One Year Down, One To Go

You guys. Do you know what happened today? Eric took his 5th four hour final of the semester, which means he has officially completed his first year at Harvard Business School!

Just over a year ago we found out that he was accepted; I can't believe how quickly the time has passed. In that time

• we spent more non-work-related time in Cambridge (even though HBS is on our side of the river) than the previous 3 years combined
• Eric read thousands (my estimate) of pages of cases
• we had to make shelf space for giant binders filled with the aforementioned cases
• we attended two (!) formal dances (see pictures here and here)
• we were reminded how awesome it is to have spring break
• we made some wonderful friends*
• we both laughed and learned and grew

Oh, and in case you couldn't tell, I'm really proud of Eric. He has taken school seriously and has embraced the case method; I know that he learned a lot and enjoyed his classes. Next year will be really different, but I think we're both looking forward to seeing how it will all unfold.

*Speaking of friends, I wrote about my HBS book club on the ELM blog today.

Opening A Gift

I got a birthday package from my Aunt Lisa + Uncle Joe, and it was so beautifully packaged that I took pictures as I opened it up.

It started with newspaper packaging, which was cool because they used the wedding announcements and drew little speech bubbles above the newlyweds to make it look like all of the couples were wishing me a happy birthday! Then there was a pretty little card and a box adorned with a gorgeous paper flower!

And last, but certainly not least, a wonderful necklace from laurel denise! My Aunt Lisa has a long history of giving me awesome necklaces, and this year was no exception. This one has a glass pendant that says dream, so that's pretty much perfect for me.

Thanks Lisa + Joe, you guys rock my socks off!

It's Here!

Oh my god, you guys! Guess what came last night! Did you say "new camera?" YES!!! I can't believe how quickly it arrived or how much I love it! It's a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi. Our other Digital SLRs (both the same model) were wonderful while they lasted, but this is going to be great.

In other news, I'm participating in Spring Colour Week over at Poppytalk (see the gorgeous Flickr pool here). Today's color is yellow!

A few months ago I strung together four vases (that I made from old light bulbs) and filled them with homemade tissue paper flowers. It's hanging in our living room window - mostly because there was already a ceiling hook there - and I love the way this yellow flower is fading at the edges but still has some strong color in the middle. The edges look a little pink because it's reflecting the fuschia from the pink flower hanging below!

I also took a picture of a lemon for today's yellow theme.

Lots Of Hearts

My computer troubles aren't over, but instead of letting it get to me I worked on a project. While I was uninstalling and reinstalling and downloading tons of things, I cut out tiny hearts. Lots and lots of tiny hearts.

After gluing them onto some paper, I framed them. Now I just need to figure out where to hang them! I'm really pleased with the result because they make me happy.

Unfortunately they didn't solve my computer problems. Now I'm off to deal with that. Wish me luck.

*Did you see this week's Lost in Thoughts?

JHill Design Studio Opening

Last night Eric and I headed over to South Boston (Fort Point) for JHill Designs' studio opening. It was really exciting to see Jennifer, the talented woman behind JHill Design, and her new work space. I forgot to bring my camera, but I had my blackberry, so I was able to get a few blurry photos. Stupidly, I didn't take one of Jennifer! What was I thinking?

Anyway, it was fun. And there were dogs!

We don't get over to South Boston very often, so I really like going there because the streets seem full of mystery since I don't know what to expect around the next corner.

A Fall Weekend

Hello! I hope you all had a great weekend.

Saturday, I folded 140 cranes to make two mobiles to sell in my Etsy shop (they'll be available later this week). We also went to see Where the Wild Things Are (oh my god, it was amazing) with friends. As we were leaving the theater we ran into a friend from college and his girlfriend. I can't even remember the last time we saw them. They joined our group and the six of us headed to a cozy little bar downtown to catch up and get out of the rain.

By Sunday morning the rain had cleared. I had some errands to run, so Eric and I took the camera on a little walk.

The weather was perfect for lolly gagging and admiring the pretty colors. The air smelled delightful, too, the way it's supposed to smell in the fall.

We made two unexpected stops:

1) Brookline Booksmith to read Where the Wild Things Are (to compare it to the movie, which is somehow the same but different). "Let the wild rumpus start!"

2) A funny little toy store that I've always wanted to visit, but is usually closed whenever I'm walking by. We actually made an amazing purchase, but I'll be writing about that another time on the Everything Little Miss blog.

So, great weekend. Tell me about yours. :)

[click the images to enlarge]

A New Vase

My sister recently went to Alaska. She had a wonderful time and she definitely wants to return at some point. I'm super lucky, because she brought back a beautiful, blue glass vase for me.

Today I made some paper flowers, so the vase wouldn't be so lonesome. I had fun making them, and I was guided by a Zakka Life tutorial (via iDiY). If you want to make your own flowers, don't be afraid to try some variations (I did!). I also added old twisty ties as stems.

