The Shiny Squirrel

Exit 9

I love this  shop both on the internet and in person. It is filled to the max with wonderful little delights and is located on Ave A near all of my favorite resturants. Hopefully I will be moving in that next of the woods soon enough. It is definitely on my "To Do" list. One day when I have a famous card company and I do not have to work in retail, my stuff will be selling in this shop or who knows I might own something like it!

Check out these:

 

The day moved so quickly I barely had a chance to sit down and think about posting. I did eat and soak in the sun at Bryant Park with co-workers as I ate my Subway sandwich, which I had heaped with lovely pickles. They have the best ones and I always make them put tons of  little extra treats on top. Tonight they are replaying the second season of Lost starting with episode one and I am very excited that I will be able to catch up. I just finished season one on DVD and can't wait to continue the saga!

Soap

Check out Wishing Fish

Good things are brewing...

I woke up this morning feeling extremely stiff with my shoulders crunching and my body feeling like a pretzel. My skin was clammy as I walked to work because the air has grown thick with humdity and the impending summer. I don't know if I am ready for the heat. However after much deserved coffee, muffin, and a good crossword puzzle; I feel slightly refreshed and thinking good things are on the horizon.

I vow to do crafty things tonight. I need to finish some shadowboxes that I promised to trade and I am also going to work on some stationary. I got lazy yesterday and instead of creating I napped, which felt amazing so I can't really be mad at myself. 

Have you ever just layed down in your bed and thought I can't imagine being anywhere else but in this exact place? My pillow felt amazing, it was cold..you know the good kind of cold that ices your cheek and feels comforting...and my down comforter was nestling me up. I was in a cocoon of pure delight for three hours. The evening followed with steak, two episodes of Deadwood, and some blog searching for ideas of my next project.   

Great things at French Connection, it has become my new favorite brand. The clothes fit like a dream and with my job the price doesn't seem so out of my league anymore. 

I like when clothes look aged. When the cloth is bordering on sheer and you look like every morning you wake up and look that good.I have a weird thing with getting dressed. I don't like when people see me putting myself together, getting all my accessories and shoes on. I want to instantly look finished like my style is effortless, which in reality it can take loads of time and effort.   

Self-portrait Tuesday

   If I was yellow, I would look something like this. You can also check out me as a blowfish several posts back. I was going through my fish phase.

website

I found this very cute website called Little by Jenny she makes really beautiful screenprint combinations. 

How do you read a magazine?

I usually flip through it quickly, starting from the back and working my way forward. I stopped at the pictures that look interesting, the bold statements and colors. I love the little blurbs that the beginning with new tricks/ideas/products...anything quick and easy that gets my brain moving.  I then put it down and go back to what I was doing. I usually follow this several hours later by doing the sam technique, but looking more closely at the images, the stories, the ads. Lastly, I finally sit down and take the time by starting from the very beginning and working through each page with a fine tooth comb. I pull out anything that looks interesting and eventually cut it out and tape it into my idea book. I have one for just fashion, but I am planning on starting a home one soon. It is filled with images and blurbs that inspire me to create.

It seems like a process, but I don't want to miss anything and it is something that brings me pure happiness. So...how do you read a magazine?

Look at Binth, they have great greeting card images and notepads.

It smells like spring

Here are the lovely pictures of Dana's package. The whole thing was fantastic and I loved opening everything including all the amazing boxes she wrapped and pulling apart the paper that covered it. She always puts a great amount of time and effort into these and I couldn't appreciate them more. I love the Anthropologie soap as well as  the amazing little watercolor set. I have included a picture of the great animals on the box, no doubt she set it because the packaging is really adorable. She adores gardening as much as I do so she gave me some poppy seeds for my own garden. I am going to plant them this weekend.

I was special enough to receive this bag as well in the box. The tooled leather is amazing and I love the size, it is perfect for summer...it will fit everything.  Dana and I met while we were both studying abroad in England...we met the first day when the girl in the office brought her over to my apartment because her roommates weren't around and she was American. She has this great little Michigan accent that sounds half Canadian and gets really excited over things. She loves fashion as much as I do and was the first person who really understood my love for Marc Jacobs. She even gave me a tank top and jeans of his that I still own. What a generous girl!

We traveled to Paris together and spent loads of time scouring the markets of London finding some amazing things. We vowed to send packages to each other, which after two years of not seeing each other...we have kept that promise. What she doesn't know, is I am going to definitely go to Detroit this summer and visit her. I am thinking maybe the end of July....

