unruly-things

I've wanted an apron for some time now, and I think I've found the perfect one! the problem in the hunt was that I couldn't find one that was full length and super cute. most of the aprons I found were either ugly or only half ones, like little skirts. I don't know about you, but when I'm cooking, I get stuff on my shirt, not on my pants. this one is from Anthropologie {of course} and I really like it. now, the only other dilemma is, being white, will I stain it all up from my messy cooking?

one of my birthday gifts from my mom was a Pier One gift certificate. I don't usually do much shopping at Pier One, but I needed a new lamp, and I wanted a sake set! the lamp is awesome and looks gorgeous in the apartment. last night we ordered take out sushi and bought a bottle of nigori sake, which was excellent, and had a nice dinner and a movie in. of course I got tired and fell asleep during the movie, but that just means we have something to watch tonight! but the sushi was great and the new sake set is fun!

while birthday card shopping yesterday, I came across this adorable collection of greeting cards at yellow bird greetings. I'm in love with the pattern and color. most designs are embellished with a tiny Swarovski crystals with an extra kick.

I love doing special things for special people. and I love keeping secrets and not spoiling the surprise. eek!

here's a hint: three things the surprise will be, one is delightful and serene.

this is one of my favorite things about our apartment. this is on the door that goes into the walk-in closet/bathroom area. the building that we live in was built in the 1920's. it's interesting to me to think of all the people that have been in the building, or spirits that might be still. I wonder if anyone has keys to these doors. they are so old, and painted over numerous times, that I'm sure the keys would not work. but still, it makes me curious. other interesting things about our apartment are the painted shut windows in the bathroom, the door at the end of the kitchen, that until I forced it open one night, did not open, the shifts in the foundation which have left our kitchen totally slanted, and the mysterious 4th floor door.

oh Gasparilla....how I love thee? Gasparilla is basically the invasion of pirates into Tampa Bay, after they kidnap the mayor and steal the key to the city, they pillage the streets throwing beads and shooting cannons. it was a fun time yesterday! we had some people over for breakfast yesterday morning. we had yummy mimosas, eggs, bacon, and sausage, aka the breakfast of champions. then we met up with some other friends and walked to the parade. we were able to find a good spot to catch beads. my boyfriend caught lots!! he had fun for his first Gasparilla experience. everything was great except for the headache at 9:30 last night.

mmmmmmmmm...... this is what he slaved over all day today. my delicious red velvet birthday cake!!! it is so wonderful. I expecially loved the happy birthday candles. they were an added bonus. not only is my boyfriend the best boyfriend ever, but he bakes!! {in a rugged way}
I love you babe, and thanks to everyone who made my birthday special. each of you did it in your own way, and I appreciate everything.

this is a picture of me, 21 years ago, on my 4th birthday. I loved that dress. my grandmother made it for me. I look so eager for the cake!! some things never change. happy 25th birthday to me!

while doing my standard blog reading, I came across this cute blog called How About Orange, by graphic designer Jessica Jones. her most recent post was for really cute ways to dress up tea bags. I love it! too bad I don't seem to have time for my own crafts these days, or I would try to make a few myself.

I saw a couch covered in a gorgeous geometric fabric in the recent issue of Domino. designer Lulu de Kwiatkowski, of Lulu DK, creatively merges the artistry and craftsmanship of the old world and the youthful modernity of the new. her style is inspired by her travels in India, Morocco, Italy, and Peru. I love the geometric prints and bright colors.

