all i want for christmas

I'll admit it, I'm obnoxiously picky. I blame it on being in a design field. I have a particular way I want things to look and stubbornly stick to it. This drives my family crazy and they think I am such a snob. (I claim I don't need things that are expensive, I just want them to be pretty.) Anyway, my mom is tired of my shenanigans and wants a list of possible Christmas/birthday gifts. Sheila, this is a good time to practice following links/online shopping. Good luck!

My post-graduation (5+ years ago) Dell laptop is on its last leg (which makes this blogging thing a drag), so I'm considering drinking the Apple kool-aid and switching to a Mac Book Pro. Those puppies are expensive, so I am also accepting Apple gift cards to put a dent in the purchase. ► I hate cleaning our floors but I just HAD to have a cat, so the hair tumbleweeds are a problem in our apartment. I promise a robot vacuum will make my life 300% better. ► I also want need new stools for our kitchen. 

I try to work out several days a week. To prevent constantly schlepping my laundry (or multiple wears/smelling like a homeless person), I could add some more capris and tops to my workout wear arsenal. ► All that running requires shiny new kicks too. I don't really like my current Nikes so I am hoping to venture into new territory with Brooks sneakers. Plus, these totally fit into my life color scheme. ► Additionally, hydration is key. Keep your poisonous plastic, I want a bkr glass bottle in kvetch (see: life color scheme).

I've decided I want to be a fancy and wear perfume. Not the Victoria Secret/Bath and Body Works sprays of my youth, but real bonafide eau de parfum. In my dream world, beach by Bobbi Brown will be my summer scent and something simple like Fresh's Sugar Lemon will hopefully carry me through the rest of these god forsaken winter months. ► Part 2 of being an adult: having lovely scented candles strewn around our apartment--and not that artificial Glade junk but quality herbal/citrus ones. (It's true. I am a snob.) ► I am loving big, chunky necklaces these days. J. Crew Factory has some great ones (and they're on sale!). ► Very few things bother me more than a broken finger nail. It always seems to happen when I am out and about, so I need to add a travel manicure kit to my bag.

I'm on the hunt for a new winter hat, preferably a pretty color with a pom pom on top. (Note: this is probably something I will be extra picky about. Dumb, I know.) ► An ice cream maker has been a dream of mine for a while. It will be devastating for my waistline but so so tasty. I can't wait to try out interesting flavors like those from Jeni's and Salt and Straw. ► Arcade Fire tickets! Eh, Kurt?! ► And finally, a PUPPY!!!! C'mon Santa, please come through for me!!!!!!

valentine's day

I hope you all had a great weekend! Besides an awesome 90s dance party at the Bell House and a lovely ladies brunch at Jenn's house, my weekend was pretty low key. Kurt is on his annual ski trip with the guys, so I've been catching up on sleep and watching lots and lots of TV (currently burning through the latest New Girl episodes...hilarious!). So instead of a weekend recap, here's a VALENTINE'S DAY RECAP!

christmas in alabama

I hope everyone has been having a great holiday! It's been pretty stellar over here in Alabama even though the weather has been incredibly lame--cold and rainy ALL. THE. TIME. I've never just wanted it to snow so badly. Anyway, what good is a holiday if it's not an excuse to eat an drink ridiculous amounts? Apparently that's all I choose to photograph as well.

kurt hearts ohio

And since I heart Kurt, I thought I would whip him up an Ohio themed Valentine's Day gift. I saw this project a while ago on Etsy, but it wasn't until I saw this post from a fellow Auburn alum that I got inspired to try it myself.

I live a few doors down from a custom door and cabinet shop (and a car mechanic in the other direction...needless to say, it's an eclectic neighborhood) and they occasionally put out old project scraps for the taking. I'm always on the lookout for sidewalk trash treasure, so I was thrilled to scoop up a couple wood panels a few months ago for future projects.

This one finally had a use, so I sanded off the glossy finish and painted it with white paint I had lying around.

I printed off a map of Ohio and taped it to my panel.

