Home office...

I'm on the hunt for a new desk because someone who shall remain anonymous, but whose grubby little feet are pictured below, has been reaching up and pulling papers, pens, and other office supplies out of the miniscule cubby of my current desk. As weird as it sounds, the desk I have now also doesn't feel 'grown up'. It's from that school auction site that we used to buy stuff from all of the time and every time I look at it I think about, well...school. It's time for something nicer and more functional. Don't tell PRH, but I have my eyes on his desk. He rarely uses it anymore! I also love the desks above though. I found the image on top left via the townhouse, the image on the top right via automatism, and the bottom image via decorate. I'm green with envy.

Preview...

I've professed my love for art and interior books many times. Well, I recently received preview copies of a couple books from Princeton Architectural Press, one of which was The Englishman who Posted Himself and Other Curious Objects. I had been itching to see this book since I saw it somewhere in blogland and it certainly did not disappoint. Not only is the story itself interesting (you can read more about it here), but the book is also quite pretty (look at those endpapers!). I've always been interested in 'mail art' and taught it as part of my bookmaking courses. My only wish is that this book was available a couple of years ago, so I could've brought it to show my students. You can pick up a copy of your own here.

Campaign...

Libby of pinkshirtsandcarwrecks fame posted this awesome ad campaign recently. I love it. You can see more photos here. A friend of mine in high school had a jeep wagoneer just like this one and it's making me feel nostalgic for long, rambling drives in weird old cars. I think I told you all once that I drove an orange chevy vega in high school. Best car ever.

Near and dear...

I have to give a shout out to a not-for-profit that's near and dear to my heart. WNY Book Arts Collaborative is trying to raise funds for proper ventilation and heating systems in their printshop. They only have 8 days left to go, they've almost reached their goal, and they do great things...please consider making a donation in any amount here.

Le sigh...

These photos are from David Giles, whose work I found via always favorite design is mine. I can always tell which blogs are favorites because I have a million things saved on bloglines. Speaking of which, is anyone else freaking out about the end of bloglines? As if I'm not feeling overwhelmed enough, but now I have to go through about two million clipped posts within the next few days. Le sigh.

Half-finished...

I half-finished several projects this weekend, one being the flags that I decided we needed for Kicky's birthday party. What? Why yes, that is another half-finished project sitting on the table. What's that? What about my barn sale that's happening in less than one week? But... the flags will look so fabulous! Joking aside, plans for the barn sale are coming along nicely. We have much more to sell than I expected, including eight old pull-down school maps. Eight. Yowser. Now we just need people. Can any bloggy people come?

This weekend...

What are you up to this weekend? I was considering making candy apples for Kicky's first birthday and thought I'd do a test run this weekend. Has anyone made them before? Thumbs up or down? Have a fantastic weekend and I'll see you all again on Monday!

*photo by kristin~mainemomma, who also has a lovely blog and etsy shop

Poser...

EZ E has been making a lot of macaroni necklaces at school and has become kind of obsessed with necklaces in general. Yesterday he was determined that I make a spiderman necklace for him to wear. I cut circles out of paper, had EZ E put stickers on each circle, and then taped the circles to a piece of yarn. Voilà! A ten minute necklace that could easily accommodate any favorite character. When I asked him to pose with the necklace on, he leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and said, "I'm ready for the picture". Um, okay...


Said necklace can also be used as a headdress.

Yet another...

I feel like I'm juggling about a million projects right now, so what do I decide to do? Start yet another project. Sometimes I annoy myself. At least Kicky is being patient with me. Here she is emptying an entire basket of toys behind her back...

Reader tip...

A very thoughtful reader (hi, Amanda!) sent me a link to this piece made by cursive design. Isn't this incredible? You can see more photos here. Thanks again, Amanda!

Tones...

I spotted Britt Hermann's beautiful work on oh joy. These are the exact tones that I've been obsessing about lately. You can see more of her work here or here. Can you believe it's already Thursday? This week is flying.

Lender...

Ugh...this pile of books makes me nervous. PRH is taking them to school to show his students. I have a strict no-lending policy, but PRH is too kind. I hate to stifle his generosity, but I will seriously cry if these don't come home again. Keep your fingers crossed, will you? Do you lend books?

