hello again

i’m back after a mini-hiatus. i was super sick for a few days and am done catching up and back to feeling mostly normal…

i wanted to share a few things i’ve been reading lately - i’ve been searching blogs for inspiration and found a bunch that i love! here are a few:

random, fashion, art, etc:

a cup of jo

because i’m addicted

simple lovely

unruly things

heartthrobs & villains

food!

everybody likes sandwiches

unique eggbeater

milk eggs chocolate

smitten kitchen

hope you all enjoy! i’ll be back with more fun stuff soon…

pure & pretty

off to a better start today - yay! i saw these beautiful furniture pieces on d*s this morning and had to share.  they are from pure by ami mckay - an eco-friendly designer using “green” principles for building each piece: sustainability, health & awareness.  enjoy!

my heart wanders

i was perusing some random blogs today when i came across this on pia jane bijerk’s blog, “enhance the everyday.” the project is called “my heart wanders: a collection of subtle hearts in special places.” it is a collective book project that involves people taking photos of heart shapes in random/unexpected places.  it is open for anyone to enter and the images so far look beautiful…i can’t wait to see the result!

news and the dreamer

stephen and i moved in to our new place just over a month ago. i haven’t had the cable turned on, basically because we don’t really watch tv that much and the peace and relaxation is kind of nice. i haven’t really missed it much, and when i need my tv fix i go down to the fitness center in my building and watch whatever is on - plus it’s motivation to actually go work out!

so i turned on my computer at work this morning and wanted to see what was going on in the news. i’ve heard in passing about the myanmar tragedy and random things about the ongoing battle for the white house. but i really wanted to see what was going on here in dallas - i like keeping abreast of current events in my community. nearly everything i read was about murder, child neglect or abuse, increase in drug overdoses, homelessness due to addiction or domestic abuse, and even a story about a high school having to create a committee to ensure a safer prom. it makes me sick to my stomach. here are just a few of the headlines:

Teen’s body found in Dallas ditch

Vagrants rob dead biker after police leave accident scene  

Probationer charged in death of Dallas man who had turned own life around  

‘Cheese’ heroin likely to blame in death of Dallas teen 

Dallas taxi driver agrees to plea deal in driver’s licenses scam 

2 Dallas shootings leave 4 dead; drugs suspected

2 children found in home with piles of trash, feces

now these were just in dallas proper, but don’t think for a second that if you’re in the ‘burbs you’re far from it - there were plenty of headlines for surrounding areas that were just as bad if not worse. i know it’s not new, i know it might not be shocking to anyone else, but it just makes me so sad. i know peace is far-fetched and unrealistic in most places, but is it crazy for me to hope? i’ll hold on to that hope, and keep imagining that one day we’ll come out ok - against all odds. and to all of you rolling your eyes at my naivety, my wishful thinking, what kind of person are you if you don’t have these same thoughts? even if we know it’s not within reach, we should never lose that expectation of making our lives better.

“you may say i’m a dreamer, but i’m not the only one. i hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.” - john lennon

a new favorite

while perusing one of my faves, d*s, this entry from the guest blog section really caught my eye. i love their cute place and saw that the writer, jeana sohn, has her own blog. i love it. it’s so sweet, simple and pretty. i aspire to have my blog be something so intriguing that others are drawn to it as well. wish me luck with that.

perfect little desk

it’s my favorite day on d*s, diy day! this desk is especially ideal for those with minimal space!

read the how to here!

what do you do with those corks??

for some reason i have been collecting wine bottle corks for years.  i have bags and bags of them just taking up space in our loft. why? because i’m hoping some great project will just come to me in a burst of creativity.  well, lucky for me, today is diy day on design*sponge and they’ve got the perfect project!!  cork coasters and trivet set!

while this might not be the cure for all of those corks, it’s certainly a cute way to display some of them!!

read the whole post and “how to” here.

recycling rainwater

alice wrote this great blog on steps you can take in order to recycle your rainwater, and the efforts that volkswagen is making in order to “go green” at their factories. i think it’s a beautiful display of how individuals can make a difference, and how big corporations can set good examples by loving our planet!