happy halloween !

It is officially Halloween, and to continue with week two I will be posting pictures from my weekend and costume making throughout, along with a post about Dia De Los Muertos.

I am afraid I do not have much for you today as I have spent my evening working on some freelance and watching old episodes of "The Addams Family" on Hulu, but Happy Halloween! I hope all of the little ones have fun trick or treating, I have been getting some pretty adorable text messages this evening of their costumes.

[[ megan's adorable puppy... slash pumpkin. ]]

The Addams Family :: Pilot

These old episodes are pretty funny, I have watched several so far. Enjoy. 

sneak peak

I am starting to get super pumped for this weekend as everything is finally coming together! Tonight I am driving to Portland to meet up with almost all of my design friends at The Crystal Ballroom for 80s night, Halloween style. However, this time none of us are actually dressing up 80s, I am getting my nerd on. I have all of the elements together, though I have no idea what this costume will turn out looking like since I compiled it on the cheap out of items I already had (minus the rainbow suspenders, those I had to purchase, but for only $12, who can complain). To get in the mood I am wearing a Batman shirt today, OH YEA.

Now, Saturday I am really excited about! I am heading over to my friend Brads in the morning sometime to help set up for the party. I have quite the collection of Halloween decor at this point after years of collecting, so I only bought a few more things from the Dollar Tree, (my favorite place for party decorations on the cheap). 

On to our outfits...

Pat and Tony's costumes finally came in the mail on Wed, and mine is pretty much completed, though I am not necessarily your traditional Princess Peach. I bought a dress from F21 as my base, and then embellished it by adding pink sparkly tool (not my normal palette), and a few other little extras. You will see. I really need to learn how to sew though... my glue gun can only get me so far. What I am most excited about are my home made glitter shoes and crown! (I am saving the shoes and diy for another post). 

[[ special super mario cozy for pat. nerd. sneak peak of my dress in progress. making my glitter crown. ]]

And with that, I am off. Have an awesome weekend of Halloween festivities!!!!!

halloween movies & snack size candy bars

Tonight we finally got in some Halloween movies! YES! (and trick-or-treat candy we bought for ourselves)...

We watched "Corpse Bride" and "The Addams Family" (which is probably my all time favorite). I want to watch the second one also before this weekend is up, I am thinking Sunday possibly along with "Hocus Pocus" and or "Casper"! Oh, side note, still need to carve our pumpkins... we are hoping for Sunday night when we get back in to town. Slackers!

P.S. I love love love the typography of the Addams family's opening credits. Love.

[[ images from imdb & cia.com. ]]

midweek inspiration 25

For my Halloween week, how about a little Halloween inspired Midweek Inspiration post?! Yes, I do believe so. I have been compiling these images via my lovely Pinterest account and think that they will put you in the All Hallows Eve spirit quite nicely. I love it when things are a little bit eerie and a little bit fairy tale, and I just think all of these images are amazing, Halloween or not.

My favoritest of eerie images:
(eerie, one of my all time favorite words).

1. Winter Haze, from Pastiche and Serendipity.

2. Stairs coming down into the Great Hall in Avengard. (original source unknown, found on Pinterest).

3. Hood, from Fairy Tales by Nature. 

4. Cat. (original source unknown, found on Pinterest).

5. The Dark Hedges, Antrim, Ireland. (original source unknown, found on Pinterest).

6. Eerie Autumn. (original source unknown, found on Pinterest).

7. Deer. (original source unknown, found on Pinterest).

8. Girl. (original source unknown, found on Pinterest).

9. Stairway, from Beautiful Portals.

10. Narnia. (original source unknown, found on Pinterest).

11. See, from Bitter Branches.

((( sorry i do not have all of the sources for you whoever put them up originally did not link them properly )))

pumpkin patch '11

Last Sunday we went to the pumpkin patch finally, late start this year. Unfortunately everything was really picked over, and the patch itself was extremely overcrowded and not as exciting as it seemed to be last year. I think next time we will try some place new. Either way it is always fun (and cheap) to pick out your own Halloween pumpkins, plus, we had Tony and his cousin Chris with us (who had never gone before). Me and Pat got 5 small pumpkins total, and of course I picked up a few minis and some gourds as well.

Since we finished up pretty quickly we decided to head up the road a ways to Airlie, a vineyard nearby. We had gone here before at least once, but I forgot how nice the property was. Despite the dreary sort of weather I walked around the estate a bit to snap a few pictures before we headed home.

