friday five #42: a muse studio favorites

my a muse studio consultant shop is up!!!

before i share my favorites, i wanted to let you know about the changes to a muse's stamps. one of the best parts about a muse studio is that all the stamp sets come in a labeled dvd case and are totally pre-assembled cling mounted rubber! all you have to do when they arrive is open them up, grab the stamp you want to use and stick it onto an acrylic block! then when you're all done, just clean it off with a baby wipe and stick it back in the case! the switch from wood mounted to cling mounted means lower prices and easier storage with the same great stamp quality! anyway, on to my 5 favorites! i assure you that it was hard to pick just 5, you should see the length of my wish list!

01." foiled again!" - we all know that mustaches are huge right now, and i love this set because not only would these mustaches be awesome all fuzzy and flocked, but i love that they come with fun sentiments like "curses! foiled again!" along with a lot of really general sayings! (item #SBSP001)

02. washi tape - another huge craze right now! i love it bunched and folded like ribbon! there are 4 sets of 5 rolls available, one for each season! (winter set item #ESWW004)

03. "clever girls" - i think that this is set is going to be a sleeper hit! the sayings would be great with tons of images; "you rock my world", "dreams come a size too big so we can grow into them" and my favorite, "isn't it amazing what clever girls can do" and the images are pretty amazingly all purpose too! i can totally see using the clouds, bursts and sparrows on a ton of scrapbook layouts and cards! plus, i love the swirly acoustic guitar! (item #SISS014)

04. custom dies - not only does a muse studio sell some awesome spellbinders nestabilities sets, but they also have their own line of exclusive dies like these swallows and a set of sweet clouds (which are $5.95 a set!) there are also borders, ticket strips, triangle banners, butterflies, and die sets that coordinate perfectly with a muse studio stamp sets (which even come with positioning plates so you can cut your stamped image perfectly!) (swallows item #TAD0010 & clouds item #TAD0003)

05. "the perfect blend" - we all know that i use my a muse "to go cup" stamp like crazy (for just about every holiday and occasion) and now it's been re-released for a muse studio with an espresso machine, coffee mugs, a tea cup and awesome sentiments like, "thanks a latte", "let's venti", "how ya' bean" and "happy birthday to a regular joe!" among others! i can't wait to get this one in my hands! (item #SNSM047)

giveaway announcement!!!

tomorrow i'll be posting a step-by-step guide to making a really sweet typewriter card using all kinds of new a muse studio swag and i've decided to give you all a chance to win the stamp set & copic markers to make it at home! everyone who places an order through my consultant website this weekend (between now and 11:59 est sunday) will be entered into the drawing and i'll announce the winner monday morning here on my blog! (when you place an order please e-mail me at missmorganteaches@gmail.com to let me know so that i can make sure to enter you for your chance to win!) so, tune in tomorrow to get a look at the project and goodies and place an order for a chance at the prize!

you can access my a muse studio consultant store anytime by clicking on the a muse studio image in my blog's sidebar, or by going to; http://www.amustudio.com/missmorgan

friday five #41

01. i work at anthropologie!!! - well, i start monday! yes, after 3 months of pretty much totally freaking out, feverish attempts and business plans and a lot more freaking out i am crazy stoked to have been offered a job at anthropologie! i'm the new assistant home department manager and i can not even freak out enough about it! we all know how much inspiration all of us crafters, nesters and clothing & accessory addicts get from anthropologie, and now i get to be surrounded by it. the word, "blessed" comes to mind! i'm so excited to start on monday, and so relieved to not be freaking out anymore!

02. instagram - here i was all hooked on the hipstamatic app, but then sarah and simone put me on the instagram path when they were here for the martha stewart show. i love how easy it is to share your photos and really love that you don't have to pick your "film" and effects before you shoot and then chance it, you just take the photo and then try out a whole bunch of effects/"films" before you post it. plus... you get a square "viewfinder" rather than having to guess where it's going to crop it down from a rectangle. love it. oh! and it's free!!!

03. on my way - with my little home sales venture, a muse studio, and i love having the catalogs and product in my hands! i'll be able to sell from a consultant website also, which will go live on april 1st, so i'm going to have a whole launch weekend on my blog (with a giveaway) during the first weekend in april. more details and nerdy crafty gushing to follow.

