This weekend...

We had plans for this weekend, but the snow has decided otherwise (13" and counting). We were going to attend a birthday party tonight but had to cancel and our dear friends were supposed to visit on Sunday (hooray!!!) but now I'm not sure about that either (sucky!!!). I do have to admit though, it's kind of fun being snowed in. EZ E has been outside "painting" the snow with spray bottles full of food coloring and I've been working on a project that I'll share on Monday. What are your plans for the weekend (real or pretend)?

*photo from captain kk

Mystery...

This photo is from jeana_sohn's flickrstream, but she doesn't know who made this fabulous print. Any ideas?

Scrappy...

My birthday is next week and, much to his surprise, I've asked PRH for a compact composter. I like how this one looks, but it received bad reviews. I think this one sounds pretty good. After reading the book No Impact Man this week I've been inspired to live greener than we already do. The book is fascinating...I read it in less than two days (and that's with two children less than three years old) and have started reading it again. Does anyone out there use a compact kitchen composter that they'd recommend?

*BTW, I already know you can make them using milk jugs, but I'm looking for something odor-free that can hang out in the kitchen and that can eventually move with us. I'm OK with worms.

In house...

A fort in the dining room and a city in our living room...I love snow days.

Cute and cozy...

The piles and piles of snow outside our doors is making me crave all things cozy. These slippers from smiling knitting are super cute and fit the cozy bill.

Collected...

Wow! It's a good thing we made bird sandwiches yesterday. It's snowing like crazy here today! We're supposed to get between 12 to 16 inches, which is pretty exciting for my peeps. I woke up early and have been poring over the photos of this house featured in the NY times. The author calls the owner's tattoos a "concise visual lexicon of his obsessions", which is such a great line. Anyways, the owners are collectors and their house is beautifully curated. See more photos here. We used to have that map in the bottom photo and I sold it at a yard sale. Suck city.

The bird feeders...

EZ E and I spent the morning making sandwiches for our backyard birds. We used stale bread, dollar store peanut butter, and wild bird seed. Then we "delivered" the sandwiches to our bird friends, whom EZ E claimed "were very hung-y". He was right.

Tattooed...

I once dated someone whose father had a list of women's names tattooed on his upper arm with a slash through the ladies he had divorced or broken up with. I'm totally serious...there were at least five names on his arm. I always wondered how long he waited after a break-up to have the slash mark tattooed. Or perhaps he just came home with a slash mark tattooed over his lady-friend's name and that's how he informed her that their relationship had run its course. Either way, the approach above seems like a safer way to go.

*photo found here

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Artistry and thought...

Have you heard of the blog made by joel? Joel is a stay-at-home dad who makes amazing projects with and for his children. These are a few of my favorites. The bottom photo is a playhouse that he built. It's crazy awesome! You can see more of their projects here. Even folks without children will appreciate the artistry and thought behind his projects.

At the top of our lungs...

This photo of Shirley MacLaine and her daughter so perfectly captures our day today. It started with a certain two-year-old spitting into my morning coffee. Luckily I caught him in the completely disgusting act and am hoping that this is the first and last time it happens. I need a new job.

*photo found via marvelous kiddo

Made...

About a month ago we were at the local bookstore and EZ E spotted a book called Marvel: The Characters and Their Universe. It's a bit old for him, but he had a gift card and we figured he'd like it even more later, so we let him get it. Now he's obsessed with all of the characters. He's been talking a lot about claws lately (I blame it on Wolverine), so the first thing we did on Sunday morning was make Wolverine claws. Every two-year-old needs claws, right? They were really easy to make and I'm sure you could figure it out on your own if you wanted to, but here's a little Wolverine-claw tutorial from EZ E and me to you! PRH says he looks like a miniature nosferatu, but I think he looks pretty cute. I always wanted long nails when I was little and these could easily be made with red paper to simulate fingernails (or 'girl claws', as EZ E calls them).

Please and thanks...

Unfinished wood floors? Yes, please.

*found via Anna's always awesome tumblr page.

Cookies...

Did you happen to see the cookie jar on The Brick House apartment therapy house tour? Apparently it was designed by Lagardo Tackett. I've never heard of him before, but these jars are super rad. You can read more about him here.

Visual detail...

Scrabble is about the extent of my game-playing, but I totally love the idea of a Tenenbaums-inspired closet full of board games. This article about Wes Anderson's attention to visual detail and this article about the production of The Royal Tenenbaums are both really interesting.

I'd like to know...

Today is Monday, so that means it's time for I'd like to know, a weekly post dedicated to talented artists, designers, etc...all people I'd like to know and who I thought you may like to know of too. Today I'd like to know...typography guru Mike Perry. PRH and I have his books and they're awesome. The guy just seems cool. You can see more of his work here. Happy Monday!

Shop update...

There's some new stuff over in our shop! Check it out.

This weekend...

