Happy ABCs

These letters from Jeanie of The Paper Nut are so happy and cheery. She's currently cooking up the rest of the alphabet and plans to release a poster of all of the letters once they're done - wouldn't the soft colors and pretty illustrations be perfect for a baby's nursery? Or even better, you could use the first letter of your child's name for a birthday invite, on their door, or appliqued on a onesie or tee.

I'm loving the B (for my honey, B) and the C with the mermaid in it (this one is perfect for you, Mrs. Campbell!). Here's the letter for my name:

I always get the silly carrot-eaters in mine.

As originally found on Black*Eiffel.

More, more, macarons

I thought everyone in the world knew about the adorable deliciousness that is a macaron. However, in talking to my friend Sara the other day, I realized most people know macaroons (two "o"s), the coconut things, and not macarons (one "o"), the tiny, perfect, French confections made from eggs, almonds and sugar.

Ladurée in Paris is widely considered the gold standard for macarons. Bien sur, when their shop looks like this:

(Photo by Sweet Arrogance via Flickr)

And they're no one-trick ponies - check out their vast flavor offerings:


There is of course a stateside offering as well - Paulette's in California has lovely macarons as well, and they ship!



With all the being said, I was super excited when I recently saw these at Williams-Sonoma:


How cute! And just in time for Valentine's Day! I wonder if they taste as delicious as their French counterparts...

Weird fact #832: World helium shortage

This absolutely knocked me over the head when I read it on Party Perfect the other day - did you know that there is a worldwide helium shortage?? According to an article from USA Today, the world could be out of helium in as few as eight years. So that means my (as yet to exist) children might never see a balloon freely floating or be able to inhale helium from balloon and talk in a weird chipmunk voice?

And think of how the wedding industry would feel. No more of any of this creativity:

(Coolest wedding "atmosphere" ever by London landscape architecture firm Gustafson Porter, via Apartment Therapy)

Or this:

(Awesome engagement photo session from Laura Ivanova)

Or beauties like this:

("Eglingham Hall with Balloons" by Tim Walker)

Is this really going to happen? A world without floating balloons would be a little less happy, don't you think?

A love letter for you

"Love Letter" is a project by Stephen Powers in which he produces the sweetest street art I've ever seen. The large-scale murals are scattered throughout the city of Philadelphia - which is, appropriately enough, the City of Brotherly Love - and I think the sentiments are so adorable.

The project also helps bolster local small businesses by giving them free paperbacks documenting the project, which the businesses can sell to visitors, as well as by providing a free "sign school" to train area youth and businesses on how to paint their own signs.

Wouldn't you like to see these on your commute instead of just traffic?






Beautiful. And much better than the F-bomb laden graffiti you normally see. I'll be keeping my eyes open for these next time we're in Philly (which is often).

Happy birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday - happy birthday, Mom! Let's all wish her a happy one, shall we? Thank you in advance for any wishes on her behalf!

So in honor of her day, here are some small pieces of eye candy just for her:

Limited-edition giclée print by Josh Brill of Lumadessa - because my mom loves red cardinals.


Bouquet of peonies and sweet peas from Martha Stewart - who doesn't love peonies? (And my mom really does.)


A few more peonies from photographer Sara Norris.

Hope you like these little gifts de la internets and have a great one, Mom. Love you! xoxo, r.

You be triflin'

For the wine judging we're throwing this weekend (read more about it here), I'm thinking of making a trifle. I've never made one, but it doesn't seem too hard, and it's soo pretty. Here's the ideal looking trifle:

From Marta Stewart of course.

I'm sure in reality mine would look more like this:

Inspiration and possible recipe from Marta Writes.

Note that the second one is not from Martha, it's from Marta. It's too perfect, really: Martha's is made with fruit; Marta's with candy. Martha's is perfectly evenly layered; Marta's is a bit haphazard. Martha's has liquer-soaked cake; Marta's uses regular ol' brownies made from a box mix. I love Marta. :)

So what do you think, friends (I'm looking at you, S and S)? Should I attempt a trifle for Sunday's party? Or is that just too much after copious glasses of red wine? I'd also need to buy a trifle dish, but that's another story...

