Job Hate

After a week and a half of the most depressing and frustrating jobs I've ever held, I read this and just laughed. Is hate too strong a word?

My personal meme: You know you hate your job when you have a nightmare that your boss is blocking the door after you hand over your resignation letter.

If you're in this kind of job, find your calling. Life is too short. Happy Monday.

Halloween for the Ladies

With Halloween fast approaching, I loved this list Brit + Co. came up with of spooky fashion that 1) wasn't an overt costume and 2) wasn't an ugly sweater. At the end of the day, it's all festive, stylish and pretty sexy.

Some of my favorites:

Here's the whole list.

Happy End

 

Germany-based photographer Dietmar Eckell has made it a mission to find airplane crash sites throughout the world where everyone walked away alive.

 

I love the way these photos illustrate how the planes, through nature and time, have become part of the landscape. Just making the trip to find these sites must have been an adventure in itself. And the fact these crashes ended in the best of ways just makes my day--the collection appropriately coined "Happy End".

 

Source via Visual News

College + The Beautiful Things

After trekking across campus for a few hours yesterday getting my ducks in a row and pinning down my class schedule, I thought of some life accessories for university that would come in handy. They're beautiful and utilitarian, and really, shouldn't that be what life is all about?

 

From top left to right:

 



1. Beats By Dr. Dre Heartbeats Earbuds in White, Best Buy $129

2. City 1 Womens Schwinn, Schwinn $940

3. HP Wireless Cupcake Mouse, Wal-Mart in stores $20

4. Nate Berkus Office Organization Collection, Target $6-20

5. Gartner Studios 3 Count Pen Set, Target $5

Do you know a new high school grad about to head off to college? I have a few cousins who are in the same boat! I can't believe it.

Mother's Day Recap

I hope your Mother's Day was lovely. We slept in (kind of) and I got a hand-painted card from my kids and flowers from my parents.

 

 

We had a big family lunch at Sura, a Korean barbecue buffet. From there, Chris and I had boba tea at Volcano Tea with Dave and explored.

 

 

We randomly went into a thrift store, where I found a little alarm clock. I dragged Chris to our local plant nursery to get a pair of pruners, because I secretly love to garden.

 

We met back with my family and spent the evening watching TV and listening to kids music. I even had some time to do my nails for once. This baby blue is Sally Girl in Coconut--and it smells like coconut! I felt like a teenager with scented nails, but I also felt partial to the color. So it's staying on.

I had a chance to use the new pruners this morning, and they were awesome. They worked like a charm. In the future, they can be sharpened and have a lifetime warranty. Sweet.

Gifts to Show Me--I Mean Your Mom--You Care

A little something for every mom. 

 

From left to right:

Buddha butter dish
For good fortune in the kitchen.
$10, fredflare.com

Perch High and Low Top
Loose, flowy and ethereal. The tiny bird print reminds me strongly of the Kokeshi kimonos here.
$40, modcloth.com

Japanese fan earrings
A year ago during Dianna's story time, I spied a woman wearing a pair very similar to these. She looked so graceful. Also available in gold.
$58, etsy.com

Lace-up espadrille wedges in motocross khaki
A great summertime wedge that would go with anything.
$60, gap.com

Instant Happy
Said to make you happier and happier as you read, leaving you feeling "contagiously optimistic" for the day. Who couldn't use that?
$13, urbanoutfitters.com

Rose iPhone case
For flowers that last longer than the traditional Mother's Day bouquet.
$16, urbanoutfitters.com.

Kili-kili Power

It was a hot, sweaty, slightly crazy summer night similar to this in 2008 when I first heard the awesome chaos that is Pan De Sal at an outdoor concert.

 

Named after a staple Filipino bread, I was instantly curious. "They better be good to name themselves after that deliciousness!" I thought. I listened, not knowing what to expect, and was hit by a world mix of sound and then literally laughed out loud when they burst out with the lyrics, "Kili-kili power!" Kili-kili being the Tagalog word for armpit. It drove my instant love home as they encouraged the crowd to chant it along with them.

They also integrated French and Portuguese into their songs, so I can only imagine what other seemingly nonsensical phrases I may have heard that night. And while it seems silly to yell out "armpit power" at a concert, the real juice in Pan De Sal's music comes from the idea that all music is derived from one world.

You have to love that.

Read about them here. Learn more about them and listen to their music here or here or here.

Band pic via last.fm.

Top pic is my friend Charlotte and me when had no care in the world, 2008.

Oh! And try some pan de sal, the actual bread, here.

Ever use sachets?

My mom always had sachets in the linen closet and our dresser drawers. It always made a fresh set of sheets that much better and cuddly--as the name implies.

The fact that these sachets keep your clothes and linens fresh minus unnecessary chemicals is a plus. And, well, they're beautiful. It makes me want a lavender plant of my own.

Lavender sachets via Chewing the Cud

Design Hack: Tommy Smythe's Mantel

I've always loved Tommy Smythe's design for its mix of masculine and feminine touches. With a husband who actually has an opinion about the style of our home, that's an important detail that I look for. So when I saw Tommy's mantel, and honestly his whole apartment, I fell in love.

As I began the process of copying his mantel in my own way, I turned to Savers and what I already had laying around. There are a surprising amount of brass objects at thrift stores. I also grabbed the topiary and laser cut glass votive holder at Savers. I quickly painted the art myself.

