surprised i didn't tell her i was getting them and my roommate congratulated me. maybe the idea wasn't so foreign for me since i watched my sister (blind as a bat before her surgery...bless her heart) put her contacts in for years.

i've imagined myself losing a contact just like Anelle on Steel Magnolias, then throwing my hands out and desperately saying (with my southern accent), "oh, no! nobody move! my contact!".

now i can wear cute sunglasses when i drive. driving with my windows down and letting my hair blow in the wind feels so much cooler now. plus my eyes look bluer...can't go wrong with bluer eyes.

me with said cute sunglasses + crazy flipped out hair

my little sister moved to utah to start college. i am thrilled to have family out here with me...i miss having giddens around. but, i do feel sad. i wish we were all still little running barefoot through the gravel, playing in the creek and making mud monkeys out of ourselves with georgia red clay. life on brown deer trail meant not worrying about work and payments, being lonely or being manipulated and mistreated...

and grandmother would still be here.

change is part of the plan, so i'm trying to love it...or at least not hate it so much. on those occasions when change does hurt me-when i feel too young and inexperienced for hard things or when my insecurities have been mishandled or injured i know where to turn for consistency.

oh, i almost forgot. the biggest change of the week...my dad joined facebook! this is an okay change...a bit shocking...and funny, but okay.

welcome daddy-o!

{ overstock }

i like this chester coral arm chair from overstock.

{ the weepies }

gotta have you. can't get enough of it.

{ more tractor goodness }

i love creative parties and showers, so was thrilled that they featured my tractor baby shower today on their site. check it out here. thanks ladies!

{ s is for sunshine }

since my yet-to-be-born nephew will make his grand entrance in florida, i bought this alphabet book for him. the illustrations are nice and it's filled whit interesting little tidbits about the state of florida. i would also like to get p is for peach...for myself.

{ ink }

i've always wanted a tattoo on the top of my foot. true story. i guess it's my secret desire to be rebellious. nothing too flashy or kitschy ("I *heart* mom"/skull and crossbones...no thanks). i used to draw a little star on the top of my foot, visible when wearing sandals. i even went so far as to design my own temporary tattoo to wear on a beach vacation a couple of years ago. there are several reasons, practical and moral, why this good girl won't just bite the bullet and get some ink. here are just two:

1.tattoos are permanent. permanent...forever on my body. unless i want to pay oodles to get it removed.
2. old plus wrinkly plus saggy does not make for cute tattoos.

i did fall in love with this kite tattoo. i think it's just the right amount of color and edge and doesn't it look great in this photo? my-coworker thinks it's temporary. if it is, i can be satisfied in believing there's someone else out there who's desire for rebellion can be satisfied with a tattoo...at least temporarily.

{ fabric+QK dies=pretty }

my co-worker and pal laura posted a tutorial on the quickutz blog on how to use quickutz dies and the revolution tool to create these oh so pretty fabric fascinators. check out the tutorial here.

{ woodgrain watches }

nice job, nixon.

{ 500 Days of Summer }

i watched this film over the weekend. it' honest and topsy-turvy assessment of the beginnings and deterioration of a relationship was very interesting. my favorite part was a split screen comparison of Tom's expectations when attending a party and what really happens. we've all done it-conjured up some scenario of what an evening will be like with a particular someone, just to leave diflated and defeated because reality always wins. the music was just fabulous and plays an important role in the film. i adore zooey deschanel, but her character's consistent apathy was very irritating. overall an interesting take on the romantic comedy.

{ madsen cycles }

my pal caitlin tipped me off to these sharp urban utility bikes by madsen cycles. how perfect are these for totin' around cargo or kids? the design and construction are sleek and sturdy. i'll take one in blue, thanks.

{ happy birthday, grandmother }

i miss you

{ blocks in a bag }

just love these city blocks in a bag by muji. great for kids or grown-ups.

{ prop styling }

the product development team that i'm part of collaborated to shoot some editorial shots of L Letterpress projects for the product launch. heather did the photos and i helped with the styling (including the wedding flowers). i had so much fun shopping for props and working on set. i've decided i want to be a prop stylist when i grow up.

