Lucky 10

Erin at the fabulous Design Crisis tagged me to round up ten things that make me happy. Right now, I'm wrapping up things at my current job all while learning the ropes for my new gig,which involves a big gear switch and two trade shows in the next week. So things have been more than a little hectic for the past two weeks or so. Adding this round up as just one more task to my gigantico to-do list almost sent me over the edge...until I started doing it.

Seriously, so much drama is making me focus on all the irritating things such as the fact that if I don't do laundry tonight, my swimwear is going to have to pull double duty as undergarments. Which in turn makes me think about cellulite remedies, which drives me to the kitchen in search of chocolate. Good God, I am such a Cathy cartoon these days.

Anywhoodle, taking stock of what makes me sigh and smile is much more therapeutic than dwelling on everything that makes my shoulders hunch up and my left eye twitch. Thanks, Erin. I needed this!

Ok, here goes. I made a point to not make this all about food. It was tough.

10. Indian food. With lots of Naan in particular. I'm craving it like whoa.


9. Grenada tiles.



Love love love. I would possibly tile my bed and my sofa in some of these patterns. And I think a lot of the appeal of these is their old-worldliness. Mostly, they make me want to take a trip to Greece or Turkey.

8. Design Vagabond. Great design blog from an industrial designer who manages to find awesome stuff that's not reported on other sites ad nauseum.


Here's an example post on wonderful Crudo ceramics.

7. Writers who are so hilarious they make me laugh so hard I forget to be jealous. I'm thinking of Tula from Whorange and April Winchell at Regretsy. Those two are always good for a pick-me-up.

6. Speaking of bloggers, I am madly in love with this Patrick Townsend Orbit Light (in white) and am determined to get with it and hang it somewhere fabulous in my house.


I never knew how badly I wanted it in my life before I saw it on DC, so thanks for that, ladies. And thanks for making me cheer myself up today.

This is so fun I'm going to stretch it into two posts--top 5 to come tomorrow.

Even though I'm only halfway done, I'm tagging Melina at Owl and Peacock. And I'm expecting at lest one cheese-related entry.

Blocked

Blergh. Every day this week has been the same. If you could only see how many drafts and half-baked ideas I have saved in my folder...

Nothing's really gelling like Magellan for me, post-wise.

Kind of like that almost-there room up there. If I were to walk into it, the first thing I'd do is heave those ugly chairs out the window. Then I'd smile.

Help! What do you champions do when you hit a brick wall creatively?

Goodbye, Summer

I miss you already.

Happy Mondays

On a dreary day like this...

Sometimes you just need a pink floral Bertoia fainting chair.

What cheers you up on a glum Monday?

Fall brings out the nostalgia

Aww. Look, it's my old bedroom on Apartment Therapy.

I can't believe it's been a year since I took that photo (or that I only ended up living in that apartment for about six months).

I never would have thought that in less than a year's time, I'd be shacked up with my boyfriend (sinners!) and sharing the joys and pains of home ownership(hello, very expensive window bars to keep out would-be robbers. Oh, didn't I tell you? Someone slit the screen in our kitchen window and tried to shimmy in to steal stuff. While I was home most of the day. Literally the day before we left the country for a week. Awesome times! Luckily, s/he was thwarted by our window locks and a vigilant neighbor. But still, the bars are worth it.)

So many changes. It makes me wonder what these next 12 months will bring. And it makes me curious: What big changes did you experience in the past year? And what are your hopes for the coming months?

I wasn't quite expecting to end up behind bars, but it's not quite a gilded cage either.

The lovers, the dreamers and me

Thanks to fabulous guidance from the blogblog log (thanks so much for showing me your fantastic sources! I had a blast), I picked up some some jazzy trinkets yesterday. I bought a lot of glass items and took some quick turns in the old Subaru (I heard one whole bag of breakables sickeningly clink and jangle its way to imagined oblivion as a bag toppled over when I backed into a parking spot just outside of my building. Upon examination, the entire bag and contents were somehow upside down--good one, self!) But fortune smiled on me, and I managed to get everything into the house intact and now arranged just so.

Even if I had dropped the whole lot of loot (which would not be a surprise to anyone who knows me), I would have still had the warm wooliness of the Hudson's Bay blanket I found to dry my tears. So excited to have one of these!

I've (admittedly very casually) been looking for one of these blankets for years. Yeah, they're bright and kind of cabin-esque, but they're so warm and can look wonderfully modern and graphic--but never stark.

Can you make the rainbow connection?



(Via Melaniecoles)

(Via The 10 Cent Designer)

(Via James Glave)

I can definitely see mine (MINE!) folded up into a nice cat warmer at the bottom of the bed this winter.

BUT. There is always the option of upholstering something. Hmph.


(Via Apartment Therapy)

(Via Alison Milne Design)

I DO have a very similar U.S Navy blanket that might look pretty sweet as a bench...

Ok. It's August. I have a few months to marinate on this one. Good chance I'll hate the idea by then and be glad I didn't maul a completely innocent blanket.

Hey jealousy

Dear Emily Post,

What's the appropriate emotion/response when, every week you and your boyfriend go to the same bar and have the same server, but this week when she hands the check to your boyfriend, you notice she has drawn hearts all over it?

My suggestion of sending the check back with jagged black crack lines drawn through the hearts was shot down. And honestly, more than anything, I was kind of flattered/impressed by her balls.

♥ ♥ ♥,
Alison

Ants in my cereal (sung to the tune of 'You're So Vain' by Carly Simon)

It's probably gross that, even though I found a few ants around the top of my box of Pops (top of my box of Pops...try saying that five times fast), I am still planning on eating all of the ceral that's left.