BOTTOMLESS PIT DAY: RECIPE WISHLIST

Have you ever had one of those days when you can't seem to stop eating? My friends and I call those "bottomless pit days"—when your stomach seems like a never-ending vessel that you have to shove food into. We all need those days every once in a while and I had my latest one yesterday, which I spent binging on gummy bears and dreaming of all the delicious meals I could whip up.

In case you need a photo or two to make you salivate, or just a tasty recipe to stave off the winter chill this weekend, here are some awesome options I have round up for you. Which one would you make?

Paprika Parsnip Fries with Lemon Cashew Cream Sauce

Soft Salted Buttered Pretzels

Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce, Toasted Pecans and Sage

Baked Rosemary Basil Zucchini Chips

Honey Parmesan Roasted Brussel Sprouts

Roasted Pineapple with Honey Pistachios

Chocolate Braided Cacao Bread


And now, with a rumbling stomach, I am off to the kitchen! Happy weekend!

VIDEO PLAYLIST: MUSICAL INSPIRATION

In case you feel like procrastinating from work today, here are a few fun videos that I have come across that I have been dying to share. So, without further ado, lets surf the interwebs and hit up the YouTubes!



Have you been watching Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show? My goodness, he is hilarious. I love this segment, but also highly recommend watching Paul Rudd lip sync Tina Turner, and Jimmy play charades with Bradley Cooper, Emma Thomson (she's amazing!), and Tim McGraw (part one and part two).




I am obsessed with Pentatonix (evidence here) and their version of my new favorite song is gorgeous.





Also, how incredible does this documentary look? Several friends have recommended it and I can't wait to watch it myself. Bonus: iTunes rental is only $0.99!

MICHELLE ARMAS SALE

I love Michelle Armas and have spoken loudly about my obsession before, so it should come as no surprise that my love still grows! Armas has a small pop up shop featured today on Furbish Studio. Comprised of original works priced between $175 and $375, they won't last long!

Interested? Head over here to pick up something pretty.

(Or check out her shop here for more selection.)

OLYMPIC CLOSING CEREMONY: NBC'S SECRETS!

Did you watch the Closing Ceremonies of the Olympics last night? I have been a rabid Olympics viewer for the past two+ weeks, so I knew I wouldn't miss it. And just like the Opening Ceremonies, the visuals of the event were spectacular. Like the aquatic scene (above) where thousands of performers wearing shimmering silver suits undulated through the computer animated water like a school of fish.

Or this section of the ceremony where performers took on the role of elegant, soaring cranes—a direct nod to the next winter games host: South Korea.

Where the Opening Ceremonies dealt with Russian history in general, this event was more a look at Russia's contribution to culture. There was therefore a beautiful, dream-like section devoted to Marc Chagall with tiny nods to Malevich; weirdly, there no real references to other important Russian visual artists like the Constructivists (Rodchenko anyone?). Maybe that's just the art history nerd in me wanting more!

There was also a very cool section honoring Russian literature, which uses the computerized stage to project 3D renderings of swirling, page-turning books. Very cool!

Later, during the handover to the Korean Olympic officials, the cranes returned and 'flew' below beautiful illuminated tapestries of light in the shape of large, time-honored trees. 

Finally, the Olympic mascots (a weird trend to be sure!) said a weird animatronic goodbye—the bear (harkening back to the 1980 Olympics) shed a tear of sadness at the end of the Games. Still the dancing children around the bear and the odd flying boat/hot air balloon was cool.But you know what I discovered when I went to put together this post this morning! A bit of an NBC scandal . . . (click through to find out what it was) . . . 

THE COLORFUL WORLD OF EMILY RICKARD

The lovely Melanie of You Are My Fave wrote an amazing post today about buying abstract art and the impressive artists she has been eyeing recently. Among the talented ladies in that list, I spotted the work of Emily Rickard and boom! A light bulb went off! 

I stumbled across Emily's work some time ago and bookmarked it to either buy, share, or ogle in the future. Somehow her gorgeous pieces fell to the bottom of my 'to do pile' however and never made it on here to share with you . . . at least until today! The works above are from her Etsy shop and, as giclee prints, are insanely well priced at $32 each. Awesome, right? 

Check out all the goodness at her shop here and her blog here.

Have a beautiful, colorful weekend!

MY DREAM HOME: RAYS OF SUNSHINE

Last month I inaugurated a new series on the O.I. called 'My Dream Home'. It's a column that will illustrate all my latest obsessions for nesting now that I am an old married lady (at the ripe old age of 28, ha!).  Well you know what I have found myself drooling over recently? Bright white rooms with brilliant pops of canary yellow. You may remember I love yellow these days, but somehow the cheery color seems particularly appealing during these doldrums of winter.If you care to come on a ride on my yellow submarine—er, house?—here are the links to the inspirational interiors above . . . kid's beds (that wallpaper!) | dotty shelf | entry door | kitchen counter | cabinet | canvas | pendant lamp | window frame | desk chair

FABULOUS FIFTIES ROUNDUP

I have never gotten into Mad Men, but I can appreciate the chicness and modernity that permeated design and fashion during the 1950s. This round up aims to fall somewhere between Jackie O and Charles and Ray Eames with items inspired by a super stylish dinner party, complete with a gorgeous ride to get you there and the perfect party frock.

one | flensted three movement mobile, $69.50

two | kate spade billie heels, $345

three | vintage polka dot dress from millstreetvintage, sold!

four | jeepers peepers cat eye glasses from asos, $14.82

five | porsche speedster type 354A, $300,000+ (good luck finding one!)

six | vera vintage polka dot scarf from alessandrasvintage, sold!

seven | kate spade carroll park adelaide clutch, $298

eight | carlo hauner credenza from r & company, price upon request


Now I'm off to lay a patch with a hip cat. Later, Daddy-O!

