Trick or Treat

[Halloween 1980; that's me, the pumpkin + my older sister, Raggedy Ann]

The Cutest Witch

[Agnes, my sister's Chihuahua]

Brainwear

Do you believe she's wearing a helmet?? That's right, a company called Yakkay has put the sassy in bike helmets. None of those clunky, tacky things on these pretty heads. And there's no reason to compromise safety to look good. It works something like this...

[base helmet]
+

[fashion cover; several shapes and colors to choose from]
=

[cool + hip bikers]

As their motto says, it's "brainwear for smart people." I wonder when these bad boys will make it stateside...maybe around the same time as the Taga bikes??

[I first spotted these on Design Mom]

Garden Lab

Because we live in an apartment, I'm always trying to think of ways to incorporate the outdoors inside. I came across this Garden Lab set and ordered one for the boys for Christmas. I'm excited to see how it turns out. If anything the colors and tubes are cool!

Nightlight, Sleep Tight

[

OXO Candela Nightlight, 2 for $39.99, available here]

These nightlights look like sweet + friendly little aliens or something! The rechargeable battery makes it glow for up to 8 hours. And I love how they are still fun to look at when the lights are on, too.

Bowls From My Gals

While we were in Houston a couple weeks ago, some friends surprised me with a trip to the Mad Potter. I have not painted pottery in years, maybe even since college. But it was so much fun, soothing really. Maybe it was because I haven't picked up a paint brush in so long, and I know it had something to do with being with my girlfriends again after so long, but I was so relaxed and happy sitting there in the Mad Potter.

The deal was that everyone would paint a bowl for me to keep as a birthday present. I love this idea. I loved seeing the way everyone painted their bowls, what they decided to do. And I love having this mismatched set of bowls. Matching china is way overrated. Many thanks, friends - it was such a sweet gift!

Boogaloo

Let's talk about adorable - check out these snugglers [called Boogaloos] from Blabla...

To Make Your Day Merry + Bright...

...b.wise papers is giving you a present! Our gift to you is a set of 24 personalized gift labels - yours free with any card order placed the week of 10/27 - 11/02. No coupon code needed; simply enter the style [choose from one of the three pictured above - holly, noel or xoxo] and the wording you would like on your label in the "comments" section at check out. You will receive a proof of your label along with the proof for you card. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!

b. wise papers on Urban Grace!

A big huge thanks to Erika at Urban Grace for the spectacular blog feature on b.wise papers! The Urban Grace blog is a favorite of mine, and I'm so excited to be on it. You can check out the post here...

Hermes Surprises

Looking for a little weekend entertainment? Try the Hermes website...sounds weird, I know, but they've got this whole section called "surprises" with games, free Kelly bag downloads, tangrams and more. I love it when companies branch out from the expected and add a little something more!

Naptime?

I truly believe that there is nothing quite so grand as the perfectly comfortable bed. This picture really just made me want to go get in my bed...all that white and all that fluff!

Monster Friends

Looking for festive-non-tacky shirts for your little guy? Check out these tees from H+M...



With mine it's all about the monsters and bad guys, but it's hard to find creatively designed shirts that appeal to both me and my boys. These fit the bill quite well. My only complaint is that they don't make them larger. Why is it that once a little boy is over 2 yrs old the more affordable lines all of a sudden stop designing their clothes and seemingly just slather graphics all over them? It's an epidemic and I can't get started or I will go on and on...maybe that should be my next design venture...it'd sure be fun!

A Bike for the Entire Family [well, almost!]

Remember when I wrote about this bike in this post? Well, I just stumbled on [via Swiss Miss] another company [Taga] that makes the most amazing bikes for parents. I really want one. Bad. Sign me up for a two-seater even! But, sadly, they are only going to be released in Europe for the time being. But I do love that double front wheel. I can't tell you how many times I've had one of the boys in the bike seat and felt like I was going to topple over. It throws off all your balance. This one looks so stable. Stable is good.

Lightning Song

We had a friend over for dinner the other night, and I overheard him asking Reggie who is favorite Southern author was. His answer - Lewis Nordan. I'd forgotten about Mr. Nordan - he's such a great writer! I read his books right after we got married and moved to Houston. I was unemployed, so had a lot of time on my hands. I read read read all day, which sounds great, but in actuality was very painful because I needed a job and kept getting rejected and sent out a bazillion resumes and think they all got sucked into a resume vortex in space.

Anyway, back to Lewis. He has a wonderfully unique writing style, a way with words and descriptions and character development that fascinates me. He is able to capture pain and humanity in such a raw way, but still maintains a sense of humor. I like all his novels and short stories [which are great for after dinner reading], but my favorite is Lightning Song...because sometimes all you want to do is dress-up in costume and go sit in a broken down Crown Victoria on the front lawn all day [read it and you'll know what I mean!].

