hoop dreams

i've seen embroidery hoops used as wedding decor and i remember my mom using one when she was making...something. i don't speak sewing really. 

i couldn't decide if they were a bit too twee for my taste, but i saw a few recently that caught my eye. these would make a fun textural addition to a gallery wall or they could add interest in a guest room.

the ones shown here are from sarah k. benning, needle pin embroidery, and thimble and thistle.

triangles | sunshine | hello | seinfeld | home

gotta love a good seinfeld ref.

meow

two years ago, when we moved from our tiny dupont studio and into our current rowhouse, one of the things i was most excited about was being able to have a garden. i've always wanted to wear a cute sunhat, get my hands dirty and have some homegrown tomatoes and peppers.

last year, it didn't happen. with our wedding in june and with us traveling (what seemed like) almost every weekend in the summer, gardening just wasn't the priority. 

this year, things are different and i'm ready to try it out.

there's just one problem: our neighborhood is overrun with stray cats. 

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we used to park our car in the off-street parking space (my god that felt like a luxury after living downtown for so many years) and in the morning, the car would have no less than ten cats chilling on it. just sitting there.

now, even though i'm a dog person, i don't really mind these feline friends that much. they don't really cause any trouble and tend to keep to themselves for the most part.

but the thing is, they shit in our yard ALL THE TIME. everywhere. like you can't walk two feet without stepping in some. they've even been known to leave a present for us right on the front porch. so gross.

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we've brought this up to pretty much everyone we know. mostly, because it's kind of a funny "problem" to have and secondly, to get their take on how to have them stop crapping all over our yard.

we've heard everything: buy sprays at home depot (don't work), sprinkle red pepper flakes in your grass (nope), shoot them with a bb gun (um, never?). but nothing has worked.

i was talking with a coworker the other day who also happens to be an experienced gardener. i told her my concern, about growing catshit tomatoes instead of delicious ones, and she immediately introduced me to the scare crow.

see below.

this is a motion-activated device that shoots out a quick spray of water when something is walking through your lawn. i was intrigued. we'll only keep it in the backyard so as not to piss off and/or soak the mail carrier, but i think this has real promise.

i had always wanted a nontoxic and humane way of dealing with these cats and this seemed like the perfect thing. 

it arrived in the mail yesterday. and the reviews on amazon are some of the most glowing i've ever read.

if this works out, and we can actually have a garden this summer, i'm going to be pumped.

i'll let you know how it goes.

alvin corn

i love mnemonic devices. i think that's how i got through school. i made up some many little tricks for myself to memorize facts and it always really worked for me.

this post isn't exactly about  mnemonic devices, but in a way it is.

i'd like to introduce you all to my friend alvin corn. 

he's been hanging around my house, making it sparkling clean for a few months now so i thought i'd share the wealth. i first discovered this little clean freak via crunchy betty. which i think i stumbled upon via google.

anyways, long story short, alvin corn is short for the ingredients pictured below. when combined with warm water, they make an awesome replacement for windex.

seriously, it's great. the first time i used it, i went a little nuts and cleaned all of the exterior windows on our rowhouse, just to watch them shine. i will say it doesn't smell the best, but the odor fades pretty quickly. and i mean, does windex smell nice? 

i love how cheap this is to make and i love how non-toxic it is.

try it once and i swear you'll never go back to the blue stuff again.  

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. 

the eye has to travel

this.

i cannot WAIT for this. i live for all kinds of documentaries, and i've mentioned a few good ones on this blog before. but well-edited, inspirational-as-hell fashion documentaries are really some of my favorite things to watch.

i just love the interviews and first-person accounts. so much cool insight you'd never get anywhere else.

this hit theaters last friday.

if you're local, here's two locations that are showing it. and now i know what i'm doing on friday night.

two tickets, please!

potw: aglow

as a nod to halloween being this month, i thought today would be a good time to share these glow-in-the-dark letterpress pieces.

definitely not something you see every day.

by kyle kargov

by fifty five his

by the hungry workshop via design work life

by dolce press

i think for the right type of wedding or maybe a child's birthday party, this treatment would be really fun.


and i love the element of surprise.

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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.

minimalist

movie posters tend to be overdone, over photoshopped, and even a little obnoxious at times.

but what if they weren't?

here's some beautiful examples of minimalism in movie (and tv!) posters, all sourced from here.

by forest knauff  

by andrew millen

by ojasvi mohanty

by korju (aka karl) 

by travis english

by daniel keane 

by josh fenn 

by oliver shilling

by hunter langston

by the 8th mm

pretty good stuff, right?

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oh. and have you heard of that last one? the king of kong?

it's incredible. and this is coming from a person who could care less about the entire video gaming industry. but it's just one of those feel-good movies where you find yourself rooting for the good guy and loathing the villain. it really draws you in. i can't recommend enough. 

watch a preview here.

potw: cut it out

today's potw combines two intricate techniques in one product.

we're talking letterpress + paper cut outs.

the intricacy, the delicate nature, the precision, it's all spot on.

via the trendy bride by woodland paper cuts (website currently under construction)

custom "O" designed by bianca chang for the oprah magazine

hand-cut illustrations and letterpress by jaclyn co

the image of the "O" doesn't include letterpress printing, but i was floored to learn that it was created by hand (!) using 180 sheets of paper. see more of her impressive body of work here.

i'd love to see one of these up close. 

the details!

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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.

love for the city: sunrise

continuing with the 'love for the city' series

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i've never really been a morning person.

i've gotten more used to it over the years, but i've always considered myself more of the night owl variety.

