Coveting: Cocktail Rings

All items can be purchased on Etsy

Going: Grandfather Mountain

Boy, am I tired. I spent my birthday weekend with my Dad and the highlight of the trip was hiking on Grandfather Mountain. To start the hike we took a quick walk across the mile high swinging bridge which was too crowded to allow for decent pictures. Then we hiked from the bridge to MacRae Peak, the first of 3 major peaks along the crest of Grandfather. The trail was far more rugged than I expected: "There are chutes where progress is hand-over-hand and some extra steep sections where hikers use in-place cables and ladders." If I hadn't been so terrified, I would have taken pictures of the ladders to prove that I was there.

But enough chit chat, I know you just want to see some pretty pictures.

view from top of MacRae Peak

the hubby enjoying the view

condos in the mist

Attic Window Peak

the green disk on the rock is a benchmark - 5,939 feet above sea level

all images by me

Going: North Carolina State Fair

I apologize for not posting yesterday. I was rushing through my day so I could spend some quality time with the hubby at the State Fair.

We took advantage of the Park & Ride system, which is a GODSEND. I hate, hate, hate fighting with traffic and searching for parking. I will gladly pay money for someone to drive me to and from the parking lot. Bonus: we went on 'Can Night' which means instead of paying for tickets, we each donated 4 cans of food to the local food bank. We get discounted admission and we do some good for those less fortunate. It's a win-win.

We arrived just as the sun was going down, so I snapped a few quick shots of some bright equipment against the sunset.

Of course, I had barely gotten my camera out when the hubby starts in with "So when should we eat?" which really means "I'm already hungry, but trying to be polite about it." I took the hint and we went in search of fair food. We found a corndog (or two) for me and a grilled turkey leg for the hubby and soon we were happy campers.

What can I say? The hubby likes to get down, caveman style.

We took a quick lap around the midway to do a little people watching and to enjoy the night air. After our walk we were ready for Fair Food: Round 2. I saw a sign for 'Hot Wisconsin Cheese' and knew I had to have some. You see, I have a great love for all things cheesey and the deep-fried variety is no exception.

We split a tray of cheddar nuggets, which my Wisconsin friend later identified as 'cheese curds.' I had never seen a curd before, and didn't think I wanted to based on the name, but they were much tastier than their moniker would imply.

To let the cheese settle we walked to the opposite side of the fairgrounds to see the prize winning rabbits in the livestock* exhibit. They had rabbits of all shapes, sizes and colors. My favorites were the ENORMOUS long-haired buck that was bigger than both of my cats combined. That rabbit could kick some serious ass, you know, if it weren't so cute.

So, having had our fill of fair food, we boarded the shuttle tired and happy, and just when I thought the evening couldn't get any better this little 4 year old girl made my night. She was sitting on her mom's lap, swinging her bag of cotton candy, when she starts singing "Apple bottom jeans... boots with the fur" and all I could do was laugh. Not a 'who does she think she is' snicker, but an 'oh my god, that kid is awesome' belly laugh. And then she smiled at me. Best. Night. Ever.

*Are rabbits technically livestock? They're not exactly farm animals, but they were at the fair.

In Focus: Inujima Art Project

Happy hump day! I hope you enjoy this eye candy courtesy of Architectural Record. Enjoy the rich textures and lighting!

Inujima Art Project

Sambuichi Architects

article - slideshow

Coveting: Rugs

Now that I am finished shopping for a house, it is time to start shopping for things to go in a house. One of the first items on my list is an area rug for the living room. I'm hesitant to select a paint color until I have the rug picked out. It's such a large part of the room and can really set the color scheme.



Now, I know what you're thinking. 'There's no color in those rugs! What color scheme?' Well, my dear readers, I'll tell you. I want to paint the living room walls gray, but I don't know if I want a warm gray or a cool gray. I would hate to pick a wall color then fall in love with a rug that clashes. I am trying to find a rug on the cheap, so my options are already limited enough.

I really wanted a rug with yellow accents (maybe a yellow stripe or zig-zag?) but couldn't find one I like. Any hints?

Sources, left to right: Top Row - Overstock, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Home Decorators Collection Middle Row - West Elm, Overstock, Crate & Barrel Bottom Row - Ikea, Macy's, Home Decorators Collection

Making: Morgan + Andrew's Sate The Dates

Ok, I already posted about these here, but I can't help it. I would normally wait and post a photograph of something rather than a rendering, but I was impatient and went right ahead and showed you the rendering anyway.

This is the Save The Date I created for Morgan and Andrew, and since I am a friend of the happy couple, I actually got this one in the mail!

I used gray envelopes and pale blue linen cardstock, both from Blue Dot Paper, and printed them on my home printer. I highly recommend Blue Dot because they have a large selection and reasonable prices, plus I think they're a small business - I frequently get thank you notes from the owner with my purchases.

I love seeing the invitation as it's presented to the guests because I get a chance to see the personal touches the bride adds once it's out of my hands. Here, Morgan added a seal to the envelopes using red wax to tie in the accent color. I love the flair of formality it adds!

I am almost finished designing the invitation suite and I can't wait to share it with you all!

Watching: The Invention of Lying

I'm a bit behind on posting this, but better late than never...

A week or two ago the hubby and I saw The Invention of Lying and we were quite impressed. The movie could easily have been a light comedy but it was actually a good movie.*

The writing was fantastic and the cast was amazing. A. MAZ. ING. Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Rob Lowe, Tina Fay, Martin Starr, Jason Bateman, Christopher Guest and John "I'm a PC" Hodgman.

I think my favorite side character was Rob Lowe playing the rude, arrogant nemesis.

all images via IMDB

Enjoy your weekend, readers! Maybe you can squeeze in a trip to the movies!

*To me, a good movie is something worth watching multiple times. If something is entertaining (funny, action-packed, scary) but not worth buying on DVD it doesn't qualify. For example: Anchorman is a good movie but Walk Hard is only entertaining.