Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Shopping?

I'd barely been in Atlanta an hour when Cam asked, 
"So, no one is in town for us to hang out with, what would you like to do?"  
 "You know better than me."  
His perfect answer: 
"Shopping?"
I love him.
The above are crayons from Anthropologie (I'd never been in the store before, very exciting) and they were having a sale.  I still didn't touch my wallet, everything cost much too much.  
Here was a handmade cloth picture book full of monsters with silly names.  
This one was the Whatwasthatus: "the things that go bump, ping, thrrrrrp and click in the night." It was a beautiful book, and enormous.  It's price was massive, too, over $1,200!
We went to several other home furnishing stores, which are always our favorite to shop through.  We love to talk about our dream house.
Cam is the perfect shopping partner in that he lets me jump and squeal and ooh and ahh over everything without getting worked up himself.  He instead asks many detailed questions about my tastes, why I enjoy particular items, and what functions I need my future furniture to serve.  He did lose his cool a time or two in Ikea upon discovering slam-proof cabinetry and "the chair."
We agree on just about everything and he's always eager to make me the pricey stuff himself.  
As he phrased it: "I'll make our home and you'll make it look good."

Fluffy Omelets

Photobucket
Cam did a fair amount of pampering to me this weekend: he cooked fluffy omelets for breakfast before we left to go to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. 
Photobucket
He used applewood bacon, which is thick and scrumptious.  I'm not normally a bacon girl, but I picked out every bit of it from my omelet.
Photobucket
He also added cheese and mixed peppers.
Photobucket
When it comes to love languages, Cam is definitely an "Acts of Service" and "Quality Time" kind of guy, and I love that about him. 

Monday, May 30, 2011

Dinner Backwards

Photobucket
Forgetting that the Atlanta Jazz Festival was taking place, Cam and I naively hopped in the car to pick up ingredients for dinner from Trader Joe's.  An hour and a half later, we finally made it back to Theta Xi.  What should have been a straightforward ten minute trip turned into a serpentine and frustrating series of side streets to avoid the traffic.  I think waiting it out on the main road would have taken less time, but as I told my increasingly more frustrated love, at least it was time spent together. 
We cooked pork, fried pimento cheese balls, fettucini alfredo, sourdough bread and olive oil for dipping, grapes and carrots, my especially favorite strawberry bubbly drink from Trader Joe's and their strangely delicious yogurt covered pretzels.
We tried to time everything, but the pork needed thirty minutes more than the recipe had anticipated, so we had dinner sort-of backwards, eating our entree for dessert.  
Check out Trader Joe's French Berry Lemonade and their Yogurt Pretzels.  The pretzels are sweet AND tangy.  
Photobucket
Cam suspects that it was the malt that gave them their kick.
Photobucket
Ate way more than a serving size of these puppies...
Photobucket
Decent pre-cooked alfredo.
Photobucket
The best for last...pork coated with olive oil, garlic and freshly chopped rosemary Cam had to show me how to chop it properly, I was getting really angry with this herb! 

Mocha Coconut Frappuccino+Chocolate Chunks


Photobucket
I asked them to add chocolate chunks like in their Java Chip Frappes...BEST CONCOCTION EVER!
Photobucket

Right and Wrong and Stealing Ideas

Photobucket
I for one love the collective, encouraging nature of the handmade design community.  If I had the wallet for it, I'd buy only handmade.  As an avid bargain shopper, I dig through thrift shops, reusing what others toss out.  But I also shamelessly purchase from big chain stores such as Target, Old Navy, Wal Mart, etc.  
Photobucket
This article on abbytrysagain and the links within really encouraged me to consider how I "vote with my dollars."  In the most recent of a growing list of accusations hurled at big companies, Urban Outfitters was accused of stealing the designs of etsy seller tru.che.  
The response on abbytrysagain made me consider my responsibility to research what I purchase, and especially what I design.  I surf blogs daily, and try to create as often as possible.  It is very easy to unintentionally "steal" or come up with ideas independent of exposure to other artists work, and find that someone came up with the same idea two years ago.  
Photobucket
Ideas are shared, they evolve, they catch on.  I've discussed this recently with some of my friends.  I went into Starbucks and lo and behold, their new Petites Collection includes whoopie pies and cake pops.  I told my friend Bowen that whoopie pies have been very trendy lately.  He laughed and asked where I got this stuff.  It made me think that unless you really research, people don't know where these ideas came from.  Some designer/blogger makes the pies, they catch on and more people try out the recipe, they are showcased in event photography and eventually big retailers jump on the bandwagon. 
Photobucket 
I wondered if Starbucks had asked permission of Bakerella for using cake pops, and if they were Bakerella's original idea.  Does Starbucks owe her money?  Should they have asked?  I researched online to see if anyone else had a problem or questions about this.  Bakerella hasn't posted anything about it on her blog.  She has published a book: does that mean anyone can sell Cake Pops now?  
Many questions.  Lots of gray area.  
All I can do is try my best to be conscientious, shop critically and always give credit where it is due.  

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Super Sprayter

I know it looks like nothing at first, but wait till he lifts the lid!

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Yardstooling

This was a little nonsensical doodle about polite lawn gnomes that I drew for Cam, since he loves them. I'm not sure what yardstooling is, Cam made up the word.

Atpalicis


I really enjoyed these cards by Atpalicis.  I always love my monsters.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Separate But Not Apart

My bestie Caris came over today for a friend date.  Caris and I have been biffles since we met through church back in elementary school.  Now all grown up, our conflicting and busy schedules keep us from seeing each other as often as we did back when our summers were filled with trips to the pool rather than part-time jobs.  What we've always treasured about our friendship is that months can go by before we get to properly "hang out" but it's always as if a single day hasn't passed.  She is a true-blue old friend.  
I had Caris over to my house, and she was ready to overcome her crafting fears and make something beautiful.  I showed her some simple flower-painting tricks and together we made shopping totes with matching quotes on them:
"The most beautiful discovery that true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart."

We then promptly took our totes to Old Navy and pillaged the clearance racks, proudly filling them with delicious deals. 
 Caris picked tulips.
I picked ranunculus.


Pewter

Amber and I share a love for rainy day gray.

Grab that Bag

These bags are from mar y sol.  I have had my eye on that Opal Applique Clutch for two years now and the thing still isn't on sale!  I have a soft spot for the Eloise Bow Clutch as well.

Little Nuggets

Some of these spoke a lot of truth into my life, others just made me laugh.  
 


Sunday, May 22, 2011

One of These or One of Those

 Ok, if Cam asks any of you want I want for our fifth anniversary, tell him I want one of these or one of those.  
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...