Planning a Vaycay!

Working on planning a cruise vacation with some of my fellow bloggers and favorite people! Stace, Mase, KC, and Nikkie (our non-blogger of the group) will hopefully be setting sail December 13 from New Orleans to Mexico! We're totes excited and I just had to tell you about it and to prepare you to hear a lot about it!

Bad Comics #9

(Via Nedroid)

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto

I go though phases of design elements the I love. For quite awhile it has been birds, especially owls. This is probably because my parent's love eagles and like to go "bird spotting" at the wee hours of the morning (and take Sissy and I) with their scope and "b-nocs" (this is bird spotting lingo for binoculars).

But lately I've been leaning away from the birds and have been loving robots! I think most designer probably goes though a robot phase, well now is my time. They are so cute! I love this one that was featured in Domino.

Pens Rally

A couple of the girls from work and I wandered down to Market Square for the Penguins rally this afternoon. Nothing too exciting, the mayor spoke, but it is good to see some Pittsburgh spirit. (I did get a couple of signs, the "Bring back the cup!" and the "Deflate Detroit".) GO PENS!


Oh and I love this poster from the Post-Gazette.

Grandmas

My sister (oh hai, Sissy!) came up from Maryland (with Jamie & Suede with his one ear up and one ear down, so cute) this last weekend and so we had brunch with our family and the grandmas. I love our grandmas, I mean I know everyone loves their grandmas, but seriously, ours are awesome. They work, volunteer, go to parties and have more of a social life than I do! Our one grandma just had to buy a book called "For the Over Scheduled Woman", I don't think an 85-year-old woman was their target market, but she needs it! Our other grandma gets frustrated when we're at a restaurant and there is a table of people that she doesn't know (I swear they know everyone in Erie).

Oh and f.y.i. Grandparent's day is the first Sunday after Labor Day, so this year it will be September 7th.

Okay that's my random (happy) rant of the day!

Composting for Beginners

We never tried composting until we moved in with Randie, so I'm not very compost savvy yet. But, between recycling and composting our garbage is quite minimal, so we will most likely keep it up even after we move away from Randie (sniff sniff, we don't like to talk about that happening). But this is a handy (and cute) little guide that shows what does and doesn't go in your compost pile.

(image via re-nest, dkhlucy's flickr)

Bad Comics #8

(via nedroid)

What Grinds My Gears: Kitchen Cabinets

I don't know why, but I just don't like kitchen cabinets. I've looked at plenty and none have ever jumped out at me screaming "Just look how beautiful I am!!!" (What? Inanimate objects don't scream at you? Weirdo.) I guess I don't mind the bottom half of the cabinets so much, I mean, your counter has to go on something and you might as well store things in there, so it has 2 purposes, it's a multitasker, I like that. But the top? It stores things. Single purpose. Stupie. Anyway, I love the look of just putting your dishes and plates on shelves, plus I love my plates so I want to see them all the time. Here are some top-cabinet free spaces:


Well thats my rant for today, have a great weekend!

(via domino & ikea)

Reclaimed Drawers

I absolutely love this dresser! Furniture that is beautiful and "green"!? Fabulous! Each of the drawers in the piece were rescued from flea markets.
It's frustrating how being eco-friendly seems to cost a little extra. But, for those of us who are unable to drop $4,000 on a couch made from green materials, buying used furniture and fixing it up is a great option. Being green includes buying less and creating less waste, it doesn't mean everyone has to throw away their old furniture and buy new eco-friendly items. This concept tends to get passed over, but I think it is equally as important. Mike and I have a few projects this summer of furniture we are "reclaiming" such as a side table we snagged out of our neighbor's trash (they are moving) and dressers I've had since, I think, I was 3 and are a bit out-dated. I'll keep you updated on their progress, which is non-existent at the moment.

(dresser via inhabitat but not for sale)

Buddha Bowl

Anything that encourages me not to sit down and eat at the table is probably a bad thing, but would also probably get the most use. Since we've been renting at our current house, I think we've only used the dining room table for eating maybe 5 times (since August). We ether eat in the kitchen or the living room. Does anyone else do this? Well, this looks like a great bowl for eating while standing, wandering around the house or lazing back on the couch.



If my mum is reading this....ummm....I'm just kidding....we sit down at a set table and have all of our food groups every night...ummm...and we drink our milk....yeaaaahh....