04. the essie train - i'm officially onboard and, now that i am, i can't believe how long it's taken me to buy a ticket. okay, done with the train metaphor now, promise. i've been drooling over the colors on various tumblr's (and now pinterest) and i can identify a lot of the colors on people when i see them, but for some reason i hadn't purchased any until a couple of days a go. i'm currently rocking "sew psyched" and i also got "chinchilly"and, even though lavender is not usually my thing, i think i'm going with "nice is nice" next. love.

05. my first publication! - my, "walking on a dream" layout is in the april scrapbook trends, and my "london rain" layout will be in the create: embellish idea book also out in april/now! this is my first scrapbook magazine publication(s) and i'm so excited to see it in actual print, so far i've only seen the online version of one of the layouts. i'm really flattered that northridge picked my layouts, and love the little scene they shot the layout i've already seen in. i can't wait to see the set they shot "london" rain in!

friday five #39

01. things that need to be in my closet - y'know... i've been trying really hard to avoid shopping (believe it or not). i haven't been to a mall in forever, i'm trying not to browse my favorite online stores, i'm not opening my sale mail... but cute stuff just keeps showing up in my e-mail inbox! i am dying for these fold down chuck taylor boots... like completely dying!

02. nycc - new york comic con is this weekend... and i won't be there : ( i was totally stoked on it, looking around for possible costumes and then work schedule happened, and it turning out to be a generally crazy weekend and it kinda got pushed to the wayside. : ( there is the slimmest chance of sunday if the one day passes don't sell out... but probably not. so sad.

03. hockey season is open! - (yes,i do actually plan on wearing the above hat this winter) i'm rushing home post-work to throw on my jersey, grab the boy and be picked up by jen and erik to head to the 2010-11 season opener! can't wait to see the new lines, the new coaches style and some non-pre-season hockey! eek! finally!

04. ugh & etsy - i taught my first christmas class last night. on october 8th. i loved the class and love christmas and all... but ugh... already? also, i loved a couple of my cards so much, and have some ideas for others that i like enough to think about re-opening my etsy store, or possibly start a whole new one. definitely general card sets and christmas cards, but if i can get my ish together i'm hoping to even put up some halloween card sets for those really special people. stay tuned...

05. can't help it - i know, i'm just torturing myself now, but loving this antiques cluster f looking rhinestone necklace. the reviews say the stones fall out pretty easily but that it's worth glueing them back in. i'll stalk it's appearance in the sale section i think and stay armed with my glossy accents for any fallen sparklies.

friday five #38

01. fall dream bag - i abstained from the purchase of a new fall bag last year, and this year i certainly shouldn't be spending the cash this fall either, but i'm having a really hard time resisting this vintage reissue bag from fossil. i know i can justify just about any unnecessary purchase if i really work at it, but i really feel like this is such a classic, basic bag, that it's a necessary purchase, no? i'm anxious to see it in person though, because you know how browns that look great online are not always as great in person.

02. fall fashion hopes - i think my clothing mantra this fall will be WWJLD "what would jenny lewis do?" she is gutsy and i love it. can i pull off tweed shorts & tights? WWJLD dare i rock that hat or pouch belt? WWJLD am i a girl who can rock a heeled vintage bootie? WWJLD i want to be just a little bit daring!

03. falsies - okay, so i occasionally fall prey to those articles in magazines about the new miracle mascara so i was hesitant to believe the hype from nylon magazine about maybelline's falsies mascara but when my old mascara ran out i figured i'd give it a whirl. it could come out pretty heavy if you don't clear the brush enough, but i love what it does to my lashes, and at $7.77 it's worth a try i think.

04. necessary accessories - currently i am rocking a really grandma looking vera bradley makeup bag, which is actually an improvement on the crazy tacky silver metallic one i was previously saddled with. currently, i'm kinda digging this framed, flat-bottomed make-up bag from fossil. it would be nice to not have to dump my makeup out every time i need to find one thing or cringe anytime i have to bring it out in public, haha.

05. old school sanrio - loving the resurgence of the sanrio characters from my childhood. it's nice to see keroppi, my melody and tuxedo sam out in the world! i love hello kitty and all, but was missing those 2! you can make a my melody & keroppi at build-a-bear and there are tuxedo sam and my melody flash drives at mimoco (they both have hello kitty as well, of course!)

friday five #37

01. new fave ink combo - "crushed olive" distress ink, "pumice stone" distress ink & "ocean depth" versamagic. i usually forget to pull out the distress inks, but i remembered for once, and this card happened. i die.