I tried to capture the same balance and feeling of the inspiration mantel. I think that I did well in suiting it to my home, especially since I can't have much on a coffee table with two little hellions running around.

What do you think?

Top on the left: Tommy Smythe's Mantel via House and Home; on the right: my mantel.

Beatty Day Trip

While the boys toiled away at Tough Mudder, I explored Beatty, NV with our dog Nike.
My first stop was the Goldwell Open Air Museum, a collection of sculptures in a ghost town called Rhyolite.

 

 

 

For lunch, I stopped by K.C.'s for a pulled pork BBQ sandwich combo on their Tough Mudder menu.

 

It came on a loaf of their freshly made bread, which was the highlight. Everything else, the pork and potato salad, was pretty mediocre. The next best part of this restaurant, though, was the huge patio and how kind they were to let me bring Nike to my table.

I next checked out the town park, Cottonwood Park. I was directed there via a sign that quite simply said, "Town Park" with an arrow. The gates were locked, but I followed suit with the other locals who hopped over the short fence. Imagine a little Asian woman lifting a forty-something pound dog over a fence and then very clumsily climbing over herself. The second time was worse with a tired dog and me without a rock on my side to hitch me up, then nearly ripping my pants. But Nike had a good time, and really, that was the point.

 

I endulged in a visit to Death Valley Nut & Candy Company. I couldn't believe how packed their shelves were and instantly wished for Chris and Dave to be there for that one leg of the day.



What I ended up bringing home after much deliberation was: crystalized ginger, chili lime garbanzo beans, honey roasted sesame sticks, pistachios, and peanut and coconut brittle. The winner: the brittle. The coconut was a perfect pairing.

From there, I headed back to see the last two hours of people coming through the finish line. I didn't realize it until later, but I got a serious farmer's tan from the 3/4 length sleeve top I wore--a good lesson for next year.

Have a good weekend!

Dianna loves stickers. To deter stickers on the floor and wall and tables etc., I made her a sticker book so that she can still take a sticker off the sticker sheet and satisfyingly place it in a book. It's like a little collection that keeps building. It's fun to look through and see the "I Voted" stickers our entire family gave her and the date we put by some of the "special" stickers. She remembers some as well.

I just got her some summer-themed stickers, so we'll be all over that this weekend. As well as my herb garden. We got a few tiny succulents for Dianna to help me with.

Some more earth month love:

Upcycled Indian Newspaper Pens - I wouldn't mind writing with one of these.

Kubala Three Hook Coat Rack  - Gorgeous.

GardenFort - I love the whimsy. I'd also like to try making one myself.

Plant Pod Planter - I can just see Dianna walking around everywhere with her succulent in this, telling everyone about how she planted it.

Have a great weekend!

SMEG Refrigerator and Other Things That Take you Back

Have you checked out the new West Elm Market? Using the adage "tools that make work wonderful", they've curated a beautiful collection of home tools and appliances that are at once classic, eclectic, and modern. And I could spend hours looking at it all and mulling over what to save up for first. It's a gorgeous compilation that blends well into their company culture. Smooth move, West Elm.

Some of my favorites:

SMEG Refrigerator in Pastel Blue: So charming.

Wood + Felt Bottle Holder: Just gorgeous.

Krups Espresso Machine: This is one of those times that I felt drawn to the really shiny thing.

Laguiole Steak Knives: I love how wonderfully these knives fit in your hand.

Newgate Alarm Clock - Toledo: Mad. Men. They also remind me of the very same ones my grandparents had when I visited the Philippines as a kid.

Galvanized Watering Cans: My herb garden needs one.

Huge Pendants

 

Like earrings for John's bed, these beauties will be hanging from the ceiling drenching the room with some much-needed light in the on-going project that is my brother-in-law's bedroom. We've repainted walls, added furniture and a huge wall decal, TV's (yes, multiple), even a basketball hoop. Now we're in the final stretch, looking for accessories on a tight budget. Coming to the end of this journey, all I can say is "thank you Craigslist". I found two of these light fixtures which are nearly two feet tall and a foot and a half across--and I got them for $20 each.

Have you ever used Craigslist? As young parents and college students, Craigslist is our best friend.

Vertical Garden Love

I just got my West Elm Spring catalog and have gone through it a couple times already, staring at the new planters they're now offering. I've been looking for window box options and I love these. Perfect for Spring and the planting itch I've had lately.

They'll be outside my kitchen window this summer to flavor my life. And starting at $16, it's one of the most attractive options of vertical planters that I've seen not made of fabric.

Plant Holder Brackets via West Elm

Happy Earth Month.

P.S. What I ended up doing with my herb garden.

My Louis Ghost Chair

 

I purchased my Louis Ghost Chair by Kartell at Design Within Reach. I had just graduated high school, and this was one of the things I got with my graduation money. I know, I was a strange teenager. Who wishes for a chair post high school? It was the beginning of my love affair with furniture research and, I guess you could say, collecting--though the collecting has slowed down considerably since having children.

 

Currently, it's my office chair, but it moves around and subs as a dining chair, guest chair, entry chair. I've seen them used at outdoor cafes as well, which I would love to do for my patio. I have a gigantic farm table that's crying inside for some new chairs.

 

Which brings me to the all things Kartell sale at Design Within Reach right now. Go. Buy.