'Cuz Catching Up is Hard To Do

Normally the holiday season is especially slow for me.  Most people are thinking less about having a website designed and more about which Christmas sweater to wear to the big party.  Not this year, ut-uh-no-way.  Everyone and their sister needs a site, or an ad, or a poster laid out.  I've been enjoying filling my days with lots of multi-tasking and creativity, but my RSS feed is suffering dramatically.  The blogs I normally spend half my day drooling over have barely had time for a second glance, backgrounds have changed, trends have come and gone, writers HAVE MOVED TO NEW HOUSES for crying outloud, and I was none-the-wiser.  It is a sad sad state of affairs.  So this year for Christmas I'm submitting a very special request to Sir Claus for a little free time to catch up on some of the blogs I so adore:

It's no secret that I'm in love with blogger-down-under, Raina of If the Lamp Shade Fits, but as it turns out, there is more than one great design blog making it's way north from below the equator.   Designalogue chronicles the creative life and interests of miss Camilla Molders (check out her new wallpaper, above).  Camilla has exquisite taste, an insane art collection and her Aussie colloquialisms are sure to warm your icy heart right up.

Lauren Kilberg of Double Takes never ceases to amaze me with her super sleuthing abilities.  She manages to find thought-provoking images that are both intelligent and witty, her topics range from interiors to art to music yet they always manage to share a common theme and support the strong vision of this always entertaining blog.  I can't wait to catch up!

If it's Hip, It's Here is easily the most well-researched blog in my RSS feed.  Girl, where do you get all your information?  Each post is backed with 18,000 supporting images often showing a designer's process from start to finish.  Did I mention that she almost always debuts something I've never ever seen?  It's kinda unreal.

When I'm in the mood to literally salivate all over my keyboard, I cruise on over to fellow Craft Mafia member Jesse's blog, Bread Baby.  Jesse seamlessly weaves hilarious stories from her past with present day adventures in the kitchen.  Bonus:  each post is anchored with a new recipe.  Jesse is vegetarian and I assume she doesn't mind if I modify each of her suggested dishes with a healthy topping of bacon.

Do you see this screen shot?  You probably think it is just another gift guide.  Wrong.  This is Tula's list of possible gifts to give Amy Sedaris should she ever have the opportunity to meet her in person.  So, are you all with me in realizing that Whorange is one of the funniest blogs ever?  (PS, Tula, your hair looks great today)

When I want to see good design oddities or just be reminded that I live in Texas and it's hot and it never really feels like Christmas, I cruise on over to Even Cleveland.  As a reward for good readership I got to see how to make macaroni snowflakes.

For drool-inducing themed round-ups, Eye Spy is always a great place to stop.  The above is from E.S.'s most inspiring counter-balanced-weighted light round up.  How can something so ridiculously specific be so good?  I don't know, but ohmygod it was amazing.

For great art round ups I turn to le zebra bleu.  C'mon, where else are you going to find the works of renowned artists recreated entirely of vegetables?   These are things we have to see, people.

I'm pretty sure my ovaries did a little kick when they saw the kiddy costumes posted on Please Sir the other day (don't get excited, ma).   Cruise on over there for quick snapshots of art, fashion and interior design.

Exquisite Function is awesome times five.  Yep, there are 5 ladies contributing to this clean-lined design gem and every one of them always posts something great.  How does that happen?

Woodley Park Zoo chronicles the adventures of a new DC resident living on the Red Line.  Her love for the hot pink shoes above and proximity to my old hood keep her near-and-dear to my heart.

Austin's snarky misprint magazine has an addictive blog, which follows, in no particular order:  armored cats and squirrels, motorized unicycles, Norwegian death metal, and drinking pepsi out of cans found on the side of the road.  I read this every day, but mostly I wanted to add it to the list because I know that co-founder, Bryan, will crap his pants when he sees that I've rotated and drop-shadowed his logo.

And finally, when I need to be reminded that no matter how good I'm feeling about myself there is a 12-year-old girl in Chicago that always has been and always will be cooler than me, I turn to Style Rookie.

Right now I'm subscribed to exactly 80 blogs on my RSS reader.  On the rare day when every planet is aligned, I can see all of them, lately, I have seen very few, but to all of you out there that I haven't had a chance to visit lately, I hope to see you soon and I miss you dearly.  Find something cute for me!

