un-BLOG-evable

something sweet!

2012-01-23T11:00:00.002-05:00

My future sister-in-law and her husband are expecting! I took these photos this weekend for them. I couldn't be happier for them! They're great people who will be great parents. &&&&& Tristan & I get new titles- Aunt & Uncle :-) We're quite excited about this too. It's taking serious self control not to start shopping for this kiddo yet!

iDO - an engagement gift guide!

2012-01-20T09:55:00.005-05:00

I saw THIS post of an engagement gift guide and thought it was a fun idea so wanted to put together one of my own! The woman who owns the photography company that Tristan & I are using for our wedding also runs the blog Love Toast. I think it's kinda awesome! So without further ado, a little engagement gift guide!

1. To Have And To Hold Ring Bearer Bowl SOURCE
2. Wood Sign Mr & Mrs Wedding Photo Prop SOURCE
3. Hand Stamped Wedding Silverware I Do Me Too Dinner Forks SOURCE
4. Darling Point Frame SOURCE
5. Personalized Couple Pillow SOURCE

*** I have wedding fever! Can you tell????? ***

s'more #janphotoaday

2012-01-17T09:42:00.003-05:00

Day 9- Daily routine

Day 10- Childhood

Day 11- Where you sleep (thanks Echo, still obsessed with these pillowcases!!!)
Day 12- Close-up (photo by my friend Nikki- click HERE to see her work!)
Day 13- In my bag
Day 14- Something I'm reading
Day 15- Happiness (is relaxing at home after a nice weekend)
Day 16- Morning (commute)

I'm loving this photo challenge! I hope there's a #febphotoaday too!!

#janphotoaday

2012-01-10T09:37:00.003-05:00

i love a good photo challenge. like, LOVE.
you might remember i did a 365 project awhile ago (you can see it in it's entirety HERE) and nowwww i'm participating in instagram's January Photo A Day project! Otherwise known as #janphotoaday
Tristan is doing it too, which i am excited about, and we are going to make a Blurb instagram book with all of our photos when we're done! Definitely a fun way to capture time, and I hope we do more of this so we can remember all the details of this year, which is a BIG BIG year for us! Here are days 1-8...
Day 1: YOU (thanks mom for my new favorite socks!!!)
Day 2: Breakfast (thanks adam for the beautiful placemats from our anthropologie wedding wish list)
Day 3: something you adore- J'adore TAPEEEE. (thanks tristan for putting some new additions to this collection in my stocking!)
Day 4: Letterbox
Day 5: Something you wore .... my closet!
Day 6: Makes you smile.... this pic is an oldie, but a goodie.
Day 7: Favorite - my new favorite place, the beach outside our wedding venue
Day 8: Your sky- here's the sky in harlem, with tristan jumping into it!

Are you participating?! send me links! I'd love to see!

Quirky Thursday!

2012-01-05T11:23:00.006-05:00

New Year...New Quirk!
if my sister is reading this, she will LOVE this wine stopper found HERE! She might tell you she doesn't love wine stoppers, but it's a lie. she does.

i'm no baker...but if i was it would be very fun to spell out fun messages! found HERE:

i really have no use for a mini banner, however that does not mean i do not thing they're brilliant. found HERE:

too bad it's not jhud. found HERE:

perfect pair of tights! found HERE:

2011 Reading List

2012-01-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

In 2011 I listed on the side bar of this blog books I read as I read them!
I'm going to clear out the list and start again for 2012, but just so I have a record of it here's what I read in 2011!

1. An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
2. Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
3. Who Moved MY Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
4. Pictures of You by Caroline Leavitt
5. Life After God by Douglas Coupland
6. Leaving Home by Jodi Picoult
7. Sugar & Spice by Lauren Conrad
8. Mini Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
9. Bossypants by Tina Fey
10. The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
11. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
12. Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
13. Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me
14. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
15. Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares
16. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
17. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
18. Room by Emma Donoghue
19. Vaclav & Lena by Haley Tanner
20. Last Night at Chateau Marmont by Lauren Weisberger
21. The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard
22. The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
23. Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo & Lynn Vincent
24. Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
25. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
26. These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
27. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
28. This Beautiful Life by Helen Schulman
29. Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher
30. I Remember Nothing By Nora Ephron
31. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling

2011 in an instax...

2011-12-30T09:37:00.008-05:00

It's actual insane to me that 2011 is coming to a close. Like, UM, wow.
2011 has been nothing short of amazing. It is, of course, the year I went to see Oprah and the year Tristan & I got engaged!
I also started a new job in 2011, and spend most days doodling hearts and sayings around Justin Bieber's face. I have Bieber Fever, and I'm not ashamed to admit this.
Last Christmas Tristan got me an instax camera. Every month we rotated out photos into a wire wreath that my friend Rachel sent over after I fell in love with the one she showed on her blog. We've saved them all in a keepsake box, Some are hanging at my work desk and a few are being sent to friends, but for the most part here they are...

