music monday: first aid kit (link to free mp3's here!)

First Aid Kit is two young (by young I mean 17 & 19!!!) Swedish sisters who have killer pipes. On their website they're still offering a holiday gift which is a full live set of mp3's (by the way, the quality is great!).  You just have to sign up for updates.  It's worth it.

photo found HERE.

Watch a video of them singing my favorite song (so far) HERE.

inspired by: wayne pate & pinterest.

 I recently saw Wayne Pate's work on Rifle's blog and was immediately excited about it.  Check it out!

Also, I really can't get enough of Pinterest right now (thank you SO much Alex Friend for introducing me to it!).  It's an awesome way to catalogue fun/pretty/neat things you come across while on the internet.  Check out mine (homeseed) HERE.  If you'd like to start your own leave a comment with your email and I'll shoot you an invite!

Happy Friday!!  We have friends coming into town today, and we are suuuper excited about it.  Woohoo Ben & Steff!

san francisco's on my mind.

Well, I think that a vacation is on the horizon for the Dake's!!  I sort of can't stop thinking about it actually...I am really hoping to be able to purchase my camera before then (I'm waiting on a Staples coupon) but I have hope that I will be able to.  We are planning to head to San Fran in May.  We'll take the train out (through Denver!!) and fly back.

San Francisco holds a lot of meaning to me.  I spent winter there in 2008 for my second internship (we had to do 6 in school!) and sort of entered into a new season of life in that time.  It was also right before I met Daniel.  I grew in understanding of things about myself that I couldn't see, and learned a lot about what I liked and didn't like about the woman I was becoming.  I think that I am going through that in a similar (but different) way, again today.  I am in a sort of discovering season/stage again.  It's exciting.  It hasn't been exciting, but right now, it is exciting.

Our very dear friend Mike is out there, and we can't wait to see him and spend some quality time with him.

Also, Dan has never been out there!!  So, I've been thinking a lot already about places I'd like to take him, certain things I'd like to show him.  Oh, how fun it can be to reminisce!  
Here are some photos from my time there in '08:

too many things/interests/to-do's...!

Well, I am beginning to accept the fact that I will always have new ideas and projects floating around in my brain.

These are parts of my lists.  The one on the right is my business list which continues onto another page.  The one on the left is my sewing/knitting/making list.  It has more on the back.

Here's a free-style version of some of the things I'd like to do:

-finish our home-made cork board

-paint

-collage + paint

-finish our curtains/re-upholster the living room furnishings

-paint

-finish the wool-jersey maxi dress I started last week

-finish some homeseed invitation templates!!!!

-make scallop edged shorts

-make more maxi dresses/skirts

-finish knitting my ear warming headband thing (will explain when it's finished...if it gets finished)

-get my guitar fixed!

-play my fixed guitar...

-make many things inspired by ANY of these pieces

-paint

-decorate our apartment more/better

-get some clients ;)

-take a paper-making class

-bake faster (it takes me forever for some reason.  why?)

Okay.  I think that's enough for now.  Hopefully that didn't overwhelm or bore you too much. I'm happy that I want to sew again.  Honestly, I think the reason I was interested in going into fashion design in the first place was because I really enjoyed making one-of a kind things for myself.  So, I'm sort of liking the sewing machine again.  It's nice :) I also have been wanting to pull out my watercolors again.  I miss that.  We'll see what happens.  I know this: I need to manage my time much more efficiently!

inspired by: carson ellis (again).

Oh Carson Ellis!  You make my heart pitter-patter.  The book "Wildwood" isn't out until September but Carson posted these two images on her blog (there are 76 illustrations in the book!  Yippeeee!).  Also, she said that she is proud of this project, which means it should be nothing less than incredible.  And with Colin Meloy having written it, well, I just think it's going to be a gem.  Take a gander:

music monday: adele & colin stetson.

Well, I wish I would have encouraged listening to this earlier but now you have the rest of today to LISTEN (unless you buy the album of course)!!  NPR has had Adele's new album "21" on 'first listen' and since my friend Ben Thomas had recommended it through facebook....I decided to give it a shot, and well, I am just so amazed by her voice!  Especially in "Rolling in the Deep" (watch it HERE).

Also, Colin Stetson, the incredible saxophonist's new album comes out tomorrow and in doing a little research I found a couple of mp3's available for download from the album! They are here and here (Shara is on this track!).

"my" fortune.

Neat-o.  Thanks, fortune.

Well...I'll let you in on a little secret.  Dan and I like to go to Joy Yee's for bubble tea (coconut freeze with tapioca to be exact!  yum!) and food on date night.  He has recently decided he doesn't like eating fortune cookies.  So, naturally, I get his fortune cookies.  And his fortunes.  Erm, well, this one technically should have been his.  So really, thanks Dan.

yes jess gigantic pom-pom (how-to)!

My friend Jess over at yes jess knits is kindly showing you how you can make a gigantic pom-pom like the one on this hat:

 AND...look at how CUTE she is:

 Head HERE for written instructions.

