My Overflowing Christmas List

I Am Not A Paper Cup by James Burgess. Eco-friendly porcelain cup with silicone lid. Dishwasher and microwave-safe. No sleeve needed. $20.

Because coffee on-the-go doesn't have to be wasteful.

Found in ELLE and sold at the MoMA Store.

Hey!

Nick... have you been telling people about my "secret"? Fun little website found via A Cup of Jo.

It even kinda looks like me. A little. I mean, if you squint and use your imagination.

Can't Get Enough

Of those handlebar mustaches.

Does it make me a complete turd that I've been planning my own bachelorette party for a while now? I know I'm supposed to leave this up to my friends... but friends, if you're reading this, please try cramming all of these things into one booze filled evening:

- A stiff Gargoyle at North 45
- $4 steak at Acrop
- Fishbowl margarita(s) at The Gold
- A romp in some leaves (I know that it will be Spring and we may have to substitute for somebody's well manicured flowerbed instead)
- Happy Meals on West Burnside
- Nostril waxing at Blooming Moon
-A Bart Simpson inspired prank call to somebody

All while sporting the coolest fake handlebar mustaches we can find. Image from here

That's all for now.

Thanks

With Thanksgiving quickly approaching I feel the need to come clean about my indifference to pumpkin pie. I've always felt guilty for feeling so blah about such a traditional Thanksgiving favorite... until now."When I want dessert, I want unabashed indulgence, not a squash that can't get it's act together." -The City Sage

Thank you The City Sage for summing this up so eloquently. I couldn't agree with your more.


Now, for that Pumpkin Bread Pudding, leftovers can be shipped to...

Image from here

#4: Love is...

On my first Christmas living here in The Big City I was puzzled to receive a flashlight from my parents packaged neatly in paper with a bow. They grinned proudly while I unwrapped my gift, declaring in a matter-of-fact tone that this was no ordinary flashlight. No. This was a Mag-Lite. The mother of all beating sticks. I was to carry this monstrous hunk of metal with me whenever I went out. After dark. Near dark. Early morning. On my way to class. To work. While shopping.

One can never be too safe.Image from here

If anyone (be it bum, murderer, or rapist) so much as looked in my direction, I was to give them the best old-fashioned beat-down of their life. And I kid you not- my parents were dead serious.

Of course I never actually carried this thing around with me outside (I have no fear of NW Portland after dark). Instead it found itself snuggled carefully between my nightstand and bed. You know, in case the power goes out (or said bum, murderer, rapist breaks into our apartment and needs a good beat-down).

The other night I knocked the Mag-Lite over while fishing for my copy of 'Martha Stewart Weddings' under the bed. The walls in our room echoed with a loud Cling! as it hit the hardwood floors. Nick was startled from his sleep.

"What the Hell are you doing?" he muttered as I quickly shut off the lights and clicked the Mag-Lite on. I waved it around on our ceiling for a few minutes then tried my hand at shadow puppets. Image from here

"Amanda," he shrieked. "Amanda! I have to wake up for work in a couple hours. Knock it off!"
I chuckled and made a bunny, then a dog, and finished up with the best ostrich you could imagine (sound effects included). Nick sighed in protest. He sat up in bed in an attempt to outdo me with shadow puppet genius. We giggled then teased. insults were thrown and competition was high. A laser light show was attempted while Nick belted out his best Jimi Hendrix impersonation.

This continued on until our cats grew scared and hid under the bed and the beam of the Mag-Lite flickered out of life.

Nick and I will forever be kids.


Mag-Lite, you rock.

Stalder Love

One of a kind vintage lace and fake fur collar by Portland designer Holly Stalder. Available in her Etsy shop for $30.

Reason #2,356 why I love Canada

White Paws 100% wool crocheted hand warmers topped with recycled arctic fox fur. Made by Sara Lagacé on Etsy.

Could I pull them off? Probably not.

Do I want them? Very much.

Kraft Bag ♥

I think I just found how I want to wrap up our wedding favors. From Hello Handmade on Etsy, found via {frolic!}.

