winter wedding wonderland

Last weekend, McAllister and I went to Niagara-on-the-Lake to watch our friends Wes and Tonia be WED.

They had a beautiful wedding and reception at The Queen's Landing.

Even though we had a minor memory card mishap (forgot to remember the memory), we still managed to capture some GREAT memories. Check 'em out!

10 ways to reuse your Target bag.

they are so smart at target. right on the bag - they suggest 10 ways that YOU can help by using their bags for other purposes. Such as:

1. Tiny Trashcan Liner.
2. Doggy duty.
3. Water Balloon.
4. Roadtrip rubbish.
5. Soggy Laundry.
6. Ice pack for head lump.
7. Toiletry tote.
8. Kitty litter liner.
9. Tomorrow's lunchbag.
10. Care package padding.

I use #2 regularly, sometimes #4, and #9 often too. #6 can be used for any body part - like my knee last night after falling down our icy stairs. And #7 can be used for more than just toiletries - just ask JON, he uses them for plain LUGGAGE.

v-day decor.

With the fear of being compared to the crazy-lady who leaves her christmas lights out all-year round - I've decided to pro-actively take down the v-day decor.

Last year I put ZERO energy into decorating with HEARTS. This year, I had the heartfelt motivation to make some FUN, simple, and cheap Valentine's Day decorations.

I put my WWMD (what-would-martha-do) hat on AND read her magazine for inspiration. Check out my project page for details!

christmas in Feb!

Two weekends ago, I celebrated christmas with Jon and Lisa because we didn't cross paths at the holidays. (BOO to Jon getting sick)

They know how much I HEART presents. And they were truly creative with the BEVERAGE BASKET gift. I'd never seen one before!!


It came filled with beverage goodies!! Starbuck's coffee, various teas, hot cocoa mix, sugar cubes, marshmallows, mexican beer, Starbucks frappucino, powerade, bloody mary mix, a teapot, and SO MUCH MORE.

Thank you Jon and Lisa so much for our FUN filled gift. I can't wait to consume it ALL!!

fave shoes.

i HEART pumas.

my green suede ones are my favorite pair of shoes. I wore them to work today, with my new pink socks that I got for v-DAY.

(that ugly carpet is my OFFICE!)

V-DAY!

happy valentine's!!

quick fix.

I found the Listerine container BORING.

So I took a cruet and turned it into a nice looking MOUTHWASH container. It's much prettier now on the sink.

to TAG, or not to TAG?

That is the question. For those of us that love DATA and INFORMATION, tagging gives us a way to easily CATEGORIZE and ORGANIZE the massive content on the web.

So long keyword searches. TAGGING enables us to organize web material in a very personalized way, rather than relying on pre-existing formats of classifying information. (goodbye dewey decimal) Tagging is great because it's USEFUL to the tagger, making the mose sense of organization given the organizer is in charge of the system.

Just look @ the popularity of flickr, youtube, and del.icio.us. I've been using del.icio.us for awhile... the benefit, access 2 my categorized BOOKMARKS - anytime, anywhere. aka: any computer, any browser.

I found this article really interesting. Especially when Weinberger was talking about the potential intersection between tagging and our social networks. WOW. The power of data.

our kitchen cherries.

Recently I bought a canvas-mounted print, from the artist - Rodney White. This was tough for me, as the piece was BIG and wall space is precious for us PHOTO JUNKIES. I was introduced to White through Ballard Designs, a store suggested to me from my close friend Jenn b/c of my affiliation with Pottery Barn.

White is a young, self-taught artist who typically creates his art on canvas. I just HEART his style. He uses amazing TYPOGRAPHY to convey SIMPLE sayings that are so MEANINGFUL. He also has great COLOR combinations and his pieces have such a retro, VINTAGE feel. (This coming from someone who loves OLD things, a self-professing flea market/junk lover).

White named the print I purchased 'The Hardest of Easy Choices'. I'll admit, I was first drawn to the piece b/c of the colors (hello - my new kitchen?!!) and the cherries (as those who know me know, cherries are symbolic given my other half grew up on a cherry orchard). However, I'm quite happy to report these are my new favorite CHERRIES of all time!!

Happiness is truly a choice, and sometimes the hardest of easy choices. The print's 2 short weeks of life in our home have already been been extremely influential to me. It's crazy how a visual concept can produce something so powerful. These cherries and I already have an unique bond (well, we DO have coffee together each morning).

That said, I'd suggest a quick browse of White's Gallery, as you too may find something that strikes your inspiration fancy!!

paris.

We LOVED Paris. We took some extra time making sure we got just the right photos (MEMORIES) of Paris, with a lot of emphasis on the EIFFEL TOWER. If you haven't seen our photos, make sure to check 'em out!

What will I do with all these photos?!!? Besides coasters, a new mousepad for work, and a large photo gallery of our whole TRIP in our bedroom (we're running out of wall space for photos) - today I'm thinking I'll create some notecards at the Kodak Gallery. Notecards are much more thoughtful and special when using homeade STOCK photography images!

Now my only dilemma is which photo to choose!

Sadie says HELLO WORLD.

Newest addition to the family = Sadie Cunha.

Lucy said she can't WAIT to meet her... or maybe she said EAT her.... I can't remember now.