{ smeeks }

anyone taking road trip to pheonix? can i come? i'll be happy to split gas. you see, i NEED to visit this sweets, treats and party supply shop called Smeeks i recently discovered via a blog on azcentral (don't ask how i stumbled across this article for arizona residents...i can't remember). it look just heavenly. wouldn't you agree?


photos via azcentral/jaimeerose blog

{ more flowers }

i spent most of my saturday working on these flowers for my friend camille's wedding. her colors were just fabulous to work with and her reception turned out beautiful. thanks for letting me be part of your day, camille!

{ vintage posters, maps & prints }

i would like some of these reproductions for my home. maybe i'll collect posters of all the places i've traveled to.




p.s i don't really like the circus, but these posters are sure neat.

via little green notebook

{ the secret is out }

I'm thrilled to finally be able to blog about our new product line, L, or Lifestyle Crafts. It's been years in the making and we've spent countless hour preparing for the launch. I've just copy and pasted my colleague Michelle's blog post here on my my blog since she has explained the new product line perfectly.

Introducing L - a brand new lifestyle brand focused on developing products that enable creativity! With L products, you can add that personal handmade touch to all of life's events from simple everyday occurrences to special occasions like weddings and babies.

I'm really excited about the first product launch in the L brand...the L Letterpress line. This collection of products is designed to let the home crafter create elegant letterpressed projects in an easy-to-use, convenient and affordable method.

Here's a picture of the L Letterpress Combo Kit which includes everything you need to start creating letterpress projects. Check out the L website - www.lifestylecraft.com to see all of the products in this initial launch, and be sure to check out the 15 printing plate SKUs. The designs turned out great!

Here a few are just a few project samples made with the L Letterpress.

Okay, I'm back. So, if you're not familiar with letterpress, Michelle has a couple images to explain, so just hop on over to The Creativity Room.

Here are a few of my favorite printing plates. Like Michelle said, we are really happy with the way the designs turned out. Hope you are as excited about this product line as I am.

{ DIY: glass etched milk jars }

i sure loved these little milk jars we gave away to the game winners at the shower. i'm not sure that the guests appreciated them as much as i did, but then again, i a a super craft nerd. here are some brief directions so you too can glass etch a cow on a mini glass milk jar.

supplies:
glass milk jars (from local craft store or antique store)
Etchall glass etching cream
Silhouette Digital Craft Cutter
adhesive vinyl
fabric

first, cut out a cow (or any shape you'd like) out of vinyl using the Silhouette. remove the inside cow shape to leave the outside vinyl, creating a stencil. apply to your glass surface. follow the directions on the Etchall bottle to glass etch the cow (it's super quick and easy). After the Etchall has done it's magic, return excess to the the Etchall bottle, wash off any extra etching cream and remove the vinyl stencil.

next, cut out circles using the Silhouette to layer over the top of the bottle and secure with a piece of twine (after filling the jars with candy, of course) (see previous post here for fabric cutting directions).


p.s. i made an extra glass etched milk jar for myself and currently have it sitting on my desk filled with wildflowers.

{ DIY: Fabric Pennants }

First of all, I have to thank Kara's Party Ideas for featuring the Tractor Baby Shower on her blog. Check it out here.

Here are brief instructions for the fabric pennants I made for the Tractor Baby Shower. I wasn't too keen on hand cutting each pennant, since I had so many, and I didn't want to do any sewing, which I thought would probably be necessary to prevent the edges from fraying. Using the following supplies and techniques eliminate both of my concerns.

Supplies
-Fabric: $1.50/yard at Wal-Mart
-RibbonStiff
-Sponge Brush
-universal scraper
-Silhouette Digital Craft Cutter by QuicKutz

Usually the Silhouette cannot cut fabric without catching on the individual fibers. However, my co-worker shared a little tip for making it possible. First, cut the fabric to fit the Silhouette cutting mat. Then lightly brush RibbonStiff over the surface of the fabric. After it dries, place the silhouette on the Silhouette sticky mat, smoothing out any bumps with the universal scraper. It may help to lightly spray the mat with spray adhesive if your sticky is not holding the fabric down tightly.