Head HERE to check out her sweet knits! 

and HERE to check out the hat shown above.

happy friday :) :) :)

inspired by: darren booth.

I saw a couple of beautiful images of hand-lettering on mint last week and decided I wanted to see what else Darren Booth had going on.  Well, I really like the hand-lettering but I think I like his animal illustrations the most!  Enjoy...

luna lion hats.

Okay...it probably won't be a surprise that I like Harry Potter.  If it is, well....I like Harry Potter.  A lot.  And so does my friend Jenny!  I wanted to share this incredible Luna Lovegood lion hat that she made for halloween/the premiere of The Deathly Hallows part 1:

(the original hat from the movie)

Amazing, right?  I thought so.  If you're interested in one for yourself she is selling them (custom-made) on etsy!  Head HERE.  Also...I found this recently...I think it's hilarious. Especially the post on November 26th :)

inspired by: BHLDN.

I hope you had a lovely V-day!  There is always lots of love to be spread around...

Dan and I had a lovely time in Cincinnati.  We spent some quality time with family and a few special friends, and saw some faces and embraced some bodies that had not been seen or embraced in a looong time!  It was a beautiful time of reuniting.

If you haven't heard of or checked out BHLDN yet, you must!!  It is Anthropologie's new wedding line which includes lots of different things that are wedding related and has plans to include even more (so that at a point they can essentially be a one-stop spot for planning and everything you need for your wedding!).  I have actually been pleasantly surprised by many of the prices.  Even though almost everything would have been out of budget for us, in comparison to Anthro's prices, BHLDN seems like a good deal!

Here are some of my favorite pieces:

(1) greenbow lace gown $600 (!!!!)

(2) unabashedly gloves $60

(3) pleated fantasy gown $3,600

(4) pom pom shoe clips $25 (!!) I know this could be a pretty easy DIY, but these are so elegantly made and they are actually a great price!

(5) tulle era dress $2,600 (my favorite...ohhh how I like this!)

valentine's day freebie reminder!

Daniel, Job and myself are headed to Cincinnati for the weekend.  His parents both have February birthdays so we're going to hang with them and celebrate those.  I just wanted to make sure you printed out some free valentine's day postcards/cards!  I suppose for this year it's sort of your last chance to use them...

I wanted to leave you with some reminiscent photos of smaller Job.  Ohhh my do I miss those days!  What a goober...

Have a beautiful weekend, friends!

beautiful jewelry.

Ohhh Erie Basin, you've done it again (you're always doing it!).  LOOK at this first ring (images 1 & 2)!  And...it's only $375.  Beautiful.  I'm really enjoying all of these pieces.  I would really like the earrings in image 3, from etsy seller idreamicanfly.  For some reason lately I've really been wanting to bring back the double cartilage look and finally change up my tragus earring (it's been in there since I got it done, at 16!!).  Hope you like these...

(1&2, 4&5) $375 and $550 from erie basin

(3) $70 from idreamicanfly

(6) $298 from mociun 

oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies!

Yum.  How delightful do these look?!  I made a batch Monday night, however, mine unfortunately did not stay together so nicely!  I wish I knew a little bit more about how different temperatures, mixing methods, and types of ingredients effect how things bake/cook...because I have no idea how to produce a different outcome next time I try these.  Any suggestions!?!

Anyway, my friend Avril really likes to cook and bake and she's the one who inspired me to make the cookies.  She also told me about The Pioneer Woman and I will be making this delicious looking soup tonight!  We have cheesecloth in our house now, and I am excited about it.

oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookie RECIPE

inspired by: lauren moffatt.

I recently saw a photo of a dress from Lauren Moffatt's last collection and was so excited about her work!  I will never be able (or willing for that matter) to purchase something from any of her collections, but...it's so fun to look at and be inspired by.  Check out a few looks from her spring collection:

I really like the prints and patterns!

movie monday: jane eyre ;)

Looks like I spoke to soon about "music monday's".  I don't have music news other than...the concert was amazing on Friday!  Shara is so incredible!  I was telling Dan on our way to the show that seeing her live feels like an other-worldy experience.  I tried to explain in different ways the impact that her voice has on an audience member and I ended with something like "I just...I don't know how to explain/describe it".  Well he understood fully what was unexplainable/indescribable.  One of the most meaningful and precious moments for me of the night was when she sang the lullaby she wrote for she and her husband's baby, Constantine.  It was so beautiful.

Well, there is a new movie version of Jane Eyre coming out this March starring Mia Wasikowska (Alice from the new Alice and Wonderland!) and it has me returning to my cheaper than 5 dollar book from senior year of high school.  I have hopes to finish the novel before the movie comes out but as I've mentioned before I'm a pretty terrible reader (I fall asleep...and lose focus and re-read the same few sentences over and over again!).  I remember enjoying this story in high school, but I also remember thinking it was slow.  We'll see what happens!  I'm pausing my attempt to read Pride & Prejudice for this...