Present Perfect on Etsy!

Hello out there, I have made a new home for myself in cyber-world. The State is Etsy and the address is; http://www.etsy.com/shop/presentperfectdesign?ref=ss_profile . Please Check it out! I don't have a lot of items up yet, But if it seems to be going well I will list more items!

Lets Go Here

Manarola, Italy
Source: Unknown

Starry Eyed

At first I thought these shoes from Anthropologie were just kind of cute, but knew I could find a similar shoe with a much lower price tag ($148.00). But then the name of the shoe “The stars come out” sparked my curiosity and when I looked closer I fell in love with these adorable little star cut outs all over the shoe. I have a pair of heeled oxfords that I just love, they make every outfit a little classier. I like that they hold my whole foot in without too high of a heel they are a pair I can actually handle wearing all day long. Mine are the gray ones at the bottom.

I am so glad these types of shoes are back in style. I guess these types of shoes go with the whole romantic braid look I was writing about a couple of posts ago.

DNA footwear

World Traveller

About 2 months ago I was one of the lucky participants of a free trip to Israel with Birthright Israel. I am not exaggerating in the least when I say that those ten days were the best I have had in years (probably since my retreats with BPF in California). This trip was completely life changing for the better, it opened my eyes to the prospect of long term traveling and since then I have been researching like mad trying to figure out how I can make long term travel part of my life. I have every intention of going back to Israel for a year or so --- There are so many amazing programs for young adults funded through MASA making the trips in Israel not crazy expensive. Unlike Birthright very few of these programs cover the cost of airfare and for most you have to pay some sort of tuition. But if you have $5,000-10,000 I think you could swing it without any problem. I’m generally a cautious person so I am aiming towards the $10,000 or higher range, but I think $5,000 is definitely enough. Besides Israel I would love to WOOF in Greece or India, I think I could start out in Greece and then take a cheap flight to Israel for the year and then end in India (which I just looked up an apparently flights from Israel to India cost a small fortune, so that might have to change). My dilemma is I want to go everywhere.

Let me jump back to my time on Birthright, as I said before it was amazing! This organization does an incredible job with these trips. I got lucky with my group, we all got along so well. We keep up an active conversation over Facebook and I think many of them see each other on a pretty regular basis. I visited a bunch of them in the city a couple weekends ago. And cool thing is I saw a high school friend of mine how I haven’t seen in a couple years because I moved away from California in Tel Aviv! It really did make it seem like a small world...I can’t get over it, seeing someone I haven’t seen in a while all the way over there! She got back from her world travels last night and I am going to see her for dinner tonight, I am very excited!! She wrote a blog about her time in Israel, check it out here

Cute Idea

I will definitely be copying this idea when I get my own cat

Via Design Sponge

Braidy Bunch

I realize this isn’t exactly breaking news, but I have been really loving the braid trend that’s been going on for a year or so now. I am wearing one right now using this great idea I saw on allure.com to wrap a bit of the tail around the elastic. That tiny detail makes the whole look much more polished, I guess that’s why they say “God is in the details. Here are a couple pretty photos of braids including the one I just wrote about...

Via allure.com

Via A Cup Of Jo

Via allure.com

Via A Cup Of Jo

Movie Moment: "I love you Phillip Morris"

I recently watched that movie "I love you Phillip Morris", and it was good! I didn't have very high expectations from the film, because I have never really loved Jim Carrey as an actor. But the part was a perfect fit for him, his sense of humor and defining facial expressions some how were able to translate perfectly into this gay con man. I was surprised with Ewan Mcgregor’s performance, it also exceeded my expectations. I guess I only really think of him as his character from Moulin Rouge, but he played a very convincing character in this movie.

I have always felt that you know someone Is a really god actor/actress when you can forget about the previous roles they have played (I think Natalie Portman is an example of this). And while I’m not saying I never thought about “Ace Ventura” or “Liar Liar” I never dwelled on it and in my opinion that is quite the feat for such a character actor. One word of warning; there are some very risqué scenes in the film, depending on your relationship it might be a film you don’t want to watch with your parents (especially if they are squeamish about homosexuality).

Oh and I guess I should stay I am back! you should expect a post from me daily from now on!

All Hallows Eve

Anna Bond of Rifle Paper Co. really can do no wrong. And she did it again with her latest Halloween stationary line. And Halloween is my favorite holiday par none. I don't really like the dressing up part but I can't get enough of all the creepy, cute things that Halloween is all about.