02. terrariums - yeah, obviously i'm a little late to the game on this one. i love the idea of green things around the house, but i don't have the greenest of thumbs and kitties have a tendency to eat plants and flowers, plus the possibility of starting out has seemed a little overwhelming. but, through one place or another i ended up on this website, and it seems like something i could start playing with on a quasi-reasonable budget. hmm...

03. blue india - i bought this shade of nail lacquer from the "liberty of london for mac" collection a little while a go, but was totally hooked on my barry m "mint green" up until a couple of weeks a go. "blue india" is going to be my go to fall color, i can just tell. it's the perfect grey blue and i only really see it ever leaving my nails if replaced by mac's "in the buff", "earthly harmony" or "jade dragon".

04. dream recipe box - in a dream world where i have unlimited monetary resources and split my time between traveling and nesting, this is obviously the recipe box i would be filling. it's custom, made from salvaged hardwood and completely beautiful. sigh.

05. gym revival - i'm taking the plunge back into having a healthy workout schedule. i'm definitely going to also try to eat just a tiny bit better, but will not diet. this is more of a gym revival to maintain my ability to eat out and try new beers on the weekends. whatever works, right?

friday five #35

01. that cee lo single - you know the one. i'm not going to say it. (click at your own risk and not at work, i warned you) it's killing me that i can't download it yet! it's so flipping catchy and you can't help but sing it, no matter how inappropriate it may be in certain places, haha. in the meantime, i'm listening to his single off the eclipse soundtrack a lot too.

02. the next e.i. - i wish i hadn't said every two weeks, i've got a whole bunch of "elsewhere inspiration" saved up and i could really be doing one a week. but, until next wednesday i will quench my thirst with this weeks dare. perfection.

03. ohemgeejaybells - k facebooked this earlier this week and it's inspiring a whole new house party hopes mix (albeit a delayed new roost edition). it's not perfectly, perfectly timed, but it's pretty yummy nonetheless. "dirt on your crown" & "izzo rhythm" are my favorites.

04. triple fringe - true, i have been lusting after these since last fall, but i feel like this summer into autumn time of year is the perfect time to knab a pair of these are start rocking them. if not now, when? i'm totally prepared to catch $#!T for them, but i just always feel sassier in a goof pair of boots, which is why i'm also currently lusting after these and/or these and umm... these too (even though they're a little bit totally straight up tranny).

05. get him to the roost - totally planning a super nerdy, super cheesy viewing party for the dvd release of "get him to the greek" complete with invites, party favors and themed food & drink. that's right. you best be coming, or i will sergio you.

friday five #34

01. autumn brews - so stoked that the autumn seasonal beers are already rolling out! blue moon's "harvest moon" is one of my all time faves (especially in beer bread) and so far this year i've purchased sierra nevada's "tumbler brown ale" and brooklyn brewery's "post road pumpkin ale" the tumbler is a little bitter, but i haven't tried the post road yet, looking forward to a bottle tonight i think.

02. diy magnetic bookmarks - molly over at wild olive just posted this cute, printable pdf of little foldover bookmark set (pickle, pencil, bandaid, ruler, and my favorite, the bacon strip!!!) that you just print, fold in half and attach magnetic tape to! so cute!

03. "the suburbs" - so far i'm not loving this as much as "funeral", but still really loving it. it's just not as epic for me, but totally a great album to drive to. you should definitely at least check it out.

04. boombox lust - ever since we watched "step up 3d" i've been lusting after an old school ghetto blaster (let's be honest, i'd really rather have a whole wall of them like in the movie). i'm kind of feeling like a new apartment calls for an new old stereo, yeah?

05. weeds - so sad it's the final season, but so psyched that it's finally back on! it seems like forever since shane first wielded that mallet! the previews for this season are awesome. watch it. love it.

friday five #31

01. wallpaper calendars - i've been using online calendars as my desktop since i got the macbook and this month there is so many good ones to choose from i'm putting them on rotation! currently using the one mike perry designed for design sponge. it seemed appropriate considering the impending move. next up; free people's and then wild olive's "diminutive feather."

02. kudu-lah critters - my pretty much friend/friend of a best shared these awesome little mason jar inhabiting creatures on facebook this week, she just put three really adorable ones in her new little muffin's nursery! there are 12 of them total, but i think i'm going to go with quadropus, squppy & of course, shark jr. thanks for the hot tip meredith!