But instead of printing "to" and "from" on the bags, use the lovely favor tags we're ordering from Things are better with a parrott (they match our invitations!) and some bright colored ribbon.

Decisions, decisions.

Bring on the Bling!

Don't you love it when you order something online and when it arrives it's 10x better in person than in the pictures? I seem to be in luck lately because this has been the case with everything I'm getting for our wedding. Our shabby wreath from Victorian Petals, my Twigs & Honey hair piece, the cards from Things are better with a parrott, and now, the bottled fortunes I recently purchased from The Hope Jar:(I promised Rachel I would share photos of them when they arrived and have been a bit behind schedule)


If this is any sign of things to come then the rest of our wedding planning should go off without a hitch!

Wedding Site FAIL

Via FAIL Blog, of course.


P.S. I think I might be taking this whole FAIL Blog thing a bit too far. At work today the photocopier broke. Upon discovering this I quickly scribbled "Maintenance FAIL" on a sticky note, slapped it on the downed machine, and ran off snickering. Needless to say, my co-workers were not amused.

I try.

Check it out

Sweet little interview with Annie Leibovitz on NPR.

Is it perverse that I would love to do something Whoopi-in-a-bathtub-esque for a trash the dress shoot? I'm thinking Kool-Aid instead of milk...

Image from NPR

Cloud 9

Peonies just made my day. Ok, week!

Image from here

sweater vest

I think I need to get my guy a sweater vest. And get myself a pair of these tights while I'm at it...
Found on Stockholm StreetStyle.


Thank you alissa

#3: Love is...

When I got home from work tonight I was delighted to find a package waiting for me on top of our mailboxes downstairs. I began ripping into it as I took the stairs two at a time, and by the time I burst into the apartment I was trailing bits of packing material behind me in the hall. Nick turned around from the computer and eyed me suspiciously as I tossed aside the contents of my box onto our desk and inspected the small, squishy, biodegradable packing peanuts.Image from here

"Umm... what are you doing?"

"What do you mean what am I doing? These things are made of corn. I'm pretty sure these are the ones you can eat!"

"It's packing material Amanda. You can't eat that stuff. It's filthy."

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever..." I muttered while picking out the biggest one I could find and shoving it into my mouth. I slowly chewed and a grin spread across my face. "These things are really good!"

"Jesus," he shrieked. "Jesus! Spit that out now! You're going to poison yourself!"

I reluctantly spit it out then snuck a few to the cats before depositing them into the trash.

This reminds me of the time we were hiking in the woods and he freaked out when he caught me shoving handfuls of these little red berries into my mouth. Spit those out now! You're going to poison yourself! I told him they were huckleberries. Apparently huckleberries are blue?

He was convinced I was going to die painfully and slow. The hypochondriac in me started to believe it.

Pffft!Red Huckleberry photo from Wikipedia.

What was that? There is no such thing as a Red Huckleberry?


P.S. biodegradable packing material tastes like rice cakes- but with a little more kick.

Box-O-Birds

Custom birds from the runny bunny and a sneak peek of our centerpieces.

I can't wait to unwrap the rest!

Knitted Perfection

I've always been more of a cardigan girl, but for this I could convert.Caramel Lollipop Shrug by Trendy Knitting on Etsy and found via a desert fete.

I've been eyeing it for a couple weeks now but finally caved last night after enjoying a few whiskey sours with Knickers.


Some people drunk dial. I drunk shop.

Diet/Workout Update Part II

...maybe not the best idea I ever had.

I'll leave it at that.

Image from here

Champagne Cosmo Cocktail

Meesha's bachelorette party is this Saturday and we're having a little pregame at my apartment before hittin' the town with class (Really. I'm going to be good this time).

I found a recipe online for some yummy looking Champagne Cosmos that I'm going to whip up for us to enjoy while getting ready. Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups Cointreau or Grand Marnier
1 1/4 cups cranberry juice cocktail
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
4 cups chilled Champagne or other sparkling wine

For directions and the recipe go here.

