sex and the city – and the search.

ok, i’m not going to lie. i am a big fan of sex and the city. when the series started airing, back in 1998 (i was…oh my god, i was 15 then), my mom would watch it on hbo on sunday nights and i would occasionally sit in our den with her, marveling at carrie and co. trotting around manhattan in their skyscraper-high stilettos. after graduating high school and heading off to college, i didn’t pay much attention to the series, but when the (heavily) (edited) reruns started airing on tbs, i made it my goal to watch the whole thing, start to finish, and i loved it. (this phenomenon is a common one, i think; the sex and the city brand – and it is one – has enjoyed huge success due to the reruns, since of course not everyone has hbo.) i loved it even more after watching the unedited versions via netflix.

thanks to the mega-hype surrounding the movie, i’ve been thinking a lot about the movie and the characters this week. like a million and one other girls out there, i relate the most to sarah jessica parker’s character, carrie. and ironically, a rolling stone article on the girls of the hills best clarified why: it’s because carrie’s a searcher – “for true love, the perfect job and friends that never let her down,” wrote jason gay, the writer who did the hills feature. i think that a lot of us are searchers. i know i am.

and that’s why i’m happy to indulge my wannabe-carrie bradshaw self in the cotton-candy colored sex and the city movie. times are hard, you guys. the world isn’t cotton-candy colored; in fact, i feel kind of lucky to have a job right now. but for two hours and 25 minutes this weekend, i’m going to let that reality (work, money, gas prices, rent, car payment) slip away and concentrate, via miranda, samantha, charlotte and carrie and her manolos, on my love of the search. (photos of sarah jessica parker and chris noth from vogue magazine via milk.)

loving: pretty green dress from bird.

i’m in a weird mood today – i was really happy this morning, and then i got really irritated with a bunch of people around me and felt murderous, and now, as i type this, i’m feeling sort of mellow (in my defense, i think i’m hormonal – sorry if that’s tmi!) – so i thought today i’d do a “loving” post today that features something really pretty and happy-making.

this dress, from bird, is just that. i found it on joanna goddard ’s blog the other day and i’ve been lusting after it ever since. the color is divine (i’m having a total green moment right now), the back detailing is to die for and the shape, as joanna notes, is one that would be flattering on practically everyone. want. need. love. buy it at bird, here.

the day of good eating.

since we haven't had a food post in awhile, i thought this lovely wednesday would be a good day to share with you some of my favorite new recipes (admittedly, all from culinary inspiration heidi swanson), especially since i had an exceptionally good day of eating yesterday.

picture this, if you will. the sun rises, translucent yellow light streaming through your windows. your alarm goes off. you hit snooze a couple of times until you finally roll out of bed, stretch and decide to make a quick, healthy breakfast. but what do you choose? you're out of your staple, oatmeal. you don't feel like eggs and toast. you need another option...but what?

well, if you're me, you decide to make dr. john lapuma's warm and nutty cinnamon quinoa, which i'd whipped up the weekend before and loved -- this dish is like oatmeal taken up 10 notches. in fact, i actually swapped the blackberries for raspberries this time and the whole thing was still delicious, even with the different flavor. the best part is, the recipe made enough for me to have the rest of the week -- and coupled with a cup of good coffee (lightened up with silk french vanilla soy milk and sweetened with agave nectar, please), it was the perfect start-the-day meal. (note: the quinoa is slightly bitter, so like heidi says, be sure to rinse it well. it'll still have a touch of bitterness even after it's cooked, but the sweetness of the berries, cinnamon and agave nectar offset that taste well.)

then there's lunch. although i wasn't in the mood for eggs in the morning, i decided to make a quick, easy, sunny egg salad for my midday meal. i had no celery to speak of, unfortunately, but i did have a bunch of chives, so i chopped up the amount the recipe calls for, mixed everything together and served it up on two pieces of whole-wheat bread with a glass of iced green tea on the side. light and filling -- and since i didn't overdo the mayonnaise, the flavor of the chives really came through.