Pumpkin Butter!!

A couple of weeks ago I made pumpkin butter, because honestly what can be better than pumpkins and butter?! I just love the fall it is by far my favorite season...the colors, smells, textures, tastes....I can go on but I won't. There is something so special about fall in New England like it was made for fall and fall alone.

Below is the recipe I followed. which I got from allrecipes.com

1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree
3/4 cup apple juice
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1. Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan; stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Stir frequently.
2. Transfer to sterile containers and chill in the refrigerator until serving.

It was super easy and made the house smell so good exactly like fall should smell.

*Sigh*

Sneak Peek

Below are a couple spreads from my degree project. Can't wait for it to be finalized...only 2 more weeks! When it is all finished I will definitely post all about it. At the moment I can barely write another word about it.

Parental Units

Check out these awesome mother's and father's day cards from Hello! Lucky , I got my dad the BBQ one for father's day a couple years back. I also got them an anniversary card from this letterpress company. I love the complexity of the drawings, paired with the small color pallete.

22 birthday

Today is my birthday and this is how I wish I could have celebrated it, but that is not the case with only one month left until graduation (literally one month today). But my friends made it very special and made a surprise birthday party and I am not sure exactly what is going on tomorrow but I know there is some other birthday party which I am really looking forward to!

My friend are the greatest my roommate got me a box of small items for my summer of commuting into New York City for my internship at Martha Stewart Living. She got me a small bottle of sheer sunblock, some packs of gum, a tupper-ware case for eating cereal on the run and a bunch of other great stuff. The craziest thing which goes to show how well she knows me is she included a Bumpit which is really funny because I have alway wanted one, but felt it was a big waste of money and I NEVER mentioned that I wanted one to her. I can't wait to try it out!


image via ffffound!

The Great Urban Race

I have been watching the great race, and I love it! I want to be part of it...but I don't think I am actually going to apply for it. But in the mean time I became aware of The Great Urban Race, Which seems like so much fun. "The Great Urban Race is a wacky urban adventure. Teams of two solve twelve clues, have a wild city adventure and complete fun challenges while discovering the city in a fresh way."

These are located all over the country in big cities. It cost $50 dollars to participate, but seriously I can't imagine a much better way to spend a day, and what a good date idea!

Subtle Safety

I read about this in a book, and it caught my attention because this summer I will be traveling around New York City on my own and I need to consider safety. I know that 9 times out of 10 the weapons people use to protect themselves end up getting used against them so I will probably not buy any thing like pepper spray. But this does not seem like the kind of thing that could be used against the wearer. It is designed by a jewelry company out in San Fransisco, RedStart Design. They are marketing it more as a way to remember to make safe choices rather than an actual weapon. Would you consider wearing this? I am not sure if I actually like the design or it, but the concept and function is interesting. How to you ensure your safety?

Unexpected soft things

These lights look so cozy, How sweet would they look on a bed...well just like the picture below. I feel like everything about them is perfect, except that you cannot really adjust where they will shine, say if you're reading a book or something. But OH MY GOSH! they are so pretty like little twinkle stars.

Via DesignSponge

Pencil Perfect

How lovely is this necklace, I love how it makes you remember the beauty in the mundane. It is so sweet and simple. Yesterday I found a perfect little pencil shaving on my desk and I did not want to throw it away. That is when I remembered about this beautiful necklace I saw on some blog months ago. Here is the description:

"Bring out the artiste within! Handmade in sterling silver with love by Victoria Mason, the pencil sharpening pendant is also a fabulous gift for anyone who loves to draw, paint, write, or even just admire art." Find it here

Simple Solutions

This is one of my favorite tricks... I use tiered hanging fruit baskets to organize pretty much anything. Last year I used it to organize my toiletries and this year I am using it to organize my nail polishes, hair supplies and other random objects. They are amazing because they take up so little space and are so inexpensive. You can even hang one hooked into the bottom of another and get six hanging baskets on right on top of another. These two are a more expensive version which I saw on a blog I read daily read of mine Design Crush. They are made by an Esty artist her shop is called Vessels & Wares.

I am not an artist

Never have animated GIFS looked so good! I am not 100% sure what this is exactly but I do like it! there are tons more on the web page which is linked below.




http://www.iamnotanartist.org/index.php

Eye Candy

This cake is beautiful!! Imagine the amount of time that went into this!! I don't know where it came from, if anyone knows please let me know.