Enjoying

A great new CD

With an awesome video for this song

Get Fat, Be Happy.

For those of you who are not from Central Pennsylvania:

A whoopie pie, sometimes alternatively called a gob, black-and-white, or bob is a baked good traditional to the Pennsylvania Dutch culture as well as New England, made of two small, chocolate, disk-shaped cakes with a sweet, creamy frosting sandwiched between them

Thanks, Wikipedia! Sorry I mentioned whoopie pies a few days ago without describing what they are. I didn't realize that they are a regional thing!

Now, go make these, get fat and be marvelously happy. That's what I've been doing lately. They are best stashed in the fridge. And, don't fear, the thick "hide-the-fat-sweater" weather will soon be upon us. You can worry about your thighs come Summer.

HT: Culinary Creations by Peabody

Sigh.

This coat...... is perfect.

Fall Fashions.

Lately, there is just a bit of a chill in the air, especially in the early morning. This made me want to spend more time on my patio, but all I have is a pair of very cute, but not so comfortable, wooden chairs from IKEA. However, October is not the best time to be searching for furniture. I've found a few loungers left at Target, but they don't quiet match the rest of my outdoor decor. Oh well.

In honor of the awesome fall weather, here are a few outfits I've been craving lately:

Anthropologie

Paul by Paul Smith

Also Loving:
These Pumpkin Whoopie Pies which I made on Monday, and have been eating, rather stealthily, since then. They are wonderful all cold and right-out-of-the-refrigerator, as I prefer them.

Fabulous Fascinators!

Ack! I've been neglecting this poor, little blog! Sadly, my sweet Gram passed away last week, so I've been back and forth to PA for the past few weeks, first visiting her and then going back for the funeral.

Onto happier things. . . maybe it's totally cute Kenley on Project Runway, or this beauty recently featured on Making It Lovely, but I am loving fascinators lately! And, I recently found this awesome tutorial on Burda Style.

And, if you prefer to buy a fascinator rather than attempting to make one, that beautiful blue one above is on sale at Love, Lulu Mae.

"Let There Be . . . Paper Source!"

Folks, the clouds have parted and God has smiled down upon me. Nope, I'm not preggers. But, I have discovered that Charlotte is getting a PAPER SOURCE! Paper Source is my favorite place in the world. I have a weird obsession with them, actually. My wedding invitations were from Paper Source. I love handmade papers and I horde Paper Source's large sheets because it's too precious to make something out of. I mean if I used it, I would have to order more. (And don't get me started on the thrill of seeing the huge cardboard portfolio sitting outside of my door when I order from them.) But, now I don't have to get lost in Georgetown (as I did last month) or Boston (as I did last year) looking for my beloved Paper Source, because there will be one here in Charlotte! And it opens in November!

To celebrate, I might just make something out of the sheets of Japanese paper I've been hording in my office since my trip to the Georgetown Paper Source last month. (FYI- That beautiful Japanese paper above was the cover of my wedding invitations.)

Just So You Know.

This is not nearly as disgusting as I expected it to be. In fact, they are pretty tasty. I have now reached a point in my life where I am eating food from a can.

Home Envy

I am loving the flickr home shots from Bling On My Sewing Machine's Rachel Denbow. I wish Charlotte had better thrift stores, because I am totally envious of all the great finds. You can check out her etsy store, PonyParty, for a great selection of those awesome vintage finds. I wonder how she decides what to sell and what to use in her own home. If it were me, I'd keep it all!

Back to School

In the spirit of this post by midwest modern girl (love your blog!), I thought I would list of few of my favorite back to school items.I love this laptop sleeve by Etsy seller Janine King.

And this lunch kit, from Etsy seller Glue and Glitter, is totally adorable.

And these have been my favorite pens for the past few years.

What are your favorite items for back to school? (Or, if you're a grown-up, back to work.)

Trench Coat Dreams

I saw the new Richard Chai for Target line today and totally fell in love! Everything in the line is adorable, and I love this trench. I have no need for another coat, but this would be adorable with some dark wash trench jeans and flats. And, at less than $45, it's a steal! There are lots of other cute items available. But, like many other GO International lines at Target, they might sell out quickly.

