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the gift of paper

paper always makes a great gift. if you really know someone's style, giving a piece of original artwork that will be around for years to come is always an awesome thing. 

if you're shopping for someone you may not know as well, a lovely little desk calendar or simple personalized stationery is always a winner.

also, i probably wouldn't ever give thank you cards as a gift (kinda weird, right?), but think of it as a small thing you can pick up for yourself while you're out shopping. i always need thank you cards.

check out some more of my at-the-moment favorites below.

buy 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7


i also love this cheery notepad.


but that adorable recipe box is probably my favorite thing. 

locally


while we're all clicking around for sales working hard today, i'd like to recommend two local businesses i mentioned in the previous post: home rule and big bad woof.

big bad woof is just a few blocks away from the takoma metro station, and ever since we moved out of dupont and into our house, it's become our favorite place to shop for all things pet related. 

the shop owners are super nice (one of them lives two doors down from us!) and they're always ready to give lucy a treat while we're waiting to check out. 

if you're ever in this part of the district and have a pet you love (or maybe one you just love to spoil?), check them out. they have an awesomely large selection of stuff and you won't have to fight the crowds at petsmart.

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home rule is on the other side of town. but it's been my go-to shop for years. and here's why: they have cool stuff. cool stuff that people will actually want.

i did some holiday shopping myself here this weekend and here's three reasons why i love them so much: 

need a hostess gift? pop in. have a friend who's super into food or wine? there's tons of foodie finds here. need a cool shower curtain outside of the bed bath and beyond selection? they've got you. need a gift for a office holiday party? yep.

it's a small store so there's no crowds or aisles to get lost in. they even have a little loyalty card for their frequent customers (ask for it at check out if you don't already have one!) you can also check out their blog for the newest additions and store updates.

PLUS, they're situated on 14th between my much-beloved standard and cork market, so even though i can't force you to do something, it would make for a pretty awesome day to pop in for a standard burger, go shopping at home rule, then pick up some wine for a relaxing night in.

oh yeah. 

shopping locally wins.

stuffed


a few yellow leaves hanging on
the watchdog
getting in one last standard burger for the year
tick tock...
metal straws for fancy cocktail time | from here
lucydog outside of the big bad woof
on a walk
back to reality



oh man. thanksgiving break happened i guess. i feel like it went by in a flash.

were you tasked with bringing something? or did you prepare the whole meal yourself?



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shopping spree

remember last february when i went to philadelphia?

and checked out this event

well, today only, three potato four is offering free shipping if you use their code.




they have such fun and unique antique (and new!) objects. cool litte things to put here and there around your house.

and if you're shopping for the holidays today, i bet you'd be able to find a pretty cool gift in there. all while supporting a small, family-run mid-atlantic business.


side dish

some people keep things from past relationships. sentimental objects you end up holding onto until you move on to someone new. in my case, it wasn't a picture or ticket stub, but this recipe. and since it's from my ex boyfriend's mother and not the ex himself, i think this one can stick around.

it's such an easy process and takes almost no effort.

sound good?

ok. you'll want to start with a bag of baby carrots, some brown sugar (about 1/4 cup) and a few pats of butter. i like using salted butter here.

heat a pan on medium low and toss everything in: carrots, butter, sugar. it all goes in.

let it bubble away for about 20 minutes, or until the carrots are fork tender.



when they're done, they're gonna look like the second picture there. all warm and buttery and slightly caramelized. they're a crowd pleaser and there's only one pan to wash afterward.

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so if you're stuck on what to bring to dinner tomorrow, here you go. 

little by little

when the leaves start to change, as much as i admire their brillant shades of red, orange and yellow, it's almost like you blink and they're gone. here in dc, the leaves stick around a little longer than cities farther up north, but it still happens pretty quickly.

every year, i tell myself that i'm going to pick a tree and document its progression to a fully leaf-less state. and usually, that doesn't happen. but i finally did it this year, and i'm excited to show you guys the results.

these pictures were taken from october 15 until november 5, with a few days missing for the time i was in florida for my brother's wedding (and subsequently got stuck there until halloween because of the superstorm). 





p.s. can you spot when sandy came through dc?


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there's still a good amount of trees with some awesome color these days too, making my daily drive into work a bit more bearable.

nj weekend

so i was up in new jersey this weekend to throw a shower for my sister.

it was nice. low key and fun. and she enjoyed it, which is all that matters.

here's some other weekend shots. even though it's tuesday. weekend recaps are still allowed, right? 


morning sun
yellow tree in georgetown
i think i may have to try this. or make some. 
shower supplies, waiting to be used
a beautiful late-fall sunset
shower time!


for some of us, it's a short week. so enjoy the extra time off if you have it.


i'm not traveling this year, and i'm pretty happy about staying put. 


bring on the feast.

feels like the first time

i've blogged about this before, but this trick (method?) is just too good.

and too easy.

before i start, i should thank ted allen for changing the way i looked at day-old pizza. this is his idea; i just added the first step of microwaving it before adding it to the pan. it heats much more evenly that way. i've found that if you just plop the ice-cold pizza in the pan, the outsides heat up a little too fast and the inside can still be a little cool.


with that said, here's my go-to way to eat leftover slices.




i'm not gonna act like i don't enjoy a fresh-from-the-fridge slice of leftover pizza every now and then. but most of the time, this is the way i do it. it tastes so fresh. no rubbery crusts. just perfectly melted cheese, and warm, slightly charred crust. 


is it lunch time yet?

hold up

now that we're more settled into our house, i've been thinking more about the little stuff. 