To find out how good they actually taste, check back in a week or two for some bachelorette photos. If there's one of me lying in a pile of leaves on the sidewalk you'll know they were great.

Photo from Epicurious

Because wedding planning is only 2%

Knickers (or Nick-Knack. It varies by day) got me hugely turned on to graphic novels. I recently plowed through these and strongly suggest them to... well, anyone and everyone:Fun Home by Alison Bechdel

Blankets by Portland author Craig Thompson (while you're at it, you should also check out his other book Good-bye, Chunky Rice).

Both memoirs. Both easily the best books I've touched all year (and maybe even the year before that, and the year before that...)

I cried like a baby. You will too.

Photos from Wikipedia

My Dream Shoes

Rene Caovilla Pumps via Bluefly

Unfortunately, even after a 35% discount the $650 price tag is way out of my wedding budget.

My solution:

Nine West Lilyallen pumps via Zappos $68

ORJ Crew Juliet heels $215

Adorned with a pair of vintage shoe clips to make them one-of-a-kind:

Clips found via Ebay

Decisions, decisions...

I will be sure to share pictures of the final product!

Diet/Workout Update

I have no diet/workout update.

I used to have a yearning for bulging bridal biceps. I had a whole workout routine mapped out. Free weights were purchased. I had the best of intentions to actually start using them. Then things changed. Nick told me I didn't need SJP biceps. He said her arms were "huge" and "disgusting". He claimed my arms are perfect the way they are. I believed him. I got lazy. Then, the other weekend I went thrift shopping and crammed my thighs into a pair of size 2 jeans and beamed. Maybe the seams looked like they might burst when I sat down, and maybe the seamstress eyed me quizzically when I took them in for hemming... but they buttoned without giving me a muffin top, and that's what counts.

New plan: I stick to what I do best: eating chips and watching Fearnet. Then, two months before the wedding: no chips or booze. This will give my body a little time to detoxify (also, one time I went a week with no chips or booze and lost like 3 pounds. Imagine what 2 months would do!). We'll see how that goes.

So until March 30th:

Image from here

Tanning: Yes or No?

Obvious health concerns aside, should I partake in a couple rounds of fake n' bake pre-wedding to maximize my faux healthy glow?

Me sans the microwave (and surprisingly enough sans makeup) a few years back:

Nick-Knack and I the other summer after a few (too many) trips to the bed:I look a little burnt- but you get the picture.

Should tanning beds be left for sorority girls and men who drive Corvette's?

Could the bed give my skin an extra little pick-me-up for the big day?

Should I be flogged for publicly admitting the thought of tanning ever crossed my pasty Portland lovin' mind?

I'll let you decide.

Clothespins

I couldn't sleep last night because I was too busy thinking about clothespins and how I am going to incorporate them into my reception decor. I'm obsessed. Or possessed. I haven't decided yet. Image found via Once Wed

I'm thinking of something similar to this. Colorful ribbon. Wooden clothespins. Photos.

It's going to be great.

Bad-Ass Bridesmaid Gift Idea

Jak Random Art cuff bracelets made from recycled vinyl records

And because today is the 4th:All $20 and found via Nimli.

#2: Love is...

what the deuce?A gift to the fiance from my parents one Christmas (it was these or some Family Guy figurines- when questioned by my mom I picked what I thought then to be the lesser of the evils).

He wears these things around our apartment like they're the only piece of clothing he owns. Watching t.v.: what the deuce? Playing computer games: what the deuce? Take out the trash: what the deuce?

"I hate those pajamas."

"What? Why? They're comfortable!"

"I'm going to burn them when you're not home."

"Pffffft!"

"I'm not bluffing."

I don't bluff.

Encircling Garden

New Twigs & Honey choker for sale in Myra's Etsy shop! Lace, silk chiffon, and long enough to double as a headband and sash.

*sigh*

If I didn't think it would be a bit overkill paired with my Twigs & Honey hair piece and the custom bolero she's making me, I would get this in a heartbeat!