03. andrew bannecker - this guy has been popping up all over my google reader lately, via all kinds of inspiring people i love so i thought i'd give his stuff a look. i have definitely found a new artist/illustrator (what's the difference sometimes) to add to my faves! that piece up there, "no turning back" would be loverly in my scrappy/crafty room! i'm also really into, "28 inches of fiery fury" and these new everyday creatures.

04. "timber" fabric - i happened upon this new fabric collection from jessica levit and fell in love. so deeply in love that i've half convinced myself that i'm going to make my own curtain for the crafty/scrappy room. i'm thinking of blue magnolia bird with a strip of these brown maple seedling helicopters at the bottom. i love her patterns and the concept of the little birds nests as the flower! so cute!

05. bloomers - after falling in love with american crafts' version of these flowery trims with the "dear lizzy spring" collection i was obviously dying when i saw these from websters pages! the color combo alone is enough to make me drool! we just ordered the multi-card for the store and i can't wait to get my mitts on them!

friday five #30...

... the we signed a lease on a sweet apartment edition!!!

true story! we found the perfect apartment for us, worked to get it and signed a lease last monday! i'm so relieved, and beyond excited to get in there (hopefully a couple of day before) august 1st to start painting, moving in, arranging and decorating! the apartment shopping is well underway, and i think that with the boys construction skills and helpful tips and my obsessive organization of both of our ideas it's going to turn out pretty awesome. lots to do, lots to diy & lots to buy (in the smartest way possible)!

01. craft room coziness - i'm really lucking out with the combination of us finding a 2 bedroom apartment, and living with a boy who's so rad he's totally cool with me using that second bedroom as an office/craft room (p.s. what do i call it? craft room sounds nerdy, but studio sounds a little highfalutin'). anyway, obvs i've been planning the set up for a while, and one of the things i'm really excited about is the cool futon we scored for free that i'm possibly going to paint, and definitely going to make all cozy and cute for mid-project breaks and visitors. right now i feel like i need one of these one-price-for-any-size coverlets from garnet hill! but alas, there are other things higher up on the priority list, like dressers and a larger bed!

02. "indie girl" - i am absolutely loving the chartreuse, navy, cornflower and salmon-y pink color combo in the newest collection from sassafras! and hi, there are feathers! it says a lot that i'm loving this collection, since usually flowery papers are not so much my thing, but the tones and patterns of these are so 70s cute, in a good way, that i kind of can't resist. can't wait 'til we get it in and i have my hot little hands on this collection!

03. birch mural - somewhere in my internet travels i happened upon this girl, whose name i imagine to be jen, who has a really adorable home. i'm super jealous of her studio space because look at that window and i really fell in love with her birch mural in the bedroom. i'm hoping we'll be able to pull off something similar, but maybe with just a few randomly placed birches and then a whole bunch of them behind the bed kind of like a headboard. our friend jessica should definitely be able to pull it off no problem!

04. diy pennant pillow - i know, i know pennants are everywhere right now, they're the new owl, but i love them anyway! urban outfitters has this sweet little throw pillow but of course, because i'm me, i want to make it myself so it can go perfectly on my little craft room futon! oh, this is where my crafty friends come in, is anyone out there sitting on any pretty little bits of fabric (no matter how small) that you may be willing to trade me something for? i'm either going that route or buying one of those cute little patch sets, but honestly i'm kind of afraid to start looking around on fabric sites because bad things tend to happen to my wallet when i do that.

05. fiestaware - this is probably an enough said kind of situation, but i just love the classic, hefty look of fiestaware, so as of now i'm trying to work my sale wangling magic to get fiestaware into our future kitchen. we're currently thinking lemongrass, turquoise, tangerine and either white or cream). it will take some pretty major wangling, but i'm hopeful, or at least determined.

friday five #29...

...the if we don't find an apartment soon i'm going to lose my mind edition. perhaps some wishful thinking in the home decor department will help!

01. color shelf interiors - obviously design sponge is the go to resource for sweet design touches. i love the simple little idea of painting the inside cubbies of the shelves for a huge pop. love.

02. paintable wallpaper - i know paintable wallpaper is pretty old school but target, of all places, is selling this retro mod version that i can imagine in all shades of pebble-y grey, deep teal and deep plum.

