The beauty around us

If ever you are in need of reassurance of the beauty surrounding us...

National Geographic posts a 'Photo of the Day' every day. And I've yet to see one that isn't absolutely breathtaking!  
(All of these photos came from the website linked above and are not my property)

Time-telling with MK

Did any of you notice something pretty and teal on my wrist from my Vegas recap post?

Yep, for my birthday Chris got me the Michael Kors watch I had been lusting over for months and I. LOVE. IT!


It's such a fun pop of color for any outfit!

[source]

Thanks beebs, Im glad you picked up on the twentysome hints I left on my blog! Love you!

Beautiful

One afternoon last summer I was outside in the yard helping my mom plant flowers, I just happened to look up to see this little slice of rainbow cloud floating across the sky...
It was the strangest thing, as it hadn't rained all day. I have no idea what caused it or why it happened. It was literally a brightly-colored cloud floating across the sky, until it broke up and disappeared about 15 minutes later. It was one of the prettiest things I've ever seen!

Just a few weeks after that, Chris & I were driving home one evening when we saw a glowing purple light in the distance
Terrible photo, I know, but I was using my phone camera in a moving car! There were no spotlights or tall building lights anywhere near there that could have caused it. It almost looked like the glow of a giant blacklight in the sky!

These little light shows are rare in Indiana, so I have a lifelong dream to make it up north to see the real Aurora Borealis.

Yesterday I came across these pictures on National Geographic's site that just about made me drool - Can you imagine witnessing that gorgeous lit up sky in person?!
[These pictures are from National Geographic's website and I do not claim property of any - am just sharing their beauty!]

Just a little reminder of the beauty that surrounds us that can't be purchased with any amount of money!

Things I'm Not (Yet) Going to Buy - July Edition

Is it just me or has anyone else been getting retail reel-you-in-emails out the wazoo lately? Every morning I wake up like 4 new ones... then I sit at my desk all day dreaming about shopping!

So, my friends, I present to you Things I'm Not (YET) Going to Buy!

Michael Kors Tile Blue Chronograph (You already know I have a love affair with MK watches)

MARC by Marc Jacobs Double Wrap bracelet

 'Who Sent Flowers' Ring

Steve Madden Quilted Rose clutch

I better quit before I fill up my shopping cart at every website I stumble across today. Yikes. Let's not even talk about Vicky's swimsuit sale!! Did I mention that at midnight tonight my paycheck hits my bank account?

Prepping for the little noodle

If you have followed my blog for a lil while, you know that this lil macaroni is on her way.

And with the noodle coming in February, January brings a baby shower and lots of cutesy baby gifts! I've been scouring the web to find original, meaningful gifts for her. With the pre-req that they are absolutely adorable of course. What kind of aunt would I be if I got her non-adorable things!

Since it seems every third woman I meet is a pregger, I though I would share my finds!

1. Girard Alphabet Blocks

Eco-friendly, non-toxic and a great color combo. What more could I ask for?! These are available at the Museum of Modern Art's webstore for $120.

2. Birth Date Print 

This would go great on a nursery wall! It's available for $25 in gracehesterdesign's etsy shop.

3. BabyLegs' leg warmers gift set 

Who doesn't love those chunky baby thighs in cute lil leg warmers...  plus it's MUCH easier to change a poopie one with these on then having to take whole tights/pants off! This gift set comes with 3 pairs, and are on sale for $30 from the BabyLegs' website (different color combos available!)

4. Suprise Sock Monkey 

This little charmer isn't your typical sock monkey. These lil guys are handmade by artists at Fresh Art, New York-based non-profit organization that provides personal development and entrepreneurial opportunities to people with special needs. The fact that no two monkies are the same makes them even more appealing! I originally saw these on Anthropologie's website but have looked into the organization and the monkeys are also available for purchase through FreshArt's website as well, for $30

5. My Little Button boots

Originally, I wanted to get the lil squirt a pair of baby Uggs, however seeing they were a tad pricey, and would probably get grown out of rather quickly, I thought these (while slightly cheaper) were equally as adorable! They are available in six different colors from HipKnotz for $24-$28 (depending on size)

Well, I don't know about you but that's all the cuteness I can handle for one day. HA only kidding, unfortunately I need to get to work on the invites for said shower, otherwise the little peanut will be very upset when she's born and her mommy & daddy have no supplies because Auntie Chelsea didn't follow through with the party!

A Spoon-ful of yum

Have you ordered from Spoonflower before or are you one of the swooners like me who just lurks around drooling on everything (good thing it's an e-store... I'd probably be banned from a brick&mortar store due to leaving a trail of saliva!)

I'm thinkin of placing an order one of these days. I know, first I overcame my fear of ordering fabric online, now I'm talking about ordering custom created fabric. YIKES what the heck has gotten into me!? I kid, I kid, but really... $18/yard isn't the sort of party I waltz right into, it requires a little standing shyly in the corner first.

You better believe I've picked out some favorites though!

Magnolia Little Gem - Sage

Candy Coated Numbers

Birdies Galore 

 

Spoons & Flowers

Little Neighborhood - Tan

I really love the houses and the numbers, they're so dang cute!

Oh 2k10 please hurry!

Is anyone else just ready to get through the weekend and be able to close the book on the holidays this year?

Don't take that wrong, they were and still are amazing, they're just wearing me out!

I hardly took any pictures over Christmas, I have one blurry iPhone snapshot as proof of my ecofriendly wrap jobs this year...




I officially LOVE my Japanese happy tape (I wrote about it here). It worked out like a dream!

Work has been a ferocious nightmare this week. When you work for one of the largest liquor distributors in the state, any major holiday is a madhouse. And as you can imagine, with New Years approaching we are in high gear!

I better get back to making pretty pictures, just wanted to take a breather for a moment!

See you in 2010 if we don't talk before then! I'll have a TON of post holiday goodies as well as exciting news to share!

If there ever was a more perfect quote

Chris Chris got me a print for Christmas that I had been oogling over since I first saw it gracing the (web)pages of Etsy.

It says "The great woods would be very quiet if no birds sang but those that sang best".

(This print is by SpreadTheLove, you should check out their store, they have some BEAUTIFUL pieces!)

I feel like that quote is a picture of perfection for me right now. I'm not the best quilter out there, by any means. But I absolutely adore it, and I know I'm getting better! Some days it's disheartening to catch up on my blog roll and see all the absolutely amazing stuff Alissa and Ashley are doing, I'm sure you all know what I'm talking about. That case of quitler-envy. The "Why didn't I think of that color combination/tweak to a pattern/quilting method!?"

We're all cute lil birds singin together though... even if I may be a little flat at times!

Happy Tape = Happy Christmas!

Shh... I'm supposed to be working, but I had a revelation on my way in to the office this morning. And by revelation I mean I was daydreaming about crafty things instead of focusing on the road. It's almost a morning ritual nowadays.

I do my best thinking in the car. Or the shower. Where do you do yours?

Off track, sorry. Anyways I decided I wanted to wrap all my gifts in craft paper. Then I figured I would be more environmentally friendly and wrap them in leftover newspaper and paper grocery sacks.

This is where my happy gift-giving comes into play...


Hello, the answer to the worlds problems - happy tape! Those Japanese sure know a thing or two about making me smile - adorable fabric, spicy tuna rolls, happy tape, heck even my boyfriend is 1/4 Japanese!

But seriously, how cute will this look on a Classified-ad-wrapped-gift?!

Nothing says straight from the heart like last week's sudoko.

(Photo is property of Tina Rice at Happy Tape; product can be bought here. I purchased the Waterfall 5pk, but I must have snagged one of the last few because I see it's now sold out.)