The best books I read in 2011 were the Hunger Games series and Room by Emma Donoghue.
My favorite actress of 2011 was Zooey Deschanel (also my style icon)
My favorite color- YELLOW
My favorite accessory- engagement ring :-)
Guilty Pleasure- Taxi cabs & The Kardashians (I know, I know, I knowwwwwww)
Beauty Trend- Gel Manicures
Shoes- Frye Boots
Snack- Blueberries
Electronic- Iphone (how did i not have this earlier??!)
App- Instagram & Words with Friends (I'm Margot531 on both if you wanna play!)
Hobby- Working on my children's book
TV Show- RIP The Oprah Show....I'm a Chelsea Lately girl through and through now.
some photo highlights of the year....

I'm greatly looking forward to 2012, I have a feeling it's going to be an amazing one!
:-)
Happy New Year!

The Merry Millers

2011-12-29T16:13:00.003-05:00

The Merry Miller's annual holiday card gets a little more tricky each year! I keep trying to have the current year outdo the prior year, and find myself thinking about what to do for these cards as early as February.
***thinking, not doing...I don't actually do them till after Thanksgiving, when there's the frantic holiday card rush!***
Here is 2011's! It's definitely one of my favorites and shows our growing family :-)
If anyone wants the template I made for this to use for your own family next year, please just request it in the comments and I'll gladly do a post with it!
Wishing you a far out holiday, and a groovy new year!
xo!

cuckoo for the holidays!

2011-12-27T16:15:00.001-05:00

This might have been the most amazing Christmas/Hanukah to date for me! Between some really special, amazing gifts & spending times with people I love it was a really great couple-o-days! It's really amazing how fast time flies. I can't believe the holidays are over. Before ya know it our wedding will be here!
Here's a picture of a really really special ornament from my parents. I'm hard at work on a project that involves a cuckoo clock, and so this ornament will stay on display year-round! I'm lucky to have an amazingly supportive family! :-)
I hope you also had a great holiday!

a very audrey holiday!

2011-12-23T14:55:00.003-05:00

just came across this illustration i did the first year i lived in manhattan...crazy to think how quickly time passes! there really is nothing like christmas in nyc!

and among my christmas blog hopping searches today i found this lovely image in the same spirit!

source
merry, happy & joyful whatever you celebrate!
:-)

happy holidays!

2011-12-23T10:00:00.002-05:00

it's been an instagram filled holiday season! the above are some of my favorites. :-)

Back in town!

2011-12-21T14:48:00.001-05:00

Am back from a great long weekend away. Was in Las Vegas with Tristan, his sister & brother in law. We had a lot of fun, played a lot of bingo, and drank a lot of bloody marys!
The photo above is the view from our hotel.
Now back to the city madness known as the week before Christmas! Let the holiday festivities begin!

the happiest little video i ever did see...

2011-12-16T15:23:00.002-05:00

i'm in love with this animation!!! found via THIS site!

Vegas bound for a long weekend! See you next week!

Quirky Thursday- gift guide edition!

2011-12-15T14:01:00.010-05:00

I've brought Quirky Thursday back! This time, gift guide style. Looking for something for your favorite quirky pal who likes so many things that narrowing down is hard? Well good news, i've done the work for you ;-)

A cake pop kit. Quirky people like things on sticks that are cute. Cakepops totally fit this category. Found HERE:

A memory book- one line a day for 5 years! cool idea- nice little book. Found HERE:

these are quite possibly the cutest candle/matchbook sets ever! plus, they're hilarious! found HERE:

a little purse necklace that OPENS. quirky people like things with pockets. i'm not sure why, we just do. Found HERE:

iphone jelly-lens! found HERE:

a little note pad for the social media obsessed...found HERE:

the perfect bottle stopper? yes, please! found HERE:

your quirky pal will definitely appreciate this valley of the dolls reference. found HERE:

some recent instagrams...

2011-12-13T15:37:00.003-05:00

it's been a busy few weeks around these parts! here are a few instagrams i've captured along the way....

things that i love right now...

2011-12-12T10:07:00.004-05:00

i'm done holiday shopping. like more than done lol. like if i buy something else my apt will probably explode. sooooo, i thought i'd just post things that i like in general here so i can get the thrill of online shopping without the, well, shopping!
here goes....
Anthropologie's charm collection is, well, charming! found HERE:

i really like earmuffs, but if i'm going to be completely honest here- i look looney in them. lol. i'm definitely a hat girl. and this hat is amazing, found HERE:

elbow patches...and the term "grandpa sweater"....i have one from target, and it's my new favorite item of clothing....
here's another cute one, found HERE:

the color yellow! this is a pretty vase- found HERE:

that's all for now. when i get the urge to shop again (in approximately 10 min haahaha most likely) i will post more :-)

some nursery art!

2011-12-02T20:15:00.000-05:00

source
Mary Blair is one of my favorite illustrators and every time I start a new assignment I flick through google images of her work for inspiration. I fell in love with her elephant above, and as it turns out I have a commission to do a piece of nursery art and the mom of the new baby girl loves elephants!
I used it as inspiration for my piece, and here is the finished product!

It will be printed on 12x12 canvas, ready to hang!
I've entered the piece in Minted's latest design challenge so please vote for me!!

Vote for my
design on minted.™

see more from Margot Miller

vote for me!

Check out my competition in Christmas cards and Save the Date cards at Minted.

little details...

2011-11-30T15:36:00.002-05:00

Little details of the wedding planning thing are definitely my favorite parts!! A few weeks ago I sent out some pretty cards & cake pops to my bridesmaids, flower girls, and ringbearers. Here are a few photos :-)

*Photos of the kiddos with the cake pops & the cake pops themselves were taken by Nikki- visit her blog HERE!

