You know it’s hot/humid when your iced tea looks like the picture above. Remedy? Air-conditioning and a book or magazine. I had lots and lots of time to read last week without my buddy around …. I finished “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” (more on that another day), got caught up on my New Yorker’s, and flipped through some frivolous mags. As such, I was looking forward to something new for yesterday’s heat wave, and the mailman (surprisingly) obliged: August Real Simple. Lately, Real Simple has been just that to me, but good for an hour or so of diversion. I started the flip, and was excited to see Maria’s Port2Port Press featured on page 8 in the “why not?” feature. Way to go, Maria! Your Card Society is most deserving of this recognition. Check out the feature at the Port2Port site. (And if you’re not already a member, seriously, that Card Society is fab.)Not all reading has to be paper-based, though. I’ve also discovered a couple of new blogs that I’ve added to the blog bookmarks: first is Angela Liguori’s Edizioni, featuring some gorgeous photography and artwork, as well as lots of book and paper and ephemera information. And she likes South End Buttery, so I immediately liked her!The second blog I’m checking out daily is The Jotter Blog. No surprise here as to why. If you’re all about stationery, you’re gonna get my attention. Our tastes differ slightly, but Jotter has so many posts each day that I inevitably discover at least one new good thing! Thanks, Jotter!Finally, sometimes you just need a good laugh. And for me, Jennsylvania is the ticket. Just try to get through her “Craigslist” post without a chuckle. As for me, it was Jennsylvania 1, Jane 0.Next time the temps hit the 90s, you know what to do. In the meantime, see you tomorrow.
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All is right with the world. My buddy returned home yesterday around 5 p.m. after a 9 day adventure with his grandparents. (Highlights? Going to the Louisville Slugger factory and golfing.) I’m back to my “normal” world, which includes watching ESPN. Last night’s feature? The Homerun Derby for the All Star Game. Hey – for me it was fun just looking at San Francisco, seeing the Golden Gate Bridge from the ballpark, and wondering if the people there knew they were living in weather nirvana.
After I logged off the blogosphere yesterday, I was doing my usual “surf”, when I discovered that Papered Together is now a featured artist/brand at Luxe Paperie. Papered Together, based in Minneapolis, has some of the cutest letterpress cards and coasters around. I have been checking out this and this at Etsy. (And I love the hedgehogs – they always make me think of Alice in Wonderland!) But now, I’m also smitten with this ….. As soon as I started looking through her latest “shop”, I began to regret not making the trek to Milwaukee over the weekend to see Papered Together at Art V Craft. When will I learn????Also at Luxe are Snow and Graham’s new journals. Oh, are they gorgeous …. my favorite is the blackberry. The new stationery stuff is starting to arrive in stores! Happiness …..
Broadway Paper (in Milwaukee) also has the journals online ….. must get to Milwaukee …..Totally off-topic postscript: Spoon’s newest album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, is out today. (Sorry, I refuse to say “drops”.) As “The Underdog” = summer 2007 for me, I must tell you that the album is at Target for $7.98! I am soooo there :)
I had a great, long week off. Got lots and lots and lots of stuff done (it’s amazing how much time there is in a day without child(ren) to take care of. However, I miss him! I think my buddy is coming back tonight from his 10-day excursion with his grandparents.
I will be sharing some of my discoveries from last week over the next few days. Let me start by saying that we were supposed to visit Seattle for a long weekend. That didn’t happen. So, I missed out on buying this shirt that I became obsessed with after I learned it was sold out. (Isn’t it adorable?) Oh well. Easy come; easy go. I’m sorry we missed visiting Seattle …. and Impulse …. Next time ….To fill the 4th, we instead took a sidetrip to Woodfield Mall. Normally, you could only get me there as a hostage. Too many people; too many stores. But I was reading “Retail Watch” and decided I had to check out Martin + Osa. I am a solid-color girl who likes to look put-together but relaxed …. and this seemed like the store to see. They had lots of end-of-season sale merchandise to look at. Fall arrives in early August. I am not a good sale shopper, but there was so much good stuff I couldn’t resist. I tried on some adorable dresses, skirts, tees, and sweaters. (Check out the “Our Clothing/Woman/Summer 2007 Looks” section to get a good idea of the aesthetic.) The center of the store has gift-y stuff in the way of books, Propoline product, and Sea Bags, which are tote bags made from recycled sails. (I loved getting to touch after seeing them featured in so many magazines!) And yes, there is a men’s side as well! I bought a cashmere cardigan in charcoal – a steal at $68, plus a $9.99 tee and a $29.99 skirt. The outfit looks very Prada-esque, if I do say so myself. My husband bought a pair of cargo shorts. I’m looking forward to Martin + Osa’s second Chicago location opening this fall at Old Orchard.In other shopping news, be sure to check out the Shim+Sons shoppe update today here. Sally’s letter everyday flats made great teacher gifts, so I’m looking forward to seeing what’s new.Stay cool out there! And I’ll see you tomorrow with more …..
We have our Portland/San Francisco weather back! Last night at the baseball game, the fans wore sweatshirts (or jackets) and huddled under blankets. I loved it. Most people, not so much. I can’t believe that next week is July 4th. I had a teacher friend who used to tell me that after the 4th of July, summer was over. At the time, I laughed. Now, I’m not so sure. Time does seem to fly right by …..Here are the Five:
- iced coffee tuesday
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- And we shed what was left of our summer skin
- Red and Black Currants Picking
Hope that your holiday week is splendid! Happy Independence Day! I’ll see you back here on July 9th.
photo above is of one of our hydrangeas. we’ve been trying to cultivate blue flowers. this one can’t decide: pink, or blue?
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It’s a lovely, cooler morning today ….. although with no meaningful rain, I’m headed out in a sec to water plants and pots. On today’s agenda is a must-needed (almost emergency) trip to the grocery store, as well as getting rid of the piles, piles, piles of paper ….. and trying not to obsess about the iPhone. (I really really want it! But do I really really need it? But then why is it soooo awesome? C’mon, just a couple of bad reviews would have helped …. but nooooo they’re all raves ……)To catch up, today’s NYTimes Style section has a couple of interesting articles. The first is “Mommy Is Truly Dearest”, about today’s much more dependent mother-daughter relationships. Been there; done that! And since I’m (cough) older, I found “Beauty Regimens Reach for the Gold Standard” reassuring. Hey, I don’t spent that much on “upkeep”. Yet. However, it must be noted that my co-dependent relationship is with my colorist.As for counting down? I’m taking the Independence Day/holiday week off from blogging, so after tomorrow’s five, I’m on vacation, and free to stalk the AT&T store in search of the god machine. See you tomorrow!
