potw: pomp and circumstance

it's that time of year, folks.

caps, gowns, new beginnings.

from top, left to right: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

i rounded up my favorites for this year's graduates.

let them know how awesome they are by giving one of these cute cards.

and a big congrats to anyone graduating in the upcoming weeks!

you go, glen coco!

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looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday. but you can always find the latest by following me on twitter.

so long, farewell

out for a walk 

deliciously unhealthy after work snack 

riding around town, sunday

legit philly cheesesteaks

well, this month sure flew by.

we had a busy busy weekend. shopping, home improvements, washing the dog, brunch dates, dinner over at my sister's apartment. whew.

sure made the weekend go by quickly.

is it bad that i'm already dreaming of friday? ugh. i think it's this rain.

have a great week!

put it in the air

one of the most beautiful details of this great city happens after the cherry blossoms have come and gone. as the leaves begin to take over the blossoms, the light-as-air petals are swept up and across the streets of dc.

you may have noticed this phenomenon before, but it's especially breathtaking on a windy day. it's really cool when you're walking outside and you notice this petal shower happening.

...and you never know where they might end up, like these guys, trapped under the seats at nats park.

they're a little hard to see in a few of these pictures, but you can't miss em in real life.

see a few more district deails here

i hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.

dive in

i've posted about one-piece swimsuits before, both last year and in 2011.

this year, it seems like they're everywhere. i'm so happy that these are sticking around. i can't remember a time, say, five years ago even, when there were so many cute ones on the market.

here are my picks for this season.

top row: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
middle row: 1 | 2
bottom: 1 | 2

i can't wait to get to the beach this year.

outta my way

pic by me | m street

if you've ever walked around in downtown dc, been in a sea of people on the mall or just found yourself in any crowded situation, i've got a great tip for you today.

don't you hate when you have to do that little dance with a stranger on the sidewalk? 

you know, that whole "which way are they going to go" and you end up awkwardly shifting your feet? 

well, kevin burg, part of the duo behind the ann street studio, made me aware of this little tip. i've been using it for months now, and it has yet to fail me. 

if you're coming up on someone who looks like the might run into you, look slightly to the right* and they'll go the other way every time. i work in georgetown and wisconsin avenue can get pretty packed during lunch, and i've used this almost daily.

it avoids that little "excuse me, pardon me, my bad" with someone you don't know. 

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*you can look left too, but i tend to look right. 

brighter than sunshine

just a few pictures from the weekend.

pretty flowers downtown 

a sunny sunday afternoon in my neighborhood 

pretty cool salt and pepper grinders at chez billy

on 11th street, before the storm on friday

with the latest update to instagram (actually, it was kinda a while back) i'm finding i don't take near as many pictures as i used to. maybe it's in my head, but i feel like the quality of the camera has really decreased. and i'm firmly in the camp of "no dslr uploads to instagram" because i think that's missing the point of the whole app.

*steps off high horse*

anyways, this weekend was pretty good. still cooler than i'd like it to be but i didn't have to wear a coat so i can't hate on it too much. 

in other news, i've been talking with some coworkers who know way more than i do about gardening. i've been listening to their advice and i'm thinking we're gonna do some tomato and pepper plants this year. i've never grown anything in my life (except for mold on some overlooked produce in the fridge) so i think it'll be a fun experiment. 

here's to a great week! 

i'm off to the nats game tonight.

potw: hooray for you

sometimes the people in your life are having a good week. or day. 

or maybe they just accomplished something awesome or had a major life event.

these cards cover all sorts of congratulatory messages for all sorts of good things that happen in life. 

from top: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

it would be awesome to make someone's day even more special with one of these cards.

i can't even pick out a favorite this time around.

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looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday. but you can always find the latest by following me on twitter.

kitchen must-haves

i've shared a few kitchen tips before, so i thought i'd let you know about some items i find to be really useful in the kitchen. these are things i use frequently and that make my life easier.

1. a slow cooker. i have one that i use pretty frequently. i used to sorta scoff at the idea of owning one--it felt kinda old fashioned to me, but it's awesome coming home to dinner being ready to eat. this is one of my go-to recipes (tip: add salt and pepper). the one i currently own doesn't have a timer, but i'd like to upgrade to one that does (such as the one shown here).

2. mandoline slicer. if you want to slice something super thin, super fast and super accurately, you need one of these. homemade potato chips anyone?