Load the cutting mat into the Silhouette. I work on a Mac, and although the Silhouette software is not compatible with Mac, there is a plug-in availabe to cut out shapes directly from Adobe Illustrator. I quickly drew a pennant shape in Illustrator and simply hit "cut" in the Silhouette dialogue box. For more detailed instruction on how the Silhouette works and more info about the product line, go to the Silhouette website.

Peel away the pennant, and you've got a perfectly cut shape with the edges already sealed off with the Ribbonstiff. No hand cutting and no sewing involved.

Keep in mind, this technique will only work on thin cotton fabric. However, the Silhouette can still come in handy. The blue fabric pictured below was a bit too think for the blade to cut through. So, I cut out the pennant in sticky vinyl to create a pattern, placed it on top of the fabric and cut around it. It worked perfectly.

Since I wanted to keep this a no-sew project, I attached Velcro to the top arms of the pennant and wrapped them around a piece of thick twine.

{ tractor baby shower }

last saturday i hosted my good friend lauren's baby shower at my house. it was an indoor picnic themed party with the main motif being a tractor. i had so much fun planning the party and making all the details. i utilized my print gocco to create the tractor motif on the invitations, favor bags and onesie. here are the highlights. check back later this week for recipes and tutorials.

special thanks to my friend heather, who was so kind to take out time on her busy saturday to snap these photos.

{ the invitations }


{ place settings }

i really wanted everyone seated at a table, so i covered several mighty lights with gingham fabric i bought for $1.50/yard.

the flowers came from the mountain behind my house, which perfectly contributed to the flavor of the party.

i don't care for shiny plastic party utensils, so found these on world centric. made out of cornstarch, the forks, knives and spoons are 100% biodegradable and looked great on the table.





{ food }

thanks to shannon for the yummy baked beans and lemonade, liz for the delicious fresh fruit and heather for the homemade granola.

menu:
pulled pork sandwiches
fresh fruit
goat chesse, orange and pecan salad
baked beans
mini key lime pie
mini blueberry pie
homemade granola
lemonade




{ beverage & favor table }

this was one of my favorite elements of the party. i covered the table with burlap, hung pennants across the front and placed the basket of granola, beverages, yellow ice cooler and mini milk jug prizes on top.


again, thank you so much to all those who donated time, talents, food and serving dishes. couldn't have done it without you.

tractor graphic via dryicons.

{ party supplies }

i just threw a baby shower at my house (photos and details coming shortly) and made it my goal to use items i've collected over the years instead of buying whole bunch of new things. i did a pretty good job, so now i feel justified in purchasing the following party supplies. i don't have anything in mind for these utensils and paper products (like most things i buy), but i need to replenish the stash i used up this weekend.

1. small wooden spoons
via fairway market, as seen in ms wedding.






2. mini ice cream spoons
as seen at the creativity room.



3. paper souffle cups
via webrestaurant store as seen at the creativity room


4. bamboo mini forks
via pearl river as seen in ms wedding.

{ bella umbrella }

parasols and umbrellas are quite the popular trend right now in the wedding department, so i'm sure bella umbrella is having a lot of success. they offer a wide variety of true vintage umbrellas and reproductions for sale or rent.

{ mosser }

i would love to have all four of these mosser cake stands. the colors are perfect.

{ bridals }

my friend camille, asked me to do the flowers at her wedding, which included her bridal bouquet this past weekend. i like doing flowers for a bridal shoot because it gives me a chance to practice and get any kinks worked out before the big day. i'm happy with the way it turned out and can't wait for the wedding day, as i ordered a lot more variety of flowers and filler that i think will look great on the wedding party.




a few extra flowers so i made this little arrangement to go on my piano. that's my great granddaddy and grandmother in the black and white photo. i'm not sure why they are both in a barrell, but i think it is so cute and very much a palmer thing to do.

{ 1.1.10 }

baby o is on his/her way! six more weeks until amanda and steve find out what they are having...then i can get on the ball making all sorts of fun things. i'll finally be and aunt and mother can finally pull out her secret grand baby stash she's been collecting for years (yeah, mama, we know about it, and love you even more for it).

amanda made these cute onesies and gave them to my parents to announce the big news. we got the whole thing on video tape, so if you want to see mother's perfect rection, jump on over to my sister's blog.

