Moving out

So, I'm in the middle of moving.

It's going well so far and I'm excited to move on with my life.

I am not, however, excited about my ridiculously sore body (all that heavy lifting, climbing stairs, etc.) and the bloody spot on my leg where I accidentally walked straight into the trailer hitch on the U-haul. Ouch!

Otherwise, life is good. Sean and I ate our first meal at home together yesterday — frozen pizza and leftover salad from Cheddar's ... we'll get there, don't worry. lol.

a dream deferred

Sometimes destiny intervenes, even if I don't like it.
I've been fantasizing about getting the Kartell Componibili shelving set in the bathroom for years now and I kept thinking maybe I could invest in one when I moved in with Sean.
Aside from being poor, however, it turns out there is no room for it in the bathrooms and while I think it would also make an awesome minibar, I think it's probably for the best that I shelf this dream for a little while longer (shelf! Ha! See what I did there?!)

The system is available all over the place, including Unica Home. It starts around $120.

Let no word be forgotten

I'm very excited about the venustation of my life.

The wha?

Venustation means "to become beautiful or handsome." How do I know this?

Save the Words. It's an effort by the Oxford dictionary to ease forgotten words, literally dropped from the dictionary, back into usage.

I'm not sure I was successful here, but hey, I tried and you should, too.

the modern costume for today

OMG I am so excited about this. I was dubious about the casting when I heard about it, but man does it look spot on.

Edie Beale is one of my all-time favorites. Idol may be too strong a word, but I see shades of the craziest parts of my family in the Beale family.

Madness Mayhem

This will be the second year I filled out a March Madness bracket and despite the fact that I know nothing about college basketball, I kind of love doing it. Following along is actually really fun, especially when you have money and pride on the line.

My picking strategy, however, is not based on research or knowledge or even watching any of the teams play. I pick based on which mascot name strikes me as funnier. And there are some classics. How can you root against the Zips? Or the Boilermakers? Or the Golden Gophers?

In instances when two teams with boring names were playing each other (i.e. eagles vs. wildcats), I would just picture a real cage match and decide who I think would win (the Eagle, every time).

In the end, I have the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Syracuse Orange (How cute is Otto the Orange?) playing for the big prize. But I won't lie. It was hard to say goodbye to my beloved, gelatinous, towel mascot — the Western Kentucky Hilltopper.

surprisingly cute

I'm not usually blown away by anything at American Eagle anymore, but they have some seriously cute scarves right now. If I weren't totally broke, I'd scoop them all up. Both are $19.50.

Misty watercolored memories

Where I grew up, prom was like a town holiday. Everyone started getting ready at 10 in the morning, had appointments for hair and make-up, ordered our dresses from catalog companies, had reservations for dinner, etc. We literally treated it like rehearsal for our weddings or the Oscars. Needless to say, it was very formal.

I loved both of my prom dresses, but if I had one more chance to go, knowing what I do now, I would go short and have way, way, WAY more fun with accessories. And if I were a rich girl (or a cast member on Gossip Girl), I'd totally be rocking stuff like this (mostly from Net-a-Porter).

Left to right:
1) Dress by Zac Posen, bracelet from Anthropologie, shoes by Jimmy Choo.
2) Dress by Anna Sui, clutch by Christian Louboutin, shoes by Lanvin.
3) Dress by Zac Posen, clutch by Christian Louboutin, shoes by Miu Miu.

sneak peek

Not much is happening in the new apartment just yet, but as I was unpacking some kitchen items the other day, I set up a tiny tableau.

1) The print is by Ashley Goldberg and is called "A Look Only You Would Understand." I bought it for Sean on Valentine's Day because at the time, it reminded me of us. Then he shaved his beard THE NEXT DAY. What can you do?
2) The giraffe measuring spoons were a Christmas present from my father, purchased from Anthropologie. We all agree they're probably useless, but OMG, aren't they the cutest?
3) The canister is from the Orla Kiely line currently sold at Target. I couldn't resist the pear print; my grandmother inexplicably collected pear-themed items and as a tribute to her after her passing, I decided to continue adding to the collection.

I can't wait until I have more pictures of the place, but it'll probably be a long time before it looks presentable.

today i like ...

Prop styling your own home!
I saw this post over at Apartment Therapy about the home of prop stylist Carolyn Keith and I just fell in love.

As a bonafide packrat and antiqueaholic, I love to see creative ways to make use of the treasures and knickknacks I can't seem to resist. This is tchotchkes done right.

ch-ch-ch-changes

Big things are in the mix.

Around this time in 2004, I met a boy. He walked me home. 

A year later, we started dating. 

A year after that, we agreed that we wanted to move in together.

