hope, peace, and cookies!

I know it is a bit early for Christmas, but having just ordered my Christmas cards last night I couldn't help but post these adorable Kate Spade cards. This card is a cute reminder of some of the most important things about life.

Today is the last day for 21 percent off from Kate's Paperie, so you might want to look at some of their lovely cards!

jump little pandas

Who doesn't like pandas? The Pour Little Panda Tea Set is sure to add a touch of whimsy to your day. This adorable panda will make an easy conversation piece for even the most awkward of tea party pauses. A tea strainer sits inside the tea pot to ensure that your cute polka dotted tea cups stay free of tea leaves. After all, loving pandas shouldn't have to require you to eat like them.

looking cute while going green

I love all the reusable bags that are all about lately. It's a lovely way to make a fashion statement while saving on all that nasty plastic that seems to fill our lives from dawn till dusk. These Eiffel Tower bags are just adorable, and you are certain to create a stir while carrying your groceries!

time for a coffee or a tea

(image via Mighty Leaf)

Mighty Leaf's Beatles' Blend Black Tea promises your traditional caffeinated black tea with a note of jasmine to give it intrigue (and to pay homage to India's role in the Beatles' music). This sounds like the perfect thing to wake me up in the ever darkening mornings of fall!

the trouble with flying

Orba Squara's new album The Trouble With Flying is my happy thing of the week. It's cute and nostalgic and whimsical all at once, but without any cloying sweetness that makes you feel like you need to brush your teeth. And it is streaming all week at Spinner.com!

saving money

With so many cute things in the world, it is hard to save your pennies. But this bank goes above and beyond to ensure you think of the big picture. Because what better thing is there than to save up your nickels and dimes for than shoes???

(especially shoes like these adorable raspberry pink t-straps)

“You can have anything you want in life if you dress for it.”

(image via fashionencyclopedia.com)

Edith Head is my new heroine of the hour. This one lady was responsible for many of the iconic moments of classic Hollywood history. She was the one who created the dress for Bette Davis in All About Eve. She was the one who designed Grace Kelly's stunning wardrobe for Rear Window (one that I would very much like to have). She designed for Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday before Audrey became a style icon for millions of girls through the years. And she didn't just design for the ladies. She dressed Elvis Presley. And Bob Hope.

(image via vintage clothing love)

And she managed to win eight Oscars.

(image via queens of vintage)

Yes yes.

(image via thestudiotour.com)

A feat no other girl has ever accomplished.

By dressing the movie stars of Hollywood Edith Head stitched her name into history and will forever be remembered as an amazing lady with an impeccable sense of style and propriety.

the great nostalgic

(image via austintownhall.com)

I am in love with the song Spirit World by The Great Nostalgic. There is excitement in their music that is contagious and makes your toes tap to their catchy rhythms!

kissing under mistletoe

I know it is early for Christmas posts but it is right around the corner and these sets never stay around very long on Sephora. This set of lip glosses by Buxom Lips is perfect for this Holiday season! Christmas is, after all, the best part of the winter, because it is when everything is sparkly and lit up and the snow is still enough of a novelty to be exciting. And what better way to get into the holiday spirit than these pretty glosses that have enough of that Christmas magic for all the parties of the season while the sparkling red and sparkling beige will be perfect for everyday.

a night shirt to keep the mean reds away

This Aerie night shirt reminds me of the one Holly Golightly wears in Breakfast at Tiffany's. I think even 7:00 in the morning would be happy if you could wake up feeling like Audrey Hepburn!

everything's better if it looks french

(image via Fred Flare)

I just adore this little bear cup that comes with it's only little hat. It looks so French and sophisticated while keeping your tea, hot chocolate, or whatever else twirls your fancy warm.

"perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers."

Books are difficult things. I have begun many books in the hopes that they would capture my imagination and take me off to their faraway lands only to realize that I was still very much at home and very much bored.