I should be taking lessons from my kitten. I wish I could be asleep at my desk right now.

here are a few things I've been lusting over for the past couple of months.
01. bedding from West Elm.
02. shoes by Keds.
03. kate spade mattie sunglasses in brown horn.
04. Domnino Magazine.
05. dappled wine glasses from Anthropologie.
06. baby Daffodils.

through my browsing of Domino magazine, which has quickly become one of my favorites, I fell in love with an article about fashion illustration. as I was looking through the illustrations, I came across an artist named Alyson Fox, a graduate from Florida State Univeristy, who has very simple yet unique illustrations. her work is very lovely! {and, it's always nice to see someone spelling their name with a Y.}
{all images from Alyson Fox}

here is moose's best "where's waldo" impression.

literally. fireworks can be so romantic and yet so intriguing at the same time. saturday night, we lay in bed and watched the fireworks display that was down on bayshore. it was such an interesting experience to watch the fireworks from our own home. it was like a personal show. a front seat viewing! and I was with the most amazing person ever. :)

ya know, I just wanted to say, I'm having such a good day today, that I just got up, jumped around, did a little dance, twirled and sang a song, to myself of course. nobody better rain on my parade!!

{could it be because my birthday is this Friday? or could it be that Gasparilla is on Saturday.....}

01. I love yellow dresses. image from Anthropologie.
02. cute flips!! these kate spade flip flops are adorable. I need some new flip flops, but yellow is totally unpractical, though way cute for summer.
03. image from Bath and Body Works.
04. stock photo from our sources at work.

I found this gorgeous dresser in this month's issue of Domino magazine and decided to check out the company website. Mothology has a unique combination of vintage-inspired decorative objects and furnishings for the well-traveled home. I love the subtle detailing of the linens and glassware.

even more reason to love Google. I've now figured out how people can subscribe to my blog! and, if you have your personalized Google homepage, you can squeeze me in on there! pretty neat and very exciting for me.

{secretly, I think I'm so cool...}

everyday, it seems, that I find more and more reasons why I love him so much. today, I determined something that we could spend forever learning more of, and it made me happy to think of forever. I love him with my entire heart, which is overflowing I've got so much love in it.

I have been wanting a sake set for awhile now. I found these really nice sets online after doing a Google search tonight. he wants the bodum set in the top left picture. I like the set from Pottery Barn, which is the simple white set in the bottom right. the other two are from the Kitchen Store.

this is my new desktop photo! courtesy of my incredibly adorably sweet boyfriend. thanks for taking pictures babe!
{yea yea, earlier it was my desktop from work. but who wants to taint their pretty blog with PC pictures? hehe}

I bought these flowers the other day at Fresh Market. moose loves flowers.

{my boyfriend took this picture. thanks babe!}

I've been on an interesting food kick lately. well, maybe interesting isn't the correct word. but I've been on a food kick. I was super excited to see these rainbow-hued pastas in the new Country Living magazine. from The Pasta Catalog, these little treats are colored with spinach, beets, saffron, tomatoes and red peppers. I love them!

why is it, that now that I'm not eating any sugar, I keep finding images of yummy looking treats? go figure. Real Simple has a photo gallery on their site where you can see past covers and other neat things. I found this lovely image of hot cocoa, and now I'm dying for a cup! actually, it would be nicer if it were cooler outside.

I LOVE DLB!

moose likes to get in between the pillows on the bed. he and my boyfriend have started a game where my boyfriend runs his fingers along the side of the bed, moose comes out and attacks, then runs back into his hideout. dlb took this picture while I was at work, and I love the natural lighting. and his eyes are actually the same color as our pillows!! he really is the perfect kitten.

here is my newest postcard design for ISM. love it, love it. I need a a relaxation-aromatherapy massage. pronto.

something to swoon over, especially since I am not eating sugar. these cakes by Sarah Magid, are made with all organic ingredients, local fruits and herbs, in Brooklyn, NY. I love the originality of these cakes. the flowers are so bright and colorful! it makes me want to bake a cake. hm...sugarless, flourless, carbless cake?
{via Oh Joy! and Domino magazine}

what a great concept! I had no idea the Container Store existed until reading through the February issue of Country Living yesterday. I've been searching for the perfect countertop jars to keep things in, like oatmeal, raisins, tea, etc. the Container Store has tons of options, but the problem is, now I can't decide which one I want! they also have great solutions to the pack rat's lifestyle. if only all of us could be this organized.

