Make It

Little Image. Big Mat.

I love this photo of Emersonmade's New Hampshire farmhouse. Especially the framed artwork in the background. The little image/large mat combination always looks really chic to me. Below is another fun image from the Emersonmade blog. So many nice details here. The pink stripe on the bedding, the rust velvet upholstery, those shoes.

A Lovely, Airy Bedroom

I really liked this image from the profile of GAP Director of Concept, Jane Herman, on Refinery 29. I was especially drawn to those little half shutters on the tall windows. What a great way to retain privacy but also let lots of light in.

SelfControl App for People Who Can't Limit Their Internet

I've been working on a printed out version of my manuscript just so that I can avoid the dreaded distractions of the Internet. But when I inevitably have to work on the computer once again to make my edits and add my new words, I should download this SelfControl App.

SelfControl is an OS X application which blocks access to incoming and/or outgoing mail servers and websites for a predetermined period of time. For example, you could block access to your email, facebook, and twitter for 90 minutes, but still have access to the rest of the web. Once started, it can not be undone by the application, by deleting the application, or by restarting the computer – you must wait for the timer to run out.

via GalleyCat

 

What's Inside My Purse (Confessions of a Bag Lady)

I have a problem: I'm a bag lady. Not in the sense of owning multiple purses, but as in, I live out of my handbag. Part of it is that I take the bus regularly and don't have the luxury of keeping certain items in my car like an umbrella or tupperware containing my lunch or an extra pair of shoes. But, let's face it, another part of it is that I'm a bit of my slob. It's a yellow leather purse from Rennes le Chateau that I received in May 2009 for my birthday (thanks, Matt!). I've used it literally everyday since then.

A few weeks ago - after realizing that my bag was getting ridiculously heavy - I decided to clean out, and photograph, the contents of my bag. Behold.

I know. Crazy.

From the looks of things, you may think that I've never cleaned it out during that time also. You'd be wrong, though I did find receipts from as late as April 2010. What else did I find?

An inventory, clockwise from top left:

• handmade zipper bag for personal items
• wallet
• printout of manuscript for editing on the bus
• bookmarks for Dogsled Dreams (no idea what that is)
• old, expired Go Pass (for the bus)
• Real Time Farms stickers (2) from our friends' startup
• umbrella
• two pairs of gloves (and I never wear gloves)
• one fork, three spoons
• a single cough drop 
• two bus schedules
• Detroit Lives flyer that I picked up at a craft fair because I thought it looked cool
• Metro schedule from our trip to DC for Thanksgiving
• Customs forms for post office
• postcards
• pickle scratch and sniff bookmark gifted to me by a children's librarian at my old job (it really smells like pickles)
• card I picked up at a winter craft fair of a woman who does pet portraits
• pin promoting the 2010 Homegrown Festival
• another piece of Detroit Lives collateral (it looks cool, doesn't it?)
• sticker for Tiny Expo, a winter craft fair I attended
• two discount coupons for Swirlberry froyo (after I found these, we immediately put them to use)
• giant pile of receipts, shopping lists, envelopes, pay stubs, and random papers
• eight pens, in colors including red, blue, green and black

Gross, right? You'll be happy to know that immediately after taking this photo, I recycled that entire pile of random papers, threw out all my stickers and business cards and post office forms and bookmarks (but not the pickle one). Tossed the bus schedules (now both out of date), washed and returned the silverware to their proper home, and cut my pen stash in half. Ultimately, though, I think the answer just may be a smaller bag.

What's in your bag? Will you take a photo and post it on the Internet? I dare you.

Why The Hunger Games Casting Matters

I've got a post up today on the group blog I share with my critique partners about the missteps in the casting of The Hunger Games movie. (image via NYMag)

The Black Ivy

This image of the 1934 Howard University football team (above) reminded me of Street Etiquette's The Black Ivy project (below).

And while we're on the subject of men's fashion, The Midwestyle is a new-to-me blog with a decidedly corn-fed vibe. I'm keeping an eye on their interactive Google map of Midwest thrift stores.

Where Are All the Long Sleeved Wedding Dresses?

So our plan is a wedding weekend in Chicago with only our immediate families (parents and siblings). In November. It's urban, it's small, it's the complete opposite of a big production. And because it will be late fall, I will certainly not be wearing anything strapless or spaghetti-strapped. Which is actually kind of a problem when you're looking for a wedding dress. I'd love to find something pretty, short (as in, not a ball gown) and long sleeved. Because what's the point of wearing a strapless dress in November only to  throw a cardigan over it?

Here's what a night of Internet research yielded.

Wearing white is fine, but I'm not totally committed to it. I have a feeling I may even have better luck finding what I want if I consider a wider range of colors. Something like this would certainly be nice (via The Sartorialist)

In the more bridal-y category, something like this J.Crew number would be perfect if only it wasn't a ball gown. I know an option could be to purchase this dress and alter it shorter, but I'm not buying a $2,500 gown only to hack off 40% of it. Have you seen similar styles anywhere? I love the high waist, boatneck and 3/4 sleeves. I just want it to hit slightly above the knee and have a slimmer skirt.

I do love cap sleeves but this might be a bit too summery for November and possibly too casual for what I envision, though a different choice of shoe and hairstyle could go a long way.

Same here. I like the idea of this, but it might be a bit too hippy for my taste. Though with an updo and a silver shoe perhaps it could be a winner.

Leave me a comment with a link if you've spotted any other long sleeved options.

The Wedding is On

Not that it was ever off, but I've been engaged for over a year and- after a few false starts- haven't made any plans for a wedding...until now. My hesitancy had nothing to do with Matt (all is good) and everything to do with bigger picture issues about where I am in my life.

I've blogged about my late 20's angst before and it appears nothing brings that out quite like a wedding. Because a wedding is a big deal. It's one of those now-I'm-an-adult kind of moments, and the thing is that I really didn't/don't feel like an adult. Money is a big part of that. Career is a big part of that. Vacation days, 401k's and dental insurance are parts of that. It was hard to think about planning a wedding/honeymoon and know that I would have zero paid vacation days off work to enjoy it. And while I haven't attained adult-like levels of success in any of those areas, I'm closer than I was last year. So let the wedding blogging resume! First up dresses...

Watercolor Shirts

Pretty, handpainted watercolor shirts from Rachel Rose. This almost makes me want to try a DIY version but I'm hesitant about the sheer havoc this could wreak in the wash. How would you heatset these inks? (via Lonny Blog)

Pizzas of Michigan

Slice has rounded up a list of some of the best pizzas across the state of Michigan. I'm happy to see some of my favorites represented. And, not that you asked, but here's my top 3 list.

1. Tomatoes Apizza - the Farmington Hills location, specificially, which boasts a coal fired oven, maybe even the only one in the state. Very, very good.
2. Supino's, Detroit- put an egg on it
3. Anthony's Gourmet Pizza, Ann Arbor - I didn't think I liked deep dish until I tried one from here.

I'm also excited about a new pizza spot opening up in downtown Ann Arbor, which will feature not one but two wood fired ovens and is going a little more upscale than most of the offerings around here (Tomatoes Apizza rules but it's in a freaking strip mall). A friend of ours is the chef there and Matt got a sneak peek a few weeks ago of the space in progress, pictured above.