Sisters

Yin and yang, Sissy and me (left). Don't let those darling matching jackets, feather festooned cowgirl hats nor those sweet little grins fool you. We really could be rotten when we wanted to be. Well. She more than I. Or perhaps I was just better at not being caught :)

The Value of My Dollar {Pt. 1}

Lately, I've been really thinking about shopping (OK, to be fair, I always think about shopping) but the difference lately is that I am consciously considering not only how much I pay for items, but the businesses (specifically) and industries (generally) I choose to support through my purchases and the ratio of price versus value (or how much "bang for my buck" an item has.)

For me, the biggest consideration as a patron is service. I don't care where I am, what they sell or how much it costs, I expect an almost unattainable level of service. For a very long while, I was in the customer service industry - from retail sales to IT call center service quality management for a very popular computer vendor. Though graphic design doesn't scream "customer service job", any successful designer will tell you how critical it is to understand your customers and consistently follow-through with a professional service experience. When it comes to spending my extra pesos on something, I want to make sure I feel good about it. The last thing I want to do is walk away, thinking I just gave my business to someone ill-deserving. Sure, I may give you another chance if my first experience is meh, but that's it. And here's a PSA for all managers and business owners: We are judging you on the quality of the people you hire. With Ohio's unemployment rate at just over 10%, there is no excuse to settle for arrogant, snotty people who make your patrons feel as if they are a nuisance to their day. Very qualified, fantastic, motivated, talented people need jobs, too. Sometimes, we even want to get out of our field and start selling used books. Give us a chance! Set the bar high. Very high. You will not be disappointed and neither will we.

Now onto my most recent, seemingly unnecessary purchase:

Enter Exhibit 1: Full Price with a Perk

I love my TOMS Shoes and D. loves his a whole heaping ton. Did I need another pair of shoes? Not really. Did I want them? Abso-friggen-lutely. Will I wear them until they fall apart? High probability. How's the quality? Tops. The service? Well, it was online and the shipping took a bit longer than I had wanted, but the intrinsic value of the 'one for one' (buy one pair, donate another pair to a child in need) more than makes up for it. I tried to buy mine locally at Tigertree, but alas, they didn't have my size or my flavor.) They are cute, match just about everything in my closet and make a great shoe to travel in. Is all of that worth my $45? To me, it was, not merely at face value, but when taking into account all of those factors.

TOMS Shoes Twins

Am I alone here, or do you feel better about paying full price if you know that there is a vote of "good will" tacked on? The way I look at it is this" I spent $22.50 on a new pair of shoes and bought a pair for a needy kid for $22.50. That's win-win to me, folks.

Memorial Weekend Recap

Sorry for the delay in posting all about how are Memorial Weekend went, but I had a print deadline at work that kept me away from the fun stuff :)

Without further ado...the weekend.

I finished putting together my new Expedit shelves from Ikea...and all my records now have happy little cubbies to live in! Now that I have so much room for records and books, I'm going to have to be veeeery careful not to go crazy buying more (though that will be a big challenge, coming into auction season!)

We hit the track (harness horse racing) and I won $8.40! Lost another $15, but still...

We poked around our favorite garden center and bought lots of flowers and veggies to plant.

We planted bi-colored marigolds in the front flower boxes, green bell peppers, orange bell peppers and pumpkins (even though the squirrels *always* dig them up, D. insists on pumpkins) in our edible garden area and three little orange impatiens in blue ceramic jars for my office. Alas, no tomatoes this year...after two years of squirrels pilfering every last one, we decided it made more sense to stick with peppers and trade Mr. & Mrs. for tomatoes!

Hit the Asian Festival at Franklin Park for the very first time. Though the heat was sweltering, the food was tasty! We were even interviewed -- I think they liked my chopsticks skills :)

There's so much more, but those were the big highlights. Oh, we ate well, too...dined on everything from Okinawan noodles to Future Bro-in-law's smoked pork shoulder, pistacio Jeni's ice cream and Tastefully Simple trail mix bars with Damson Plum jam.

Here's a big THANK YOU to all the veterans out there for your honor, hard work, courage and dedication. My hat will always be off to you all and my hand outstretched to thank you and welcome you home.

Plarn & Free Crochet Tote Pattern

Now those plastic grocery bags can hold more than kitty litter...
{Courtesy kseNYA @ Etsy}

I learned something new today and that something is plarn (aka plastic+yarn). Here's the haps:

Plarn is a yarn of sorts that is created by cutting plastic grocery store bags into strips and knotting them together in such a way that creates a continuous length, which is perfect for crocheting together.

