Jess’s Picks

Oh, you guys. It’s been such a long week. There is so much stress at the end of a big project at work and so much sadness about my friend’s mom. Mary’s out sick with food poisoning she thinks, today, so here are a few picks around the Internet that have cheered me up.

• Building things is so good for me. It clears my mind, makes me feel capable, and leaves me satisfied when I finish a project. I adore this Simple Plywood Table and Bench shared on Man Made DIY. Makes me start dreaming about our next home to decorate.

• These creative kids photos by Jason Lee are amazingly cute. They’re creative (obviously) but in such genius ways. It makes me wish I had daughters or sisters or both. The girls happy little faces cheer me up!

• The photos of this beautifully decorated old farmhouse at “Rhinebeck Retreat” by From Me To You make the home look so comfortable and relaxing. I just want to take all of my friends there and get some much needed respite for those who need it. It’s been a hard year, already, for some of us.

Mary’s Picks

• I’m totally enamored with this lush back yard makeover featured on Apartment Therapy this week. Tim and D’Arcy took their much to be desired back yard and turned it into a beautiful oasis. I love how graphic the stone pavers look with the bright green of the grass.

• I love a good DIY Before and After that brings life to a piece most people wouldn’t have seen otherwise. That’s exactly what Jenny from Little Green Notebook did with a wooden toy box. She laid fabric on the inside and put a pretty piping around the staples. It looks so chic and beautiful.

• Nerd Boyfriend. This website is awesome. I’m a bit in love with the Buddy Holly outfit.

Jess’s Picks

• Maybe it’s because I finally got our 7 million cups organized into a cabinet that holds 6 regular drinking glasses, 4 juice cups, three pint glasses, and all the mugs and a china hutch that holds everything else, but for some reason I’m not so resentful about the idea of new glasses. Especially little tumblers! We only have one and it was just a stock glass that came in a Crown Royal gift set however long ago. These Kate Spade “Two of a Kind” tumblers are now available in his and his, hers and his, and hers and hers pairs. Perfect for wedding season!

• Whoa! Four Eyes Furniture is gorgeous. I love the angles and how masculine it is! (via Grassroots Modern)

• Amber Interior Design shared her home’s  ”Before and Afters” today. The transformation is totally stunning!

• Meanwhile,  DIYdiva is getting going on her own (new) before and after project in her Pink Parlor. I feel like I haven’t been getting enough DIYdiva lately. I think my Google Reader has gotten a little cluttered and it’s probably time to prune some things out because I know too much is getting skipped over.

Jess’s Picks

No picks from Mary who is taking the week off. Mine are full of yummy food and bright colors though so hopefully it will keep you sated until Mary returns next week.

• Monday morning, Real Simple emailed me this recipe for Eggplant Parmesan Rollatini. I was in the mood for something along these lines anyway, so we made it for dinner on Monday. It was delicious! And not really that much work. It would be great to take along to a potluck.

• I love the shade of yellow in this feeling like a citron sorbet… roundup at Oh Joy!. I pull of yellow pretty well — so well that all mom bought me for years was yellow and I rebelled against it until I finally reached adulthood and would admit that she was right.

• I was so inspired by Bright.Bazaar’s profile of the  Zara Home Spring/Summer 2012 Collections. Bright, bright, bright. Bold hues. Really beautiful patterns. Perfect.

• Finally, you have to check out this Pantone fruit palette at the french Griottes It looks beautiful, fresh, and delicious.

Mary’s Picks

• These skateboard photos taken by Bill Eppridge in the 60s are pretty awesome. I’ve never had the balance to ride a skateboard myself, but I do have a fondness for them. (via Honestly…WTF)

• This new blog, The Comedy Albums Club, is written by a fella I tend to be pretty fond of. Finding a good comedy albums seems to be something that’s hard for the average person to come by and so Brendan has some great recommendations.

• Also out in the blog world right now are The Homies by Apartment Therapy. Make sure you head over there and vote for your favorites!!!

Jess’s Picks

Major monster apologies for the reallllly late post today. I have had a somewhat unpredictable day. It’s been good unpredictable though so don’t give me any sympathy. The worst parts were that I had to wait hours on an oil change and had a terrible Walmart experience (go figure, right?) and that my laptop battery was dead so I couldn’t even get the post up while I waited and waited. I suppose I should plan better and procrastinate less, but what’s the fun in that?

• Yum! This looks like a really yummy and filling but not terribly unhealthy lunch and it would be so much easier than sushi!

