Air Mail

The other day, I sent this note via telegram stop to my friend Kris. I've been dying to share it...but didn't want to spoil the surprise for her. She finally got it today, so now I can finally post about just how stinking awesome it is! Really though, is there a cooler way to get mail than this? Pff. Definitely not.

Michigander

Eastern Market has quickly become a staple in my standard Michigan weekend...what else am I supposed to do in a non-outdoorsy place all weekend long? And the best discovery yet? The discounted afternoon produce and the phenomenal antique shops near the market. Oh my.

These are the fruits of my 5 long hours of antiquing. But who am I kidding...I loved every grimy minute of it! I've been working on redecorating my new apartment (and am way too ashamed of the before pictures to post them yet without some redeeming after photos), but I will tell you that I'm thinking in textures of white. Lots of it. I was quite happy with this weekend's finds...two new beautiful ceramic pieces for only $10 & $18 respectively. I just couldn't resist the soup bowl and platter! It's such a fun piece for entertaining...but...since I don't do much entertaining here, I've decided to move it to my bedroom. Perfect for holding the silk scarves and autumn gloves that I'll be needing so soon.

Dinner after a long day's work. Fresh mozzarella, pesto, and tomatoes can only lead to one thing...a delicious margherita pizza. Yumzers.

Eastern Market, you may be the only thing I love about Michigan.

Wednesday Wreckage

By the time Wednesday hits, I always need a mid-day pick me up at work. It's like I just lose all focus and need five minutes of sanity. Want to see what I found this week?

I stumbled across Katie Moss' blog...and LOVE her work. Actually, it's probably more that I just love her clothing style for kids. Seriously I gawked over these outfits. It blew my mind when I went to the contact page to find out where she was located and it popped up as Pleasant Grove, UT. I never would've guessed!




















I get the magazine Real Simple at work. This was on the cover. Oh my. Just look at that face!




















I perused Our Best Bites until I thought I really might drool on my desk. Thank you Laura for the reference, I love that cooking blog so much! The autumn weather here is making me itch for soups, herb-filled breads, and sweets full of fall spices. If it keeps up the rain today, I'm thinking it just won't be an option to not make gingersnaps tonight. yum.

Wednesday mid-day pick me up accomplished. I now want to buy children's clothing, a puppy, and cookies. Ha.

Rachael Ray Cake Off

Earlier this week, I got to participate in a Rachael Ray cake decorating contest thanks to the lovely industry I work in. Rachael Ray held a cake off like this in LA, Chicago, Detroit, and NY with teams made up of people from different ad agencies in the areas. I can't even begin to explain how excited I was about it all! I mean...helloooo? Cake decorating with a bunch of fun people, food, great music, and prizes. Our team decided to go with a funky little kid vibe for our cake since this was supposed to be celebrating RR's 5th anniversary. Skepticism could not have been higher on my part, but in the end it didn't look nearly as bad as I was expecting (minus the horrific piping job, pukey pastel colors, & the fact that it looks like a bunch of twelve year olds made it). The kicker? That we won Detroit's cake off. What the...?

Anyyyyways...it was a fun experience to just not take it seriously, kick back and laugh with the team, and have fun making this horrific masterpiece. Enjoy. (And don't judge too much, remember it was a team effort! Try designing and making a cake in an hour with six people. It's tough work to agree on anything at all, let alone something that will look half way decent!)





They let us make cupcakes to take home. I didn't think to take a picture of these little gems until after I started devouring them. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a cupcake lover...but these were GOOD.

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UPDATE: They delivered the cake to our agency today. Don't worry, we promptly cut into it and all had stomach aches the size of Texas for the duration of the afternoon. But it was so worth it!

The agency just posted this on our home page. Woot Woot.

"In celebration of its five year anniversary, Everyday with Rachel Ray magazine challenged Detroit ad agencies in a “Bake for Rach, Agency Cake Challenge.” Our team included Brooke Camit, Tracy Chan, Laura Green, Carolyn Marks, Kendra Mazey, Heather Nagel and Lindsey Thomas. With the help of the Chop Shop in Birmingham, they designed and decorated the winning cake besting Doner, McCann, and Team Detroit. The team’s five-layer masterpiece was themed around the five categories in the magazine. CE Media’s winning cake will now compete with agencies from around the country for the grand prize. Way to go team!"

Chicago

Dear Chicago,

I know I'm supposed to play hard to get, but let's face it, I liked you from the get go.

xo

B

Revamp & Epic Fail

I've got it bad this time. I woke up this morning, started packing for Chicago, and realized...my wardrobe needs a major revamp. Major. Especially in the shoe department. So, anyone down for a giant clothing swap? Let me know, because I'm quasi serious about this. I have THE hardest time parting with clothes, but I've decided I'm going to just bite the bullet. Trust me, I'm the worst (best) justifier of all times. But enough is enough. Closet, be prepared for me to rock your world come Monday when I return from the windy city.