{ cruiser }

i would like one of these cruisers...



with this basket to carry groceries and fresh produce (only not pink)...


and with this bell so i can ring it at people like they do in belgium.

{ score! }

i finally used a gift card to macy's i received at christmas (i have to make sure when i use a gift card the purchase is perfect. i often hold on to them for up to a year). i've been wanting a white cake stand for a while so headed up to the third floor of macy's to check out martha's whiteware collection. lucky me they were having a sale, so i snatched the last large 12" white cake stand. i would love to eventually get the other two to complete my collection.

isn't it pretty?

{ garden party }

my friend brittney had a garden party theme bridal shower for her sister, camille. brittney is an extremely well-rounded, creative person, so i wasn't surprised when she pulled this beautiful party together. not only was the food theme oriented, but it was also delicious. wonderful job, britt. thanks for letting me be part of your evening.

the beautiful bride-to-be.

i love this photo of camille trying to answer questions about her fiance.

{ giveaways }

michelle over at the creativity room is having a week of fun giveaways. check out all the cute things she and her sister have created. hop on over and enter to win by leaving a comment.

{ limes + daffodils }

i like the limes at the bottom of these pretty daffodil centerpieces.

{ green with envy }

can i whine for a sec about how i live in a closet? okay, not really a closet, but when 90% of everything you own is in one room, only large enough for a twin bed and desk, it sure feels like it. i rent and have a very nice place, but it's small and not conducive to my crafting and collecting habits. there are many a projects that i've wanted to try, but have refrained because of lack of space. if i didn't have roommates, the dining room (not really a room, more like a section of the kitchen) would become my craft area. then, i saw this photo of martha's craft room and became even more disgruntled. i'd be a crafting machine if i had that room! i decided i love designing and creating things too much to let a closet size room hold me back. so, now i have a mighty light table covering what little floor space i had left. and let me tell you, it has paid off already. i got so many cute projects finished for the baby shower i'm throwing next month. plus, it dosen't quite come up right next to my bed, so i can still get up in the morning without breaking my neck.

*sigh* one day...

{ mini tool box }

i saw this idea from michelle at the creativity room and just love this idea of making a mini tool box out of altoid tins for storing screws, bolts and such. my dad already has plenty of storage for such items, so i might just have to make them for myself, only painted blue, to match my big tool box.

{ annie across the pond }

a good friend is starting her masters program this fall at the university of reading, which is just outside of london. she mentioned having a tea party so we could all send her off on her new adventure across the pond. these centerpieces would be quite fitting.

p.s. i'm already saving my pounds to visit her next spring.

{ fast food? }

another genius idea from bakerella. yep, those are cupcakes, brownies and cookies. i think i prefer this sort of fast food over the traditional kind any day.

{ baby tractor }

i'm throwing my pal lauren a baby shower next month to celebrate the upcoming arrival of her little man. i fretted over a theme and menu and color scheme for weeks (obsessive and slightly crazy? well, yes). i came across this moods of norway rug via made in norway and decided to incorporate that cute tractor into the theme. i don't want to share too many details now, as the mama-to-be reads by blog. but, check back next month for a play-by-play.

p.s. does anyone know where to buy inexpensive biodegradable cutlery and plates?

{ retro oreo & ritz }

throwback packaging by baker associates. via the dieline.

{ quiet book }

i think this quiet book is very cute and simple. i'm not into spending 10 years on something that will get slobbered all over, so i will keep this pattern in mind for the future. for the tutorial, click here.






p.s. i like to look at ribbons and buttons,too. i guess you never grow out of it.

{ made in norway }

my pal, yvette, is always full of interesting knowledge and fun bits of information. last week we were surfing the net and somehow went from looking up taylor swifts' band members to browsing through bunads, which are traditional norweigean costumes. yvette lived in norway several eyars ago to study the lagnuage and culture. yeah, she's cool. and i know her.

i've always liked scandinavian design, but didn't realize what i was missing until yvette showed me some fabulous norwegian websites. i'll be posting loads of my finds over the next week or so. don't be scared to link to the sites. you don't need to speak a lick of norweigian to understand they've got it together.

images from made in norway

{ thanks }

look at these gorgeous peonies my friend marie picked and brought to me last night. i love what fresh flowers do to a room...and to my mood. thanks, rie. xo

{ burda style }

while i was searching for a DIY baby sling guide , i found this website that offers free sewing patterns and an online community to share photos of finished projects. there are some really cute things and many of the patterns are super easy, which is great for a person like me who has very little knowledge about reading and following patterns.



i would like to try this bag and add some of these cute flowers. for flower tutorial, click here.