Longer Than Expected!

So, that lull in posting was much longer than expected. My husband and I went to D.C. and Pennsylvania to see friends and family and then we brought my five-year old brother back to Charlotte with us. Wow! I now stand in awe of mothers. Constantly looking after a kiddo is a lot of work. We had a few craft times together, including pottery painting.

I recently got to visit the amazing Mary Jo's nearby. This place is incredible! It's basically just a huge warehouse full of all different fabrics. (Check out the very impressive store right here.) There was an entire wall of trim and another long wall of buttons. You can shop online from their site but, trust me, it's nothing like visiting the store in person. I could've spend hours (and a lot of cash!) there.

While at Mary Jo's, I picked up a few yards of this awesome Amy Butler fabric (for something like $6/yard) and am using it to redecorate my bathroom. My friend and I made a big cornice-like thing to go above the shower out of a huge sheet of foam insulation (less than $10!), some polyester batting and this fabric. I'll be posting pictures soon! I also have to post the "after" pictures of this awesome redecorating project as well.

Oh! And I just discovered that Mary Jo's has a blog, too!

A Short Break

I'm off for a few days. Be back soon!

The Big Picture

Have you discovered the amazing Big Picture blog? The blog, from Boston.com, tells big news stories through photographs. The stunning picture above shows an airtanker dropping fire retardant over a wildfire in California. The blog features amazing photography and is updated about three times a week.

Currently Loving:

The US National Whitewater Center

Hideaway by The Weepies

This great notebook tutorial
from Rachel Simonsen

These quilted postcards from Pink Chalk Studio



What are you loving?

Life Is Beautiful!

Have you ever had one of those days when things just seem to fall into place in a way that is both effortless and beautiful? I'm having a day like that. There are still things that need to be worked out, but I am just pleased with where things are right now for me personally. I guess this is that whole learning-to-be-content thing? Hope you're having a beautiful day!

Studio Tables

I have been lusting after this Pottery Barn project table for pretty much forever. I would love to have this in the studio that I will have some sweet day. However, at over $1000, I thought it was a bit steep. I know it would be super simple to recreate for much less, and look (below) what I discovered today at All Things Pink. A nearly identical copy for about $150! Holly gives great instructions on how to make one of your own. Thanks, Holly! Your studio is adorable!


I also discovered this over at Midwest Modern Girl. An Ikea kitchen island used as a studio table. Also great! I can't wait until the Ikea opens here in Charlotte. It is my favorite store!

The Art is Found

I just discovered this very awesome blog, The Art is Found. The prompts here are really creative and they have totally inspired me to take a second look at my recycling bin, which is my favorite type of crafting. How beautiful is this handmade book?

HT: Amber Ulmer

Dreamin'.

(image from Design*Sponge)

(image from Apartment Therapy)

Lately, I often find myself wishing that I could live in a house, not an apartment. I'm about to renew my lease for another year, and purchasing a house is at least 3 years away, but a girl can dream, right? I want a little patio, like the one above, where I can host charming parties and serve guests on vintage, mismatched china.

So, while I'm dreaming, I thought I would share a few little bits of funky-home eye candy with you all. Happy dreaming!


(image from Design*Sponge)


(image from Apartment Therapy: San Francisco via sfgiflbybay)

Looking Up.

My sweet husband came home this morning with a couple of small goodies for me, including these Martha Stewart Craft paper tags. It was a really small gesture, and could be considered rather insignificant, but it made me feel great. I've been rather down lately, just a lot of things happening, and this morning was kind of bad. I was getting ready for church, and I just felt horrible, so I put my pajamas back on and got back into bed. And my husband was awesome. He let me sleep and washed his car and came home with these and some stickers. And they were just a small thing, but they made me feel very loved.

Head On Over . . .

. . . to Creature Comforts for a very cool blog birthday giveaway! There are some awesome prizes up for grabs!