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On another note...want to see my first ever epic baking FAILURE? I decided to make cinnamon rolls to take to my lovely in Chicago, and per usual didn't get started on them until way too late.




















1 hour later...rolling out the yumness...blissfully unaware of my impending stupidity.















Then, for the first time EVER, I fell asleep while they were in the oven and didn't wake up to the timer (hand to forehead). I blame my new bed. Lucky for me, I woke up before they looked like complete goners.















Thankfully I was still groggy enough to not care, so I decided to just can the salvage attempt until the morning. Here was my morning attempt (quite a yummy breakfast, I might add)...I'm thinking vanilla/nutmeg bread pudding when I get back?















The culprit. But quite a lovely culprit.

Nice Work, You.

New Apartment = No Internet = Starbucks.

Free internet and delish hot cocoa? Yes, please. I didn't notice my cup until after I sat down. Internet, hot cocoa, AND a pep talk? Pfff what more could I have asked for?

Starbucks I love your peace/love/eco self. Now if only you offered yoga classes too...I'd be set for life.

Hopeless

So...I've almost hit my 3 month mark living in the midwest (?!). And let me tell you, living in Michigan has made me realize that I'm hopeless in so many ways.

I'm a hopeless...
-Rocky Mountain Girl. I love my mountains, dry air, high altitude, bandannas, hiking, camping, climbing, the smell of my climbing chalk, blue skies, sunshine, snow, occasionally saying the word 'dude,' acknowledging my eco-friendly hippie urges, scruffy mountain men...heck I even love the dirt.
-Doer. At least that's what my friends here call it. I simply call it being active. I get stir crazy just thinking about how hard it is to be physically active here outside of the gym. I love movie nights and eating out just as much as the next girl, but pleaaaaase I can't take it anymore!
-Minimalist. My roommate is probably the only one who cares...but let's face it, I like cool color palettes and clean lines. I'll be the first to admit that I, too, went through the neon color phase, lime green bedspread and all. But that phase is over. Well over. As in 5 years over. I'll take whites, greys, and sea glass aqua greens from now on out thank you very much.
-Non-Sharer. Sorry folks, it's true. I blame my lack of sisters for this one. There are relatively few people who I let borrow my clothes, shoes, accessories, hair products, or car. Now, why people I've met here suddenly think mi casa es su casa, I'm not so sure. The end.
-Clean Freak. Really I should just invest in clorox's stock with the amount of clorox wipes I use.
-Housewife At Heart. Nothing makes me happier than coming home after work, working out (ha. I wish.), and bolting for the kitchen. Seriously though. Being in the kitchen just makes me happy.
-Nerd. I read more books and watch more documentaries that any individual with a social life should ever hope to ingest.

But the number one thing I've probably realized is how hopeless I am at understanding life...and how much easier it is to just let go, laugh every time I want to scream, and go to yoga every time I'd rather just stay in bed.

50 People, 1 Question

It's been a while since I visited this site. Almost forgot how much I love things like this. Wouldn't it be amazing to work on a project like this, even if it were only a hobby?

Fifty People, One Question: Brooklyn from Fifty People, One Question on Vimeo.

Black Mail...errr...I mean Photo Booth.

Today I cleaned up my photo booth album. I may have just about DIED LAUGHING looking at some of those photos. Here are some of the less incriminating ones. If you even try to tell me that you don't have random photos of yourself on your mac...you're lying. And if you don't have a mac...you need to get one just for photo booth alone. Clearly it provides hours of entertainment.

My mom and I video chat sometimes. This is the face I give her when she tells me this is the umpteenth time she's seen me in my pjs and thinks I should change. For a vid chat. uh-huh.

What can I say, we're a very attractive duo.

V is for victory. And for being able to be PJ clad in bed during a phone interview. This was literally right after I got off the phone post IPG job offer...2.5 months ago. So crazy.

Beauty at its finest.

Gift and Tell

A friend of mine asked for suggestions of where to find unique gifts. So here we go...my top three favorite gift suppliers:

For co-ed gifts: I'm a huge (HUGE) fan of Knock Knock. In fact, it was the first store that came to mind post query. It's a treasure trove of sarcastic goodness, with very few items costing over $20. You know all of those fun bingo cards, coupon pads, notepads, and books that Anthro and Urban stock? Knock Knock has all of those and more. I mostly use them for their books though. My favorite so far has been Intimidations & Ultimatums for All Occasions.

For girly gifts: I usually go to By Boe first. I owe my friend Kylie for introducing me to this site, it has been my favorite go-to ever since! I love how classically simple their necklaces are. My favorite is the reminder bow necklace.

For postal gifts: PostGardens are finally available in the states! I buy mine from here. They are a fun alternative to a plain card in the mail.

There you have it, the top three. I'm also hugely guilty of gifting stationary sets, but don't have a favorite online store. I usually stock up at Kate's Paperie while I'm in NY, or Soel Boutique when I'm in UT.