Here are my prints from Ashley G.  please don't pay attention to the awful photos and reflection.

Lastly two pictures of me pretending to be a blowfish after a night at a club....

sunday morning

Delightful t-shirts and accessories via Chocosho . I think their selection of goods is kind of limited, but overall the design of the website is pretty cute.

I received a package yesterday from my friend, Dana, it contained so many sweet things that I will have to take pictures and post them. There are some real keepers in there, but I won't spoil the surprise.

I framed the two Ashley G prints I own and although I put them up, I don't think it does them justice. Yesterday I started really cleaning my room and trying desperately to get rid of things. I can 't even imagine when I have my own house, how do you actually maintain it? I would need to do an overhaul cleaning every few weeks, because I feel like I just accumulate things without even realizing it. I have way too many things that were linked to my past, but don't really have any life in the present or future. It is okay to let go..this has become my mantra. 

Last night I went to this industrial/goth club in Newark and had a pretty bad time.  I am just not one of those people that can't fake it. If I am just not feeling something, it reads all over my face, I can't help not looking unhappy. We didn't stay that late, but I definitely was out of my element and I was really tired from waking up at 6:00 am for no reason.

Discovery

Last night I discovered Nick Drake...I have heard about him many times, but last night was the first time I actually listened to it. It was like an awakening, the perfect music for that evening and tonight as I watch the sun go down. I am thinking about my evening plans and if really want to go out...do I want to go through the process of going out, because inevitably it is always a process.

I found this great designer through another leapfrog through blog land. It is called Raeburn Ink and there is definitely something special going on. I like even the names of their collection and the fact that they are influenced by DNA and graphic images. The website is really easy to work through with it's very unmodel like people that bring life to the clothing. I love t his photo..it is fantastic even if she wasn't wearing this to die for dress.

GAA

I love Grey's Anatomy...so there.. I admit it. I caved under the pressure and fell head over heels in love with the drama of the show. I watched the first season in two days via netflix and then begged Claire to  update me on season two so I could watch the last few episodes.

It took loads of convincing for her to actually tell me about each character and their up to the minute stories. She broke under the pressure and I rejoiced as I heard every juicy detail. As I started to discuss the show, squeals of delight emerged from the people around me both friends and co-workers. Did you know everyone watches it? That they secretly can't do anything on Sunday night and make special TiVO arrangements and change plans to watch this show. I now understand. So don't walk...beg, borrow, and steal...get Grey's Anatomy so you too can be apart of Grey's Anatomy Anonymous...it is a group that Valerie and I started for the addiction. I will soon be starting a meeting group for Lost, but I think that was probably started by someone else.

My friend was kind enough to link me to this great site called Lovely Design. I like the packaging on the paper sampler as well as some other goodies that she has on the site. She is being sold at a great little store called Ferdinand were I stumbled on these funny little t-shirts. I couldn't resist the squirrel and the price ain't so bad either. Who knew deer could play the accordion!

They also have some amazing screen printed cards  all limited edition. I particularly like the vintage circus ladies and funny little animals. Is it worth it though to pay for one simple card from a website and have it shipped? I might like something to death, but then my practical side comes in and I have weigh the options.

So as I write this post I am continually going back to the site  to search out the different categories. Well I found this squirrel headed tote bag and have decided they have out done themselves this time. Beautiful!!!

Tonight I went to Barnes and Noble and looked at numerous art magazines searching for the next big thing. I wrote down a ton of artists that caught my eye and will hopefully be researching them this weekend to see if there is any merit in the work that I found. I also looked at a Joseph Cornell book for shadowbox inspiration and seemed to find a lot. His stuff really gets my blood going.

This weekend I am going to watch High Noon with Grace Kelly and Gary Cooper. I borrowed it from the library and you know how i am about classics...gotta watch them all. Also considering Deadwood is starting soon AND I have seen so many crappy movies recently, hopefully this will brighten my mood about the film industry.

The fine lady over at MeCozy  has inspired me to finally go to IKEA tomorrow and get some frames for Ashley G's  great prints. They have waiting too long to be framed. I have so many errands to run I might even make a To Do list, I use to be a fanatic while in school and make them all the time. However now I am more lax about the whole deal because work takes up most of my time, I feel why be so rigid when I am not there.