Here’s to 2011.


Adam J. Kurtz
via Have and Hold

Truth be told I had some bigger things planned for New Years on the blog but, well, life sort of got in the way. (As life tends to do.) You might recall that in past years I’ve been a staunchly anti-resolution girl. And I can’t say that that’s changed for 2011. What I can say is that I have some things I want to pay a little bit more attention to.

1. Volunteer more often.
2. Get a new hobby. Like boxing.
3. Become involved in more creative collaborations.

That’s it. Three things. Three things that I actually want to do. And with that… beat it 2010. You sort of sucked.

PS: Thanks for hanging around for another year and reading Design Crush. It brings me more joy than you know!

8

Holiday Shopping List.

I made you a little download surprise, friends. (My first ever, by the way.) It all started innocently enough after finally buying my first holiday gift a few weeks ago. I’m an avid list maker, you see, and immediately set after designing my annual Holiday Gift List. (I’m also a dork.) Then I got to thinking, “Hey, I bet other people might use this, too.” Crazy, right? So here it is in my favored minimalistic style. No reds and no greens, just grays and black to brighten your holidays and keep you organized.

{DOWNLOAD HOLIDAY SHOPPING LIST}

Required Disclaimer: This download has been created for personal use only, meaning non-commercial use. Please do not alter and/or redistribute the actual file.

10

Happy Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!


Tonight I’ll be baking this for my family’s annual dessert-off. Wish me luck! Tomorrow is one of the only “off” days of my year where I actually set the alarm clock so that I can watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It’s been a tradition since I was a kid and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon! Then it’s off to my mom and stepdad’s for loads of grub.

I’ll be taking Thursday and Friday off in every way possible, but see you Monday to kick off the holidays!

Lots and Lots of Thankfulness for …
… the very best friends and family and gal could ask for
… the new(ish) roof over my head
… my awesome job when so many are lacking even a crappy one
… two fuzzy kitten-cats waiting for me at the door
… my relatively decent health
… candy

:: photo via ffffound

2

Back in Action.


10 Things I’ve Learned in the Past 4 Days:

1. Painting is hard work.
Especially six rooms of painting in two days time. My arms literally felt like they could be in slings, so I’m clearly not cut out for daily manual labor. Needless to say, I harbor a newfound respect for people who paint for a living.

2. People leave one thing when they move out of a house: DIRT.
Really gross dirt. Cabinet dirt. Floor dirt. And the worst of all: toilet dirt. *gag*

3. I have a lot of stuff.
A. Lot. Of. Stuff. That I can’t wait to go through and purge. Some will end up in the trash, but most will go to Goodwill. I’m happy to say that everyone who helped me paint my little heart out this weekend did not leave empty handed!!

4. I hate tearing down cardboard boxes even more than making them.
Seriously – what a pain! Can’t they just magically disappear now that they’ve served their purpose?

5. Cats do not enjoy moving
Upon arrival at the new house they spent copious amounts of time under my bed. And in the bathroom and kitchen cabinets. Of course the first night they decided to become curious and roam around making all sorts of noise. Damn nocturnal critters!

6. I can only stand to eat fast food about once every two months.
No time, of course, to prep actual meals – you need a kitchen full of pots, pans and utensils to do that – so fast food it is. And even when I opt for the salad I still felt like crap. Can’t wait to hit up the grocery store tonight to stock up!

7. The kitchen is my favorite room.
I have more cabinet space than I could have ever hoped for. A refrigerator with an ice maker – which seems small, but is a huge deal to me. And a great triangle set-up between the fridge, stove and sink. Love it!

8. The garbage men are going to work for their paycheck this week.
Between the last owner’s trash and my ‘Moving In Trash’ it’s going to be quite the haul of crap. (And that’s not even counting all those boxes I haven’t cut down yet!)

9. I really, really like my new home.
And I hope that feeling lasts for at least a few years, because I never want to pack again!!!

10. You guys are freakin’ awesome!
Seriously. Thank you so much for and the congratulatory words and wishes. You are my favorite part of this blog.

:: photo via Veer

7

Tagged.

Natalie of altruism in the morning has tagged me, so here goes nothin.’

Here’s the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Alright, let’s see…

• I’m a ridiculously good speller. Even if I’ve never heard or seen the word before. Of course, I am limited to the English language.
• The older I get, the more picky about food I become. Not in an I’m-turning-organic kind of way either.
• I have a cat named Peanut. He weighs 17 pounds. I always feel it’s like calling a fat man Tiny. Poor guy.
• For forever I wanted to be an architect. Then reality set in. And I realized I suck at math. But I’ve always hung on to a sketchbook of ‘floor plans’ that I drew when I was 10.
• I’ve named my MacBook Pro Bizcocho which means “cake” in Spanish.
• I’ve lived in 6 states in the past 9 years.
• I really, really, really want a dog!

Bloggers I’m tagging:
design for mankind – because this is one of my favorite new daily reads.
Happy Cavalier – because I read this blog every morning and am obsessed with the header.
laissezfaire – because this blog never fails to inspire me.
Rare Bird Finds – because there’s always something that I wish I’d found first.
senseless acts of beauty – because both the blog and shop and amazing.
the style files – a must read.
More Ways to Waste Time – because I love almost everything I see here.

36

The Best Parts: Summer.


Watermelon.
Longer days.
Fireworks.
The lake.
Air conditioning.
Landscaping.
Rain.
Cookouts.
Chlorine.
Lawn chairs.
Cold beer.
Cool bed sheets.
Highlighted hair.
Being tan.
Fall on the horizon.

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