I am enthralled. Why hadn't I thought of that?! I just discovered myrecycledbags.com and the instructions for making plarn. Thanks to Etsy Labs, I knew about fusing together plastic bags to make a fabric, but plastic yarn? Really, I think I'm in love. Durable, repurposed plastic crocheted net bags are perfect for so many things -- the beach, the market, the library, everyday shopper-style carry-alls for work...this DIY project is added right smack dab at the top of my DIY To-Do list (right behind the wedding projects, of course!)



Want a ton o' inspiration? Check out the Knit and Crochet with Plastic Bags Flickr group.

Hey fellow 'hookers' (or crocheters, if you prefer), here's a link to her free pattern for the 8" handled shopping bag: THANK YOU, CINDY @ myrecycledbags.com!

{Courtesy myrecycledbags.com}

Makool Loves Me

And I love Makool. I came across them on Chelsea's blog {frolic!}. Swoon-worthy, if I do say so myself. These pieces make my heart smile.

{Freebie Friday} Fontaliciousness!

I don't know about you, but I love a good font (and boy do I hate Papyrus...but that's another post altogether.) Without further ado, I bring you a few really snazzy free fonts, courtesy House of Lime! I threw in a couple Art Deco, vintage-y fonts, too, for good measure. How couldn't I love a font called Big Lou? It was not to be missed! Looks pretty perfect with the Art Deco Motif dings, too, wouldn't you say?

And because Lime is generous enough to share and we want to show our appreciation, I ask that you please abide by the terms of use posted on their website.

Who knew they had my heart (literally)?

Buttons, buttons, who's got the buttons?

Snappy Retro Elite

Mr. Big Lou
And the Art Deco Dings

Wink

It's been awhile since I posted about Wink the Cat and I caught her being completely cute the other day, sprawling out in the sunshine. As I mentioned in a previous post, Wink was diagnosed as having Psycogenic Alopecia...in layman's terms, she's crazy and obsessively overgrooms herself to the point of baldness. I was saddened by this because, although completely rotten, she's very pretty and her big bald spots on both of her sides were doing her no justice.

Long story short, we tried giving her her kitty Prozac meds for awhile, but she seemed so miserable, always laying about and missing her quirkiness. And it didn't stop her from overgrooming. Essentially, she was bald and more unhappy than she was before and we didn't like that one bit. That was the end of the medication. We were OK with her being bald, but we didn't want our aging kitty to be unhappy.

Well, the good news is she's happier (and nicer) than she's ever been, not so afraid of strangers and is letting her fur grow back (as you can see from the photo above)! The bad news is the tops of her ears are now bald...What a little weirdo.

Where My Hose At?

Sometimes I don't have to go far to forget I live in the city. Check out all of the little trees growing along the fence. We get so many growing in the yard that we have to pull them like weeds. Last year, Mr. M. tried to transplant them at mom's, but alas, their roots are too shallow and zero of 30-ish survived the move.

My own secret garden.

Lilac Love

A bit of pretty snipped from my mom's garden on Sunday.

A Little Blue

Don't worry about me...I'm feeling peachy. It's my office that's looking a little blue :) Oh yes, the first big step to home office bliss was taken over the weekend and I could literally squeal I'm so happy.

Initially, I had plans to go out-of-town for the weekend, but they had fallen through. D. suggested we go to pick up paint in the shade I wanted and I thought it was a grand idea, so on Friday, we popped over to Sherwin Williams, and with Aviary Blue for the win, we came home with a gallon and set to edging out the room. After a bit, we were right at that crossroads of "keep going and skip dinner" or "eat something and finish later." We opted for the latter, cleaned up, went to dinner and he treated me to a movie (Angels & Demons...I liked it. I'd give it a B+). What a great night!

So...onto the rest of the weekend. As I mentioned, the out-of-town plans fell through, so my mom treated my sister and I to the *perfect* girls' day out on Saturday, with massages, a great lunch and window shopping in Grandview and the Short North. Now. Do you suppose D. waited for me to get home to help finish my office painting? Nope. The man painted the entire room by himself as a surprise. Can you believe that?! I am over the moon, seriously.

Oh no, that's not it. To make it even more spectacular, on Sunday, we made a trip down to Ikea and bought two new shelves and four baskets for my office (and dined on Swedish Meatballs and lignonberries, too, of course.)

And here I sit. Office in complete disarray, but my computer plugged in nonetheless. D. to be home in a half hour. The potato casserole I made to donate to my church's homeless shelter dinner cooling on the counter. The sun in shining. You can hardly begin to understand how much I needed a weekend like that. I feel renewed of spirit and this office makes me feel creative again. Isn't it amazing what a coat of paint can do for a person?

