And then this happened

Someone learned how to make gifs.

Explore: Red Bull Crashed

Minnesotans love anything hockey related. I think 115,000+ people at Red Bull Crashed Ice in Saint Paul this weekend proved that.

Create: Office Art

The center I work at recently just acquired a new office space and my cube life was looking a little drab. Actually, it looked like a neon bar sign exploded in it. Highlighters, sharpies, and post its really need to tone down their color options. I feel like people usually dress up their work cubes/offices with pictures of their family and children's artwork. So unless I want to baby nap some kid and exploit them for their artwork, I decided I'd have to personalize my cube a little more subtly. I have gone with a more rustic clean look in my new cube using objects and art that I already owned but hadn't displayed properly. I now have a few lines of clipboards pinned up and can now interchange art, lists, and things that make me smile. I also framed a few art prints and bought this art print from Lloyd Gallery on Etsy. It's definitely what inspired the whole decor scheme with greens, browns, and grays. I was also really cool when I was younger and had a sweet pencil collection. It has kind of vanished due to me continually using said pencils until they were sharpened into non-existance. A branch pencil survived my sharpening (probably because I'd cut my finger off if I tried to sharpen it) and I added it to a vase to capture the "rustic" part of my scheme. I also now use a collator along one side of the cube that takes up a lot of empty space and gives me an area to have an organized mess. The collator always just sat on my desk folded up so it needed to be put to use and seriously looks amazing. To save money, consider buying a large art collection book at a bargain book rack and cut your favorite prints out and frame them. (There might be some legality issues with that so DIY at your own risk.) Now I just want to pick up a tiny globe and terrarium to complete the look! Anyone else get inspired to personalize their cube in an outside-of-the-cube way?

Art Print 1 Late Night Swim by Rene Anne Art Print 2 Snow at Louveciennes by Alfred Sisley Art Print 3 Green Coat Urban City by Lloyd Gallery Art Print 4 Landscape Photography by Moon Garden Art Clip Boards Amazon Globe Urban Outfitters Constellation Globe Sorter Lee Collator Terrarium Urban Outfitters Turning Triangles Terrarium Pencils Branch & Twig Graphite Pencils

Wear: Heroic Capelet

A CAPE is the perfect layer for those who have to endure this frozen tundra. I just picked up Imogene + Willie's Florence Cape. And apparently in the nick of time because they seem to be sold out everywhere now. After looking (and almost fainting) at the forecast for the next week, my new dress code will be a mandatory minimum of 4 layers. Scarves can count as one.

Hat Banana Republic Felt Panama Hat Sweater DAY Birger et Mikkelsen Striped Merino Wool-Blend Sweater Book A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway Bag Madewell Lovelock Tote Boots Frye Lindsey Plate Boots Earrings Lulu Frost for J.Crew Navette Burst Earrings Dress Mossimo Modern Pleated Ponte Dress Bag Madewell Chain Minibag Tights Urban Outfitters Opaque Tights Booties Sam Edelman Lisle Bootie

lately

Let's try this one more time. With just a name/design change. Lately, life has been pretty chaotic with the holidays and then trying to play catch up. So many projects, ideas, and events are piling up but really all I want to do is snuggle up with my new Kindle and read the 20 books I just downloaded. Maybe next week.

On the instagrams// adorable secret santa gift / freezing xmas in canada / amethyst charm for keys

Covet: Planner for a New Year

covet

Clockwise from top left corner: Green Classic Scheduler / Weekly & Monthly Vintage Planner / Large Agenda Scheduler / Julia Kostreva 2013 Daily Planner Calendar in Pink / Bonne Journee Scheduler / Whitney English Day Designer / REDSTARink Planner / Muse Diary Scheduler

New year, new planner. 2013 is here and I am in need of a new way to organize my life since my previous Kate Spade planner rudely and abruptly cut me off yesterday. I usually use mine for daily To Do lists rather than marking dates so I only need something simple with enough room on every day for the lists that I'll eventually ch-check off. Above are a few of the planners I am considering. A few of them are 20% off through today so I think I'll go for the Large Agenda Scheduler in forest green and I guess I'll be stuck with post-it note To Do lists until it ships. Life in 2013 is rough.

Dine: Winter Pear Bites

dine

If you are looking for a last minute holiday dessert recipe, I highly recommend this pear bite recipe by Sweet Potato Chronicles. I used it as a dessert recipe because I'm not much of a traditional dessert person and prefer cheese and fruit for an after dinner bite but this recipe would be an excellent appetizer as well.

Winter Pear Bites
adapted from Sweet Potato Chronicles

Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
3 pears
1 small chevre cheese log
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons sugar

Cut the pear to get as many slices as possible but still keep them substantial. Spread the chevre along the larger part of the slice, keeping the thinner side blank for easy pick up. Sprinkle chopped pistachios and dried cranberries on the cheese in whatever amount desired.

We decided to add a little extra sweetness to the treats and made a honey balsamic reduction to trickle on top. To make the reduction, boil balsamic vinegar, sugar, and honey. Once it has started to boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer and continue until it becomes a syrup. Drizzle along prepared pear slices. And then enjoy!

As a side note, I didn't think that the dried cranberries added much to the dish besides adding a little red to the holiday color scheme.

Recollect: Good Ol' Wisco

recollect

I think Thanksgiving might be my favorite holiday. It's all focused on great food and family without the awkward present giving and getting. Christmas is seriously the worst. This Thanksgiving we stuck to our usual tradition of turkey meals at my parents' houses and then off to Wisconsin for time with the manfriend's family. I like Wisconsin, but dang is that drive long.