and finally, dinner. i made another batch of pea dumplings last week and have been itching to try heidi's big slurp dumpling soup ever since she posted it. i had everything i needed to make it, so i decided to go for it, and i'm so glad i did. the yellow split peas add a nice pop of color and great texture to the soup; the broth is light and full of flavor, thanks to the herby bouillon and the onion; the pea dumplings are incredibly delicious (the lemon zest really shines through); and the toppings -- more chives, a sprinkle of fresh-grated parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil -- bring it all together. this is my new favorite soup, you guys -- second only to giada de laurentiis' creamy artichoke one.

so there you have it -- my day of fabulous food, all courtesy of the divine heidi swanson. tell me, what's the best meal you've had lately?

happy birthday, dad.

i'll have another post this afternoon, but i just wanted to share this first. this photo is of my dad and me when i was a baby (and a blondie!). my father and i have had our ups and downs over the years, but i'm so glad i'm his daughter. i know he doesn't read this, but just in case he ever does -- happy 53rd birthday, dad. i love you.

tuesday = monday.

(it happens every so often -- a burning desire to pack up and move far, far away. sometimes i think sarasota is still too close to home for me. usually it's new york that calls my name; this time, it's san francisco. i've never even been there -- i just have this feeling i would love it. and it's not that i want to move away from my family and friends or even my job, all of which i love. it's just that the adventurer in me wants to strike out on my own and see the world.)

whew. i wasn't going to write that at first, but i feel better getting it out. and this blog is all about sharing, right? right. (by the way, the gorgeous, perfect photo of san francisco above was taken by victoria, who writes one of my favorite blogs, sfgirlbybay. i wish mine could be more like hers, actually; srqgirlbybeach, perhaps? haha.)

anyway, on to tuesday stuff. you guys, i hope your three-day weekends (if you had them) were as wonderful as mine, which was filled with sleeping in, movies on tv and tons of time with friends. i spent a lot of time on siesta key this weekend, hitting the siesta key oyster bar (skob, as it's known here) for drinks with my girlfriends on both friday and monday. and saturday night, to celebrate the lovely k.'s twenty-fifth birthday, she and her husband d. and i met up on st. armands circle and danced the night away at a tiny nightclub above a circle staple, 15 south ristorante. an 80s cover band called super genius performed and they were excellent; we had a really fantastic time. sunday was spent sleeping, shopping, cuddling with oscar (who was being especially adorable this weekend), and generally relaxing, which was a-ok with me. (photo above: my sunday-afternoon windowsill. below: osc. obv.)

i don't really have an overarching theme or something special to share for today's post other than the weekend recap; i wish i'd taken more pictures while were out on the key but, sadly, i didn't. i'm trying out a new recipe tonight, though, so if it turns out well i'll post pictures and a review tomorrow, since it's been awhile since we've had one of those. until then, have a happy, happy tuesday and i'll see you back here tomorrow!

memorial day weekend!

i am thrilled beyond belief that this weekend’s a three-dayer…i seriously need a day off of work and finally, finally i get one! i love memorial day because it bookmarks the start of summer – maybe not the official start, but the start, at least to me, nonetheless. plus, it means that june is right around the corner, which means that my eight-day vacation in july is right around the corner. yay!

anyway, i have big plans for this weekend: dinner and drinks on siesta key tonight; celebrating my dear friend k.’s birthday tomorrow; boating (maybe) and catching up with friends on sunday; a beach walk and relaxing on monday. hooray. and speaking of monday, i doubt i’ll be posting that day – i think i’m going to give myself time off from blogging, too – but i’ll definitely be back on tuesday. until then, here’s a random list of things/links.

+ i picked up one of joy’s beautiful metallic notebooks for k. as part of her birthday present and i just have to say that the design is even more stunning in person than it appears on her web site. (if you’re local, you can purchase joy's stationery at write-on sarasota.)

+ did you guys catch the grey’s anatomy finale last night? to me, it was perfect – just like vintage, season-two grey’s. a roller-coaster of emotions, for sure, but in such a good way.

+ check out this beautiful design from eieio studio. i love it and just may have to invest in it when it starts selling. (the photograph is via design*sponge; if you’re looking for some eye candy this weekend, check out grace’s photographs and coverage of bklyn designs, surtex, icff and – my personal favorite – the national stationery show. perhaps i can get a press pass for next year’s…how cool would that be?)

