monday links

I'm in LA this weekend for a quick work trip, a visit with my mom, and hopefully some sunshine. Here are a few links for your enjoyment this Monday morn:

This video on how ink is made is beautiful and surprisingly mesmerizing. It kinda takes me back to this classic from Sesame Street. 

Two Japanese artists constructed this giant kaleidoscope in a shipping container. How amazing would it be to get to go inside?

Tired of the Bold Italic? Check out The Sans Serif: San Francisco's least reliable, most entertaining source for news. 

[Top photo from Lauren Conrad]

monday links

Happy Monday! Have you snapped up any $6.99 peonies from Trader Joes yet? Better hurry before they're all gone! The ones I bought hadn't quite opened yet, but I got them to start opening by leaving them in warm water for a couple hours. I was inspired by Little Green Notebook's trick for grocery store roses. After about 2 hours all but one little bugger had opened beautifully! I'm not 100% sure if this affects their longevity yet, but as of day 5 they're still looking good and opening more each day! 

Speaking of flowers, or 8 million flower petals that is, have you seen this insane Sony commercial? They flooded a Costa Rican town with 3 tons of flower petals to demonstrate the detail of their new TV screen and the images are absolutely incredible! Prettiest. Explosions. Ever.

If you enjoy a good pun, you're sure to love these illustrations from Jaco Haasbroek. For even more of his work, check out his site here.

Do you love Beyonce....and Dunkin' Donuts? Well here's just the parody video to get your week off to a good start! I apologize in advance if watching this will make you want donuts (it will).


[flower volcano photo via Lost at E Minor, Wolf in sheep's clothing illustration by Jaco Haasbroek via Mashable, Dunkin love photo via the blot]

monday links

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a relaxing Memorial Day. Now that summer is officially here, it's time to start thinking about BBQs! And you know what that means- BBQ cook-offs! Check out my post on hosting a cook-off here, as well the re-cap of our Burger Cook-off from last year. And don't forget the homemade trophy!

The Summer Oh Joy for Target line launched yesterday! I checked it out at my local Target yesterday and immediately wanted to have a picnic. Think I'm going to have to order one of these super cute insulated totes (they were already sold out at my Target!).

Oh hey, Beyonce, you like kale, too? Omg, we have so much in common!
Check out Suburban Riot for your own Kale shirt, as well as other clever tees.


[Oh Joy for Target photo via Oh Joy, Beyonce photo via Suburban Riot]

monday links

Happy (day after) Mother's Day! Hope all you mamas out there had a fantastic weekend filled with family- and beautiful flowers!

I am in love with Gray Malin's photography. His photographs a bit pricey, but I may just have to save up to invest in one because they are so, so gorgeous! The only problem will be deciding on which one. I love the colors in all his beach photography, the Antarctica series is both breath-taking and hilarious, and how can you not love these llamas? Warning: the Dolce Vita series will really make you want to go on vacation. The series he's currently shooting features a rainbow of dyed sheep! Whaat?!

A Cup of Jo featured a great round-up last week of sources for affordable art. She featured some great sites and artists I hadn't seen before. They've got me itching for some new art for my walls! I'm quite smitten with this painting "Married to the Sea" by Clare Elsaesser. 

There's a heat wave coming to the Bay Area this week! They're saying it could be 90 degrees on Tuesday! I'm thinking this might be the time to finally bust out my Zoku and make some popsicles with all the great fruit that showed up at the market this week. These recipes for boozy popsicles sound amazing, as does the raspberries and cream recipe from the People's Pops book. Bring on summer!


[Flower photo via Once Wed, Coogee Beach photo by Gray Malin, Married to the Sea photo by Clare Elsaesser, popsicle photo from Green Wedding Shoes]

monday links

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Who's ready for a margarita? I love this festive tabletop from Dish Wish Events! Be sure to follow them on Instagram for more great tabletop inspiration.