what the photographer I was at four years old. I wrote my name in the sand when we were on vacation, and took a picture of it. I have always loved this picture. I love how the light reflects off of the water and I especially love the abundance of shells! the simple fact that I wrote the N backwards tickles me.

emi, designer for lollipopart etsy store, creates these cute, whismical paintings from watercolor. I love the child-like feel of the designs. I'm not sure if she does anything other than these paintings and sells them on etsy, but I'm sure she would be a great children's book illustrator. I love the kitty!
{pictures from lollipopart}

I'm just curious, how many people have Google as their homepage? I have become so accustom to searching for things on Google, that if I did not have it set up as my homepage, I would be totally lost. I have my email, news, blog, calendar, and weather all set up on the personalized Google page. I think it's great. though, people actually make fun of me because I Google everything. forget the main character in the movie you saw last week? want to know who wrote the song that's been swirling around your head? need a cure for the hiccups? I'll "google" it. I've even "googled" myself before.
anyone else out there a Google weirdo like myself?

I hadn't checked out Anthropologie's website in awhile, simply because I get depressed with all the things that I want but can't afford. there are these wine glasses that I've been watching to see if, by chance, they go on sale, so I checked it out the site tonight. the company has always had very lovely marketing, though lately, I've been noticing it just gets better and better. they are right on top of things in the vintage/fashion world, and always catch the buyer's eye. I'm in love with these simple, yet intricate graphics for the main headings of each page. the elequence of the words combined with the fresh color is very neat! now...if only I had the money to buy these cool things.

after a one year hiatus, beer is back at Gasparilla. last year, Miller brewing pulled out in the last minute, leaving a parade route with tons of people, beerless. well, essentially beerless to the fact that there was no beer being sold on the parade route. this did not mean you couldn't bring your own! so anyway, this year, Budweiser has signed up as a sponsor for Gasparilla. they have created a commemorative aluminum bottle for Budweiser and Bud Light. personally, I can't stand either one of these choice beers, but I think it's pretty cool to get the recognition of our Tampa parade by a beer company like Budweiser. too bad the aluminum can't be put into our beer book.

we just stopped to grab some lunch in downtown Valdosta. I had seen a sign on the interstate that mentioned that downtown was historic, so immediately I thought of vintage, antiques, old buildings and bricks. most everything was closed, however, due to it being Sunday afternoon, though we found a really cute restaurant called Bleu Cafe. the interior was decorated in dark chocolate brown, pale turquoise and light tan, with a splash of coral red. very swanky and modern looking. the menu offered everything from bistro style pizzas and eclectic soft tacos to colorful salads and chicken fingers. I ordered the spinach salad which has strawberries, proscuitto, goat cheese and a balsamic reduction dressing. my boyfriend had two soft tacos. one was a sliced brisket with caramelized red onions and a creamy red pepper sauce, and the other was pork with a jalepeno coleslaw. we ate everything on the entire plate. it wasn't too far off the interstate, maybe only 3 miles. good prices, great food, and great service. I will definitely eat there again while passing through Valdosta. 5 thumbs up.
{photo from Valdosta Daily Times}

here we are on the last leg of the trip. we are heading down I-75 on our way back to Tampa. we are about 1 hour from Atlanta still, having just left Chattanooga. Chattanooga was pretty cool. we stayed at a very nice hotel right off the interstate. last night, we headed into downtown riverfront, and went to a microbrewery, called Big River, for dinner. the beers were ok, nothing to rave about, but we did enjoy the Imperial 375 Pale Ale. a bit floral, with a nice finish. after dinner, we walked around the downtown area for a while, then came across this little hole in the wall bar called The Hair of the Dog. the bartenders were all girls, and they were ALL stressed, and it wasn't even that busy! maybe two people max waiting for a beer. ha, I'd like to see them survive at Mac Dintons on Friday night. we found an upstairs outside deck, which was very nice. just as I mentioned to my boyfriend that the weather was very nice, I heard a girl at the table next to us say in her thick Tennessee drawl, "it's so hot outside tonight!" it was 60 degrees.
this has been a very good trip, filled with excitement and laughter. we are tired though, and ready to go home. I'm ready to see Moose!! I bet he misses us. so, until then....

