Weekly Bibliography: 10.10.14

leaf

Well, helllllooo there blog. So good to see you again. Happy Friday everyone! What are you up to this weekend? Anything fun?

I’m planning to spend some time outside enjoying the changing leaves, perhaps making this dee-licious-looking apple crisp, and paying a visit to the Art Institute to see the Magritte exhibition before it closes.

Here are some lovely links to ring in the weekend:

Dia de los Muertos is coming up. I’m so fascinated by this and have always wanted to experience it. I think the artwork is beautiful.

12 works of literature re-created out of LEGOs. (#9! Are you kidding me?!)

The Nobel Peace Prize is jointly awarded to Pakistan’s Malala Yousafzai, Indian activist Kailash Satyarthi.  Malala is the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize by a long shot–amazing!

I really enjoyed this week’s Lively Show podcast with Caroline Rector of Unfancy! I’ve been working to adapt a more minimal and purposeful approach to my clothing and home goods purchases lately.

Emojis + Maps = awesome

I’m really digging this inky, blue-violet nail polish for fall.

Why are art openings on Thursday in NY and Saturday in LA? 

 image credit

Oh my, modern macrame

macrame wall hangings

Macrame is back, y’all. Time to break out the fondue pots, shag rugs, and burnt orange fabric.

While it is making a comeback, there seems to be a more modern approach to it this time, a bit more streamlined and restrained, and quite frankly, I’m digging it.

I’ve been looking for a way to had more texture and dimensionality to our walls, particularly in the bedroom, and I think something like this could be a good option. A cream-colored piece with a clean pattern and minimal beading would contrast nicely against our dark, purple-ish grey walls.

I’ve seen a few DIY tutorials floating around Pinterest, and I’m half tempted to try it out, but they seem way beyond the scope of my occasional DIY tendencies. I think I may go the artisan route with this one.

Has anyone DIY’d something like this? Or something similar? I’d love to hear suggestions.

image credits:
first row: 1 / 2
second row: 3 / 4
third row: 5 / 6

 

 

 

 

Weekly Bibliography: 8.8.14

coffee

Happy Friday everyone! What are you up to this weekend? Anything exciting? I’m looking forward to a weekend of doing…absolutely nothing! Keith’s out of town for a bachelor party this weekend and my introvert self is looking forward to some good old fashion alone time. With a book. And maybe a bike ride or two.

Here’s what struck my fancy this week:

I’m taking another workshop with the folks at Girl Develop It Chicago tomorrow, and I’m really excited!

Storytelling is hard…even for computers.

This recipe seems like a lot of effort, especially for ice cubes, but gosh how cool would this be for a tropical-themed party!

Philosophy podcasts organized into easily digestible chunks. Awesome sauce.

Some artists dos and don’ts.

Apple had a clothing line!? So glad someone pointed this out to me.

Chris Pratt is officially the shit.

 

 

My summer 2014 bucket list

summer bucket list

Ok, so I’ve officially hit that panic time during the summer where you start questioning how you spent your days and wondering where the summer went, and blaming yourself for not doing this or that…otherwise known as August.

I made a list of 5 things I’d like to do with the rest of this beautiful summer season. Why? Accountability, people. Put it out there on the internet, and watch it actually happen.

You should know that I had originally planned on 10 things to do this summer, but then quickly realized that was wayyyy too ambitious. I have a tendency to do that, create an impossible to complete list then get mad at myself for not finishing it. I’m slowly breaking that, though!

Here it goes:

1. See a movie outdoors 

The Chicago Parks District puts on free movies in the park, and tons of people come out with blankets and picnic fare. It’s a good time for sure.

2. Make popsicles 

I bought a popsicle mold a year or so ago and have used it, oh, one time. Let’s change that. I’ve been seeing amazing looking popsicle recipes all over Pinterest. I think I’ll try this one, or this one, or maybe both!

3. Spend an entire day at the beach

I’ve taken Sadie on several trips to the dog beach this year, but have yet to spend more than an hour there. Time to get my tan on (with SPF of course!). I’m picturing a peaceful afternoon, sans puppy, lost in a book along the lakefront.

4. Grill fruit

We’ve been grilling everything in site this summer, from chicken to pizza to tomatoes, but we haven’t yet tried grilling fruit. I’m just imagining how delicious caramelized, grilled peaches will taste with some vanilla bean ice cream. Can’t wait to try it!

5. Try stand up paddle boarding

SUP is everywhere now, and I’ve been wanting to get on board (pun intended). This could turn out to be a disaster; I’m picturing a lot of falling in my future. I’ve heard it’s a great workout, and what an awesome way to enjoy Chicago’s gorgeous lakefront skyline.

Hopefully this gives you some inspiration of activities to make the most of your summer! Anyone else have a summer bucket list going? If so, what’s on it?

image credit 

 

Weekly Bibliography: 8.1.14

lollapalooza

Happy Friday everyone! Holy moly, it’s August. I just got a little freaked out when I typed 8/1 in the post title. Where has this summer gone?!

What are you up to this weekend? The house projects are continuing this weekend. We’re painting…again, but just the hallway and guest bedroom this time, so it should go by a lot faster. It’s also Lollapalooza this weekend in Chicago, and the city is buzzing with festival-goers and aftershows galore!

Here are some lovely links to ring in the weekend:

Airbnb recently launched a redesign and its new logo has received quite a bit of controversy (also here). What do you think it looks like?