No one around here was surprised by this NY Times article comparing Oakland to Brooklyn. In fact, the only thing surprising is that it was just published this week. I feel like I've been reading versions of this article for the last 5 years- usually the NY Times isn't so late to the party.

Delancey, the second book from Molly Wizenberg (of the lovely blog Orangette) comes out tomorrow. I can't wait to get my hands on a copy! I loved her first book, and all it's many delicious recipes, so I'm sure Delancey will not disappoint. You can order a signed copy here.

Did you hear that we may have reached peak beard? A new study has found that now that dudes everywhere are sporting huge lumberjack beards, clean shaven men are going to start to be perceived as more attractive. What do you think? Are you pro-beard? I'm a little dubious that guys who have gotten used to not shaving are going to be rushing to the store to buy a new razor...


[Tabletop photo from Dish Wish, Oakland photos by Thor Swift for the NY Times, Delancey photo by Molly Wizenberg for Orangette, Tom Hanks photo via NY mag]

monday links

It seems like Spring has finally arrived throughout most of the country this week. Everyone seems to be in the mood for spring cleaning - I did a bit of it myself this weekend. Little Green Notebook has a great round-up of homemade natural cleaners (that don't smell like vinegar!). And if those don't work, there's always Plan B. 

Did you do anything to celebrate Earth Day last week? It's always a great time for making resolutions to be more green. Check out this list of tips for 10 ways to be less wasteful everyday. I'm going to try to implement a few of these into my routine, like using cloth napkins on a daily basis and buying some re-usable mesh bags for produce. And recycling all our cardboard toilet paper rolls- it makes me crazy to think about how many millions of those must get thrown away. 

Have you noticed food prices rising lately? This article in Bon Appetit spells out all the foods expected to be in short supply and more expensive this year- scary stuff. So many delicious things: beef, pork, shrimp, coffee, and limes (which have tripled in price!). It's a good reminder that all our abnormal weather is affecting more than just our moods- time to get serious about those Earth day resolutions! 

Anthropologie has a new collection of ceiling medallions that are making me wish I lived in an old house with high ceilings and crown molding. The smaller options are quite affordable, but even the bigger options seem worth the price for the huge impact they could make in the right room. 

[Vintage woman via The Darling Housekeeper, Napkin photo from West Elm, Shrimp photo from Bon Appetit, Ceiling Medallions from Anthropologie]

monday links

Arg, Mondays. amiright!?

Hey friends, its been a craptastic weekend, so naturally I've turned to Kids in the Hall and cute animal videos... enjoy!

Is this puppy part Easter bunny? Watch videos of his crazy hopping here.

Video of an extremely ferocious baby elephant here (you may want to turn the sound off for this one).


And now I must be off to watch my new favorite show, Call the Midwife. Here's hoping for a better week ahead!


[Puppy photo from his Vine,  Elephant via Imgur]

monday links

Happy Monday! Have you finished your taxes yet? Better get on it, procrastinators! If you're in need of a little break this afternoon, watch this silly video featuring Superheroes as the Golden Girls.

Who wants to see Only Lovers Left Alive, Jim Jarmusch's new movie starring Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston as hipster vampires? I'm intrigued by the idea of vampires using their hundreds of years of immortality to read and listen to music rather than being scary ghouls (or sparkly permanent highschoolers, I'm looking at you Twilight). It actually makes the idea of being a vampire sound kind of appealing- imagine having all the time in the world to read every great book there ever was!
Check out the NY Times review, and an interesting interview with Tilda Swinton.

Have you seen Coral & Tusk's new line of embroidered fabric? The first collection features three whimsical prints on upholstery weight linen. It's only available to the trade (arg), but if anyone wants to send me one of these pillows, I'll happily accept.

