Personalize your wedding: cut the cake

I love that this couple chose to cut their wedding cake with an ax. The groom is a fireman, so the ax was apropos, and it was engraved with the couple's names and the wedding date to make it a nice souvenir from the day. It's little details like these - and couples making new customs for themselves, not just the traditional wedding traditions from years ago - that seem like they really make a wedding day. Then again, I'm not married, so I'm just guessing here. :)

Photo by Jenna Walker, as seen on Style Me Pretty.

Happy birthday, Sara!

Today is someone's birthday. Guess who?

"Who me?"

Yep, that's right; it's the fabulous Ms. S - that's Sara with no H to you.

In honor of her joyous 29th birthday (an age we'll probably remain for the next 10 years or so...), I'd like to share a few things about my fun friend. I hope she doesn't kill me. So, without further ado, here are 10 things you may not know about Ms. McCrazy:

1. She's super fun.


2. She's obsessed with her Devon Rex, but deep down I think she's a dog lover too.

They kinda look related, no?

3. She makes a really good Mrs. Claus.

A dancing Mrs. Claus...

4. She's super sporty.

Who else could rock a helmet this nicely?

5. She and her boyfriend are hilarious together.


6. She likes to ride her bike in downtown Annapolis and Eastport.

Sometimes she swerves.

7. She can handle a gun.


8. She's a great dancer.


9. She is uber-smart.

Don't the glasses prove it?

10. She LOVES to sleep. And when she's ready to go to sleep, get out of her way! (No picture needed to prove this point. This is just fact.)

Bonus item: 11. She is an awesome friend.

Happy birthday, Somack! Have a great day today and see you at TGIFriday's for your birthday dinner (ha ha).

Baby, it's cold outside!

Brrr! It's been so cold here the past few days! (I know it's only been in the 30s - nothing compared to what people in the northern Midwest, who've had temps in the single digits, have to deal with - but it's still chilly to me!) All I want to do these days is cozy up with chunky sweaters. Plus, with the dreaded winter static electricity kicking in - my fine hair gets it pretty bad - these pretty braids look like a genius solution to keep my hair out of the way.

Photo from macaron* tumblr.

Oh. No. (alternately titled "Cadbury Mini Eggs are back")

You know those sinfully addictive, crack-like candies that come out once a year only? Yep, I'm talking about Cadbury Mini Eggs. Once I see that purple bag in the grocery store, my heart begins beating faster and I know I'm in trouble. The one redemption about this is that they only sell them at Easter time and not during the rest of the year.

Oops, not any more. I guess Cadbury figured out how obsessed people were with these habit-forming candies and figured they could get more mileage out of them. I was in Target last week and found these:

A Christmas-colored version of the infamous Mini Eggs. Great, thanks Cadbury. My thighs are not happy. (But I am!!) :)

Pea in a pod: hand-knit baby cocoons

Seriously, aren't these baby cocoons the cutest things? They look so soft and cozy - kind of like a juvenile version of the Snuggie (I know, I know, swaddling babies came way before adults invented the Snuggie, yeah yeah).

I don't have my own babies, but I feel like this would be a great gift for one of the upcoming baby showers I'll be attending. Is it too weird to give a friend a cocoon for their child?

Originally seen on Domestic Reflections.

Dunton Hot Springs, Colorado (alternately titled "dream relaxation vacation")

I saw Dunton Hot Springs on A Cup of Jo last week and have been thinking about it ever since. The weather here has been rainy, cold and gray for days - all of which I'd be happy to accept if I were sitting in a steaming hot spring sipping something delicious.

One of the cool things about Dunton Hot Springs in particular is that it's in an old ghost town that has been turned into a destination resort, complete with luxury cabins, holistic spa, organic restaurant and of course the hot springs. Oh, and don't forget about the heli-skiing, rafting, ice skating, archery, snowshoeing, fly fishing, ice climbing, and dance hall. You know, in case you can drag yourself out of the hot springs for more than 10 minutes. DHS is located in an alpine valley in Colorado (near Telluride) and was named the #1 luxury hotel in the US. Wow. Sounds incredible.

Even more sweet? You can rent the whole town for 42 friends or family member. Awesome!

