new banner

i finally added the banner i made about 6 months ago (can we say procrastinate?).

what do you think?

do you think?

i'm obsessed with my dog?  this is a screenshot of my phone's photo album.

i can't help it.  every little thing he does is magic.

yes, i have that song stuck in my head and now it's going to be stuck in yours.  and yes, i swapped the she for a he.

you're welcome.

i'm still here...

yes.  i'm still in raleigh.

i've had to extend my trip a few times for familial obligations.

and they do not seem to want to end...

my father had surgery, family dog has needed help, grandfather in the hospital for heart failure....and then tonight my grandmother fell and is in the hospital.

the sun will come out tomorrow, right?

i mean, things have to look up because i am desperately missing portland.

wood grain

i've always been a fan of a wood grain pattern.  so much so that i make jewelry that has it.

a.  madera throw pillow  $54.95  wrapables
b.  donna wilson wooly wood blanket  $390.00  safari living
c.  ibackwoods walnut iphone 4 backing  $20.00  ibackwoods
d.  organic wood grain towels  $6 - 19  west elm

abaca accessories

i fell in love with the woven abaca pendant light from west elm a while back.  i ended up finding a lot of other abaca accessories i liked as well.  i like when natural elements are incorporated into rooms.  and these items have amazing textures.

ps.  abaca is a plant originally from the philippines that produces leaves that are then made into stuff.  that's my watered down explanation and i'm sticking to it.

a.  woven abaca pendant  $79.00  west elm
b.  abaca ottoman  $129.00  crate & barrel
c.  abaca magazine holder  $34.50  amazon
d.  abaca squares doormat  $36.95  crate & barrel

owl door mat

how adorable is this bright owl doormat?

it's $48 and i think you need it.  okay, maybe i do.

image via olive & cocoa

modern dog bowls

finally, a modern dog bowl that is cute and practical.

see phorm feeders here.

image via in the company of dogs

elliot sweetness

elliot at my parent's house.

balloon dog

these balloon dog bookends caught my eye on the blog, design for mankind.

i've seen them before on modcloth but her blog reminded me of them again today.

of course it closely resembles jeff koons' balloon dog sculpture from the met.

and this balloon dog dog toy.

balloon animal cuteness without the squeaky balloon noises.

i love a good tote

i love tote bags and large bags in general.

i have more than i technically have room for.

but that doesn't stop me from wanting more.

like these new jonathan adler totes.  they are pricey, but cute.

images via jonathan adler

i have several brooklyn industries bags and i love them.

they are much more reasonably priced and will last forever.

images via brooklyn industries

l.a.m.b canvas totes are on sale right now at zappos.

images via zappos

you can always find a plethora of other totes at zappos.

love it: infinity chair

i cannot stop staring at this inception chair by vivian chiu.

all images via vivian chiu

it's freakin' genius.

crazy on the internets

while scouring the internet for something (i can't even remember what), i became completely distracted by this german website.

some items causing the most distraction are:

a duvet cover with a bra design on it.  made to look like you left it on there....

the old lady in the bed does not make me want to reach for my credit card but whatevs.

better yet is the sausage neck roll.

"Here, it´s all about sausage: A wonderful sausage specialty as a neck roll pillow for relaxing."

don't like sausage?  no worries, they have liverwurst ones too.

love it: toywatch

i found these toywatch jelly watches awhile back during one of my manic internet searching missions and today they were featured on the flash sale site, rue la la.

image via rue la la

you pick a watch face and then you can swap out any bands that you want.  the combinations are endless.

watch videos here for a better explanation.

even tough i'm a loyal swatch girl, i would totally cheat with these.

speaking of swatch, i'm digging the new swatch new gent collection.

love it: marc jacobs yellow dress

total style crush on this yellow silk dress from marc jacobs.

of course i would have nowhere to wear it but it's nice to look at.

design for mankind giveaway - holla!

one of my fave design bloggers, erin loechner of design for mankind, is having a giveaway!

and it's pretty sweet too.

she's giving away a brand spanking new ipad 2.  and who doesn't want an ipad 2?

check it out!

even if you're crazy and don't want an ipad 2, you should check out her blog.

image via design for mankind

i love the design of it - blackish grey with simple white triangles. not to mention she uses one of my favorite fonts that i use often.  so not only is it nice to look at, she has great content.

and did i mention i'm taking a workshop with her in june and it so happens to be in portland!

i can't wait because i need a good kick in the design pants and i think she'll deliver.  more info.

make it: pipe shelving unit

i've loved these DIY pipe shelves since i first saw them posted on readymade.com.

image & project via readymade.com

if i ever live somewhere long enough, i want to make it happen.  they would be great for an office and you could configure them a bazillion different ways.  

xojane

i've been secretly excited about the recent launch of jane pratt's new website, xojane.com.

i admit it.

i was a reader of sassy magazine from the beginning and then jane magazine (until she left and it went to crap).

so apparently i like all things jane pratt.  and finally her newest venture is here.

check it out.

via xojane on facebook

love it: pantone iphone cases

having a longtime obsession with design, i've always loved all things pantone.

and now case scenario is coming out with pantone iphone and ipad cases.

check it:

via case scenario

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finally added the subscribe to links in the top right corner.  ------------------->

so now you won't have to miss anything from my super exciting blog!

dog cuteness

angry wood

oh, angry birds, you so crazy.

my fave place named in my fave game.

dindin with the ladies

we (angie, alisa, shellie and rachel) ventured out last night to a new restaurant called piebird.

recently opened and a neat idea.

the pimento cheese empanadas were fantastic and messy.

the five of us devoured them.

most of us got their hand pies which are small round savory pies with different ingredients.

2 of us, myself included, ordered the vegetarian black bean pie as one of our choices.

the first one was delicious.  the 2nd one turned out to be lamb.

i HATE lamb.

oh well... they were nice about it and brought us out new black bean ones.  apparently they had lamb pies the day before and they look identical.  the place is new and there is always a learning curve.

pool party fun

angie got a pool last summer but i missed out on all the fun because i did not live here.

finally got to see it this past weekend.

the weather was fantastic.

something i haven't seen in ages living in portland.

even the dog had to swim.

then she had to chill.