Playmania

Remember when the holidays were fun and awesome and filled with toys? My brother and I were so freaking excited on Christmas Eve that we staged reconnaissance missions to determine the specific nature of our gifts piled high beneath the tree. One of us (not me) may or may not have gone a bit far by actually unwrapping said gifts and PEEKING beneath the wrapping paper. I'm sure my brother will be annoyed that I'm ratting him out, but dude -- dad totally knows! It doesn't take a forensics expert to recognize that grubby fingerprints on mangled tape = one excited little brother. In an effort to recapture that sweet feeling of childish anticipation I am showering you with good time gifts today. Couldn't we all use a little more fun in our lives?

How much better is a chocolate wrench than a metal one? A lot. Just try eating a metal wrench... gross! I'm not sure these would work on real nuts and bolts, but thankfully there are chocolate versions included in the set. Yes, chocolate nuts.

Speaking of yummy treats, who knew design could be so delicious? Check out this edible version of an iconic Eames house by chocolatier, Thomas Haas. You can even see the recipe here. By the way, how does one grow up to be a chocolatier? I feel like I missed my calling.

The design savvy would also enjoy unwrapping these designer dolls by Olivia Lee. Choose from Empress of Architecture: Zaha Hadid, King of Plastic: Karim Rashid, and Chief of Ceramic: Jaime Hayon. The dolls are supposed to caricature the designers' personalities while also evoking the styles of their products. All I know is I always thought that Jaime is a cute and cuddly little dollypants.

I bet these Baby Cubs by Insurgent Wilderness Gruppo would satisfy your deep, dark bloodlust for adorable animal misfits. Eyeballs on a spit and blood spattered polar bear cubs, oh my! These dolls may be for grown up children only.

Remember how much cooler Nintendo was before the Wii? Just kidding... sort of. Get back to really basic with a lego rendering of Duckhunt. I love this inanimate tableau of lego taxidermy because those stupid ducks were hard to hit, what with their zigging and zagging. Can you tell I was never a gamer? If you can't master Duckhunt, you're kind of a loser.

If you have some extra legos left over after playing games, why not try to be a real champion? Whosoever can duplicate this bust of Freddie Mercury shall be bestowed with the title of Lego Queen (you, too, dudes).

Check out what this guy did with some blocks -- made a space invaders cutting board! You can even buy a handmade version, which they repeatedly and vehemently warn is only hand washable. I have included an illustration to reinforce their point, and also to point out that homeboy has a Linux sign over his sink. Hubby would approve.

If you ever hoped and prayed to find a Red Ryder BB gun under the tree, maybe you'll find this upgrade even more alluring. Hellz yes, that is a My Little Pony AR-15 with a purple night vision scope. Lucky Care Bear body armor sold separately.

You remember in The Christmas Story when Ralphie gets that big pink floppy eared bunny suit and, despite his abject misery, actually has to wear it? Don't do that to your kids. Sure, you might think this pea green knitted Yoda hat is cute, but will they?

On the other hand, everyone wants a knitted digestive tract. Everyone.

You know what else everyone wants? This crazy cute Monster Skin Rug by Joshua Longo. You should take a look at some of his other toothsome, deranged creatures. I would have included them, but I decided this should be a special holiday family post. Except for the chocolate nuts.

The holidays are all about spreading the love, so don't forget to include your furry friends in the gift giving process. Perhaps your feline would enjoy a collapsable cardboard Cat Playhouse. Obviously Clint is lovin' every minute of it. Oh yeah. I think I would have some Christmas claw marks if I tried to shove my half feral little buddy down the hatch, but that's just me.

Are you feeling the holiday sprit now? Feel like playing a game? Tell me about some of your favorite holiday presents and adventures. I live for your witty and incisive comments. No, really, I do.

Sloppy Seconds: Decor Stew

Today I have lots of Christmas cookies to bake, so what will I be serving up on the blog?  Why, interior soup, your favorite!  Today's the day where I reach deep down into my desktop folder of tricks and pull out a few of my favorite images that I've collected over the last several months.  As you may remember la folder ain't organized so don't expect any fancy linkin.  If you're dying, just dying to know where a certain thing came from, hit me up in the comments and I will super-sleuth it up for ya. Stop banging your spoons on the table, soup's served:

Sorry dudes, as may be apparent by the casual layout of these rooms, I seriously need to relax.  and bake.  and take a little more time to daydream about my own decor.  More tomorrow

KISSES!