+ apartment therapy has a great house tour up on its site today. here’s the link. the photo below is a little sneak peek of the goodness that abounds. (ps: the homeowners’ puppy, morty? adorable.)

that’s all – what are your plans for the long weekend? whatever they are, i hope you have a wonderful, restful, rejuvenating one! xx.

stuff + things.

as i mentioned on tuesday, the scratch lounge has arrived! here are two photos of oscar, totally loving it. (oh, how i wish that second photo were in focus.) the catnip – which came with – that i sprinkled inside added to the love. and yes, his little tummy area is very red in the second pic; that’s where his, um, skin irritation is concentrated and it’s not as angry-looking in real life, i promise.

i bought this nail polish – maybelline’s “cutie pink” – on the way home from work yesterday, and having it on my fingers makes me feel very bright and shiny, something i certainly approve of. please excuse the sloppy paint job.

on another beauty-related note, yesterday i got my hair trimmed again and i am loving it (sorry the photo is so dark; i don't know what happened there). for those of you that don’t know, until march of this year i had really long hair that i’d grown out since my last major cut in the summer of 2006. unfortunately, sometime around mid-january i pretty much stopped taking care of it. blow-drying became too much of a hassle, as did getting the bangs trimmed (or trimming them myself, which: yikes). so i started pinning the bangs back with a headband and slicking the rest into a high bun. at first, this worked for me – but when my lovely friends started asking me if that, um, “hairstyle” was my new “look,” i knew it was time for a change. that’s when i went to kelly at sarasota’s brandon turner salon, who lopped a good six inches (if not more) off my hair and gave me a sleek, slightly angled katie holmes-like bob. i loved the cut so much that i’m now making room in my budget for regular trims, something that i have never, ever done before this point. on top of all this, brandon turner salon stocks my favorite bumble and bumble products, so it’s like one-stop shopping for me. and kelly is fabulous. if you’re in the sarasota area, i highly recommend her. (ps: if you’re looking for a good beauty post, read this one by anna at door sixteen. i’m going to pick up some of that glisten shampoo next time i’m in a bath & body works or ulta store.)

brendan james' “green” is currently on repeat in itunes, as is missy higgins' “where i stood” and the song from the new old navy commercial. "green" is making me want to go to ireland like you wouldn't believe. i've been thinking a lot about my future plans lately, and i think perhaps a trip to the“auld” country would be perfect next summer. but we'll see.

shop tour: home resource.

i thought today i'd introduce a new feature here on { PMiTG }: home and shop tours. what inspired the creation of this feature, you ask? well, last night i was lucky enough to attend the world premiere of sarasota playwright jenny beres' one-act play "misery loves children" at home resource, a very cool furniture store in the very cool rosemary district. beres' play was great; i can't wait to see where she is in a couple of years. and home resource, which i've read about but never actually been to, is a mecca for great modern pieces – including beautiful bertoia chairs and other knoll furniture. attending a play at the store – which is modern and clean-lined without feeling cold, a trait that i think is so important – felt very new york city-ish, and i want to do it again soon. so without further ado, here's a "sneak peek" into a store that i'll hopefully be able to purchase that coveted bertoia chair from some day. i hope you enjoy!

rogan for target.

if you know me at all, you know about my undying love for all things target. i adore almost everything about the store, from the clothes to the home goods to the fact that i can buy my favorite method cleaning supplies there. and i especially enjoy their "go international" line, which, as i've mentioned, features capsule collections from well-known designers. so far my clothing repertoire includes an alice temperley dress, the most adorable black-and-white polka dot jovovich-hawk dress, and now this t-shirt from the rogan collection. (before you say anything, let me assure you that i am aware that it is slightly '80s-tastic, but the pattern is much more subdued in person, the sleeve has a girly ruched detail and i would only wear this with dark jeans or fitted black pants, not khakis like the model below.)

now, this is going to sound weird, especially since i just purchased the t-shirt, but to be quite honest, i'm not entirely thrilled with all the rogan stuff – it's a lot of muted colors and some of it is a bit too simple, even for me. however, this little factoid almost outweighs all of that: rogan has used 100 percent certified organic cotton in each piece, and that's something that i totally support, especially after talking to the lovely ladies of obli organics (click here to read that post). if rogan is willing to help spread the message about the need for environmental sustainability to the masses, then the $17 i paid for this t-shirt was certainly well spent. (and by the way, it is seriously the softest thing ever.)