Paper Dragon

I woke up this morning and decided to make something with my hands. It was a great way to focus my energy and start the day.

A few years ago I made a paper dragon for my mom (based on a picture I'd seen in a magazine ad, but of my own design). I wanted hers to be good, so I made a practice version first. I never got around to making a nicer one for myself, so that was this morning's project.

I chose yellow and gold to cheer myself up. My happy little dragon.

Don't forget to check out yesteday's Lost In Thoughts (if you missed it) and the new Bon Voyage card over at Everything Little Miss.

★ Happy Friday, happy weekend, and happy dragons! ★

Reading By The Pool

I took these pictures yesterday afternoon. Don't you just want to dive right in? I did! The water was nice, too. Very refreshing.


I mentioned yesterday that I finished my book, but luckily I brought a library book with me. I started it yesterday and I'm already about halfway through. It's the 5th book in Alexander McCall Smith's Isabel Dalhousie series. He's the author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, as well.

I truly enjoy reading. Novels are probably my favorites things to read. I like getting lost in another world. I also like a good memoir. Again, they can sweep you away and draw you. Good books are so hard to put down. I've often stayed through the night just to read a little more, because the thought of closing the pages on the characters is too sad to bear. Sometimes I race through a book just to find that I wish I'd read a little more slowly, because my time with the protagonist has come to an end. Perhaps that's why I'm fond of series.

What books have you been reading? Are you infatuated with the characters? Do you ever fall in love with an author and read all of their books (I'm all about Neil Gaiman right now)?

*Today on Everything Little Miss: custom thank you notes.

Newspaper Baskets

A few weeks ago I was inspired to make a basket out of old newspapers. I got a little carried away, and decided to try to make nesting baskets. It was successful, and I gave the first set to my sister as a birthday gift.

My mom liked them too, so yesterday I made these for her. I worked much faster this time around, because I had a good system. I used some glue to hold the first four strips of paper together. I also glued a strip around the top of each to finish them off nicely. Binder clips are my friends. The Wall Street Journal was my newspaper of choice, but I think any would work. These baskets are surprisingly sturdy, too. There's a tutorial here, if you're interested.

Happy weaving and happy weekend. Enjoy the sun!

Family Weekend

Yesterday Eric and I drove out to UMass to see my sister, Emily, dance. We met my parents and brother there. This is her first semester as a member of the Stage Crew Dance Team, and my family's first time seeing her dance with this team. It's not easy to become a member of the Stage Crew team, and I'm so proud of her. She was wonderful and beautiful. The whole team was great, and you can tell the girls work hard. 

They performed in the Mullins Center as part of the 22nd annual Color in the Cage event. Stage Crew was really only one of 3 dance acts. The other performers were members of color guard or baton twirling teams. I've never been to anything like that, but some of the stunts (is that the right word?) were very impressive. A lot of it made me giggle, I'll be honest, but I appreciate these people putting themselves out there and participating. It certainly doesn't look easy. 

While we were at UMass we also got to see Eric's youngest brother, Will. We took him to lunch at Antonio's (yum) and before we left he got us soft serve ice cream from the dining hall. That was a mistake. While he was getting the ice cream, it started to rain. And by rain I definitely mean downpour, torrentially. We had to wait a bit before we could actually get to the car, and even then we had to make a mad dash. It was fun, but sort of ruined our good-bye.  

Since we got to see my parents, I brought the Mother's Day gift I made for my mom. Yep, more cranes. I made her a mobile of 100 cranes. There are 5 strands, and each has 20 different colored cranes (the same 20 colors on each strand, but no duplicates per strand). I folded all of the cranes on Tuesday, and I strung them all together on Thursday. 

Right now Eric is out with his mom, just spending the day with her in Boston. He's taking her out to lunch and anywhere she wants to go. I'm going to go enjoy the sunshine.

Happy Mother's Day & happy weekend! 

Card Games

Last night I played solitaire. With real cards. It was so much more fun than the computer version. I won my very first game and it was so ridiculously satisfying! Of course I kept playing and lost the next billion games, but that's why it's fun, isn't it?

The other night The Schwarz and I played war. We played with wild twos (if you have a 2 you can either declare war or win the hand), because that's the way my cousin used to play and it's more fun. I started out strong, but The Schwarz won in the end. 

My favorite game is rummy, but we haven't played that in a really long time. Maybe this weekend!

I like the red cards better (big surprise), but I don't really have a preference when it comes to hearts or diamonds.  Do you have a color or suit preference? Tell me about it in the comments!

An Old Letter From My Sister

My sister wrote me this letter in February 2007, when I'd only been living in Boston for a little over a month. She told me all about her new class schedule and her weird roommate situation. But best of all, she included little drawings. She's always doodling, and sometimes she creates amazingly complex designs. She can also sing and dance! I don't think she knows how jealous I am. Jealous in a good, proud way. 

