True Love... and Consumerism Galore. Eekk!

It is sick, I know. But I am endlessly amazed and in love with Etsy.
My wishlist just grows and grows and grows.

I try to fight it. I try keep the consumerism down.
And, I'm broke yo so I usually do.

But really. truly. Is this not amazing?
Ugg. I loovveeee the cell phone case too.

I especially like it since the camera I own would fit inside it
and I haven't been able to get a holga to call my own.

Then again... this case costs more than the beauty-full holgawood herself.

Maybe part of the reason I'm so into this little case is because
it reminds me of the felt-tabulous creations by Princess Lasertron.
I've been obsessing over her pins & corsages.

This is Mac.

I don't know if he has ever been properly introduced, although I know I've mentioned him before a few times. He is usually very busy sleeping and stretching and being cuddly cute. Sometimes when I'm really struggling to concentrate on papers and such I look at him and think he's got it made. I think in this dream he was surfing. Or sliding into first base.

It is a little silly...

{photo by me}

...but I dream of the day L and I actually have a house that actually has a table and * occasionally * I'll get to throw dinner parties and set the table.

I swear I'm no Donna Reed. But I do love dinner parties.

Happy Birthday, Christy!

{photo by me}

Yesterday we celebrated my will-be-mother-in-law's birthday!
It was fun. An evening full of kabobs and games, laughter and conversation.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRISTY!

Happy Birthday, Kaleb!

The last week or so has been kind of hectic
trying to get scholarship applications completed, articles ready for publication,
yada, yada, yada...
In all the hullapalooza I forgot to make a very important post - -
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KALEB!!

Kaleb is my go-to pirate-cowboy-smartass-superstar!

I can't believe he's FIVE years old!!

P.S. Kids are so funny! I can't figure out if its jealousy I see in their faces or pure rapture at the birthday-wish-making magic.

Pink-Periwinkle Love, or why I want a baby girl!

Today I made a treasury on etsy!

For the next two days you can find it {here}
sources/shops from the top, left to right:
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

business model.

found this {here} and had to share.

{photo by Nick Stankus}

Quixotic.Arrivals

A few new creations from Quixotic.Designs:

view these and more at my little shop!

I heart etsy

{photo by SS Photography via Paisley & Posies}

I have been coming across the most awesome etsy shops recently.
Perhaps it is because I have a growing number of little ones in my life
or maybe just because goodies for babies are so little and cute...

Check out these tutus by Paisley & Posies on etsy or visit their {blog}
and how cute are these toddler leg warmers from Knotty Baby Wear?
I have a hard time deciding between these and these and these and...!

Is it just me or does etsy need a wishlist/registry feature?

{photo by Heather Lynn Photography via Knotty}

uggggh

Ever have one of those days
where you feel like you're living a blooper reel?

Well. In case the philosopher and I needed a
* reality check*
as to just how unglamorous life can be,

today we:

- cleaned up cat vomit
- discovered only one of three bikes available to us works
(one had an immovable rusty chain, the other a tire that refused to air)
- cleaned up the food Allegra pushed off the counter
- discovered our vacuum cleaner had somehow molded on the inside
- I banged my head on the cabinet while washing disgusting dishes
(as Luke discovered the handle on our compost bucket sucks...
nasty food scraps flew all over the porch when the bucket broke)

Did I mention this was all in the span of 2 hours?

dear philosopher

even when you have to stay up late
into the wee hours of the night
writing a paper you hate...I


it is true.

{poster awesomeness}

question:

should we serve alcohol at our wedding?

the philosopher and I are not drinkers.
but some people we know are.
as a sort of compromise
we've considered serving wine and champagne.

but this presents yet another problem.
if we do serve wine and champagne,
which should we purchase?

since we're not exactly gearing up for a taste test
I've decided we'll probably purchase based on packaging


so far, here are my favorites:

HEMA
(in the glass bottles of course. although those plastic caps sure are classy.)


mystery flav.

Claremont Traminer/Riesling
(and yes, that is a kangaroo in a teacup!)

of course, if we do head out for a few spirits before the big day
we'll probably just pick up whatever we like in the store, at that moment.
still. don't these bottles look cool?