A sticky situation

This isn't a huge problem in downtown Annapolis (where the streets are quaint old brick and not trafficked by hundreds of thousands of people), but I've always noticed how the streets of New York are basically plastered with an ever-so-lovely carpet of...used, spit-out gum. Ew.

Photo by Jonathan Player for the NYT

Nice, right? Ick.

I was reading 6th Street Design School yesterday (one of my new fave blogs, by the way) and saw this new idea for corralling gum before it hits the sidewalk. Check out the Gumnetic Bubble Gum Bin:


Gumnetic is a material created by Anna Bullus from used chewing gums and bio resin. So not only does the Bubble Gum Bin collect gum, it's also made from it. That's definitely recycling at its best. These round gumball-like bins should be put on street corners around the world - and hopefully that'd mean I'd never step in gum again.

Send me a letter

I don't think most people are as obsessed with sending real mail - actual letters with handwriting and stamps - as I am, but I like everything about it. Selecting just the right stationery, taking the time to sit down and write by hand, dropping the note into the mailbox and eagerly waiting to hear that the recipient got it; it's all so personal and thoughtful. Did you ever notice that choosing the right stamp is like the icing on the cake? Take a look at these pretty examples:


Perfectly coordinated Greta Garbo stamp from Neither Snow Calligraphy


A cluster of vintage stamps from B Dunlap

Since the postage rate rose so much in the past few years (and I was not a fan of the eternity stamp's look), I have a bunch of outdated stamps, like these:


How cute are these children's book illustrated animals stamps? I have to use two when I mail a letter with them, but they're perfect for my friends and family members who are teachers or have kids.

These are my favorites from 2009. I'm just crossing my fingers that the rate stays at 44 cents for a while...


These dragonfly stamps were also beautiful, but at 62 cents each, I felt kind of wasteful using one on a single letter (though it didn't stop me!).


Now that 2010 is here, that means the USPS is releasing new stamps. I'm loving these newly issued stamps, all available here:





So hopefully next time you write a birthday card in June, you'll think about this before you slap on that old Christmas stamp and mail it out. :)

Everything is okay print & it's Monday

Isn't this illustrated whale print from Britt Hermann adorable? It's only $18 - a steal.

I thought it was a cute little note for a Monday morning. Speaking of - good morning! Did you have a good weekend? Ours was eventful, productive and overall fun. We hung out with my mom and brother - both to do some extreme organizing and to celebrate her upcoming birthday - and went to a friend's graduation party, among other things. It was really fun to see our friends after not having seen them since their wedding.

I'm actually happy that it's Monday because I feel like I can swing into productivity mode (hopefully!) now that's officially "the week" and time to get stuff done. Any big plans for you all this week?

I'll be back in a bit with some stuff for you to check out, so hopefully see you soon! xo, r.

Have a great weekend!

Photo by Mike + Doug Starn via 20x200

It snowed here last night. Big, fluffy flakes that came down for a solid few hours, all the while looking beautiful when we caught a glimpse of flakes from the darkness as they drifted in front of the outdoor lights. It turned out to be nothing big - work and driving went on as normal - but I can't believe this is our third snow this winter and we're only just getting started. Brr. The snow looks really pretty, but I'm kind of bummed to think that we have a solid three more months of cold. Grr.

Anyway, the upside of things is that it's Friday and the weekend is almost officially here! We have a busy one this weekend, from going to my mom's house for a big furniture delivery, to celebrating her birthday, to a friend's graduation party, and more. Any fun plans for you all this weekend? I hope you have a great one, and see you back here bright and early on Monday!

Muffy von Lichtenstein

Image from Papermag

Spotting baked socialites in the pages of a gossip rag is not a new phenomenon (hellllooo, Paris), but giving yourself a socialite name is something kinda new. So forget figuring out your porn star name ("Calvin Fifth" does not bode well for me...) and instead figure out your own socialite name here.