Then I went to town nailing! I would recommend thin wire nails with broad heads. They hold the string best without overpowering the board. However, make sure you don't get such teeny tiny nails that you can't hold them while nailing. There is a delicate balance :)

I nailed around the state outline (just eyeball the spacing) and put a heart around Columbus, location of Kurt's beloved Ohio State. After I had all the nails in place, I carefully tore out my paper guide and fixed any loose nails.

Then I started looping the string from the center outward. (I'm a math nerd and would recommend doing some calculations to determine how many perimeter nails correspond to the center ones so you get an even array.) You can't really see, but I paired a scarlet and gray thread to continue with the Ohio theme. If I had to do it again, I might have gone with a thicker string (maybe cross stitch floss?) for a bolder effect but I had no idea how much yardage I would need, so, this time, I just used a typical cotton sewing thread.

Ta da! I already have the perfect place picked out for this baby to sit in Kurt's apartment :)

In addition to this string art, I also gifted Kurt the t-shirt version of this poster. I know I shouldn't encourage his out of control t-shirt habit, but in my defense A) it was on sale B) it's not Ohio State and C) it's really cool and the company is in Brooklyn! I almost got myself one :)

Did you guys get/give anything good for Valentine's Day? 

merry merry

I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays and recovering from a present/food overload! These are the gifts I wrapped for my family. I don't think I will ever get tired of craft paper :) I also found some awesome free, printable gift tags here and here and tied them on with white raffia. Simple,simple!

Instead of writing a real post for you, I am fiddling with my new camera (!) and breaking in my new sneakers. I hope you got everything you asked Santa for as well!

work perks

Apart from finding lots of fun extra curricular free events to enjoy this holiday season, I have been having some fun outings at work. (Disclaimer: this post may make you hungry!)

My boss recently took my coworker and me out to lunch with the contractors working on our Upper West Side townhouse. Apparently this was nothing groundbreaking for the rest of the office, but I was super excited when I heard we were going to CraftBar. It is definitely a cut above the cheapie restaurants I frequent. And my boss was game for midday beer and wine! Score!

[via New York Magazine]

[via thescoutmag.com]

I guess we weren't spot on with the restaurant choice because our contractors are pretty devoutly Jewish and don't eat pork. It seemed like everything on the menu was ham/pork/bacon laden! On top of that, one of the guys doesn't eat cheese! Talk about limited options! Somehow we worked around it and everyone found a couple suitable dishes.

I had the Winesap Apple Salad (Radicchio, Gorgonzola Cremificato, Candied Pistachio, Aged Balsamic) for a starter and the Ricotta Cavatelli Pasta (Butternut Squash, Smoked Bacon, Sage, Spiced Crème Fraîche, Pepita) for my meal. It was all delicious. Mmmmmm....I've had dreams about that pasta.

Our contractors were a riot. Two beers (from a great beer list) and a few hours later, we all left stuffed. I surely didn't get much done the rest of the day. If someone else is taking you out for a nice dinner and footing the bill, I highly recommend CraftBar. Its fancy without being too snooty.

Another night, we had our annual office holiday party. We stopped work early and one boss brought her ten year old daughter into the office to bartend for us :) Well, not really...but she did serve us ice and Cheez-Its. After a couple makeshift gin and tonics, we walked to dinner at Empellón in the West Village.

[via Empellón's website]

We're a small office so we got a nice cozy booth by the window. The place has a million tequilas and mezcals, so I started off with a Bowie Knife (Cava, Siete Leguas Añejo, Buffalo Trace, Agave Nectar, Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters (I'm a sucker for cava...well, sparkling anything actually)). Then we proceeded to order way too much food.

We all shared but I ordered the Baked Pumpkin with Sikil Pak Queso Fundido (with pumpkin seeds, sour orange juice, habañero) for a starter and Hazelnut Fed Pork Loin with Braised Pinenut Tacos (I'm a big pork fan but the dish won me over because it reminded me if this hilarious video) for a meal. I've never pretended to act like I could be a vegetarian, but I am noticing that some if the most delicious dishes I have at restaurants are meat-free. I would go back to Empellón and order that pumpkin dish without even glancing at the menu. It was that delicious. Might have inspired a few dreams of its own.