A year after that, I had changed jobs and the timing wasn't right.

Two years after that, it's finally happening.

Nearly four years to the day after we met, I'm moving in with my best friend. 

I can't wait.

More info, and big life changes, coming soon.

You're God's answer to Job

Screenshots from Woody Allen's "Manhattan."

I finally watched "Manhattan" last night and it was excellent. I think I actually prefer it to "Annie Hall," partially because the characters seemed much more aware of their own problems and almost apologetic, whereas everyone in "Annie Hall" is defiantly Who They Are.

The dialogue was very witty, of course, and it was remarkable how much it holds up.

But more than anything, it's the ultimate love letter to New York. It blew literally every movie that has claimed to be such out of the water. Partially for the sheer number of NY landmarks it packs it, but more so because of its style. The cinematography, the B&W, the fireworks set to "Rhapsody in Blue" — it was all take-your-breathe-away amazing, so much so that I kept pausing the movie to take these screenshots.

bring it back, i say

Photo by the Sartorialist.

Why, oh why did men ever stop parting their hair?
It's like a shortcut to style. I've rarely met a slight pompadour I didn't like.

There was this very kindly gentleman at work named Jim who had a super stylish side part, with a slight little pompadour in the front. He was great, and I loved to imagine him standing in front of the mirror every morning, dipping his comb under the water faucet and slicking back his hair,  like he probably has for the past 40 years. 

It's a good look, and I appreciate anyone who finds something that works and sticks with it. Plus it looks even better when it gets mussed.

today i like...

Despite all its troubles, journalism is ultimately a romantic field to enter. Telling stories for a living, playing with words, picking out type — separated from the annoyances of every day work, all are hella more interesting and fun than most job requirements.

So, that said, the romantic in me can't resist anything writer or typography themed because, c'mon, I'm a writer.

1) Memo Notebook mug, $12.95 from Fishs Eddy.
2) Type coasters, set in one of my favorites — Baskerville. $45 at Veer.
3) "N" Alphabet mug, also from Fishs Eddy.
4) Ampersand faux cufflinks. Genius design that works on both regular and French cuffs. $49, also at Veer.

80s are back...ugh

So apparently the 80s are going to be back with a vengeance this year. Marc Jacobs showed models with full-on Her-name-is-Rio-Girls-Just-Want-To-Have-Fun make-up and Working Girl Hair.

This is all fine and dandy, of course, until it starts affecting our crotches. Look at the saggy crotch on those pants. You would have to have never HEARD of a thigh to pull that look off without unflattering bunching. Ouch.

I vote no.

And finally...

These are some special projects (with the exception of the normal old lifestyle page I wanted to squeeze in there).

A) Thanksgiving recipes from local chefs
B) A poster for a local farm team
C) The cover of the 2008 Bridal tab. I still need to save the cover of the 2009 one.

More design

These are some of my favorite A1s from the past year.

A) Michelle Obama and Jill Biden visit the area.

B) Residents fight or support construction of wind farm

C) Teachers receive these amazing grants that they can spend on basically anything

D) A story about preventing farm runoff from seeping into the rivers

E) A normal A1, but with lots of awesome art.

How I fill my days

It's been over a year since I posted pages, basically since I started designing, so I thought it was time to show ya'll what I've been doing in the interim. These are some of my favorite lifestyles and homes pages (which are my all-time favorite to do). Tomorrow, I'll post some A1 fronts.

A) A Homes story about decorating your home with branches and berries from your yard.

B) A wire story about the popular spices for 2008.

C) A wire story about fancy luggage. I didn't have much in the way of art, so I decided to whip together something that I thought would look like a children's book, in a good way.

D) A wire story about good old Lincoln. Thought I would go for presidential.

E) A story about our cartoonist's 20th year on the job. 

Amazingly inspiring

Take the time to check out artist Maira Kalman's blog on the NY Times extolling the virtues of Lincoln through prose, calligraphy, embroidery, paintings and illustrations. It's truly a must-see: In Love with A. Lincoln.

On a side note, the NY Times, in my opinion, is the very model of a modern newspaper. Finding creative ways to tell stories, new storyforms, reaching out to readers, making the site more interactive — they are bolding going where no one else has gone and we'd all do better to follow their example.

today i like...

Many of the books I loved as a child were actually ones my mother saved from her childhood, including early '60s coloring books. The simple lines and sort of mod/Pink Panther-ish styling of these Blanca Gomez prints remind me of those charming old books, when super simple, clean design reigned before the wave of terror that blanketed our nation when Bratz became popular.

Blanca Gomez prints can be found at Velocity Art and Design. Most of the prints are between $20 and $30.