Too bad most of the packages cost about three thousand buckaroos. Ah, one can dream.

Annapolis Parade of Lights 2009

Photos by Melissa Boyle

Good morning all! How was the weekend for you? Saturday was the Eastport Yacht Club Parade of Lights here in Annapolis. It was absolutely freezing out that night, especially watching from the pier by the water, but we kept warm with layers of gloves and mittens, plus various hot chocolates (some spiked with kahlua and grand marnier, some with creme de menthe, some plain - mmm). The fireworks after the boat show were good too - they went on for almost 20 minutes!

I'm looking forward to this week to celebrate Hanukkah, finish up some Christmas shopping and generally getting ready for holiday travel and seeing everyone. Hope you all have a good week too! See you back here later with more posts...

Have a great weekend!

Photo by Anna Wolf, as seen on Walking Around

I'm so glad Friday is here already! That means the first night of Hanukkah, the Annapolis Parade of Lights (a parade of lit-up sailboats and power boats, complete with fireworks at the end!), a visit from B's parents, and some last-minute holiday shopping. What are you up to this weekend? I know I'll be bundling up and trying not to freeze in this early-winter cold snap. Brr! So, keep warm and see you Monday?

Happy Hanukkah!

Photo from (who else?) Martha Stewart

I wanted to wish everyone out there who celebrates Hanukkah a happy first night. Can't wait for some potato latkes and seeing all eight candles lit!

At the heART of it all

I saw this photo on Dress Design Decor yesterday and it made me think about how an oversize print (whether a photograph or painting) makes such a big impact on a room. You like?:

Home of François Halard

Here are some other set-ups where the oversized art really makes the room:


Photo found on Desire to Inspire, from Patrice Cowan Bevans


Photo from I Suwanee


Photo from Apartment Therapy


Photo by Marine Hugonnier & room by Steven Gambrel, as seen on Shelter

It's just a shame that art - especially big art - is so darn expensive. I guess this is where canvas on sale at Michael's and some DIY creativity really comes into play. I was particularly inspired by the art in this living room re-do from the NYT:


Photo by Fred R. Conrad for the NYT

The designer, Ron Marvin, painted the art over the couch himself using a blank canvas. I think that's totally doable! (Also check out the full article for more DIY and redesign ideas.)

Pumpkin pie calamity

Photo from Country Living

Last night I baked a pie. Pumpkin pie. B's favorite.

I made him a pumpkin pie last week as well; it came our perfectly. Last night, I baked this second pie to finish off the extra pumpkin I had left; this pie came out horribly.

Baking is such an exact science. With cooking, I feel like you can throw things together and, as long as you have a good palette and balance of flavor, it'll come out generally okay. With baking, though, it's so precise. Measuring, timing, etc. Generally I'm good at that sort of thing since - let's be honest here - I'm the epitome of Type A, but last night's pie was a failure with a capital F. What happened, I wonder?

Editor's Note: Upon further inspection, it seems last night's baking debacle could be due to the condensed milk can being marked as "sell by March 2006." Oops. So it wasn't supposed to come out as some oily fluid and then glops of gelatenous matter? Aha. I see.

Perhaps my pantry needs some updating...

Maybe we'll just forget about this second pie entirely and instead think only of that perfect pie from last week. Whoops....

Kid rocks "I'm Yours" on ukulele

I'm thinking this video is a great way to start the day. This kid seriously made me laugh (and kinda decent ukulele-playing considering how young he is - we won't discuss the singing). Here he is, singing and playing Jason Mraz's song, I'm Yours:



So cute!

Originally seen on Talk Like a Gentleman.

DIY holiday decor: terrarium ornament

I love the idea of using natural elements on a Christmas tree - from shells to fruit (real or fake) - I think they add a nice feel to the tree (real or fake). So when I saw these miniature (fake) terrarium ornaments, I was in love. Since they're DIY, you can add any natural element you want from a fake butterfly to a bug to a shell, pine cone, mushroom and so on. I think they'd be lovely on a tree, but they could also be placed together in a hurricane glass, or placed here and there on a mantel. How pretty would they be peppered throughout your holiday decor?

Design*Sponge has the full instructions here so that you can make these yourself. A great way to add some nature to your own tree, or a fabulous gift to give to others (no watering required!).