03. cutie juice glasses - julie west, one of my all time faves, has created these super sweet little juice glasses for art star and i need a full set. i might even start drinking orange juice other than when i'm sick just so i can use them.

04. home print - "home" by edward sharpe and the magnetic zeroes has made it's way back into constant rotation in my life as of late. so, this print, that i also found at art star, is perfectly timed! it just arrived in the mail. now i just need a home to hang it in!

05. re-done spindle desks - another design sponge find, love the idea of a re-done spindle desk with vintage wallpaper drawer fronts. plus, the colors not too shabby either.

friday five #28

01. hey cupcake! lust - this time last year i was in austin, tx being shown what's up by the best austin tour guide in the world, miss kerry potter mccormick. she has defected back to nyc, and luckily i'll be able to spend my birthday with her here on the east coast this year, if only she had brought hey cupcake! back with her though! not only is the little airstream trailer, complete with rotating cupcake on the top, too cute for words but their vanilla dream cupcakes are the only bakery cupcakes in the entire world that i love! everyone who is able should be giving them a try, like right now. now.

02. iphone art - design sponge did a really cute guest blog entry all about awesome and well designed iphone cases, and i fell in love with these etched bamboo ones from grove. they have some really rad artist series cases and the option of uploading your own graphics to be etched for you and only you. you even get to pick the color of your bamboo and the outlying bezel color. they are a bit pricey, but look to be pretty sturdy and could end up being more than worth the bucks. perhaps they will be a post-birthday option.

03. halsey birds - yes, i have a quasi-quilty little spot in my heart for kurt halsey. i admit it! so i pretty much almost dyed when i saw his fireflies necklace at art star. i snapped it up and i wear it all the time and always get compliments on it. well, lo and behold art star posted a new weekend special today, spend $35 in the store and get a kurt halsey birds necklace free! that's an amazing deal, especially considering i didn't even know this new necklace existed. sadly i won't be able to get there this weekend so i ordered it up as a little birthday present to myself. but to all my philly peeps, go for it! it's a $34 necklace for free when you spend $35, that's insane! (ooh, also note how it comes in 2 different lengths, love that!)

04. spring cleaning apron - i'm working on a list things to do in the next year, and one of them is to complete a sewing project. i used to really enjoy sewing years and years a go, so it stands to reason that i will still enjoy it, right? the amazing fabric out there right now, not only from amazing fabric designers, but also from scrapbook companies i already love (cosmo cricket, basic grey, mme & more) is pushing me into action. i think my project will be this sweet scalloped apron from fig tree quilts. i love how it's designed to use just one "jelly roll" from moda and a little extra for lining and the scallop. i think i'll be using this jelly roll by joel dewberry, but may also still decide to get adventurous and mix my own fabrics. i could see how this could get silly expensive, but i'm going to fake myself into believing it's an investment, haha.

05. custom calligraphy address stamp - this little pretty jumped off oh so beautiful paper and straight into my "want" folder this week. how amazing would this be when we finally find an apartment? it's beyond beautiful, and just right for my handwriting hating self. just another reason for the universe to align and find us something already!

friday five #26

01. vol. 25 - so this check, jessica designed some stamps that i really like a while a go for stamping bella, which i'm hoping to get my hands on next month when we do a catalog sale with them, but in the mean time, she has a sweet little etsy shop where she sells prints of some of her illustrations. this typewriter is one of my favorites, and i can definitely see it hanging in futureimagninaryapartment. i also really love this paper planes one, because we all know how i feel about paper airplanes.

02. utility & beauty - obviously i wouldn't ever be able to bring myself to spend the cash on one of these babies, but i am officially on the hunt for a less expensive, and possibly alterable or vintage version. i'm sure i'll be seen stalking the aisles of little hardware stores, the container store and any other random home section i can find. i want them to migrate into futureimaginaryapartment en masse for the beautiful organization of various crafty things in futureimaginarycraftroom.

03. leafy chord keepers - these are completely brilliant and simply beautiful little pieces of awesome design at work. a beautiful way to warm up all the vines of tech chords that are wrapping their way around our homes and lives! i love how they show them used for decoration as well, but what a rad way to liven up that ugly cable chord and chords that you always leave bundled up like camera chords. i think they'd make a cute mini album binding too!

04. brills scrappers - every now and then a new scrapper comes to my attention that completely refreshes my love of the scrappy side of papercrafts, kaori watanabe is the newest. i found her blog through her recent addition to the crate paper design team. i won't go on and on and on, instead you should just check out the amazing things she's done with some recent crate paper collections. try not to drool to hard.