I really think there should be more fun non-alchy drinks out there
because everytime I see a cabinet full of liquor
I just think, "wow. those glass bottles look awesome. I want to celebrate."

tumblr

{image by Caroline West via Poisoned-Apple}

I finally created a tumblr account so that I can keep better track of all the amazing images I find across the web. It's really cool. You can use tumblr as a primary blog or, if you're like me, just use it to collect pretty images and quotes. I think this is going to revolutionize my wedding planning. Right now, I've got the most disorganized folder on my computer filled with random photos. Within the folder are other folders - my attempt at organization. But a lot of things overlap. I'm constantly engaing in the most pointless debates: should I label this 'flowers' or 'centerpieces', 'decor' or 'signage', 'food' or 'display', etc., etc... In the end I'm not sure tumblr is going to really prove more organizational but it is certainly more beautiful. And I can access the images that inspire me the most from just about any computer!

temptations

Neiman Marcus was kind enough to let me know that pre-fall collections are available for purchase online starting today. Of course, as much as I want a pair of these, I just don't think it is going to happen even with first-call discounts.

so...

...my will-be mother-in-law had a dream the other night that I was pregnant. At first I just thought it was funny but, I'll admit, it started to freak me out. Joe, her boyfriend, heard that I'd been a little freaked out by the dream-premonition and decided to help out by leaving a couple of 'baby maps' in my apartment.


umm... isn't it an unspoken rule that pregnancy jokes are not funny?

Happy Mother's Day

I suppose it is ironic that in the photo series L & I made for our mothers I am blatantly ignoring some of my mother's advice: don't slouch. Note to self: Mom was right on this one. Although, given the fact that the wind was blowing my hair across my face in pretty much every photo, the slouching isn't the only issue. Oh well. What the picture lacks in grace we'll make up for later tonight with chocolate cake!

a most marvelous place to be

{photo by me}

One of my favorite things about summer
is spending time at the Tupper lake property
picking fresh raspberries, playing pickleball,
& laying in the sun with my philosopher.

this is love

yesterday Luke made lemon cupcakes all by himself
just for us to share in celebration of our anniversary
covered in sprinkles, they were amazing

I'm going to be an aunt, again!

{a photo of my niece, Emily}

M

y sister Jodi is pregnant with her third child expected sometime late this month. They finally decided on a name and had a funny story to tell about it. As they sat their children down to tell them their soon-to-be little sister's name, my nephew Ben decided it was only fair that he play a part in the naming process. Jodi & John were planning on a "Kate" but by the end of the conversation it was an official "Katie". Way to go Ben.

Ben's enthusiasm with the name is actually a big step too. When he first found out the boy-girl balance in the house would soon be against him he started crying unconsolably. In fact, my sister wasn't able to get him to stop until she'd promised him a hamster.

Of course, as soon as I found out they'll be having another {little girl} I started collecting a few presents to send along as Katie's birth neared. In a lot of ways my gift-gathering was an accidental trial run for etsy - an experiment to see just how talented these crafters really are. There are four especially brilliant artists who I've had the pleasure of supporting:

1. Mama Robot, an artist who silkscreens her images on American Apparel onsies along with a variety of shirts for adults. She also offers the cutest little gift tags featuring reproductions of her art.

2. The PataCakeBaby, a company based in Idaho that sells handmade blankets, wet bags, diaper diddies, onsies, etc...My favorite thing about this shop? They've got a whole line of items in Alexander Henry's "Juicy Jungle" fabric! {I came accross "Juicy Jungle" in my local JoAnne and pretty much wiped them clean. But, my eyes are bigger than my ability in terms of sewing right now...} I went for a diddie and I plan to make a blanket myself in a few weeks... I might make a tee pee or a sleeping bag too for the big sister!

3. Sugar Plumb Tree, based out of California Jenny Plumb creates all sorts of accessories for toddlers and kids. I purchase the cutest pair of leg warmers with felt flower appliques. Even though my sister lives in Texas and the baby will only get to wear them a few times, they were absolutely worth it!

4. Finally, Aurelia & Annalise (now ivory&moss), is a wonderful shop that carries the most amazing handmade shoes for babies. Every order is made custom and styles can be modified to your liking. I really had to control myself in this shop - particularly after I recieved these. Maybe as summer rolls around I'll break down and order a pair of these and these and * maybe even * a pair of these (even though they're meant for boys) for my new niece.

a poem for my lover.

I was going to share a poem I wrote to Luke the summer after we started dating until I realized it is chock-full of 'inside' stories and jokes... so instead I've decided to dedicate a cheezy little poem about love by John Cooper Clark to my lover on day 2 of our 3 year anniversary:

I Wanna Be Yours
by John Cooper Clark

let me be your vacuum cleaner
breathing in your dust
let me be your ford cortina
i will never rust
if you like your coffee hot
let me be your coffee pot
you call the shots
i wanna be yours

let me be your raincoat
for those frequent rainy days
let me be your dreamboat
when you wanna sail away
let me be your teddy bear
take me with you anywhere
i dont care
i wanna be yours

let me be your electric meter
i will not run out
let me be the electric heater
you get cold without
let me be your setting lotion
hold your hair with deep devotion
deep as the deep atlantic ocean
thats how deep is my emotion
deep deep deep deep deep deep
i wanna be yours

don't look...I'm hideous!

