I *Heart* It

Lately, I've been sharing websites that I love. So to continue that, here's one that I absolutely *heart*.
weheartit.com allows you to bookmark images from any site using a button you can add to your browser's toolbar. And from the dashboard you can see images that other people have "hearted." It's incredibly simple to use and is SO GREAT for keeping up with ideas and images you love. You can even follow other people so that you can just see your friends' 'hearts'

Here are a few of my favorite images lately from "my heart" that are semi-Valentine-y:


Have fun hearting your heart out!

TOMS: Shoes Saving Lives

Right before all the college bowl games this year (I'm talkin' football here, people), Chris and I made a bet. We devised a point system and a rather large and elaborate Excel spreadsheet and then we made our picks. The winner received a prize of their choosing, worth about $50-$60. And miraculously, I won. It was pure luck, I assure you. What I chose for my prize was this:

Gold Glitter TOMS. TOMS isn't just another shoe company, though. For every single pair of TOMS Shoes purchased, a pair of shoes is donated to a child in need who has no shoes. One for One.

It's kind of awesome to know that when you wear your TOMS, a kid that didn't have shoes before has some now because of you. And it's a pretty sweet deal, I get shiny gold shoes and so does somebody else!

The Merits of Using the Right Glue

As an avid crafter, I tend to obsess over adhesives more than the average person. I'm going to admit here and now that I have an entire drawer devoted to glues of a million varieties. Rubber cement, Elmer's, wood glue, super glue, Super 77 spray adhesive, and Aleene's (in original, quick dry, clear gel and fabric varieties)! The list could go on forever. Friends and family even know about my thing for glue. That's why Lydia thought it was absolutely necessary to give me a tiny .66 ounce bottle of Aleene's original Tacky Glue as a Christmas gift. It's the tiniest glue ever, but so practical to keep in my purse for my everyday gluing needs. And I just refill the bottle when I need to!
But sometimes, in a world of a million different glues, how do you know which one to use? This website, This to That provides the answers. Select your two mediums from drop-down boxes and they'll tell you exactly what kind of glue to use. And they might give you a little tidbit about why you should use that glue and some tips for ultimate sticking power. It's a crafter's dream.

And frankly, who doesn't need to know more about glue?

Listography

I'm a list maker. I think I got it from my mother. She makes lists. Grocery lists, things to do... I remember her once making a list of back-to-school clothes that I needed before a trip to the mall.

I love the way a list looks. I love the way it feels to cross something of a to-do list. I love the way it feels to look at a list of things you've done or things you love. Writing down goals makes them more reachable, more tangible. Writing down memories makes them fade slower.

I have an entire notebook full of lists from wedding planning. Lists of people, times, phone numbers, vendors, flowers, groups of people for pictures, songs for the reception, things to take, things to remember, things to do .... it all got a bit ridiculous.

List making helps me blog quite often. When I'm at a loss for anything else to say, I think of a list of things. 10 things I think are pretty. 5 songs I love right now. 25 things to do before I turn 26. 10 things you don't know about me. See, I'm listing right now!

That's why Listography is awesome. You can make lists! Tons of lists! And they're all stored there, safe and sound. And if you're stumped about what to make a list of, there's a list topic generator!

So now that I've told you all about a place to make and keep your lists, I should share one, right?

15 Things I Do at Work (That Aren't Working)

1. facebook
2. tweet that I'm bored
3. watch youtube videos
4. crochet scarves
5. text family and friends
6. try to make the perfect station on Pandora
7. send Chris emails with links to silly articles
8. crossword puzzles
9. get up to date on blogs on Google Reader
10. read really bad fanfiction
11. put pieces of tape on my arm to see how much dead skin comes off
12. stare out the window
13. post blog entries
14. read 26 pages on fmylife.com
15. make this list

What do you list?

Leaving the Window Open

I read this article on NPR today and it made me think about how I approach music, movies, television, etc.

(Now would be the time to read the article if you plan on it.)

I am completely guilty of pop culture snobbery. I'm a music snob, tv snob, movie snob, and sometimes even a craft snob. I don't listen to Lady Gaga because everybody else does, even though "Just Dance" is supercatchy and I jam out to it every time I hear it on the radio. I roll my eyes at reality tv/ competition shows, but I'm just as guilty as the next guy about getting caught up in an episode of American Idol or Dancing with the Stars. Chris and I watched almost every episode of last season's America's Got Talent. We looked forward to it, even. I wanted to see The Hangover really really bad when I first saw the trailer for it. I never did because everybody was talking about it. When I overheard a girl (most likely a college student) at Hobby Lobby ask if she could just use "fabric and that self-adhesive velcro stuff" to cover her couch, I laughed at her under my breath instead of offering advice.

I tell people they've probably never heard of the music I listen to. I don't readily share my love for a certain teen vampire book franchise. I stop listening to music the second I hear it on the radio. Hey There Delilah played constantly on my iPod a month before it came out on the radio. Then it got deleted from iTunes entirely.

This article made me think about all of this. When something is uber-popular, didn't it get that way for a reason? Can't I listen to Neko Case and Taylor Swift? I say yes. Yes I can.