ps: flickr is a wonderful thing. i went through all my photos and have sorted and organized most of them; you can view them by clicking on the "{ PMiTG } on flickr" link in the upper righthand corner. i'll be updating regularly and will hopefully upgrade to a pro account sometime soon. enjoy.

pps: oscar's scratch lounge arrived yesterday afternoon and he is loving it. photos to come!

monday, monday.

one day, oh, one day, my apartment will look like this. ("this" being dave and rob's place. they're the winners of apartment therapy's "small cool 2008" contest, and deservedly so, yes?) anyway, i just thought a little monday eye candy would do us all good. (photos via apartmenttherapy.com.)

ps: i keep having dreams about me and jeffrey dean morgan (aka denny on grey's anatomy, aka billy gallagher in p.s. i love you, aka my dream man) falling madly in love with each other. it makes for some good sleep...and a nice cushion for the shock of monday mornings.

the weekend + some links.

yay, friday! i’m so excited it’s the weekend – this has been one of those weeks where i haven’t been able to force myself into bed before midnight, and so it’s all finally caught up with me.

still, it looks like it should be a good and active weekend: i have plans to meet up with my friends; i’m booking my flight for my summer vacation tomorrow (eee! so excited); and i’m going to work on some little domestic projects on sunday. and is it sad that i’m especially excited about breakfast tomorrow? while at whole foods last night, i picked up a big bag of quinoa and am planning on making this little number tomorrow morning. it sounds – and looks – delicious. i am a total sucker for anything cinnamon-y.

anyway, i thought i’d leave you with some (admittedly eclectic) links today:

+ first, something local: white on state in downtown sarasota promises to be super-fun. everyone dresses in white and there’s food, fashion and other fun stuff. go! imbibe!

+ another something local: the ringling museum has a new modern and contemporary art exhibit that i’m going to go try and check out sometime soon (artists include syd solomon and the recently deceased, much-missed robert rauschenberg). visiting the ringling campus is well worth the $15 ticket, but if you go on mondays, admission to the museum of art is free.

+ grace has posted the finalists in the 2008 design*sponge scholarship – go check out all the inspiring student design. i am particularly smitten with the usb bird light; so cute and functional.

+ pia has some pretty incredible (water-themed) posts on her blog this week. click here to check them out. (the image above was taken by her.)

+ sfgirlbybay had a great post on a san francisco-area shop yesterday and is fueling my need (again – yes, need) to visit that city.

and that’s all for now. see you monday – have wonderful weekends. xx.

loving: new stuff from lotta jansdotter.

is it sad that i sat down today and wanted to write another “dailies” post? it’s not that i think my life is all that interesting – quite the contrary – but there’s something really appealing to me about itemizing the things i do over the course of my waking hours. maybe i’m just weird.

anyway, to be completely honest, things are very quiet right now, which is good – especially after the flurry of activity that was march and april. i spent a good chunk of time at work today playing with photoshop (i’ll show you a sneek peak of what i did on monday), running out to get free iced coffee at dunkin’ donuts (yum!) and catching up on e-mail. so i thought today would be a good day for a “loving” post.

ever since reading about lotta anderson in an old issue of blueprint, i’ve been smitten with her work. she just unveiled a new collection of bags, pillows and textiles – click here to shop it – and i’m loving the new stuff more than almost anything else i’ve seen her make. above are just a few of my favorites. (clockwise from top left: “round” bag; “udden” cushion; “echo purple” pencil case; the most adorable sticky notes ever. images courtesy jansdotter.com.)

the daily.

after spending a chunk of time reading old posts on writer joanna goddard’s blog, including her “dailies” contribution on design for mankind, i thought today i’d do a similar post that would (maybe) inspire you to share with me. i always get a thrill out of reading other people’s daily routines, so i'm going to post my own and then ask you, dear readers, to share yours. mine’s not incredibly exciting, but it’s interesting (for me, at least) to read back over my day. so, without further adieu, here's my tuesday went down.

7:30 a.m. – alarm rings for the first time. groan, roll over, jab at the “snooze” button.

7:45 a.m. – alarm goes off a second time. realize i need to get moving if i want to make it to work on time (8:30). blink at the ceiling a couple of times while my cat, oscar, climbs on top of me and gives me an eskimo kiss, then meows in my face. hi, osc.

[what i wake up to every morning.]