Mine is - duh duh duh daaaah (fanfare) - Charlotte Bronfman. Even better: Brian would be Chip Tisch. Ooh, preppy.

Stealing Bill Cosby's shnazzy shoes

People. It is 2010. What the mcguffin is up with these??:

From Pour La Victoire.

Seriously? It looks like this model is about to do the moonwalk or is currently starring in The Wiz off-off-Broadway.

I thought Fashion had really lost it with the reintroduction of leggings as pants back in 2009, but this just takes it to a whole new level. We're talking taking the Crazy-town Express to Ugly Shoeville.

To score these puppies, you'll need $218. Gold. Oxfords. For $218!

Perhaps you could pair this interesting footwear with these and just go full-on bonkers. You'd look like a gold tin-man. Hooray for fashion.

(Am I off-base here??)

Reason to wake up on a snowy Friday morning: sale at Target!

Target is having a sale! Hooray! (Not that their stuff isn't normally [and gloriously] affordable, but this is great!)

Check out the fun stuff (aka needless but cool anyway stuff) currently on sale in the Red Hot Shop:

I've been eying this fun ikat skirt from Heidi Merrick since the spring!

This has got to be the prettiest dart board I've ever seen.



I love the idea of this growth chart. No more pencil marks needed on your walls!

Fancy-dancy lingerie bag, complete with lavender sachet - ooh la la!

This is the perfect tee for an old salt. I love the blue color and the pretty illustrated sea creatures.

And now for the drumroll please: The New Year Home Event means most of the home goods are 10-40% off, and there's still 10% off and free shipping for items over $100.

Annd, the sale includes the upholstered chairs I've been obsessing over for, like, ever. This one is still a touch too pricey for me to buy right now (see how responsible I'm being, B??) but I am drooling over the amazing deal.

So what does this mean? It means get out there (or go online) and snag yourself some sweet deals from the mothership Tar-jay! It's my Friday morning gift to you. Enjoy! :)

Robert Ryan screenprints

Aren't these prints, all from the brilliant artist Rob Ryan, drop-dead beautiful? Especially when you consider that he cuts them painstakingly and precisely from paper before making the screenprints?

The things in his Etsy shop are just gorgeous, although too pricey for me. If they were a bit more affordable, I'd snatch up one of each to dole out as the most gorgeous wedding gifts or to use as Valentine's sentiments.

Just reading the quotes (which I assume he wrote as well) makes me feel all mushy and romantic. So sweet. (Crap! I can't believe I'm getting sucked into the Valentine's Day spirit already! I blame you, Tar-jay! Lovely though.)

Is it sad that my next thought was of conversation hearts? Yum...

As originally found on SabbeSpot.

Annapolis Wino Club's first-ever blind wine judging party

B and I are hosting our first party of the new year in a week and half (on the Sunday of MLK weekend - hooray for holiday Mondays!). It's a pretend attempt at being grown up (ha). It's going to be oh-so-classy (double ha).

Not so much. But, it is going to be a wine tasting/judging. We'll do one each month - that's why we've very officially formed the "Annapolis Wino Club" (see? keeping it classy already) - and we'll taste/judge a different variety of wines each time. The fun part is that it's a blind taste-test: everyone brings a bottle to be tasted and judged, we'll conceal it so no one knows whose is whose and what is what, and then we'll all score what we taste. The bringer of the best bottle (once the scores are tallied) will win a prize. I'm thinking something stellar like these:

Photo from SabbeSpot.

Again, classy, no?

For this first party - which is clearly going to be very trial-run-ish - we've chosen to simply go with red wines in general, but hopefully we'll do one variety each time starting with month two (perhaps Cab or Pinot Noir since it's winter and then maybe whites in the summer, etc.).