3. a big ass cutting board. something sturdy like this butcher block one will always come in handy. i like to have a large surface area when i'm chopping.

4. a dutch oven. i got one of these as a gift last year and i freaking love it. it gives a nice sear on something if you're braising meats and it even bakes a mean no-knead (and almost no work) sourdough.

5. silpat. my mom's a big baker and she always had one of these. she gave me one a few years back and i've loved it for baking cookies. the mat helps them bake evenly and there's never any worry about them sticking to the mat. nothing sticks to this thing. you can even make some festive little parmesan crisps using this thing.

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have fun in the kitchen!

potw: die cut

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

i sometimes struggle to come up with a new thing for press of the week.

for a while, i've been stuck on colors and card types. i used to focus on techniques (edge painting, foil stamping, blind deboss) so i thought i'd bring that back today with something i haven't featured yet: die cutting.

see all those fancy shapes?

those are examples of this technique. it's usually done after printing is complete, and adds a nice little flourish, allowing you to go outside your basic square/rectangle format.

these were some of the nicest examples i saw, and i think they had a special touch to printed pieces.

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looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday. but you can always find the latest by following me on twitter.

weekend sunshine

java house for breakfast

back to the park like old times 

out and about early saturday 

under my feet

spring colors

did you have a good weekend?

it cooled off quite a bit, but the sun was still shining so i'm ok with that. 

my weekend was pretty good. we bought some curtains for the bedroom which has really helped my sleep habits. i can really only sleep in pitch blackness and our master bedroom never really got dark enough for me (even with blinds). we had a bed bath and beyond gift card that needed to get used too, so that worked out.

my nephew's second birthday party was also this weekend. so we had a good time with family yesterday at his little celebration.

here's to more nice weather and an awesome week.

springtime fun

so i go out of town for five days and it's summer.

huh.

i'll take it. i'm never one to complain about the warm weather.

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i've been really neglectful of this blog lately, but to be honest, i have no excuse other than simply not feeling like it. and i think that's ok sometimes. everyone needs a break now and then.

since the weather's been so nice lately, i thought i'd share three outfit ideas for three of my favorite springtime activities: day drinking, going to a nats game and having a dc day.

by "having a dc day" i mean doing something with out-of-town guests that you normally wouldn't do as a resident: go see the monuments, spend some time in a museum. that sort of thing.

so let's get started. the outfits and accessories are below, and everything is less than $50.

day drinking: top | jeans | sandals | purse | earrings | hair ties | bracelet
nats park: dress | necklace | sunglasses | clutch | sandals
d.c. day: dress | cuff | rings | bobble | jacket | sandals

for my day drinking outfit, i wanted something comfortable and loose-fitting on top. i chose pants here since i get a little grossed out by the back of my thighs touching what can be gross/sticky bar/patio seats. i also picked out a purse that allows you to have your hands free and i threw in some hair ties because i almost always end up putting my hair in a big messy pile on top of my head when i'm drinking. 

for the baseball game, i'm usually a fan of dressing in the teams colors in lieu of wearing actual team-sanctioned attire. i really wanted to find a dress with sleeves but i couldn't find one i liked within this price range, so this one will do for now. i also chose a small clutch here since i really don't like bringing a huge purse to sporting events. see my football post here.

for the dc day, i chose to go with some layers. museums can be chilly and so can restaurants (if you plan to stop somewhere to grab a bite). i went with sandals here, because i really don't mind walking for long periods of time in shoes like this. but if you need more support, feel free. i threw in a bobble here also. if you're walking around on the mall, it can get hot and there aren't really that many places to get a drink. this bobble will keep you hydrated while filtering your water for you. 

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i know i've been bitching pretty incessantly about the cooler-than-normal spring temperatures, but i think we've finally turned a corner with the weather and i'm so happy.

last year

just a sad reminder of what it looked like during the first week of april last year.

sigh.

potw: mom

it's never too early to start shopping for cards for mom, and there's so many pretty designs to chose from this year.

plus, she'll appreciate your punctuality and that you thought of her.

a roundup of my favorite ones are below.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

if you buy one soon, you'll have more than enough time to get it from etsy and send it out to mom.

mother's day is may 12 this year.

hope you're all having a great monday.

and go nats!

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looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday. but you can always find the latest by following me on twitter.