7:48 a.m. – start coffee maker, jump in shower.

8:00 a.m. – dry off and breathe in the smell of fresh-brewed coffee. yum. pour cup of coffee (with a little sugar and silk french vanilla creamer); make a bowl of organic oatmeal; eat in front of the tv while watching the today show.

8:10 a.m. – apply makeup while finishing cup of coffee. brush teeth. make a mad dash to the closet to find something to wear. today it’s my favorite jeans, a loose-fitting pink top and my mint-green wedges. (i’m so glad i work in a creative environment and don’t have to wear a suit or something equally formal.)

8:27 a.m. – coo good-bye to oscar and dash out the door. luckily, my office is literally three minutes away.

8:35 a.m. – sit down at my desk; read e-mail; get started on my list of things to do. today will be quiet: i’ll read a lot of copy, work on some writing projects and get some assignments for future projects.

[the work essentials: computer (i miss my mac), ap stylebook, dictionary, cell phone, pen.]

1 p.m. – home for lunch after a trip to walgreens to pick up sponges and a pitcher. fix a peanut butter sandwich, fresh raspberries and a cup of iced green tea with a little agave nectar, my favorite sweetener. check facebook; read blogs; check personal e-mail.

2 p.m. – back to work until 5:30. attend department meeting; finish projects; get new assignment; get a thrill out of crossing things off my “do list.”

[me, happy to be heading out. i just realized that my top may be slightly too low-cut for work, whoops. and i'm not sure why my teeth look so yellow, either. ah, well.]

5:30 p.m. – home. greet oscar. refill his food and water bowls. sort through mail while watching the food network. quickly read new york magazine's cover story about sarah jessica parker and the sex and the city movie.

5:55 p.m. – leave my apartment to meet my good friends k., c. and s. for dinner at downtown sarasota’s ceviche. talk, laugh, drink red sangria, eat vegetales a la parilla (grilled vegetables drizzled with olive oil) and patatas bravas (potatoes in a spicy aioli), catch up. (if i don’t go out for dinner, which is usually, i try to make myself something fresh and interesting. i just finished off the last of the pea dumplings and am looking forward to trying a new recipe this week.)

8 p.m. – home again – time for american idol! go, syesha! (i think she totally got screwed last night, by the way.) think about what’s on tv for the rest of the week – american idol results show tonight, grey’s anatomy on thursday, the office season finale (also on thursday – will watch that online on friday afternoon).

9 p.m. – work on the series of bird prints i’m replicating after seeing domino’s may cover – see yesterday’s post. play around on the internet.

[the bird drawings.]

11:30 p.m. – after reading a bit (my nightly ritual), giving oscar his medicine (three oral antibiotics and lots of petting), changing into pajamas, washing my face and applying night cream, i snuggle into bed.

now, tell me, what is your daily routine? leave a comment or link me to your own blogs! see you tomorrow.

my attempt at art.

i have a bit of a thing for birds – at least, in regards to home goods. i love owls and have been coveting this lamp from urban outfitters for a few weeks now, and when i saw the post that holly at decor8 did on her new owl umbrella holder, i immediately tried to figure out whether a similar piece was within my budget. alas, it wasn’t – maybe for my birthday, though.

anyway, after my beloved blueprint shuttered its windows, i decided to subscribe to domino, and i’ve been pretty happy with it so far. i loved last month’s cover feature on drew barrymore, and the front-of-the-book departments are generally really interesting. as someone who’s become increasingly interested in home décor, it’s certainly fun to flip through.

full disclosure, though: i had a mixed reaction when i saw the cover of the may issue. it went something like this: “oh, julianne moore! i love her – she has really pale skin like me! wait, why is she laughing like that? and why did they put her in a vest that makes her look like she works at wal-mart? hm, i like those bright yellow curtains. ooh, i really like those bird prints. wow, they’re $400. i could probably make those myself!” and so it went. (you can see the prints in the background of this cover shot.)

so the other night, as i mentioned, i sat down on the floor with a pencil and some paper and began sketching. not only was it therapeutic in light of all of the events that have recently taken place, it was really fun. and i realized that i could make my own art – complete with cheapie frames that i priced at michael’s (going to pick them up this weekend) – for about 40 times less than what i would pay for the actual prints. i don’t claim to be an artist of any kind, as you’ll see from these sketches, but now i have my own, hand-drawn bird series to hang in my apartment. all i have to do now is figure out where to put them! (i’ll post a photo of them in their frames on monday.)