Here's a sneak peek -- pardon the mess and the seriously horrible desk and plastic drawers. One does what what must :)

I can't wait to put together my new shelving! This room is finally not going to embarrass me!

A Tisket, A Tasket

{Courtesy Brides, Martha Stewart, The Knot and a few others I've forgotten. Oops}

I had my first meeting with a florist on Wednesday and it went smashingly. I really enjoyed her company, too...In much the same fashion as my other favorite vendor meetings, this one lasted two hours and we chatted about a lot more than roses and ranunculuses (ranunculi?) Very soon I shall be receiving her rough estimate for everything I asked for (the overestimation, if you will) and each category (bridal bouquet, other bouquets, corsages, table flowers, altar flowers, yadda yadda) will have broken-down pricing so I can really see what trouble I may be getting us into.

That's the thing about the wedding flowers, though...Wedding flowers just aren't my thing apparently, even though I absolutely adore flowers. Strange how every bride chooses to obsess over one element or another during the planning process. Personally, I think we each pick something to fixate upon so we don't go completely bonkers. Or maybe that's just me :) No. I'm pretty convinced this is par for the course.

Another thing that makes flowers a bit trickier? I don't know how to articulate what I want or how to explain my vision (oh no, my inner artiste is speaking again.) I'd like a warm yellow to be invited. And perhaps to have flitty ribbons involved. I care way more about the overall aesthetic they present...size, texture, color. They could all be carnations for all I care (because I love them, thankyouverymuch). Maybe some fruit in the table flowers. Why not? Fruit is cheap, beautiful and different...the more I think about it, the more I like that idea. Just a little pear or bunch of grapes or something. Could be very nice.

But that's if I go with a pro. Of course, I'm a DIY masochist and have already taken on entirely more than I should, but I enjoy it and, well, I simply cannot be reigned in. Mom says doing all of my own flowers is completely insane. I tend to agree. The bouquets most definitely will be done by a florist. But what about everything else? Seriously, how hard could it be to make a boutonniere? I know I can make pomanders because I made these fab-o topiaries for my dining table (photo below.) And bulk flowers via the interwebs are just sooo affordable. Please, someone, talk me out of taking on yet another DIY project, ASAP!


Ah, choices.

Wait a Minute, Mister Postman

Lately, I've been on a slight online shopping frenzy and my nice postman keeps showing up with glorious little bundles of happiness. I forgot how grand it felt to get things other than credit card offers or other junk mail (Did I mention how fantastic online bill pay is? It's a MUST.)


Just yesterday, I got the coolest little old Swingline stapler (Made in the USA). I like that it came from Minneapolis Public Schools. That's so...random :) Oh yes, even with shipping, it came to less than the piece o' plastic version (Made in China) that I bought from CVS (and never opened...it's getting returned this week.) Go go eBay!
Other bits of fun to arrive recently: my TOMS (though I had to reorder as these are a half-size too snug), a darling white and black stripey sweater from Old Navy (petite AND on sale), my last two "wedding" vases (that makes 9!) and a minty-condition, out-of-print vinyl LP (though I'll not divulge the title, as it's complete pop trash from the 80s and it would be a poor representation of my musical tastes.) The reason for my enthusiasm for that particular purchase, you ask? It's replacing one that was "borrowed" and never returned back in college. (Take THAT vinyl thief! And for only ten bucks. Good times.)

The one thing I am most eager to receive hasn't yet arrived, though, and I'm getting a little nervous. I bit the bullet and bought some fantastically perfect stamps for our vintage-inspired Save the Date postcards. It is almost painful not having posted photos of that project yet, but you won't see them until most people have received them. I couldn't ruin the surprise for them, now could I?

The Start of the Second Half

It's official today...six more months until the wedding! It's hard to believe that time has gone by as quickly as it has. This summer will go by even more quickly, with parties and showers, home improvements, career building and wedding DIY projects galore, I only hope I can slow down long enough to keep my head on straight and find a happy balance between being challenged in a way to promote growth and completely losing my cool. Lately, I feel a lot more lost than feeling anything even loosely resembling enlightenment. Actually, lately I've been feeling a little down. Maybe it's the stress I feel I've been under recently finally catching up? You can only outrun it for so long...

So, on this monumental of days, a half year away from beginning my new life with D., I'm making these next 6 months all about me and my mission to become a grounded, peaceful person so I can bring the best version of myself into my marriage. D. deserves that more than anything. He puts up with a lot that I dish out and it isn't always fair to him to be my catch-all for my rants. And furthermore, I deserve to be happy. Don't we all?