But then I discovered The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And it was like coming home to find an old friend you had not seen for many years but are oh so delighted to see again. Mary Ann Shaffer understands about life, and how all the many little particulars that one might overlook are what makes life a lovely thing. She writes in her afterword that she hopes that her "book will illuminate [her] belief that love of art--be it poetry, storytelling, painting, sculpture, or music--enables people to transcend any barrier man has yet devised."

an education

I do want to see this movie! I love Rosamund Pike!

dancing bears in your glass

Can't Bear the Cold Ice Tray from Modcloth

I just love the idea of having teddy bear shaped ice cubes to cheer up a day!

two for tea

Tea Forte has a new tea collection for Autumn! With flavors such as apple pomegranate and orchid vanilla, this collection sounds like a delightful way to embrace the new season with open arms!

his life is fantastic

Yet another movie on my must see list of 2009!

oxford comma!

I am so very excited about Vampire Weekend's new album! I love it when bands release second albums with the same happy energy yet a twist on the sound that you loved on their first album, and from the sounds of "Horchata" it sounds like Vampire Weekend has found that perfect combination.

"the charm of Milne

is the charm of an unchanging world." --David Benedictus, The New York Times.

After many many years of silence there is an official sequel to the adventures of Christopher Robin and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood.

ode to fall

For some reason there is something especially magical about Fall. Fall is the part of the year when I fall in love again with scarves and coats and tights (more about tights later), and the novelty of wearing these things makes it all an adventure.

(image via Mod Cloth)

(image via Fred Flare)

Fall is the part of the year when suddenly the humid haze of the midwest lifts and the sky is sparkly again. And Fall is the part of the year when it's cool and crisp and things like apple cider become particularly enticing.

I just love it all!

I'd drop everything

and immediately devote myself to culinary pursuits with a cute frying pan like this!

(at Mod Cloth)

Margo's Eleven

When Naes first asked me to write down my eleven happy things, I was all “I’m a super overcommitted college senior going to a dry college in a very small town. Where exactly am I supposed to find happiness?”

But like a good friend, I dug deep and found 11things (barely) that sometimes curl the sides of my lips toward heaven.

11. Watching that bitch down the street get… oh wait, it’s not supposed to involve other people’s downfall? Fine…

10. Riding the metro after taking motion sickness medicine.

9. The new albums of Regina Spektor and Imogen Heap

8. Vegan pizza with pineapple from Busboys and Poets

7. The number 8 (which is my lucky number)

6. A tall pumpkin spice latte, soy, no whip.

5. Bath and Bodyworks Lipgloss (whipped vanilla is my favorite!)

4. Anything from Philosophy

3. SHOES!! (73 pairs and counting. They bring me more love and pleasure then any man ever could)

2. My top-40 playlist involving Fall Out Boy, the Black Eyed Peas, Imogen Heap, Jace Everett, Green Day, P!nk, The Killers, Muse, Rihanna and Owl City)

1. Afternoons with my family. Because they’re amazing and make me laugh. Also, the dysfunction always leads to great blog posts.

happy friends

Three friends plus Busboys and Poets always equals happiness for vegans and non-vegans alike!

(oh how much I do love Luna Moth and Margo!)

new york i love you

I simply can't wait for this movie! It looks oh so good!

Amreeka

Last Sunday after a bout of motion sickness from the metro, Margo and I decided to catch a serendipitous movie at the E Street Cinema.

Amreeka was the only one playing at that moment, and so we slipped into seats and started to watch the previews.

The movie was one of the best I have seen all year. It tells the story of a Palestinian woman and her son who move to Illinois right before the Invasion of Iraq, and the difficulties they encounter with a largely ignorant American populace who are blinded by fear.

(images via the official site of Amreeka)

Oh dear.

There's a new Lash Stash at Sephora.

jupiter one

When Margo and I went to see Regina Spektor we were happily surprised to discover Jupiter One!

Needless to say we are now going to become groupies when she is done with school. ^.^

More on the amazing experience that was Regina Spektor to come!

who knows if the moon's

a balloon,coming out of a keen city in the sky--filled with pretty people? (and if you and i should get into it,if they should take me and take you into their balloon, why then we'd go up higher with all the pretty people than houses and steeples and clouds: go sailing away and away sailing into a keen city which nobody's ever visited,where always it's Spring)and everyone's in love and flowers pick themselves. --ee cummings (image via lelove)

eleven happy things

From Giovanni:

1. Major League Baseball

2. Classical Music

3. Good Wine and Family

4. Gardening

5. Saint Augustine

6. Fall in North Carolina

7. Coffee

8. 70s disco, 80s rock, and 90s TV (especially Joss Whedon)

9. Mountains

10. Scarves

and.

11. Algebra