exit, pursued by bear

good inspiration.

good inspiration picture for the black and white linen + glass candleholder look I'm going for ...

from BBJ Linen (of course that b&w fabric is custom ... grr!)

hipster wedding.

While browsing on Etsy, in continual pursuit of inviation designers and inspiration, I came across the Etsy shop for Unless Someone Like You.

Leslie creates these fantastic wedding posters -- very reminiscient of indie band posters. You can use them as invitations (roll 'em up and send them to your guests in mailing tubes) or have them framed at your reception and have everyone sign the mat:

I think a line drawing of the Lou and the Norm would look fantastic framed at our reception, no? Maybe something similar to this, which the fantastic Etsy seller BellaBella whipped up for me?

Oh! And I love this very clever "Save the Date" postcard:

freakish cat.

from CNN:

"When death comes calling, so does Oscar the cat"

Oscar the cat seems to have an uncanny knack for predicting when nursing home patients are going to die, by curling up next to them during their final hours.

His accuracy, observed in 25 cases, has led the staff to call family members once he has chosen someone. It usually means the patient has less than four hours to live.

... The 2-year-old feline was adopted as a kitten and grew up in a third-floor dementia unit at the Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility treats people with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease and other illnesses.

After about six months, the staff noticed Oscar would make his own rounds, just like the doctors and nurses. He'd sniff and observe patients, then sit beside people who would wind up dying in a few hours.

Dosa said Oscar seems to take his work seriously and is generally aloof. "This is not a cat that's friendly to people," he said.

I think I love the picture and the caption the most. He looks so cranky:

"Oscar the cat doesn't like to be put out in the hall when a patient is dying."

Well I should think not. Do not upset the Oscar or you will be next!!

Apparently most of the patients in this nursing home are so ill they probably don't know he's there, which is a relief -- I mean, can you imagine? Just waiting around for this little furry harbinger of death?

I'm not sure of his motives here ... the article says that family members often appreciate Oscar's presence, because he provided some comfort to their loved ones in their final hours.

I'm more inclined to side with one animal behaviorist who noted that "if Oscar really is a furry grim reaper, it's also possible his behavior could be driven by self-centered pleasures like a heated blanket placed on a dying person."

Or he only likes his humans one way: dead.

polka dog.

Often times during the wedding planning, I think that I've spoken to Jeremy (or anyone, really) about something - but really, I've just thought about it in my head.

I do this all the time. I think that Jeremy and I have had whole conversations about something, but what has happened is that I've had a big imaginary conversation with him in my head.

:: sigh ::

This is probably one of those things that I think I've only imagined speaking with him about.

Since we got engaged, one of the first things that people have asked us is, "are Norm and Louis going to be in the wedding?" Our usual answer: No.

It's not that we don't want them in the wedding ... OK, it's probably a little of that. It's just that they're (read: pretty much just Louis) so menacing! Plus, I'm not sure how I feel about them sporting little tuxedos.

Clearly I'm not opposed to dressing up my dogs, but I think this is one case where I'll take a pass.

Not to mention that I don't know how any of our respective sites (church and reception) would feel about two snorty little beasts trotting around. I would actually love to see them at some point during our wedding, just not sure how feasible this is just yet :|

But we are really trying to incorporate the Lou and the Norm somehow into our wedding, since they are such a big part of our lives.

Here's where the "did I talk to Jeremy about this or not?" comes in ... What I really want to do at our wedding is have dog treat favors. Not for the guests (now really, how crazy do you think I am?) but rather for the guests to bring home to their respective pooches.

I am not the only one who has thought about how to incorporate their dogs into their wedding, and certainly not the first to come up with the idea for dog treat favors.

When I saw this post on Faye and Greer's blog, I was so excited.

A dog bakery called Polka Dog??! Seriously?! This is perfect!! It has to be the most ideal (at least most ideally named) dog bakery to supply treats for our favors. Must be fate -- I can't wait to do this :o)

Now I just have to come up with something that's human appropriate, too ...

fancy-schmancy

So you think I could pull off hanging this above our dance floor at our reception?

(from Urban Outfitters)

Think it will look nice with the candleholders I'm obsessed with?

What about the chandelier paired with a black and white checkerboard dance floor, like this?

(from Soiree Charleston - pretty in pink)

So many pretty things! :o)

Harry Potter "hoo-ha"

Only just now hearing about the possibly leaked seventh Harry Potter book:

Frustrating perhaps the most elaborately orchestrated marketing machine ever mobilized for a book, photographs of what appeared to be every single page of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” the breathlessly awaited seventh and final installment in the series by J. K. Rowling, were circulating on the Web yesterday.

Seems rather a shame, but hardly unexpected in this day and age. I'm pretty vehemently anti-spoiler myself (I always end up so disappointed!), so I won't be searching for it on BitTorrent or Flickr.

Also, how exhausting to try and read all of those tiny pictures!

I'll just be waiting, quietly, for the postman to arrive on July 21. Hope Jeremy isn't under the impression that I'm going to be useful for anything on Saturday ;o)

lust.

I'm not even sure what this is -- a credenza? sideboard? -- but regardless, it's completely gorgeous and I am in LOVE:

People, it's called the "Polka Dot," for crying out loud! This was made for me!!

Details:

Designer -- Toyo Ito

This piece shines thanks to an internal lighting system and frosted methacrylate dots, which beautifully diffuse the light.

Frame and front in beech with 2 available finishes, as well as blond wood. Shelves in frosted glass.This piece shines thanks to an internal lighting system and frosted methacrylate dots, which beautifully diffuse the light.

Love it! Love the backlighting. Very swank.

Now the question becomes ... two door, three door? Short, tall?

I'm off to save my pennies.

the Bubba.

This picture just makes me smile, so I wanted to post it :o)

Love!

I think these bowls are delightful:

I've been dying for a set of melamine mixing bowls -- these are gorgeous! Love the graduated blue color. Hope they'll be around for a while :o)

SO excited for the new Martha Stewart Collection @ Macy*s

Cutie patootie.

So I came home from work last Friday and Jeremy handed me a card he had picked up while at Borders (love their Paperchase stuff!).

On the outside ... a herd of Frenchies:

(sorry for the somewhat crap picture ... there were literally 47 separate attempts to take a semi-decent pic.)

When you open the card, there's an audio chip embedded in the back that plays a wolf whistle. On the inside it reads: "Looking good girlfriend! Happy Birthday!"

Heh.

He's so cute -- just love him! He knew he had to get it for me, so he gave me a b-day card six months early. Yay for Frenchies and Fiances!!