_ _ _

a few years ago, as a gift, my grandmother signed me up for this photography workshop hosted by national geographic right on 17th. i learned so much more about photography, and from a purely journalistic standpoint, getting an inside look at this total machine of a periodical was awesome. we got to visit their art department, and yours truly was geeking out to the max.

it was a three-day class and on the last day, we were to meet at the lincoln memorial between 5:30 and 6:00.

uhhhhh hold up.

BE THERE AT 5:30?!

but when i arrived?

worth it. times a million.

check this out:

wowza, right? 

that'll take your breath away!

here's some more sunrise action for you.

all pics by me

i took these shots as the sun was rising and then stuck around afterward to take some pictures of the early morning crowd--runners, power walkers, engagement shoot couples, dog walkers, park police.

i wish i'd taken more of the sun as it began to rise, but it was so peaceful and calming just sitting there, watching the sun come up, cup of coffee and camera at the ready.

the lincoln memorial at sunrise is a must-see event.

even if you only do it once, there's something pretty special about being there as this fantastic city of ours slowly comes to life.

you could even hit up the secret steps afterward.

either way, your morning will be pretty awesome.

rise and shine!

potw: call me

calling cards are like business cards pretty much. but with a fancier name.

also, they usually focus on the bare minimum contact information: name and number, thank you very much.

take a peek:

via erin wallace

bespoke letterpress calling cards by aerialist press

via hoban press 

via the elegante press flickr stream

hoban press

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me gusta mucho.

i'm feelin the minimalism of it all.

do you have a calling card? have you ever received one from someone?

imaginary friends

i'm super excited to introduce you guys to some of my best friends.

oh wait.

that's not right. 

i don't know these people.

what i meant to say was i'm excited to share just some of my favorite blogs.

even as i tried to narrow down this list, i kept thinking: i know i'm forgetting someone.

and i probably am.

but for today, we'll just focus on these guys.

let's meet em!

a beautiful mess - elsie larson's blog is probably one of the most frequently and consistently updated out there. i mean, the girl posts multiple times a day. all the time. and you can tell she works pretty hard on her posts too. they're always so informative and detailed and filled with original content. this is one that i check daily. she spits out so many original ideas, i'm always interested to see what she's got going on. 

a girl who makes - this blog is pretty new to me, but i'm already a fan. the weird semi-serendipitous thing about this blog is that years and years ago, i got an invitation to a coworker's wedding. 

the wedding was in dc but i wasn't able to attend. 

then, a few months later, she was sharing her wedding pictures, and i was taken aback by how fantastic they were. not just really good. incredible.

i had to know who her photographer was. turns out, they had used lemon lime photography, a two-person photo team based out of kansas city.

so i've been a fan of their work for years now. that wedding was in 2006. and i check their photo blog when i need a pick-me-up.

_ _ _

fast forward to a few months ago when i first stumbled on a girl who makes, and i discover that laura parke is married to one half of the lemon lime team. 

weird, right?

but anyways, laura has lots of practical crafts and cute little ideas to share. it's a lot of fun.

the sweetest occasion - beautiful site, tons of creative ideas. it features weddings, but i wouldn't call it a wedding blog. there's so much more there. 

bonus: most of the projects are accompanied by beautiful step-by-step images. so so helpful.

oh happy day - lots and lots of ideas on this one. this blog is run by jordan ferney (who lives in paris right now!). she also offers free printables and easy-to-replicate crafting and party planning projects. 

design for mankind - erin loechner's blog has lots of cool stuff on it all the time. beautiful interior decor, cool things to buy, cool things to see online, you know. just a good blog for finding new stuff to love.

design sponge - this is another diy/craft/design blog, but it's also much more. house tours (remember tad carpenter?), upcyclying and crafting ideas, guest posts that offer practical advice for small business owners and start-ups, this blog really has a nice sense of community about it. 

oh joy - this is a fun daily read for me. joy talks a lot about food, clothes and design. she also has some close ties with other members of the blogging/design community and regularly features them in her closet & casa posts.

mrs. lilien - this one's a feast for the eyes. i love her creative use of white space, impeccable taste, and the way she seems like she just takes on life with a little bit more whimsy than the rest of us. i mean she can even make a bunch of plants on a page look amazing. it's easy to get lost scrolling through her archives. so pretty and fun.

not without salt - a friend of mine (hi, virginia!) introduced me to this blog. and i love it. truly stunning food photography, delicious recipes (homemade twix bars?!) and a bit of touching insight about her family life. i only wish i had the skill to whip up bread like she does. and her 'dating my husband' series is so adorable.

elephantine - also highly visual, this food, design and lifestyle blog is really high on my list of faves. rachel feels really down-to-earth and seems like someone i would wanna hang out with. her mini guides are as helpful as they are beautiful (i know how to pickle veggies now!). and she also gets the extra credit gold star for creating equally beautiful food videos. oh and she runs a jewelry store and food shop.

from me to you - a lot of my blog recommendations are photography heavy. but this one might just top the list. all-star photographer jamie beck's from me to you is a masterpiece. i love viewing her work. and i mean, she co-invented cinemagraphs with her fiance kevin. and her fashion week coverage is pretty much unmatched. jamie's also a fantastic cook and although i don't notice recipes being posted much anymore, the archives are well worth a look.

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so that's my list!

i also frequent heart of light, bleubird vintage, katie's pencil box, dooce (for the daily photos, not the divorce drama), the sartorialist and garance dore's blog. but i wanted to keep this list somewhat edited down.

i'd love to know where you frequent. 

finding a new blog to love is always a treat.