Buying: Rubber Stamp Kit

I just bought a vintage rubber stamp kit from EBay and I can't stop playing with it. I initially bought it to make the guest favors for Morgan's wedding but I figured I might as well get more use out of it.

The kit, which comes in this lovely yellow packaging, contains two blank stamp mounts, mounting rods and 200 or so individual letters, numbers and symbols. This is more than enough to stamp a return address or any short saying you might want to write more than once.

Once I quickly figured out how to assemble a stamp I set out on my first stamping project. When I started my job a year ago I was given a box of 1000 business cards. Then I passed the LEED exam in May, so my business cards were no longer completely accurate. Instead of throwing away the 950 business cards I have left - that wouldn't be very green of me, now would it? - I modified them using my stamp kit.

Now my business cards reflect that I am a LEED A.P. but also quirky and thrifty. I have lots of ideas up my sleeve for this bad boy, so stay tuned.

P.S. I know I keep showing you my business card and blurring it out. It looks tacky, and I apologize. But you never know what kind of crazy stalkers are lurking on the internet, so you can never be too careful.

Buying: New Cell Phone

I am so excited! After months and months of saving, I finally got my iPhone! I'm terrible at saving money, and it was so hard to not get lots of tights and scarves and boots for fall, but now that I have my new phone it was worth it!

image source

I previously had a Blackberry Curve, and it was ok but not nearly as user friendly as I expected from the first seller of PDAs/handhelds/smart phones. It might be great for busy executives, but I want something with a little more pizazz.

I already grabbed lots of great apps (Swede Shop, Feather, Awesome Note and Pandora, just to name a few), but I'm always looking for new ways to make my life better and easier. Tell me, iPhone users, is there an app you can't go a day without using?

Going: LEGO Store

The hubby and I were walking around the mall over the weekend when he spotted the new LEGO store. His eyes lit up like a little kid and said "Can we go in there?" Being a total LEGO nerd myself, I said "Hell yeah!"

The front of the store had large glass displays with assembled specialty kits. My favorite was the LEGO valentine. I would be so thrilled to get this for a special occasion.



The back wall of the store was covered in these clear plastic bins. From far away the display looks like giant LEGO blocks...

... but upon closer inspection I realize each bin holds open stock LEGO parts. How cool is that? The one thing that always kept me from really going wild with my blocks was the shortage of specialty parts.

I couldn't resist taking this shot down the wall.

Lastly, I was very tempted to purchase a stormtrooper keychain. The store had a whole rack of keychains made from common - and not so common - LEGO characters. As you may remember from here, I find stormtrooper accessories quite amusing.

Remembering: Our First Date

Five years ago today, my hubby went from being just a cute boy to being the other half of my 'us.' Here's our story:

He and I were both in our sophomore year of architecture school and, for the first time, had a studio together. We had been flirting for a month and had done some casual hanging out - playing poker, going to football games - but nothing more. I thought he was cute but I wasn't sure if he liked me.

In studio, the Friday before Halloween, he mentioned he needed help with his costume for the Bash.* I offered to help him so we spent Saturday morning searching through thrift stores. I went home to finish my costume and figured I would see him at the Bash, but then he called and asked me to meet him at his dorm so we could go together.

The Bash was lots of fun - drinking, dancing, merry making - and he stayed by my side all night. When the party was over I was to dru-, uh, tired to drive home so he offered to let me crash in his room. He was a perfect gentleman and just as we were falling asleep I got some extra courage (being 'tired' does that to me) so I sat up and said

"Do you like me?"

"Yes."

"So does that mean we're dating?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to be dating?"

"Um, I think so."

"Good, then we're dating. Good-night." I gave him a quick peck on the cheek and fell asleep.

We've been pretty much joined at the hip ever since, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Happy five years together! I love you!

October 30 2004 : October 24 2009

*The Bash, short for College of Design's Annual Design Bash, is the best halloween party ever. Design students put way more thought and effort into their costumes than most people, so the costume contest alone is worth going for. One year an industrial design student made an incredibly elaborate Where The Wild Things Are costume, which got featured in the local paper, and if the movie hadn't just come out I might be able to find his picture on the internet. Alas.

Decorating: Room Planning

Here's my latest mini-project, all served up for my dear readers. As I mentioned earlier, I want to buy an area rug before I pick out paint colors. In order to do that I need to better know how that rug would fit in the space.

First I quickly sketched the floor plan of the room on grid paper, making sure to include major architectural elements such as windows, doors, and fireplaces.

Next I measured all my living room furniture and drew it on grid paper. I color-coded the pieces then cut along the outline.

Next up is the fun part. I moved the furniture around, swapping pieces out and trying different arrangements until I settled on something I liked. This is much easier on me and my floors than trying to do it with my actual furniture when I move in.

After I had the furniture where I wanted it, I took the next step to play with rugs. I photographed my layout then opened it in Photoshop. I added color to the floor and furniture to enhance the clarity then I 'drew' an area rug using the grid paper as a guide. I tried different sized rugs and moved them around until I had a pleasing layout. I am so glad I did this. I just assumed I would need a 5x7 area rug - my living room isn't terribly large - but the 5x7 looked downright puny so I decided I really needed an 8x10. Yes that means more money, but I would rather know now and save up for it rather than find out on moving day when it's too late.

Obviously I could have done the last step with paper rugs on my paper layout, but it was too frustrating for me to try to keep all the paper still while I slid rugs under the furniture. This took very little time and I think the effort was worth it.

So what about you guys? Do you have any decorating or furniture buying tips up your sleeves? Do tell!

Living: House Update

So you already know the hubby and I are in the process of buying a house - I've talked about it here and here - and I have a bit of an update for you.

As of last night we have resolved the inspection & repair negotiations. This means we're one step closer to this deal being official. Who knew there were so many things that can cause a home purchase to fall through? I just assumed you picked a house, settled on a price and that was it. Boy was I wrong. I don't want to bore you with the details (and I'm sure some of my readers have already been through this themselves) but I enjoy a huge sigh of relief everytime we cross a hurdle. Now the only thing standing between us and a 'SOLD' sign is the appraisal. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

Coveting: Cocktail Rings

All items can be purchased on Etsy