sunshine.

Sunshine is good for your soul. Today I enjoyed a LOT of it while spending quality-time with Lucy.

Lucy and I celebrated the 58 degree SUNSHINE by going to our favorite place, Ellison Park. We went running, swimming (ok - just Lucy), played fetch, and she played with other dogs while I mingled with doggie parents. Ellison is a gem for dog-owners!

Later, I spent some time soaking up the sun while cleaning out my car. As you can see below - Lucy spent the rest of her afternoon sunbathing. I captured several degrees of 'Lazy Lucy'!

Check out our trip!

vintage art.

Easter weekend, I scored a pile of old magazines from the 40s and 50s at a household sale I attended with McAllister's mother Sue. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them at the time but for a whopping $5.00 - I knew I wouldn't be sorry.

The magazine titles were Today's Woman, Better Living, Women's Day, the Post and McCall's. Their years in print ranged from 1941 through the late 50s. I've spent some time going through them all and they are so interesting to read. The articles are not only humorous to me, but still very informative. (don't get me wrong, I HEART my Martha subscription) My FAVE part are the advertisements, they are hysterical.

Then it hit me! At the same sale, I bought NINE photo frames for $5 (the photo junkie in me couldn't resist). I'm going to cut out old ads and hang them in the frames in my open kitchen shelves for a VINTAGE art feel. Some ads from back then are still big-name brands that I use. Coca Cola, Quaker Oats, Life cereal, Spam, Flavor-aid! (ok, so maybe not spam - but it still has a place in my heart given my love of email!) It will be just perfect. It also got me thinking, I found the ads suited for perhaps the BATHROOM to be the most hilarious (boy were times different back then)... I MUST have empty wall space in the bathroom awaiting a lovely soap or toiletry ad.

I've started earmarking pages to make cards and gift tags out of. Their recipients will surely be impressed. Some of the issues were holiday months, so perhaps I'll update my Christmas decor with some vintage art as well! SOOO many ideas. How fun.

Stay tuned for the before/after details!

happy 20th bday justine.

twenty-one.

...is the number of inches of hair on top my head.

Why is that significant one might ask?! Well it is significant to me, because it is 11 more inches than the number required to donate to Locks of Love. That is 11 inches that can potentially stay on top my head after I CHOP it for CHARITY.

One may recall me talking about my hair back in Nov - when it was 17.5 inches long. My hair grows FAST - I even had an inch taken off in December before our trip.

I'm getting close - I'll be chopping it off SOON.

vintage drying rack

ever since i read Decorating Junk Market Style - I've been on the lookout for a cheap-o drying rack. Here's an easy-peasey project once you find one:

1. Purchase small binder clips, screws, beaded chain (I got mine @ Home Depot)
2. mark off 3 rows of even screw holes. I measured down from the top of the rack pieces so they had a nice flow to them once they were spread out.
3. screw small binder clips into the holes
4. measure/mark/drill 2 rows of even screw holes horizontally in the rack to thread the beaded chain through.
5. cut/thread/cut beaded chain through the two rows.
6. go back to home depot to pick up more beaded chain CLOSURES. (i didn't need the beaded chain, just the closures - where do you buy those?!)
7. attach the rest of the chain and spread the wings.
8. Add photos, notes, etc.

i love stealing ideas from the junk ladies - they are so CREATIVE! More pics of the final product are on my Project Pics Page.

racket press frames.

I enjoy challenging the notion of what a photo frame should be. On a recent junking trip, I scored a vintage tennis racket and press. At first glance, I instantly saw a FRAME!

All it took was a little stain, some acrylic plastic, a plastic cutter and some photos. I'm still looking for a nifty mat board, possibly made out of fabric or contact paper, but for now - using plain file folders from the home office will do. Sue, my future mother-in-law, gave me two other OLD rackets and now I have a TRIO! The photo theme (there is always a theme) is 'Lucy takes the field'

Check out how to make them on my projects page!

easter decor.

Easter really snuck up on me this year, I've been busy busy busy. I usually don't decorate for Easter. It's just not a holiday that I've managed to acquire decorations for in my recent years of homeownership. That CHANGED this year when I discovered the Christmas Tree Shop.

The store is HUGE and everything in it is 'el CHEAPO'. I managed to spend next to nothing getting some fun Easter decorations. Like a deviled egg tray for $1.99! I can already tell it's going to be one of those stores that I will just keep throwing stuff into my cart. Before you know it, those cheap gadgets can add up fast. I'll to spend some time before I checkout rummaging through it to decide what I REALLY need.

