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farewell






this is me, signing off for 2012. whether you celebrate one, none or a combination of holidays this time of year, i hope you're able to spend some time with the people and pets you love.


it's been real, guys. catch you in 2013.

bring it on

photo credits: one | two | three | four (taken by me) | five



2013 is looking pretty awesome for food lovers in dc. 

it would be almost impossible to list all of ways my tastebuds are in for a treat in the new year. there's old favorites to visit, new places to try. i can't wait.

but to make this list manageable, i present to you my top five things i'm most excited about (food wise!) for the new year. 

1. a freaking donut (and fried chicken!) shop in dc. a legit one. dc's needed this for so long. 

2. bryan voltaggio's new friendship heights restaurant, range. want to see beautiful pictures of the space and the food? the president wears prada has an outstanding (and mouthwatering!) recap here.

3. the dgs delicatessen. another thing that dc's been lacking. thanks for stepping in there, guys. (anyone tried their vodka-spiked coffee yet?)

4.  going back to union market. i went a few months ago when it was still somewhat of a work in progress. i'm excited to go more frequently in 2013.

5. i have pearl dive's logo up there, but the fifth thing i'm excited about is going back to tried and true places, and for me, this includes pearl dive. their catfish po' boy may hold the title of best thing i ate all year. i had some pretty outstanding meals here, here and here also. excited to see what they've got in the works next year.

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dc's an awesome place for food lovers, isn't it? so happy to live here. 


potw: foil me

gold and all things sparkly are popular this festive time of year. i love the warmth it adds.

my love for gold glitter is still here, and i almost went to make this press of the week about gold foil...until i stumbled upon copper foil.

isn't it beautiful?

i actually had a difficult time finding examples of copper foil to show here, which makes me like it even more since it hasn't reached the point of oversaturation.

take a look. 



from top left: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8




if you like this hue (i'm really feeling it myself), here's some more ways to incorporate it into your life. most of these are more rose gold than copper, but it's safe to say that they're in the same metallic family. cousins or something.

and those boots are fun.



boots | sandals | watch | ring | headphones | clutch



oh and that ring? 

it's only $9. 

i love cheap finds.

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

just wonderful

after the office holiday party, on the waterfront
wisconsin ave
a gussied up m street
riding around on saturday
envelope liners (major hand cramp not pictured)
sleepy pup
charlottesville statue
cool looking mural



happy tuesday!

the boy and i took off yesterday for the fun of it. it's awesome not being at work on a day when you'd normally be there. feels so...invigorating. so wrong but right at the same time.


i almost like days like that better than the weekends. hope your week's off to a fantastic start.

short and sweet




i bet you do. 

and your hair looks amazing like that.

skin care

 i've never had awesome skin. it's not bad, but it's not the best either.

like most people, i've tried a lot of things over the years: face washes, creams, masks.

and not once have i ever truly noticed a difference. i figured that's the way it was gonna be with skin products. they never really made my skin worse, but it's not like i ever looked in the mirror and saw a visible improvement.
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last year, i was introduced to one love organics and josie maran products, and i was prepared to be underwhelmed. another run-of-the-mill product that really doesn't do anything except rid me of the guilt i feel for NOT washing my face.

but let me tell you: these work. and almost immediately.

it's taken me a long time to want to write a review of these products. i wanted to make sure it wasn't just a fluke. a happy accident of a few breakout-free days combined with still being in the honeymoon phase with a new product. 

but nope.

one year later and they're still awesome.

i had somewhat uneven skin on my forehead (got that, internet?). nothing too noticeable, but i was always a little self-conscious about it. and i'd pretty much resigned myself to the fact that this was how my skin was going to be, that this was the best i could do, dammit.

but - i bullshit you not - my skin cleared up within two days of using the argan oil. two days! it was all i could do to keep myself from constantly stroking my skin like a weirdo. so freaking smooth.

i was also quite skeptical of putting oil on my already somewhat oily skin, but i was a fool for worrying about that. those oils have changed my whole perspective on skincare. i'll never go back.

