COLORS (OR COLOURS--A BETTER SPELLING!)

Last week a few friends and I sat down and did a couple colour (personality) test just for the fun of it--a few matched up pretty well and then there were others that just didn't. And then I picked up a book that randomly mentioned the favourite colours of a few American authors and I immediately realized that I must step up my colour choices--make them a little bit more snappy and interesting.

Here are some examples of how cool American poets can be:

Ezra Pound: Purple, Ivory, Jade

T.S. Eliot: Eggplant, Sable, Mustard

William Carlos Williams: Blue, Yellow, Tan (okay, so maybe not so much that one)

Robert Frost: Teal Blue, Slate Gray, Blood Red

Wallace Stevens: Vermilion, Chartreuse, Wine

And here is an example of how cool I am not:

Courtney: green, yellow, orange, red, gray

I am now on the hunt for some cooler favourite colour names. So far I am going with Claret, Citrine, and Slate Gray (cause I'm not sure you can cool up gray). Any suggestions for green and orange. Or care to share your faves?

Citrine comes via inspiration for this chair that I am absolutely in love with right this minute:

You know, I possibly shouldn't adopt British spellings in a post about American poets...

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IDEAS IN THE SHOWER

Okay, so I don't usually get ideas in the shower (I tried to pay attention today to what it is I do think about in the shower and it could mostly be summed by a list of what I'm doing and need to do next--as in what body part I'm cleaning and what body part I'm cleaning next--I do love a list) however I'm strongly considering having some (perhaps if I increased my shower time) so I could write them down here:

found here
spotted here

Dreaming of Moving

You know how life sometimes kind of gets in a bit of a rut? And people ask you what is going on and you literally can't think of a single thing to tell them--much less a single interesting thing? Well, of late, that has been me. Sure, I could have told you about how I am drinking 10 cups of water a day (well up from my 2 or so of 2 months ago). Or I could tell you how I've finally figured out how to get 2 fruits and 3 veggies into my diet on a regular basis--really shouldn't have been as hard as it was. Rather than dwell on these less than interesting things, though, I thought I would share a bit of a crush I have on this address stamp:

I am absolutely smitten. All I really need before I get one is a great address!

Found here.

Spotted here.

The Absolute Perfect Kitchen

Okay, speaking of fantasies (I was yesterday), I have a recurring fantasy about the perfect white kitchen and Stephanie of Stephmodo has gone and discovered it--I am completely smitten and in love with every single detail. I am now going to put the picture of this perfect kitchen on my blog so that someday when I am fabulously wealthy I can recreate every single detail of it:

spotted at Stephmodo

image via Massucco Warner Miller

I Love Stationary

I love stationary just about as much as I love making lists. Buying stationary is one of the top 3 things I MUST do when I visit Boston (they have a Crane & Co. stationary shop and I don't--the other two being visit Mike's Pastry and purchase chocolate covered cranberries). When I visit a bookstore I naturally gravitate toward their stationary displays. And then I buy, buy, buy. The result is a really decent stationary collection. Sadly, it is not a collection I often use. And it is not even that I don't want to use all my pretty stationary, it is that I just don't. Well, folks I've been browsing Etsy and am just itching to buy something perhaps like this from Sycamore Street Press:

The thing is, though, I'm kind of on a little card/stationary buying diet and am not allowing any new purchases until I use half of all my stationary. Therefore, I need a plan!

Step One: Take stationary out from under bed where I have been storing it--hoping that if I see it I'll use it.

Step Two: Create a space for that stationary, newly out from under the bed, to reside.

Step Three: Sit down and write!!! (Perhaps while I sit down to watch Downton Abbey which I was prevented from seeing when it aired on PBS in January--thank you fabulous public library)

So does anyone want a letter/note from me on a piece of my fabulous stationary (I've got Kate Spade)?

image via Sycamore Street Press

I Want a Dog

So perhaps this is the week I change my mind on what I thought I wanted and didn't want because, like yesterday, I never would have thought I would even think such a thing as "I want a dog." I am really just not an animal person in general. And while the truth is that I still really do not want a dog, if there were ever anything that could convince me otherwise it would be these dashing dog collars ($37) from Silly Buddy:

So here's hoping I see your dog sporting one of these soon (preferably sporting one of these while not jumping up on me).

p.s. I finished my "About Me" page so check that out. It involves lists!

spotted at Ali Loves Curtis

picture via Silly Buddy

Tuesday

I'm working on 4 hours of sleep right now (you know when something maddening gets in your head and just doesn't let you sleep?) so I'm offering up a pretty lame blog post--but hey two days in a row is some kind of record for me of late. So here is my offering:

Also, don't forget to watch the UVU ballroom dance team on Dancing with the Stars tonight!

I have a serious crush on Ellen Pompeo's home as featured in Elle Decor magazine this month. True, I don't love all the pictures and statues and such, but I love the placement of it all--the balance.

These uploaded pictures don't even really do it justice so find the magazine and browse through it. Oh, to be rich and famous and have someone come and do this for you.