CONGRATS CAITLIN & CHRIS!

2011-11-27T20:24:00.000-05:00

my friends caitlin & chris got engaged on friday! i'm so happy for them! congrats c&c!!!

gobble gobble!

2011-11-23T10:39:00.002-05:00

Looking forward to a nice long weekend spent with family & friends. On the agenda is Thanksgiving dinner with Tristan's family (my first time!), loads of shopping with my mom & sister, picking out bridesmaids colors & fabric, ordering save the dates, helping a friend move (8 blocks away from me- YAY!!), a friend's goodbye party (MOVING ACROSS THE UNIVERSE FROM ME- wahhh), eating and dvr catching up!
The above photo is of a paper bouquet I made last night for a 25 year old with a recent lung transplant who can't have real flowers in her recovery room. I don't know her, she's a relative of a co-worker, but I am wishing her a speedy recovery! Her story is nothing short of amazing. She received the phone call saying there was a lung available for her to have on 11.11.11 at 11:11am. This story is a little reminder that health is the most important thing to be thankful for!
I have lots to be thankful for, this year especially!!!!
Instead of listing the big things, I'm going to take a minute to list the small thing that make a big difference…in no particular order…
I am thankful for…
*manicures (gel, specifically)
*herbal tea
*the color yellow
*taxi cabs
*fandango
*audiobooks
*pantone fans
What about you?
Happy Happy Happy Thanksgiving, to you and yours!

some weekend photos....

2011-11-21T13:47:00.001-05:00

how was yours?

volunteer day!

2011-11-14T10:45:00.003-05:00

This weekend Tristan & I volunteered with Immigrant Movement International. We taught a Saturday morning art class to about 20 kids. It's a really great organization, and to my local crafty pals- they are always looking for volunteers. For more information about this organization click HERE!
We made yarn wreathes out of paper plates. Some made holiday decorations, some made every day decorations. Overall, they all seemed to love it and the project worked well with all ages! We had a great time, and hope to do it again sometime. I'm lucky to be able to volunteer AND to have a fiance that likes to, too!
Here are some photos…

For this project cut out the center of a paper plate, leaving you with a ring.
Choose yarn colors and tie a knot of your first around the plate and wrap around and around around.
(or as explained to 4 year olds- over the top and through the whole *with great enthusiasm*)
To change colors, just tie the next color to the yarn that's already been wrapped.
When done, decorate with anything you'd like!
We used felt shapes, feathers, glitter glue and buttons.
Tie on a yarn loop to hang.

iConfess

2011-11-11T15:54:00.002-05:00

well, i'm not gonna lie. the iphone has made me go from walking around with my camera to, um, not. i'm still shooting photos non stop, but they're all on my phone. i SWORE this would never happen to me. one month later, here i am. anyway...this is my favorite time of the year! so i thought i'd share a few snaps i took walking around the city last night!

happy birthday, nick!

2011-11-09T09:50:00.003-05:00

love you!!!!

Goin' to the chapel.... a little update!

2011-11-04T11:25:00.004-04:00

It's been awhile since I posted anything wedding related, and I'm here to say I'm probably not going to until after the event! It's taking EVERYTHING IN ME not to share every little detail along the way, butttt I need to leave some surprises.
I will say that our date is October 6, 2012 and we're getting married on the beach in New Jersey!!!!!!! The photo above is, weather permitting, where we will actually have the ceremony.
(notice how I say beach in NJ, not Jersey Shore- thanks to Snooki)
My friend Nikki is an amazing photographer, and she's going to take some photos of us for Save the Dates. I will definitely be posting those. Check out her work HERE!
Right now I'm working on some handmade details for the event that I'm really excited about. Being crafty is a blessing AND a curse because my first reaction to everrrrything is I WANNA MAKE THAT. You crafty peeps out there know what I'm talkin' about.
So here are a few photo sneak peeks- instagram style…more to come in like a year haha!

If there's any wedding related blogs/shops/items/etc out there you think I should see PLEASE send links!
Xoxo,
Margotzilla

under the tuscan collage!

2011-11-02T17:00:00.002-04:00

When I was a junior in college I was in a painting class and asked my professor if I could do something besides paint for my project. He asked what I wanted to do, and I said, collage. His answer was, "WELL OF COURSE you can do collage margot, you're not a painter. You're a collage artist. Your brain works like a collage artist." My professor was the amazing Bob Dacey- click HERE to see some of his work. Until this point I had not done collage, I had tried pretty much everything but. I ended up making a portrait of a locksmith, complete with 3D keys and all. I don't have it or an image of it anywhere handy, and I'd probably gag if I saw it because my style has changed A LOT but the point is, you never know what you're going to like until you try!
Which brings me to a few months ago when my sister-and-brother-in-law-to-be asked me to do some sort of Tuscany related painting on a canvas they had.
So naturally, I collaged!
Here are some photos of the piece in progress, the last one is the final product.
The photo is a photoshop'd enlarged version of a photo they took on their recent trip to Italy.