 

[[ pumpkin patch. arilie vineyard. ]]

Here are our pumpkin patch pictures from last year if you would like to check those out as well. 

halloween costume(s) '11

This week (and quite possibly all of next) will be devoted to Halloween!!!
(weekend adventures will have to wait).

I thought I would start off by doing a costume announcement now that we have finally decided on our outfits for the festivities this weekend. (Technically there are two this year, because I am doing something with my friends downtown Friday night, and Saturday me and Pat are going to a big house party with his).

SO.
Friday night for dancing with my friends I am going to get my nerd on. I already have some rainbow suspenders and the perfect tshirt, so now it is just a matter of adding on extras. Actually, if you think about it my two costumes sort of go together after all.

[[ from waveavenue.com. love makes the world go w-e-i-r-d. ]] 

For Saturday (the main event) me and Pat (& Tony) are going as....

[[ images from google images. ]]

Mario Brothers and Princess Peach!
The boys costumes are going to be traditional Mario and Luigi, but I sort of always do things with my own spin on them, so do not expect to see any store bought concoctions from me next week when I post party pictures. I ordered some things online which just came in this morning, so I am really excited to try everything on (fingers crossed). I just need a few more little somethings for my look, including some home made glitter shoes I will be attempting. The boys should be good to go once their costumes arrive. PUMPED! (oh, and no, I am not wearing a blond wig, I like to mix it up).

Here are some of my inspirations. (I first got the idea when Green Wedding Shoes posted a Mario Inspired Wedding back in July).

[[ top image from green wedding shoes. bottom from pinterest, original source unknown. ]]

celebrations & buried treasure

After work me and Pat went out for happy hour at Downward Dog to celebrate payday! They have really great happy hour deals on drinks, though we were not overly impressed with the food. However, for a drink and some simple snacks, I would highly recommend it. Even Rory stopped by for a little while to tell us that he got a firefighting job! We are both super happy that he can finally start doing what he loves!!

(Congrats Rory, you deserve it).

When we got home we were listening to some 'old' music, which sparked my curiosity, so I rummaged through our office to find my CD case from high school. Though it is obviously missing several CDs for some reason, there were definitely some forgotten goodies in there, such as old Warped Tour albums, and mixes Pat made for me when we were first dating. I also found some little notes tucked away with playlists and bands written down all over them. So silly and nostalgic. Music has always been a HUGE part of me and Pats relationship, so we always like to go back and reminisce. 

[[ my old cd case... warped tour comps. my favorite album design ever. the used. the case. nirvana. decorated mix. brand new. blindslide. (not pictured)... thrice. chevelle. seether. underoath. senses fail. atreyu. as i lay dying. sugarcult. pepper. misc. 70s albums. zeppelin. missy elliot (random). taking back sunday. hawthorne heights. story of the year. no doubt. &&& a lot of random mixes. ]]

By the way... There was not a swarm of "emo" (I hate that word/phrase) kids back then... so I guess we were just a little bit punk? I don't know. I know one thing for sure, my parents did not love my type of music blasting constantly since my room was next door to theirs. I have definitely always been the odd one in my family. 

midweek inspiration 24

Happy Wednesday! Thanks to Pinterest, I recently stumbled across these amazing minimalist childrens story posters created by Christian Jackson of Square Inch Design. (click the link to check out the blog).

I find these to be extremely inspiring. They are all based on a simple concept or symbol from each story and rendered beautifully. I have a book cover project of my own in the works so I find these to be particularly relevant at the moment. (but, more on that later).

Without further adieu, here are some of my favorites from the series. I sincerely hope there are more to come in the future.

[[ the ugly duckling. little red riding hood. rapunzel. goldilocks & the three bears. alice in wonderland. mary poppins. robin hood. snow white. ]]

lovely day

I know I just posted some fall imagery towards the end of last week, but today was perfectly gorgeous so I just had to snap some more pictures! By the time I got off work it was sunny and high 60s, pretty amazing for mid October. Hopefully you aren't too bored of looking at scenery pictures yet, I think that the leaves in fall are beautiful and do not really get tired of watching them change.

I snap a lot of pictures throughout the day, and as you may notice occasionally take a picture, or two, of myself in the reflections of the elevator in our building, or one of the windows of the brick building near the parking lot. It is a fun thing to look back on when I re-read posts, so, here was my day...