WE ALL NEED SOME HAPPY PILLS

How fabulous is this graphic identity/brand idea? 'Happy Pills' is a candy store based in Barcelona with a pharmaceutical theme that plays off the universal wellness symbol of the Red Cross (apparently they have recently had to modify their logo slightly after the Red Cross protested). The description of the store and it's concept on Behance is equally awesome, describing the store thusly:

Happy Pills had to be that remedy against the ails of our time: Mondays, keys that go missing, invisible friends with no imagination, the pineapple diet, global warming, square roots, the price of housing in general, and specifica boredom.

And explaining their ingredients like this:

We invented the “Composition”: 3% Sky blue, 5% Lemon yellow, 2% Dirty joke, 4% Black humour, 7% Uncontrollable guffaw, 8% La vie en rose”, 2% Tickling, 7% Oranges from China, 1% Fine British humour, 2% Galician double entendre, 6% Andalusian accent, 9% Last-minute goal, 2% Dawn essence, 7% Ho ho ho, 3% Cotton candy, 2% Aches from laughing, 5% Some like it hot, 4% Rio de Janeiro, 3% Tijuana, 7% John Cleese excipient, 6% Bunch of daisies, 5% Mediterranean Siesta.

Fabulous, right? In case you can't make it to Barcelona anytime soon to see the shop yourself, you can visit their website here.

(Thanks to Design Milk and Behance for the tip.)

HUGE NEWS! MARTHA STEWART HEARTS OUR WEDDING!

Guess what guys? This weekend we got the most amazing Valentine's Day present ever—our wedding was featured on Martha Stewart Weddings! Eeeeek! I have been obsessed with Martha Stewart for as long as I can remember and the moment we started wedding planning I began to daydream about getting the 'Martha stamp of approval' for our big day. I have been keeping this secret for months now and am delighted to finally be able to report that our wedding was featured on 'The Bride's Guide' (the Martha Stewart Weddings blog) on Friday. A gallery of images—taken by our fabulous photographer C.J. Isaac of Charlie Juliet Photography—can also be found at the top (insert giggles of delight here) of Martha's 'Real Weddings' page.

I normally don't share images of me or my hubby or personal information here, so this is your opportunity to sneak a peak behind the curtain! In the coming weeks I will share some DIY projects I put together for the wedding that I have had to keep mum about until the MSW post went live. In the meantime, check us out here:

Our Big Day on Martha Stewart 'Real Weddings'

Our Big Day on 'The Bride's Guide', the Martha Stewart Weddings Blog

Huzzah! Hope you had a great weekend too!

p.s. Want to hear more about our wedding? Head over here!

LAST MINUTE VALENTINE CARDS

Are you a bit of a Valentine's Day procrastinator? Never fear! I have rounded up a couple of inspirational ideas that you can print, create or craft in a flash. Plus you will get bonus points for avoiding the Hallmark aisle!

Insanely adorable free printable valentine postcards by You Are My Fave

Awesomely geometric heart card (with free template) from the fabulous Mini Eco

Bold typographic free printable valentines from Ann-Marie Loves

Calligraphed cuteness from the Etsy shop JustaBirdPrintables ($5 download, print yourself)

Pretty patterned mini card free printables from A Pair of Pears


What are your plans for Valentine's Day? I have a couple tricks up my sleeve to surprise the hubby, but on the whole we are keeping it low key. I hope you have a weekend full of love and happiness; I will see you back here next week!

WILL IT BEARD? BY STACY AND PIERCE THIOT

I am kind of in love with this silly series by a dynamic photography duo (aka married collaborators) Stacy and Pierce Thiot. Entitled, Will it Beard?, the series features images of experimentations of various wacky objects they have tried to store or present in Pierce's bushy beard. Doesn't this seem like the perfect project to do in studio on a cold winter's day? It sort of reminds me of the early video experiments by William Wegman or the more ardent 'body object' work of Ann Hamilton.

I really enjoy reading about artists that don't take themselves too seriously these days. Art is supposed to be about exploring the world and making the viewer see things—or ideally, the role of the artist—in a new light. With this in mind, I think the Thiots' project is fabulous. See more of their work through their portrait studio, Red Poppy Photography, here and see more beard-a-licious shots on their tumblr here.

(thanks to My Modern Met for the tip)

TIPS FOR THE BEST VALENTINE'S CARE PACKAGE

I have a secret super power. No, it's not laser vision or the ability to fly—though that would be awesome—it's the power to put together a kick-butt care package. What's that you say? That's not worthy enough to merit super hero status? I believe my friends and family would beg to differ. In this era of instant, impersonal digital communication, nothing beats getting a good ol' care package (summer camp style) from a loved one full of goodies.

If you are interested in joining me in super hero status with your dearly beloved, click through to learn my tips and tricks . . . .