Several tequila drinks later, we thought it would be a good idea to order every dessert on the menu. It was.  We had Chocolate Flan with Caramel, Cocoa-Masa Streusel and Cinnamon Ice Cream; Tres Leches with Fig and Goat’s Milk Ice Cream; Buñuelos with Cajeta and Warm Honey; and the Pumpkin Tart with Candied Pecans, Mezcal and Toasted Meringue. Phew. I gained a few pounds just typing that.

I didn't even try to glance at the check when my bosses paid. It must have been outrageous! I love the holidays! Thanks, PDA!

If all our decadent eating and drinking was not enough, one of our beyond lovely clients gave those of us on their project (lucky me!) beautiful cashmere scarves (in addition to hand delivering bonus checks to every one of the construction workers on site). They really are saints. Ridiculously wealthy saints :) I've never owned anything cashmere! I do hate winter but having something that luxurious to keep me warm makes it significantly better :)


The holidays are definitely in full swing! I hope you are enjoying them with your loved ones (and a yummy meal once and a while)!

domestic desires

I rarely browse through IKEA and think, "Wow, that item is beautiful." I generally find things that are cute or practical or quirky and modern but the appeal lies mainly within their inexpensiveness. Well, I was walking through the other day, looking for some random item, and was amazed by the gorgeous VITLING bakeware line. The green interior and taupe-y, grey exterior are sooooo pretty. Even though my oven still smokes every time I use it, I could justify adding this to my collection. And of course they are affordable! The only thing that would make it better is if it had a matching lid. Then I could easily show it off at potlucks! Go ahead and consider this the first addendum to my Christmas/birthday wish list :)

all i want for christmas...

Well, at least its a start. I'm positive I will add more as Christmas and my birthday draw closer.

My dear iphone has taken a few spills within almost the year I've had it, so I figured it was about time I get a case. I've had my eye on some of the beautiful designs from Society6. So practical, right?

I think I caught the coffee table book fever after I bought the new DesignSponge book. I've been mourning the loss of domino for years and thought the best way to pay my respects was to invest in their book, domino: the book of decorating. The magazine's spirit will live on by sitting on my bookshelf.

Another practical option: new running shoes. When my motivation wanes in the winter months, I hope these cute new kicks will encourage me to get my ass to the gym. I only chose these New Balance ones because they are pretty. Any suggestions, more experienced runners than I?

I used to have a cute little pink Swiss Army Knife for years until it was confiscated at the airport. It was so convenient to have on my key chain for random moments. I love the design of this one. The only thing that could make it better is a bottle opener. I am also tempted by the Tourist model except that it doesn't come in pretty colors and doesn't include scissors. I think that is my favorite tool. However, the corkscrew is hard to pass up. Don't judge. Wine on the go is a frequent occurrence.

And now for my real dilemma. If you can't tell from my constant blog whining, I want a new camera. I need a new camera. I just can't decide what kind I want. All my options seem to have a binding theme though; they are crazy expensive. Do I go for the compact route with a souped up point and shoot? Do I take the middle ground and get a mirrorless option with a semi-compact body and nice image quality and interchangeable lenses (which I could possibly share with Kurt)? Or do I go all out and invest in a DSLR and a good purse/camera bag for toting the beast around? So many options! Please, send me your advice!!!

Above: Canon Powershot S95 / Olympus E-PL3 (love the white!) / Canon Rebel T3

Oh, and while we're at it, I will take one of these. Cute overload!!!

surprise gift (sadly, not a puppy)

Look what Kurt brought me at work today! He was in the neighborhood checking out one of his finished projects and stole this little gem for me. Take that eleven02! :) It smells awesome. You would think spring is right outside my window but in fact there are only 50 degree temperatures and rain. One of these days.....

I'm working on becoming an honorary landscape architect, so I'm brushing up on my plant IDs. However, don't be misled by my label. Koreanspice is one word. I lost some major points for that. My professor is such a hard ass :(

Thanks for the flowers, Kurt!