Any more ideas?

Since we're on the topic of giving idears, please help me!

I recently purchased a Fuji Instax Instant Camera that produces awesome little credit card-sized polaroid-esque pictures.  I love it and I love the pictures, but right now we have a giant pile of them sitting on our coffee table collecting dust which makes me sad.

So what do I do with them? 

Something like this? Or like below (I'm thinking like below)

I kind of suck with the creativity, so I can use the help!

Last, did you guys know about this?  Looks pretty neat. I think I'll fiddle around with that this weekend!

(Photos via Life in the Big Rainy and decor pad)

Any ideas?

I've had some good ideas for albums to give as gifts this year (see here and here for some suggestions), but I'm leaning towards buying them as mp3s because:

1. it's greener, and

2. no one listens to CDs any more. Also,

3. it's so near christmas, I don't trust they'll arrive on time

4. plus it's cheaper, so I can buy everyone more music!

So for all those great reasons, I don't think it's a faux pas to give people music this way.

But: how do you present someone with a gift like this? Can anyone think of any cool creative ways to actually "give" these albums to people on the day? Idears, please.

What a weekend!

... I'm still recovering! Friday evening was Lauren's art show (bravo lady, esp. the animation).

Saturday was the Chicago Bluegrass and Blues Festival. Our awesome and talented friends, Sexfist, played early on in the day.


Later, we returned for some Béla Fleck.


He performed some fantastic Christmas-themed music, (with the help of some Siberian throat singers) and it was fun to play "spot-the-tune".


Hope you all had a lovely w.end too!

A Badger Birthday Redux

We spent last Sunday celebrating the birth of Badger. Mo and yours truly found a carrot cake recipe (so good, even though there's not a grain of sugar in it), and Lauren helped us turn it into a work of cake-art!

It looks like we melted a Simpson...



Fire! Singing! Hope you had a good one, DB :-)

Baby Beluga

Oh my goonnnnnesss gracious bourbon pie!  There's a new edition to the Shedd Aquarium!  Puiji, the beluga whale, gave birth to a gigantic boy (seriously, it weighs 162 lbs and is longer than I am tall).

And just look how frickin' happy he is!

Love.

(photos via sheddaquarium.org)

I <3 my friends

On Sunday, all of our friends convened at Diversey Rock N' Bowl for an entire Sunday of awesomeness.  It was "sort of" a surprise to Badge who "may or may not" have suspected such an event.  We bowled, we laughed, we drank (lots, too much perhaps), we ate pizza, we ate cake (hopefully a picture will appear soon enough) and we celebrated well.  Thank you to everyone who made the day awesome, including you, birthday boy. 

SUPER BIG thank you to Bort & Anner for their generous hospitality (letting us trash their place)

Julie & Julia love

Have you all seen this movie?  If not, please do.  Right now. 

Amy Adams gives a warming performance and quite frankly, encourages me to continue with this blogging and then some.  After all, I did go to school to become a writer!

I can't even begin to describe how amazing Meryl Streep's performance was.  In nearly every scene, Badge and I were laughing and smiling and enjoying every bit of it. 

Not just anyone can take a scene this strange/gruesome/unappetizing and make it charming/appealing/cute.

To be quite frank, I loved this movie.  It was a little long, yes, but it made me feel so warm and fuzzy.  It made me feel inspired.  It made me love my soon-to-be husband (yes, I've taken to calling him that over my "fiancé" now that the time is nearer) even more for cooking me delicious meals all the time.  It made me want to continue blogging and it especially made me thankful for everyone who reads this blog of ours.  Last, it made me want to don an apron while baking sweets.  I think this one shall do:

I don't even LIKE mushrooms!  These seem to be the only kind of mushrooms I can get into.  (Photo via Cup of Jo via New House Textiles).  I smell a lovely Christmas gift... :)

(Julie & Julia stills via aceshowbiz.com)

A Very Special Badger Birthday

Today is my favorite guy's 28th birthday.  He doesn't know it yet, but we're about to go bowling with all of our closest friends.  I'm really excited about this day!

 Ok, so he's not 50 and his name isn't Kevin, but let's admit it: this cake is epic.

Happy birthday, baby!  I love you so much!!!

Lar Lar

We really do have an amazing group of friends who are creative and talented, not to mention good-looking! 

I really wanted to showcase some of Lauren's work on here and to let you all in on her talent.  Head on over to her website and admire those awesome paintings and animations. 

Tonight we are heading up to the Swimming Pool Project Space to check out some of her new work.  You should pay a visit too.  The exhibit runs through January 17th, 2010.