It now hangs in their bedroom, so they literally lay under the Tuscan collage!

pumpkins just wanna have fun ;-)

2011-10-30T16:19:00.001-04:00

have a great halloween!

have a colorful weekend :-)

2011-10-28T16:01:00.001-04:00

iCan't decide!!!

2011-10-26T09:56:00.002-04:00

my perfect iphone case search continues (meanwhile i have a plain boring purple one) and i have to say,i am in love with these cases, by cassia beck, found HERE:

i actually am struggling to pic a favorite out of this bunch! i think either the buttons or the vintage cameras.
and, for yellow reasons, i'm pretty obsessed with this one, found HERE:

paper flower time!

2011-10-23T20:26:00.004-04:00

there has been a lot of cutting and folding around these parts as i try to perfect crepe flower making! here are a few pics of the work in progress...

and here are some of the finished product!

i see many more of these in my future!
what have you been making lately?
any paper flower links you think i should check out?!

A weekend in iPhone photos

2011-10-16T21:48:00.002-04:00

On Friday Tristan and I got iPhones!!! I've become obsessed with apps and instagram. If you're on it, add me! Margot531 :-) here are some photos!

illustration friday- scattered!

2011-10-14T15:43:00.001-04:00

snowflakes scattered everywhere!
visit illustration friday HERE!

Photo Show!

2011-10-11T10:32:00.004-04:00

If you're in the NY area, be sure to stop by Good-life Gourmet (scarsdale location) at 7pm tonight to meet one of my favorite people in the world (and favorite photographer) Nikki! She'll be there to talk about her work, packages, etc. and you can sample Good-life food!
Nikki's work is incredible. I can't wait for her to photograph Tristan & me for our engagement shoot! You might remember her work from the last time she took my photo- you can see a few of those HERE!

and "like" her facebook page HERE!

iexcited

2011-10-10T16:23:00.006-04:00

i'm getting an iphone this weekend (FINALLY) soooo naturally i will spend this ENTIRE week dwelling on which case to get. i mean really, this is a BIG deal. some i'm deciding between are below...

(image above found HERE)
kate spade, i love you. found here:

so pretty! found HERE:

i think the strings would get on my nerves, buuuut it's cute! found HERE:

any you think i should check out?

Illustration Friday- Contraption

2011-10-10T14:34:00.000-04:00

For Illustration Friday....a contraption is a creation! :-)

i hope your weekend was filled with....

2011-10-09T18:48:00.006-04:00

fun picture taking...

walls covered in shells...

lobster rolls...

pretty sunsets...

and beautiful weddings...

we spent the weekend in newport, rhode island for a wedding! what a pretty place...highly recommended for an east coast long weekend! :-)

On Steve Jobs...

2011-10-06T09:58:00.003-04:00

"We don't get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. Because this is our life."- Steve Jobs

Whenever I was asked what I want to be when I grew up, my answer was "work for Disney or Pixar." I don't work for either company directly, but I do design accessories for them now. Every now and then I travel to LA for work and find myself in those offices. I can't help but get overwhelmed with the idea of actually achieving a dream. A pretty big one. There's really one man behind the technological force that allowed that dream to become a reality, and that man was Steve Jobs.
Yesterday the Einstein of our lifetime died, and more than just innovate he inspired!

This is Power Pete, a game played by my sister and I NONSTOP for years. i repeat NONSTOP. It came packaged with the Mac OS 7 the computer that I used to sit and have a dail-up modem connect me to the internet daily, just to hear the words "You've Got Mail."

This was the laptop that my highschool tested out for a trial of incorporating computers into curriculums of new york city board of ed schools in partnership with Apple. It's the first computer I ever played around with Photoshop on. I used to turn photos into Andy Warhol inspired images and thought i was pretty awesome and talented. LOL.

Later in college, with my macbook pro I experimented in photoshop by making a digital portrait of Oprah. That portrait put me in a gallery, which landed me my first job. I now work 150% of the time on mac products. Steve Jobs, you're a genius who will be missed!

This post was typed on a Mac OS X, Version 10.6.4

a wedding...chicago style!

2011-10-04T21:16:00.003-04:00

had an amazing time in chicago this past weekend for taylor & frank's wedding! some pics from the weekend...it was so fun, i think they should renew their vows annually!

spending time with friends is the best. and watching friends start a whole new chapter together is even more of the best! congrats t&f!!!! xo!

knit & purl, stitch & chain....

2011-10-03T16:25:00.004-04:00

i am so excited about this wonderful, FREE, e-course about learning to crochet! i found out about it via rachel's twitter (thanks, rach!) and can't wait to get crocheting! i'll post progress pics soon of the scarf i've been working on (knitting) that's almost done!
i really love all types of art involving string. the next time i'm visiting my parents i am definitely going to be digging my grandmother's knitting needles out of the basement! she was a string-yarn-craft lover too!

is anyone else taking this class?!
(echo???!!)

illustration Friday- Hibernates

2011-10-03T14:15:00.001-04:00

When we all hibernate, the owls come out to play!
Check out more illustration friday entries HERE!

city snaps & weekend plans

2011-09-28T09:44:00.004-04:00

took a nice walk the other day from the east to the west village....here are a few pics from along the way!

I have a nice long weekend coming up for my friend Taylor's wedding!! Congrats to Taylor & Frank!

Chicago, here I come!
and Happy Rosh Hashana to those who celebrate!

