26.10.08

My Poor Pumpkin

[Illustration by Meomi; pumpkin carving by Mo]

Ok. So my pumpkin did not go as planned. It looks nothing like the original, adorable illustration by Meomi. The fangs look a little like a mustache and the "BITE ME" is not that readable. And how much do I have to carve off of the pumpkin until I achieve a glowing effect? The pumpkin is so thick, I can't imagine how long it would take me to carve it down to a thin enough layer so that the glow of the candle shines through.

I still have one more mini pumpkin, and the back-side of this big one, so my spirit is not entirely lost. But it's always a bit of a bummer when something does not come out the way it looks in my head. Boooooo!

Maybe I should start drafting the blueprints for the gingerbread house I'm going to make for the holidays.
Moo

24.10.08

Becoming an Adult: Organizing My Apt

The Boy and I sit on patio furniture in our dining area. Our bedside tables are those plastic drawer thingies you get at Target. My files are in this red accordion folder, and no, not all my files are in there. Some of them are just shoved into this Illuminations bag from two Christmases ago. We have a walk-in closet but I can barely walk into it.

Needless to say, I'm in my mid-twenties and I think I need to graduate from the plastic drawer thingies and copious amounts of stuff that fall into the "at one point I really loved this and now I do not use it" category.

I'm sure once I clean everything up my cat will be really sad. She hides behind all of the stuff we pile up and pretends she's living in a jungle.

I'm inspired by this post and this one about closet organization from one of my new favorite blogs, What I Wore. Every morning, Jessica of What I Wore takes a picture of her outfit, and every outfit is so so cute! What I like best is that Jessica writes where each piece came from, and a lot of times they are from places that are accessible to poor broke me, like Target and H&M. It's a good place to steal ideas and think about what I should keep or ditch in my wardrobe. But first I have to get rid of the plastic drawer thingies.

[Image of scarves by Jessica Schroeder at What I Wore]
Moo

22.10.08

Jennifer Murphy's Bunnies



[All images from Jennifer Murphy's website and Etsy shop]

Poking around Etsy, I found Jennifer Murphy's shop and these ADORABLE bunnies! I love all of the details on the bride bunny, especially her little lace dress and flower pin. She also has an entire gallery of different critters on her website. Bears, bunnies, ducks, mice, elephants...you name the animal, she's made a plush version of it.

But I'm a sucker for the bunnies. They are the cutest.

**Update: Design Sponge and Once Wed already posted about Jennifer last month. I knew those bunnies were too cute! You can even see a "How-to" on Once Wed and Martha Stewart! Now I'm really excited to try and make one myself:

Design Sponge, Jennifer Murphy's Cake Toppers
Once Wed, Jennifer Murphy How-To
Martha Stewart, Pom-Pom Bunny
Moo

20.10.08

This Makes Me Smile

[Caption from the New York Times: Luis Soriano, a teacher from La Gloria, Colombia, traveled to the village of El Brasil with his Biblioburro on Oct. 11. The donkeys are named Alfa and Beto. Photo by Scott Dalton for The New York Times]

This article from the New York Times makes me feel all warm and fuzzy. Yay for biblioburros!!

Don't forget to check out the photo slide show too. Gotta love the multimedia features on nytimes.com.
Moo

14.10.08

Haru's Kind Hearts


[Images from Haru's Etsy shop, "Kind Hearts Paper Wreath"]

Egads! This is gorgeous. I'm stunned by that close-up shot. For more eye candy, go here.
Moo

12.10.08

I Found a Pumpkin.

[Mo and pumpkin, Valley Center, CA]

I found a pumpkin. Now I just need to channel my inner-Martha. Will update with photos. Wish me luck.

Anyone else have big plans for their pumpkin?
Moo

Pop-Up Advent Calendar


[Eric Carle's Dream Snow Pop-Up Advent Calendar, from Chronicle Books]

I want this. I know, I want a lot of things, but this I might actually get. I know that the gif here is super crappy, but you can kind of see the awesome paper engineering on this calendar. Who cares about flat hang-me-on-the-wall advent calendars when you can have a POP-UP tree AND a POP-UP Santa.

I am also a big fan of Eric Carle and have been wanting to go to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. I unfortunately do not know anyone that lives in Amherst, and can therefore not justify the trip just to go to the museum. Sigh. Perhaps one day I will find myself in Massachusetts and will make time to go.
Moo

5.10.08

Happy 6 Years

[Silliness at the Louvre, circa May 2007]

Today marks the 6 year anniversary of us as a couple. Sometimes, I stop and think about how it feels like just yesterday. But really, when I flashback through all 6 years, reality tells me, wow, a lot has changed since 2002. You used to own four pairs of black loafers and not pluck your eyebrows. A LOT has changed.