I didn't really make any New Year's resolutions this year, since I made my 25 Before 26 list, so I'm making one now. Leave the window open. Just leave it cracked a bit. As the article says "... just in case there's a breeze."

And to show my good faith, here's a song (Jessica, aren't you proud of me?):

Brain Function PostSecret

This is from PostSecret today. I think we all feel like this sometimes. I know I do.


If you don't know about PostSecret, first of all, have you been living under a rock?!
And second, (from Wikipedia) "PostSecret is an ongoing community mail art project, created by Frank Warren, in which people mail their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. Select secrets are then posted on the PostSecret website, or used for PostSecret's books or museum exhibits."

Do yourself a favor and check it out.

10 Things I Love RIGHT NOW!

Click on any of the pictures below to go to the page they come from.

1. The new freebie embroidery pattern from BadBird. Have you ever seen a cuter giant lizard?

2. Incognito wedding pictures! (Note to self: acquire fake moustaches before October...)

3. These hand-dyed lace earrings from White Owl at Etsy. Soooo pretty.

4. This "man-broidery." I'm dying to get some toile and do this now.

5. These arrow earrings. I've had these in my Etsy favorites for a loooong time. (The same shop has tiny little hammer earrings, too.)


6. Mysterious Letters. These two people sent a personal and unique letter to all 467 households in the Irish village of Cushendall, even if they knew nothing but the address, a letter was sent all the same. It makes you think about how a letter from a complete stranger could brighten someone's day.... and how much fun it might be to write a "mysterious letter."

7. HARRY POTTER! I'm trying so hard to re-read all 7 before HP & the Half Blood Prince comes out July 15th (for which I already have a date with Jessica). I'm halfway through the third one now.

8. This crazy, crazy show. It's insane and most certainly not for children, but it hooks you and you can't stop watching.
9. Covers of old songs when the covers are really, really well done.
Ryan Adams - Wonderwall
The Watson Twins - Just Like Heaven
Iron & Wine - Love Vigilantes

10. Jenny Lewis! Lydia and I have tickets to see her in Athens on Wednesday night. I can't wait!

Stitch Spectacular

I just found this blog called Stitch Spectacular. When they say "Spectacular," what they really mean is "the coolest and most amazing stitching you've ever seen in your life."






Do yourself a favor and check it out. Like now.

Any knitters out there?

I am absolutely floored by what some people can create with their own two hands.
I came across this hand-knitted cabled owl sweater today and am just amazed at the creativity in the world. If anybody wants to knit me one of these, you can can find the pattern (and more info) here.

Posters From Days Gone By

Quietly tucked away on the website for the Library of Congress is a collection of 908 beautiful posters created from 1936-1943 for the WPA in order to promote health, art exhibits, musical performances, tourism, etc.

There's a plethora of colors and subjects. These are just a few of the ones I've found that I love.

(Click on them to enlarge)

You can download high resolution scans for most of these boldly colored gems. All they need after that is a little bit of Photoshopping and a little bit of love and you can print them out and frame them for some gorgeous and unique wall art.

Go check them out. You're bound to find one (or more!) that you love.

1 2 3 4

1. Chris and I decided that the money for our Labor Day Excursion Extravaganza would be better spent as a beginning to the almighty "Wedding Fund." Therefore, I am at home in good ol' Statesboro this lovely Labor Day weekend.

2. Today was the first Georgia Southern football game. Not very surprisingly, we lost. It was totally expected, though... we were playing UGA. The final score was 45-21.... we put up a decent fight. Go Eagles.

3. I finally have my two tables set up in my room. One as a desk for my shmancy new computer, and one for crafting and art making. Unfortunately, my crafting table has been taken over by dirty dishes, big plastic bins I still need to unpack from the move, and the boxes all my computer stuff came in. I miss my sewing machine.

4. Speaking of things I miss, I miss my camera. I miss the darkroom. I miss the vinegar-y smell and the orange light and the dry hands and the cracked cuticles and the billions of prints I came home with at the end of the night.
I came across THIS today and am in awe. This girl's photos show an amazing talent and here's the thing- she's only 14. (jaws dropping) Shyeah... that's what I said. I'm totally jealous/inspired by somebody who's almost 10 years younger than me. Really, check out her stuff, it's so absolutely wonderful.

Have to go. Meeting Chris downstairs and I have to tweeze my rogue chin hair before I go. (Is that oversharing?)

Dr. Horrible!

I feel that as a Buffy fan, Browncoat, and general lover of all things Whedony, it is my duty to pimp this as much as possible.

1. Go HERE to find out WTF this is all about.
2. Here's the OFFICIAL WEBSITE.
3. Yes that is, in fact Neil Patrick Harris (aka Doogie Howser).


Teaser from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

Engrish

For those of you who don't know, there is a phenomenon called Engrish. You know how several years ago everybody was wearing clothes with Chinese or Japanese writing and nobody knew what it said? Well, apparently the same is true for Japanese fashion, too. This fatastic website is devoted to this.

Here are a few examples:







Now, seriously, go check it out. It might just be the funniest thing you've seen all day.