• Now that it’s march, I feel like it’s finally okay to be so excited for spring flowers without feeling like the wait will be too long to handle it. I like this DIY (fake) flower topiary to get this spring feeling into my house.

• Fab.com has had so many cute poufs, and I seriously love to sit on the floor and craft at a coffee table. If my legs were happy being folded up underneath me all day, I may never move. DIY Pouf to the rescue.

Have you noticed I’m all about sewing projects lately? I really need to find the sewing machine pedal at Kyle’s parents or finally order a new one.

Mary’s Picks

• I’m a bit in love with this spacious apartment in Stockholm featured on Design Attractor. It’s so pretty, colorful, fresh, and fun. Those kids rooms are awesome.

• So I guess this isn’t so much something I read but something that I watched. Streaming this week on Netflix is the documentary of Charles and Ray Eames, Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter. I felt like it was a really beautiful documentary and I truly didn’t want it to end. Also, after seeing their house, I’d really love to tour it!

• There’s a new book selection with the Phenomenally Indecisive Book Club over at Pancake and French Fries. It’s a young adult selection and I’m excited to read it. One of my goals for this year was to read more and so far I’ve done pretty well. I’ve gone through the first book on the book club list, Rules of Civility by Amor Towles, and I just finished Room by Emma Donoghue.

Jess’s Picks

• I totally dig the ambience of the Oscar’s Green Room At The 2012 Academy Awards (via Styleist). Grey is my favorite neutral and I love that orangey leather chair.

•  I get so excited when I discover a new blog. I just found Pretty Quirky Pants when I clicked through for a shredded shirt DIY. It’s full of great clothing and accessory DIYs! (via Scissors+Thread)

Jess’s Picks

My picks are all Valentine’s Day related today and I have some fun gifts going up in the Hope Chest, too. What can I say? I’m a Valentine’s Day junkie. And all of the people that hate it have made that so trite that I feel like I’m carving out original ground when I advocate for Valentine’s Day.

• I would probably make the little message permanent rather than going with chalkboard for this DIY Chalkboard Necklace from Henry Happened, but it’s still adorable.

• I’ve been on a real hot cocoa kick lately, even though this winter hasn’t been this cold. A Valentine’s Day Sugar Giftable from Somewhere Splendid sounds perfect for my growing list of things I want to try mixed into hot cocoa. Better yet? Both the sugar and the gift is a DIY!

• This last year post from ReadyMade magazine (a favorite that I still miss!) is full of adorable typographic valentines! They’re sweet and nerdy. My favorite! (via Man Made DIY)

Mary’s Picks

• I saw A Child’s Own Studio this morning on Whatever. I am pretty much in awe over this woman’s ingenuity and art. She takes drawings from children and then fashions them into dolls/animals. It’s really amazing.

• The Single Sentence email project. I wonder if I could do it? I think I’m fairly long winded sometimes because I feel the need to explain every detail.

• I love vintage typography and because of that I could look at Letterheady all day. Seriously, I can browse through their archives for hours. My favorite is Groucho Marx’s. It’s awesome.

Mary’s Picks

• How cool are these reconstructed works? Pep Ventosa takes loads of photos of one scene/building/image and then reconstructs them back together. It’s so interesting to see how places change overtime and so quickly. (via Honestly…WTF)

• I love how Elsie at A Beautiful Mess contiues to do so many tutorials on fun things. This week she posted a how-to on making your own slad dressing. I really wnat to give this a try. Honesy mustard, ranch, and cilantro-lime vinagrette. Sounds yummy!

• This week ReNest posted about America’s Oldest Self Sustaining Home. The couple, Matt and Kelly, purchased the 100 year old home in hope of renovating it into a net-zero energy house. Welp, they did just that. That home is adorable and major kudos to them for such a green renovation.

Jess’s Picks

• I almost shared a series of newly technicolored iconic photographs last week but I’m glad I waited because these Vintage Photographs Become Sci-Fi and Super Heroes I saw at Man Made DIY are way more awesome! I love it when people buy thrift photos or art and upgrade it!

•  This roundup of family vintage at mint reminds me that sometimes home is the best place to look for great vintage finds. The best things about the vintage items and antiques you collect from your family is that they hold so many happy, emotional memories.

• My last find is purely functional… I found Sprout Robot’s automated seed calendar through Hipster Housewife and I think it might just make this year’s plan (or is it merely a hope?) to garden a reality!