Starry night

No matter whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Festivus or Chrismukkah (RIP, The OC!), wouldn't it be lovely to wake up to this scene during the holiday/winter season?

Photo found on This is Glamorous.

For The Little Mermaid (alternately titled "Happy birthday, Cov - part deux")

Covi wants to see a mermaid for her birthday. Well Cov, if it's a mermaid you want, a mermaid you shall see. Several, actually. Here are my favorite mermaid items, all in tribute to you, lady of the sea:

Lovely mermaid bottle opener


Plush terry cloth mermaid tail towel from Kathe Kruse


Edmund Dulac's The Little Mermaid


And if you want Dulac's painting on a shoe, Zazzle's got your back


Isn't this graphic mermaid on a matchbook pretty?


And finally, my absolute favorite. Cov, if I could, I would snag this mermaid cuff bracelet for you in a second. It would look pretty on you. (Mermaid on mermaid action. Ewwwww.....)

Happy birthday, Cov!

Happy birthday, Cov!

I wanted to break from our regularly scheduled blog-posts-about-nothing to wish L. Covington Smith Campbell (the turquoise UnderArmour-clad quarter-flipper in the photo above) a very happy birthday today. Cov, I hope that you have the greatest of birthdays today and an even better year. We've traveled the world together, from archaeological digs in Israel to New Zealand and Fiji; braved the bars of College Park, both using the same ID (yours); rushed, quit rushing, joined and un-joined sororities; kept in touch over years on the sea and various parts of land; and now you're married, a lawyer and a mother. I'm so impressed by you, oh fluent-in-two-dead-languages friend!


And as the photo above (from approximately two thousand years ago) shows, you were always destined to become a hot cougar! Lovely tigress o' Siegfried and Roy costume, by the way.

So dear Cov, happy happy Birthday! You smell like a sailor, and you look like one too (minus a really nice pair of Maui Jims...). Enjoy your foray into your 30s! Cheers and love, xoxo -r.

Just a spoonful of...hot chocolate?

The microscope. The telescope. The CD. Australia. What will those fun Netherlanders think of next?

Funny you should ask. It's Hotchocspoon! Yep, it's a spoon submerged in a mould of solidified chocolate - chocolates in 46 varying flavor combinations from Brownie Walnut Bourbon Vanilla to Strawberry & Pink Pepper to the classic Praline & Nougat - which you stir into hot milk. The end result is "homemade" hot chocolate, old-school style (but with much more modern panache and no standing over a hot stove). Say it with me: Mmmmmm.

These seem like a perfect hostess gift or holiday stocking stuffer to me. And, they now have varieties with alcohol included, so they could be a nice wintry evening nip too. The Hotchocspoons retail in Europe at this point only, but you can get them online here. So get ready to stir it up. (Oooh, baaaad Bob Marley reference. Sorry.)

Found on Simplesong.

Wrap it up

With the holiday season quiiiiickly approaching (oh so quickly, gulp), I'm already thinking about wrapping the presents we'll be giving. Everyone who knows me knows that I'm obsessed with wrapping paper, ribbon, embellishments and any other fun stuff I can add on to a present; oh how a prettily wrapped package makes me happy!

What some people might not know is that I'm actually a horrible wrapper. (Not rapper - I know all the words to Ice, Ice Baby, thank you very much. Ha.) It's really the bow-tying that eludes me. For some reason I can never get the bow just right. Sometimes I can wrangle a lovely knot and loops, but then they'll be upside down on the package. Sometimes it just keeps coming loose. Somehow I usually make it work, but I wish I knew the correct way to tie the perfect bow the first time.

Enter Paper Source.

Just yesterday they posted this step-by-step tutorial showing you how to tie a bow.

The pictures at each step make it easy to understand and follow along.

Martha Stewart also has some ideas on the subject, of course. For her instructions on how to tie the perfect bow, as well as info for two other types of bows, check out Martha's how-to here.

Now that we all know how to tie the perfect bow, here's some ribbon and wrapping eye candy for you. Enjoy and get to wrapping!



Images from: 1- Pikku Wares, 2&3- Paper Source, 4- Martha Stewart, 5- Purl Bee, 6- Truly Smitten.