[[ sunshine at lunch time. our building looking up. the front door. peak in the elevator mirror. outside our window at the end of the day. walking down the street. reflection. amazing colors on campus. ]]

lovelove

My little sister never ceases to amaze me. She is 17, beautiful, kind hearted, and strong. It surprises me how much we are alike despite our eight year age difference (especially now that we have roughly the same hair). I cannot imagine not having you in my life.

Last night I got a text message from her saying that she wrote a poem about me and posted it on her pretty little blog (which I will now be following). She called it "cheesy" and explained that "its just what I think about you". (Not cheesy at all Meagan! I think it is lovely and written quite well as a matter of fact. The part about not scolding you like a mom cracks me up)! Seriously one of the nicest things anyone has ever said/written to me (so I had to share).

Heart. Melted.

"

when i'm in the situation where i don't know what to do, 

i try to put my thoughts aside with an open mind to you. 

you help me make decisions and teach me right from wrong. 

i know that i can trust you, you don't scold me like a mom. 

and since we've been together through the epic and the small, 

with all the events that have happened, you were never weak at all. 

so thank you for being here, and standing up for me. 

for without you in my life i don't know who i'd be. 

"

I love you little one. I wouldn't trade you for all of the ice cream in the world. Even if it was mint chocolate chip... And had zero calories. (and you know how much I love ice cream) :)

♥

.

sick day

Despite my best efforts, I could not fight my cold anymore, and had to take a sick day. Though I tried to get some rest and stay away from my computer I ended up getting a proposition that I had to attend to so it was a sick, but not so lazy day. Now that I finished that up (5 hours later), it is time for some grilled cheese, tea, and sleep. Goodnight and I hope you have a healthy fun weekend!

[[ caffeine free peppermint herbal tea. ]]

fall scenery & acorn squash

The rain is back, the temperature has dropped, the leaves are changing, and pumpkins are starting to appear around town. This can only mean that it is without a doubt fall. (Granted I am a little bit late on this one, but we had been having some surprisingly warm and sunny weather for the month of October, so I figured I would wait). I like the fall, a lot, even though it marks the end of our increasingly short summers here. Layered clothing, scarfs, pumpkin spice candles, a visit to the pumpkin patch, and of course... HALLOWEEN! My favorite! (More on that subject later though).

For now I thought I would post a few images from around town, and a little fall treat me and Pat made for desert the other night. Yes, thats right, a recipe from me. Who would have thought.

[[ fall views around my work building. ]]

[[ acorn squash. ]]

Acorn Squash Recipe 
(brought to you by my Mr. who is a very good cook) ::


All you need is one acorn squash, brown sugar, maple syrup, and butter.
Serves 2.

- Take the squash and cut it in half.
- Take a baking sheet with a bit of a lip like the one I used, and fill the   bottom with water.
- Place each half of the squash peel down on the sheet.
- Fill each half of the squash with a half tablespoon of unmelted butter,
  a tablespoon of brown sugar, and a tablespoon of pure maple syrup (using
  the good stuff makes a BIG difference).
- Leave uncovered and bake in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes,
  checking on it occasionally.
- If the squash is still too hard to scrape, cook five minute intervals
  until it is soft enough.
- When you take it out of the oven it will need to cool for at least 10
  minutes before you can eat it. Take a fork and scrape the squash into  
  the mixture stirring it around so that it absorbs all of the goodies.
- Eat, and enjoy. Yummmmm.
  (It is very easy to alter this recipe to make it more or less sweet).

.

midweek inspiration 23

(i'm not getting sick. i'm not getting sick. i'm not getting sick.)
Just sending my wishful thinking out in to the universe.


Ready for a little more whimsy to go along with my post about Snow White yesterday? I bet you are...

I stumbled across this artist the other day thanks to the wonderful world of Pinterest, and upon further exploration of her Etsy shop, realized that I had come to the right place. Original illustrations based on classic fairytales? I am sold. And guess what? This artist is only an hour away in Portland! Keep up the good work, I like your style.

These illustrations are done by Emily Martin and sold in her Etsy shop appropriately named The Black Apple. Click on the links to check out some more of her work. You can also click on the images to see them larger. ♥

Here are some of my favorites.