I was starting to get really excited
about the formatting on this little blog of mine.
In fact, I thought it was looking pretty good
(especially considering I’m not exactly html-iterate).

Well. Late last night,
I was shaken out of my ignorance and introduced to “web fonts”.
I have learned that I am pretty much
The only person that can actually see my font-astic formatting.

Great.

kitschy or tacky?

my philosopher has voted tacky.
i thought they would be fun.
just imagine: fields and fields of plastic pink flamingos.

thinking about the wedding has revealed a lot about the Mr.
i mean, I knew he didn't exactly have champagne tastes
but as it turns out
he's got a few standards for our celebration decor.

guess these will go into the reject bin.

oh, and I did a little research
and realized my philosopher probably knows best on this one.
apparently "flamingo flocking" is
"the 21st century version of getting toilet papered".

{which, by the way, sounds like so much fun!}
thanks, Houston. you've made my day...if not my wedding.

photo thanks to the Human Flower Project

rainy days are for napping

today is a rainy day in Seattle.

Portland

I recently had the opportunity to visit Portland with my philosopher! Although we were in town for a conference and our ability to explore slightly curtailed, we had an absolute blast.

Our favorite places: the Hotel Deluxe - a gorgeous Hollywood themed hotel with wonderful hospitality and the most comfortable beds I've ever slept in! And yes, I slept in more than one. We had to switch rooms after the first night (long story) but the hotel staff could not have been more helpful. And, to put the icing on the cupcake, they loaned the philosopher and I a dvd player to use with their fancy flat screen t.v.s!



Speaking of cupcakes, my second favorite place is Saint Cupcake, a cute little bakery near our hotel. They were not as tasty as the trophies I enjoy here (a delight you'll no doubt hear more about in the future) but they were good. We ate cupcakes in bed and watched WALLE the night we got in. It was bliss.




Lastly, even though we're not exactly baseball people, we enjoyed our time near Portland's P.G.E Park. There was a Starbucks across the street (the barista had the coolest Jamaican accent!), beautiful tree lined neighborhoods to the North West, and interesting metal masks marking each corner.

New at Etsy

...necklaces from Quixotic.Designs

One Italian-inspired murano, one simply beaded, and, of course, one black onyx & kiwi:

three marvelous years

The fifth and sixth of May are very special days to me
because three years ago, in the limbo hours between
night and day, Luke and I realized without a doubt
we were more than just friends.

Perhaps it was the adventure we had just shared
being lost in our city of Seattle
or maybe it was the thrill of watching Kindergarten Cop
for the second time (in French!) just to postpone saying goodnight.

Whatever it was that led us to that moment,
I'm so happy it did.

Three years later...
I am still madly in love.

Smokin' Hot

As some of you may know, I am in the process
of planning my wedding to the philosopher
and I am happily obsessed with
creating our invitations, stationary, and various ephemera.

That said,it doesn't take a wedding-crazed dreamer
to know that Studio on Fire is fierce.

Check out their latest beast design:

I just love the dinner and thank you cards for this suite!


Other recent creations from the studio include:





and {my favorite yet}




Truth be told, I'll be going in a different direction with my invitations.
But seriously. These sets are so hot they're burning my socks off!

Do Not Do This!

Wardrobe Revival.

Serious spring cleaning happening over here. If you live in the Seattle area, check out craigslist clothing posts!

Really, you'll be glad you did.

More from QuixoticDesigns Jewelry

Just a few more of my designs
featured {here} on etsy.

A couple of necklaces:


And a couple of bracelets:

The Gramercy Park Hotel, or why I need to go on a vaction

There are a number of places that I would like to visit -
a number of hotels and little B&Bs I would like to spend an evening in.

Actually, I keep a list of 'trip ideas' handy
just in case
the opportunity to travel should arise.

Towards the top of the list in the United States, of course, is NYC.
I've been there before and stayed in a really lovely hotel.
But next time I get the chance to go
I think I'll stay {here}.

But they're soooo cool!

I really want one of these.












And one of these.










And maybe one of these.



Aren't these just the coolest things you've ever seen?

even though film is sooo expensive
and
even though photoshop can pretty much achieve the same effects...

I really want a toy camera.