Headed to Lolla this weekend? Here’s a guide chock full of tips & tricks to have the most fun during one of the craziest weekends in the city.

A fascinating, and heartbreaking piece from National Geographic on the new face of hunger.

15 things you may not have known about Scream I had no idea about #13. Scream is one of my all-time favorite horror movies! Wes Craven is a genius.

An interesting piece from Quartz on the future of streaming music.

Do you have digital eye strain? An infographic. I’ve definitely suffered from this on occasion!

image credit

 

 

What’s in a (color) name?

color grid

Ok, so I’ve got a confession. I choose colors based on their names…for everything! Interior paint? Yes. Nail polish? Definitely. That’s not to say that I pick colors solely on the name, but if I know I’m looking for a creamy light blue, I’m definitely going to pick “tide pools” over “light teal.” Of course “mint julep” is a better color than just “mint,” and of course “porpoise” is a better color than “medium grey.” Now we’re getting really subjective here.

Side note: In my secret fantasy world, I’m an official color name creator. Whatever that job title is, I want it. Ok, so that might still be my dream job.

Then I fell into the internet rabbit hole of color naming and found some interesting stuff. Here’s Pantone’s infographic on 50 years of color, and this color naming experiment through HP.

After more searching, I stumbled upon this book, which seems like a fascinating exploration of  the language behind color and an introduction to the linguistic implications of color naming within a cultural context. I’m geeking out over here.

Ok, fess up. Does anyone else get really into colors names? Tell me I’m not the only one!

 

Weekly Bibliography: 7.25.14

paint brushes

Happy Friday everyone! What are you up to this weekend? We’re decorating our condo, and I’ve got a lot of painting ahead! Excited for the results, though.

Here’s a peek at what caught my attention this week:

This post from Kendi Everyday has me seriously craving some tiny bags. They’re everywhere! And so much more convenient for traipsing around the city.

11 common words you’re probably mispronouncing. I’m definitely guilty of “kibosh.”

24 amazing watermelon carvings. I think #5 and #23 are my favorites!

Why does bacon smell so good? As if bacon needed another reason to be cool.

My Life with Piper: From Big House to Small Screen by Larry Bloom, for Medium. Fascinating read, especially for all your Orange is the New Black fans!

14 tattoos dedicated to snack foods. The Skittles one….haha!

 

 

Home Diaries: Dining Room Inspiration

dining room

Let the home projects begin! We moved into our condo last September, but haven’t done much decorating so far. Slowly, we’ve populated rooms with furniture and now we’re ready to paint. Our goal this weekend is to tackle the dining room, living room, and (hopefully) the bedroom.

As soon as we moved in, I knew I wanted to go BOLD with the dining room, a bold blue to be exact. We picked Behr Cathedral and I can’t wait to see how it turns out. What I really mean is that I’d love to skip ahead to when we’re done painting instead of actually doing it. Wishful thinking, I suppose.

Above are some inspiration photos I’ve been working with to complete the look.

Works Cited:
first row: 1 / 2
second row: 3 /
third row: 5 / 6

 

Weekend Recap: Iowa City

iowa city weekend

 

I’m back from the land of corn fields, tornados, Hawkeyes, and literary giants and I’m happy to report that I had a wonderfully prolific and restorative time.

I took a workshop called Unwriting: A Weekend Intensive with poet, Elizabeth Robinson. The name seems a bit counterintuitive, doesn’t it? What is this “unwriting?” I mean, I’m attending this workshop to devote serious mental energy to my work, stare at a blank Word screen, and wait for this illustrious prose to bleed out of my fingertips, right? Yeah, not exactly. I was hungry to try something new. The same old tricks were starting to produce unsatisfying results.

As a fiction writer, I was a bit nervous to work alongside poets and to disrupt a piece to which I had grown deeply attached. But guess what? Magical things happen when you’re not limiting yourself to your home genre. I’m no poet, but I had a lot of fun playing around with form and rhythm. We tried language games and, bent the chronology of our plots, and at one point, physically cut pieces of our story out and glued them together in different ways (as in with scissors and tape–what?!).

I’ve been working on a short story on and off since the beginning of the year, and had hit a wall, particularly with the ending scene. The workshop exercises and support and feedback from my fellow attendees helped me get to a higher level within the writing and achieve a deeper understanding of my protagonist and her motivations.

I’m reading my story now with fresh eyes and renewed motivation to bring it to conclusion.

The easy three and a half hour drive made it an easy weekend trip from Chicago. I mean, I got to stop at the World’s Largest Truck Stop! I enjoyed the workshop so much that I think it will be a yearly tradition. Looking forward to next summer already!

Weekly Bibliography: 7.18.14

barn

Happy Friday everyone! What are you up to this weekend? I’m headed to Iowa City shortly to attend a writing workshop at the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. Can’t wait to tell you all about it next week.

Here’s what I’ve been browsing this week:

Why do we have blood types? Sidenote: I’m weirdly fascinated by how and why our bodies work. The illustrations for this article  are great, too.

Oh my, I really want one of these now! (I think I’d rename him R2-D2 though. Just a thought!)

Emoji stickers?! Be still, my heart.

We’re upgrading to a king bed soon, and are also looking at new sheets. Thinking about this duvet cover.

The first ever David Bowie retrospective is coming to the MCA Chicago this fall, and I CAN’T WAIT to see it. Take me away Ziggy Stardust!

This week I signed up for my first hackathon! Wish me luck. 🙂

Great tips on A/B testing from Smashing Magazine.