Bubbles & Bridges & Bloggers- OH MY!

2011-09-27T11:00:00.004-04:00

Vivianna, one of my favorite bloggers who I am happy to call a friend, was in new york city a few weeks ago!
She sent me a text one night that said something like "Want to walk across the brooklyn bridge with me and my friend Jen and take photos while blowing bubbles?"
(you can see why I love her!!!)
Ummm, YEAH I wanted to walk across the bridge while blowing bubbles.
Some photos from our walk are below-These are Viv's photos that I did a bit of editing to!
And be sure to visit her pretty blog HERE!

was a lot of fun! (thanks vivs! & hi Jen if you see this!!)

bits and pieces

2011-09-26T09:48:00.000-04:00

inspired by bleubird vintage's bits and pieces posts! :-)

chicago style shower!

2011-09-25T10:55:00.006-04:00

some pics from last weekend- taylor's bridal shower weekend! it was so nice to spend time with my pals and the shower was a lot of fun! this time last week was in chicago and this time next week will be in chicago!

happy autumn!

2011-09-23T11:28:00.000-04:00

it's my favorite season....incase you were wondering!

what are you looking forward to this fall?

Illustration Friday- Ferocious

2011-09-23T09:11:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile since I've participated in Illustration Friday but I'm excited to be back in action!
Today's theme is "Ferocious" so I thought I'd share this dragon illustration I did a few months back!

quirky thursday!

2011-09-22T10:53:00.006-04:00

amazing mug! found HERE:

it's items like this that make me love quirk...found HERE:

toast coasters? why not! found HERE:

and the cutest bottle stoppers ever? yep. found HERE:

hair accessories i'm loving a latte!

2011-09-20T10:26:00.006-04:00

who doesn't love pompoms? found HERE:

so pretty! found HERE:

these have me wondering why my hair elastics are always just brown or black...hmmmm...these are way cooler! found HERE:

totally lovely! found HERE:

so pretty! found HERE:

beautiful headband, love the color!! found HERE:

even though this isn't FOR hair, it's ABOUT hair...and me likie a latte!! found HERE:

any hair goods you think i should check out?!

suurrrrprisse!

2011-09-17T21:51:00.002-04:00

Once a upon a time….TEN (we are old) years ago , a group of gal pals met at Syracuse University. They were pretty much inseparable for years. And years. And years. And years. And years. They graduated college and all moved to New York City where they remained pretty much inseparable. Time went on, moves took place, jobs changed, life changed and still even with miles and states and hours between them they remained amazingly close.
And today, while some twitter feeds might lead one to believe they are going about their every day business as normal, I am here to report it's a LIE!
ACTUALLLLLLY, 3 of the gals have flown into Chicago to surprise the fourth as she is a very special bride-to-be and today is her wedding shower!!!

Looking forward to a great weekend filled with, well, SURPRISES, good friends & good times. It's been awhile since the four of us have been reunited, which will make this weekend extra special. Not to mention TAYLOR IS GETTING MARRIED!!
and here are some photos from a million memories past...

and taylor...SURPRISE! :-)

video time!

2011-09-15T11:47:00.003-04:00

love this look book video from red velvet art! shop their beautiful collection HERE!

Red Velvet Lookbook / Fall 2011 from elsie larson on Vimeo.

annnd watch kelly ripa kitty roll! tristan is training her.

our little prodigy :-)

bits & pieces

2011-09-14T14:13:00.006-04:00

(of yesterday)

post inspired by the bits and pieces posts of miss james- see her blog HERE!

scarf progress!

2011-09-12T12:26:00.002-04:00

thought i'd share an in progress pic of the scarf I started making...it's coming along! slowly but surely!

and to say that kelly ripa cat loves knitting would be an understatement....she's obsessed!

fashionista!

2011-09-11T17:13:00.006-04:00

Going to a fashion show is a pretty glam event...especially when you take the bus there ;-) and especially when a show about yourself and your friend is advertised on the bus hahahaha.

Melissa took me as her plus uno to the Charlotte Ronson fashion show this weekend. It was AWESOME. Thank you melissa!!!! Some pics from zee event....

i heart ny

2011-09-11T13:12:00.001-04:00

here are 2 photos i took on a class trip crossing the brooklyn bridge in april, 2001:

Tea Time!

2011-09-04T18:03:00.007-04:00

This illustration is dedicated to Liz Lomax, who taught me how to cook tea. She also taught me to cook veggie burgers in a toaster oven, but that's for another illustration hahaha! Click it to enlarge it----

and here was the digital sketch i did to sort out the composition:

I did this for an awesome site called They Draw & Cook... And thanks to Victoria to sending the site my way!!
and here it is on the They Draw & Cook Site!

The tea pot is from being a premium member of Pugly Pixel- one of my favorite blogs! :-)

knitting lessons!

2011-09-03T12:22:00.006-04:00

i took a knitting lesson on my lunch break one day this week. i already knew how to do very basic knitting but wanted to learn some stitches and now am starting a scarf!

and special thanks to VIVS, knitter extraordinaire, for looking at my top photo and letting me know how i did it haha, because when i got home i promptly forgot! Will post some progress photos as i go.

maps for sale!

