Options

I'm getting ready to redo the bedroom.  The whole deal.  New everything.  Did I mention how last summer was so hot and humid, that one of the cheap-o K-Mart fake wood dressers fell apart?  Fell.  To.  Pieces.  The weather literally destroyed the furniture.

No, seriously.

So, onward to better quality.

There will be pictures.  I promise.

But for now, I'm searching for a rug.  Something bright, colorful, and fun.  Something unexpected.

I've fallen in love with a couple different rugs at Anthropologie.  The thing is, they're crazy expensive.  No surprise.  And.  And.  They company doesn't ship big ticket items to Hawaii.

Just take a look though, and tell me you don't love them too:

Garden Stripe Rug

Ikat Rug

Felt Pixel Rug (absolute favorite)

Gloria's Garden Rug (stunning!  and possibly my true absolute favorite)

Beautiful, right?

Totally makes my actual options a bit, umm, drab:

Beige Berries Area Rug

Pressed Leaves Area Rug

Anamosa Area Rug

Floral Ivory Area Rug

Ok...extremely depressing.

Suggestions?

Digital Art Warm Up

Quick sketch to work with the airbrush tool.  Based on the cover image of Mark Twain's Letters from Hawaii.

Painted Food

No ways!

Edible spray paint for food.

Most awesome, totally unnecessary, rub the collective faces of the hungry in it, thing ever.

But how great would it be for parties?!

Etsy: Turned into Reality

Artwork Inspiration

"Girl With Possies In Her Hair" original watercolor by ChildhoodStudios

Wearable Pieces

Extra Large Pink Flower Hair Clip from ZLDesignStudio

Classic LowCut V Neck Tee from Lamixx

Girly Vintage Pillowcase Boxers from Spazspun

Dusty Pink Canvas Sneakers from Lisazain

Book Club

Seriously by Lucia Nevai

I chose this one simply based on the cover.  That, and "seriously" is one of my favorite words.

But skip this book.

Seriously.

Taken Back

I have an intense visceral reaction during the starting credits to HBO's newest miniseries, The Pacific.

It's someone drawing with charcoal, and the stick keeps breaking from the pressure being applied.

You guys, I can FEEL IT.

I know it.

I know the slight stumble the hand makes when the charcoal stick cracks and breaks.  I know that sensation of charcoal smoothly moving over charcoal.  But also feeling the littlest ridges and dips when on the surface of the paper.  All that graininess.

Without hearing it, I know the sound the charcoal makes while it moves.  Almost high pitched.  Somewhere in-between nails on a chalkboard and nails on sandpaper.  Registering enough to create goosebumps.

And all the loose used up charcoal bits that outline the drawing.  Just waiting there.  Begging to be blown away.

I can hardly take it, just sitting, watching the tv.

Fab

Love these.  And the story behind them.

Lowest Bidder

(via Design*Sponge)

In Memoriam

Earlier this month, Susan, my mother-in-law, passed away.

She was such a loving and caring woman.  I wish I could've known her longer.

She was an artist, painted as much as possible, and talked with me about jewelry making.  I wish we could've shared more.

But everyday I'm thankful for what she had always shared with me from the start - her son, Joe.

Not-So-Weekly Recipe

This isn't as much of a recipe as it is a recipe hack.  Delicious delicious hack.  Mmm.

Blueberry Banana Muffins

ingredients

1 package of blueberry muffin mix (I used Betty Crocker for these, but I also like Jiffy's)
Water (or milk and eggs - whatever the mix calls for)
1 or 2 overripe bananas
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1.  Mash bananas in a medium sized bowl.  Press up onto sides.
2.  In center of the bowl, prepare muffin mix as directed.
3.  Add in extra flour and vanilla.  Throughly combine banana with mix.
4.  Pour into greased or lined muffin tins.
5.  Bake according to package instructions.
6.  But add a few extra minutes.
7.  Remove from oven and cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Book Club

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction

Funny.  But not as funny as I thought it would be.