She has her own photo blog, and sometimes she includes photos of her doodles. It's also filled with the adorable misspellings I mentioned yesterday. 

Look What I Found!

My brother wrote this paper just over 3 years ago now, when he was in 6th grade. I rediscovered it today when I was looking through an old folder. It's probably the greatest thing ever written. Below you can find the full text (including mistakes, which the teacher made no effort to correct - what the heck?). 

The worlds best Person (besides me) 

February 6, 2006

The worlds most important person to me is beleave is or not my sister.

Her name is April May. I can smell April evan if it is January. She smells like freshness and joy (wich is spring). Like every one she can have bad days, but ushually She is as nice and kind as can be. She helps wit home work (she is really good at that espesicaly because she gruated college), she helps clean, and she evan plays games with me. April helps some kids that goe to Sullivan School that have a hard time speaking english, so as you can see she is a big help. April and I do almost everything together all of the time.

I love April. 

Isn't he great? Really, he's wonderful. For those of you who don't know, we're like twins born 11 years apart. And it's true, we do a lot together. Not as much now that I don't live at home, but we have a blast when we do see each other. 

Next time I'll write about how amazing my sister is. She's different than the two of us in many ways, but we also all have an awful lot in common (she makes similarly endearing spelling mistakes)! 

My Mobile

I folded about 57 paper cranes today, so I could finish my mobile project. 

I've been thinking about putting together a mobile for years. I saw a crane mobile in Oh Joy on the 17th, and I was motivated to finally make my own. Now you know why I started making cranes last week. 

I woke up this morning and knew this project couldn't wait any longer. As soon as Paper Source opened I ran over (literally, because I figured I could get some exercise in while I was doing my errands) to pick up more origami paper. When I got home I sat down and folded and folded and folded and folded and folded. When I used up all of my paper, new and old, I had to string them together. I'm in love with the outcome. 

Woo hoo! Another project complete. 

Snail Mail

I wrote 12 letters today. If you're in my immediate family or you're my grandparent, aunt, or uncle, you'll be getting one! Are you excited yet? I'll put them in the mail tomorrow. 

I made special stationery for this. :)

Paper Cranes

I made a bunch of paper cranes today. I'm thinking of folding some more and then making a mobile. We'll see how that goes.

I learned how to make cranes in 4th grade. We all gathered around during a cold or rainy recess and started folding away. (We also used to play Uno during recess if we were inside.) I remember going home and trying to show my mom, but I kept forgetting one crucial step, so I my origami birds looked weird and sloppy. I probably ended up crying. But I was very determined; eventually I memorized each fold (when I say "eventually," I really mean "the very next day"). 

Spiderman + M&Ms For Valentine's Day

The Schwarz's mom sent us these Spiderman valentines (sealed with heart stickers), peanut M&Ms, and a bag of Moose Munch, which has already been devoured (if I'm being completely honest, I ate most of it). So cute! 

Did you know that Valentine's Day is one of my favorite holidays? Not all the "spend, spend, spend" (unless you're buying my cards, in which case spend away), but the idea. It's a holiday to celebrate love, and what could be bad about that? I don't just mean romantic love, I mean all love. It's a day to think about and appreciate the people who are important to us. 

Plus, everything is pink and red and gorgeous! 

P.S. Kate Spade has some cool e-cards!

Calendar Girl

Today I received something very special in the mail. This calendar is a gift from one of my very best friends, Kristen! She created it using snapfish, and it's completely personalized. Each month has different photos and she even put pictures of important people on the dates of their birthdays. Cool, huh? It's actually my holiday gift, but it took a long time to get to her (she's in Japan), and then it took more time to get to me. I don't care if it's late or on time, because it's wonderful and fun. I took a picture of March because: 

1. there's a photo of The Schwarz and me at Kristen's wedding 
2. because you can see 3 dates with photos (her wedding anniversary, her husband's birthday, and my birthday)
3. the background is orange - my favorite color!

I think it says something about me that both of my best friends gave me calendars for Christmas/Hanukah. A few weeks ago I posted about the one Sara gave me. Truth be told, I also got one from my mom, because she gives me a Marilyn Monroe calendar every year and it's always one of my favorite gifts. 

Psst. I also have a 4th calendar that I printed using a Word template. Then there's the page-a-day calendar The Schwarz got for Christmas. And I have a one page 2008 Berkshire Books calendar still hanging in the kitchen simply because it's so beautiful. Plus I use Google calendar. So how many is that? 7? At this point, is it an obsession or a collection? 

Breast Cancer Playing Cards

These playing cards were designed by my good friend, Viola Moriarty. This evening I'm going to the opening of her new exhibit, Ex-Voto Suscepto, at the SVHC Cancer Center in Bennington, VT. With this multi media exhibit, Viola chonicles two years of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. 

The breast cancer playing cards are $10/pack. All proceeds go to direct breast cancer education, treatment and support of patients through the To Life! organization. 

To purchase, please call To Life! at 518-439-5975.