05. letterpress love - yet another letterpress poster i'm in love with the idea of having for futureimaginaryapartment. louella press creates some pretty sweet, graphic & simple little lovelies that you should definitely check out. i already stalk letterpress on the internet, play at making my own at home and after my return to the national stationary show this weekend, i'm sure i'll be swimming in little bits and bobs of it that i won't be able to throw out, gosh knows i still have stuff from the last show that i haven't worked into a project yet. perhaps i'll be putting together a kit to sell in a small run...?

friday five #25

this will be a ridiculously quick, cheapie five since i'm actually in indiana now, but i promise i'll make it up next week! plus, there's some pretty rad stuff in here.

01. tissue paper poufs - i want these everywhere in my life. especially in these colors.

02. ryan berkley coasters - how hard would you giggle every time you used one of these fancy dudes?

03. new band of horses - you can get a free download of the first single from the album on their website. it's a little different, but somehow still the comfy same.

04. diy ornathology clock - kate over at design sponge posted this awesome tutorial on how to make your own clock from easy to find, inexpensive materials. love the scientific illustrations on this one.

05. coffee people k cups - i swear it's not just because their packaging is so cute! i really love the k cups from the coffee people (we have a keurig at work, i'm not that fancy at home). the donut shop one is my favorite right now, but i also love the organic.

friday five #24

cheated on this one quite a bit. : / in that these are all quick inspirations found in my google readed browsing this afternoon, haha. you can def tell where my color sensibilities are recently. i'll obvs be sure to link you to all the lovely bloggers also.

01. tropical nail colors - if you're going to put in the nail polishing time, why go with a traditional color? these "up, up and away" colors from china glaze are sooooo where i'm at right now. love how their solid, almost matte look brings me back to the "clueless" era of painting my nails with whiteout in class. (source: a beautiful mess)

02. foxes of the non-fantastic variety - i finally watched "the fantastic mr. fox" last night, and i know i may get killed for this, but i didn't love it! i really thought i was going to! almost all of the adorable, snarky & funny bits were in the constant promos, and i found their arms and bird killing terrifying! i did get a nice language clean up from it though, and will now be saying "clustercuss" rather than the other. i do however love these fox pillows, this fox plushie and this fox hat, which i obviously need for next winter!

03. diy bunting necklace - sarah golden, owner & artist behind craftyfolk posted this sweet, easy to create diy leather bunting necklace. i'm imagining how cute it would also be with little frayed edge, back to back fabric triangles. the possibilities...

04. dividing walls made of magazines - this is from a rad, albeit in another language, design & packaging blog i follow. check out these amazing dividing walls made of packed in magazines, complete with windows and sills! we won't even talk about how badly i want their conference room chairs!

05. mixed postage prettiness - parcel post is another inspiring blog to follow, and i love when they do mixed and vintage mixed postage on envelopes. it makes me want to hold on to some random postage stamps now, in hopes that they'll someday look cool with some other randoms. also, feel free to raid your grandma's desk drawers for postage for me if you like. i wouldn't turn them down.

friday five #23

01. marathon's chicken matzo ball soup - i met up with my friend john at the marathon grille on walnut street (philly) for a quick post-haircut (me)/post-coachella (him) catch up and i decided i wanted a little snacker so ordered up some matzo ball. ohmygod! this chicken matzo ball soup is probably my new favorite soup of all time. so, yummy, buttery and delish. if you're in the area, get like 6 bowls, right now!

02. sprinkled shell top - liked this on anthro's website, looooved it when i tried it on in the store. it's not the lightest top ever, because of the shell pieces, but it's gorgeous and i need it. like. now. maybe i can use my upcoming trip to indiana as an excuse?

03. cheeky cherry - you know how you sometimes get lost on the internet? you're searching for an image, and then you end up on someone's blog, and then you're clicking a link to a store they design for, and then you're falling in love with something new? that happened to me a couple of days a go, but i had the happy accident of coming across a stamp company i really, really love that we are going to start carrying at the store! one of the collections i'm most in love with is, sadly, not available to retailers yet but will soon, thank garsh (as emma pilsbury would drawl). they're little vargas like girls and i need them all. can't wait to see the new designs of these girls that they'll have available to us in june! in the meantime, we'll be stocking up on the anya & ian stamps, as well as the wild sprouts a.s.a.p. can't wait!

