Cuteness in the crosswalk

Not to get all Rachel Zoe on you, but this pic... I die.
So. Cute!
In fact, this picture is so cute it make my ovaries shrivel up just a bit.
I need a puppy.

Via Jak and Jil.

To top it off: cupcake kits

I don't have kids yet for whom to plan birthday parties, yet I still feel oddly compelled to buy all of these amazing cupcake kits immediately.

These gorgeous mermaids are perfectly at home here on Sea*Life*Style.

I can think of a certain little boy (Finny Finn Finn) whose mom is going to snap up these pirate toppers immediately...

A cute gender-neutral option:


This one's girly all the way:


Perhaps I'll host a tweet-up and serve cupcakes adorned with these (grasping at straws here, looking for a reason to buy one of these kits!):


I can honestly see some dog-obsessed grown-ups buying these for their dog's birthday party (I still think it's hysterical [cough *weird* cough] that people do that):


Maybe I'll get these for the next friend of mine who has a baby shower:

I die with the cuteness.

p.s. Most of the cupcake themes also have coordinating party supplies, from invites to paper plates and napkins, etc. Check out the full selection here. So cute!

Spotted on Oh Happy Day!

Dog stache

I'll lay off the mustache posts after this (the trend is olllld, I get it), but this one was too funny not to share. Mustaches on dudes is one thing, mustaches on dogs is another:

(As you can see in the photo) it's a ball on one side and a mustache on the other. Your dog will bite the ball, leaving an awesome mustache sticking out. When we get a dog I'm so getting one of these. They're only $15, they're made from that uber-strong Kong plastic and, most importantly, they're hilarious! Available here.

Matt & Marcy, this has Sandy's name all over it! I'm assuming Bailey is a bit more discerning, but he might be into it too...

Via Swiss Miss.

Bright, bright, sunshiny day

Photo from The Sartorialist

It's amazing to see what a difference a little sunshine makes, and oh was this weekend sunny. On Sunday as we walked downtown for lunch, our little city was like a whole new place. Not only was it shiny and bright instead of the constant gray we've been having, but there were people walking dogs, kids riding bikes, runners, sailors, and boats everywhere. B and I grabbed sandwiches to go (turkey and bacon for him, brie and apples for me, mmm) and sat outside watching the people go by. It was still a bit chilly at 51 degrees, but I could do with that over gray and 40s any day.

It's supposed to keep up this week and I can't wait! Hope you're having a bright, sunshiny day, even though it's Monday...

Your mug on a mug: custom silhouette mugs

Old news: I'm obsessed with silhouettes (case A; case B). New news:

For 65 buckaroos, you can have your own mug on a mug. (Ha!)


Seriously though, BROOKLYNrehab and Miss Crowland create custom silhouettes and send you not only the lovely mugs, but also the digital file of your silhouettes so you can use them wherever you like in the future. So this couple becomes this:

And could be applied to mugs, stationery, invites, and so on. Wouldn't the mugs be an awesome wedding gift to give to a couple? Pets are also welcome - a child and a pup would be an adorable pair too.

Imagine the possibilities! (Don't even get me started, I could go on for days....)

Originally found on Design*Sponge.

The Clean Queen's new products

Did you know this was happening?:

Not surprisingly, the Queen of Mean Clean, Martha Stewart, is getting into the green home-cleaning products game. After I finally resolved to switch out the old standby toxic cleaners for the newer, greener Method products, good ol' Martha comes out with her own answer to eco-friendly cleaning.

The website touts that Martha Stewart Clean products use 99% plant- and mineral-based biodegradable ingredients, and all of the products in the line are free of dyes and fragrances. They're also 100% non-toxic (for those of you with kids and pets...or who just like your own brain cells) and I'm sure they work just as well as normal products (or else Madama Stewart would certainly not put her name on them!). And I'm sure B will be happy to hear that the packaging - my bailiwick - is not only cuuute, but recyclable. Huzzah.

I had heard about all this through a tweet a while back, but it wasn't until I saw this pic on Young House Love today that I knew it was for real:

All of Martha's new lovelies lined up at Home Depot.

If you don't have a Home Depot nearby but are chomping at the bit to try this stuff, don't fret - the line is up on Amazon already, here.

Anyone going to give it a try?

Happy birthday, Sara!

Today is someone's birthday. Guess who?

"Who me?"

Yep, that's right; it's the fabulous Ms. S - that's Sara with no H to you.

In honor of her joyous 29th birthday (an age we'll probably remain for the next 10 years or so...), I'd like to share a few things about my fun friend. I hope she doesn't kill me. So, without further ado, here are 10 things you may not know about Ms. McCrazy:

1. She's super fun.


2. She's obsessed with her Devon Rex, but deep down I think she's a dog lover too.

They kinda look related, no?

3. She makes a really good Mrs. Claus.

A dancing Mrs. Claus...

4. She's super sporty.

Who else could rock a helmet this nicely?

5. She and her boyfriend are hilarious together.


6. She likes to ride her bike in downtown Annapolis and Eastport.

Sometimes she swerves.

7. She can handle a gun.


8. She's a great dancer.


9. She is uber-smart.

Don't the glasses prove it?

