the PEN story.

loving this little video!

organization.

after a ridiculously busy start to the week, i actually have 2 seconds to straighten up my desk (which looks like a tornado hit it). this picture inspired me and calmed me down. nothing feels as good as a neat, clean, organized desk.

san francisco.

liking this san francisco vid.

My Life in a Day; San Francisco from Scott Hammel on Vimeo.

classics.

check out these AMAZING embroidered book covers for an amazing new Penguin Classics line. LOVE!

happy monday!

what a weekend.

this weekend was random, to say the least. random but fun. i had the day off on Friday so i finally picked up this kitchen cart from IKEA that i've been waiting for. FINALLY i have a bar in my apartment! i'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.




that afternoon i went down to northfield to spend the afternoon with my little sister. we had fun going into "antiques of northfield" to find a few gems such as vintage pink glass, some awesome vintage liquor decanters, a little pocketwatch pin, and a few other things. we had a great time!

on saturday i spent the afternoon with my 94 yr old grandma, noni. per her suggestion, we had a little glass of wine around 3:30 because "it's five o'clock somewhere!" spending time talking with her was JUST what i needed on saturday. i was in a bit of a funk for some reason, and talking with her about life and culture and interests was just the sort of pick-me-up i needed to kind of reinvigorate me. i always love hearing noni's thoughts on different situations in life or her comments on the ways of the modern world. she's quite the remarkable lady and i'm lucky to get to spend time with her :)

yesterday i was criticized for my taste in books which was annoying. i walked up to this local used book store and found my selections (historical war fiction, mostly, but a few that ive always wanted to read too) and the uppity store clerk said "are those for your grandpa?" to which i replied "absolutely not- these are for me." thanks for judging me, hipster man. shows you to judge me by my cover! ha. i also saw the movie "jane eyre" with my coworker friend which was delightful- dark, moody, dramatically romantic, sigh. highly suggest it! the night ended with trivia with anne, jim and vanessa. while we didn't know much about smurfs and had a tough time with the ncaa basketball logos, we had fun. the perfect end to a random but fulfilling weekend.

welcome beyond.

as i was scraping 3 inches of snow on top of 2 inches of solid ice off my windshield this morning, i couldn't help but think how nice a real vacation would be- someplace warm, with sun and a beach and maybe the necessity for 75 spf sunscreen. my apartment building also decided heat wasn't necessary this week meaning i could see my breath last night and was shivering uncontrollably. so i took a mini vacation by checking out welcome beyond, a website that features really unique, beautiful and picturesque vacation spots from around the world. le sigh. if only i had spring break again!

lovely.

The Aurora from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.

snow.

and this morning, i woke up to a layer of ice covered in snow. how fantastic. thank you minnesota march for this extra farewell to winter. in the meantime, i'll listen to rachmoninoff's gorgeous and perfect piano concerto no. 2 in c minor- one of my all-time favorite pieces of music.

rain.

waking up to rain is one of my favorite things of all time. ALL TIME! we even had thunder and lightning last night. i'm in heaven today.

times they are a changin'.

things are changing. i'm not always sure how to manage it, but I'm beginning to feel optimistic.

(habit+ photo)

ready for spring.

i switched up my bed a little bit this weekend. i wanted it to feel a little lighter and softer for spring/summer. i folded up my crazy quilt at the end of the bed and borrowed a cute duvet cover from my parents which i think did the trick! freshly-washed sheets and a new look meant i had one of the best nights of sleep ever.

brighten that mood.

I was in no mood for a sock hop. then I saw him with his hair all slicked back. well, and that was that.

find of the day.

if you ever want to get awesome/adorable decorations for a party, look no further than here. Aren't those paper straws to die for?!

hindsvik.

there's something peaceful and delightful about this video. i like this couple.

There's No Place Like Here: Hindsvik from Etsy on Vimeo.

green.

this is awesome.

Green Tunnel from Kevin Gallagher on Vimeo.

bake club.

my coworker and i decided to start a bake club. make some random baked good sunday night then bring it into work to share on monday. i am VERY excited for this. i just love baking but rarely make anything because i have no one to eat it. solution? bake club. problem solved. there are always hungry coworkers who would delight in a little monday morning/afternoon treat. the cookbooks are coming out- wonder what i will make this sunday??

cinema paradiso.

when i listen to this i'm immediately transported to a warm beach with the sun hanging low in the sky...take a listen and daydream.

new find.

i stopped by this adorable new tiny boutique right by my apartment the other day and i immediately saw THIS poppy oil painting. it just jumped out at me. i kind of collect poppy artwork mostly because i love seeing how different artists interpret "poppy red" and how these delicate flowers are drawn/painted/photographed, etc. so you can imagine my surprise when this large, colorful painting is just staring me in the face. i asked the store owner if there was any way she'd sell it (thinking it would be way too expensive) and she said she found it in the back of a thrift store and would sell it to me for $50. um, SOLD. And so this beautiful beast is sitting on the floor in my apartment waiting to be hung. i'm thinking it will go over my bed? that's really the only place it could go and i think it will look fantastic in there. if i get it hung this weekend i'll post a pic of the final product. hope it looks ok!

and also...

this post just brought me to a place of ivy league nostalgia (although i wasn't around in the 60s).

le sigh.

i kind of love this little video for some reason.

march.

a strong march wind cleared my mind and shared a dance with the sunlight.

if i had a theme song.

this would be it.

ryan.

one of my favorite ryan adams songs. love him.

spring yet?

march
come gently.
do not tease.
do not make a fool of me.

as for my part,
i'll belive in all your promises.


(habit)