I recently came across GUDRUN SJÖDÉN, a Swedish brand of clothing and home textiles. They have some really fun floral prints for Spring. A lot of their clothes are a little too older hippie lady for me (think flowing tunics layered over skirts over pants), but there are some gems to be found- like these printed sneakers, asymmetrical jacket,  and boatneck dress.  They just opened their first US store in NY, but I think their next shop should probably open in Berkeley (the ladies of 4th street would be all over this). They also have gorgeous prints for the home- I love everything in the Gökotta print.


[Super Golden Friends photo from L7World, Only Lovers Left Alive photo from Sony Pictures Classics via Buzzfeed, Coral & Tusk photo by Geoffrey Sokol via Daily AD, Girl in garden photo from GUDRUN SJÖDÉN]

monday links

It's my husband's birthday today, so I made him a batch of his favorite lemon bars- but made with key limes for a new twist. I always use this recipe for the Ultimate Lemon Butter Bar. It's a fairly involved recipe, but it yields the most delicious bars with a serious punch of tart citrus. Consider yourself warned: I brought these to a bake sale at work years ago, and two older ladies in my office literally begged me every day until I agreed to bring in more! This recipe doesn't make a lot, so I usually double it and make them in a 9x13" pan. Well, more specifically, I double the shortbread base and triple the lemon curd topping. If you want to try them with lime juice, I recommend using 2/3 lime juice and 1/3 lemon juice so they still end up nice and tart.

The Selby featured a home tour of John Derian's NYC apartment, and (not surprisingly) it's filled with an amazing assortment of unique and lovely things. If you're not familiar with John Derian's decoupage, visit his website and prepare to empty your bank account. 

Have you ever ordered from Golden Tote? It's a fun concept: you fill out a questionnaire about your style, pick out one or two pieces you like, and then they surprise you with up to five other items in your tote. My friend Kait is obsessed with it, and has got me thinking about giving it a try. The tote for April was released today, and some pieces are already sold out, but I've got my eye on this sundress for summer.


[Lemon bar photo by Carl Tremblay via Leite's Culinaria, John Derian home photo by The Selby,  sundress photo from Golden Tote]

monday links

Hope you enjoyed our series on tea this week! I thought I'd share a link to one of my favorite teas I've been drinking lately - Turmeric Spice from Samovar. It's a spicy, gingery herbal blend that's great for warming you up on a cold night- especially if you're feeling sick. The 5oz box may seem expensive, but it will last you a long time, a little really goes long way.

I'm thinking I probably need to invest in a set of these Enamelware dishes for camping and picnics this summer. I mean, what else am I supposed to do- eat off paper plates like some sort of barbarian?? I'll take the pretty mint green color please.

P.S. check out the full Barn Light Electric site if you're in the market for some really cute retro lighting

Do you love beets or hate them? If you're not a fan, have you tried them lately? This article in the NY Times makes a good case for reconsidering foods you didn't like when you were younger. In the last few years, I've been surprised to find myself enjoying lots of things I previously hated: beets, brussels sprouts, horseradish, and coffee. I'm still against red bell peppers though. Is there anything you've grown to like?

Not into March Madness Basketball? Perhaps Apartment Therapy's Pet Madness is more your speed. You can vote every day for the rest of the month in this ultimate battle of cuteness. The bracket will end up pitting cat vs. dog, and from the look of all the cute entries, competition is going to be pretty fierce.


[Tea photo from Samovar, Enamelware photo from Barn Light Electric, beet photo from the Atlantic, Pet Madness bracket from Apartment Therapy]

monday links

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Celebrating the holiday with a little green tea? Or green beer? Stay tuned this week, I'll be talking tea with a special guest blogger! 

Until then, here's a few links for your Monday:

My friends at Oakland Bakes just posted an awesome video showing the steps of making a cake. I helped a bit with the styling, and I'm so thrilled with how fun the video turned out! Watch it here. 

Do you know how strong the caffeine is in your morning coffee or tea? According to this article from NPR, a tablespoon of straight caffeine can kill you! Read the full article here. 

If you're looking to justify your daydreaming or people-watching habits, check out this article from the Huffington Post about characteristics of highly creative people. 