(via better living through design / buy here for $20)

Subscribe

By now you can pretty much find anything you want online when it comes to recipes, decorating tips, etc. But sometimes (although it's not eco-friendly) its nice to look at something tangible like a magazine or something to inspire you when you don't have access to a computer (like on the bus). Anyway here are some free magazines that I find actually interesting (and they don't send me junk mail!). They advertise themselves a bit, obviously, but it is nice to know that all the materials/ingredients are definitely available.

Lowes: They have some pdf samples of their 3 magazines (Creative Ideas, Woodpost or Garden) to check out before you subscribe.



Kraft: You can read any of their magazines online. (They have plenty of cuppycake recipes.)

Eco-friendly Logos

With the enviornment being a hot topic these days (as it should be) there are "green" logos popping up everywhere (fyi: I wrote "pooping" thank goodness for proofreading!). It's weird that the word "green" has a whole new meaning. Although green is the most popular color for eco-logos, red and blue seem to tie for second place. Anybody see any purple or orange logos out there??(via Copyranter and google)

Delong Press

I am drawn to this print from Delong Ceramics (even though I'm not particularly attached in any way to the Brooklyn Bridge, I'm quite fond my my Pittsburgh bridges, no offense NY'ers). I like the colors and the very geometric yet organic feel of it. Done by a collage artist in New York, they have others, but this one is by far my favorite.

(11" x 14" print comes to $42 with shipping and everything, is framed behind glass, signed and numbered)

Bad Comics

I've been writing a lot lately so here is just something for you to look at.

(200 Bad [awesome] comics: via nedroid)

Ross?

On Thursday night, my friend and college roomie Ash called and asked if I wanted to go to dinner "right now"...and (after checking with Mikey real quick) I said "of course!"

We went to Double-Wide Grill (Sounds real classy, I know, right?) they had "Trailer Park Trivia" and Mike got this "TV Dinner" that came on this crazy metal plate. We couldn't hear the trivia very well it was mostly current events, so if you don't watch the news, you're screwed. But, overall the food was really good (don't get the veggie medley, it sucks) and they had good beer specials, cornhole, etc. after 10.


The best part of the night however was one of Ash's friends looks like a certain paleontologist from a certain tv show called Friends, and I got a pic (or two) so I could share it with YOU!

Oh and as a side note (and just in case he comes across this some day) he is a very genuinely nice guy.

A Pair of Pears

I was down at the market in the Strip District last weekend and picked up some Asian Pears. We have never tried them before and it seemed like a good week for something new. They are more of a combination of pears and apples, an appars or pearpples, if you will. Firm like an apple but more of the texture of a pear, and the flavor is somewhere in the middle but leaning more towards the pear side. If you want to try one (either go to the store, duh, or) just me know and I'll (try to remember to) bring you one the next time I see you, or the first time I see you if we haven't officially met yet.

On a side note, I love getting my fruits and veggies at the market! They only have a small array of organic vegetables, but the rest are still really great and grown locally so I feel a little better than getting them at the grocery store. Plus they are less expensive, for example, I can get grapefruit 4 for $2 and at Giant Eagle it's a dollar or more a piece!

(Nutrition facts via Fruits & Veggies Matter)

Lack of a Better Term

How great are the tea bag tags (for lack of a better term for those pieces of paper attached to the end of your tea bag string)! In Istanbul this cafe caters to the active/health conscious and I think they really hit the mark on these little climbers and bungee jumpers for their tea.

update: click on image for larger view....(is that better Mase?)

(Artwork done by TBWA, Istanbul. Found via adGoodness)

Reminder!

Just a reminder that our roomie Randie's show ("Passages") is this Saturday night (6-9) at Moxie Dada. Stop by, check out the art, meet some new people. Here's a few write ups on her show:

Pittsburgh Live
City Paper
CP backpage
Post-Gazette


And check out her blog even after the show for more images and updates. "Passages" runs until May 31, 2008.

Around the Web: Pretty Sales

Ok, sorry guys, this is a kinda girly post about things that are pretty and on sale!

Mini-Chandelier from the Container Store, $7.49, usually $14.99. So cute for those of us who can't afford and/or don't have a place for a real chandelier, 4 led lights that run on AAA batteries. Good for the car, the cubicle, inside of a cupboard?...


Art box from See Jane Work for $9.00 instead of usual $18.00, I just love the colors!


White Lace Dessert Plates from the MOMA Store four plates for $24.95 instead of $49.00 and White Lace Cake Stand for $39.95 instead of $65.00. If you don't know already I have a love for plates, there are just so many beautiful ones out there, I want them all! (It's totes ok just to get one or the other I just couldn't pick which one to post.)


Mod Pillows from CB2 (the darker shaded ones) for $8.95, usually $14.95.