on the road again!! we stayed the night last night at my mother's house in Terrace Park, Ohio, and now, after a little detour finding our way back to the interstate, we are headed to Chattanooga. the stay at my mom's house was very nice. too short though. I had not seen her since September of 2005! so it was good to see her. and the dogs! she has two German Shepards that are the cutest they can be and love to play. my boyfriend did very well playing with them, he threw the tennis balls over and over and over!!
so now we are on our way to Chattanooga, and what do you know, it's still raining. boo! I can't stand driving in the rain, and we still can't take any pictures of anything cool. hopefully the weather will be nice in Chattanooga. we are still not sure what we will be doing, but hopefully we will find something cool.

it's still raining..... however, we are headed down I-75 on the way to see my mom! we have a little less than 100 miles till we get there. the final stretch of day one! the day of driving hasn't really been that bad, despite the rain. and the big trucks!! we just went through a little city in Ohio called Elida and ate at a quirky pizza place called Godfather of Pizza. get this...there was a bullet hole in one of the front windows! I thought it was ambiance until we got closer and realized that yes, in fact, it was an actual bullet hole. NICE. talk about classy.

it's a rainy, rainy day in Western Michigan. we just picked up my boyfriends new car in Grand Rapids!! it looks great, runs great, and feels great. he is super pleased. last night we flew out of Orlando, and made our way up to Michigan. once we got into Detroit, our flight was delayed a good hour and a half, which put us into the air just after 12 am. so we are a little tired for leg one of our trip. now we are on our way to Cincinnati, driving down I-131 right north of Kalamazoo, MI. actually, we are on a coffee mission. it looks like we will settle for Shell gas station food and coffee. yum!
it's such a good feeling, and I'm sure a huge relief that he got the car, and it checks out nice. I'm so happy for him!

today we fly out of Orlando to Grand Rapids, MI to pick up my boyfriends new car!!! it's so exciting! then we will drive through Cincinnati, to see my mother, then on to Chattanooga to party country-like, {just kidding babe}, and on home to Tampa. should be fun, but looooong hours of driving. I'm excited! hopefully I will have lots of neat pictures from the trip.

my good friend and I have started a collaborative blog. everyday, we will post events from our individual day. most of the posts will include pictures, however, there might also be song lyrics, memories, silly thoughts, shopping finds, good eats, and more!
we've grown up together and now we live all the way across the USA from eachother. so here's to another twenty-more.

always - zwan

greener grass design is a collaborative effort from two Houston based designers, in their search for more individual, design-oriented products. the collection which includes lighting, accessories, textiles and objects for the home features the works of more than 30 designers from around the world. I just love the opening page, it is so inviting and lovely!

my good friend and I have this incredible friendship that has lasted 20 years. I can honestly say, that in these 20 years, there hasn't been one time where we had lost touch for more than a couple months. {except for that time I got mad at her because she told this boy that I liked him in 4th grade. I was mad for a week!}
we grew up in Tampa together, went to elementary school, high school, and college together, and experienced so much. now she lives in Lacey, Washington, which is 3,163 miles away. we've decided to take the photoblog idea and create our own blog of photos, memories, song lyrics, thoughts, and ideas.

so here's to twenty more.

this is a pretty cool idea. two bloggers, mav and steph, who live 3191 miles apart, have collaborated to create a photo blog documenting their morning. they've called it 3191: a year of mornings. I love the concept. it makes me wish I had a good friend who blogged. then we could collaborate on something! bravo on the great idea!

a new heading, a new apartment, a new me.

all in a day's work.