2011-09-01T14:23:00.004-04:00

Thrilled to announce They Draw & Travel is now offering a selection of maps as prints! Both of mine are in this batch, and you can order them HERE and HERE!

They're offered as photographic prints, canvas gallery wraps- 1 panel, canvas gallery wraps (3) panels and in a floating frame.
Pretty cool and very excited to be included in this bunch!
and like them on facebook for a coupon code! 10% off!

this is why i love nyc...

2011-08-31T22:33:00.002-04:00

enough said.

a new ipad app!

2011-08-30T09:29:00.006-04:00

i came across THIS on flickr, and instantly fell in love...and then when i saw it was made on an ipad i FLIPPED!
I asked the artist, Luciano Lozano, what app was used, and he led me to Brushes and suggested i check out David Hockney's ipad art. I highly suggest a google, it's really inspiring.
I can't wait to try more! This is one of my first attempts playing around with it!

the perfect storm...

2011-08-28T18:45:00.009-04:00

not gonna lie, this stormy weekend was kinda amazing here. we got extremely lucky, i know a ton of east coasters are dealing with some pretty rough stuff, and my heart goes out to them! but up here, on the good ol' upper west side we are all safe and sound...have spent the weekend indoors in the company of some of my favorite people and again, a la the lovely bleubird vintage, some bits and pieces...

these bits and pieces are of the past 2 days...but i should note that we did not take the storm lightly! we had flashlights and water and a stocked fridge...our friends were evacuated due to a water side apt, and it turns out houseguest chris is an incredible cook. and houseguest liz was scultping away a custom cake topper. tristan and i have loved this weekend! and big big thanks for the well wishes over twitter, etc!

bits & pieces

2011-08-26T16:42:00.005-04:00

i fell in love with THIS post over on bluebird vintage, one of my favorite blogs! so in love, that i decided to give it a go myself...thank you miss james for the inspiration!
and so here are some bits & pieces of my day....

i should probably note here that by day i am an accessory designer, hence the wealth of pantone fans. the tween magazine is prominent on my because tween happens to be my specialty (bieber fever)! the cuckoo clocks have been gifted to me by an amazing mentor because of a book i am working on and the flowers in the top picture are paper, made by my friend sara.
this was a fun post to do, thanks again james! i'd love to see others who've done it do, so if you have please post links :-)

Quirky Thursday!

2011-08-25T10:22:00.007-04:00

a little quirk a day keeps boring away :-)

this is so gross but so funny...found HERE!

origami sticky notes.... i think i kinda need these. found HERE!

POSTCARDENS...this is awesome! found HERE...

brilliant bib for the budding artist...found HERE:

and...ummmm...whoa. found HERE:

gettin' crafty....macrame style

2011-08-24T10:07:00.006-04:00

i came across THIS post and became totally obsessed with the little owl. I'm a huge fan of any art involving string and knot tying, and have never actually tried macrame.
Danielle's blog led me to THIS etsy store which is incredible.
this one is my favorite!

and after some etsy searching i came across these....

source

source

source
i think it's safe to say there is a new hobby starting in my near future!!

bloglovin'

2011-08-23T11:19:00.000-04:00

i'm now on bloglovin'! you can follow me HERE!

i hope your weekend was filled with....

2011-08-21T20:35:00.003-04:00

really cool street art (taken in williamsburg, brooklyn)...

pretty bottles...some in windows, some hanging from ceilings...

and photos that capture surprise reflections!

Friendship Headband!

2011-08-20T16:55:00.003-04:00

I started out wanting to make a scarf, but then realized it was so thin! So I decided on a belt...then got antsy, and now have made it a headband!
Loop your yarn around something so that you can pull and it won't give. I used a chair and it worked really well.
I used Trendsetter brand Filosophy yarn found HERE.
Start knotting as if you would a normal friendship bracelet. There are loads of free friendship bracelet tutorials if you google. Youtube videos, too!
(please excuse the slightly grainy and off-colored look of these few photos...i didn't realize how bad the lighting was!!!)

Continue till your desired length and then braid the base. The braided base is what you will tie to the loop to make a headband!
(PS my friend Sara made the amazing flowers in this photo...they're paper! But that's for another post!)

and voila! a friendship headband!

If you make one be sure to share links, I'd love to see!!!

i hope your weekend was filled with....

2011-08-15T19:18:00.002-04:00

surprise rooftop picnics,

pretty sunsets,

less than camera-shy cats,

and fairygodbabies that are cute as cupcakes!

Welcome William!

2011-08-13T15:00:00.001-04:00

working on a birth announcement today for this little man who i had the pleasure of photographing a few weeks ago! see a few pics from the day below...

congrats to colleen & jon!

shout-out to the west coast!

2011-08-11T10:29:00.003-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAITLIN! (yesterday)
Wishing you a great year...one filled with lots of trips to the east coast :-)

sneakity peakity!

2011-08-10T14:36:00.002-04:00

i'm so excited about a project i've been working on for a few months now...so excited i'm apparently even sleep talking about it!
:-)
here's a little screen grab from my computer last night...a sneak peak!

Sketchbook Suprise!