Only 3 more Days for HGTV Green Home

HGTV is giving away a "green home" that you can enter to win until May 9th (this Friday). The house is located in Hilton Head, SC and is worth about $800,000. Let me first say that I am thrilled that HGTV is recognizing the need to promote and encourage "green" living. Bravo! They put in energy saving appliances, solar panels that supply 10% of the home's energy, repurposed furniture and flooring (which is GORGEOUS!), high performance doors/windows and much more. There are 360 degree tours that are totes worth checking out. Here are a few pic in case you don't have time.


The only thing that frustrates me is the cost of winning. The average person would find great difficulty paying the taxes on an $800,000 prize and, even if they managed to gather enough money to do that, the property taxes in Hilton Head would be outrages not to mention the cost of insurance on a place worth that much. HGTV knows this and has said that they don't expect all of their "Dream home" winners to keep the house (they have given away "Dream Homes" for a number of years). But you can sell the house (after a vacation there), take the money and buy one that is more within your means.

Sooo sign up to win it...and if you do...can I go on vacation with you? Please?

Safe and Sound

My dad is finally home from the hospital! Yayyyy! Eight days after open heart surgery he is resting comfortably back in Erie. Our family really appreciates all your encouragement, prayers, support, etc.

Oh hai!...Happy Monday

I saw these Chickens over on BB-Blog the other day and they made me giggle. The guy draws them on post-its and he's got over 850 of them!


For my guitar-hero-loving friends (rach, stace & mase)
Annnnnd for Monday....(Stace I think this one applies to you too)

I Never Could Get the Hang of Thursdays

Interesting day yesterday...work went fine...it wasn't until I left the office did things get a little crazy.

I don't know what you know about the Pittsburgh transit system, but just in case you're unfamiliar, if you get on the bus before 7 p.m. you pay when you get off and if you get on after 7 p.m. you pay when you get on, not difficult, but a little confusing at first. Anyway, I caught the 7:10 p.m. bus home annnnnd:

Bus driver: Pay before 7
Me: huh?
Bus driver: You pay before 7:00
Me: right
Bus driver: Right
Me: ummm
(we stare at each other or a moment...guy behind me pays...bus driver nods)
Me: ummm..okay.....
(I pay and look at my phone and it's like 7:07...whatevs...I felt stupie)

So that was fine...but just got me a bit confused...then I get home and go to walk inside...and I can't find my keys. I call Randie and she's still at work and my keys are on my desk. Great. So I've got about an hour to waste till Mike gets home to let me in. So I talked to about 5 peeps on the phone and took these lovely pics of our solar lights we put in last weekend and some flowers.

Mike stops home and lets me in but has to leave again to help a friend move some stuff. I get a call about 20 minutes later...HE locked the keys in the car. Sooooo my AAA membership got some use and everything was fine. I guess my absent mindedness is rubbing off on him! haha

Oh the holidaze of May

There is pretty much a random holiday every day of the year. So to start off May here's what you can celebrate this month: (May 9th & 30th are my personal favs)

May 1: Save the Rhino Day
May 2: Fire Day
May 3: Lumpy Rug Day
May 4: (Besides Mike's b-day) Candided Orange Peels Day
May 5: Hoagie Day
May 6: Beverage Day
May 7: Tuba Day
May 8: Have a Coke Day
May 9: Lost Sock Memorial Day
May 10: Clean Your Room Day
May 11: Eat Whatever You Want Day
May 12: Limerick Day
May 13: Leprechaun Day
May 14: Dance Like a Chicken Day
May 15: National Chocolate Chip Day
May 16: Wear Purple for Peace Day
May 17: Pack Rat Day
May 18: International Museum Day
May 19: Frog Jumping Jubilee
May 20: Eliza Doolittle Day
May 21: National Waiter/Waitress Day
May 22: Buy Yourself and Instrument Day
May 23: Penny Day
May 24: National Escargot Day
May 25: National Tap Dancing Day
May 26: Grey Day
May 27: Festival of Body Art Painting
May 28: Hamburger Day
May 29: End of the Middle Ages Day
May 30: My Bucket's Got a Hole Day
May 31: Macaroon Day

(Via the AC) The colors have no real purpose...just whatever color my mind linked that day to!

The Battle

With some help, Fortune magazine has laid out how the battle of the logos would end, and it's a gruesome one. I've always been a fan on the GE logo, but I may be biased b/c my dad works there, but Nike is sucessful too, that would be a tricky decision to me. I don't think the CBS logo should have made it into the final round, no offense to them, it just doesn't do anything for me.


(via Brand New)