Have you tried Songza online music streaming? I'm officially in love- it's like a friend with great taste has made a playlist of just what you want to hear. The site asks you what kind of music you feel like listening to, and then offers you a choice of categories. Right now, I'm listening to "coffee shop indie". They just changed it so now you have to listen to one ad before the music starts, but that's not a bad deal for free music! 

[top tea photo by Michael Pieracci, video photo from Oakland Bakes, coffee photo from NPR, color disc photo by Andy Ryan via the Huffington Post, radio photo via Apartment Therapy]

monday links

I'm so excited for the new Oh Joy for Target line! The collection of party supplies will be in stores and online this Sunday, March 16th. From the look of her Pinterest page, the collection is full of bright colors with gold accents- I'm definitely going to be stocking up!

Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel came out Friday- have you seen it yet? The NY Times review features some great behind-the-scenes photos of the miniature models they built of the hotel.

I didn't get to see any Manatees when I was in Florida, but I did get to meet lots of sea turtles at The Turtle Hospital. If you're ever near Key Largo, I recommend a stop to see little Zippy (pictured above) and support the great work they do rescuing and rehabilitating injured sea turtles. You can see a video of one of their permanent residents, Bubble Butt, on my Instagram (he was struck by a boat and now his back end floats- poor guy!).

Interesting article about our addictions to our electronic devices and the anxiety of unplugging. A few years ago (before I had a smart phone), I remember getting annoyed when my friends were constantly checking their phones, but now it seems to have become the norm to be on your phone 24-7. Looks like I missed the National Day of Unplugging last Friday, but I think I may need to start unplugging more. Would you give up your phone for a day?


[Oh Joy for Target photo by Thuss+Farrell via Oh Joy, Grand Budapest Hotel photo via the NY Times, Phone died image from someecards]

monday links

Hello from Florida! I'm pretty busy soaking up the rays and eating oranges with dolphins, but thought I'd still post a few links for your Monday morning. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram if you want to stalk me, er, check out my photos of the weird and wonderful state of Florida.

Posting this might get me kicked out of Florida, but it only seems appropriate to link to this Atlantic article  about how orange juice shouldn't be thought of as a healthy drink. Warning: Though I'm always glad to learn more about the foods I eat and drink, I kind of wish I could forget I read this article. I don't want to have to stop drinking orange juice!!

Still have Olympic fever? Have you seen these frame by frame photos from the NY Times? Mind-blowing! I'm still not sure what some of the skiers are doing during their jumps though...

Have you been eating a lot of tea, cauliflower, and freekeh so far this year? Do you know what the hell freekeh is? You may be eating it soon. It's one of the food trends for 2014, according to these (quite similar) articles from NPR and Refinery29.

[Orange crate photo via Postcard Roundup, Oranges photo from The Atlantic via A Cup of Jo, Olympics photo from the New York Times, Tea photo via NPR]

monday links

Happy Monday! How's your week looking? I'm heading to Florida at the end of this week. We'll be in Miami for a few days and then we're driving down to Key West. I'm excited- I've never been to the Keys! Any suggestions on what to see and do? So far I've got two things on the agenda: eat lots of Key Lime Pie and try to see a Manatee. Oh, and singing Kokomo, which I'm sure will be stuck in my head the whole time.

While researching Key West, I came across They Draw and Travel, which features fun maps illustrated by artists from around the world. I love the illustration style of this Key West map by Nate Padavick.

Are you sad the Olympics are officially over? I didn't watch them as much as I would have liked to. I definitely would have watched more events if David Attenborough had narrated the whole thing, like in this curling video. I wish he could narrate everything, all the time.

If you need a laugh this morning, look no further than Texts from Dog. I think this one might be my favorite. Or maybe this one. Aah, can't stop. This one.


[Top image via Tip Trips Florida, Key West map by Nate Padavick via They Draw and Travel, Olympics image via 2014-Olympic]