Now's the time. I'm going to lose fear and just do whatever it takes to find happiness, inner peace and a sense of purpose. No more excuses. I'm going to try very hard not to worry so much. I'm going to smile more, eat better, sleep more soundly, reduce stress and get fit (all in baby steps, of course...I'm not working miracles over here!) I'll do good deeds for others whenever I can. For the first time in a long time, I'll work on me first and making these things my priority.

Is anyone else out there feeling like they need to have a NYE resolution revolution? I know I haven't come close to fulfilling mine ("Get myself together and do what makes me happy." Easier said than done.) I think it's time to dust off my party hat, break out the noise makers and start over. Reset button, consider yourself pushed.

Eye Candy: Pearls & Ribbon Necklace

I have found accessory love in the form of a Lanvin pearls and satin ribbon necklace.

{Courtesy TeamSugar}

{Courtesy Fashions.sc}

Sarah Michelle Gellar looks stunning in this vintage Chloe stacked, pleated dress paired with that nacklace, too, if I do say so myself. This could be The Official Rehearsal Dinner look-for-less?

I'll Take Biddlesden Park for £20,000,000...

Seriously. I can't even get over the fact that homes estates like this are still standing, let alone available for sale on the Internet! Amazing. Almost unworldly. Like living inside Pride & Prejudice, but minus the corsets. Sign me up! And mom, if you're reading this...yes, I think I could spare a room or 5 for you :)

Oh geez. It comes with an indoor pool, too. Why do I even torture myself like this?!

{Buy It Now...and invite me over!}

Want more? Here's the history:

Biddlesden is a village in north west Buckinghamshire, on the border with Northamptonshire. It is situated about 3 miles to the north east of Brackley and five miles north west of Buckingham. The River Ouse forms part of the western boundary of the parish and the ancient royal forest of Whittlewood extended to the northern border of the village. The village name is Anglo-Saxon and means either house in a valley or Byttel's valley. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the village was recorded as Betesdene. In the early medieval period, Biddlesden was the site of an important Cistercian abbey, founded in 1147 by Ernald de Bosco. The abbey was seized by King Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Although the abbey continued after this time as living accommodation for those in favour with the monarch the building wasn't maintained thoroughly and fell into disrepair. By the 18th century the abbey was in ruins and was finally demolished in 1727. The house of Biddlesden Park was built on the site of the abbey and small remains of the abbey can still be seen in the gardens today. Biddlesden Park is an archetypical English Country estate with a grand Georgian country house, farmhouse, lodge cottages, coach house, farmland, woodland, lakes and parkland. The house is listed Grade II* and retains many original features including plaster work, wood panelling, door and window casing etc. The current owner extensively refurbished the house when it was purchased in the 1980's including re-plumbing, re-wiring and re-roofing. Steel trusses were added to the 2nd floor to create more ceiling height and rooms were created with stud walling, so the 2nd floor offers the opportunity to completely re-model the accommodation and layout, subject to listed building consent.

In Another Life...

{Courtesy: Flickr}

In another life, I must've been a shepherd because very few things make me smile and pause to marvel quite the way black-faced sheep do. There's a farm near my mom's house with those same sheep, a few Alpaca and some other assorted hoofed friends and I look for them every time I pass by. When I'm lucky enough to catch a fleeting glimpse from the car window, I instantly dream of a day where D. and live in an ancient English farm house, the sky pale blue-grey and the air crisp, where Wellies and corduroy replace peep-toes and pearls. Where ruddy-faced tots pick Queene Anne's Lace and there's always a pie to be baked or a farmer's market to attend.

Last year, for a brief time, the sheep were gone. This made me strangely sad. I confessed this to mom not long after and she told me that her DH (Mr. M.) had noticed their absence and felt the same way I did. That made me feel a little better. Maybe sometimes it helps just to know there's one other person in the world who'd miss seeing sheep the same way you do.

On the way to mom's Tres de Mayo party just the other day, I saw the sheep are back. There they were, grazing and lazing away. I forgot to mention it to Mr. M, but I bet he noticed, too.

Chocolate Strawberries and Dirt

Leave it to The Small Object to perfect perfection. Chocolate-dipped strawberries with a bit of chocolate shavings "dirt" may have to make an appearance in my world very shortly.

I've always wanted to visit Circle S Farm to pick strawberries...

Leave it to chocolate and a great photo to become my motivation to make it happen :)

{Courtesy: The Small Object}

One For One & A Cool Local Event

Mine: Natural Canvas. {Courtesy: TOMS Shoes}

I did it. I finally got some TOMS. Perfect addition to the summer wardrobe, I can wear them in Jamaica for our honeymoon in November, not to mention a rockin' company philosophy that is hard not to subscribe to - for every pair purchased, a pair is donated to a child in need. One for one. That's just way cool.