{ glass etching }

i'm typically not a huge fan of glass etching, but ive recently seen some fabulous projects that i would like to put in my house. my talented co-worker amy recently glass etched this candle hurricane using a vnyl template, cut out out with the Silhouette and then etched with glass etching cream. she made it with halloween in mind, but i think it could be used year round by changing out the color of the candle.

{ aloha }

my friend heather invited me over for her daughter's luau themed 5th birthday party. it turned out so darn cute! the bright leis were so fun to photograph and heather made some marshmallow based fondant for the outside that actually tasted fabulous.

happy birthday, K!

the birthday girl

C, the lone boy at the party. pretty nice odds!

pretty drink dispenser from costco.

k's wild hair. love it!

i love that all the girls are huddled around the presents while the lone boy is in the background. i guess barbies and nail polish don't appeal to him.

{ to cruise or not to cruise? }

i'm planning a long awaited trip to Greece and Turkey this fall (possibly august. i know, not the best time to travel, but scheduling conflicts may make it my only option). i originally turned up my nose at the idea of a mediterranean cruise (i guess i'm a bit of a travel snob. cruises have never appealed to my wanna be gypsy lifestyle). but thinking about it more, a cruise may be the best way to go. here is why...

1. safety: i'm not super familiar with this part of the world and i'll be traveling with one or two of my girlfriends. i'm not sure how i feel about wandering around turkey trying to find a hotel.

2. cost: i don't have loads to spend, and from what i've researched so far, a cruise may be the most cost effective way to go.

3. time is money: i have been so, so, so busy. although i love planning trips, the thought of figuring out a week long itinerary and transportation and hotels and food does not appeal to me right now.

so, i need some advice. have you been to the eastern mediterranean via the cruise route? if so, i'd love to hear about your experience. any suggestions for cruise lines, or routes to take? thanks!

hagia sofia, istanbul turkey

{ baby liv }

my friend michelle had her second little girl yesterday, so i stopped by the hospital to take a few photos. look at that thick black hair and long toes! i'm still figuring out my camera (which is hard to do when you're quickly taking photos on the spot) so i'm only showing the shots that make it look like i know what i'm doing :)

congrats michelle, adam and elle!

{ nursery }

i really like the look of this baby nursery. it's not too sappy and has a contemporary touch. it's also were i first saw this pottery barn crib i'm in love with.


p.s. thanks, andrea for the project nursery link.

{ petit pan }

i don't speak a lick of french, but i love this website. petit pan specializes in kites (so i've read...in english), but they also sell other fun kid items. first, make sure you click on the little piano in the bottom right hand corner and listen to the old school piano music. then, click on "l'univers" (universe, i think?) at the bottom of the website and watch the stop motion film called Ocean. it put a smile on my face.

{ say cheese }

this website of awkward family photos kills me! i wonder if these people know they are floating all over the blogosphere.

p.s. this post is dedicated to my friends laura and bret. not because they are awkward, but because they appreciate this sort of humor.

p.p.s disclaimer: upon scrolling through more of these awkward family photos, i'v realized some of my readers may find a few of the images a bit inappropriate. sorry, i'm not trying to damage your soul. you have now been forewarned.

{ fortune cookies }

i like this idea of homemade fortune cookies for party favors.

{ olivia crib }

i just love this crib from pottery barn, especially the carved side panels.

{ london town }

over the past month i've had a hankering to live in london. not sure where this desire has come from, but it is out of hand as i find myself thinking about my london life quite often when i should be thinking about other things...like reality. an excessive consumption of books and films who's main character resides in or around london has not helped my wandering mind.

image via flickr

{ free KFC! }

get your free KFC meal by clicking here. and, if you're ever in Georgia look out for the "Big Chicken" in Marietta. random? well, yes. but it's a well known landmark in the area and the beak and eyes move.