In the bag...

Aren't these bags by grace art + accessories gorgeous? They're made using found obis and kimonos from Japan, which is totally fabulous. My skills in the fashion department are lackluster (to say the least...my outfits always look slapped together), but I do love a good bag. There's no way people would notice my ratty hair if I carried a bag like one of these, right?

Sneak peek...

Sorry for the late start today. We've been dealing with a bout of pink eye, which is really all gunk and no fun. EZ E thinks I'm saying 'pink guy'. He can't quite figure out who this 'pink guy' is, but he knows he doesn't like him. Anyways, as promised, here's a sneak peek from our barn sale on the 2nd and 3rd. I can't believe how much stuff we've acquired over the years. What will our house look like when we're 90?!

Color theory...

This blue may be my new favorite color. Any colors striking your fancy lately?

*found via bloesem

Unintentional...

I don't know how this happens, but I was digging through some piles this weekend and realized that I had subconsciously started a collection of 'for rent' signs. I love these unintentional collections; they somehow seem more genuine. Does that make any sense? PRH has the day off today, so I'm ditching el kiddos with him and heading over to my parents' house to do some more organizing. I'll share photos of my progress later today or early tomorrow. Happy Monday!

Hidden...

Our friend Chris has started an awesome project that I thought you'd all be interested in. In his words, "it’s a perpetual DIY treasure hunt - the concept is simple: make art, hide art, take a pic of where it’s hidden, submit along with a clue. When the art is found, finders post pics and a story about the hunt.". I love it and I'm definitely planning to join in the art-hiding fun. You can read more about the project here or here. Great idea, Chris!

This weekend...

What are you up to this weekend? I'm busting tail getting ready for the big old sale. I wish that I was tromping through a field with beautiful shadow puppets instead. I found this photo via oh joy. You can see more gorgeous photos here. Happy weekend, everyone!

So much for that...

Wasn't it just yesterday that I was saying I have a weakness for farmhouses? So much for that. My jaw dropped when I saw this house on SeeSaw. It belongs to the founder of Dwell Magazine. Those Tom Dixon lights get me every time. If given the opportunity, which style dwelling would you chose? Contemporary, traditional, or...?

Pink piles...

Ugh. I'm up to my armpits in pink yarn scraps and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the number of things piling up around here today. I think it's going to be a take-out kind of night.

True love...

I didn't think that I'd be such a freak about EZ E starting preschool, but the proof is on our amazon bill. I've been drowning my sorrows in some serious, late night book-buying...a book bender, if you will. One of my favorites to arrive on our doorstep is Prefabulous + Sustainable by Sheri Koones. It's packed full of great ideas and beautiful buildings. You all know that I have a serious weakness for farmhouses; an energy-efficiency farmhouse though? That, my friends, is a lethal cocktail in Abbeyland. The Rebecca Leland Farmhouse by Connor Homes is a perfect dream. Totally traditional, but whatever...this is love. You had me at solar panels, baby. You can see more photos here.

Spidey to the rescue...

Turns out that EZ E was super mad that he couldn't wear his spiderman costume to school on the first day. He made me promise to bring it with me when I picked him up, which I did (I left it on my bag so I wouldn't forget). Yesterday I decided to pack his spiderman suit in his backpack and told him to look at it if he needed strength. Well, I'm happy to report that he had a fabulous day yesterday! His teacher even told me that another little boy was crying and EZ E held the little boy's hand and said, "Don't worry...it gets better". I'm so relieved. Thank you all so much for your lovely advice. His suit is packed and I'm hoping for an even better day today.

Bribery...

It's been a rough week so far. EZ E started preschool and he hates it. Absolutely hates it. He cried and cried when we dropped him off and then, when I walked in the door to pick him up, he ran into my arms and started sobbing again. He spent a good part of this morning telling me, "Mama, I'm definitely not a big boy", trying to convince me to let him stay home. I'm not too proud to share that I bribed him with the promise of feather lollipops after school if he makes it through another day. He has lovely, patient teachers and I know it'll get better with time, but does anyone have any advice for making it through the first week of school (besides bribing with pretty lollipops)?