Yay, TOMS!

White Canvas, Yellow University, Burlap {Courtesy: TOMS Shoes}

For all you hep townies, here's an upcoming event not to be missed. Break out those TOMS and hit the pavement:

{Checki-Check It Out}

Way to represent, Tigertree. BIG fan.

Recipe: Chicken Fajitas

We love some authentic Mexican cuisine in our house. For 5 weeks straight, D. and I had Saturday lunch over at our fav spot Cuco's. Not exactly good for the weight loss OR the wallet, right? So when D. found this recipe and it's so easy and amazingly delicious I've developed an almost unhealthy obsession with eating these fajitas.

Don't look for any degree of authenticity here, kids. It's just a palette pleaser. Trust me.

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Ingredients:
1 green pepper - sliced julienne
1 red pepper - slieced julienne
1 white onion - sliced julienne
1 sm. package mushrooms - sliced
chicken breast - cut into strips
1 package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
10 12" tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)
salsa (optional)

Directions:

Cut peppers and onion into long, thin strips. Cut mushrooms into slices. Saute peppers and onion in a little oil until tender. Add mushrooms and chicken. Continue to cook on low-med heat until cooked through. Stir in dry salad dressing mix until thoroughly blended. Warm tortillas and roll mixture inside. Very good with a little sour cream and shredded sharp cheddar!

An Ode to Jeni and Her Splendid Ice Creams

{Courtesy Salty Caramel - Jeni's Splendid Blog}

Jeni, oh Jeni, the queen of ice cream
always worthy of rave.
From Kona to cardamom, all flavors a dream,
though Salty Caramel's my fave.
Thai Chili, vanilla or Strawberry Rose,
It doesn't stop there.
Brioche with butter and black currant, too.
Something only your craving knows
or if your taste buds will dare.
"Ice Cream!," they scream, we all scream for you.


{Courtesy cnn.com}

One of these days...

{UPDATE}

I am good. Real good :)

------------------------

I'm going to figure out how to Twitter my blog. I'd like to set it up so people can subscribe via Twitter but it's making my brain hurt. Any ideas? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

I'm all Googled out.

{Bombshell Beauty} Hints from Heloise

I've always been a huge fan of Heloise, with all of her hints saving me money, time, energy and follow "green" philosophies more often than not.

This month, I wanted to share with you some Hints from Heloise that I love and hope they translate into keeping us the fab-b Bombshells that I know we are!

Problem: Stains...particularly blood stains. Sorry, gents. This has been a problem for us ladies at one time or another at least once in our lives. I'm all for Mother Nature blessing me with working plumbing, so to speak, but I'd sure like it to not do so all over my clothes.

Solution: For clothes that you launder, soaking the bloodstained garment in cold water for about 30 minutes will usually remove it. However, if stains are visible, mix a bit of water with unseasoned meat tenderizer (which breaks down the protein in the blood) and apply to the area. If the garment can’t be laundered at home, take it to the dry cleaner right away and identify the stain. Let the professionals save the clothing.

Problem: Split ends.
Solution: Try a secret of the stars....castor oil on hair ends after drying can help smooth split ends.

Problem: Stinky car.
Solution: Place a few drops of your favorite essential oil on a cotton ball and place it in your car trash bag or in the ashtrays.

Problem: Weak, brittle nails.
Solution: Put decolorized iodine on the tips of your nails every night for one week, then once a week or less often just to maintain hardness.

Other helpful hints, tricks & formulas:

Milk Bath Soak: Pour a cup or more of powdered milk under running bath water. The lactic acid in the milk will remove dry dead skin and leave you baby soft. Powered milk is quite reasonably priced compared to those expensive bath oils and soaks. Just add a drop or two of some scented oil if you want a really dreamy bath!


Puffy Eyes: Preparation H was used by beauty pageant contestants, put under the eyes takes down puffiness due to the anti-flammatory ingredients, dermatolgists don't necessarily recommend this home remedy but admit it isn't likely to do any harm. Preparation H also contains: shark liver oil ( a highly regarded moisturizer); a yeast extract (some believe, promotes the growth of new skin cells and creating firmer skin).

Healthy, Fresh Hair:Grandma’s hair always smelled great and had a wonderful shine. Her secret trick for healthy hair was a Rosemary rinse. Grandma would pick about 1/4 cup of fresh Rosemary and pour 1 cup of boiling water over it. She would let it sit for about three minutes and then she would strain off the water and use it as a rinse on her freshly shampooed hair. Grandma’s rinse works best on brown or auburn hair.