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below are some of my favorite products from these two fine retailers. i don't use them all on a daily basis, but that josie maran cleansing oil and the one love organics skin savior have made it to the once-a-day rotation. and the fact that the skin savior smells eerily similar to an orange julius is a fun touch.

the other products shown here are amazing too. and you can use the argan oil as a flyaway hair smoother and cuticle oil. i love a hard-working product, don't you?
1 | 2 | 3

1 | 2 


and it's funny: i never really considered using organic products on my skin, but now i see no reason to go back. who needs all those chemicals anyways? it's nice to be able to look at the ingredient list and actually understand what's in there.


if you're not ready to commit to buying the full-sized versions of these products, i don't blame you. i wasn't either. i bought this little trial/travel pack at first, just to make sure it was worth it.

still not convinced? 

check out the reader feedback underneath the product description. here's what people are saying about the argan cleansing oil. it's overwhelmingly positive.

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i'm not really big on product reviews or glowing recommendations. but this one was too good to keep to myself. it's given me the best skin of my life. and that's sayin something.


potw: calendars

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 


every year around this time, i buy a new calendar for myself. usually a letterpress one.

this year, i'm a little behind on this task, but wanted to share some good ones with you.  if you'd prefer a one-page calendar format, this one is pretty.

calendars make great presents for a mother-in-law or grandparent if you're stuck trying to think of something.
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looking for more letterpress goods? check out my press of the week series here. a new potw is posted (almost) every monday.

warm and gloomy

cards/packaging for a client
m street gets festive 
date night at the passenger
lucy loves to sit like this. so weird. 
skins vs. ravens (go skins!)


so this weather's weirding me out. 

it's like cold and humid at the same time if that's even possible.

i had a really nice weekend, and i hope you did too. i also have three (!) office holiday parties this week. oh man.

enjoy your monday!

hooray

pic by me

hope your weekend is relaxing, your wine glass is never empty, and you're able to spend time with people you love.

until next week, everyone.

i'm out. 

cut up

my big butcher block cutting board is possibly my most frequently used item in the kitchen.

i use it almost daily. 


there are some beautifully crafted wooden cutting boards out there right now, and i wanted to highlight two of them. first up, herriott grace.



if you want to read more about the father/daughter team behind these one-of-a-kind pieces, i'll refer you to their site (it's a cute story).

their products (and the photography) are amazing, but they tend to sell out quickly so you need to act fast. rolling pins, spoons, wooden knives and other kitchen basics are also available. i love browsing their inventory.
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next up, we have a. heirloom cutting boards. these would make a nice housewarming gift or wedding present, especially for friends with a lot of state pride.  


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if the idea of giving something practical appeals to you, check these places out. and then make your friends invite you over for wine and cheese. ;) 

puff puff

1 | 2 | 3

a while back, i did a very necessary post about jackets. now that it's (kind of?) cooler out, i wanted to sing the praises of the belted puffer coat once again. 


here's three reasons why they rule:



i drive to work these days. but for years, i took metro. i've also been a bus rider. when it comes down to really staying toasty and dry on the commute, a puffer jacket wins out over wool every time. 

i love my wool coats, but i'm glad retailers are making these belted weatherproof varieties. because as warm as puffers are, they can be really shapeless and sad looking when there's no definition at the waist. 

oh. and also:






if cold weather ever comes to dc, you can bet i'll be wearing one. 

go with the flow

holiday shopping. 

it's something most of us are going to be doing this month. some people love shopping, some hate it. i'm one of those people who loves to be on the hunt for the perfect gift. it's fun to me.

i think people deserve good gifts. and it feels really good to see someone you care about (even a coworker) get excited.

but if you're not sure where to start, where to shop, and what to purchase, this little flowchart should at least get your gift-giving ideas moving along.

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and here's the retailers mentioned:

art:

cooking:

drinking:

hosting:

pampering:

jewelry:

teenagers:

coworkers:

too cool:

antiques:

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if you have any favorite places to shop, let me know. i love discovering new places.

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month 12


pretty peonies at the house
stuck on 11th on the way to work
pastels + rowhouses
i already miss the leaves
lucy loves the weekend too

how was your weekend?

i forgot it was december until about mid-day on saturday. that one really snuck up on me.

i did a lot of photo editing this weekend for a project i'm working on with this fine studio. i didn't always use lightroom to edit images, but i have been using it for a little over a year now and it's still awesome.


i've got some gifts to shop for this week, and i bet you do too. 

here's hoping you find something for everyone.
 

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