10. She LOVES to sleep. And when she's ready to go to sleep, get out of her way! (No picture needed to prove this point. This is just fact.)

Bonus item: 11. She is an awesome friend.

Happy birthday, Somack! Have a great day today and see you at TGIFriday's for your birthday dinner (ha ha).

Funday Monday

Photo from Them Thangs via i am a greedy girl

Good morning (slash afternoon), everyone! Did you all have fun weekends? Ours was a blast, both fun and crazy and mellow (from a busy Saturday to a lazy Sunday). We even had some snow here - rare for early December! It's pretty much melted at this point, but the tangible confirmation that winter really is here made me think of the photo above. I love the hazy, dreamy quality of it, plus doesn't that winter bonfire on the beach look fun?

I'm trying to get my head back in the blog world so that I have some cool and inspired things to bring you all (and not just adorable, but totally ridiculous, posts about kittens being surprised). If you all have anything interesting or holiday-appropriate that you'd want to share, please feel free to email me and I'd be more than happy to post it here. Otherwise, here's hoping I find some inspiration. Be back in a bit!

Puppy love

I have a confession: I do not have baby envy, I have puppy envy. Hardcore. While we are probably not at all ready for a dog - we're out of town most weekends and/or running around all the time - I cannot help but squeal, squirm and pet every passing puppy. Just ask B: I got separated from him and our friends at the Tug of War because I kept stopping to pet dogs. The cuteness kills me!

The biggest question for if we were to get a dog is what kind. I think we're both clear that we want a bigger dog, and a really cool active one that will go on boats with us and catch a frisbee.

Here are some of our favorites:

Golden Retriever (photo by David Dalton). My first ever pet and my first true dog love. So flippin' cute.


Nova Scotian Duck Tolling Retriever. Reminds me of a Golden's slightly smaller cousin (with webbed feet).


Border Collie. Probably way too hyper for us, but so cute it's hard to rule them out!


Australian Shepherd. Again, probably too energetic, but awfully adorable. I can't decided if the two different colored eyes is really awesome or kind of creepy (or both).


Old English Sheepdog (photo from Martha Stewart). Reminds me of Nana from Peter Pan! Are these drooly though?


And finally, our nation's First Dog, the Portuguese Water Dog. I want to have a non-shedding option in there. Kinda cute too.

So, dear readers, what do you all think? Any recommendations? Opinions? All thoughts are welcome - please leave a comment! Keep in mind this wouldn't be for a while, but it's always fun to think about!

I can't believe I just wrote an entire post about dogs and I've written one about my friend's cat in the past. This is so not that kind of blog.... Oy.

The Cuteness: baby animal prints

All photos by Sharon Montrose.

Seriously. I die. (Woah there, Rachel Zoe, scale it back.)

But how cute are these photos of baby animals? These are real animals.


How do people see something as cute as this little piglet and then eat ham and such? OMG. I can't believe I said that... I love bacon. Crap.

Eating issues aside, aren't these little babes adorable?


Now I want a pet porcupine! (Maybe not such a good idea...)

Prints are available in 7x8 size in Sharon's Etsy store or in a large-scale format here. Fun gift (or just as a happy Friday look-see).

More holiday gift ideas: randoms

Joanna Goddard had some awesome gift guides last year. I've ruthlessly included a few ideas from her 2008 list (though I'm crediting her, I swear!). I do hope she does another one this year. The ones at the bottom are mine all mine. I'll continue to do more gift ideas posts, but so far mine only consist of gifts for cooks and that's just kinda lame. But without further ado, here are some random gift ideas for the various beloved vagrants in your life:

For my friend Val, a magazine editor and the "classiest" girl I know (well, at least by Ron Burgundy's standards):

Stay Classy pencils, $6 for 6

For my boating friends, who could definitely use a bath after a day on the water, or for those who just want to smell like they've been yachting in Sweden:

Swedish Summer soap, $4 for a 1/2-pound bar

For your nesting friend, or for those who like some nautical flair (and have heavy doors):

Rope Knot Door Stop, $42

If I had a door that we could keep open, I'd so want this (but all we've got is the front door and bedroom or bathroom doors...and sometimes we want those closed).

Ideas that are mine all mine (AKA not as good as Joanna's):

For each of my un-sister-and-brother-in-laws' dogs:

Snuggie for Dogs, $14.95 (plus $7.95 P+H of course)

They come in sizes large and small! MP, speak now or forever hold your peace...or the dog gets it. Mwuahahahah. ;) (Kidding, kidding.)

For my friends who "think they can dance" and/or want to Get Fit through dance:

So You Think You Can Dance Get Fit DVD, $11.99

I would choose "Cardio Funk" over "Tone and Groove" simply because I adore Travis. And who wouldn't want to get funky while doing cardio? Ha.

So what do you folks think? Anyone running out to get any of these gifts?

Family (since you're the only people reading this thing): please note that I do not want any of these gifts. They're just fun ideas for others. Seriously. Okay, that door stop is pretty cool, but the aforementioned lack of doors here is a problem. Maybe just the Get Fit DVD then... ;) (I keed. I keed. Really.)