05. invisible monsters art - it's no surprise that even though we haven't found an apartment yet, i've been dream room planning for a couple of months now. this new screenprinted poster by kevin tong for the "invisible monsters" by chuck palahniuk anniversary is sooo in one of my main color zones right now, and i def need it to be in our future apartment. bad. i feel like it may just inspire a whole room, living room perhaps?

04. new broken social scene - an always favorite, i'm pretty excited for the new broken social scene album, "forgiveness rock album" which releases on may 4th! and now that i've heard the full album preview on npr.org, i'm even more stoked. it feels like a perfect spring album, ideal for driving home at night with the windows down and a hoodie on. i'm really, really into it.

friday five #22

01. droolworthy books - the second round of penguin putnam classics are out and about in the world and i am, yet again, dying! the odyssey is one of my favorites. i also really love alice's adventures in wonderland, even though it makes me slightly crazy that the colors don't really go with the rest of the series. i guess it will just need to have it's own shelf on my imaginary not-yet-built or thrift-shopped bookcase that's just for this series of books!

02. multiple easters - due to my mum having to work part of the day, and it being the perfect holiday to meet more of the boy's fam, i was fortunate enough to have multiple easter's! this resulted in a face that hurt from lauging and smiling, a super full tummy and a really awesome easter. (fun fact: the boy can apparently pull off pink gingham in a pretty major way. who would have guessed it?)

03. chocolate covered gummy bears - i happen to have the best mum ever who knows me all to well. therefore my entire easter basket consisted of about 3 pounds (literally) of chocolate covered gummy bears from the rocky mountain chocolate factory which she drove 3 hours round trip to get to. beyond yum.

04. bloomers - you know those new scrappy products that you love so much you check on their status every day? well these bloomers trims from webster's pages are it for me! i can't wait 'til these are released! the colors are making me drool, and even though i'm not normally a flowery kind of girl i find myself wanting to cover, like my whole life in them. i die.

05. a future blog re-do - i'm not a digital scrapper by any means, but someone posted a link to danielle thompson's new kit for kitschy digitals, called vintage cameras and i fell for it. i'm still working out the logisitics, but it's going to be perfect for me to re-do my blog with! it's been needing a little overhaul for a while now, but i've been hesitant to do so because i still love these colors so much, but with this kit in hand (so to speak) i'll be able to keep the colors and still give it a new look.

friday five #21

01. spring bag options - i'm still caught between this and the vera bradley i mentioned a couple of weeks a go. i think i'm going to go with this fossil bag. it's coated for easy, no worries use and i know i love fossil's bag quality. maybe i'll just replace my current horrible make up bag with one from vera bradley in that pattern i like, rather than getting the whole bag. these are important decisions people. (except not)

02. volume two - i'm not explaining other than to tell you that i did not love, love volume one, but i lurve this one. just listen & love. (and obvs the cover artwork is lovely)

03. zombie farm - if you have an iphone, get this. it's free. it's not obnoxious for your facebook friends (as long as you don't link it to your facebook) and there are zombies to grow and invade neighboring farms with!

04. me mugs - so, i'm a pretty big fan of non-matching mugs that are totally me. wether it's my "do something creative everyday" mug from paper source, the memo notebook mug k got me, or the liberty of london mug i'm currently stalking target's for, i think it's fun to have me mugs. they making my morning coffee, on the rare days i'm home for it, all the more special. my next purchase, barring a target miracle, will be this guy from craftyfolk's etsy.

05. glee fests - i snagged "glee: the road to sectionals" on super sale at target and the boy and i have been watching (or in my case re-watching) all the episodes in preperation for the new season. don't tell his friends!

oops-it's-no-longer-friday five #19

01. ryvita - i am now obsessed with these crackers. rhian & i are quasi-planning on me sending her boxes full of lucky charms in return for her sending my boxes of ryvita pumpkin seeds & oats. so crazy yummy, especially with hummus spread on them!

02. whip it! - i was kind of nervous to see this since i really wanted to love it, but had heard mixed reviews of it but i did in fact love it like crazy. i definitely recommend it to any and all of you. love ellen page and love, loved kristen wiig.

03. new shout out louds - the shout out louds are one of those bands who i wouldn't necessarily think of listing in my favorite bands but i'm not quite sure why. i consistently love every album they put out and they're good, easy listening when you're around the house or on a long car ride. their new one, "work" is no exception.