I have to wrap my head around snacks (cheese, duh, plus fruit and bread? any other suggestions...that are cheap and doable for someone who can't cook to save their life?), plus score cards (luckily B's sister, who has done this at her house is sending me some templates, thanks Kel!), tasting glasses, and giant tarps - to protect our light carpets from the red wine - kidding. B is also going to have to hold me back from "branding" everything; I've already considered making a custom logo for the AWC (Annapolis Wino Club) and adhering it to everything from the glasses to napkins, to a tablecloth to party favors. But I won't. Because the whole point of this party is that it's recession-friendly (everyone brings a bottle so the host doesn't bear the whole burden) and we all know how out of hand my crafting gets....

Regardless, I'm excited for it. It should be a fun time and a good way to get friends together during the winter months when we all just want to hibernate at home.

Have any of you done this before? Any pointers on score cards, procedure, etc? Thoughts on accompanying snacks or the winning bottle's prize? Do tell!

(And I promise to post photos of the event once it happens mid-month!)

DIY easy chevron wall stripes

Not to sound like a 13-year-old girl, but...OMG I am OBSESSED with this project.

The beautiful and amazing Stephanie Sabbe of sabbespot (which is a totally new-to-me blog as of today, but now I'm super excited to read some of her archived posts) made this awesome chevron-striped wall herself using...drum roll, please!...contact paper. Annnnd, she said the whole thing only cost the price of the contact paper (which is el cheapo compared to paint and/or wallpaper!) and took only an hour to do.

One. Hour. That means in less than the time it takes me to get through my DVRed episodes of Ellen Masterpiece Theatre (what?) I could do this on my own wall. Which I am. B, brace yourself, it's happening. I'm so excited!

Cheap, easy, removable (perfect for us renting folks), and pretty subtle (gotta love Stephanie's tone-on-tone choice), yet makes a big impact, this seems like the absolute ideal project for a renter who's hankering for something striking on a wall. I'm in.

Project originally found on Design*Sponge, but a major thanks to Stephanie for sharing the details and step-by-step instructions for all of us!

Silicone smarty: the Foodpod

The Foodpod is both the strangest and coolest product I've seen in a while. Doesn't it look like some alien apparatus? In reality, it's just a smart, easy way to cook food - from veggies to eggs to shellfish - and drain it with only one cooking "utensil" used.

This video shows how it's done: insert your ingredients into the Foodpod, put it in boiling water, lift to let it drain and you're done. It goes in the dishwasher (amen!) and it's BPA-free. Weird but awesome:



At only 15 bucks, I'm thinking this could be a great hostess gift (or even White Elephant gift?).

As originally found on Swiss Miss.

Work it out: the Type-A's dream desk

I haven't actually seen the Winter 2009 issue of Better Homes and Gardens in real life, but I came across some photos from the mag on Paper Source's blog and lurved this uber-organized work area:

The overall color combination is a little more bright and "funky" than I'd use in my own house - I love the orange, green and blue, but I'd probably use just one or two accent colors (instead of all three) with white or tan or something slightly more mellow - but I die for all the organizational materials used.

This is a Type A's dream here, people. If I ever work at home, I'm going to need a space like this stat. (And don't you love all the wrapping paper organization? This stuff is like crack to me. Laugh if you will.)

Are you cleaning up and organizing your space with the arrival of the new year? I know I've been doing some streamlining and organizing (starting with under our bathroom sink - how exciting) and it feels good to glean in 2010! Any great organization ideas you've come across or done yourself? I'd love to hear...

Orange you glad you saw this Stanlee Gatti party?

Isn't this set-up that Stanlee Gatti put together for the San Francisco Opera Ball gorgeous?

The table setting is in traditional Italian style and the words written on the back wall are “Long Live the Songbird” (alluding to the opera's performers), but the real star of the show, for me at least, is the numerous garlands of greenery and oranges hung above the tables. Can you imagine how romantic it must have been to sit under those aromatic swaths? The pop of color from them is so beautiful too.

I honestly think this is a great idea for any event. It wouldn't be that hard to do (right? hmm...) and it would be an amazing touch for a wedding, rehearsal dinner or even a very fancy dinner party. I'm not sure if I have the balls to give it a try, but I love the idea of it.

Photo originally found on Oh Happy Day!, where Jordan has worked with Stanlee Gotti on some of his events - lucky girl!