I did notice some fun garden stuff which I'll have to go back for!

happy easter.

happy easter to everyone!

paul frank.

Today I wore my NEW pink, Paul Frank t-shirt while my fam and I colored Easter eggs. Today was a good day!

cheesecake bites.

Mmmmmm.... DESSERT!

McAllister made our dinner crowd these bite-size, deep-fried cheesecakes.

There is something about deep-fried that makes me drool.

They were a little too bite-size for me. I forgot how many I was popping in my mouth. The belly ache told me to stop.

1000 words.

Today, I'm featured on kodak's BLOG.

It's called 1000words. Take a peek and comment over there if you'd like!!

Happy Wednesday!

creative memories.

Two weekends ago, I went to Albany for a festive, Irish crafty weekend visiting my two friends Allison and Katie.

I HEART scrapbooking with friends, however I think I enjoy the social aspect more than the actual output. I especially like scrapping with THOSE friends - because they have amazing TOOLS and loads of supplies.

That weekend, they introduced me to Creative Memories. It's the AVON of crafting supplies and I didn't even know it existed! My two friends have a CM consultant who they can call on at a moment's notice when they run out of necessities - like 7x7 page protectors!

It's a good thing I went out there! These chicas introduced me to supplies I did not even know I needed! Like this personal trimmer, or as I dubbed it for the technical crowd - the slicing doo-hickie. I simply MUST own this tool; it will fix my sloppy scissor skills!

bento box.

A Bento box is to the Japanese what the brown bag lunch is to Americans. Since I bring my LUNCH to work each day, I was VERY interested when I read about these handy ones sold at Plastica.

It's a stackable lunch box with little compartments that could house all the snacks I bring to work. I bring LOTS of little things, and this would keep them all contained in a bright, fun lunch box that would make me happy each day @ noon. I like the blue, green and white one the best. With this, mr hummus doesn't have to touch mr veggies OR mr pitas until right before I eat!

I will admit - I might be pretty easy to please. Right now my solution for a lunch tote is tupperware in a Target bag.

tom's toothpaste.

I'm a Tom's toothpaste lover. I made the switch about a year and a half ago. Bye-bye Colgate for Nicky. I like Tom's because it TASTES GOOD. Plus, they use all natural ingredients in their products and are big charity contributors.

Last night, we ran out. BOO. It was pretty late, but I scoured the linen closet to find the teeney-tiny travel size Colgate we have. It's tough to go back, it's like having Jiff after you've been eating all-natural PB for awhile.

I must have complained loudly, because this morning I was happy to find McAllister had made a late-night pit stop for Tom's on the way home from work. Happi Day!

junk outing.

Sondra and I went junking this past weekend. We hit up some moving sales and antique stores. It is a successful trip when we can fill up the back of her SUV (camera pic below) with JUNK for less than $40 total!

Among my coolfinds:
-A $10 ladder that I'll use as a towel rack and shelf in the guest room.
-Large wire baskets ($2 apiece) that will make 4 GREAT storage with an industrial feel.
-3 small, old drawers ($1 apiece unless your me - then they charge you double!) from our local, architectural salvage shop. I'm going to make them into a 3 shelf inbox for my desk.
-2 OLD suitcases for $3 each. They'll likely be made into one end table, I'm just not sure yet if I want them on casters or not....

There was LOTS more (oh yeah - the $5 vintage drying rack!). I'm sure I'll post about the finished products. Let the projects BEGIN!

mygoogle themes

My Google has THEMES, pass it on!

Thanks to ljc, I now know my 'My Google' page can have a THEME.

The page will dynamically change based on where you are located and what time of day it is, so you won't get bored of your theme. Very rad.

The 'Bus Stop' looks like it could be fun, but for now - I agree with ljc and will opt for the 'Tea House' theme. The orange trees are helping me move past winter and onto SPRING.

switzerland photos.

No one is holding their breath for the photos from our super-duper trip. Thank goodness for that, b/c I've been a total slacker getting them organized and online. My average time from "say-cheese" to computer is usually quicker than a bunny. But not with Europe. And doing the math, I think I know why....

As a couple, during our trip - we hit new photo taking levels never hit before. In our 19 day trip, we arrived home with 2298 images and 34 video clips. (well over 3MB of storage)

2298 pics?!?!?! That means, on average we took 121 photos per day. That's crazy. It's so crazy, I LOVE it.

fyi: I finished Switzerland and posted them to my Gallery Travel page. Next up: Southern France and Rome.

medicine cabinet makeover.