[[ be good bear. the white rabbit's house. wisdom tooth. still life with live flowers. whistlin egg. the fortune teller. the pale carousel. alice and the piglet. the figi mermaid. ]]

the fairest of them all

I just stumbled across images from the untitled Snow White movie, which does not come out until March 2012, and realized that it is being closely followed by another adaptation called Snow White and The Huntsman, said to release the following month.

I suppose you could say that I am a sucker for classic fairytales, especially when they are remastered with a new take, especially a darker one. These films seem to be no exception. The "Huntsman" version (with Kristen Stewart, Ian McShane, and Charlize Theron) seems to be quite a bit darker and with a different story line, where the "untitled" (with Lily Collins, Julia Roberts, and Nathan Lane) version takes on a more colorful whimsical approach with elaborate costuming and set design.

Both have some good actors on board and look interesting, though I must say that I am not convinced Kristen Stewart can really handle a role where she is required to do much more than look gloomy and confused... (sorry, I am not much of a Twilight fan). Though to be fair, I do not know much about the other "princess" either aside from the fact that she is Phil Collins daughter.

Either way, I am excited to see some trailers and learn more about these two.


Check out a few images I found from around the web:

Untitled Snow White Project

(images from this article & IMDB)

Snow White and The Huntsman

(images from IMDB)

benny hat & a winning game

This weekend was not quite as I had expected, and as a result of working late Friday, and all day Saturday it would appear as if I am sick, so just a couple of pictures for you today.

For those of you who do not know... I live in a college town. A straight shot down from Portland, which is where my parents live, but a small football-centric college town none the less. Pat works with athletics for Oregon State running all the official game day merchandise, which means that a home game day, is a work day for him, and I help out when I can. Therefore, several weekends in the fall are spent wearing Beaver gear and talking football. I should also note that we are not exactly having a great season, so when we actually won this Saturday it was a big deal! Plus, I got to model some pretty awesome head gear for Pat. :)

[[ beaveriest of hats. watching from down on the field. is it just me or do they look like tweedle dee and tweedle dum? ]]

a long week and redesign

Today... was a long day. In fact, I just got home. There has been a lot happening at work throughout the past two weeks while we were preparing for a big conference, but it has definitely all been worth it! Tomorrow is another OSU home game, so I will be working then as well, but afterwards some friends are coming down to celebrate the weekend and I am super excited to see them. For now, I think it is time for some dinner, and relaxation. 

Have you noticed that I redesigned my blog layout a bit?! I have been working on it for a while and am super excited to see that everything is now up and running! Check out the new links if you please. :)

&&& Have a great weekend!

[[ design sketches. ]]

our 'new' place (tour) :: part II

I started this home posting off last week with Part I which gives a little peak into our living room, kitchen/dining room, and office. Part II, shows off the rest of the space including our bedroom/closet, guest room, and bathrooms very briefly.

bedroom
Despite these images, our bedroom is actually pretty large, or maybe it just feels that way with the high ceilings. Having a ceiling fan directly over our bed is one of my favorite parts, especially over the summer. We definitely have a lot of work left to do in the room though. There is a large empty wall above my dresser begging for some artwork, and as you can see, there are many pictures randomly placed about. The room is pretty much an assortment of all of my favorite little treasures collected over the years, and some Ikea bedding. I love it though. I think I want to paint something gigantic to go on the empty wall with lots of color since the room is super mellow and subdued right now.

Finally we have a walk in closet!! (though, I have to say it does not fit as much as I might have thought... if only I had it to myself). I love having my clothes, shoes, purses, belts, etc. all in one place though, it makes getting dressed in the morning so much easier. I also have a little rug on the floor and my Jenn hanger from Tiffany hanging up on the wall.

bathroom(s)

Nothing too exciting about a bathroom... I just figured I would include them for reference. Absinthe poster, candy dishes, my ring box, my necklaces hanging up on the wall, illustrations in gold frames. The usual. (The framed "hey there, tiger" print is one of my most prized possessions). 

hallway/spare bedroom

One of the great things about this place is that it is three bedrooms, thus allowing us to have a space for friends to stay the night. Perfect since we love having company on the weekends. Right now our friends Rory and Megan seem to be fighting over who's official room it is. A ton of my random artwork is hanging up in the hallway, and the extra room is a mish mash of everything else at the moment. I would like to give it more of its own look at some point, but for now large acrylic paintings and beaded pillows from Saturday Market years ago will suffice. 

[[ part two of our new place. ]]