Hmmmm. What are we doing this weekend? Not too much, but here's my pretend weekend:
Saturday AM: draw all day, completely uninterrupted. Follow with a quick trip to kinokuniya
Saturday PM: dinner with closest friends (all of them at once)
Sunday AM: buy a house and walk around it in in my socks all day making lists; play outside with EZ E, Kicky, and PRH in our super awesome back yard (behind our new house)
Sunday pm: have dinner at my parents' house and meet my middle brother's girlfriend (he's thirty-years-old, very private, and has NEVER brought anyone home to meet our family)
The only thing that may actually come true is meeting my brother's girlfriend, which I'm a little nervous about. If we do finally meet her, I'm thinking that she must be 'the one'. The idea of meeting my potential future sister-in-law is nerve-wracking. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a witty, fashionable, super smart sister-in-law who also happens to like thrift stores. What's your fantasy weekend (try to keep it clean, my dears)? Oh, and mom, don't be nervous...if Pete likes her, I'm sure she'll be great.

*photo from osloann

Darcy...

Oh my! I'm a bit behind on my blog-reading (OK, really behind) and just saw these super rad tea towels on poppytalk. Mr. Darcy proposal tea towels...excuse me while I historically geek out for a moment. That's an f-ing genius combination of two of my favorite things! What?! A Pemberley tea towel too? Hello! I think I just died.

VHS...

This print by Hollis Brown Thornton would be such a great gift for PRH. He had piles of VHS tapes when we first moved in together. Actually, he still has piles of VHS tapes.

Random baby...

EZ E has a geuther high chair that he totally loves. I like how it looks, plus
it's sturdy and adjustable. He still uses it every day and will be able to for several years to come. Kicky will be starting solid foods soon, so we've started looking for one for her, but I can't find one anywhere. The geuther has arms and a tray, both of which we've found to be very useful. Has anyone used the Stokke tripp trapp chair?
By the way, if you're ever in the Ithaca (NY) area, one of my favorite places to pick up stuff for EZ E and Kicky is Mama Goose. It's a children's consignment store that also carries awesome new baby gear and toys. They have a mouth-watering selection of see kai run shoes and robeez out the wazoo. Totally worth a trip.

To make...

These painted acorns from knock.knocking. are a good idea. Add another thing to the 'to make' folder.

Collected...

This morning is Kicky's four month visit to the pediatrician. I can't believe she's already four months old. I also can't believe how much pink crap has accumulated in our house since her arrival! These pieces by artist Portia Munson definitely struck a chord.

Botanical...

I've been thinking about botanicals today and our friend Kim Rosen came to mind. I've been meaning to post these prints forever. They're so lovely! You can see more of Kim's work in her shop, on her website, or on her blog.

Green with...

Everyone and their mother posted this photo from Lonny Magazine a while ago, but I couldn't resist. I kill plants, so this table of lush greenery makes me envious. I really like the idea of having a while table full of plants somewhere in your house, don't you? (if you have the room and don't kill plants, that is.)

Pseudo fashion kick...

We were at a friends' house the other day and they had a Boden catalog. I don't know if I'm living in the dark, but I had never heard of Boden. I found some great stuff for me, PRH, and the babies, including this coat (for me). I know it's a bit 'Sgt. Pepper's' (ok...a lot), but I don't care. Sorry for the pseudo fashion kick lately, btw. I don't know what's gotten into me.

33...

Tomorrow is PRH's birthday, so I'm taking the day off to celebrate with him! I'll be back on Wednesday.

*birthday banner available here

Bored at nine and fourteen...

I love Julie Morstad's work. I've posted the piece below before, but every time I see it I feel like it perfectly captures the boredom experienced by our nieces at family functions (they're ages nine and fourteen). Doesn't it remind you of that 'when are we leaving' feeling?

Sweater weather...

One of my goals this year was to take advantage of the clothing I already own. I have clothing that I've never worn, but hang on to simply because it's vintage and "I'll never be able to find something like it again" (don't be scared, I'm not a hoarder). Anyways, I've always liked this mustard-colored vintage sweater, but rarely wore it and decided it was time for a little update. We have a friend who always replaces the buttons on cheap clothing and makes it look so much better. So, I replaced the thread on the buttons (from yellow to red) and then embroidered a peacock blue stitch around the edges of the buttonholes. I was going for an anthropologie-inspired look with a trendier color combo, but now, after writing this, I'm not so sure. It does look better in person. Hmmmmmm. I guess I would have given it to the thrift store anyways.

I'd like to know...

Today is Monday, so that means it's time for I'd like to know, a weekly post dedicated to talented artists, designers, etc...all people I'd like to know and who I thought you may like to know of too. Today I'd like to know...Richard Wright. I first saw his wall drawings in the book Vitamin D: New Perspectives in Drawing (one of the best book purchases we've ever made). In the book Wright says, "The most important thing about the work is that it is destroyed". I've been thinking a lot about art and ephemerality lately, so that quote struck a chord. Happy Monday, everyone!

*top two images from Vitamin D: New Perspectives in Drawing