The Scene: Friday the 13th, Wheeler Hall Auditorium, the University of California, Berkeley

I was sick. We're talking "I have pink eye and I am sneezing everywhere and I just saw the doctor please don't touch me" kind of sick. It was my second year at Berkeley, and I was, like I was for most of my late teens and early twenties, really moody and dramatic. It was Friday night, and after complaining to my friend about how miserable I felt, he suggested I join him and his friends to watch Evil Dead II on campus. It was, of course, Friday the 13th, so it was a nice night to watch Bruce Campbell spray tons of blood everywhere. So I went, with hopes that it'd lift my spirits after having a not so spectacular day/week/month/year. I even remember what I wore: a green zip up cardigan, jeans, and *drum roll please* black loafers. I was also wearing my Buddy Holly/Weezer glasses because like I mentioned earlier, I had pink eye.

For those of you who do not know what Evil Dead II, Bruce Campbell, or zombies are, please click here.

Because we're all geeks, we wanted the BEST SEATS EVER so we got to the auditorium really, really early. Since I've spent plenty of time in movie lines (Harry Potter and Star Wars, cough cough,) and concert lines (too many to list here,) I was pretty content sitting on the steps and chatting. We would be chatting for at least an hour. Maybe two. Maybe three? I don't remember this part very well.

A little while after we got there, two guys were walking through the lobby, and came over to us. One of them started talking to my friend, because they knew each other from a class.

And the other one just stood there, sort of blankly looking at all of us and looking mildly bored. He had a clean-cut look and was wearing a fleece jacket, and when I got a closer look at his round face, I noticed he had a small dimple on his cheek. "Hi--what's your name?" I said really, really loudly, because when I'm curious about people I want to get to know, I find the need to act really, really interested.

He looked down at me (I was sitting on the steps, he was standing,) and said, in quite possibly the most adorable voice ever, "Hi. I'm K----. What's your name?" He reached out to shake my hand, and I reached out mine, and then quickly jerked it back and exclaimed "OH! Wait! I shouldn't shake your hand, I have pink eye!"

Did I mention I'm a really awkward person?

He looked a little confused but sort of mumbled, "Oh, um, okay. What was your name again?"
I yelled out my name, which, by the way, always trips people up, and he leaned down, and said "Sorry, could you repeat that?" At which point I started listing things my name rhymed with. I'm a charmer, aren't I?

We probably only talked on those steps for 20 minutes, but I could immediately tell there was something different about this boy. I hadn't met many people who could come close to how gentle and soft spoken he was, and while we were talking, I could tell he was actually paying attention to what I was saying and actually processing it--unlike some vapid conversations you have at really boring parties, and you know exactly what I mean.

He also kept leaning down to hear what I was saying, which I thought was adorable, just like his dimple. He walked out of the auditorium, and the only thing I knew was his first name. But when I went back home that night, all I could talk about was the boy I met that night at Evil Dead II. In order to mask my own interest in him, I told my cousin, "I found the perfect boy for you" just as excuse to keep talking about him. She doesn't hold it against me today. ;)

Happy 6 years, K---we've come a long way.
Moo

4.10.08

Help Dress Me


[Irish Lace Cowlneck Dress by Free People; Gold slip by Free People; Suede boots by Rampage]

I bought this dress a few weeks ago. It fits well and I felt super pretty in the store, so I bought it.

And then I got home, tried it on for the Boy, who then said, "cool, you know I can see your underwear right?", at which point I looked down and thought "oh shit". How did I not realize this in the store?? Why in the world is this dress see-through??

Now I'm on the hunt for a cool top (or fun slip--I love that gold one!) I can wear underneath so I don't flash everyone I know. I'll have to pull on some opaque black tights too. I am also on the hunt for a pair of gray boots.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be appreciative. Thank you.

While you're at it, check out the Free People blog because it is pretty and has fun stuff on it: http://blog.freepeople.com/
Moo

I Heart Pumpkins




[Glitter pumpkins; Lace-patterned pumpkins; Pumpkin bird feeder; all from marthastewart.com]

Oh boy. I LOVE pumpkin carving and pumpkin patches. I think decorating the pumpkins and coming up with a design is so much fun. Last year was my first year in San Diego, and since San Diego doesn't really know what fall is, it didn't even occur to me to visit a pumpkin patch.

But this year, I'm going to pretend that I live somewhere that gets below 75 degrees and has fall foliage, and I'm driving out to Bates Nut Farm, where I plan to pick out a few orange beauties to experiment with. Of course I'm looking to Martha Stewart, the holiday guru, for some inspiration.

I can't wait to get my carving tools out and scoop out some pumpkin gutts. So excited.
Moo
 

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