2011-08-06T21:08:00.008-04:00

Today Tristan surprised me with a trip to go see The Sketchbook Project which I had participated in many months ago. To see images from within my sketchbook, click HERE.
Here are some photos from the day...
First, with my book:

I have to say, seeing your little sketchbook in a room of 10,000 is pretty exciting!!
Also checked out the sketchbook of a blogger pal, Kim Smith! (I LOVED YOURS KIM!!!! YOUR HANDWRITING IS AMAZING)

and a few photos from some of the other books we checked out!

it really is a great exhibit, if you can check it out DO IT! (i'd go see it again!!)
andddd not to mention, there's awesome murals in the neighborhood!!

have a pinkamazing weekend...

2011-07-29T10:41:00.003-04:00

and check out this video i edited for the new coloring book Pinkalicious: Pinkadoodles by Victoria Kann.
It's really great-for those of you with kiddos, this is babysitter approved ;-) go get it!

and thanks to little miss paisley for her help in this!!!

current obsession.

2011-07-26T10:25:00.001-04:00

i can't stop!! if anyone has links to any cool patterns, please share!!!

sentiments of the weekend...

2011-07-24T21:29:00.002-04:00

it. is. hot. in. nyc.

BUUTTTTTT....not too hot to jump :-)

chalkboard in the above photos from miss rachel denbow and sold in the red velvet shop!
awesome mural find care of tristan :-)

Another Map!

2011-07-23T17:34:00.002-04:00

i have LOVED map making for the They Draw & Travel contest- Click HERE to see my newest map on the site!

click the map itself for a bigger view!

work in progress!

2011-07-22T09:56:00.003-04:00

KellyRipa Cat is very into the They Draw and Travel contest! She has been helping make friendship bracelets for me to scan in and use in my illustrations. I must say, I love her color combinations! ;-)

Here's a sneak peak at my next map that hopefully I'll get to finish tonight!

Map Maker, Map Maker make me a Map!

2011-07-16T17:14:00.006-04:00

I thought I'd share a from rough sketch- finish illustration over on here! I decided to enter They Draw And Travel- site found HERE- because the contest seemed fun and well, i love to illustrate! I kinda strayed from actual map as this doesn't really tell you how to get anywhere LOL, but I am happy with it and got to work in my favorite medium, collage!!
have a looksie at my process...(click any image to make it larger!)

and here's a link to the final map on the webbie!

such a cool idea- i'm working on another one, that's more of an actual map now!! :-)
If you entered, i'd LOVE to see! Please share links!!!

HAPPY HARRY POTTER DAY!

2011-07-15T09:42:00.002-04:00

taken July 14, 2009

a weekend in photos....

2011-07-10T18:12:00.004-04:00

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:-)

Happy Birthday Dad!!!!!

2011-07-08T10:29:00.000-04:00

Happy birthday to my favorite dad!!!!!!! & many more :-)

Seeing Sparks!

2011-07-03T15:46:00.004-04:00

Last night Melissa, Tristan & I had some sparkler fun on our roof! Some of the photos...we think we're kinda hilarious.

and melissa has even mastered the double circle!!!

happy 4th of july to you and yours!! :-)

something sweet & festive!!!

2011-07-02T12:40:00.005-04:00

i know this may come as SHOCKING news to some of you, but I am not very domestic. Unlesssss, I am in the mood- which I was today! I wanted to make a special July 4th dessert and was inspired by THIS image on pinterest! I am lactose intolerant so no white chocolate for me, just dark! so see the below recipe in photos :-)

i got very into it and tried some banana slices too!!

AND then came a little homemade dairy-free icecream sandwich making! all is now cooling/freezing...looking forward to eating time!!!!

and i hadn't blogged in a bit but june 28 was my sister's birthday! happy 24 to rachel!!!

seeing sparks!

2011-07-01T12:48:00.004-04:00

photo taken on our roof last july 4th! looking forward to s'more sprarkler pics this year! :-)
have a happy long weekend to you & yours!!

Stamps & Sequins & Birthdays! OH MY!

2011-06-26T15:14:00.006-04:00

A few months ago I received the cutest wedding invitation from Elsie, and one of the details was her commisioned portrait stamp made by Kozue (see her stamp HERE) I couldn't get over how cool it was and contacted Kozue immediately! I also asked her to make us a speech bubble so we could make stationery to say thank you for some very sweet engagement gifts we've received!
The stamp is amazing! The quality is great! I highly highly highly recommend this to anyone looking to make some cute stationery or as a gift...it's personal & original!
Thanks Elsie for showing me the way to Kozue & thanks Kozue for your beautiful work!!

Stamps from Kozue can be ordered HERE!

i got an amazing vintage sequin filled package in the mail the other day from Katrina of Pugly Pixel, one of my favorite blogs!! Thank you so much for sending, Katrina! They will be put to use soon!!! :-)

annnnd yesterday was tristan's birthday!!!! Happy birthday tman! :-) Love you!

some favorites...

2011-06-23T10:40:00.004-04:00

favorite wedding dress i've seen so far....found HERE:

a favorite book series recently read (well i'm about to finish the last of the series this week!)...

a favorite movie i've seen recently, anddd it happens to be my favorite movie poster out there right now too...

some favorite photos taken recently....

what are your favorite things these days?!

Happy Father's Day!!!

2011-06-19T10:31:00.003-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there...especially mine!!

quirky thursday...

2011-06-16T22:05:00.000-04:00

the quirkiest photo i've taken in awhile :-)
also happens to be one of my favs!