I shamelessly stole a neat-o project idea from MARTHA that I saw online last year.

The project is an easy-peasey way to JAZZ up your medicine cabinet using a sheet of galvanized metal. Plus, it works DOUBLE time for you as storage b/c you can stick magnets to it!

You can check out the before/after road to getting there on my PROJECTS page. It was ironic to see the project tip featured in Martha's APRIL issue of her Living magazine this month. I finished it last week, before the magazine dropped - so I'm CONVINCED Martha and I are on the same wave.....

spring.

I've got the itch. The itch for spring & all that comes along with it!

That includes flowers, sunshine, gardening, coffee on the front porch, lazy Saturday mornings, flip flops, farmer's market, garage sales, flea markets, trips to the dog park and MORE.

happy FIRST day of spring!

shamrock coasters.

I went to Albany for the weekend, to visit my crafty Irish friends.

I made 6 festive shamrock coasters as a gift for my lovely hostesses. They were a nice, functional gift and really fun to make too. I even was able to enjoy them most of the weekend during my stay.

Check out my projects page for the how-to!

going GREEN.

In the spirit of the upcoming GREEN weekend, I thought it would be timely to introduce a new, buzzing, local business here in Rochester....

Green Way Cleaning, is the new biz in town! It was started by a couple of stay-at-home mom's with an eco-friendly passion. They've introduced new products & services for those that want to introduce a green way of cleaning into their homes. They have residential cleaning services, do public speaking engagements and even sell the cleaning products they make.

I just ordered the Green Way Caddy!

the queens of junk.

I love making NEW uses out of OLD things.

Two of the masters of that, are Sue Whitney and Ki Nassuer - the owners of Junk Market. They're also authors of a book (which I own), Junk Market Style, have their own magazine (same name) and a monthly column in Country Living. They are famous for re-purposing garage sale scores into neat and clever ideas. Take their doggie dish idea.... did anyone think I could come up with that on my own?!

My girlfriend and I went to hear them speak over the weekend at the Buffalo Home and Garden show. They were awesome.!! We got to meet Sue unexpectedly on the way in, when we were lost. She smuggled us through the exhibitor entrance saving us that ridiculous $9 cover charge.

Their talk got me super-charged for all the flea market and garage sales that are right around the corner with SPRING!

candid's in town.

I got an email yesterday from a fave band - CANDID.

Simple marketing, they email to announce where they'll be playing. I just HEART how different their email creative is. I've come to always expect something new and different, so I open them all regardless of if whether their tour is in a far-off city I won't be attending.

They are playing here in Roch this weekend. I have tentative out-of-town plans though.... BOO.

Happy 50th Anniversary!

My BLOG turned 50 today….

Having a relatively new entrance into the BLOGGING world, I baked myself CUPCAKES today to celebrate my 50^th POST.

Cheers to 50 MORE!

vending machines

Last week, during my travel to the west coast and back, I happen to notice that vending machines are not just for candy and soda anymore. In Vegas, I saw bouquets of flowers including dozens of roses being sold out of the vending machines while I awaited my luggage @ the baggage claim.

In the Minneosota airport, you could purchase a 30 day OR 60 day supply of Proactiv acne medication right out of a vending machine. You could also purchase an ipod, or if you already have one – accessories for it like headphones, rad cases or iTunes gift cards. The direct-to-consumer marketing model is growing by leaps and bounds when you look at all these new selling channels....

Have you seen anything extraordinary hanging out in your local vending machines?

you're hired!

Does this guy look familiar?!

He may - he is the season-one winner of The Apprentice, Bill Rancic.

The conference I went to last week had Rancic as a key-note speaker. I wasn't entirely excited when I first heard. I'm just not a big fan of people becoming famous off their short-term reality-TV stunts. But his speech was actually quite good and informative. He gave a motivational speech covering his perspective on business values, strategies, goals, etc. He is a SMART guy.

I got a FREE copy of his book (which is signed now ;-0), You're Hired and I read a good chunk of it on the plane ride back. I can tell already it will be an easy, inspiring business-book, I've already related to it on many fronts.

vegas bound.

Here's the view from my WINDOW seat. This was during the Rochester to Chicago leg of my trip over to Vegas for business.

I was running a bit late for my early flight and forgot to turn my cell phone off during take-off. I managed to catch a quick pic with my camera phone before I interrupted traffic control signals....

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.