what was your last diy project?

the weekend.

it was a good weekend overall: i left work early on friday (i’ll share a few details about why tomorrow or wednesday, if you don’t already know); visited ex-roomie, fellow blogger and friend extraordinaire mel on saturday morning; attended two dear friends’ master’s graduation and saw some of my favorite people in the whole wide world; had a yummy dinner at one of my favorite college haunts; and spent sunday at home with my mom and the rest of the local fam, which was nice and relaxing – exactly what mother’s day should be. my plate doesn’t look too full for the rest of the week, either, which should be a nice break, although i may be eating my words come wednesday or thursday.

anyway, i’ve been reading copy all day at work and i’m totally word-ed out, which is why it’s fitting that i leave you with these images of cul de sac’s newest collection (via d*s). i need these, you guys. seriously. see you tomorrow.

from weddings to babies...

the other day, i had the opportunity to sit down with michelle young and melissa blanco, two sisters who run the sarasota-based children’s clothing line obli organics – “an ecolectual clothing company,” as their tagline proclaims. founded by the sisters about a year ago, obli is very quickly making a name for itself – its onesies were part of swag bags handed out at the oscars and the sundance film festival, and they sell wholesale to a handful of great boutiques in several different states.

[clockwise from top left: “i only ride hybrid” onesie, “i’m bringing eco back” long-sleeved children’s tee, “green to the bone” doggie tank]

i love the super-cute designs and messages that obli puts on its onesies and children’s apparel – the “i only ride hybrid” line is genius – but what i love even more is that fact that every single aspect of every single piece of clothing is 100 percent certified organic. obli uses organic cotton, non-pvc dyes and fair trade manufacturing processes, and even makes sure to ship its products using recycled materials. it’s truly an amazing company – and it’s local! (did i mention that they also make pet clothes? adorable.) several of my friends are starting to move into the having-babies phase of their lives, and i know that when the time comes to give shower gifts, i’ll be ordering from obli.

there’s so much more that can be said for obli, michelle and melissa – but i’ll let you discover it for yourself. for more info and to shop, click here. have a great weekend!

ooh la la.

one last thing: you have to check out grace’s last before & after post today. it’s fantastic. seriously, that is my dream apartment: wood floors, tons of light, beautiful décor and located in france. j’adore. (to see the entire layout, with text, click here.)

"after" photo above courtesy design*sponge and home beautiful magazine.

fall into the gap.

say what you will about the ubiquitious gap brands, but ever since patrick robinson, formerly of paco rabanne and anne klein (he also did a super-cute collection for target last year), took over as their head designer, things have been looking up. gap went through a period a few years ago where it produced some really weird pieces, but thankfully, it seems to have gone back to what it does best: classic basics with a touch of what’s happening in fashion right now. here are a couple of pieces from this spring’s collection that i like.

[left to right, crochet dress (now on sale!), printed ruffle skirt (i’d pair this with the ruffle cardigan and a white t-shirt), smocked racerback dress (would look cute layered over a tee; comes in other colors, too) and cropped ruffle cardigan.]

sparkle, shine, create.

i meant to write a longer post, but today was incredibly busy and i can't wait until it's time to go to crawl into bed and get a good eight hours' worth of sleep. tomorrow i'll have something a little more in-depth, but for today i wanted to post this picture that i discovered over at the lovely blog poppytalk. this craft cabinet is one of those "why didn't i think of that myself?" things that i love, and though i have no craft cabinet to speak of, i think i'm going to be stealing scrabble pieces from my parents' house this weekend to recreate this on my bathroom mirror. seriously, perfection.

scratch lounge!

i love my cat, oscar wilde (also known as “oscy,” also known, embarrassingly, as “foofy schnoofer”), dearly. he is one of the best things in my life. he gives eskimo kisses (seriously); he meows at the door when he hears my keys turning in the lock; he rolls over on his back when he wants to be petted; and he’s a saint for taking all of the medicine i give him on a daily basis and not hating my guts. he’s perfect. and he’s been through a lot: he was a stray (abandoned, i think), had two surgeries and has been on the aforementioned meds for the past 10 months. what a survivor.

he does, however, like to scratch the crap out of my furniture. and it’s not like i have a lot of great stuff to speak of, but i love the victorian-style loveseat that i inherited from my parents, and my blue-and-green urban outfitters chair is one of the first pieces of furniture that i bought on my own. so when i was in pennsylvania and saw my aunt’s three cats fawning over a cardboard-box-looking thing, i had to ask her what it was.