Bloggers, Tweeters, & Rainbows- OH MY!

2011-06-12T18:35:00.007-04:00

This was a colorful, museum filled, blogger filled weekend! It has been great having the Haddox family in town! We've been blog/twitter friends for years so even though we technically just met last week it feels like we're old friends. (i love that about the blog-o-sphere)
Here are a bunch o' pics from a visit to Rainbow City with Tristan, Melissa & The Haddox Gang, a public art installation that Katie told us about! For more information about the exhibit click HERE! Also, is was awesome to meet Paisley & Riley- Steven & Katie's 2 children. Riley is adorable and Paisley is the sweetest & a total social butterfly! I think they should move to NYC....juuuuust saying!!

How was your weekend?!

today i love...friendship bracelets :-)

2011-06-10T11:26:00.005-04:00

checking in with my inner camper and totally in the mood to make about a gazillion of friendship bracelets based on this adorable tutorial....found via psimadethis

and i also loooove these images:

source

source

source
happy friday! :-)

i hope your weekend was filled with....

2011-05-30T20:23:00.003-04:00

dairy free birthday cake!!!!!!!!!
(sweet sweet sweet surprise from miss echo)

a cat that loves to strike a pose,

spending time with some great pals,

giggling kiddos,

and pretty sunsets!

happy memorial day everyone!
tomorrow...I TURN 28!!

Good Luck Caitlin & Chris!

2011-05-27T10:16:00.002-04:00

Two of my nearest and dearest officially moved to California yesterday evening...Although they will be missed TONS I'm so excited for this chapter of their lives! Good luck guys and Caitlin, DON'T FORGET TO WEAR SUNSCREEN!!!

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!!!

The Bay Head 5K

2011-05-27T10:04:00.005-04:00

Last week I volunteered as the photographer for The Bay Head 5K, a race that gives to the Kate Shea Foundation. Kate Shea passed away at the young age of 25 from Leukemia. My friend Meg is her sister. Some photos from the day...

Check out the WEBSITE for this great cause! I feel lucky to be able to be a part of it. It's a fantastic way to remember someone who was clearly loved by many and give back to the community!

Best. Reaction. Ever.

2011-05-23T09:32:00.004-04:00

Crafts and amazing reaction to us being on tv care of my fairy godbabies :-)

a very wendy engagement!

2011-05-20T11:30:00.004-04:00

incase you missed today's wendy william's show episode, you should prooooobably watch this!!!!

I was SO excited to go back to the show (WITH TRISTAN THIS TIME!!!!) AND I was even more excited for hair and makeup (if being more excited was even possible)
here are some pics....
the green rooms at wendy are PINK!

PS was also so excited my sister and liz could be there too!!! :-)

and one more thing...

2011-05-18T12:09:00.002-04:00

What made yesterday even more special was getting to see our families right after!
HUGE THANKS TO THEM...for moving their tuesdays into the city and for RACHEL AND ADAM DRIVING BACK FROM BUFFALO EARLY! we appreciate it tons, and love you all!
Devin and Logan you were missed & we can't wait to celebrate with you asap!!!

an engagement story :-)

2011-05-18T09:34:00.006-04:00

They say you fall in love when you least expect it...in my case, it involved declaring my singleness and dating rules and regulations on the Wendy Williams Show in January, 2010.
Fast forward to last night...May 17, 2011- a TUESDAY (the day of the week I considered jinxed) where Tristan changed that superstition forever...
and....
asked me to be his wife :-)
I woke up to 99 photos spread all over the apartment, each with a reason he loves me written on it. some sentimental, some silly- ALL AMAZING.
He then picked me up after work...in a taxi....
but, not just any taxi.
MY GRANDFATHER'S TAXI. Charlie Wexler was my favorite person in the universe, and he drove taxi 1G28 for his career. Somehow, Tristan got a hold of the cab with that medallion number, and asked me to take a ride in my grandfather's cab....
and inside of it, he asked me to marry him!!!!!!
We then went out to dinner, where my family and Tristan's family (who had never met) were!!
The night was perfect. Tristan is perfect. I couldn't be happier or feel any luckier and here are a few photos from the evening....

and no...we don't know when the wedding is yet ;-)

OH! and this morning I woke up to the photo with reason #100 on it...reason being, I said yes!

a SMASHing new company!

2011-05-17T10:09:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I took a trip down to the Javits Center to check out the Surtex Stationery Show. I came across a cute little booth called SMASH and had to share! You can visit their blog HERE and check out there site HERE!

will share some more things i loved from the print show later!

i hope your weekend was filled with....

2011-05-15T19:56:00.006-04:00

buffalo wings IN buffalo, ny...

awesome murals at local coffee shops,

lots of family photos,

and graduations...

my sister graduated grad school this weekend! congrats to rachel & adam (who graduated med school earlier this month)!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T09:38:00.001-04:00

to all the moms out there...but i gotta tell you, mine is the best!

Paper flowers...

2011-05-03T12:12:00.003-04:00

I love paper flowers! well, really i love paper EVERYTHING LOL.
I recently started making some and then, um, found out I'm not so good at it. Will have to practice again buttt for now, I came across THIS site via THIS site this morning and am blown away!
Some lovely creations from The Green Vase...