04. graham carter - nicole and i saw a bunch of graham carter's work in an awesome little gallery in bath, england and kinda fell in love with it. i especially love his prints on wood.

05. st. pat's game - so stoked on the st. pat's devils game! we finally got our tickets (along with tickets for the april 2nd blackhawks game)! the devils will be wearing their old school green & red jerseys and hopefully my st. pats devils shirt will come in time to be worn to the games! here's hoping the break did the devils some good and the games are awesome.

friday five #18

01. skybar - rhian & i really, really lucked out with the most beautiful dublin weather on wednesday! and, because of our early (read: operating on 2 hours) flight, we had already done and experienced and absolute ton by lunch time, including a little turn about the guinness storehouse that ends in a free fresh guinness at the skybar, which is atop the storehouse with a complete 360 degree view of dublin from above. it was beyond beautiful, as evidenced in the reflection of the sky in the mirror topped table my expertly poured guinness was resting on. (also, look at this stop motion video rhian made. it causes me to explode into a semi-violent giggling fit.)

02. shreddies - i've been having these for breakfast just about every morning since i landed! they are kind of a denser version of wheat chex with a slight sweet taste, almost like a really light honey. super delicious. they may very well be added to my short list of foods that will have to start being shipped to me in the states. also, are you ready for the cutest bit? they're tag line is, "knitted by nanas!"

03. olympic hockey - this is officially the first time i've ever actually cared about anything olympic related, and it is just about completely impossible to see any of the olympic hockey games here in england. grr to that business, but yay to the fact that i've at least been able to follow the scores in real time thanks to the scorit app and team usa is winning across the board! the boy is recording all of the nasty match-ups on sunday, and you can trust that i will be watching them as soon as humanly possible upon my return to the states.

04. tea - i've only ever been a tea drinker as a last ditch effort to stave off illness... until bristol happened. maybe it's the chill i know is just outside the window, maybe it's being surrounded by interesting boxes of tea, or maybe it's simply in the air here! i'm finding it cozy, comforting and actually even pretty yummy. my favorite at the moment is clipper's organic nettle tea.

05. bristol city farm - it was supposed to be hailing today so nicole and i were readying ourselves for a day spent at the blue reef aquarium here in bristol, but what we awoke to was instead a beautiful blue skies kind of day. we threw on clothes and headed out to enjoy it for as long as it would last and our first stop was the bristol city farm! nicole & milo have a little allotment here where they work their own little bit of garden and have some veggies & such. there is also a little cafe there that serves amazing food made with ingredients grown in the allotment. and obviously i'm a fan of anywhere i can pet pig noses, talk to whooly sheep and visit with sweet little baby cows! we also went to bath, which is a story for a whole 'nother blog entry.

friday five #16

01. sheldon in a ball pit - i've blogged about how much i love the dr. sheldon cooper character on big bang theory, but this week's episode about sheldon's breakdown when he's stuck figuring something science-y that i can't even begin to pretend to know about had one of the most hilarious scenes from this show, EVER. watch it.

02. the guiltiest of tv guilty pleasures - i can't even defend "greek" by claiming it's witty or an underground, surprise sensation. it's pop culture laced, only slightly witty, horrible dialouge & cheesy predictable story lines, but i love it,and i love the cappy and romance. it's my super mindless, super guilty pleasure.

03. a trip to the rock - we're heading to the prudential center tonight for the devils v. leafs game. i'm beyond stoked! stoked on a new devils hoodie. stoked on watching brodeur play. love him! stoked on being there for kovalchuk's first game with the devils after that crazy trade last night! i'll miss oduya, and maybe even bergfors a little, but i can deal because kovalchuk has a nasty shot, nasty in a good way as the boy would say, and he's going to push it hard. should prove to be totally worth it. so stoked!

04. work hard & be kind - so who else cried multiple times during coco's last episode? i loved that he took the high road. i also completely loved his advice, "work hard and be kind." this spoof on the classic "be calm and carry on" print is amazing. you can also get it as wallpaper here.

05. brand cameos - i don't know that i love, love russell brand in large doses, but i do absolutely adore his smaller & cameo roles like, "forgetting sarah marshall." last weekend the boy and i watched "bedtime stories" which made for some cute, lazy sunday viewing, and he's pretty adorable in that one as well.