trinkets.

the stuff that isn't a necessity per se (bed, couch) but the things that add flavor and personality to your home.

as i was thinking about all these things, bookends came to mind. and as i started searching for a few that i was into, i soon realized that they were ALL animals. yep. oh well. you like what you like, i guess.



to buy: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 (sold out)



these classy critters are all ready to add some visual interest to your space. 

that little golden piggy has been all over the internet for the past few months, but he's kinda got it all: the right price, the perfect balance of cute without being overly sweet, and a warm golden hue.

potw: thankful

this year, i'm staying put for thanksgiving. no airports, no interstates, no bolt bus, no amtrak.

nope. just staying here in dc.

i've never been a person who mails cards for thanksgiving, but i'm thinking about changing that this year, since i won't be spending the time off with my family.


here's some ways to send your love through the mail, as well as a way to decorate your home and your thanksgiving dinner table.


to buy cards:

1. pressed in brooklyn

2. brown dog paper

3. fat bunny press

4. cotton flower press

to buy poster:

essanel

to buy place card:

fat bunny press
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also, i know some people aren't in love with cranberry sauce, but i'm Team Cranberry all the way. that turkey's just no good without it.

safe travels and full bellies for everyone!

_ _ _

looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday. 

boston weekend


walking around harvard 



the most mind-blowing exhibit at the ICA | a cube made from thousands of pins with no magnets or glue holding it together.
tolls, tolls and more tolls
the sun goes down
back to the work week


the boy and i had a blast visiting my high school bff and her husband in boston this weekend. the weather was gorgeous: sunny, warm, a nice breeze.


we stuffed our faces, laughed a lot, and saw a ton of the city. what a great weekend trip. they have tickets to a few red sox games next year, and i can't wait to go back for a game next spring.


here's to another week!

cheap chic

i love shopping, but can't always afford to go all out with my purchases, especially this time of year when holiday shopping will soon take a big ol' bite out of the budget. 

but whether you're looking to add a few lounge around pieces or spice up your closet with a bit of glamour, you're in luck: these pieces are all less than fifty bucks. so if you're the mood to treat yo self to something new this weekend, here are some ways to add style to your closet on the cheap.

get cozy: hat | scarf | earrings | flats | sweatshirt | iphone case | nail polish

get glam: ring | shoes | polish | earrings | necklace (sold out now; similar) | top (now only $21!) | clutch


oh man. three big cheers for affordability, right?


have fun shopping!

dishwasher talk

one of my favorite things is to maximize efficiency whenever i can.

i'm a little nutty about it. doubling back, backtracking, taking more time than necessary, whatever you wanna call it, annoys me. 

isn't there a better way? 

so today, i wanted to share a small but effective tip today, courtesy of my husband. when he shared this little tidbit with me, i was shocked i never thought of it before because it's so...simple.

we're talking about loading and unloading the dishwasher here. specifically, the silverware.

check it out:



when loading the dishwasher (provided you have one; we didn't for YEARS), keep your silverware in separate compartments. that way, you have a grab-and-go situation when it comes time to unload.

done and done.

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it's a super simple step, but for an efficiency nut like me, it's a win.

potw: citizens

tomorrow, we all get to flex our citizenship muscles and vote. well, unless you braved the early voting lines.

here are a few letterpressed ways to inject patriotism -- some subtle, some more literal -- into your life.

to purchase: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4

i love the last print from beauchamping. so perfect. 

here's to short wait times tomorrow. 

see you at the polls!

_ _ _

looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday.

just a couple

just a couple of pics from friday, a few from saturday and some from the monday morning commute.

on 17th
at the coupe
pretty good latte
yep. looks like november.
walking three dogs

the weekend went by very quickly for me. but it was a good one.

tried out a new recipe, busted out my winter coat for the first time, spent some time taking pictures of beautiful letterpress goods for a side project with this studio. not bad at all.

hope your week is going well so far. 

a huge mistake

lucille bluth is one of my all-time favorite characters. 

i was introduced to arrested development by my little brother. i was home for the holidays one year during college and we were both up late. he mentioned the show to me and we started watching it. i loved it immediately.

it's one of those shows i can put on anytime, and i'm so pumped for its return next year.

_ _ _

so as an homage to my girl lucille, i created some outfits inspired by the woman who loves gene parmesan so much.



this first look is from an episode called public relations, which has one of my all-time favorite lines of the whole series (if you don't get the klimpy's reference, watch it here). 

classic lucille.

below on the left-hand side, we have a more affordable version of her look. on the right, we're going all out, using only items lucille herself would actually buy. 


less expensive version: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
lucille's version: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6




let's keep it going with the second look from another one of my favorite episodes: pier pressure. there are so many good lines from this episode, it's a goldmine of quotable moments.

this little zinger she throws out to her daughter lindsay is one of the best.


less expensive version: 1 | 2 | 3 (sold out) | 4 | 5
lucille's version: 1 | 2 (sold out) | 3 | 4 | 5 




ah, motherboy. who wouldn't get excited for the prospect of dressing up in creepy mother-son getups? lucille's lovin it.

and i love her mood in this scene from the motherboy xxx episode. so unnaturally giddy.




less expensive version: 1 | 2 (sold out) | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
lucille's version: 1 | 2 (sold out)| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 




there you have it. an couple of outfits perfect for roaming around balboa towers or whatever else the day may bring. 

and if you're obsessed with the show as much as i am, check out this awesome tumblr
 

[ SITE DESIGN BY FABULOUS K ]