Very Bad

I've been a very bad blogger of late. To remedy this problem I resolve (cause lately I'm pretty good when I set a resolution) to:

1. Charge the battery in my camera (in the hopes that if I had a camera with a charged battery I might take pictures. and if I took pictures I might blog.).

2. Um, blog (even on a regular basis).

and

3. Leave you with this:

I know it is not much, but doesn't it just make you throw a fabulous party?

I love balloons!

image here

V-Day

Take a look at these so very cute V-Day garlands and then go and print them out for free here courtesy of Whisker Graphics.

I Heart Lists

Here is another free printable goodie for you to download. And how cute is it? I especially love the to market to market piggies. Head here for the download or head here to read the designers blog.

picture here.

Check out these so very cute gift tags. Do you love them? Well they can be yours for the amazing price of free. All you need do is head here for the free download.

Download and picture courtesy Whisker Graphics

Be Healthy List

You know how I love me a list, right? Well here is a new one to help you keep track of what you are eating and when you are exercising from the fab Christa Baca. Check out the details here (it is a FREE download).

Also, check out this download (also from Christa) if you are looking for a fun way to ask your significant other out on a date. I kind of picture it attached to a red helium balloon.

Meet the Brockintons

Ran across this over at The Rockstar Diaries (one of my new favorite blogs) and fell in love with it. I've been seeing quite a few of these short films being made by "regular" folks (this one was done with the aid of a film student) around the blogging world and it really makes me want to buy equipment and software and talent and do one myself. Short of that, I'll just keep on enjoying all the excellent work being done by others (I've watched this one several times already).

Meet the Brockintons from ashley brockinton on Vimeo.

Sam and Ashley are photographers and you can view their work website here or visit their blog here.

Wishing I Were British

because if I were British I would probably be living in Britain eating fabulous chocolate while making purchases like this:

and this:


and this:

from Hen and Hammock.

Or perhaps this:

and this:

from Clothkits.

But as I am neither British nor able to afford the rate of exchange and the international shipping I will merely have to satisfy myself with sighs over my laptop--really not very satisfying at all.

Everyday Chic

I recently received the most lovely package in the mail from a very good friend of mine. It was lovely both because of the wonderful detail in wrapping and because of the contents which included a lovely silver bracelet, a cute compact mirror, and a fabulous apron made by her sister Alison over at Everyday Chic. After oohing and ahhing over my gifts (and trying on the fab apron) I headed over to Alison's website and fell in love with the rest of her products.

Products like this:

and this: (I love cherry patterns)

and this: (with the Eiffel Tower design)

And they are all so reasonably priced (I nearly fell over dead at the prices people wanted me to pay for aprons in the mall over Christmas). There is also an assortment of baby items like bibs and burp cloths available in equally cool fabric. It is people with mad sewing skillz like Alison or Katie that make me want to learn to sew. But then I remember way back in Junior High when I took sewing and tried making a pair of shorts but they turned out to be literally unwearable (I transferred into Shop shortly afterword where I made nearly unrecognizable bird houses) and I think it is better that I support others in their talents.

Pretty, Pretty To-Do Lists

Check out these pretty to-do lists that you can download for free over at the lovely Blah, Blah, Blahg! Download here. Check out the rest of her fabulous blog here.

image: Blah, Blah, Blahg

Beautiful

Saw this Oren Lavie video at Design Mom and loved it.

Oscar Recap and other misc.

So I got 11 out of 24 correct--not too bad if we make it a baseball stat but pretty miserable if we give it a letter grade. I thought Hugh did a decent job (loved when he serenaded Kate Winslet about swimming through excrement for her and Anne Hathaway was very funny as Richard Nixon) and I thought the new format of having a group of previous actress/actor winners present this years winner was rather touching. Overall, though, I was a bit bored. Maybe some year they could skip the presenting of awards and the "I never expected this" speeches. Don't worry too much if you missed it though because like so much of what Hollywood does (whether it be a certain grade of movie or the behaviour of those in it) it was pretty much missable--perhaps I watched too many award shows this year--except for Hugh and maybe Tina Fey and Steve Martin too, oh, and Ben Stiller doing Joaquin Phoenix.

Speaking of missable Hollywood, have you seen "He's Just Not That Into You" yet? I saw it a couple of weeks ago and while I didn't love it (at all--way too many characters that don't get developed nearly enough. They should have limited it to 3 couples. Also to Scarlett's character I would like to say: what kind of a woman purposely pursues a married man and then is shocked when he cheats on her? But the engagement scene with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Aniston was very cute and Ginnifer Goodwin was fantastic). Anyway, speaking of Ginnifer Goodwin, I love her hair. And since seeing the movie I've noticed several other actresses in commercials sporting the style and it makes me want it. Only I've been trying to grow my hair out and I probably couldn't pull it off anyway (I've got thin, straight hair).

Or here she is with it straightened (I might be able to do this). Bethany, I'll be calling you.

Beautiful Mind

One of my fabulous sisters sent this to me and I thought I would pass it along.

Wasn't that amazing? It makes me want to do something creative this weekend--a real challenge for me.

Happy Friday