"Leroy sat in his seat and looked. He had never been inside such a car. He loved this car. Just sitting inside it, behind the busted windshield, beneath the tattered lining of the roof, in the stink of ancient mildew, he knew that life was good. He knew he had found a safe place, with people like himself...Good things could actually happen to a person who rode in this car. Dreams could come true, broken hearts could be unbroken, lost love could be reclaimed...The person who owned this car would have a magic charm against all future harm, and grief would have no sting."

Blurb In Depth

Thanks for the compliments on the books! You guys asked some great questions, and I thought others may be curious too. I've also posted some interior shots so you can get an idea of the different page formats.


First question was do I do one every year...
Yes and no. I did make a volume for every year, but I did them both a couple weeks ago. I've got the 2008 volume in the works, but will wait until after the holidays to finish it up.


Second question was how do I decide which pictures to use...
Because I keep a family blog, which is like a journal for me, I literally just slurp the entire blog into the Blurb Book Smart program and then separate it out from there. A blog has been the easiest way for me to catalog what we've been doing, what the boys have been saying, etc. and with Blurb it is really simple to get all your photos and wording into one place. You don't have to decide which photos to order or even remember/think of captions - it's great!


Third question was how long it took me to put them together...
Let me start by saying that I can't just slap things together - I like things to be perfect [although, since I've had kids my definition of "perfect" has changed a bit!]. If I had had to gather all the pictures and think of things to write in the book, it would've taken me a long, long time. But, since I already had all my materials there all I had to do was organize them and make them look good. I did limit myself [because I can spend hours on the little things if I don't stop myself], for example, only using black text on the inside [I would've obsessed over the colors]. I worked on both books on and off over one weekend and the following Monday, had Reggie proof them Tuesday and ordered. I would allow for more time with the first one you do because it will take time to get familiar with the program.


Hope this helps! Go Blurb!

Tilelicious

The ads for Ann Sacks are some of my favorites...I love how the photos [which have no tile in them] totally relate to the tile featured below them. Imagine how boring the ads would be if it were just the tile, and here they've composed images seemingly unrelated to tile, yet completely jiving with it. A little creativity is a wonderful thing!

Blurb Books

They came! My Blurb books arrived! I went with the hardcover dust jacket this time, and I'm very happy with the finished product...

Botanical Scares

While we were in Atlanta this past weekend we went to the Botanical Gardens. They were having a Halloween exhibit of scarecrows, and it was so fun to see all the different interpretations. Here are some of my favorites...

[by SCAD]

[by a mortgage company, it's Fannie + Freddie - scary indeed!]

[by Fernbank Museum; my youngest roaring is not a normal part of the exhibit:)]

[by this point I stopped remembering who did what...the boys were with me, what can I say?!]

[And lastly, my favorite; don't know whose it is, but it's so clever!]

And here are two bonus pictures of my favorite sculptures in the gardens...

I'm already planning a trip back over Christmas - I bet it looks amazing all lit up!

Sugar + Spice

How cute are these baby shower cake favors?! I designed the labels for them + was so excited to see everything all put together - thanks, Stephanie!

Carry-On

Do you know that feeling when you've been living out of a suitcase for a stretch and all the packing and re-packing is getting to you, and you finally just start wearing the same pair of jeans everyday because it involves way too much thinking to do anything else?  That's me right now.  So, I've simplified things and narrowed down not only my clothes, but my top 3 make-up items: powder, mascara and lip gloss. 

Let's talk about the powder first. This is one place where I splurge because I think that a really good powder makes a big difference. I just recently tried Clarins Express Compact [above] and I love, love it. It's a powder/foundation combo that makes your skin appear smooth and flawless, but is incredibly light. Plus it smells great.  Next up, the mascara and this is where I buy at the drug store...L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara rocks.  It makes your lashes full, but not clumpy.

And lastly, the lip gloss...what can I say, I'm a child of the 80's and I love the stuff!  I get it anywhere from the drug store to department stores to the free gifts with purchase.  My favorite lately, though, has been DiorShow Gloss.  It's got a glittery shine to it that's pretty not disco costumey.  And it stays on for a good while, too.

So, those are my edited beauty picks for when you are travel-weary and just want to appear like you aren't completely worn-out!  Do you have any travel tricks?

Luscious Fabric

I am sitting at my computer drooling over the website of John Robshaw. A friend of mine's cousin works for him and she thought I would like his stuff. And was she ever right! I want to cover my house in it. Really and Truly. From top to bottom.