“it’s called a scratch lounge,” she replied. “they love it. they used to line up for a turn to sit in it, so i bought two more. they don’t scratch the furniture at all anymore.”

and it’s not just her cats that love it: my uncle’s fluffy monster, piqué, goes nuts over her scratch lounge, and another one of my aunt’s friends has had success with it, too. so i went to the web site, read the testimonials and ordered one. (ok, truthfully, my mom ordered one for me – but she also got one for her and my dad’s cats.) this thing looks awesome – it comes with a bag of catnip, contains no scary chemicals, is made of 100 percent recyclable materials and the company donates 10 percent of the profit from each scratch lounge to the amanda mobile foundation, a dog and cat rescue organization.

granted, the scratch lounge isn’t the most attractive thing i’ve ever seen, and i’m still on the hunt for a nice kitty bed for oscar. but you know what? if this gives him even a sixteenth of the amount of joy he’s given me over the past year and a half, then it will be more than worth it.

monday + pretty things in a seafoam palette.

happy monday, everyone. i hope you had excellent weekends. mine was very quiet, but i did get to check off several of the items of my "do list" (including making lots of coffee; folding what felt like a million wonton wrappers for the pea dumplings, which turned out to be incredible; starting on the recreation of the domino prints; sleeping in; and, um, buying a new dress, which was not on the original agenda but which makes me really happy. i'm still kicking myself for not buying some cute earrings that would have perfectly gone with it...hm, maybe i'll go back for them).

anyway, since it's a new week and we probably all need some monday eye candy, i thought we'd start with some pretty etsy finds, all in my current favorite color palette: seafoam and cream. enjoy.

[clockwise from top left: knitware demitasse cups by alyssa ettinger; earrings by perennial favorite (and sarasota-based) yen’s little things; “keep calm and carry on” poster by sfgirlbybay; pinhole enclosure cards by hrsmithjones.]

the weekend.

the past week and a half has been one of the longest of my life, and i am so, so happy it’s the weekend. i’m still not feeling 100 percent myself – i don’t think that will happen for a little while, yet – but i’m trying to keep a positive attitude, and the distractions of work and friends and having oscar back and incredibly active (he was at the vet while i was gone and it was sad spending sunday night by myself) are all good ones. and i’m going to try to write something about/for my grandfather – my own eulogy to him – in the near future. i think it’s just too soon, right now.

in the meantime, let’s talk about the weekend. i love lists (a quality i like to think that i inherited from grandpa jack, who always had a “do list” – even at the very end of his life), so here’s a list of my planned weekend activities:

+ both days: sleep in. make yummy coffee (i just got a new glass jar with which to store my coffee, a la my aunt linn – stay tuned for a tour of her fantastic home later this summer! – and i’m quite excited to actually use it. it’s the little things…). make yummy breakfast, too.

+ walk to farmer’s market and pick up some fresh, local produce.

+ give apartment a good clean. not only will it be distracting, but it will also help me function more like a human being.

+ make a batch of heidi swanson’s plump pea dumplings. i have more wonton wrappers than i know what to do with; i’m going to be eating these things for weeks, i think. at least they freeze well.

+ work on recreating some lovely prints i saw in this month’s domino. if they actually turn out, i’ll post pictures.

+ possibly blow up a beautiful photo of my grandparents when they were in their 20s and frame it. i’m not ready to share it yet, but i’ll scan a copy sometime soon. seriously, it’s so sweet.

+ go out with my girlfriends on saturday night. fun is good.

+ work on getting to bed at a decent hour on sunday night. i’ve been running about 15-20 minutes late to work every day for the last few months, and it’s got to stop. no one cares, really, but i do. plus, it would be nice to have a decent cup of coffee and breakfast at home in the morning, instead of at work. will keep you posted.

i have some ideas churning around in my head for next week already, so stay tuned. until t hen, have fantastic weekends – what are your plans?