I decided to do a little work on the beer book today while he was off scuba diving. well, I made a bad choice to start on the bed. moose just loves to be all over everything. and of course he had to be right in the middle of the book. needless to say, I didn't get much done, but I did have fun taking pictures of him.
so my boyfriend is scuba certified now! I'm jealous. though, I am a little scared to do it. I'm a weenie. but while he's off scuba diving, hunting for goliath grouper and pretty fish under the water, I'll be sitting on my butt. hm....maybe when I have more money to get the cert. I will do it. it's totally worth it and a great experience, so I hear. but for now, I will love hearing his stories.

into our apartment!

my boyfriend and I bought tulip shaped beer glasses yesterday. the official Duvel glasses to be exact. they are so neat. there is an etched D in the bottom of the glass that, when the beer hits it, releases carbon dioxide which creates bubbles. it is so cool how the bubbles eminate from the D! and of course we got a big bottle of Duvel to split. if you havn't had Duvel, try it. we gave it a 4.5 in our beer book. it's a near perfect Belgium Golden Ale.
we feel so posh now, with our appropriate beer glasses. now, we just need all the other glasses to finish our collection.

we have begun the most insane teeth routine in addition to simply brushing. first we whiten, then we brush, followed by flosing, and finally, we end with a flouride treatment. the sad thing is, that it has become such a routine, that neither one of us can stand skipping a step. I was so tired tonight, but yet I couldn't bring myself to skip flossing. especially if he was going to floss.

geez...no he's sleeping, and I'm wide awake.

so, I havn't kept up on the beer of the week. actually, we havn't been keeping up on the beer journal very well since the move and all. but this week, we got back on track, sampling a few Belgium ales. we tasted Duvel, Cuvee Diabolique golden ale, Hoegaarden, and Sterkens white ale. my favorite of the group was the Diabolique. Moose, however, decided to try the Hoegaarden, and he licked his lips it tasted so good!!
so, the beer of the week is Hoegaarden, a light, citrusy beer with a hint of honey on the aftertaste. very refreshing! happy friday!!!

my boyfriend and I were just talking about what the world would be like without computers. simply put, the world would be a totally different place. imagine if computers had not advanced from the point where they simply had a green screen and the dos prompt came up on the screen when you booted up. I would not have had a career as a graphic artist. I would not be blogging. I would not be a Google searching maniac, thus I would not know all the answers on Jeopardy. hey, there probably wouldn't even be Jeopardy.
I think of how my life would've been effected without computers, and it makes me SO happy that I have one. what else would I do with my time? {as if outdoor sports and knitting have gotten old.}

he won, he won, he won!!! my boyfriend just won an auction for a new car! waaaaa hooo! it's a 2002 GMC Envoy! we were both so nervous, but he got it. hopefully I can go with him to pick it up this weekend. michigan is quite a far drive all alone.

and...a road trip would be super fun!

every dress has a story. especially with J Crew's new spring line. each style of dress has a little bio of the style's origin beside it, along with the inspiration for the J Crew design.
did you know, that the origin of the halter dress rose in 1955 when Marilyn Monroe made it an icon? by definition, a "halter" was someone who halts or brings to a stop. go figure, that must be why most of us women look great in a halter dress. too bad my J Crew card has maxed it's limit.

there is something airy and unique about Jansdotter textiles. personally, the brighter and fresher a kitchen, the more creative I will be with my cooking. I had been looking for new kitchen textiles, and I would LOVE an apron, but sometimes it's hard finding just the right thing. screen printer and self taught designer, Lotta Jannson, has created some of the cutest illustrations which are screen printed onto 100% natural linen textiles. I love the whimsical designs! and they remind me a little of my own art!

{images from Jansdotter}

it's a nice feeling to know that I can actually wake up early. we've been conditioning our bodies to get up earlier by going to bed earlier. it works! so here I am, ready for the gym. I am a bit sleepy, and will for sure need some yerba, but for now, I'm proud that I'm up. and up with no complaints. {I did have to be dragged out of bed though...}

off to the gym!

Moose often gives his opinion on our computer work. he even helps me write emails. :)